Landscape Vision Design Software: Garden Tips & News

Build a Backyard Parterre

2008-06-30T21:10:00.002-04:00

Its hard to think of anything more formal than the symmetrical knot garden, with its crisp miniature hedges of contrasting colors artfully laid out and carefully clipped to resemble the interwoven threads of ancient Celtic knot work. Knot gardens have been a part of traditional garden design for hundreds of years, yet they are rarely seen these days.
To keep the textured, woven effect that is the defining feature of these gardens, the miniature hedges must be clipped and manicured on an almost daily basis. Few of us have time for such obsessive forms of horticulture. For this reason alone, they have fallen from favor and have now largely been replaced by the less labor-intensive yet equally decorative plantings known as parterres.
Parterres are basically knots without the woven effect, and their strong lines and four-season appeal have much to offer the modern gardener. Here we give you an adaptation of the classical knot garden, a pared-down, simplified parterre based on a mid-17th-century English design that you can easily install and maintain, and that will coexist comfortably with looser, less formal plantings.
Traditional knot gardens typically used miniature hedges of contrasting colors, true English dwarf boxwood (Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa'), santolina, and germander (Teucrium chamaedrys) among the most common choices, and purple barberry (Berberis thunbergii) and golden arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis 'Rheingold') offering some newer variations. However, in climates where harsh winters are the norm, dwarf boxwood is not reliably hardy, and miniature hedges of santolina and teucrium will not hold up under the weight of snow.
For our adaptation, therefore, we have chosen to construct the entire knot out of the reliably hardy boxwood, Buxus microphylla 'Winter Gem'. (If 'Winter Gem' is not available, B. x 'Green Gem' or B. sinica var. insularis 'Wintergreen' would be equally good. Or you could use the dwarf Japanese yew Taxus cuspidata 'Nana', although it won't have the liveliness and density of boxwood. In addition to their hardiness, both yew and boxwood are equally happy in sun or shade.
The Best Site Parterres are at their best when viewed from above, even if only slightly from above, so try and locate the planting where you will be able to look down on it. In choosing a site for your knot garden, look for a level spot not too far from the house, somewhere that will be visible year-round from indoors, not just from out on your deck during the summer; knot gardens are beautiful in winter, too.
The evergreen outline of the knot garden we present here makes a perfect frame for massed plantings of annuals, perennials, and even herbs and vegetables (see Editor's Note), so if possible, choose a site that gets plenty of sun. If your property tends toward being shady, you can use the knot as a frame for shade-loving plants: Hostas, astilbes, and impatiens look wonderful grouped within the knot's evergreen framework. Finally, in looking for the ideal site, take into account the possibility that you may later want to extend your planting. Formality has an uncanny habit of growing on you: Once you see how captivating a knot garden can be and what visual enjoyment it provides throughout the seasons, you may find yourself yearning to create another.
Getting Started Our knot garden is a 21x21-foot square (see diagram). The central circle is six feet in diameter, the paths that separate the beds are three feet wide, and the total linear footage of evergreen edging (boxwood or yew) is 165 feet. (We have built a little leeway into this figure; no two plants are the same.)
You have a choice of exactly how many plants to buy. If you buy large specimens and plant them just touching one another, you will instantly achieve the illusion of an established planting, but large plants are much more expensive. By increasing the spacing between plants, you can cut down on the number of plants you will need. You can also cut down on cost by buying young, small specimens (sometimes called slips) and spacing them farther apart. If you do it this way, your miniature hedges will take a few years to knit together, but you will still achieve the "patterned" look right from the start.
To calculate the number of plants you will need, first divide the total linear footage of the knot outline (165 feet) by the average size of the plants you are buying. Then, by adjusting the distance between plants, you can come up with a final number for how many plants to buy. For example, if you are buying 'Winter Green' boxwood with 18-inch-diameter crowns, and planting them crown to crown, you will need to buy 110 plants. If this exceeds your budget, you can cut down on the number of plants needed by adjusting the spacing between them. For example, by spacing the plants one foot apart instead of crown to crown, you will need only 66 plants.
If this still exceeds your budget, you can plant your knot garden in stages, doing just the central circle this year and adding the satellite beds next year. Alternatively, you can lay the whole knot garden out per our plan, but edge with boxwood only those beds your budget will allow, and edge the other beds for this first season with a perennial such as 'Silver Mound' artemisia, or even with massed annuals such as alyssum. In other words, you can do as much or as little as your budget will allow and still have a beautiful, eye-catching knot garden in the first season.
Laying Out the Design Locate the center of the 21-foot-square area and drive in a wooden peg. Attach a three-foot-long string to this central peg and use it to mark out a circle six feet in diameter. (Tip: Once you have described this circle, use orange surveyor's spray paint to keep it visible.) The circle will be your reference point for laying out the remainder of the knot, so the more visible it is, the better.
The easiest way to lay out the four satellite beds is to cut a template from an inexpensive blue tarpaulin to the measurements given (see diagram). Lay the template on the ground and use wooden pegs or spray paint to mark the outline. All the paths that intersect within the knot are three feet wide. Have a piece of wood at hand, marked off at three feet, so that you can check quickly and easily as you go that your paths are of uniform width.
You will need to remove all grass from the central circular bed and the satellite beds once they are laid out. Renting a sod-stripper for the day will help with this otherwise laborious job, and the cost is minimal.
Planting The easiest way to plant hedges, whether miniature or otherwise, is to dig a planting trench, placing the excavated dirt onto a tarpaulin as you go. This gives you the chance to shuffle plants around as needed and also allows you to amend the soil uniformly, if necessary. Boxwood has a fibrous root system, and this makes it relatively easy to transplant into the trench. Water the shrubs well before backfilling your trench.
Plant the central circle first; it will be your reference point for the four satellite beds. Then plant one bed at a time, remembering that the intersecting paths are all three feet wide.
Finishing Touches The overall design calls for something with a little height to be placed in the central bed-a standard rose; a small, carefully pruned tree; a birdbath-even a dense planting of ornamental grass. The delicately variegated Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light' is especially attractive against the cool-green boxwood. Plant annuals or perennials in the satellite beds.
Give the newly planted hedges a gentle, conservative clipping just to establish uniform height. (An early summer clipping is usually sufficient to keep the garden looking good, but you may want to give the hedges a light haircut at the end of summer as well.) Then mulch carefully around the base of the hedge, using a good layer of dark, finely milled mulch. Finally, edge the grass crisply all around your new knot garden.
What Will It Cost? The total expense depends on whether you go with young, small plants widely spaced or more-mature ones planted so they touch one another. Remember that you can also build the parterre in stages. Boxwood is more expensive than yew but is much better suited to parterres. Small 15- to 18-inch plants cost around $40 each; large 18- to 24-inch specimens are around $50 to $55 each. Most nurseries will give a "landscaper discount" of 25 percent to 30 percent for a quantity purchase. (Yew plants tend to be much larger than boxwood, so you'll need fewer of them; they are about the same price as the large boxwood.) The total cost would be around $4,000 retail if you buy the biggest plants (deduct up to 30 percent of this for a wholesale discount and you may be lucky enough to spend only $2,800). If you buy smaller plants and space them conservatively, you could spend as little as $3,000 retail (or $2,000 wholesale).
If you are buying large, field-dug boxwood plants, they will probably arrive balled and burlapped-and they're heavy. Be prepared: Rent a handcart at your local rental center. The cost is minimal, and it will make the job of moving the plants infinitely easier.

