Landscape Gardening

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Welcome to Landscape Gardening!

According to the calendar, summer is almost here. But most plant-lovers are deep into making plans to fashion their plants into pleasing designs. Have fun reading and then trying out some ideas from the Landscape Gardening articles listed below.


The primary emphasis of this lens is for homeowners and others interested in residential landscaping.  Suite101 offers me and readers the opportunity to identify residential landscape interests and priorities.  Articles there also help support creation of a landscape design and help put it into practice.

My shorter articles on Examiner.com feature gardening and landscaping in southwest Virginia, primarily the Roanoke Valley area.

Please, if you like what you read here, rate this lens.    Thumbs Up equals The Best!  Remember to share this lens with your friends.


Photo: Garden Detail Found in Ronald McDonald House Landscaping, Roanoke, VA ©Georgene A. Bramlage

Keep Planning Your Landscape

June

Good Weather to Welcome the Summer Solstice (longest day of the year) on June 20, 2012, 11:09 PM (23:09 GMT); (7:09 EDT). Beware of early summer storms flattening woody ornamental shrubs like bigleaf hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla).

Plants with Colorful Fruit

Transition to Winter's Snowy Landscape

Ilex verticillata (winterberry)

American winterberry Ilex verticillata is a type of holly which looses it leaves in late autumn revealing striking red or even orange berry-like fruit. It is native to eastern N.A. in the U.S. and southeast Canada, from Newfoundland west to Ontario and Minnesota, and south to Alabama. This shrubby plant grows in a variety of spots - wetlands, dry sand dunes and grasslands. The berries are important food for many kinds of birds. This is a tough plant which is easy to grow, with very few diseases or pests. American winterberry grows well in average garden soil. There are many cultivated varieties available, that differ in size and shape of the plant, as well as berry color. One male plant must blooming at the same time as the females must be planted close to them so they can bear fruit.

Photo: ©Georgene A. Bramlage

Books about Perennials and Flower Garden Design

Here are five books which are helpful to have close at hand while incorporating shrubs and perennials that exhibit seasonal highlights into landscape designs.
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Do-it-yourself Landscaping

Ideas and Step-by-Step Planning and Help Guides

Memorial and Meditation Garden Landscapes - Walkway and Patio Edge Designs with Modern Low-maintenance Plants
Modern low-maintenance plants surrounding walkway and patio edges in memorial and meditation garden designs convey intimacy. Choosing suitable garden plants is crucial.
Low-Maintenance Plants for DIY Landscape Gardens - Bordering Walks and Patios in Memorial and Meditation Garden Designs
Low-maintenance plants are top choices for DIY landscape gardeners in designing a feasible landscape. They are no-nonsense picks for memorial and meditation gardens.
Pruning Deciduous Spring-flowering Shrubs: DIY Guide Pruning to Promote Attractive and Vigorous Plants
Skillful early summer pruning practices for spring-flowering deciduous shrubs are essential for DIY landscape gardeners. Proper pruning promotes healthy, vigorous shrubs.
Mulching Garden Landscape Shrubs and Trees: Concise DIY Guide - Mulching Practices that Aid Shrub and Tree Vigor
Mulching practices that improve and support shrub and tree health are essential for DIY landscape gardeners who want to create good-looking but money-wise projects.
Low-Maintenance Shrubs for Foundation Plantings: Dwarf Evergreen Shrubs Enhance Shady North-facing Front Landscapes
Low-maintenance small evergreen shrubs are first-rate selections for DIY landscape foundation plantings. They enrich the looks of shady front yard landscapes.

Landscape Garden Maintenance

Minor Maintenance reduces Major Rennovation.
Landscape Garden Chores - Minor Garden Maintenance Tasks Reduce Major Landscape Renovations
Disease and pest damages, mechanical injuries, and moisture and heat stresses initially appear trivial. Inspection keeps minor maintenance from becoming renovation.
Landscape Maintenance Mistakes - Common Errors in Residential and Public Landscape
Landscape maintenance mistakes abound in both residential and public landscapes. What are some of these landscape maintenance errors and how do they happen? Photographs.
A Simple Lawn Fertilization System - Simple Effective and Inexpensive
Lawn care advice and tips from a leading expert on turf grass management can generate a stress-free guide to easy, effective, and inexpensive lawn care and landscaping.
Lawn Maintenance - Northeast US - A Calendar for Routine Cultural Practices
A calendar of cultural practices necessary for maintenance and upkeep of cool-season lawn grasses in the Northeast U.S. Other growing zones possess similar requirements.

