DRY SHADE PLANTS

Dry Shade PlantsAnnual Flowers for Dry Shade Areas

By Marie Iannotti

Annuals for dry shade is a bit of a misnomer. First, most of them aren't true annuals,
we just grow them that way. More importantly, they all welcome regular watering. 
However, the 10 annual flowers listed here will all bloom and grow in partial shade with 
minimal supplemental water and give a much needed shot of color to a shady corner.

1. Balsam (Impatiens Balsamina)

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Balsam is a member of the Impatiens family. There are annual
and
perennial balsams. Annual balsam is very easy to grow from
seed and blooms pretty much all summer. It can withstand 
short periods of drought, but can’t stand wet feet. Balsam
 flowers in shades of white, pink, rose, and red and grows and
 blooms fine in partial shade. At 2' tall, it is one of the taller 
annuals.

2. Cleome or Spider Flower (Cleome hassleriana)

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Drought tolerant Cleome will bloom where it’s planted. In full
sun, the plants can top out at over 6' tall. You probably won’t 
get that much height in partial shade, but you will still get plenty
of blooms. There are some stunning new shades of purple cleome, 
as well as the pink and white standbys. Cleome is a self-seeder, 
but It’s easy enough to pull out in the spring and I’ve never seen it 
become a nuisance.

3. English Daisy (Bellis Perennis)

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

OK, English Daisies are supposed to be perennial plants down to
USDA Zone 4, so maybe they shouldn’t be included here. But since 
we won’t be growing them in ideal conditions, I wouldn’t necessarily 
count on them returning next year. English Daisies grow to about 
12" tall, with daisy-like blooms on top of slender, bending stems. 
They look like refined wildflowers, in shades of pink and white.

4. Flowering Tobacco (Nicotiana sylvestris)

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

There are lots of dwarf Nicotiana on the market, in a variety of
colors, but tall, white-flowers Nicotiana sylvestris is still an attraction. Nicotiana sylvestris grows about 5' tall and supposedly gives off a 
perfumed scent in the evenings, when its flowers face upward. I’ve
never seen that happen. But I still grow it for the dangling white 
tubular flowers that grow in clusters and jingle in the breeze.

5. Forget-Me-Nots (Myosotis dissitiflora)

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Not all Forget-Me-Nots are annuals. The annual variety grows to
 about 6-12 in. tall with the typical Forget-Me-Nots blue flowers 
blooming in late spring or early summer. It may not be perennial,
but it will self-seed with abandon, so expect many more plants 
next year, unless you deadhead before the seeds form. Annual 
Forget-Me-Nots prefers partial shade.

6. Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea)

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Most foxgloves are biennials, growing only a low, rosette of 
leaves the first year, then sending up a tall flower spike the 2nd
year. But knowing that gardeners are impatient people, the
nursery trade kindly starts ‘annual’ foxgloves in the fall so that
they’re ready to jump right into flower their first year in our
gardens. 'Foxy' is the most common variety of ‘annual’ foxglove. 
It’s a dwarf foxglove, growing about 8-12" tall and coming in 
shades of pink and white with the spots and mottling you’d expect,
inside the glove.

7. Impatiens (Impatiens wallerana)

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Impatiens are the workhorses of shade gardens. They really prefer a
slightly moist shade, but can grow and bloom with a little abuse, too.
Just don’t leave them on their own in a drought. Impatiens make a
good indicator plant, if you want a signal that it’s time to water. They
 will wilt and drop their blooms and then languish for a week even after you’ve watered them. But they won’t die without a fight. In partial
 shade, with minimal water, your Impatiens will shine.

8. Lobelia (Lobelia erinus)

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Lobelia has been bred to bloom and bloom it does. There are trailing varieties and others that grow as nice neat mounds. The flowers are
 small, about ½" wide, but profuse. Blue Lobelia is the most commonly offered, but it also comes in white and pinkish-red. Lobelia is great for baskets and along the edge of a bed. Although Lobelia is a full sun
annual, it will bloom in shade and actual prefers partial shade during 
hot, dry summers.