Louise Kehoe is a writer and garden designer who lives in Acworth, New Hampshire.
Editor's Note: We're seeing a trend toward more designed and planned gardens, and this parterre is one example. If you don't wish to tackle such an ambitious or costly project but find yourself drawn to this classic design, we suggest you read The Art of the Kitchen Garden, by Jan and Michael Gertley (The Taunton Press, 1999; 203-426-8171; www.taunton.com). It is filled with ideas for using annuals and garden vegetables in designs that mimic the form of the parterre.

by Louise Kehoe Illustration by Margo Letourneau

http://www.almanac.com/garden/design/parterre.php

Create a Knot Garden using Landscape Vision www.landscapeyourvisions.com

Five Easy To Grow Perennials

2008-06-21T10:50:00.002-04:00

The perennials that made this list were selected because they all share the following characteristics: they are easy to grow, they add an abundance of color, texture and shape to a garden, they thrive in gardens for a large part of the growing season, they are highly disease resistant and they are not finicky about the type of soil in which they are planted. And finally, although I would not go as far to label them as ‘drought resistant’, they have done beautifully in my garden for several years with minimal watering. Trust me, you can’t go wrong with these plants. They are truly what we in the gardening industry call “tough plants for tough times.”

1. Heuchera micrantha ‘Palace Purple’ (Coral Bells). Low growing burgundy leaved perennial that can be showcased in the front of a border. In my garden (Zone 6), it retains its leaves for four seasons out of the year. It looks stunning in combination with red, soft purple, blue or yellow flowers. Can be used in both sun and partial shade effectively. Zones 6-8
2. Knautia macedonica (scabiosa like flower). Grown for its abundance of deep crimson red, scabiosa like flowers. Blooms profusely (if continually dead headed) from late Spring until frost. Spreads rapidly. Attractive to bees. I use it ‘en masse’ in my garden to complement my soft pink digitalis (foxgloves) and echinacea. Zones 5-9
3. Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’- (Reed Grass). Can be grown in sun or partial shade conditions. If grown in ideal conditions (moist soil), this grass can become invasive. Especially beautiful in the fall with its dense form and seedheads blowing in the breeze. Can be cut back to ground level in Spring. Zones 6-9
4. Macleya cordata (Plume Poppy). This perennial is one of the most attractive foliage plants on the market. Can be grown in sun or partial shade. Capable of growing as tall as 8 feet and spreads rapidly. I use it in the back of my borders for height and depth. Also blows beautifully in the breeze. Has the potential for being invasive so give it plenty of space. Zones 4-9
5. Eupatorium fistulosum (Joe Pye Weed). Grown for its dusky mauvish-purple large flowerheads that bloom from mid-summer through the fall. Thrives in sun and partial shade in the back of the border. Loves moisture. Grows 5-6 feet tall. Can be invasive in moist soil but is easily kept under control if divided every few years. Attractive to butterflies. Zones 3-8

Recognized as one of America's leading gardening experts, especially in the area of environmentally conscious gardening, Fran Sorin is changing how people perceive gardening. Her multi-media exposure reflects her philosophy that, similar to exercising and following a wholesome diet, gardening is a necessity for living a healthier life. http://www.fransorin.com/index.asp
http://www.fransorin.com/book/ Fran's Book "Digging Deep"

Find these Perennials and more in Landscape Vision's award winning plant data base. Purchase our software today and see these plants on your property, in your gardens. www.landscapeyourvisions.com

