A yard full of delphiniums! How does that prospect strike you? I tried such a scheme 10 years on in my city lot, with only a 43-foot frontage, grew so many I literally sent a truckload of them to a trade show for decoration and still had so many left that it was almost impossible to tell any had been cut.

At first I thought my “yard full of delphiniums” idea was going to be a flop. The seedlings came along well enough and plants looked promising. But, by the first of June that year no more than a dozen had flowered. Then I went away for a week.

When I came back, I was flabbergasted. The yard had been transformed. I sat in the car and feasted my eyes on the most gorgeous sight I had even seen row upon row of magnificent bloom. Stalks were 4 to 6 feet high, some as tall as 7 feet, with 36 to 54 inches of bloom. There were blues, purples, mauves, lavenders, whites and bi-colors of every description.

I got out of my car and inspected them in detail. They were so brilliant that people passing by stopped and asked to come in to see them. Next to getting good stock, the important thing is care of it. My garden was thoroughly prepared for the seedlings as they came along. It was spaded and both compost and well rotted cow manure were put in.

Here is where you go to town on fertilizers It doesn’t matter what your soil is - loam, clay or sand - throw away the books and put in all the compost and manure your pocketbook will stand.

Mine was heavy clay soil. I trenched the bed two spades deep, put compost and manure in the trench and covered it with the next spade row of soil. Then, I raked it level and planted the delphiniums 18 inches apart in rows 2 feet apart.

Planting

To set the begonia plants and delphinium plants out, I opened up a hole by taking out a shovelful of topsoil. I next put in a 2-1/4-inch potful of some complete fertilizer such as Vigoro plus another 2-1/4-inch potful of bone meal and mixed this with the soil. Then I put the soil back and opened up a smaller hole for the seedling. Being careful not to break the root ball, I inserted the seedling in the hole and firmed the earth around it with my fingers. Each growing tip or crown was at soil level. Each newly set row of begonia plants and delphinium plants was thoroughly watered.

From then on, it was just ordinary garden culture. I watered when necessary and always in the morning so that foliage would be dry at night. This discourages mildew. I kept weeds hoed out by shallow cultivation. Since I had been careful in properly preparing the soil and planting, little additional care was necessary from then on.

In the beginning there were no roses, just the house set among oaks on a sloping hill. They were not interested in landscaping but something had to be done. So the couple called in an energetic nurseryman who planted the grounds with honeysuckle, Bridalwreath, lilacs, spirea and evergreens. In a few years his plants far outgrew their allotted space and the grounds were no more pleasant than before.

About this time the oak trees succumbed to a disease, one by one, and had to be removed. As if to save the situation, fate, disguised as an Etoile de Hollande rose flourishing in the shrubbery border, stepped in and inoculated the couple with a rose-growing virus.

Never since has Etoile de Hollande bloomed so luxuriantly, but no matter. The rose was responsible for the slowly rising fever that caused this husband wife teem to get eight more roses.

Despite neglect, the plants thrived. Maybe fate made them beautiful to inspire but more likely, it was good soil balance, lack of cultivation and a “green growing mulch” of portulaca or “moss roses” Which had crept into the bed.

Not much later fate took full charge. A broken arm in the fall and during the slow months it was mending, all the books in the house had been read and the only thing left was seed and flower catalogues.

The picture of roses brought the old fever back and now there was nothing to interfere with its course. Not even the persistent considering of golf as the only worthwhile diversion but the arm would not allow any play.

Due to the early training under a wonderful mother who loved growing things, the man of the house felt quite at home in this new world and as his vision broadened, he realized how easily a rose bed could replace a golf green.

Right off he knew growing roses on flat ground was as challenging as desert landscaping. It was a tame adventure compared to the thrill of hillside landscaping to develop really good ones on a hillside, such as his.

The property, on a slope facing south, was 168 feet long, 85 feet wide and rises approximately 50 feet above the street. The land climbs in a series of terraces from street to level ground and the house. The ascent continued, in smaller terraces behind the house, to level ground and the garage. It rises again to the rear lot line.

Such terrain is unconventional and presents obstacles. Some imagination, a strong determination-. to have lots of A bright roses and a free expression of our creative powers were needed to develop it.

Beauty and Utility

The highly decorative flowering crabapples are choice trees for the purpose in attracting flying wildlife. Those with the smaller fruits seem to be more favored by the birds. First to be eaten will be the abundant, beautiful scarlet fruits of the Sargent Crabapple (Malus sargenti), lowest growing of the family (up to 8 feet) but wide spreading. By winter the fruits of Malus floribunda will be taken, while those on Malus seiboldi will provide late-winter food.

