tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53010799893881206732026-10-14T16:41:51.039-04:00Garden and Landscape ideas to create a beautiful backyard that is good for the environment through conservation of natural resources. Gardens that save time and money, while being eco-friendly for nature. gardeningnaturallywithclaudia.blogspot.comhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02882800588574623808noreply@blogger.comBlogger171125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5301079989388120673.post-10776623961165808632016-08-02T10:11:00.000-04:002016-08-02T10:11:41.452-04:00

Leaves of Life My Coloring Then I saw that these leaves were speaking to me.  What a great way to see my family: my kids, my parents, my siblings, my cousins, my grandkids.   Each one does not define me, but each one makes me who I am today.  Whether the contact was long and lingering, or just a brief encounter, everyone had an influence on my being. 

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Envision the property - as it is.  Make notes of the sunny portions of the yard. Where is the shade most of the day? Is the site level or hilly? Check the drainage path directions - does the yard puddle in one area for hours after a hard rain?   Where is the soil very dry? Planning the garden will help the process for a rewarding garden experience. Check out elements

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Getting out into the yard is an annual winter rite-of-passage.  But before taking a backhoe to the yard, take a few moments to consider these few aspects of building a successful garden.  Gardening is not supposed to be stressful, but many get discouraged because they skip these steps.                           &

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Previously, I explained how to make compost.  In that article I highlighted why compost is so good for the soil by feeding the microbes, improving the soil structure, and allowing moisture to move through the soil. So now I would like to show the many way to incorporate compost into the landscape. Three yards of compost from landscape supplier Add compost to a new garden bed. &

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Beginner Gardeners have come to my attention.  Many do not know where to begin, but they know they want to begin. A friend bought a few acres with the plans to 'garden'.  She also is raising chickens.  While I was reducing our garden beds, I potted up extra plants and gave them to her.  But the focus has been on the plants, and I'd be amiss if I do not give her some other

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Nature has a way of giving us help as we try to reduce use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides in the home landscape.  All we have to do is pay attention.  The past two seasons my hubby and I have made a point to seed in several areas for additional lawn. As we shopped for seed, we came across a term that was new to me,

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A snowy, cold January is the perfect time to renew your worn out lawn. Now I realize that the sub-zero wind chills are not calling me outside this weekend. But I'm going to dormant seed bare spots and fill in the grass when I can get out in the next few weeks.   What is dormant seeding?  And why should I do it now?  Let me explain. Dormant seeding takes place when the ground

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Many gardeners are stumped when designing a small garden.  The options of trees, shrubs, perennials, containers, vegetables, patios, fire pits, and a barbeques all seem to overwhelm - the choices are endless. And we want it all!  The dilemma is further exasperating when familiar plants are just too big for the space. Trends in housing in the U.S. seem to be leaning toward smaller

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  As urbanization takes on a life of its own, home builders are faced with the need for smaller homes on smaller lots.  Homes are spaced closely, and attached homes have even less outdoor space.  Condos, and semi-attached homes still need to feed the need for outdoor spaces.  Patios and yards with limited green space have made small plants a must-have and the nursery

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This is a reprint from Mark Webber of Webber Landscape and Host of Garden Talk on a local radio station.  Mark is known as the Garden Guru and these tips are so timely.  We are getting a layer of snow and plummeting temperature are to follow. Thanks to Mark for providing this information. Ice melt products Posted by Mark Webber on December 7, 2013 at 7:42am Send Message &

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Living Plants Are a Gift That Expresses Life  Many of us struggle with what to give for the holiday.  My thoughts go to gift cards and money.  However, this option seems too trite, and I know I love to get a gift that someone has put a little thought into.  Gift cards to a nice eatery are common in my family.   I struggle with the idea that you can't have your

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Thanksgiving Turkeys - Have Green Options The holiday season is approaching and the demand for turkey on the festive tables is reaching it's yearly high.  The turkey, a fowl that is native to North America, is a traditional favorite for the holidays. And the desire for recipes for using the left-overs will saturate the searches in the coming weeks.The Minnesota Turkey industry provides

