garden trends – MarvinGardensUSA

Ideas for Natural Barriers in Your Garden Design

Plants, shrubs and trees are beautiful in and of themselves, but they also make wonderful screens for creating even better spaces in your backyard. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Define a Space – The savvy use of a combination of plants, shrubs and trees can create anything from a cozy, shaded nook for relaxing to a large, dedicated space for entertaining.

Add Some Privacy – Given time, most trees or hedges will completely obstruct the view from your yard to the street and vice versa. The key to getting it done in a resonable time is to use foliage that meets your needs in terms of density and speed of growth.

Eliminate an Eyesore – Another great use of natural barriers is to hide the necessary but unsightly equipment needed to run a modern home. You can use small shrubs around HVAC units and pool pumps but keep them well away from the equipment.

Traditional Landscape by Maine Landscapers via Houzz

For more specific recommendations on natural plant barriers and other creative garden design ideas, please contact us at Marvin Gardens.

Creative Ways to Bring Whimsy to Your Garden

gardening tips — Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook

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.

Festive Garden Design Ideas for the Holidays

Want to do something different this year with your yard and garden holiday decorating? Marvin Gardens has some wonderful ideas!

Place luminaries along the front walkway and then focus a single spotlight on the front door’s custom designed wreath.
Instead of trying to light all the trees and shrubs in the yard, decorate one single tree in white or clear lights. Combine this with the first suggestion above and you make a subtle but elegant statement.
When your summer plants succumb to Mother Nature’s cold blast don’t just store those pots and urns until next spring. Fill them with sprigs of holly, fluffy pine branches, red berries, pine cones and other greenery.
Don’t forget the mailbox. A couple short pieces of evergreen intertwined with glittering pine cones and anchored with a big red bow is so cheery and welcoming.
Fill window boxes with winter greenery. Change out summer cushions on the patio furniture with ones featuring more of a holiday theme. Use baskets of pine cones, oversized ornaments and sprigs of mistletoe and holly for outside tablescapes.

Marvin Gardens has everything you need for your garden design ideas. Please contact us today for more information.

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 Kimberly Queen Fern in Fall

Nothing makes a home feel more welcoming than a well maintained Kimberly Queen Fern. They are so elegant and rich looking! Plus the health benefits to having interior ferns are well documented.

But now that seasons are changing, certain things need to be done in order to ensure your fern will continue to flourish during the cooler months.

When relocating your fern indoors, make sure to place it near a window where it can get a minimum of four hours of sunlight daily. At the same time, don’t place it too close to a direct source of heat.
Fertilize at least once a month, though you may need to fertilize twice a month if the fern seems to be going through a growth spurt.
Raise the humidity level by installing a cool mist humidifier in the same room. If that’s not possible, spray the fern several times daily with tepid water.
Take care not to over water. The soil needs to be kept moist but with no standing water on top of the soil.
Reduce the heat at night. These ferns need a period of cooler temperatures in order to thrive.

Need more information? Contact us at Marvin Gardens for all your garden care needs.

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.

Decorate the Mantel of Your Outdoor Fireplace

outdoor garden decorating — Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook

Decorating the mantle on your indoor fireplace is a great way to establish it as a focal point within the living space. However, can you do the same with your outdoor fireplace? Of course you can! There are a few different ways that you can decorate the mantle on your outdoor fireplace that will help to create a focal point in your outdoor living area. The following are a few ways to do just that:

Natural Elements – Because your outdoor area is visibly surrounded by outdoor elements such as trees, plants, sky and more, the fireplace may stand out more than you want it to, especially if your whole outdoor living area is more of an extension of the indoors. By decorating the mantle with flowers, plants or even stone sculptures or pieces, you’ll help add balance to the space by complementing the surrounding environment.
Contrast – You can also go the opposite route by making your fireplace mantle stand out. For example, add bold colors, such as red or yellow, in the form of vases or other decorations in order to draw the eye.

Be sure to contact us at Marvin Gardens USA for garden design accessories today.

Great Low-Maintenance Plants for Your Northeastern Garden

planning your garden — Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook

Low-maintenance plants enhance your landscape, require little attention and allow anyone to keep up a garden. Even seasoned gardeners need low-maintenance plants to balance the landscape. Below are a few plants designed to withstand the heat and flourish in your New England garden.

Ornamental grasses are ideal for a long, hot summer. The grasses blend well with other flowers and shrubs and evoke the wistful openness of the countryside. Maiden grass and feather reed grass are great options to consider.
Create shade with a grape-covered pergola. Grape vines are hardy and actually require an abundance of sun to grow and flourish. King of the North is a white grape that suits the Northeastern climate.
For water-friendly low maintenance plants that can flourish near streams or meadows, consider purple cohosh which adds a stunning violet hue to the meadow.
Many perennials are made to withstand droughts and hot sun. Russian Sage is a popular perennial.
For late-blooming flowers that brighten the transition to fall, consider the Japanese Anemone. The plant is known for blowing gracefully in the wind and also providing generous amounts of foliage.

If you would like assistance planning your garden, contact our team at Marvin Gardens.

Succulents Can Help Keep Your Yard Fire-Safe

Local conditions can have an enormous effect on how fire spreads and the rate at which it spreads. For example, arid regions are more prone to wildfires than their humid counterparts because dead and dried-up plant matter ignites more easily and burns faster. You might be interested to learn that the same principle applies on a smaller scale and that plants such as succulents can help reduce the risk of fire.

As their name suggests, succulents are plants with thicker and fleshier parts than other plants. These plants are frequently found in arid regions, where they have adapted to store water; some succulents, such as Haworthia store the water in their leaves, but others store water in their stems and roots. Gardens often feature succulents because of their beautiful appearance, which can be used to highlight their surroundings.

Succulents are slow to burn, making them a beautiful way to make your yard more fire-safe. Similarly, concrete decking are also resistant to fire, meaning that their combination with succulents can help you further fireproof your yard. However, be sure to clear away dead plant matter such as fallen leaves as soon as possible.

For help planning your garden, speak to an expert at Marvin Gardens.