Container gardening works best with people who are really interested in having the pleasure of gardens around their house but at the same time not having enough space because of a small balcony or a patio for instance. Simple, easy and totally fun is basically what container gardens are all about. You decide on what [...]

Many people are unaware of how good it can be growing medicinal herbs by your own self, there are so many advantages waiting for you. Growing medicinal herbs is no different then growing any other type of plants. An all-organic garden can be said as the best route to take when planning on growing medicinal [...]

Who does not want to increase the beauty and attraction of his or her home? Of course everyone does and flowers can make this happen very effectively if arranged and placed in the right manner. After gathering some visuals and traveling through some really gorgeous looking outdoor gardens I gathered a few ideas for arranging [...]

Shrubs are something that really helps in brightening up your garden. A touch of color gets added up with relatively easier maintenance as well. Having the right types of shrubs really matters to experience the distinguished positive differences in your garden and since having a big variety of shrubs available; I do not think it [...]

While the subject of this article is the decora­tive cottage garden, it is important not to overlook utility plants. Many utility plants can fulfil all our decorative requirements, and yield a useful harvest as well. For exam­ple, take some of the odd nuts and fruits which make an unexpected, but welcome addition to the garden. [...]

It might be considered a fallacy to refer to all biennials as spring bedding, but in a cottage garden they usually are. Some are strictly perennials used as biennials, being sown during one summer, grown on until autumn, over-wintered and then encour­aged into flower. Most of the plants coming under this heading are raised in [...]

Most foliage colour in a cottage garden has to be provided by autumn subjects. Other­wise it is difficult to get happy blends and associations. Strongly variegated trees and shrubs are alien to our concept and some of the brighter yellow and purple foliage sub­jects are equally tasteless.
The stagshorn sumach, Rhus typhina, is a splendid example [...]

Most of the flowering shrubs which we lovingly cultivate have their origins in the cottage garden. Unfortunately few have retained the charm of former years, plant breeders having worked upon old favourites and turned them into bigger, better and more colourful characters with greater dis­ease tolerance. Often scent has been lost in the process, but [...]

The use of containers for growing plants has a long history and their popularity has never diminished. Containers are decorative objects in their own right, but they are also practical. They allow the gardener to introduce plants to soilless areas like steps, patios and terraces, and facilitate a variety of fresh, seasonal changes in the [...]

For most people, the aim of ground cover in a garden is to minimize the number of weeds that seed themselves and grow rapidly, marring the appearance of the planting and competing with cultivated plants for moisture, nutrients and, in some cases, light. In the last 40 years or so, as labour has become more [...]