Flowering shrubs, a great way to add color to your yard

Flowering shrubs are a great way to add color to your yard or garden. They are becoming more and more prominent in our landscape as people are continuously looking for both a little height and season long color in their yard. Flowering Shrubs are sometimes called landscape darlings because they are relatively inexpensive, easy to grow and require little maintenance. They are perhaps at their best when in bloom as with their masses of blooms they can stand alone used for a focal point, or be grouped together with other shrubs or perennials; they are great any where in your landscape.

Flowering shrubs are major contributors to the garden’s summer color palette. You can have accents of color throughout the garden from glossy Abelia, Crapemyrtle, Butterfly Bush and Rose-of-Sharon, but the predominant player is Hydrangea.

Flowering shrubs are usually deciduous (shed their leaves in winter) and are grown mostly for their flowers. They are often propagated by softwood cuttings. Late spring and early summer are the best times for success with this method. They are best planted in the early spring to give the root system time to take hold before hot summer weather sets in. Flowering shrubs are never pruned in the spring though. They are pruned according to their bloom time. Early bloomers such as Forsythia and Lilac, in fact most flowering shrubs, are best pruned immediately after flowering but before their buds set.

Forsythia is one of the earliest blooming shrubs. It produces an abundance of vibrant yellow flowers that cover its branches. Forsythias can look great when in bloom and then pretty uninspiring the rest of the year. Many of these plants have an optimum age of each cane for flower production, say, canes three or five years old. Forsythias are quite easy to grow as they do well with most types of soil, although they thrive best in rich loose soil, needing only the occasional pruning after flowering.

Lilacs shrubs prefer a fertile, well-drained soil in full sun and provide spring blossoms along with the Forsythia and February Jasmine. Lilac mulching seems to help.

Rose-of-Sharon are slow to get going in the beginning. They're kind of lazy, actually, but they are fairly easy to take care of. They prefer full sun locations but also do well in partial shade. Rose-of-Sharon are much hardier than even the hardiest Hibiscus.

Azaleas are another type of flowering bush. They are often known as the royalty of the garden. Azaleas do best with plenty of organic matter in the soil.

Azaleas and Rhododendrons are really great shrubs, but for me the premier spring-flowering shrubs are the Viburnums. They are the favorite plants of many horticulturists, but are very underused in most of our gardens.

Flowering shrubs are planted in home gardens for a variety of reasons. They are typically sought after for their decorative qualities. They make great garden borders when planted side-by-side or in between other types of plants. Flowering shrubs provide an eye catching framework in any garden design.

Flowering shrubs “by the yard”

What part does water play in our yards

Water Gardening is playing an ever increasing role in our yards and it's easy to see why. They aren’t that difficult to set up or maintain and really the biggest reason is they bring tranquility to our yard. As a result water gardens are one of the fastest growing trends in gardening and outdoor living. All you need to begin water gardening is a container that will hold water! It can be small or large, ambitious or modest, but for sure it will be fun!

At first glance, it may seem that water gardening is too much work for the average gardener or too complex, but that is just not the truth. Once a water garden is set up, it requires less work than a regular garden to maintain, no watering, and no weeding. They are hard to resist.

A pond can be anything from a teacup to a natural bottom lake but generally, the larger the water garden, the more stable the environment is for the plants and fish in it. I personally have one that is sort of round and only 5 feet across but a 5' x 8' water garden is a good size, however no matter how big you make it, once you have the water garden bug, it will never be big enough. The real question is what size fits in your yard and will be in proportion to everything else?

Here are some points to consider.

1. Clear Water
Probably the main thing that all of us want is clear water. I believe this is best achieved by the pond finding its natural balance. This is done by letting the plants and fish, along with the good algae and beneficial bacteria work together to reproduce a natural setting. Though filters can be used to help keep the water clean they also can help grow the beneficial bacteria. They are sometimes a must for small ponds.

2. How about fish
It is not necessary to have fancy fish or snails; you can have just as much pleasure from having gold fish in your pond. You can buy large ones from your garden center that are meant for your pond. If you want to have some Koi fish that is great, they are a lot more colorful but whatever fish you use be sure to not feed them very much if at all. Feeding them contributes to excess nutrients in the water from their waste and they aren’t encouraged to feed off the natural food that is in the pond like algae.

3. What about the plants
Most people want at least one water lily and that is great but it is best to combine different plants mixing the tall, slender, spiky shapes of the fine-leaved marginal plant like the yellow flag iris with the broad-leaved foliage of say an arrow head plant. You can get great ideas from your garden center that will fit your pond. Most water plants require very little care. Once they are established, all you need to do is remove dead leaves and fertilize them regularly with special water plant fertilizer tablets or stakes.

If you are looking for information on how to install a pond in your back yard check out Installing a garden pond with a flexible liner at homerenewall.com where you will find step by step information.

At the end of the day, are you feeling tired, worn out and stressed? As humans, we are always seeking water to clean, refresh and rejuvenate ourselves. But we are only now learning about the benefits of stress relief and relaxation you will gain from just hearing the sounds of water created in your own backyard. Especially if you are relaxing on a comfortable chair or lounger from Teaks n More where you will find teak wood outdoor furniture that fits you lifestyle.

Water Gardening "by the Yard"