Why Rock Garden Plants Succeeds

 

Rock Garden Plants      

Gardening ideas can come from rock garden plants the most unlikely places. From a high-rise balcony to a public park to a friend's backyard to the multitude of gardening magazines out there. If you really look there's no shortage of ideas out there. Even the window boxes in front of the local cafe can be an inspiration to create and try something new.

And this is to say nothing about gardening and seed catalogs that come in the mail. It can be a wonderful inspiration to thumb through the color images in the middle of winter, sitting with your cup of tea or coffee just dreaming about next year's rock garden plants space!

Biding your time will bring you the best rewards when the sales come around.

So you want a beautiful flower garden, but you don't have a lot of cash to spend. How can you grow low-cost rock garden plants? There are two keys to growing a garden inexpensively. The first key is to take your time. The second key is to never stop gardening -- keep doing little things day by day.

 

Rock Garden Plants

You may absolutely love the pink re-blooming daylilies at your local garden market. However, the price tag puts them way out of your budget. Now what? The first key is to take your time. Wait until the end of summer, when the prices on plants are discounted.

 

You likely won't want to use this technique on annuals, but perennials are much less expensive at the end of the growing season. Even though they may be a little scraggly by mid to late summer, as long as the rock garden plants roots are still healthy they'll look just as nice next summer. 

In addition, if you don't have the money to purchase five pink re-blooming daylilies, try buying just one or two. In a few years, you can start dividing them, and after a while, you'll have more rock garden plants than enough.

Rock garden ideas

What about the second key? How can you "never stop gardening?" In January, when the rock garden ideas snow is heavy, browse gardening catalogs or gardening sites on the Internet. Often, bare-root plants can be purchased this way for a lot less than what they would cost at a retail store.

 

Sometimes rock garden ideas catalogs and websites have 'grab bags': A mixture of healthy rock garden plants or seeds at a deep discount; which can go a long way towards beautifying your yard. In addition to using catalogs and websites, by February or March, start scanning your local supermarkets for packets of seeds. It's usually rock garden plants far less expensive to buy a packet of 20 purple coneflower seeds than it is to purchase just one full-grown plant, even if you get only 2-3 plants out of that one packet.

 

If you want lush plants with lots of flowers, you need to start with good soil. If your soil is too sandy, you'll likely need to add nutrients. If your soil has a lot of clay, you'll need to add organic materials to loosen up the clay and provide good drainage. Either of these soils can be built up by using free yard waste.

 

Grass clippings can be a good addition to a compost pile. However, before adding any grass clippings make sure the lawn hasn't been sprayed with any herbicide. Some herbicides can stay active for years. And since flowering plants are considered "broad-leafed" the herbicide residue from those lawns will prevent just about everything else from growing in your garden. Or at least anything except grass.

 

Leaves in the fall are another way to add bulk and nutrients to the soil. Use a lawnmower to chop them finely before adding the results to the compost pile.

 

You can also ask local horse owners for well-rotted manure. Cow and chicken manure also work. However, be careful not to add too much, and to add it after it's been composted a year. Manure can be very acidic and may lower the pH of your garden soil too much. If the pH of your soil is too acidic, adding a small number of wood ashes from a fireplace, woodstove or campfire can raise the pH.

 

Trade some of your divided plants with a friend. Image from rock garden plants

 

Irises, daffodils, hostas, coneflowers, and many other rock garden plants perennials benefit from being divided every few years. If you have enough, why not exchange what you have with friends and neighbors who may have something you don't? Perhaps your neighbor hasn't been able to find the old-fashioned purple irises that her grandmother used to grow. You have them but also admire her Siberian irises. When dividing your plants, offer an exchange.

 

Butterfly bushes, mallow, and other plants often spread their seeds, and you may find that you start off with three and end up with more than you need. These can be dug up and transplanted, and perhaps traded for a Rose of Sharon or another plant that you like.

