Monday, March 4, 2013

Container gardening in the landscape



Love the simplicity of the container plants in this gorgeous Tennessee garden.

Fine Gardening has featured Jeff Calton's beautiful garden, which is a mix of landscaped areas with lush lawns, trees, lots of blooms and container gardens.

Click here to go to the article . . .


Photo: Courtesy of Jeff Calton via Fine Gardening





read more

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

February Bromeliads


The massive plantings of bromeliads with their red blooms provide a burst of color in this gorgeous tropical scene.  The water garden runs along a pond that is complete with fish, turtles and different types of birds who love to hang out in this area.  Do you blame them?  

This is one of the most serene and beautiful scenes at Busch Gardens!

We will get more photos from this area next time we visit!



The landscapers at Busch Gardens have cleverly used a mass planting of similar bromeliad plants in yellow and red to really provide that pop of color, bordering them with another mass planting of a variegated variety.  They bring excitement to an otherwise green raised bed.





read more

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Tropical Plants in Containers and Raised Beds


Love the mix of bromeliads with other tropicals in these container plantings at Busch Gardens Tampa, where the grounds are in colorful full bloom.  Spring!!!


The topiaries are gorgeous mixed in the tropical plant beds!


Love the statues mixed in the landscaping!


We took lots of photos!

Theme parks and parks are awesome places to get inspiration for your garden!

I'll be adding a new page to my website soon for photo albums.





read more

Thursday, February 7, 2013

Claude Monet's garden in Giverny

Photo from
Claude Monet's garden in Giverny
Courtesy of Maria Fleming via Fine Living Magazine



Fruit trees don't have to stand alone!  
I love the mass planting at the base of these fruit trees  . . . looks like impatiens to me, a plant that I have used extensively in my garden to liven up boring spots in the shade.

Find a flowering plant that works in your climate and fill in those boring spots in your garden!

Check out more photos of Claude Monet's spectacular garden . . . click here.



read more

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Pebble Stepping Stones



These colorful stepping stones would make
 an awesome addition to our garden!!  

Love this look!

The photo comes from a fan of the Facebook page, Recycled Backyard, brought to you by the publishers  of the awesome magazine Birds and Blooms.

Check their page out for fresh ideas and where to find supplies for your backyard projects.




read more

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Concrete Sofa


This awesome concrete sofa has totally captured my attention!!

I've always enjoyed being creative with concrete blocks, but this project goes down as the most imaginative and awesome ever!

The Captain and I have decided to definitely make the sofa for our concrete jungle carport.  What I really like about it . . . you can water the plants and not ruin the sofa by getting it wet!  My plan is to paint it, but the design is still running around in my head.

Click on the picture to go to the original article for this project, which includes other projects to coordinate with it.  Very cool!!

This is one of the many projects I have pinned to my Pinterest garden board.  So many awesome projects for inspiration lurking around the internet!
  





read more

Monday, August 27, 2012

Container garden inspiration


The pop of color from the red and white chairs, paired with the white flowers and columns caught my eye.  Gorgeous patio!

There are simple things you can do to spruce up your deck or patio.

Click here for lots of inspiration from Home and Garden Television.



read more

Monday, July 9, 2012

Leaf Stepping Stones


One of my favorite garden projects is creating with concrete!

I've been seeing these leaf creations lately and would 
love to make some  for my garden.

Here is my favorite . . . the leaf creations used in a water feature!




Click here for a tutorial on how to make them!



read more

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Margaret's Container Gardening Tips





Planting in containers is my preferred method of gardening.  Containers can add a new dimension of color and texture to your garden.


One of my newest discoveries on the internet is "A Way To Garden" by Margaret Roach.  


Click here for an awesome article and podcast with Margaret's Container Gardening Tips.  The awesome photo comes from that article!




read more

Monday, May 14, 2012

Beautiful Flowering Variegated Gingers



Spring is one of my favorite times of the year in subtropical Florida.  The Captain and I visited Busch Gardens this month and will be featuring plants and landscaping from the beautiful gardens.


The first in the series is 
Variegated Gingers




Flowering variegated gingers were featured in this raised bed at Busch Gardens in Tampa, Florida.



A close up shows the beautiful flowers that remind me of clusters of pearls.




The variegated ginger is a green tropical perennial which grows up to ten feet tall outdoors and 3–4 feet tall indoors. 

They do very well in the shade as well as the morning sun, however, they don't do well in the hot afternoon sun.  They are reasonably drought tolerant with little insect or disease problems. 

For more information on these showy, easy to grow plant, visit my webpage dedicated to growing gingers.










read more

Labels

alocasia Amazonica annuals apartment gardening aphids aucuba azalea back yard projects bamboo hydroponics basil beneficial insects bird watching birds black eyed susan blooms blue plumbago Bouganvillea boulders bromeliad photos bromeliads bugs Busch Gardens butterfly gardening cacti cactus calender calissia fragrans candles Christmas Cactus cilantro coffee coleus colorful container planting companion planting compost bins composting concrete concrete container concrete countertop concrete leaves concrete project container container gardening container gardens container plants containers contrast cooking with herbs coriander craft projects crafts cranberry hibiscus crinum crinum lilies croton cubanelle peppers cuttings cycads DIY DIY bubble fountain DIY insecticidal soap DIY projects DIY water fountain eggshells elephant ear epiphyte fall gardening fallen tree faux rocks fence fire pit fireplace florida beauties Florida gardening flower tower flowering perennials flowers France fruit trees garden garden decor garden design garden fountain garden maintenance garden path garden project garden suppies gardening gardening basics gardening mistakes gardening tips gardens garlic gazebo gingers grass grasshoppers greenhouses ground covers growing from seed growing tomatoes heat tolerant flowers herb gardening herbs HGTV holiday plant houseplants hydroponics hypertufa hypertufa containers illumination impatiens indoor gardening insecticidal soap insects inspiration June gardening Kalanchoe landscape landscape design landscaping lawns leaf casting leaf casting water feature leaf mold lemon tree lettuce lighting lily limes log planter low light plants mandevilla March gardening Monet monthly gardening notes mosaic mother of millions native plants nature organic organic gardening organic pest control outdoor fireplace outdoor kitchen outdoor lighting outdoor projects outdoor shower outdoor spaces painting Paradise past path paths patio gardening Paul James pavers pepper plant pruning pepper plants peppers perennials pest control pest spray pests photo tips photos photos garden plant plant containers plant damage plant profile plant swaps planter plants plumbago pond ponds propagation pruning pruning fruit trees pruning tomato plants raised beds recycle recycling redesign rocks rooting basil rooting tomato plants sago palm saving money scrub seed germination seed saving seed starters seed storage box seed swaps seeds shade shade gardening shade plants slugs soil soil mix spring staghorn fern starting from seed stepping stones stump removal succulents summer summer gardening terracotta tin cans tips tires tomato tomato plants trash to treasure trash-to-treasure trees trellis tropical tropical plants tropicals turf vegetable gardening vegetables video water feature watering weed control weed identification weeds winter winter sowing wood path wood projects yard art yard projects zones 9-11