container gardening – Page 2

Too Busy to Decorate? We Can Help!

holiday decorating — Source: Marvin Gardens

Life is so busy these days and now with the holidays right around the corner when are you going to find the time to shop, cook and decorate? We here at Marvin Gardens can help lessen your load by taking care of all your exterior decorating and interior arrangement needs.

From fresh garland to stringing rows of bright sparkly lights, let Marvin Gardens worry about untangling those strands and figuring out why that one bulb won’t work. We also can supply beautifully decorated fresh wreaths for hanging on doors, windows and over fireplaces and assist in designing an outdoor space for that perfect holiday look.

Now that summer blossoms have faded, let us fill those exterior decorative vessels with red berries, pine cones and other eye-catching holiday greenery. For the interior you can supply your own vases or just stop by, select a few from our large selection, we’ll create fabulous unique arrangements and deliver them to your home at your convenience. These will be perfect for a Thanksgiving centerpiece or as elegant tablescapes during those holiday brunches and cocktail parties.

Marvin Gardens is here for all your holiday decorating needs. Please visit us online today.

Ideas for Decorating a Romantic Style Garden

garden design — Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook

If your personal design aesthetic trends toward a romantic style, you should definitely consider transforming your garden into a romantic escape. Consider the possibilities that are just outside your door. Simple changes and additions to your garden can extend the romantic design, including:

Vintage items. Metal watering cans, unique garden accessories, and iron wall hangings can all enhance the design of your garden. You may already have some of these items tucked away and just waiting to be used in your garden design.
Plenty of pots. Creating a container garden in terra cotta, painted, or glazed pots will bring color and visual interest to your garden. The pots can be displayed throughout the garden or clustered together to create interesting vignettes.
Picket fences. Many people consider pickets only in fencing. In fact, picket fencing can be used throughout a romantic garden. Consider backing a potting bench in picket fencing or using it against a wall to act as a trellis.

Contact the professionals at Marvin Gardens for more unique garden design ideas. We are committed to helping our customers transform their gardens into the spaces of their dreams.

What Not to Do in Your Garden

gardening tips — Source: Marvin Garden Facebook

Gardening is a great way to relax, and many people that try it find a lifelong hobby. However, when you’re new to gardening it’s easy to make simple mistakes that can harm your plants. Use this guide to avoid big mistakes that are commonly made by beginning gardeners.

Using the Same Soil

Using the same type of soil for everything in your garden area can seem simple, and after all, soil is just soil, right? The short answer is no! When buying soil, especially if you’re going to use it for indoor plants, make sure you ask a garden professional for the right kind.

Staking All Trees

When planting young trees in really windy areas, staking is a good idea to keep them from toppling to the ground. However, if you’re not in a windy area, allowing the trees to sway actually helps roots grow deeper, making a stronger tree.

Always Using Mulch Rings

Not all trees need mulch rings. In fact, all they do for many varieties of trees is extend the drip line, making them need more water.

Visit us at Marvin Gardens for beautiful garden accessories to make your healthy garden even more beautiful.

Make the Most of Autumn Leaves When Gardening

Autumn brings with it the falling leaves, which are a rich source of nutrients that are often mistaken for a hassle rather then the opportunity they truly are. Leaves provide a rich source of nutrients that can easily be harnessed and used in garden care.

Mulch
Leaves provide a great mulch that can be stored or immediately used in gardens and lawns. Rather than tossing the leaves, use a lawn mower to chop them up. If you want to leave it on the lawn, remove the bag from the mower and let it blow out onto the lawn. Through the winter the pieces will settle into the lawn and disappear come spring thaw.
If the plan is to use it in the garden, you can place whole leaves or the chopped up leaves directly into the bed. Over winter they will decompose and come the spring they can easily be tilled into the soil.

Insulation
Piling leaves onto plants, even potted ones, is a great way to insulate the plants and pots from the winter months. Terracotta pots can be insulated well enough with leaves that they do not have to be moved indoors.

Great Container Plants That Survive Cold Weather

Gardening in the winter months can be tricky. Most plants can’t survive the frigid weather associated with the season, but there are some container plants that actually thrive in the cold and are perfect for keeping your green thumb active during the coldest part of the season.

The Autumn Fern

The autumn fern is one of those plants that can grow pretty much anywhere in the winter months – partly because it doesn’t have any flowers to get damaged by the snow, rain or any other kind of bad weather it could be exposed to. Best of all, it can easily be potted with more colorful plants to make a unique looking container suitable for small spaces.

Red Twig Dogwood

The red twig dogwood is perhaps the hardiest of all dogwoods, which means it can thrive in even the coldest climates and snowiest areas. Its beautiful copper-red foliage is also a sight for sore eyes in the winter months – especially in areas where big white patches of snow are the norm. Red twig dogwoods also pair well with ferns.

Contact Marvin Gardens for more information and to find garden design accessories and planters for your outdoor area.