The European Mountain Ash (Sorbus aucuparia), or Rowan Tree as it is known abroad, produces spectacular clusters of orange fruits that are as delectable to Waxwings, Robins, and other birds, as the foliage, unfortunately, is to Japanese beetles. The native Mountain Ash (S. americana) is equally interesting to the birds but poorer in form and more difficult to purchase.

The hawthorns, too, are widely used ornamentals which produce abundant, colorful food. English Hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha) is perhaps the best of half a dozen fine bird-attracting varieties. Cockspur Thorn (C. crus-galli), Washington Hawthorn (C. phaenopyrum), and Arnold Hawthorn (C. arnoldiana) are among the most widely planted for this purpose. All of these hawthorns require full sun, and well-drained soil.

Popular Dogwoods

Popular with man and bird alike is the lovely Flowering Dogwood, whose showy red fruits are eaten by no less than 93 species.

Of the shrub Dogwoods, we have found that the migrating Thrushes prefer the blue berries of the Silky Cornel (Cornus amomum). Generally they are all eaten by mid-October. Gray Dogwood (C. paniculata) and Redosier (C. stolonifera) also give excellent results.

Evergreens like the aglaonema chinese evergreen add much to the gardens year round beauty and to its success in attracting birds. Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana) is among the best. Unfortunately it is an alternate host for the cedar-apple rust and should not be planted in the vicinity of apple orchards. Elsewhere it serves a triple purpose: excellent cover, fine nesting sites, and choice winter food. The blue-gray fruits are eaten by more than a score of birds. Both staminate and pistillate trees must be present to produce fruit. This is also necessary to produce berries on the showy American Holly (llex opaca), and Black Alder or Winterberry (I. verticillata), both favorites of many birds. Ordinarily, the latter holds its fruits into mid-winter, as its name suggests. This past year, though, we watched flocks of Robins and Bluebirds completely strip several heavily laden bushes by early November, though the majority of the plants such as chinese evergreen were untouched until later.

For planting around the trees, the suburban gardener has a wide choice of shrubs, with barberries, blackberries and raspberries, blueberries and huckleberries, buckthorns, chokeberries, cotoneasters, dogwoods, honeysuckles, and viburnums all highly recommended.

Common Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) and Alder-Buckthorn (R. frangula) reach a height of 15 to 18 feet, and are considered by some authorities to be the most effective of all shrubs in attracting birds. Buckthorn is not recommended, however, in areas where oats are grown because it harbors oat rust.

Perhaps the most popular plants, in the gardeners estimation, are the viburnums. The majority of them are noted for their brightly colored fruits, either at maturity or at some time during ripening. Some are notable, too, for their blossoms or their fall foliage, or both.

Most widely planted is the vigorous growing European Cranberrybush (V. opulus) which closely resembles the native High-bush Cranberry (V. trilobum). Unfortunately, its brilliant red fruits are much tarter than those of V. trilobum which are used in making preserves. The birds evidently find the berries unpalatable until they have frozen and thawed a number of times. In late winter they are greedily eaten, by flocks of wandering Waxwings and by Robins and Bluebirds migrating northward.

Because Aloe plants are made up of 95% water, they are really frost sensitive. If they are grown outdoors in temperate climates, they ought to stay planted in extensive sun, or else light shade. The dirt they are grown in should be moderately fertile, and fast draining. Established plants will endure a lack of water quite well, but for the gain of the plant, H2O ought to be provided.

Because of their reputation, Aloe vera plants are obtainable at nearly all garden shop or garden centers. Unless you reside in an area with an extremely balmy environment, it’s best to leave your Aloe plant in the pot and position it close to a window that gets a lot of sun. You can move the pot to the open air during the summer months.

Aloe vera is a succulent, and as such, retains a considerable amount of water within its foliage and root system. At some stage in the winter months, the plant will become dormant, as a consequence will require very little moisture.

During this cycle watering must be negligible. Let the potmix become totally dry before giving the plant a mug or two of h2o. Throughout the summer months, the soil should be entirely soaked, but then be allowed to dehydrate again before re-watering.

When it comes time to re-pot your Aloes be mindful that that they have a shallow, spreading root structure so select a wide planter, rather than a deep-seated one. Using a planter with a drainage opening, or you will need to lay a 1-2 inch tier of gravel inside the base of the planter to make sure there is adequate drainage.

Utilize a first-class commercial potting blend with extra perlite, granite grit, or coarse sand added. You may possibly also use a packaged ‘cacti mixture’ soil. Fertilize once a year, in the spring with a dilute (half potency), bloom type fertilizer (10-40-10).

Aloes are propagated by re-potting the pups which are formed at the base of older plants, when they are a couple inches tall (or higher). They may also be grown from Aloe seeds.