Shade gardening tips From Yvonne Cunnington

2008-05-29T20:45:00.002-04:00

There's no doubt that shade gardening can be a challenge. Growing flowers in full sun is easier, and you have more colorful plants to choose from.
Even so, those of us with gardens that sizzle in the sun often find ourselves longing for cooling shade.
A lush bed out of the heat and glare of the sun can be an attractive, inviting and calming oasis in the garden The idea that a garden without much sun is a problem probably stems from the first experience of a treed backyard with brick-hard soil and thin lawn struggling in the shadows.
If grass won't even grow there, how can anything else?
Rest assured that there are many attractive perennials that grow well in shade. Getting them to thrive is a matter of enriching the soil.
Do keep in mind that a flower garden directly under deciduous trees will be mostly spring blooming. In general, most plants that grow well in the shadows, including spring bulbs that naturalize, tend to bloom early in the season before the leaves come out on the trees.
This doesn't mean there won't be other flowers in bloom during the rest of the season, but you'll have a more limited palette of flowering plants to choose from. Impatiens is one of flowers that will give you color in the shade all season long - one of the big reasons it's such a popular annual.
When it comes to shade perennials, attractive leaf textures and colors are important because foliage will be your shade garden mainstay through the season.

The idea that a garden without much sun is a problem probably stems from the first experience of a treed backyard with brick-hard soil and thin lawn struggling in the shadows.
If grass won't even grow there, how can anything else?
Rest assured that there are many attractive perennials that grow well in shade. Getting them to thrive is a matter of enriching the soil.
Do keep in mind that a flower garden directly under deciduous trees will be mostly spring blooming. In general, most plants that grow well in the shadows, including spring bulbs that naturalize, tend to bloom early in the season before the leaves come out on the trees.
This doesn't mean there won't be other flowers in bloom during the rest of the season, but you'll have a more limited palette of flowering plants to choose from. Impatiens is one of flowers that will give you color in the shade all season long - one of the big reasons it's such a popular annual.
When it comes to shade perennials, attractive leaf textures and colors are important because foliage will be your shade garden mainstay through the season.
http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Shade-gardening.html

REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT YVONNE CUNNINGTON'S BOOK, FLOWER-GARDENING MADE EASY. http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Gardening-book.html

Landscape Vision, landscape design software offers plants for your shade garden. Check out our software www.landscapeyourvisions.com

Lawn Tips Old Farmer's Almanac.

2008-05-24T22:50:00.000-04:00

The more you let nature do the work for you, the easier it will be to care for your lawn. These tips could help you improve your relationship with your lawn:
Don't overwater. Make the lawn seek its own source of water, building longer, sturdier roots. Cut back on water especially in midsummer to let the lawn go dormant, strengthening it for fall and winter.
Excess water leaches away nutrients and encourages insects. Deep waterings at irregular intervals are better for the lawn than frequent light waterings.
Let some weeds grow in that expanse of green. A slightly wild lawn lets volunteer grasses, wildflowers, herbs, and even wild strawberries grow, adding color and variety to your landscape.
The struggle against weeds is the single most expensive, time-consuming task in caring for a lawn. Clover grows low to the ground and smells lovely after it's been cut, and it often stays green after the rest of lawn has turned brown; dandelion greens taste great in a salad.
The higher grass grows, the slower it grows. Adjust your mower blades to cut grass at two to three inches instead of 1-1/2 inches to save time, money, and water. Turf clipped at heights greater than two inches develops the largest, most extensive root system.
Leave clippings on the lawn to filter down to the soil, decompose, and recycle nutrients back to the roots. Look into the new "mulching mowers" that recycle clippings back onto the lawn.
If you're seeding or reseeding, use a mix of seed that includes slow-growing or low-growing grasses, like fine-leaf fescues that also have low water and fertility requirements. Combine the fescues with a low-maintenance Kentucky bluegrass like 'Park', 'Kenblue', or 'South Dakota Common'.
Moss and sorrel in lawns usually means poor soil, poor aeration or drainage, or excessive acidity.
During a drought, let the grass grow longer between mowings, and reduce fertilizer.
Water your lawn early in the morning or in the evening.
The best time to apply fertilizer is just before it rains.
In areas of your lawn where tree roots compete with the grass, apply some extra fertilizer to benefit both.

Why Landscape Design Software?

2008-05-15T20:02:00.002-04:00

Why Landscape Design Software?

Landscape design software gives you an accurate view of final plans before you invest time and money.
Change your mind as often as you like while planning your landscape, no cost associated with trial and error, experiment away!
Import a photo of your home or yard so you can plan your landscape around it.
You can build an accurate shopping list.
Resize plants, trees, etc.
Landscape design software is not just a gardening tool, it is fun!

What Makes Landscape Vision Software Different?

It is The Easiest To Use.
Five Simple Steps To Creating Your Dream Landscape.
No Complicated CAD Drawings.
No Complicated Instruction Manuals.
No Need For Pages and Pages of “Frequently Asked Questions”.
Easy To Navigate Help Feature.
Quick Fact Sheet.
Real Plant Pictures Not Renderings. (You do not want to see renderings on your lawn or in your garden. You want real pictures.)
Informative Plant Bios. (Voted "Best" by Top Ten Review)
Full Screen View.
Import Your Own Plant Images.
Offers The Ability To See Outdoor Living Products On Your Property.
Opportunity To Purchase These Products On Our On-Line Store.
Import More Outdoor Living Images Into Our Categories.
Free Flow Sketching Function.
Walkways and Pavers.
Shopping List with Real Plant Pictures and Outdoor Living Product Reference.
You Do Not Pay For More Software Then You Need!
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Rose Gardening

2008-05-15T19:49:00.003-04:00

Can rose gardening be easy?

