Rock Garden

Evergreens and Shrubs for the Rock Garden Background

Evergreens and shrubs used for forming the background or setting for the garden are not subject to the restrictions for the actual rock garden, particularly as regards height.

Nevertheless the transition from the small scale on which the rock garden is planned to taller trees in the background should not be made too suddenly; and whatever is to be visible from the interior of the rock garden should be in keeping as to character.

The graceful drooping fronds of a hemlock, or the irregularly spreading branches of a pine, will give no sense of jarring contrast, such as would be inevitable in the use of trees symmetrically columnar or pyramidal in habit, or of the blue or yellow or golden forms which are so patently the result of the horticulturist's art.

It is quite as impossible to give any definite directions for the placing of trees and shrubs to be used within the rock garden as it would be to pen a few paragraphs informing the reader how to paint a picture.

Even the builder of the rock garden himself cannot tell in advance where these plants will go; he must feel his way as the work progresses, putting them here and there in imagination, and frequently placing and replacing the plants themselves, before actually planting, until he is fairly satisfied that they are located where they will give the effect desired, or as near it as can be obtained.

The best time for placing evergreens and shrubs in the construction of the rock garden is after the outlines of the rock work have been pretty well completed, with the largest stones and the most prominent stone groups in place, but before the finishing touches and any patio fountains are added.

This is advantageous both as to the mechanical details of planting, and also in the design or arrangement of the garden, as the trees are more likely to look as though they really belonged with the rocks, and not merely stuck in as an afterthought.

In habit of growth, most of the dwarf trees and shrubs belong to one of three general types: the upright growing, true dwarf tree form, such, for instance, as the Dwarf Alberta spruce or Dwarf Irish Juniper; those of dwarf shrubby or bushy growth, such as Dwarf Japanese Yew, Dwarf Mugho Pine, or Spreading Cotoneaster (C. divaricata); and those of procumbent or creeping habit, such as the Gray Carpet Juniper (sabina tamariscifolia) and the Rock Contoneaster (G. horizontalis).

As a general rule, the dwarf-tree forms are most effective when planted on the lower levels of the rock garden amongst the large water features, or directly against the bases of the large rocks which rise above them; the shrub-like forms against or among large rocks, perhaps a bit higher up where they may find a suitable background in the stones about them, or, if of drooping habit, may fall gracefully over the stone surfaces; and those of creeping or horizontal habit of growth, where they may form a mantle either against the base of the rock surfaces, or by trailing down about them from above.

Heritage Garden

Design and Content of a Heritage Garden

Whether native-born or "transplant", we who live in Adams County, Pennsylvania are surrounded by history - historic battlefields, legacy farms, and preserved landscapes meet our eyes every day. Small wonder, then, that many local gardeners are drawn to this heritage, and want to include a little bit of history in their own gardens. If you live in geographic locales bordering the county of Adams, you have your own similar histories.

It is difficult to know how to accomplish this today, with so many questions to ask. How did past residents of this area set up their gardens? What plants did they grow for their kitchens, their home use, and their livelihood? Sadly, very little evidence survives. Farmsteads have lost their outbuildings, and "low maintenance" yards have replaced the subsistence gardens and colorful yards of yesteryear.

Recently, there has been growing interest in old-fashioned and native plants to replace the exotic varieties and cultivars that abound in nurseries and catalogs. In addition, traditional and organic gardening methods are popular today among home gardeners. This trend means that now you have many choices for designing your own heritage garden.

Do you have fond memories of your grandmother's garden and want to replicate it in your own? Perhaps your mother gave you cuttings from her favorite plant that you have lovingly nurtured for years. Or, maybe when you moved to a new house you transplanted your favorite shrub. These ties to your past have deep personal meaning, evoking happy times, and reflecting your personal and family heritage.

Local and regional heritage can also be featured in your garden. Two or three fruit trees, or, if you have the space for it, a small orchard could reflect Adams Countys agricultural industry. If you live in an older town, you may notice that your lot has a long, thin shape. A hundred years ago, virtually every home in small towns had an herb and vegetable plot, a chicken coop, and a small pasture and stable for the family horse or cow. If you are fortunate, some of these outbuildings still stand, and continue to be useful as tool and storage sheds.

The design and content of a heritage garden provides countless opportunities to experiment and innovate, depending upon the size of your property (not to mention your budget). An English cottage garden is compact and densely planted with a mix of perennials, annuals, herbs and even vegetables. A landscape in the Victorian style features formal mounded beds, broad lawns and exotic plants and trees.