9. Pansy (Viola x wittrockiana cultivars)

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Pansies are "the" cool weather annual, which makes them perfect for
 shady gardens. Regular water will keep them blooming longer, but
 pansies are surprisingly tough flowers and even if they stop blooming
 for awhile, they’ll perk back up when conditions improve. I like to
move my early season container pansies to an out of the way shady 
spot for the summer, then pot them back up to begin blooming again
 in the fall.

10. Sweet Alyssum (Lobularia maritima)

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Sweet Alyssum is underused in shady areas. The plants stay low
growing (3-5") and form dense clusters of flowers in white or purple. 
I like to under plant other flowers with Alyssum and have often lined 
an entire walkway with the plants. There is a sweet scent to some 
varieties, but you really have to get down close to tell. Sweet Alyssum
is extremely drought tolerant and blooms longest if you give it a good shearing in mid-summer.




To purchase suitable plants go to Direct Gardening in the US
http://www.directgardening.com/index_cj.htm
And in Australia Garden Express http://www.gardenexpress.com.au

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SHADE GARDENING

Shade Gardening - A Garden Made in the Shade

Planning for Color and Interest with Shade Garden Plants

By Marie Iannotti

There was a time when gardeners thought having shade meant not having a garden. But shade gardening offers the opportunity to get to know and use a whole new category of wonderful plants. In fact in the heat of summer, shade is as welcome to many plants as it is to gardeners.

All shade is not equal and many times the degree of shade changes with the season or even the time of day. For shade gardening, shade is defined by how long the area is without sunlight.

• Partial Sun / Partial Shade: These 2 terms are often used interchangeably to mean 3 - 6 hours of sun each day, preferably in the morning and early afternoon.
  • However if a plant is listed as Partial Sun, greater emphasis is put on its receiving the minimal sun requirements.
  • If a plant is listed as Partial Shade, the plant will need some relief from the intense late afternoon sun, either from shade provided by a nearby tree or planting it on the east side of a building.
• Dappled Shade: Dappled sunlight is similar to partial shade. It is the sun that makes its way through the branches of a deciduous tree. Woodland plants and underplantings prefer this type of sunlight over even the limited direct exposure they would get from partial shade.
• Full shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight each day, with filtered sunlight during the rest of the day. Full shade does not mean no sun. There aren't many plants, except mushrooms, that can survive in the dark. You can lighten up full shade by removing lower tree branches and allowing more sunlight to get through.

Special Considerations for Shade Gardens

1. Soil

Many shade plants developed in woodland situations, where the soil tends to be rich 
and slightly acidic from the decaying leaf mold. Because the buildup of decaying plant 
debris is not removed in natural woodlands, there is always a nice layer of mulch keeping 
the soil temperature constantly cool and feeding the soil with a steady supply of nutrients.


When trying to create your own shade garden with woodland plants, try t recreate these conditions, paying special attention to providing rich soil and organic mulch.

1. Deciduous Trees and Dry Shade Gardening
   Deciduous trees can offer either dappled shade or full shade. There are several
   attractive ground covers that will establish themselves under shade trees, like
   Epimedium, European ginger (Asarum europaeum), Liriope and sweet woodruff,
   but it is often easier to confine your shade gardening attempts around tree roots
   to early spring bulbs and ephemerals that bloom before the trees leaf out, then
    let the tree be the star attraction for the summer and fall. Daffodils, scilla and
    grape hyacinth will do well under trees as will spring flowering primrose and
   trout lily.
   Don't try to add soil on top of the tree roots, to create a garden. This will only disturb
   or harm the tree. It is possible to create small planting pockets between the tree roots,
   where you can start a few plants and allow them to establish themselves and spread.
   But in the competition for soil and nutrients in a limited area, a tree will always win out
   over an annual or perennial.
2. Working with Moving Shade
   Shade is rarely fixed throughout the day. Spend some time watching the way the light and shadows fall throughout your garden space and use this light play to create focal points. For instance, if light catches a particular corner in the afternoon, brighten it further with a yellow Hosta. Deeper shade can be drawn closer with the use of variegated white foliage. Dappled shade is a wonderful tool for playing with coarse textures and bold leaves.
3. Using Structures to Create Shade Gardens
   Don't be discouraged by a lack of established shade trees. You can use manmade structures to create your own shady nook. Pergolas and arbors covered with vines will provide enough shade to garden underneath. You could even use a trellis as a wall to cast shadows of shade onto an ideal spot.
4. Problems Associated with Shade Gardens
   Shade gardens are no more work than sunny gardens. Most shade garden plants prefer a moist soil, so you will need to water regularly and mulch.
   • Disease: Be on the lookout for fungal diseases that can develop because of the damp condition. To offset this, don't plant too closely and allow for good air circulation.
   • Insects: Snails and slugs will be attracted to the cool, moist shade. Trapping and hand picking will need to be done throughout the growing season.
   On the plus side, there are less weeds in shade, because the lack of sunlight inhibits
   germination.
   
