marvin gardens design wilton ct – Page 5

Add a touch of glass to your garden

If your garden looks a bit one-dimensional when it comes to accessories, you can add a few simple pieces of decor that will instantly turn your outdoor abode into a three-dimensional wonder. The best way to do this is to install some glass artwork. Glass reflects light, emits color and demands depth to a garden.

Stained glass windows, hanging mobiles and bulbous totems are common garden decor. But you can expand upon those choices with other glistening items.

This wooden and glass art garden bench will shine through as a conversation piece.

Some glass art is even functional. This globe soaks up solar power during the day and illuminates as a lantern by nightfall.

Also, this piece serves as a butterfly or bird feeder.

If you have a pond, floating glass sculptures dress up flat water.

Marvin Gardens can help you choose the right glass art pieces for your garden.

Photo source: Light Kiln; indiedesign; Allsop; style hive; worldtechguy

Solve run-off with a rain garden

When it rains, your lawn and garden are likely to benefit. However, too much of rain can damage your yard. Depending on the land elevations, water without proper drainage (or that can’t drain fast enough) causes run-off that will make your yard look less attractive as a result of erosion or flooding. This insurgence of water may come from driveways or rooftops.

Rather than have a pool of water sitting in your lawn, which can cause grass roots to rot, a viable solution may be found in a rain garden. A rain garden is a collection of plants that soak up excess surface water. These gardens also act as a filter to reduce the amount of pollution that may end up in rivers and streams.

Rain gardens are usually situated where there is a land depression. Native grasses and wildflowers work best on account of their deep roots. The water is retained for less than a week in these gardens.

If you have a water run-off problem in your yard, have Marvin Gardens design a rain garden for you.

Photo source: BevKnits; Roger Soh

Gardening blunders that take a toll on plants

We all have killed a plant or two before… on accident. Just this week I put my brand-new stevia plant to premature death, all because I forgot it even existed. I hadn’t put it in the ground, and I hadn’t watered it. No recollection of ever owning the thing. Now it’s dead.

There are plenty of other gardening bloopers and blunders that send plants to an early grave. Here are five mistakes to avoid… in addition to the one I made.

1.) Don’t simply stick a plant in the ground. You have to prepare the soil with organic matter, compost or fertilizer. Good dirt makes a difference. Add worms to aerate and improve quality of the soil.

2.) Be careful what you weed for. You can accidentally pull out a valuable plant while getting rid of those that don’t count. If you have doubts about the green, leafy thing poking through, leave it until you know what it is for sure.

3.) Too much water can be a bad thing. Over-watering can kill a plant just as well as under-watering. Supersoaking causes the roots to rot. To ensure plants stay alive, water only if the soil feels dry.

4.) Don’t prune in the fall season. Never cut back your plants during that time because you will disrupt its energy storage, which is in the roots. Once you prune, the energy is sent back into the plant– too early.

5.) Pick plants that are able to grow in an appropriate climate. A plant’s labeled hardiness does not lie. If a plant wasn’t meant to survive a harsh winter, it really will die. if you prefer a tropical-looking plant for winter months, a camellia japonica shrub will work.

For more gardening tips and advice on how not to kill your plants, Marvin Gardens can consult you.

Photo source: pfly; Bonsai Care Basics; Nemo’s great uncle

With a vertical garden, there is no excuse for no space

We think that gardens are best served if they are presented on an expanse of land, free to bloom hither and thither, filling our field of vision. Of course, that requires a decent amount of space. But what if you don’t have the square footage to landscape the traditional way?

You may resign to a few hanging planters suspended from the ceiling or windowsill to fulfill your green thumb. But the possibilities don’t end there. A vertical garden is a viable option to have purposeful foliage even when horizontal space won’t allow for it. Plants that require little soil and water work best for this arrangement.

A wall garden may consist of a simple vine scheme.

Succulents are also easy to care for, while creating a lushness.

Edible variations are doable.

Fashion a design inside the garden.

Flowers aren’t banished from the list, either.

Photo source: superbatfish; Flora Grubb; Interior Design Houses; My Healthy Green Living; quinn.anya

The summer garden

Hopefully everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day weekend! With swimming pool openings and outdoor barbecues, that weekend marks the unofficial start of summer. But some gardens are already reflecting the warmest season of the year as if it were already in full-bloom.