A well-known characteristic of Pennsylvania German gardens is the use of raised beds. This technique gives a neat and tidy appearance, and also provides rich, loose soil in locations where rocks make tilling difficult. Raised beds can be created with rocks, planks, or four-by-fours. Other traditional features of heritage gardens include picket fences, woven stick barriers, and crushed rock or flagstone walkways.

There are many resources available to help design your heritage garden and choose plants. The local library can recommend publications that include

• Landscapes and Gardens for Historic Buildings by Rudy J. and Joy Putnam Cavetti
• Heirloom Vegetable Gardening: A Master Gardener's Guide to Planting
• Seed Saving and Cultural History by William Ways Weaver


Old photographs also offer inspiration for recreating a historic garden, and there are old county images preserved at the Adams County Historical Society, or reproduced in the series Adams County Pictorial History published by the Gettysburg Times.

Sources on the Internet include
• PA Native Plant Society
• Eastern Native Seeds Conservancy
• Audubon Center for Native Plants


Use your favorite search engine to look for historic gardens, heirloom plants, native plants or heritage gardens. Information about historic gardens that you can visit such as Winterthur, Ladew Topiary Gardens, Mount Vernon, and Colonial Williamsburg can also be fount on the Internet.

Plant selection for heritage gardens is much easier today. Many nurseries and catalogs now offer "heirloom" flowers and vegetable as well as tree and shrubs that are native to our region. Seed sharing has become a very popular way to spread the use of traditional plants. Two historic sites that are well-known sources for seeds are the Heirloom Seed Project at Landis Valley Museum, Lancaster County and the Thomas Jefferson center for Historic Plants in Virginia.

If heritage gardening appeals to you, take a closer look at the unique historical and agricultural environment of the area surrounding you and consider the satisfaction and pleasure to be found in recreating a little bit of history in your garden.

Geraniums

Potting Geraniums

All being ready, put the drainage in a suitable sized pot. Place first a suitable crock, or a large oyster shell over the hole; then lay a few large crocks upon that, and smaller upon those, so that the drainage may occupy about three fourths of an inch.

Place a thin layer of moss upon the drainage, and upon that a sprinkling of soot or charcoal dust; after that a thin layer of the rougher parts of the compost, and finally a layer of soil. Then turn the plant out of the old pot, pick out the old drainage, and loosen part of the old roots, spreading them over the new soil as much as possible.

Then see that the collar of the roots is just below the rim of the pot, and fill in around the ball with the fresh soil, pressing it down gently as it is put in. When the pot is full, give it a smart stroke or two upon the bench to settle the soil; level it neatly, leaving it about half an inch below the rim of the pot. This finishes the potting.

Then give a good watering of tepid water, perhaps with some kind of patio fountain. For four or five weeks, while new roots are running into the fresh soil, they will not need a large supply of water; but when the roots reach the sides of the pots, and the leaves and shoots are advancing in growth, then water will be required in abundance. They should never be allowed to flag.

After a hot, sunny day, let the plants, in addition to the water at the roots, have a gentle syringing. Exercise discretion, however, on this point. The geranium is a spring and summer blooming plant. It is very difficult to obtain a flower from December to April; therefore, during the winter it should be kept cool, and moderately dry.

About the first of February re-pot the plants, give more heat, sun, and water, and your plants will bloom profusely in May. A wall water feature may be helpful in accomplishing this. The varieties grown only for their leaves may have more generous culture during the winter months.

Varieties of Geraniums

Ivy-leaved geranium (P. lateripes), is a pretty trailing species, with ivy-shaped leaves and purple flowers in the summer.

There is also a variety with white flowers. It is a pretty window plant, and always does well. It needs
plenty of light, sun, and generous culture.

The varieties of horseshoe geraniums (P. zonale hybrids), are all good window flowers, and will often bloom in winter.

The following are the best old varieties: Scarlet, Dazzle, Tom, Thumb, Defiance, Cerise, Cerise unique,
Pink, Bosa mundi, White, Boule de Neige, Lady Turner, Variegated Leaved, Flower of the Day, Golden Chain, Alma, and Bijou.

These latter varieties need a greenhouse to develop the rich colors of the foliage, yet they do well as bedding plants in the summer. P. graveolens is the common rose geranium.

Hydroponics Garden

HYDROPONICS--GROWING GREENS THE SOIL-LESS WAY

You see fish nibbling on plants in an aquarium, and seaweeds in the ocean, and you observe—these plants can grow without soil. You call this technology, hydroponics. Hydroponics is also called soil-less gardening, soil-less culture, chemiculture, and water gardening.

Taken from two Greek words—“water” and “work”, hydroponics simply means growing plants without soil. Hydroponics system is used to grow plants without soil in water to which nutrients have been added. Thanks to the people who conducted experiments on the feasibility for growing commercial crops using the hydroponic system in the early 1900s—a century before that, hydroponics was just used as a research technique.

