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Mulch Alternative? Try Ground Cover

March 5th, 2010

One of the many problems for a new garden is the glaring space between young plants. Young gardens need time to grow and fill in and in the meanwhile can look pretty barren. Get to work and plant some ground cover! The more the merrier. Use ground cover to help fill in between plants, fountains and garden decor, or around stepping stones.
Before you start planting just anything you need to choose your ground cover based on the light, water, and traffic conditions in your garden. Here are just a few of the many ground cover ideas a gardener in a northern climate garden might want to consider.
If you have a sunny garden you might want to consider planting some sedum. It comes in a variety of color shades and growth habits. Sedum will thrive in hot sun and poor soil. Sedum is used on “green roofs” which are very inhospitable to highlight the kind of conditions it can take: hot, dry and horrible. The hotter the better! It is not a good choice on a path, though, as it can not take being disturbed at great length.
Thyme, the beloved kitchen herb, is another excellent ground cover choice for a sunny garden. Thyme is great for an area that gets some foot traffic because it smells good when you step on it. Give your landscape a cottage garden feel with this herb that also comes in a variety of growth habits and color choices such as creeping thyme, woolly thyme or lemon thyme…there are so many types.
Pachysandra can be a great ground cover for your shady landscape. Pachysandra is a good deep shade ground cover that can handle some partial sun. Pachysandra is nice because it will hide the ugly browning leaves of spring bulbs which you are not supposed to remove. Pachysandra always looks good and is easy to maintain.And it is less invasive than it’s popular nemesis called vinca: vinca is a garden no no because of its rampant invasiveness into woodland areas-so when in doubt choose pachysandra.
If you have a native plant garden and a lot of shade then wild ginger is the ground cover you have been looking for. It has handsome dark green circular leaves and forms a dense matte with little ground hugging flowers that are popular with toads and woodland critters. Plant it around the base of a [bird feeder|recycled glass bird feeder] to hide the cast off seeds. It is rumored that there are some evergreen types in more southern climates.
The right ground cover selection is always going to enhance the look of your garden. They cover up all the unattractive areas in your garden and also improve the health of existing plants by shading their roots. Ground cover can be a unifying element in your garden design for many years to come. Put some [recycled glass gazing globes|gazing balls] in a patch of ground cover for an easy garden decoration idea and just enjoy!


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Technorati Tags: cool garden things, garden decor, gardening, ground covers, mulch, mulch alternative, pachysandra, stepping stones, thyme, vinca, wild ginger, woolly thyme

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The Pleasure and Delight of Garden Accessories

July 26th, 2009

I remember visiting a friend’s garden a few years ago and commenting how his garden decor and garden ornaments unmistakably added something special to the entire garden experience.  The water fountains, bird feeders, sculptures, birdhouse, and vases were particularly remarkable and seemed to ensnare me into the garden and make me feel more at ease.

I have learned through the years that the special decorations ardent garden lovers add to their gardens increase the distinctiveness of their garden and can display the gardener’s personality.  Besides, garden decorations also add happiness and joy to the whole garden experience.

Think About Adding Some Neat Garden Accents To Your Garden

Here’s the bottom line: if you want to add something special to your garden, consider adding some ”unusual” garden accents to the plants, flowers, and ground cover that you already have in your garden.

Then again, maybe you have not made a deliberate effort to focus on the garden ornaments in other gardens.  So the next time you go to a renowned garden in your neighborhood or in another part of the U.S, take a little time to observe all the dissimilar garden accents and accessories and how they make the garden an even more attractive place to visit.

For example, observe if the gardener has added statues, planters, water fountains, or sculptures to his or her garden.  Then look for other ornaments such as lanterns, metal garden art, or wind chimes.  Once you start to notice the decorative objects that are highlighted in most gardens, what is more, you will begin to grasp more fully the spectacle and the appeal that garden decorations can add to any garden.

Why People Add Weird But Wonderful Decorative Items to Their Garden

From a different framework, why do gardeners add peculiar but magnificent decorative items like old pots and pans, bathtubs, old wheelbarrows, or old sinks to their gardens?  In the same way, why do so many people have various accessories such as vases, wind chimes, sundials, scarecrows, or sculptures in their gardens?

Have you ever noticed a lot of different birds in the gardens you have visited?  If so, don’t be too astonished to learn that the gardener has invited our fair-feathered friends by including bird feeders, birdhouses, or birdbaths in his or her garden.

There is a sound reason why gardens can add tranquility and serenity and a way to get away from the rat race of our nerve-racking lives.  The flowers, plants, ground cover, and the garden ornaments all combine to create a special place that is insulated and isolated from the tension and turmoil of our daily lives.

Summation

In sum, millions of people have their own gardens and a good proportion of these people add imaginative garden ornaments to their gardens in order to make their garden hideaway even more appealing.  With the possible exception of container gardening and indoor gardening, the garden ornaments in a person’s garden can actually energize the overall garden experience and help take away the anxiety and stress in our frantic lives.

Technorati Tags: container gardening, garden accents, garden accessories, garden decor, garden decorations, garden ornaments, gardening, gardens

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