February 2014 – MarvinGardensUSA

Create a Garden Design That’s Great for Daydreaming and Meditation

When it comes to designing your garden, you may already have particular tastes, one design you may want to think about is a space that promotes meditation and philosophy. Having a beautiful space to meditate can bring peace and it can benefit your health.

container gardening — Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook

Here are some ideas you may want to consider adding to your garden design.

Adding shapes such as spheres to your garden can bring a sense of structure and peace while also providing texture.
Balance is key when promoting peace in your garden. This does not have to mean mirror imaging; asymmetrical balance can also add calm.
Gardens that are used for meditation often use greenery and foliage instead of flowers. This is thought to provide fewer distractions.
Well-placed seating such as a bench gazing out over the garden can provide a place to stop, breathe, and take in the beauty.
Plants that provide texture can be a great place to draw the eye, also drawing the mind to stop and think.

If you are interested in different types of garden design and finding the right design to suit your needs, contact us at Marvin Gardens.

Great Reasons to Take Another Look at Your Front Lawn

The front lawn is the first thing people see of your home, so they will already have a first impression formed even before they step into the front door. You therefore have to make sure that the front lawn is always on top condition — you’ll never know who may drop by.

home gardening landscaping — Source: Flickr

Aside from keeping the front lawn clean, you can also update it to increase your home’s curb appeal. Nowadays, this is an easier thing to do because of the many options for designing an outdoor space that are available to homeowners.

But how can you tell if your front lawn needs an upgrade? Here are some telltale signs:

The front entryway isn’t highlighted enough to be prominent.
It’s confusing to navigate a vehicle up or down the driveway.
Views from outside aren’t blocked, resulting in a lack of privacy.
The walkway to the front door doesn’t look welcoming.
Your maintenance and watering expenses are higher than you’d want them to be.

If your front lawn exhibits these signs, then allow us at Marvin Gardens to come to its rescue. We have an extensive collection of garden accessories to liven up your front lawn. Contact us for more details.

If You Want to Garden, Just Get Started

Even if you think you have a brown thumb, you shouldn’t give up on the idea of having a garden. Think of any previous missteps as learning experiences and continue your exploration and experimentation of gardening until you found your niche. Now is the ideal time for planning your garden and getting a jump-start on spring!

gardening — Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook

Start Small

Going overboard by buying multiple plants and vegetables is easy when you’re eager to take advantage of spring. It’s easy to become overwhelmed with too many projects, though, so start small and focus on one thing at a time. Plant a favorite vegetable or some herbs and once those sprout, branch out to other greens.

Fit Your Space & Style

Planning a garden is feasible even if your property isn’t very big. Keep plants confined via a container garden or choose one specific area to plant. If you’re not an expert gardener, having things closer together makes it less likely plants will suffer from lack of attention.

Every Sprout Counts

Celebrate every new plant sprout as a victory and take heart that your gardening efforts are worthwhile.

For more helpful tips on planning your garden, contact our experts at Marvin Gardens today!

Maximize the Appearance of Your Garden With These Tricks

If you love gardening but don’t have much space, you can still have a great garden. With creative visual planting, your garden can look larger than it really is. Here are some helpful garden design ideas to help you create the illusion of a spacious garden.

Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook

Plant larger plants near the front of your garden and smaller plants at the back. This will give a two-dimensional illusion of depth that will make your garden area feel larger.

Select tall trees with slender trunks that will create height in your garden. Many arborvitae, juniper and Leyland cypress trees are fast growing and provide good height without width.

Plants with large leaves and coarse textures create strong contrast. Plant them towards the front of your garden with finer-textured plants towards the back to create the illusion of more space.

Color creates strong visual interest. Strong, warm colors like red, orange, yellow and brown expand and appear closer. Soft, cool colors like green, blue, lilac and pink recede and appear further away. To create depth in your garden, plant warm colors near the front and cool colors near the back.

For more garden design ideas and gardening advice, contact us at Marvin Gardens.

Want to Start a Vegetable Garden? Tips to Get It Going

If you think you might have a green thumb, then you should consider the benefits of growing a vegetable garden outside your home. Not only is gardening an incredibly relaxing and rewarding activity, you’ll have fresh vegetables to use for your meals as well! The following are some vegetable garden care tips to help you get going:

Do your research – Some plants will thrive better than others depending on the time of the year. Keep in mind how long it will take for the plants to grow as well.
Purchase seeds – Seeds are far cheaper than buying small plants. One bag of seeds will probably cost as much as just one plant. Watching the seed flourish into a full plant is also much more rewarding.

Read the packet – Always follow the directions. The packet will provide details about spacing and the depth at which they need to be planted.

One seed at a time – Plant each seed individually. If they are grouped together, they will compete, making it difficult for them to germinate.

Use these tips to start a vegetable garden and be sure to contact us at Marvin Gardens USA for all your gardening needs.

Creative Ways to Bring Whimsy to Your Garden

Even if you take good care of your garden, you may still find it’s lacking something. If you look out at your garden and feel like it’s somewhat uninspired, then why not add a few whimsical elements in order to give it a more unique look? The following are a few garden design ideas that we recommend:

Footbridge – Do you have a tiny creek that runs through your backyard? Build a small footbridge over it – even if you can simply step over the water! A foot bridge will help add a huge amount of charm to your garden.

Add contrast – If your garden seems to be just varying shades of green, then add some contrast to it by planting a few stunning red Japanese maples or red plum trees.

Add edging to your garden beds – Give your garden beds a more finished look by placing pavers that are turned edgewise to create a simple, yet elegant trim.

Wood steps – Build a small set of wooden steps into your sloped yard.

These are just a few ways to give your garden a more whimsical look. Contact us at Marvin Gardens for all your garden needs.

Tips to Keep Your Lawn Healthy No Matter the Season

If you want to keep the curb appeal of your property high, then you have to take care of your lawn all year round. The following are a few tips that you should be sure to follow in order to take care of your lawn during each season:

Spring – Fertilize your lawn during the spring in order to keep the lawn’s fresh green look. Look for fertilizer with a lot of nitrogen in order to encourage stronger growth. You’ll want to mow regularly as well.

Summer – Don’t use fertilizer unless rain is predicted; otherwise it will stress the lawn. Make sure to water it regularly to prevent it from drying out in the summer heat.

Fall – Fall is all about preparing your lawn for the harsh weather of winter. Fertilize your grass using a high potassium fertilizer to toughen it up for the winter months.

Winter – Avoid walking on the grass during the winter during more frosty periods. Remove debris from the lawn in order to prevent it from blocking sunlight from the grass.

Use these tips to care for your lawn throughout the year. For help designing an outdoor space, contact us at Marvin Gardens.

Why Bats Can be a Great Addition to Your Garden

If you are in the process of planning your garden for spring and summer, you may want to consider bats and how attracting them can be an advantage to your garden.

Bats do many things to help your garden grow and thrive. You can use bats as natural pollinators as they help plants flower and set their fruit. Bats are also good at naturally controlling pests in your garden, especially at night why you aren’t watching.

Here are some great ways you can attract bats to your garden.

Plant some night blooming flowers. Plants such as night-blooming jasmines, datura, and nicotiana attract bats.
Install some bat houses. Build them yourself or purchase houses at the hardware store then place them around your garden. This will encourage bats to stop and nest in your garden.
Add lights to your garden. Lights will attract those insects that the bats love to eat, and the bats will see them and swoop in to enjoy them.
Add some more trees. Trees will provide both food and homes for the bats.

If you would like help planning your garden, contact us at Marvin Gardens.