Now, you will practically find hydroponic home gardens and commercial cropping operations all throughout the US and other countries—indoors or outdoors in various mediums, like water, gravel, sand, sawdust, vermiculite, or other soil-less materials. But don’t think that hydroponically grown plants are entirely different--like all plants, plants that are grown hydroponically need light, water, and oxygen to survive.

Hydroponic home gardens

Since hydroponically grown plants never come in contact with disease-ridden soil, they are healthier than their garden counterparts. In a hydroponic garden, the plants are also given an optimum balance of the nutrients they need. Hydroponic kits give specific instructions on how this is attained. The fruits and vegetables that are grown are therefore rich with the desired nutrients and vitamin content that are delivered via a solution rather than via the soil as in a regular garden.

Some mediums that have been successfully used are shredded compound like coconut or peat, rockwool (may come in cube form, a spun synthetic fiber found in potted aquarium plants). One of the best horticultural rooting medium that has been developed for hydro systems is a sponge, which is quite expensive. Another one that has been used is in grow rooms is perlite.

Hydroponic systems for commercial operations

For commercial operations, a big advantage for growing using hydroponics is that plants can be grown closer together rather than if they were grown in the field. The yield is much greater n volume. Multiple cropping or growing several plants or crops in the same tank can be practiced. Space is saved, and weeds and pest problems are eliminated when you use the right hydro sysmtem.

One downside that can be told for hydroponic systems is that the equipment can be costly, and personnel needs a lot of training. In addition, the amount of physical support required is tremendous. The plants are usually held upright by wire supports. Another option to grow hydroponics is to root them in a sterile medium, like pure sand or gravel. The elements, like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and other essential nutrients that are normally found in soil must be supplied not only in optimum concentrations but in correct balance.

And more…eliminating toxins from the soil

Grow hydroponics—but there is more to this. Inversely, contaminated land can be cleaned up—by harvesting waste. It may seem strange, but possible by using plants that could suck up toxic metals from the soil. Land contaminated with metals can be cleaned up in an environmentally friendly way—by simply harvesting and disposing the plants that were earlier made to suck up the toxic metals from the soil.

Roof Garden

Is Urban Roof Garden Possible?

A roof garden is any garden situated on the roof a building. A flat or gently sloped roof transformed into a landscape environment.

These are grown plants atop structure that started during ancient times, about 2,500-3,000 years ago in Rome and Mesopotamia. It became popular in the 19th century. Here are some benefits of Roof Garden:

• Very attractive & decorative
• It can provide food & other useful plants
• It helps in controlling environment temperature (reduce heat loss during winter & heat gain in summer)
• It is considered as architectural enhancement and for recreational opportunities
• It promotes biodiversity; valuable inner city habitat and feeding stations especially for insects and birds.
• It controls flood
• It creates usable space for people

Hydroponics, the use nutrients solution in growing plants instead of soil and other alternative means can expand roof gardening. Wanting a roof garden for less space, square foot and living walls gardening are advisable. These use less space than traditional gardening. The square roof method is when the garden space are divided into beds that are accessible, each is divided in one square foot where different seeds are planted in each space to avoid crowding and thinning of plants.

It is beneficial since there is much less to be done, it conserves water, and it’s pesticide-free and very accessible. The living walls gardening or vertical gardening as sometimes called is either freestanding or part of the building that is partially covered. This is considered as experimental and new concept in roof gardening. A variety of this are active walls that kept behind glass and with the aid of a fan, the air circulates. It best suits in the heart of the cities since available vertical surfaces are being used. We can simply say its urban gardening.

We have to consider the roof itself when building one. The roof should be flat and accessible. Wet soil can weigh more than eighty pounds per square foot; your roof must be able to support this weight. Peat moss can also be use to ensure there will be sufficient soil. Make sure that roofs are also waterproof. In order to keep up, climate should also be taken into consideration. Urban areas are mostly shaded while if it’s in direst sunlight, plants will be withered. Think of what kind of garden you want to have before choosing the plants. Lastly, Plastic pots are definitely lighter than clay pots. By using light materials, it will reduce the strain on your roof. Fences and screen or net lawn can be use to protect the plants.

One of the most famous roof gardens is Queen Semiramis’ Gardens nailed in Babylon, one of the original Seven Wonders of the World. It’s famously known as the hanging garden of Babylon. It was towered hundreds of feet into the air. It surpasses in splendor any city in the known world. It was built around 600 B.C. and was destroyed by several earthquakes after second century B.C.