Well, yes, if you start by picking strong, disease-resistant rose bushes.
Roses come many colors and forms and in range of growth habits, sizes and shapes. Fortunately today, many newer roses are being bred for hardiness and good disease-resistance.
Like most other garden flowers, roses will thrive if you give them what they need:
Lots of sun – At least six hours of good strong sunlight daily - less sun and you get fewer flowers.
Good soil – Well drained, but able to hold moisture, and enriched with manure and/or compost. Roses are heavy feeders that thrive in rich soil.
Timely care – Plenty of water and fertilizer and proper pruning at the right time. Be sure to stay on the lookout so you can nip any rose problems in the bud before they get out of hand.

Rose gardening : When to plant roses: New roses establish more quickly in the cool moist conditions of spring or fall, so plant soon as soil becomes workable in spring, or in fall.
Always water regularly until established (for about the first two months after planting). Roses are available bare-root or container grown.
Planting bare root roses: Keep roots moist before planting. It's a good idea to soak them in a pail of barely lukewarm water for an hour or so before planting.
Dig hole large enough for roots to spread. Place so that bud union (a swollen area between the root and canes) is at least 2 inches below soil line in warmer zones, 4 to 6 inches deep in Zones 2 to 4. Back-fill planting hole with soil into which you've mixed some peat moss and manure to three quarters full. Firm soil around roots, water well and let drain.
Finish filling the planting hole, adding soil to form a mound over canes (in fall, this provides winter protection, in early spring, protection from sunscald). Remove mounds when roses begin to leaf out.
By Yvonne Cunnington Acknowledgement: Reprinted with Permission. ©Yvonne Cunnington http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/.

Landscape Vision Design Software offer Roses in addition to Perennials, Annuals, Trees, Shrubs, Vines, Ground Cover, Cacti, and Grasses in our award winning plant data base. Visit our home page http://www.landscapeyourvisons.com/

Unique Mother's Day Gift.

2008-05-10T19:45:00.005-04:00

Hey everyone, looking for a last minute Mother's Day gift? Does your Mom garden? Check out unique landscape design software for a special gift for Mom.

After you make your purchase from our site (see link below) we send Mom an email telling her you have purchase our easy to use landscape design software, Landscape Vision, just for her. We give your Mom a link to download the program, and we tell Mom that this cool gift came from you!

Check out or new version.
http://www.landscapeyourvisions.com/

Mother's Day

2008-05-07T20:51:00.002-04:00

Is your Mother into GARDENING?

Give Landscape Vision an easy to use landscape design software as a gift this year. Something different and useful!

We have a gift option on our order page. To check out of software click here:
www.landscapeyourvisions.com

Here's a little history on Mother's Day.

Main article: Mother's Day (United States)
The United States celebrates Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May. In the United States, Mother's Day was loosely inspired by the British day and was imported by social activist Julia Ward Howe after the American Civil War. However, it was intended as a call to unite women against war. In 1870, she wrote the Mother's Day Proclamation as a call for peace and disarmament. Howe failed in her attempt to get formal recognition of a Mother's Day for Peace. Her idea was influenced by Ann Jarvis, a young Appalachian homemaker who, starting in 1858, had attempted to improve sanitation through what she called Mothers' Work Days. She organized women throughout the Civil War to work for better sanitary conditions for both sides, and in 1868 she began work to reconcile Union and Confederate neighbors.
When Jarvis died in 1907, her daughter, named Anna Jarvis, started the crusade to found a memorial day for women. The first such Mother's Day was celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia, on 10 May 1908, in the church where the elder Ann Jarvis had taught Sunday School. Originally the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, this building is now the International Mother's Day Shrine (a National Historic Landmark). From there, the custom caught on — spreading eventually to 45 states. The holiday was declared officially by some states beginning in 1912. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother's Day, as a day for American citizens to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war.
Nine years after the first official Mother's Day, commercialization of the U.S. holiday became so rampant that Anna Jarvis herself became a major opponent of what the holiday had become. Mother's Day continues to this day to be one of the most commercially successful U.S. occasions. According to the National Restaurant Association, Mother's Day is now the most popular day of the year to dine out at a restaurant in the United States.

Lawn Care Tips from The Old Farmer's Almanac

2008-05-07T15:59:00.001-04:00

Climbing roses. Old Farmers Almanac

2008-05-07T15:50:00.002-04:00

Should climbing roses be trimmed back the same as other roses?
Yes, but avoid pruning them too much. Novice rose growers often make that mistake. Climbing varieties usually fare better with light pruning. Generally, you should trim them after they bloom, to make room for new blooms. Different varieties behave differently, though, so you should consult your local nursery to find out what is best for your variety. No rose will bloom well if its blossoms don't get enough sunshine and air because they are too crowded.

From Old Farmer's Almanac

Growing impatiens in your garden by Yvonne Cunnington

2008-04-29T13:28:00.004-04:00

If you're thinking of growing impatiens, also known as Busy Lizzy, you're in good company. Impatiens are the most popular bedding plants in the world.
These attractive shade annuals got their botanical name because their seed pods explode when they ripen, shooting their sticky seeds far and wide. Perhaps these annuals are impatient to reproduce.

Types of impatiens for your garden conditions.

Impatiens are popular because they're easy-to-grow and flower in shade all season.
Today's cultivars are more tolerant of sun than many older varieties, but too much sun will stunt their growth, resulting in shorter plants with smaller leaves and not as many flowers.
Available in many colors - red, scarlet, pink, white, rose and mauve - and in star patterns and bicolors with light colors inside the flowers and darker colors at the margins of the petals, impatiens comes in single, semi double or fully double flower forms.
There are varieties of New Guinea or sun impatiens you can grow if you don't have shade or part shade in your garden.