 

No matter what your budget, if you take your time, and are always on the lookout for bargains or free materials, you can garden cheaply. Why not start by taking a look at what's available online?

 

cottage garden Ideas

A modern cottage-style house with a matching garden.

Cottage gardens can appear carefree and whimsical. Pathways are curving instead of straight. Flowers, planted in masses instead of straight lines, intertwine with each other. Blooms spill out over containers, onto walkways, and around trees, rocks, fountains, and other structures. Cottage gardens always seem to have been there for decades.

 

Ideas for these gardens are as boundless as your imagination and the space you have available. You can plant near the house, or in the backyard. You can even bring cottage-style flowers up onto your porch or patio to incorporate your outside "rooms" into your cottage garden.

 

What Makes a House a Cottage?

Technically, cottage-style homes are small, with asymmetrical features and rooflines, and steep roofs. Generally, the siding is stone, brick, wood, or other natural material. Painted shutters, trim, and moldings, as well as rounded doorways and windows can also add to the cottage look. Of course, every cottage needs a cheerful garden to complete the picture.

 

However, since cottage style is rustic, forgiving, and most of all, reflects the taste of the designer, most homes can have a cottage style "feel" to them. A simple ranch can acquire more of a cottage look by adding a large, covered front porch or deck, and choosing natural materials for siding. Railings too should reflect a rustic instead of modern look. 

Hanging baskets and window boxes full of flowers can help produce a cottage look. Bamboo, rattan, and wood furniture should be placed in conversational groupings, with side tables at just the right height for glasses of lemonade or sweet tea.

 

What should you plant in your cottage garden? Above all, plant what you love! Russian sage, lavender, coneflowers, daisies, hollyhocks, daylilies, and other low-maintenance perennials can always be planted in a cottage garden. Flowering bushes and shrubs such as rhododendrons or butterfly bushes will attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. In addition, let vines such as clematis, honeysuckle, or wisteria drape over pathways and along fences. If you have an unsightly shed, garage, or other building, by all means, let it be covered with blooms!

 

Annual flowers for the cottage garden include petunias, pansies, zinnias, bachelor buttons, cosmos, sunflowers, and a host of other colorful annuals. Of course, roses can and should be included in a cottage garden. However, pick hardy bush roses over anything that needs extra care.

 

Although cottage gardens may not seem to require advanced planning and design, they do. In most cases, you'll want to plant taller flowers, such as hollyhocks and delphiniums alongside a fence, wall, or other structure where they can be supported. On the other hand, shorter flowers, such as impatiens, or begonias will need to be planted where they can be seen, such as alongside pathways or in hanging baskets. 

Lavender and other sweet-scented plants should also be planted along walkways where visitors can enjoy their fragrance. But, flowers that will grow tall and eventually fall over should be kept away from walkways - they'll eventually fall on the path and block your walking.

 

When planning a cottage garden, remember the hardscaping, such as paths and fences; as well as benches, chairs, and other places for seating. This is important in a cottage garden since it invites people to stop and enjoy the flowers. If you plan on dining in the garden, make sure there is a solid platform so that the table and chairs don't wobble.

 

Paths in a cottage garden should generally be wide enough for two people to walk hand in hand. However, plants and flowers can spill into the walkway, and you can even have clematis, honeysuckle, or other vines draping above the walkway. If using fieldstone, slate, or other materials with space between them, plant lemon thyme, or moss around the stepping stones. The lemon thyme will release its fresh citrus scent when scuffed by visitors.

 

No matter what style your home is, you can plant and enjoy a garden. Perhaps start with a few containers of lavender on your front steps. Then plant some hollyhocks near a sunny foundation. Gradually, you may surround yourself with the carefree blooms of a cottage garden.

Whether your favorite style of gardening is a modern, contemporary, cottage, or your own particular blend of styles; container gardens can bring color and interest to any garden. Containers can be round, square, short, tall, and come in many colors and designs. The varieties of plants that do well in containers vary from 10' high banana trees to tiny succulents that invite a closer look.