The Aloe plant has many healing properties, however, I can only talk from my individual experiences. I always make sure I have an Aloe plant witin easy reach of the kitchen. I do this mostly for helping with minor burns. I know if I apply Aloe immediately to my burn with newly picked gel it removes any pain almost immediately. Any subsequent blistering is also kept to a minimum.

I also found Aloe Gel successfully reduced itching from stings, bites in addition to a variety of ’stinging’ flora, such as poison ivy. It is also excellent for the same problems, when they are encountered by your family pet.

To benefit from it medicinally, merely detach a lower leaf from the plant, cut it open and apply the gel to the affected area.

Putting in decorative landscape edging is a very simple and often quite inexpensive way to really make your yard and garden look professionally finished. There are a variety of decorative landscapes edging materials that can be bought in most home and garden center stores, and often at discount department stores too.

Another way out is to merely design what you want for your garden by yourself, and go for it. One of the first things to think about when trying out a landscape edging idea is where do you want to put these fascinating borders and what type of borders do you want to use? There are various choices and they can consist of concrete, plastic, aluminum, tubing and brick borders.

This is principally essential if you are compassing for your new landscape plans and want to move assured items. This help would be of good use if you are scheduling a vast landscape plan and get the work done quicker. Now that you are well equipped in terms of plans, supplies, aide, you will now be improving your place and it will prove to be a good savings to your property. It will be a enduring effort and pleasing too.

You can go rock hunting for instance, at a local mountaineering trail, and pick up rocks in a variety of sizes to use for your landscape edging. If there is a lot of new construction in your neighborhood, you might be able to get rocks absolutely free just by hauling them away too.

Some gardeners will suggest the landscape edging idea of using plastic piping to edge the lawn, in this way keeping your lawn from spreading into your driveway and potentially destroying the paved surface.

One other admirable way to create a decorative landscape edging is to hunt around for fallen tree branches. Sometimes you can find all you need just by going for a trek in the woods, and other times it may take awhile to find just the right ones. But if you look for branches that have unusual shapes, colors and textures, these make for some beautiful landscape edges once the job is complete.

Everyone loves a perfectly groomed, beautifully landscaped yard.  Unfortunately, the cost of landscaping can often deter people from doing what they want to with their property.  This does not have to be the case.  Follow these easy money saving tips, and you can turn your front and backyard into an outdoor paradise in no time.

Spend Money in the Right Places

When landscaping on a budget, you often have to make decisions on what part of your yard to invest in what what not to.  You can make the biggest impact on your yard by planting trees because of their size, and by improving your soil.  Adding quality soil to your yard makes everything grow bigger and healthier, and can be done cheaply with mulch and compost.  This is very important, because no matter how much you spend on plants for your yard, they will not grow well in bad soil.

Save Money Where You Can

There are plenty of resources out there for you if you know where to look.  For instance, if you need mulch or trees but don’t want to break the bank, check with your local municipality.  Many cities often give away free trees, mulch and compost.  If you are looking for bricks or stones, check demolition sites (just be sure you are allowed to take anything you find).  If you are looking for natural stones, go on a hike. 

Looking for new plants or shrubs?  Talk to a neighbor about exchanging cuttings.  Look at your own yard for resources too.  Do you have any plants that could be divided?  Do you have any compost that could be used to enrich your soil?  A little creativity can go a long way when it comes to lowering your landscaping costs.

Come Up With A Plan

It is important to have a design in mind when landscaping your home.  If you do not, you may end up buying something you do not need, changing or replacing work you have already done, or not being sure when you are finished.  Plan your design in phases if needed.  This can help spread out the cost of landscaping.  If you have a solid landscaping design, you are more likely to finish in less time and stay on budget.

Spend Money Wisely

There are times when a landscaping job is too big to do yourself, and you are better off hiring a professional.  If you end up going with a professional landscaper, or buying materials from a nursery, do it wisely.  Buy plants, mulch, seeds, etc.  towards the end of the season, when they will be drastically discounted.  Get several estimates for landscaping jobs, and ask about package deals where the materials are discounted because you are paying for the labor.

Save Money Over Time

When selecting plants for your yard, think about the long term costs.  Ask yourself the following questions:  Will these plants require a lot of water, which could affect my water bill?  Will these plants require maintenance, like trimming or pruning? These can be some of the hidden costs of landscaping that many people do not consider.

Along then same lines, consider the extra electricity required when putting in landscape lighting. If possible, put in lighting that is solar powered to save you money down the road.

Finally, remember that a great yard does not happen overnight.  Plants can take a few years to mature, and enriching soil can be a long process as well.  Be as patient as you can, and think about the money you are saving on your new yard.