Tips for growing impatiens.

You will find a good supply of impatiens at nurseries and garden centers in the spring. For best success, choose bushy-looking plants with leaves that are lush and green.
If you like to plant many flats of impatiens, you can grow them from seed yourself.
Impatiens grow about six to 24 inches tall, but their eventual height in your garden depends on moisture and nutrient levels, how far apart you plant them and how much sun they get.
If you want your impatiens to grow taller, space them quite close together, about six inches apart. But if you want them to spread out more, plant them at least eight inches to one foot apart.
Impatiens will grow in the shade under deciduous trees. In such conditions, be sure to give them extra care, as tree roots often use up the available water and nutrients. The key to success is a weekly watering and additional fertilizer every three weeks or so through the season. (Learn more about growing plants in dry shade.)
Give your plants the best start possible by mixing compost or slow-release fertilizer into the soil at planting time and finish off by watering thoroughly. To keep them looking their best, water deeply once a week through the entire growing season, and fertilize regularly.
Impatiens make great container or window box plants in filtered shade. If you're growing them this way, plant them in a soil-less mix, not garden soil. Then water regularly and fertilize weekly.

By Yvonne Cunnington Check out Yvonne's great gardening book

Basic Gardening!

http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/Gardening-book.html

Happy Arbor Day!

2008-04-25T14:02:00.003-04:00

What is Arbor Day?
Arbor Day is a nationally-celebrated observance that encourages tree planting and care.
Founded by J. Sterling Morton in Nebraska in 1872, National Arbor Day is celebrated each year on the last Friday in April.

Learn more about Arbor Day and how to give a tree, a life time gift.
http://www.arborday.org/shopping/gifttrees/

Landscape Vision is a member of the Arbor Day Foundation, when you join you receive 10 FREE TREES, we donate ours to our local parks department. You should join, plant your tress, improve the earth!

If You Want to Do One Thing on Earth Day:

2008-04-22T10:49:00.000-04:00

CALL FOR CLIMATE!
Global warming is our most urgent environmental problem. Scientists tell us that the time for action is now or never. Yet Congress is weighing legislation that falls far short of what is needed, and will unfairly burden the poor and middle class.
For Earth Day 2008, join Earth Day Network in one of the largest Earth Day campaigns in US history, Call for Climate. Be one of nearly a million people who will phone Capitol Hill on Earth Day to call for tough and equitable national action on global warming. Put this number in your phone now!
Ask for your representative. Tell them the current global warming proposals in Congress are inadequate. Tell them you want:
A moratorium on new coal-burning plants,
Renewable energy,
Carbon-neutral buildings,
Protection for the poor and middle class in the new green economy.
Tell five friends about this campaign - have them enter the number into their phones now. Make sure they call on Earth Day, April 22nd.
Take action and sign Earth Day Network's Sky Petition.
Our elected leaders need to hear that climate change demands swift and strong action. The time for waiting and inadequate solutions is over.
This Earth Day, it's time to change the forecast for global warming. Climate change must rise to the top of the national agenda. On April 22th, Americans will be hearing our global warming message and we will be mobilizing support with our Call for Climate campaign.

Why you should landscape your property.

2008-04-21T13:04:00.001-04:00

Check this info out.
Researchers at Clemson University conducted a study of Home Sales and compared the results based on varying levels of Landscape quality. Not only were type, size and condition of the plantings considered but also the overall design. Landscapers were rated "poor", "good", or "excellent". Well designed landscaped homes had faster sales because of first impressions...-

Research Group, Clemson University 2001

Money Magazine had this to say on this matter...
Landscaping as a home improvement project has a recovery value of 100-200% if it is well done and harmonizes with the nearby surrounding. This compares to a Kitchen overhead of 75-125% or a Bathroom redesign of 80-120%. - Money Magazine

Landscape Vision 5.4.2 design software can help you improve the value of your property.
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Earth Day April 22nd

2008-04-18T09:54:00.003-04:00

Earth Day was created in 1970 to spark a revolution against environmental abuse and the organizers, including EDN Board Chairman Denis Hayes, would not take no for an answer. Neither should we. Global warming is real and we're part of the problem. Now, we need to become part of the solution. Check out how you can become part of the solution.

http://www.earthday.net/resources/2006materials/Top10.aspx

Landscape Vision is a member of Earth Day Network. From time to time we will post information from the EDN to give you the tools we all need to help save our planet! Little steps add up.

IF I HAD A HAMMER!

2008-04-16T20:44:00.002-04:00

Landscape Vision's good friend Andrea Ridout, of the nationally syndicated radio show, "Ask Andrea" has finished her much anticipated book, "If I Had a Hammer"! I encourage all of you do-it-yourself types to check out this book. Andrea really knows home improvement, we just love her here at Landscape Vision. Good for you Andrea, we're all proud of you.

Just click on these links below for either Barnes and Noble.com or Amazon.com
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/results.asp?WRD=andrea+ridout+hammer

http://www.amazon.com/If-Had-Hammer-Weekend-Projects/dp/0061353183/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1208187727&sr=8-1

Editorial Reviews

Have fun, save money, and improve your home with these easy step-by-step projects
Are you looking for a way to make your bathroom a little more beautiful? Or maybe you'd like to give your tired furniture a face-lift, improve your home's air quality, or fix a toilet. No matter your DIY needs and no matter whether you're a DIY novice or expert, home improvement guru Andrea Ridout, host of the nationally syndicated radio show Ask Andrea, has ideas, expertise, and advice to share with you.
If I Had a Hammer offers easy-to-follow instructions and illustrations designed to make home improvement simpler than ever. With a little help from Andrea, you'll be able to tackle repairs, painting and decorating, bathroom and kitchen remodeling, wood care for furniture and floors, and much more with projects that often take as little as an hour. Also, you can try a few of Andrea's energy-conserving projects that can dramatically improve your utility bill—Andrea's projects are friendly on the environment and on your wallet! With If I Had a Hammer, you'll have the tools to keep your home functioning and looking as good as—or even better than—new.

