MarvinGardensUSA

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.

Cracking Art Group REgeneration Project

Marvin Gardens USA is honored to be part of the international artistic collective Cracking Art Group and Italy’s renowned Galleria Ca’ d’Oro. The Red Snails are part of the global sensation known as the REgeneration Art Project, and is a public art series designed to intrigue the mind, to reconnect it with nature, and to prompt curiosity about the origination of the materials. All of the colorful animals are made from recycled materials and up-cycled into large, over-sized contemporary art. The vibrant colors and over-sized animals are whimsical and unexpected, drawing ones attention and inspiring conversation. The art installations are placed in high traffic urban areas, such as New York City, Miami, Paris, Rome, Prague, Venice, Sydney and many more amazing and unusual locations.

At Marvin Gardens USA, many of our home and garden elements are vintage or antique, with less emphasis on modern production goods. Our philosophy of re-purposing existing elements and recreating them into modern day trendy and stylish elements lends itself to the same philosophy of the Cracking Art Group, which focuses on – “…the importance of recycling and its environmental impact, while leaving a potent artistic trace in the communities we live in.”

Please join us at Marvin Gardens USA to touch, feel, photograph and ask questions about the REgeneration Art Project’s Red Snails. Share this post with friends and Like our Facebook page…spread the word about the REgeneration project. The Snails are disarmingly charming! Please inquire if you wish to purchase a snail.

Thank you, Gloria Porcella, Executive Producer and Artistic Curator of Galleria Ca’ d’Oro, for the wonderful and heartfelt opportunity you have provided Marvin Gardens USA. We are so pleased to be part of this international sensation.

Amabel Chan, Principal
Marvin Gardens USA

Design Tips to Create a Festive Holiday Container Garden

holiday planter decorating — Source: Marvin Gardens Facebook

Container gardens are a great way to add color to any space in your home but are especially useful in the winter months around the holidays. They can be kept growing through the most intemperate winter making them indispensable for people who love to have plants nearby all year-round.

Here are a few reasons you should use container plants at holiday time:

They’re Alive – It often seems that many decorators resort to twigs and dead branches to fill out their holiday décor. While that is a reasonable strategy, it does not bring the same vibrancy and aroma as live plants.
They Can Fill Window Boxes – Don’t plant them directly in the window box – just insert them in their containers and move them indoors when necessary.
They Move – These little biomes can be used over and over again. Place them inside in the dining room for your cocktail party one week and then move them outside for a night of entertainment under the stars.

For more information about these and other creative garden design ideas, please visit us at Marvin Gardens. You will find us online at MarvinGardensUSA.com or you can reach us directly at 203-544-2020.

Consider Adding Winter Branches to Your Container Gardens

One way to add dimension and enhance the seasonal look of your outdoor garden design is to add tree branches to your container gardens. This does not need to cost a lot of money, as you may be able to find suitable branches right outside your door.

One idea that works for both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays is to repurpose an interesting vintage or unique item as a planting container. All you need to do to make a quick container garden is to anchor some branches into the soil and perhaps add a colorful bow for an added festive touch.

For Thanksgiving, you could choose to put include redtwig dogwood or other colorful branches into your planter with assorted greenery. This garden design can easily follow through to Christmas by adding some white birch twigs and additional greenery, such as pine or fir branches and changing out the bow.

One whimsical look that you can create uses tall curly willow branches and pinecones. Insert the branches into a weathered pot and place the pinecones over the soil for a rustic look that will last until spring.

Get more ideas and advice from the garden design experts at Marvin Gardens.

Teach Your Kids to Garden With Bulbs

One way to get your kids involved in gardening is to start with planting bulbs. Planning your garden with bulbs is an easy way for kids to participate, regardless of their age. There is something for everyone to do and it makes for a great family activity.

Planting bulbs doesn’t require special tools, but you can make it easier by investing in a bulb planter, instead of using a ruler and garden trowel. This tool comes pre-marked with measurements that make it easy to dig the correct depth that is needed for each type of bulb.

Start by having your kids arrange the bulbs in the area where you will be planting them before digging holes. This will allow for adjustments if needed. Avoid planting bulbs too far apart because clumps of bulbs look much nicer than spindly spread out plants.

Dig the holes, plant the bulbs with the pointy end up, cover with dirt and you are done. When spring arrives, your kids will be excited to see the fruits of their labor, and this may help foster a lifelong interest in gardening.

Learn how Marvin Gardens can make planning your garden an enjoyable activity for your entire family.