Yard & Garden Tip of the Day
(from Emazing.com)
Archives:
~July 2002~
~June 2002~
~May 2002~
~April 2002~
~March 2002~

(8/2/02)
Weeds In Tight Places
When weeds are inundating your flower beds, or grasses are popping up in your ivy, spraying herbicides just isn't an option. Whatever will kill the weeds will surely kill your desirable plants. However, you can try the "wick application" method to spot treat weeds in amongst your flowers.
Procure a pair of tight fitting rubber gloves. If you are right-handed, put a thick cotton glove over the rubber glove on your right hand. Stick the cotton gloved hand in a bucket of an all-purpose herbicide like Round-up, squeezing the glove slightly to remove excess liquid. You don't want all sorts of drips when you get close to your flowerbeds, so proceed with a steady hand. Grasp the weed at the base and slide it through the glove, up to its top. This will coat the weed with herbicide and your flowers will emerge unscathed!
(8/1/02)
Small Garden Magic
When space is at a premium, all of your garden elements take on a much more pronounced importance. As with small interiors, a cohesive look helps to give a garden setting impact, avoiding clutter and chaos.
Start by insuring that your hardscape (siding, trim, patio, fence, paving, etc.), is of similar materials and color. This ties the house and garden together. Brick homes benefit from some brick structures (i.e., brick paving) in the garden, or even brick-colored materials. I have used brick chips (that are available by the bag at most large home improvement chains) as walkway and paving materials for a brick home. Fencing can be painted similar to the house trim color, or left to weather to an unobtrusive natural silver-gray.
Accent colors; the color of furniture, pots, various garden art should be the same or very similar, and be used throughout the whole garden. Rusted metal pieces and aged copper look wonderful in a green setting and give a garden a sense of age.
Small gardens benefit from strong lines and clean shapes, so look for plants that can be sheared and shaped for impact. An example would be a pair of columnar Taxus clipped close, as a transition from one space into another. Speaking of spaces, it behooves the "small garden-er" to ensure that the whole garden isn't visible at first glance. You can use plants to screen views, fencing, and planted trellis to add a little mystery to your initial view of the garden. A pathway running around a blocked view will encourage a visitor to see what else there is.
Having several distinct spaces in a garden, even if they are tiny, makes the area seem bigger. You can also have different moods (a different feel) in each space, making your garden more interesting. Steps up, or down can be a transition to a new space, as well as a gateway, arch, etc. You may have to excavate an area slightly to give a sunken garden feel to a space. Use the fill to raise the surrounding area, making the space a little deeper. Steps down to this area, and then back up out of it are natural transitions to new and distinctly different garden rooms. And sunken gardens are really neat and interesting spaces.
Another way to make a garden space appear bigger is to play with perspective. A pathway down the middle of a garden can be narrowed to force perspective on the viewer. Whatever is at the end of the path should be smaller in stature than normal. For example, if a doorway is your focal point, you would use a smaller than normal sized door (5 feet tall, perhaps), making the distance seem greater to the back of the property. Eye catching objects should be kept to minimum in this area. Large-leaf plants, big white flowers, shiny objects should be avoided. Cool colors (blue and greens) should rule.
Mirrors can be used to suggest the appearance of more area. Use mirrors in frames as windows or doorways, or set large mirrors at ground level, angling them slightly so they don't reflect people in the garden or deceive birds. Foliage around mirror corners can help disguise the ruse.
Do use bold plants and architectural items for impact in a small garden. Unless you are manipulating perspective, drama is created by unexpected largesse. Large-leaf hostas such as 'Sum and Substance', or 'Blue Angel' grow well in shady areas, and look tropical. Grow trees or shrubs in containers for a bit of added height. A sculpture or piece of art adds a bit of personal taste, and elegance to an intimate space. Do go for the best furniture you can afford, and be sure it is complimentary to the style of your home.
A small garden area can be an asset to a home because it is easier to manage, and can be a better quality than a large garden. All it takes is a little restraint, a little luck, and a lot of creativity.

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