Biography
Andrea Ridout is the host of the nationally syndicated radio show Ask Andrea and is a frequent renovation expert on national and regional television programs. Her articles and advice have appeared in Reader's Digest, Woman's Day Home Remodeling, and Country Home, among many other publications. She lives near Dallas, Texas.

Cooperative Extension Services

2008-04-16T20:34:00.000-04:00

Contact your local state cooperative extension Web site to get help with tricky insect problems, best varieties to plant in your area, or general maintenance of your garden.

http://www.almanac.com/garden/resource/coopext.php

Offered by our friends at The Old Farmer's Almanac

Outdoor Planting Table from Old Farmer's Almanac

2008-04-16T20:25:00.003-04:00

Check out Old Farmer's Almanac "Outdoor Planting Table" Provides you a time table for planting. Put in your zip code to see your area's planting times.
http://www.almanac.com/garden/plantingtable/index.php

The best time to plant flowers and vegetables that bear crops above ground is during the light of the Moon; that is, from the day the Moon is new to the day it is full. Flowering bulbs and vegetables that bear crops below ground should be planted during the dark of the Moon; that is, from the day after it is full to the day before it is new again. The Moon Favorable column below gives these days, which are based on the Moon's phases for 2008 and the safe periods for planting in areas that receive frost. See Moon phases for the exact days of the new and full Moons.

http://www.almanac.com/garden/plantingtable/index.php

Gardening Jobs for April! Old Farmers Almanac

2008-04-03T20:20:00.001-04:00

Start coleus cuttings now to plant outdoors in the garden by early June. These colorful plants are enjoying a revival as fine accents to annual and perennial borders.
Rake or remove mulches from all flower beds.
Plant rosebushes. They often do best if planted before growth starts and buds swell. And if you want to increase their fragrance, surround them with parsley.
Scatter annual poppy seeds in your flower garden and let them grow where they will. They don't like to be transplanted.
Broadcast lime, wood ashes, or a mixture of the two over alkaline-loving perennials such as delphiniums and dianthus. Bring color outdoors to patios, porches, and even the garden with pansy plants, which don't mind cold nights. To encourage constant flowering, routinely remove spent blossoms and keep them from getting bone-dry.
Sow sweet peas as soon as the soil can be worked. Nick the seeds with a nail file and plant them five inches deep, but cover them with only about three inches of soil. Hoe more soil up around them as they grow.
Plant lilies-of-the-valley, violets, and garden lilies. Divide summer- and fall-blooming perennials, including delphiniums, irises, chrysanthemums, daisies, and phlox.
Although we think of this as a rainy month, it can fool us. Keep transplanted flowers well watered during dry spells.
When danger of frost has passed, uncover strawberry beds and keep them well watered.
Plant blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and fruit trees.
Start seeds indoors for heat-loving crops such as eggplant, tomatoes, and squash.
To determine whether your garden soil is ready for seeds, grab a good handful of it. If you can form it into a ball, the soil is too wet. If it crumbles through your fingers and reminds you of chocolate cake, it's ready for planting.
If the soil is ready, give it a good stirring and let it sit for several days. Then top-dress it with compost or well-rotted manure and plant beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, radishes, parsnips, lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnips.
If you got your peas in last month, be sure to give them a good fence for support, made of chicken wire, twine, or stubby branches that are at least three feet tall. Otherwise, plant them this month as soon as you can.
Scatter spinach or lettuce seeds around emerging bulb foliage to make wise use of your garden space, and have a leafy green crop at the ready to cover the bare spots left by deadheaded spring flowers.
Prune forsythias as soon as the flowers fade. Cut the oldest stems to within a foot of the ground, but be sure to let the plant keep its arching form; don't turn it into a gumdrop or cannonball.
Feed your trees. As soon as the frost goes out of the ground, give them a well-balanced slow-release fertilizer. Scatter about six good handfuls per each 10x10-foot area. Store leftover fertilizer in a small plastic trash can or a covered plastic container, and label it.
Rake your lawn to remove all leaves, dead grass, and small twigs. Sow seed for a new lawn, or fill in bare patches by first covering the area with compost or other organic matter. Roll the lawn if the ground isn't soggy.
If you receive mail-order nursery plants before your soil is dry enough for planting, make a trench and heel them into the ground in a protected area.
Don't fertilize strawberries in the spring. This is when the leaves are developing, and you'll get lush growth and meager, soft berries. Wait until blossoms appear and use a light hand.
Don't set tomato plants out in the garden too soon. They hate cold soil and cold nights (under 55 degrees F).
Don't forget to vent your cold frame. April days may feel chilly, but the temperature under the glass can get over 100 degrees F on a sunny day. Salad greens are unhappy over 65 degrees F, and most other plants will perish over 85 degrees F.