   
   For a range of suitable plants in the US visit
   Direct Gardening http://www.directgardening.com/index_cj.htm
   In Australia visit Garden Express http://www.gardenexpress.com.au
   
   
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WATER PLANTS

This is an interesting and informative article about different types of  water plants for your garden pond.

Water Plants For Everyone

By Manisha Kumar

Water plants are an integral part of water gardens which are an extremely landscape feature the world over. Ornamental water plants make these gardens look serene and beautiful and also provide a natural habitat for fish. There are different types of water plants that one can choose from. There are the marginal water plants or the bog plants that proliferate naturally in the shallow areas of ponds. Alternatively these could be grown in containers which have 3 to 6 inches of water covering the crown of the plants. One should also introduce floating plants which act as filters and remove excess nitrogen from the water as also keep the algae at bay. The good thing about submerged plants is that they release oxygen into the water.

Lotus and lily are deep water plants that restrict the growth of algae. There are in fact 57 types of lilies to choose from and these are very hardy plants too. Among the most popular ones is the Pink Sensation which comes with silver and pink hued cup shaped flowers that are 5 to 6 inches diameter, with leaves that are 10 inches long. Alternatively one could go for the lemon fragrance emanating ever popular Texan Dawn water lily. This comes with stellated shaped yellow and pink blossoms and its eight inch leaves spread an incredible 3 to 5 feet.

Lotuses too come in a number of varieties. There is the sacred lotus or the Hindu lotus plant that grows to a height of 6 feet and grows a fading rose pink flower that has a yellow base and attains a diameter of 12 feet. It has huge leaves that are two to three feet in diameter. For smaller gardens or even barrels there is the Charles Thomas variety which attains a modest height of 3 feet and grows 6 to 8 inch pink flowers with an anise like fragrance.

Egyptian Paper Reeds can be used both as a container and a water garden plant. This plant has big onion shaped heads and long pendulum shaped leaves as well as greenish brown flower spikes that are one foot across. It can attain a height of 15 feet, though a dwarf variety is also available for small gardens.

Japanese Water Iris also presents a pretty picture. It grows 3 feet tall and produces beautiful butterfly shaped blossom that come in several colors like white, pink, lavender, blue, violet, crimson and yellow. Floating water plants come in about 16 varieties. The popular ones among these are fairy moss, hyacinth, water lettuce and mosaic.

Thus we see that water plants are an integral part of how we landscape a garden or even decorate the inside of a home. Water plants lend an element of tranquility and peace to the environment, and at the same time look exquisitely beautiful, and have the ability to transform the aura of any place. It is no surprise therefore that they are much in demand with more and more people around the world using them to decorate their gardens and buildings.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Manisha_Kumar