Landscape Garden Styles

Here are various landscape garden styles to dream over and study through the winter months.
Japanese-style Landscape Gardens - Creative Solutions for Small Space Contemporary Surroundings
A Japanese-style garden may be appropriate for small spaces. Consider how water, rocks and gravel, and plants influence and contribute to a Japanese-inspired landscape.
Morikami Japanese Gardens - Living Textbook of Japanese Garden History and Design
The Morikami Gardens in Del Ray Beach, FL are a living textbook They demonstrate periods of Japanese garden history and design from the 8th to the 20th century.
Japanese Karesansui-style Gardens - Contemplative Viewing Garden Museum of Fine Arts MFA Boston MA
The Japanese karesansui-style contemplative viewing garden at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) Boston, MA combines Japanese, New England and MFA elements and traditions.
The House of the Seven Gables: A Colonial Revival Garden (Salem, MA)
The Turner House (House of the Seven Gables - Salem, MA), made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne, overlooks an early 20th Century Colonial Revival Garden
Hollister House Gardens - Rural CT: 20th Century English Garden Designs Adapted to North America.
Hollister House Gardens (Washington, CT) demonstrate how garden designs furnished with plants matched to regional- and micro-climates allow garden landscapes to thrive.
Beacon Hill Public Garden Spaces: North Slope Open Spaces, Cul-de-Sacs and Walkways (Boston, MA)
Residents of Beacon Hill's North Slope (Boston, MA) and civic and government groups work to transform derelict spaces and passageways into neighborhood garden spaces.
Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill: Urban Garden Retreats and Small Shade Gardens in Boston MA
Beacon Hill (Boston, MA) residents fashion hidden backyard gardens. Garden retreats come into being from small pieces of degraded urban soil and shaded settings.
Historic Landscapes: New England - Survey of Selected 20th Century Gardens
Twentieth century New England garden landscapes show diversity that demonstrates society's expanding financial and social bases. Here are four such historic designs.
Historic Gardens and Landscapes: New England - Survey of Selected 17th-18th Century Garden Landscapes
Historic and traditional garden landscapes in New England range from colonial times to modern times. Here is a survey of selected 17th to18th century landscape styles.
Historic Landscapes and Gardens: New England - Survey of Selected 19th Century Gardens
Historic and traditional garden landscapes in New England range from colonial times to modern times. Here is a survey of selected 19th century landscape styles.

Garden and Landscaping Books Reviewed

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Hedges for Landscapes and Gardens

Garden Landscape Hedges - Provide Shelter Privacy Physical and Psychological Barriers
Landscape garden hedges can be formal or informal. They provide shelter, privacy and barriers. They should complement landscape designs for which they are planned.
Barberry Shrubs (Berberis spp.) - Selections for Physical Barrier Landscape Hedges
Barberry shrubs are exceptional choices for low physical barrier landscape hedges. Described are barberry characteristics, cultivation details and eight good selections. Photos.
Hydrangea paniculata - Panicled Hydrangea: Small Trees and Shrubs in the Modern Landscape
The old-fashioned panicled hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora'), a traditional feature of Northeast American garden landscapes, makes a comeback in new forms.
Carolina Spicebush in Hedges and Natural Gardens: Calycanthus floridus Cultivars Characteristics Culture and Habit
Carolina spicebush or sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus) and its cultivars are large, hardy, shade-loving shrubs at home in hedges, mixed shrub beds and natural gardens.

Flowering Trees and Shrubs in the Landscape Garden

Some of My Favorites

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Trees in Landscape Gardens / Tree Care

Landscape designs for garden landscapes and large area landscapes need trees. These should be in proportion to the design and relatively maintenance-free.
Oaks - Shade Trees for Sizable Areas - Four Eastern North American Oaks for Large-scale Landscape Designs
Landscape designs for large areas need trees like oaks (Quercus spp.) that are in proportion to the design and relatively maintenance-free. Oaks provide color and shade.
Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia) Shrubs and Trees: Hardiness Site Selection Cultivation Diseases and Landscape Use
Landscape gardeners have numerous crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia) hybrids and cultivars from which to choose. Options suit most southwest and southern landscape settings.
Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia) Species amp Cultivars: Garden Landscape History Garden Resources amp Breeding and Selection
Crapemyrtles (Lagerstroemia) are summer-bloomers in southern U.S. landscape gardens. Grown for over two hundred years, these plants are often called "southern lilacs."
Crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia) Dwarf Shrubs: Modern Low Maintenance Summer-blooming amp Heat Tolerant Cultivars
Easy-to-grow crapemyrtle (Lagerstroemia) dwarf shrubs are newcomers to landscape gardens. Heat tolerant, pest-resistant and summer flowering, they ensure design novelty.