http://www.almanac.com/

A Foolproof Flower Garden By Fran Sorin

2008-04-03T20:04:00.003-04:00

Don't settle for potted pansies. With a little effort and patience, you can create your own backyard paradise.Maybe you've just moved from an apartment to your first house. Between family, work, carpooling and everything else -- has it been 12 trips to the Home Depot? -- your first garden awaits your imprint. Planting flowers is a great way to exercise your creativity, but it can seem daunting to the beginner. Don't despair: The investment of time and energy will repay you in spades. After more than 20 years of designing gardens, here's my insider's guide to getting started.
1. Know your property's relationship to the sun. If you have a true southern exposure, you'll get direct sun most of the afternoon. A northern exposure will give you mainly shade; eastern exposure, morning sun and afternoon shade; western exposure, pretty much late-afternoon sun, with shade the rest of the day.
2. Make sure the type of garden you want can be done with the amount of sun you get. For example, although most herb and cutting gardens need direct sunlight (six hours of sun a day), woodland gardens thrive in shade. If you have a shady lot and you want a cutting garden just like the one you saw in a magazine, forget it. Instead, try to re-interpret it by using shade perennials, bulbs and shrubs.
3. Choose a site for your flower bed that can be viewed from inside your house. If possible, take advantage of garden views from outdoor terraces or patios, too.
4. Let your garden reflect your personal style, just as your indoor space does. If you tend toward the traditional indoors, think in terms of a traditional garden with a formal, symmetrical outline, perhaps with pedestals of evergreens to add to the mood. If you lean toward a more rustic style, your outdoor space should reflect that informal feel: Let an abundance of flowers brim over the edges of the garden, and use some flea market finds as containers.
5. When you're ready to experiment with the placement of the flower bed, lay out a hose to outline its shape and size. (Or use spray landscape paint from a paint store.) Leave the hose in one position for a few days before deciding whether that configuration works. Geometric shapes generally indicate a formal design; irregular or island beds are more informal.
6. When the soil has warmed up and is not too soggy, you can dig the bed. First, remove the grass -- roots and all -- with a spade, or use an herbicide (like Round-Up) or an organic grass killer. Then rototill the area or turn it over with a fork. At least 12 inches of good organic matter should be laid on top of the existing soil. Once you've raked the organic matter evenly across the bed, edge the perimeter with a sharp spade to give it a professional, crisp finish.
7. The most effective gardens are simple ones that follow the adage "Less is more." Select plants of various shapes and textures that bloom at different times of the gardening season and that resist disease and drought. Limit your palette to two or three colors. I like to work with combinations of three plants to create a vignette.
8. Plant a lot of each specimen. The repetition of specimens and colors soothes the eye and paves the way for a more glorious design. I plant a minimum of seven of each specimen in a small garden bed, and up to 20-something of each in an expansive area.
9. Plant in a flowing or wavelike pattern. Play around with the plants while they are still in their pots, positioning them around your garden bed to see how they look before you actually plant them. Some of my greatest moments of inspiration occur when I make last-minute changes.
10. Spread mulch as soon as possible after planting (no more than 2 inches thick). Do it carefully, to avoid damaging the plants.
11. Until the plants are settled in (about two weeks), I water every third day early in the morning, 30 to 45 minutes at a time, with a soaker hose or a rotating sprinkler.
12. Over the remainder of the spring (in cool regions, into the early summer), fill in bare areas with exuberant summer bulbs or tubers such as dahlias, cannas, elephant ears, oxalis and colocasias, and annual plants or seeds that can be scratched right into your garden soil.
13. To give the plants extra "oomph," spray them with an organic fertilizer, such as fish fertilizer, once every four weeks, preferably first thing in the morning when it's cool -- never when the temperature is above 80 degrees.
14. Be patient. Plants won't fully mature for a good two to three years. Enjoy the process and keep notes on the plant combinations that give you great pleasure. I think you will be surprised how often you use them as you continue to create new gardens.
Three of my favorite plant trios-- Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage), Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' (coneflower), Liatris spicata-- Salvia greggii 'Maraschino,' Alchemilla mollis (lady's mantle), Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff'-- Phlox divaricata 'Chattahoochee,' Tiarella cordifolia (foamflower), Dryopteris marginalis (leatherwood fern)

"Fran Sorin is a great source of gardening information and inspiration. Check out her site, you'll enjoy it. www.fransorin.com Order her latest book Digging Deep http://fransorin.com/book/, it's a must have for any gardener of any level. I love it. "
Yvonne Grenier GM Landscape Vision.

Spring! Get Ready.

2008-03-20T09:58:00.001-04:00

Spring Discount: We've lowered the price of our award winning design software, Landscape Vision. Order now. Spring has Sprung, Order today! http://www.landscapeyourvisions.com/ Was $59.95 is $39.95

Early spring garden guide: Around the yard By Yvonne Cunnington

2008-03-20T09:55:00.001-04:00

Early spring garden guide: Around the yard

Crocuses blooming in snowPhoto: Netherlands Flower Bulb Information Center
Start winter cleanup of the lawn when the grass is no longer sopping wet and planting beds stop being a sea of mud. Rake your lawn to get rid of dead growth, stray leaves, twigs and winter debris and let light and air to the soil level, encouraging the grass to grow.
Re-seed bare or damaged patches of lawn. Scratch up the soil with a rake first. Mix a shovel of soil with a couple of scoops of grass seed and spread in the patch you're fixing. Rake level and keep well-watered until seeds germinate and the new grass establishes.
Remove tree guards or burlap winter protection from any young trees or shrubs. Try not to leave tree guards in place over the summer. They keep rabbits and mice from nibbling on tender bark over the winter, but trees don't need them in summer. They don't allow enough air movement around the base of the trunk and that can promote rot of the bark.