Rock Gardens

Rock Gardens-Some Ideas to Get You Started

By Maxina D Williams

A rock garden (rockery) can transform even the most mundane garden into something quite spectacular. It can be a feature in its own right but its main purpose is as an arrangement in which the rocks merely provide a home for a display of really showy flowers.
I love rocks and never pass up an opportunity to bring one home from my ramblings, knowing that I will have the perfect spot for it. Rocks have a naturalness, an air of permanence and a beauty all their own but, for Heaven's sake, never, never paint them. Ideally, you should always use rocks local to your area. Imported rocks can often totally destroy the natural effect that you are trying to create. Local rocks belong.
Your rockery's real purpose is to provide pockets of soil for your plants and there is really no limit to the types of plants you can grow there. I find that the alpine and succulent species in particular make for the most attractive rockeries. These particular plants are usually low maintenance, allowing you more time to enjoy your new creation. Advice from your local garden centre can be helpful in this regard.
Ideally, the size of the rocks and of the rockery itself should be in proportion to the available area of you garden. I have seen a rockery used to great effect in tidying up the look of an unattractive corner of a garden but I have also seen an otherwise delightful rockery totally wasted in a garden that was just too small for it. Another important thing to bear in mind in creating a natural look is to use rocks of varying sizes. Never sit your rocks on top of the ground. Always bury them just enough to give the impression that there is still a lot of rock underground. The natural look is the all-important outcome that you are seeking to create.Ideally, your rockery should be situated in the sun as this will give you the widest possible selection of plantings.
Surface rocks and stones always look best as they are more likely to have that highly desirable weathered look and, if you can get some with lichen or moss on them, even better. However, if you're not lucky enough to find rocks like these, then here's a little tip: painting your rocks with yoghurt can achieve a mossy look.
Another important thing to remember is not to put your rockery around the base of a tree because this raises the soil level above the normal ground line and could kill the tree. I did this once in my early days of gardening. A tree is a beautiful thing in its own right and doesn't need its base cluttered with rocks and plants.
.

Maxina Williams loves everything to do with gardening and outdoor living.

Suitable plants for your rock garden can be obtained from
Direct Gardening http://www.directgardening.com/index_cj.htm  in the US
or in Australia at Garden Express http://www.gardenexpress.com.au

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maxina_D_Williams

PRUNING DECIDUOUS TREES AND SHRUBS

Pruning Deciduous Trees and Shrubs

By Maxina D Williams

Gardeners through the ages have seldom been content to stand back and leave the growth of their plants entirely up to Mother Nature with her unpredictable whims and fancies. Instead of viewing my fellow gardeners as interfering in the natural sequence of events in our gardens, I like to think of us as shaping and improving the environment that nature has provided by removing unnecessary parts of the plants to encourage larger and better fruits and flowers, somewhat akin to the way we nurture our children, rather than simply turning them out to face the world on their own.
Few aspects of gardening are shrouded in as much mystery as is pruning. It really is a simple and logical process and here are some guidelines which you may find useful.
Not all deciduous shrubs require yearly pruning but those that do fall into three main categories according to their flowering times: "winter", "spring to mid-summer" and "late summer".
Winter-flowering deciduous shrubs don't require a great deal of pruning other than shaping when they are young and removing congested branches which cross the centre of the plant and block out the warmth and light of the sun. These plants should be pruned as soon as they finish flowering so as to give them as much time as possible to produce their new shoots for the next season. It is easiest to control the size of this group.
The spring to mid-summer group should be pruned as soon as their flowers fade, first removing untidy weak shoots and those branches which cross the plant's centre as described in the previous paragraph. If your shrub has been neglected for a couple of seasons, you can rejuvenate it by cutting back the complete shrub. This may appear a drastic measure but you will sacrifice flowers for only one season and it will remind you not to let it happen again.
Shrubs in the late summer group are best pruned in the late spring of the following year.This will give you fresh young shoots for the next season. If you prune them immediately after flowering, the new shoots will appear too early and will run the risk of being damaged by frost. Again, you should remove any branch congestion in the middle of the shrub and any thin and weak shoots. Cut out all shoots that bore flowers during the previous season. It is best to cut on an angle with the upper point just above the bud but not too close to the bud in case you damage it or leave it unsupported.
Always cut out any pest-affected or diseased shoots; if left they can aid the spread of nasties in your garden. These should be disposed of by burning.
So get started. It's really quite easy.

Maxina Williams loves everything to do with gardening and outdoor living.


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Article source: http://www.gardenswings-n-things.blogspot.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maxina_D_Williams

YELLOW ROSES

Yellow Roses - A Special Meaning

By Colin Beech

Roses are a perfect way to communicate feelings one may have 
for another. Each color represents a different meaning. The 
mixture of their sugary smell along with their beauty has always 
attracted people instantly. Of every single flower available on the
 market today, roses are the most common of them all! Yellow 
roses are easy, attractive, and are a good way to send a message to
 the person of your choice. Yellow roses are a symbol of freedom,
 happiness, and love. People who are the receivers of yellow roses 
from their loved ones know that their partner is happy and satisfied 
with their relationship. The yellow rose is a great way to show honesty
 and comfort. Giving a yellow rose to that special someone represents 
an easy feeling of friendliness that is authentic.

