May 2013 – MarvinGardensUSA

Add Character to Your Garden With Quirky and Adorable Goats

Use one of these special Mexican Folk Art Goats as a way to find interesting elements to draw people into your garden and guide them toward its special features. The goats are made of recycled sheet metal and each have their own character. Group several in a grassy field to reinforce a pastoral scene, or place one to accentuate the entrance and greet visitors. You can introduce an element of surprise to the garden by revealing the goat at the end of a path, or to animate a private retreat.

For the animal lover, these goats offer some of the pleasures of the real thing!

Contact Marvin Gardens for more information about bringing one of these goats or other metal animals home with you!

garden design accessories — Image via Marvin Gardens Facebook

Succulents Make Gorgeous Centerpieces for Weddings and Every Day

Colorful succulent arrangements can provide long-lasting, rich color and add interesting texture to your table or patio whether for a special occasion or for everyday entertaining. These understated, intricate, and enduring plants add sophistication to create breathtakingly beautiful wedding bouquets or exquisite reception centerpieces at the most memorable events.

Fun and beautiful succulent arrangements can be made using green-hued and fleshly, thick-leaved plants, like kalanchoe or crassula (including Jade plants) accented with the interesting forms or textures of Kalanchoe thyrsiflora (commonly called flapjacks) and Echeverias, which come in many colors. At Marvin Gardens, we enjoy creating interesting and unusual succulent arrangements for indoor and outdoor use. Our one-of-a-kind creations can add a quirky ambiance to a fun outdoor space or they can be arranged as elegant centerpieces that allow conversation to flow intimately across a dinner table.

We have also found that succulent displays can be used throughout your home to add a lushness in unexpected ways, such as along a garden wall, or tucked into an alcove, and not just as centerpieces or bouquets. Best of all, with minimal care and virtually no watering, you can expect these arrangements to last year round!

garden accessories design — Image via Marvin Gardens Facebook

If you like the look of succulents, come visit Marvin Gardens, where we will help you create the right annual or perennial succulent arrangement for every occasion.

Koi Sculptures Bring Beauty Without Hassle

garden decor — Image via Marvin Gardens Facebook

Many gardeners think at one time or another about including a koi pond in their garden, but keeping and maintaining these delightful fish can be a burdensome task. If you are thinking about adding one to your yard, there are some challenges to think about first.

To begin with, the initial investment for the design, materials and construction of the pond will run into the thousands of dollars. Later costs for fish, energy, food and maintenance will keep adding up as well. In addition, the time spent cleaning and maintaining a smoothly functioning pond can take away from the rest of your gardening, and enjoyment of your free time.

At Marvin Gardens, our folk art koi fish sculptures seem to swim through the flowers and plants of your garden. These pieces will add whimsy and fun to your gardens while saving you the hassle of a full koi pond commitment. Contact us to talk about this and other ideas for creating a beautiful and unique low-maintenance garden design.

Land and Sea: Ocean Inspired Gardens

garden accessories — Image via Marvin Gardens Facebook

With summer just around the corner, gardeners and ocean lovers alike can share the natural wonders of the beach, colors of the ocean coral and the beauty of the unique plants right in their own gardens. Using ocean themed garden design ideas you can experience the beauty of the ocean all summer.

Oceans provide a landscape of picturesque coral reefs of many colors, shapes and sizes. Bursts of blue, orange and red cover the reefs and give way to unique shaped plants and rocks. Incorporating these colors and natural wood elements, along with various garden containers filled with shallow rooted plants will bring your garden design idea to life.

Choosing healthy, colorful plants and cacti in all sizes then pairing them with shells and barnacles throughout the garden easily merges the aesthetics of land and sea. Adding driftwood pieces along paths made of sea glass and pebbles create a beach-like effect. Seating for entertaining and unique lighting will take you back to the ocean each time.

Make your ocean garden one of a kind and add elements for entertaining or just relaxing. Visit us at Marvin Gardens to see our ocean-themed decor to inspire your own garden!

Keep Your Plants Healthy and Safe With a Small Garden Greenhouse

Though summers in New England are beautiful, gardening successfully throughout the four seasons has its challenges. If you are ready to take the next step, a small greenhouse will allow you the flexibility and freedom to garden year round.

When designing an outdoor space, a greenhouse design is available for any size space. People have come up with extremely creative greenhouse designs that blend nicely into current landscapes. However, even a small greenhouse can provide you with the means for successful greenhouse gardening.