Another beautiful roof garden is the Kensington Roof Garden in London. It is the largest roof garden in Europe – are accessible from Derry Street, through a doorway marked "99 Kensington High Street". The garden has a restaurant, nightclub, and are nailed in 30 meters above street level with a panoramic view over west London. It is not very known because this is not a tourist attraction but open to public as restaurant and nightclub.

Above these, roof gardening encourage environmentally responsible practices like eliminating pesticides, eliminating molecular biology and composting different material which is the best form of any of fertilization.

Garden Furniture

Modern Outdoor Furniture

Outdoor furniture can be wonderful thing for the family. Having a good amount of outdoor furniture can make your backyard a regular hangout locale.

But there are always questions you need to think about and answer before you make your final decision as to what kind of furniture and how much furniture you want to have in your backyard.

Depending on how many people you have over regularly can make a difference as to whether or not you have minimal or a surplus of outdoor furniture. Also, what kind of people you have over should also make a difference.

If you have teenage children, then you might want some furniture that is strong, sturdy and that will hold up to the most rambunctious children. But if you have small children, like babies or toddlers, then easily accessible but not easily movable, soft and padded furniture is what you should consider.

If your backyard is the life of the party then you should think about getting a variety of patio furniture. A table with an umbrella, some chairs, a bar area with barstools, a picnic-style table, and some additional chairs would all be things to buy if you have a busy backyard and patio.

Having a patio table that has an umbrella above it is really useful, especially for those hot summer days. Feeling the sun on your back, without it scorching your skin, feels wonderful when you’re having lunch with your family.

A question to ask yourself is whether there is an area in your backyard that you’d like to highlight. You could highlight your flowers, or a vegetable garden, or you might want to concentrate on the large open space in the middle of everything. Of course, instead of focusing on one particular area of your yard, you could highlight many areas of it and spread all of the furniture more evenly.

Another thing to think about before making your final purchases is how much sunlight will be hitting the furniture. Of course, this will depend on where you locate your patio furniture. If it’s in the middle of the yard, then, most likely, it will be right in direct sunlight. All furniture, no matter how well made, will eventually be damaged by the sun and will fade.

With all this furniture, your backyard might turn into a 24-hour social visit, so you need to be careful to pick out the appropriate furniture and the appropriate amount of furniture. What kind of furniture you pick can really set the mood for your backyard. It can either welcome people and ask them to return or make them feel uninvited and uncomfortable.

Flower Garden

The Wild-Flower Garden Tips

The very attractive garden is the wild flower garden. But someone say they have a bad luck with the gardening. You should know that it is not the good luck or bad luck, but it is the understanding and the attention. Each wild flower has the individual personality and characteristic. The plants always desire the environment that they have been accustomed to in the nature. If you take the plants out of their condition, they will sick and die. This is the reason why we should set up the suitable condition for them. You should notice the soil, the place, the condition, the surrounding, the neighbors and the other environments before you choose the wild flower from the nature.

These are the examples:

- If you find the A flower and the B flower are living together, you should put them together in your garden.
- If you find the A flower is living in the open situation, you should growing them in the same place. So if your flowers feel like they are living in their home, they will show the beautiful flower for you.

After the blossoming time is over is the best time for transplant the flowers. Just go to the forest and seek the favorite flowers. You should get the flower plants with the root and soil. They will be package in the closed bag or basket.

You will prepare the bed before you get the plants. It is not the good idea if your plants wait have wait to planting for a long time. The mixture of the soil in the bed is the wood’s soil and the leaf mold. The drainage system should be set up carefully. The plants do not like the closed water system. Some of the wood plants like the soil with the saturated water but not at all. You should put the stone in the bottom of your garden for the good water system. On the top soil of your garden, you should put some leaf mold and wood’s soil for the moisture system.

The early spring to late fall is the good time for you to create your wild flower garden. About March to April is the good time.

The spring beauty, saxifrage and hepatica should be start off in March. Everyone loves the hepatica. Before the spring, this plant will start to show the flower. The ray of warm sunshine is the best thing which the flowers are waiting for. The fuzzy covering protects the flower’s embryo. The hepatica plants will getting the leaf in the spring. It like the open place, rich and loose soil.

The spring beauty is the competition of the hepatica. The characteristic of the spring beauty is white flower with the little pink, thin and wiry stem, narrow and grass-like leaf. It grows in the great patches. You should plant the roots of them in the place where the sun light is not too much. Remember that the spring beauty loves the sun.

The saxifrage is growing in the dry and rocky places. We can find it in the chinks of rock. It is the rock garden plant. It loves the sandy place especially the big rock’s border. It has the white flower and the hairy stem.