Make Your Garden More Low Maintenance – and Green!

garden design ideas — `Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook

With just a few simple adjustments to your routine, you can make your garden far easier to maintain and much greener – in both a color and environmental sense. Here are some quick and easy ways to accomplish this goal:

Place a Water Catch – Just add a wooden barrel or some clay pots at strategic places where they will catch rain water. This water is free and, according to many experts, superior to tap water for your plants.
Add Mulch – Mulch is a great addition to any lawn or garden for two reasons. First, it reduces the amount of mowing and weeding that you must do. In addition, it protects the damp soil underneath from the hot rays of the sun.
Mow Less – How great does this sound? Just extend the intervals between mowings. You’ll work less and pollute less. Your grass will grow a little longer, but evenly. Plus, the longer blades will cut down on water evaporation.

For more information on making your garden greener and other creative garden design ideas, please contact us at Marvin Gardens. We can be found online at MarvinGardensUSA.com or reached directly at 203-544-2020.

How to Care for Your Garden This October

garden design tips — Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook

The month of October will most likely be your last chance to get your garden ready for the perils of the coming winter. Here are a few garden tips to help you get it ready:

Harvest your “Crops” Now – Even a slight frost will turn the hardiest flowers an ugly black so harvest them and use in a centerpiece. The same goes for herbs. Use them or lose them – or get them inside for a few more weeks of use.
Plant Your Garlic Bulbs Now – If you love fresh garlic – and who doesn’t? – you’ll want to get it in the ground in October so that it can establish itself before winter. Then you will have a great summer yield to flavor all your favorite dishes.
Take Pictures of Your Successes – Why reinvent the wheel? Take a picture of your floral arrangements, whether they are in pots or freestanding, so that you will gain a head start on a great garden next Spring.

For more information about this and other fall garden care tips, please contact us Marvin Gardens. We can be found online at MarvinGardensUSA.com or reached directly at 203-544-2020.

Decorate to Entertain Outdoors

garden design accessories — Source: Marvin Gardens

Entertaining outdoors is many people’s favorite pasttime. Whether you’re throwing a weekend get-together or an end-of-summer bash, follow these basic tips for decorating your outdoor entertaining space.

Don’t Be Afraid of Patterns

Mixing and matching patterns is scary, but it can help make your outdoor space lively and fun. When mixing and matching patterns try to make sure the patterns share at least one unifying color.

Use Mirrors

Outdoor mirrors aren’t common, and most people don’t think about putting a mirror outside. However, if you have a small outdoor space, they can really make it feel bigger. Using mirrors outside can also make your space feel more formal and elegant.

Sports Fans

If you regularly have backyard barbecues or just have casual get-togethers in your outdoor space, adding a television to your entertaining area makes sense. While you obviously can’t put a television in an area where it will be exposed to harsh weather, open air spaces that are fully covered are perfect spaces for a TV. Add heat lamps and you can use your space almost all year.

Visit Marvin Gardens for more information and to find garden design accessories perfect for your outdoor space.

Garden Features to Fill Your Yard With Butterflies

Many homeowners bend over backwards to attract birds to their yard. While we have no objections to our avian friends, we also like to see a wide variety of insect life, including the magnificent butterfly, in our yards.

Butterflies thrive in a variety of conditions, but here are three ways to ensure that you always have a large, varied population in your yard:

Choose the Right Plants – Butterflies are quite picky in their choice of flowers. For example, monarchs are particularly fond of Blazing Star while swallowtails love Queen Anne’s Lace. Check with your local arboretum or garden pro for advice.
Add a Splashing Water Feature – Naturally, butterflies need water but will only drink from small droplets or mud puddles so a good “butterfly” fountain will spray water all around the area.
Put Off that Winter Yard Cleaning – Most butterflies spend the winter in a cocoon nestled in the dead material in your garden. Cleaning it too soon just eliminates the next year’s butterflies.

For more ways to attract wildlife to your backyard or for other great garden design ideas, contact us at Marvin Gardens. Find us online at MarvinGardensUSA.com or call us directly at 203-544-2020.

Tips for Watering a Container Garden

container gardens — Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook

Keeping a beautiful container garden is an easy way to boost the curb appeal of your home, and it allows you to move your plants inside more easily during the cooler months. However, if you don’t water your garden correctly, your plants will not thrive. While some plants, such as succulent arrangements, don’t require much water, some need moist soil almost constantly. The following are a few tips to help you water your container garden:

How Often – Succulents generally don’t need much water. The soil should be completely dry between each watering. If you water your succulents too much, it can lead to them declining.

How Much – You’ll want to add water to your container plants until it begins running out of the drainage holes in the pot. This will help to ensure that the root mass is watered sufficiently. However, if the soil is completely dry, which with succulents will probably be the case, you’ll want to water a second time to make sure the soil becomes hydrated.

How to Water – Avoid getting the leaves of the plant wet. Instead, focus the watering on the soil.

For all your gardening needs, be sure to contact us at Marvin Gardens.