There are many advantages to using a greenhouse in your garden. By growing fresh vegetables and herbs in seasons other than summer, you can save on grocery expenses. No season gardening means that you control when you want to start or grow plants. In a greenhouse, you can start some plants ahead of time, delay plantings, or even grow plants not normally grown in your area, such as tropical plants.

You can consistently count on good weather in a greenhouse environment. There are no issues with wind, drought, or frost, all things that can damage young plants. Also, a greenhouse serves as good protection against outdoor pests.

Come visit Marvin Gardens and see how we can help you find garden tools, accessories, and decorations to make your garden beautiful, healthy, and easy to care for.

Tips for Creating a Japanese Style Garden

When planning a garden for your New England home, the sheer variety of options for different plants, decor, and hardscaping available to you can be very overwhelming. One thing that can help you come up with a garden plan is choosing a theme, and a very popular theme is the Japanese style garden.

gardening tips — Image via Marvin Gardens Facebook

This particular type of garden design creates a stylized landscape that captures the peaceful essence of nature. Japanese gardens make use of carefully arranged rocks, bushes, trees, water features, and gravel or sand raked to give the appearance of water ripples.

Traditionally a Japanese garden design was such that it could be viewed from a special place, such as your porch or patio. The traditions of garden design are taken seriously; the Chinese brought gardening to Japan, and it is only appropriate to honor that history with a piece in your own garden, such as this Chinese-inspired statue.

There are several different styles of Japanese garden to consider for your own home:

Tea gardens are primarily designed to create a harmonious atmosphere, using rustic materials, low doors, and a calming, winding path. There is typically an outer garden that encloses guests for a tea ceremony and a small inner garden that you can look at and contemplate. Lanterns and water features are great additions to this type of garden.
For a low-maintenance Japanese-inspired garden, go with the natural style that uses flat stones instead of bridges over water features and doesn’t include man-made elements like lanterns.
Strolling pond gardens revolve around a central pond and a wandering path, including benches and sculptures and even bridges. These gardens are great for quiet contemplation or romantic evenings.

Marvin Gardens is well-equipped to help you with your Japanese inspired garden. Visit us to see our collection of garden design accessories to inspire your own design.

Mini Plants for Mini People: Gardening With Children

Custom gardens — Image via Marvin Gardens Facebook

Gardening with children is a great way to keep them active during the summer months, and it can also be an opportunity to teach valuable life lessons. But, just as plants need room to grow, so do your children. Watch your children thrive this summer by giving them a garden of their very own.

When planning your garden, leave a special piece of land just for each child. The area can be as big or small you like. The point is to give them their own place to grow their own plants. This will not only help teach them the importance of responsibility, but will also foster creativity when it comes to unique plant combinations and locations.

As the season progresses and your garden grows, your children will learn the importance of proper care to ensure that their garden grows as lavish as possible. Though some mistakes may be inevitable, you can help your kids succeed by growing a variety of very low-maintenance succulents available at Marvin Gardens.

Kids love to get dirty. Indulge them with a shovel, a plot of dirt and plants from your local nursery, then watch as your children blossom with excitement at the sight of their own garden growing. Feel free to share photos of their gardens!

Mention Seeing Our Blog Posts and Get 10% Off Perennials Through Mother’s Day

If you are looking for a Mother’s Day gift that will give your mom joy, Marvin Gardens can help you and save you a little money at the same time.

Mention this blog post at checkout and receive 10% off select perennials between now and Mother’s Day!

Perennials make great gifts as they will continue to bloom year after year. They’ll even come back each spring right around Mother’s Day – it’s like the gift that keeps on giving!

If mom is in the process of planning her garden for the season, know that perennials will make an awesome addition to her outdoor space. Why?

There’s a wide variety of perennials out there, each of which bloom in different ways and at different times.
By picking perennials that flower at different times throughout the year you can give the gift of flowers all growing season.
Perennials such as irises grow bigger year to year, the ability to dig them up and separate them means a gift that keeps on giving.
Some perennials have attractive foliage so even when not fully bloomed, they’re still absolutely beautiful!
Mom doesn’t need a large space for a garden. Some perennials can even flourish in pots.

Come on in and visit us at our new Marvin Gardens location. We can help you pick the perfect perennial for your mom.

Mention this blog post at checkout and receive 10% off select perennials between now and Mother’s Day!