Transplant any existing shrubs you want to move before they begin to leaf out.
Apply dormant oil spray to fruit trees, magnolias, crabapples and shrubs such as euonymus to control scale insects and other overwintering pests. Use this organic pest control method when the buds are swelling but the leaves haven't opened yet. Apply when temperatures are between 40 and 70 degrees F (4-21 degrees C).
Get your lawn mower checked and blades sharpened if you didn't get the job done in late winter. Sharp blades cut better and leave your lawn grass healthier.
http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com

Steps to planting perennials step-by-step

2008-03-17T20:42:00.000-04:00

The best time to plant annuals and perennials isn't a hot, sunny day but a cooler, cloudier one — such conditions are less stressful for the plants, and the gardener.
Give the planting area a good watering, preferably the day before so you don't work in muck, or plant after rain has moistened soil.
If perennials are dry in their pots, water them first to get them moist.
How to plant:
Dig a hole that's wider but not deeper than the container. Never shoehorn a plant into a hole that's too small.
When planting perennials, work with one plant at a time, so that tender root hairs aren't exposed to drying air longer than necessary. Tap sides of container or squeeze pot to loosen plant, and turn upside down so plant slides out into your hand. Handle plants by their root mass, not stems; stems can easily be damaged.
Inspect roots; if circling, gently tease apart or they will continue to make circling growth. If roots are difficult to loosen by hand, make four shallow cuts into root mass near the bottom with a sharp knife. This promotes growth into surrounding soil.
If you see lots of potting mixture but few roots, work off some potting soil with your fingers to ensure plant roots will make physical contact with garden soil. Potting mix dries quicker than surrounding soil, making new plants susceptible to drying out.
Set plant into hole; place exactly as deep as it was in container. Cover roots with loose soil, water lightly; add remaining soil and pack gently but firmly; never stomp on delicate roots. Water well.
Do not apply water-soluble fertilizer when planting perennials, but wait about a week or so to allow roots to grow a bit. Organic fertilizers are the best choice because they support both root development and the soil-borne organisms that are beneficial to healthy root growth.
Keep new perennials moist for a couple of months, but don't kill with kindness: let top 2 or 3 inches (5 to 7 cm) of soil get a bit dry-looking between waterings. By Yvonne Cunnington

Landscaping: How Low Can You Go?

2008-03-16T17:17:00.002-04:00

EVEN THOSE WHO love to garden often find that maintaining a landscape can be overwhelming. Mowing, weeding, watering, and pruning often seem like endless chores, especially in spring and early summer when trees, shrubs, grass, and weeds are all actively growing. If you are designing a new landscape or reworking an old one, using low-maintenance techniques can reduce much of your yard work.
Choosing the right plants is key to cutting maintenance. A shrub that grows to six feet tall will require regular pruning if planted under a window that is three feet above the ground. There are many dwarf varieties of trees and shrubs that are ideal for small areas and may never need pruning. Native plants are always a good choice for the landscape because they adapt to surroundings more easily than exotic species. Grouping plants that have the same cultural needs will save time when watering and fertilizing. Keep the planting beds narrow for easy access to interior plants; design them with long, sweeping curves so that the mower can reach the edge, eliminating hand trimming.
The importance of mulch in a low-maintenance landscape can not be overemphasized. A thick layer of organic mulch around plants will help to control weeds, conserve soil moisture, and add nutrients to the soil. Popular organic mulches are tree bark, shredded leaves, pine needles, and plant wastes such as cocoa shells. If weeds are a serious problem, lay down several layers of newspaper before mulching.
Traditional lawns are labor intensive—keep them as small as possible. Some lawn alternatives are large areas of ground covers or wildflowers, mulched beds, and decks and patios. Proper and timely lawn care will save you work because a healthy lawn is less likely to be bothered by weeds, insects, and diseases. Keep the grass tall; let it grow to three or four inches and then mow off one-third. High grass shades out weeds and won't dry out as quickly as closely cropped turf. Water infrequently but deeply to encourage deep rooting.
We hope that these ideas will help make it easier for you to maintain your landscape—as well as your sanity.
– –George and Becky Lohmiller

Landscape Vision Design Software offers great award winning plant bios to help you find low maintenance plants. Purchase our software today, use the coupon code above for a Spring Discount.

Spring Pruning Guide Old Farmers Almanac

2008-03-11T10:11:00.002-04:00

WHAT WHEN HOW
Apple : Early spring Prune moderately. Keep tree open with main branches well spaced. Avoid sharp V-shaped crotches.
Cherry:Early spring Prune the most vigorous shoots moderately.
Clematis: Spring Cut weak growth. Save as much old wood as possible.
Flowering dogwood: After flowering Remove dead wood only.
Forsythia:After flowering Remove old branches at ground. Trim new growth.
Lilac:After flowering Remove diseased, scaly growth, flower heads, and suckers.
Peach: Early spring Remove half of last year's growth. Keep tree headed low.
Plum: Early spring Cut dead, diseased branches; trim rank growth moderately.
Rhododendron: After flowering Prune judiciously. Snip branches from weak, leggy plants to induce growth from roots.
Rose (except climbers): Spring, after frosts Cut dead and weak growth; cut branches or canes to four or five eyes.
Rose (climbers): After flowering Cut half of old growth; retain new shoots for next year.
Rose of Sharon: When buds Cut all winter-killed wood to swell begin growth back to live wood.
Trumpet vine: Early spring Prune side branches severely to main stem.
Virginia creeper: Spring Clip young plants freely. Thin old plants and remove dead growth.
Wisteria: Spring, summer Cut new growth to spurs at axils of leaves.

Check out this link to see a USA Frost Chart: http://www.almanac.com/garden/frostus.php

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