Whether you’ve already planted a summer garden or are thinking about what to do with your “happy place,” let’s gaze upon these spectacular summer gardens for inspiration… or just to put you in a good mood!

Create a lush border with a variety of colors, heights and bloom sizes.

Or go with a triple-tiered look with these perennials.

Have fun and go with a whimsical theme.

Minimal color may be used and can still be just as sunny.

If a natural look is preferred…

… or if you don’t like getting your hands dirty.

Staying within the same color family.

Photo source: Friday-Ad; RoomU.net; American Greetings; Oxford House Inn; October Farm; Lavender Cottage; What’s Diggin’?

Find inspiration in Winterthur

Winterthur (pronounced “winter-tour”) is a garden, museum and library located just outside of Wilmington, Delaware. The estate was once owned by Henry Francis du Pont, a famed horticulturist and decorative arts expert. Winterthur houses the top-recognized collection of American decorative arts in the world, with many rooms decorated of its period.

The garden itself, designed with the help of landscape architect Marion Coffin, is considered to be one of the best in the nation. The lawn at Winterthur was once used for recreational purposes– particularly croquet and tennis. However, du Pont’s passion flowered into plants, thus the sports site was transformed into a naturalistic garden.

Lush flowers, gentle inclines, winding paths and babbling brooks define the 60-acre retreat.

A mixture of azaleas in the woods is a perfect partial-shade area to plant.

Get lost in time in the Sundial Garden.

Any of these elements from Winterthur may be incorporated into your garden. All you have to do is take a walk and find the inspiration!

Photo source: Garden Visit; The Photo Garden Bee; Covington International Travel

Spring flowers and their scent extracts

Most of us have a hand/body lotion or two (or ten, in my case) that embodies our favorite floral scents. Some of the lotion names and the flower of which the scent originates are fairly obvious. However, did you know that “sweet pea” is an actual flower and not a term Bath & Body Works made up for their product line bearing the same floral name? Here are some popular spring flowers that also share a kinship with body care fragrances.

Cherry blossom. A sight– and smell– to behold once the trees are fully bloomed.

Freesia. One of the most popular gardening plants for its vase-friendly stems and slight citrus scent.

Gardenia. These are unmistakably aromatic– as well as beautiful– with cream-colored blooms set against deep-green leaves.

Rose. A flower that bears much symbolism, a scent that appears in so many products.

Sweet pea. Known as the Queen of Annuals in England, this flower’s color variations and sweet scent make it a gardener’s favorite… as well as mine.

Have these flowers around the house, and your rooms will be sure to smell like your most admired body care scent… or is it the other way around?

Photo source: strollers; Sericea; dermoidhome; T.Kiya; philipbouchard

How to care for tillandsia plants

Tillandsias are an interesting type of tropical plant that is part of the bromeliad family, which includes pineapples and similar ornamentals. They are often referred to as “air plants” because they do not require soil to grow. Tillandsias are sensitive to frost– so they work best indoors, in plenty of sunlight.

The plant is relatively easy to care for, but it’s not intuitive. Here are some tips on how to foster the growth of your Tillandsia so that it may bloom for years to come.

1.) It’s best to purchase a fully grown Tillandsia from a nursery, as it will take years before seeing a bloom on a seed-started plant.

2.) House the Tillandsia in a container with holes in the bottom. The plant requires dry-out time in between waterings. If your container fills with water, you must empty it.

3.) If you want to mount the Tillandsia instead, attach it to the desired surface with wire, twist ties, fishing line or any other fixative.

4.) Tillandsia must be fertilized every month, from March through October. Over-fertilizing will burn the plant, so dilute the fertilizer mixture into one-quarter strength.

5.) Snip off the extra offshoots, or pups as they’re called, that grow at the base of the plant. If you’d like to start a new Tillandsia from an existing one, the right time to separate a pup is when it is half the size of its primary plant.

Tillandsia is a simple way to add greenery and blooms to a room without having to worry about potting soil and stringent sunlight requirements. Ask Marvin Gardens to incorporate Tillandsia in your home!

Photo source: Ut1ma