Spring-blooming Flower Bulbs

Spring-blooming Bulb Designs Now - Midsummer Planning for Pest-free Bulb Combinations
Midsummer is a good time to plan pest-free spring-blooming bulb gardens. Design combinations for all garden styles - containers, small patio gardens, or large spaces.
Pest-proof Spring-blooming Bulbs - Daffodils and Minor Bulbs Equal Enduring Landscape Groupings
All daffodils are deer and garden pest resistant. Daffodils planted with minor pest-resident bulbs create stunning and hardy spring displays in garden landscapes.
Spring-blooming Bulbs
Designing a spring-blooming bulb garden now, along with buying bulbs to plant anytime from September through November, are not mpriority items for most gardeners.
Spring-blooming Bulbs Design Ideas - Narcissus Minor Bulbs - Bloom Times and Landscape Settings
Planted together Narcissus (daffodil) bulbs and specialty (minor) bulbs lead to pest-resistant, perennial and naturalised landscape garden designs.

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Books About Spring-blooming Flower Bulbs

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Great Stuff on Amazon

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My Favorite Landscape Gardening Books

Books to Make Gardening Easy and Enjoyable

These are among my favorites. These are the books I keep close at hand and refer to time and time again. The newest is not always the best. Therefore, some of my favorites are out-of-print and need to bought in lovingly used condition. There are other selections and brief reviews at The Landscape Design Bookshelf.
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Book Reviews

The Landscape Gardener's Book Shelf

Hydrangeas for American Gardens - By Michael A Dirr (A Review)
"Hydrangeas for American Gardens" by respected plantsman Michael A. Dirr is the first book to deal specifically with hydrangeas in North American landscape gardens.
Regarding the Trees( A Review) - Tree use and care tree house family tree and tree of life middle school students
Regarding the Trees, written by Kate Klise and illustrated by M. Sarah Klise, is a perfect summer read for middle-school students and witty adults.
Gardener's Yoga: Bend & Stretch, Dig & Grow
Gardener's Yoga written by Veronica D'Orazio and illustrated by Tim Foss, can help put yoga and its benefits into any gardener's routine. Gardeners learn to relax and stretch muscles.
The Landscape Design Book Shelf - Essential Landscape - Garden Design Books New and Tried-and-True Favorites
Here are some of my favorite basic books about landscape and garden design that have prominent places on my bookshelf. I reach for them first.

My Lenses

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Landscape Gardening with Native N. A. Plants.

Deer-resistant Flowering Shrubs - Native North American Ornamental Shrubs of Landscape Importance
Is it possible for landscape gardeners in eastern North America to successfully plant and grow shrubs and small trees despite heavy populations of Virginia white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)? The answer is definitely yes. Five photos of practical shrubs included.
Eastern Redbud Trees in Landscapes: Cercis Canadensis Enrich Garden Landscapes in Spring and Autumn
Eastern redbud trees and cultivars enrich landscape gardens with varieties of form, silhouettes and unusual seasonal color. Site selection is essential for good display.
VA Spiderwort in Natural Gardens: Tradescantia virginiana - VNPS 2008 Wildflower of the Year
Virginia spiderwort (Tradescantia virginiana), Virginia Native Plant Society 2008 Wildflower of the Year, is a long-blooming herbaceous perennial for native plant gardens.
Five Invasive Trees of Virginia - Nonnative Species Aggressive Spreaders and Prolific Reproducers
Descriptions and photos of five nonnative (alien) invasive tree species of Virginia. Focus on history, importance in built landscapes and, control and management.
Easy Wildflower Landscaping - Wildflower Lawns and Meadows - Mow Sow and Grow.
Compost and barrier-mulches are the secrets to easy wildflower landscaping. Establish wildflower meadows and lawns without using a pre-planting contact herbicide.
Deer-resistant Landscape Trees - Native North American Small Ornamental Trees of Landscape Importance
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) readily select small trees as available food sources. Native deer-resistant plants ensure success in built landscapes.
Hamamelis Autumn Landscape Gold - H virginiana brightens natural and native landscapes
Hamamelis virginiana, a North American native, brings interesting golden flowers and leaf color to the autumn landscape. It merits more use in planned landscapes.
Deer-resistant Landscape Trees - Native North American Small Ornamental Trees of Landscape Importance
White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) readily select small trees as available food sources. Native deer-resistant plants ensure success in built landscapes.
Hamamelis Spring Landscape Gold - H vernalis Blooms in Spring with Color and Fragrance
Hamamelis vernalis, a North American native, is a two-season landscape performer with fragrant yellow spring blooms and deep yellow autumn leaves.
Eastern Skunk Cabbage in Bog and Water Gardens - Symplocarpus foetidus - VNP Society 2009 Wildflower of the Year
Skunk Cabbage (Symplocarpus foetidus), Virginia Native Plant Society 2009 Wildflower of the Year, is an early blooming native plant at home in bog and water gardens.