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There are dozens, if not hundreds, of garden designs for us to gravitate towards.  There is the English Garden, the Zen Garden, the Cottage Garden, the Water Garden, the Wildflower Garden, and so on and so forth.  So, how can a garden reflect our personality when so many styles are possible? I have found that many gardeners enter into a style that looks elegant, or looks pretty, or

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The winter season in the garden can be flat, uneventful, and even boring if the garden is not planned to have features that are apparent.  Here is where I like to infuse some ‘bones’ into the landscape - features that will prevail, and be visible all year long.  The four season garden takes some planning and fall is a great time to add some elements to the garden that will be featured

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The Ginkgo Tree is the National Tree of China, and the Official Tree of Tokyo.  It has been around for centuries and many art pieces depict the unique leaf pattern throughout the Far East. My interest in the Ginkgo came yesterday as an email from a friend, Joan.  She was commenting on the lasagna garden article, when she asked, “Any suggestions on how to handle Ginkgo leaves?&nbsp

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The fall season here in my Zone 6 garden in SW Ohio has been beautiful.  Sufficient rainfall, and extremely mild temperatures have blessed us for several weeks.   It was because of this wonderful weather, that I had to do a double take when I realized that calendar had moved ahead and now I have to hustle to get some fall chores done. One chore is to select and plant spring

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Usually I  identify bugs or diseases that may plague gardens at one time or another.  But this summer has been particularly troublesome to me in my garden.  This simple container has a simple Hosta in it.  And due to the lack of  rain we had during July and August, I decided that I could hand water this border fairly easily.  Actually, I love to hand water – no

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Finding the balance between gardening I want to do and gardening I have to do is tricky.  I like to walk my garden and deadhead a daisy or coneflower.  This bit if tidying is rewarding when I look back at the refreshed looking garden.  But when I know that an hour of weeding is before me, I balk at the chore ahead.     Frequently, I get asked for a design plan for a

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As we continue to reduce gardens and ease the required maintenance of the yard we, once again, find more work to be done.  Where is that easier to maintain garden?  OK, this is what happened.  First, when the new border of shrubbery was installed, I found that one of the shrubs, a viburnum, Blue Muffin®, may need a companion viburnum to successfully pollinate it.  This

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Spent a couple of hours in the garden this past week doing the tidy-up.  Late Summer is a good time of year for some simple maintenance and gives the garden a fresh look.  By removing all the brown, what is left is the green foliage, and blooms that were buried in the debris. Here some coneflowers and Joe Pye Weed got some help standing tall. They were weighed down by the heavy

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  Gardening Ideas to Reduce Our Environmental Impact November 15 is Recycle America Day in the US.  And I think this is a good time to look at our gardening habits and perhaps reduce our environmental impact - if even just a little bit. Sustainability is one of those words that encompasses so many elements.  The concept is to reduce our use of natural resources of  water

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Real estate markets in the U.S. are varied by region.  And some regions are rebounding after property values diminished several years ago. Many homes lost up to one third of their value overnight. Other regions, however, are still depressed due to a large amount of foreclosures in the area which bring down home prices in that neighborhood.  Many homeowners need to sell their

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In 2010 I lost a large pine tree to some blight.  This opened my once shady garden into a sunny space.  So out came azalea’s, hydrangeas, pachysandra, and hostas.  To make room for sun loving plants, and create more lawn, April and Adam collected daylilies and hostas, and some other plants from my deconstruction project.  April collected plants and we laid out a plan

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Gardens have long been a destination for gardeners, plant lovers, and those who just want to see behind the fence. Tours are conducted through groups on local as well as international venues. But what can the visitor take away from such a tour?  Let’s visit a couple of local gardens and see what these gardens have to say about the site, about the host, about the commitment to gardening,

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The July 4th holiday here in the US is a date on my calendar to get summer chores started in the garden.  Now is the time to ensure blooms continue on perennials and shrubs.  To do this I get out the hedge trimmers and pruners.  Here are some of the plants I give a summer haircut.  By cutting them back now, the plants do not produce seeds.  Setting seeds indicates to

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