Most of the time, yellow roses are usually given as a sign of accomplishment, completion, or execution of a specific goal. Yellow roses are also given to represent strength of mind and motivation to start a new endeavor. It is often seen that yellow roses are given to clear misunderstandings between people and help renew their friendship. Yellow roses are also a great way to cure depression when given to other people that are depressed. It is a true act of kindness that is respectable and genuine. It is hard to find amazing yellow roses. You can't just buy them from any old department store or grocery store. The roses will just wilt away and die quickly. You definitely don't want this at all and try to avoid this at all costs!
You need to take your time and find a yellow rose distributor that grows these yellow roses properly. To find a distributor of yellow roses simply use any major search engine like Yahoo or Google and type that phrase in. Hit go and you have tons of different roses to choose from and distributors. You need to find a seller of yellow roses that takes time to consider the type of soil they use to grow the roses, the surrounding areas where they plant each yellow rose, the amount of sun each rose will receive, and the care it receives.

Yellow roses have an extremely special meaning behind them and you only want to give your loved one, friend, etc. the best each and every time. There are many distributors that will deliver your roses the VERY NEXT DAY or even in some cases the same day! Surprise your loved one today with the flowers of their dreams. Roses are honestly the best way you can ever express yourself without the use of words. Almost everyone knows the true meaning behind roses and giving a person a special rose will certainly express words to them without even saying anything at all! I wish you the best of luck in finding the best yellow roses on the market to give to that special someone. There is definitely an everlasting meaning behind every single rose depending on the color you go for!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Colin_Beech

Buy your rose trees in the US at Direct Gardening http://www.directgardening.com/index_cj.htm
or in Australia at Garden Express http://www.gardenexpress.com.au

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NATURAL GARDEN WATER FEATURES

Creating a Natural Garden Water Feature

By Maxina D Williams

Nature is irregular. She almost never does straight lines, so in designing a garden water feature, whether it be a pond or a stream, it is more aesthetically pleasing to go for an irregular shape with curves and bends and using round river rocks along the edges.

Creating a water course doesn't have to be an impossible task. One simple way of achieving it is to purchase a pre-formed pond base, a pump (which can be electric or solar) and a couple of bags of attractive medium sized stones and simply assemble. It isn't even necessary to bury the pond base. You can simply disguise the edges with suitable plants. This would give you a portable feature that you could even take with you if you decided to move house and couldn't bear to leave it behind. In one of our gardens we used a fibre glass water course from which water cascaded down over pebbles into a fibre glass pond which we had placed into a sunken area. That gave us the fall as well as the natural look because streams always cut a valley in nature. Native grasses and a mixture of rounded river stones disguised the edges and gave it a completely natural look. We added gold fish and aquatic plants to complete the scene and it looked terrific.

A stepped cascade water course is attractive and impressive but can only be achieved on a sloping block, unless you are prepared to engage in some earth works which cas be as extensive (and expensive) as you want to make them. A friend has used the natural slope of his garden to great effect by creating a water course cascading down the side of his house, using natural rocks and with a cement base holding them all in place. He has provided small pools on various levels with little water falls over the rocks and culminating in a larger pool where the pump is located. The water is pumped back up to the top and starts its journey all over again. He has used bromeliads and ferns to good effect in enhancing the edges and giving the whole thing a completely natural look.
Water cascading over uneven rocks is the ultimate look but it must be remembered that streams also need to come from somewhere and end up somewhere else. A volcano-like pile of rocks with water spouting out of it can look a bit artificial but a gentle trickle emerging from under a strategically placed rock can convince you that you that you have a natural spring in your very own garden.

Maxina Williams loves everything to do with gardening and outdoor living.

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Article source: http://www.gardenswings-n-things.blogspot.com
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 Ready made water features can be purchased from:

      Serenity Health  http://www.serenityhealth.com    or

       Amazon Associates     http://www.amazon.com