New Guestbook

  • Cari_Kay Apr 23, 2012 @ 5:31 pm | delete
    You really have some terrific resources here!
  • RenaissanceWoman2010 Mar 24, 2012 @ 9:29 pm | delete
    Thank you for all of the great landscaping links. Appreciated!
  • perrybenard Feb 4, 2012 @ 8:33 pm | delete
    wow so much great info i really never thought of gardening, well only for food, but i love all the colors and plant styles another great lens
  • perrybenard Feb 4, 2012 @ 8:33 pm | delete
    wow so much great info i really never thought of gardening, well only for food, but i love all the colors and plant styles another great lens
  • jeffreytambor Jan 29, 2012 @ 2:08 pm | delete
    A very nice lens, will help me a lot in my gardeining when I start. i have been looking into starting to work on my garden for ages now... never seem to be able to find enough time. Now that I have moved to a new hose and will be having some time in my hands i will for sure start from the scratch and re-do the entire lawn to my liking. I have just brought in an aerator from one of my local construction equipment rental companies to aerate the lawn for a start.
  • Squidoolinepro Dec 1, 2011 @ 9:39 am | delete
    Back to bless! I thought I did but it must not have taken ;)
    Have a great day!
  • sousababy Nov 7, 2011 @ 9:55 pm | delete
    Thanks for putting all of this information together, it will be of good use to many gardeners and those who have well-landscaped yards (of which, I do not - yet). Great links added in too (esp. the common errors and the yoga one).
  • cffutah Oct 30, 2011 @ 2:44 pm | delete
    I really enjoy autumn too and your short readings with great photos are terrific. I also enjoyed your bio about being a Red Sox and Patriots fan! We've got several of the same interests indeed.
  • ajgodinho Oct 22, 2011 @ 11:10 am | delete
    Lots of valuable resources here on garden landscaping!
  • Cercis Oct 22, 2011 @ 11:18 am | delete
    Thanks so much for visiting...I hope some of my information was helpful even if you don't garden. I appreciate your kindness! Cercis
  • Cercis Oct 21, 2011 @ 8:20 am | delete
    Ilona and Irene, Thanks so much for visiting "Landscape Gardening" and for your comments. I appreciate your kindness. Cercis
  • Irenemaria Oct 21, 2011 @ 4:42 am | delete
    I like this lens and the photos. Wish I had a garden....
  • Ilona1 Oct 10, 2011 @ 11:58 pm | delete
    This is a really, really good landscaping lens. ~blessed~
  • Jay_Chua Nov 23, 2010 @ 12:01 pm | delete
    Hi Georgene,

    I just stumble across your posts..very good info on lanscaping and thanks for building such a great lens:)

    I love gardening and lanscaping work as well, it just winter is already in my neighborhood, and I have to move my porch swing indoor. Look forward for another summer 2011:)

    Jay Chua
    Publisher, PorchSwingSets.com
  • Sep 4, 2010 @ 4:47 am | delete
    Thumbs up!
    Great lens... very informative. Thanks for the good read.
    -----------------------------
    Never Fail List Building System Review
  • Cercis Jan 17, 2009 @ 8:32 am | in reply to darlkay52 | delete
    Thank you for your kind words...glad you enjoy my landscaping lens!

    Cercis
  • darlkay52 Nov 19, 2008 @ 5:17 pm | delete
    Great resources! Landscaping and gardening are one of my passions. There's lots you can do with your garden and landscape even for the holiday season!
  • Cercis Nov 4, 2008 @ 3:43 pm | in reply to susanbrian | delete
    Thank you, Susan. Good Luck with lens. Georgene
  • susanbrian Aug 31, 2008 @ 8:13 am | delete
    I love your lens and I gave you 5 stars. Thank for the usefull info.
    I am a palm tree enthusiast, just started my own web site Florida Palm Trees. Check it out when you have time.

    Thank you Susan.
  • TomBoyd Aug 17, 2008 @ 6:01 am | delete
    Great resource for everything landscaping related. 5 Stars!

    If you get chance check out my Garden Landscaping Materials Blog
  • Shopping-Guru May 29, 2008 @ 10:32 pm | delete
    You have a beautiful, professional and educational Lens, I Voted for it as great.

    Thought that you could add a web site, called Rubberecycle.com, you can can have a nice garden with recycled tires called Rubber Mulch.

    Info about Rubberecycle Landscape Rubber Mulch

    Landscape Rubber Mulch.... long lasting groundcover that will keep your home and garden looking beautiful all year. Landscape rubber mulch forms an insulating cover for your soil that allows water and nutrients in, while keeping weeds out. It is available in a variety of colors and will maintain its rich tones for many years.
  • ShortSaleRealtor Mar 28, 2008 @ 4:26 pm | delete
    great lens 5 stars 4 u

by

Cercis

Plants, gardens, cooking and travel are my passions. I am a free-lance garden and landscape writer, photographer, and lecturer. I've been a member of the... more »

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