Properly designed and installed, creative landscaping can solve a host of problems, including privacy concerns.  If your home was built in an area with little natural cover such as trees, hedges, etc., you may be looking for some options to make areas of your yard more secluded and private.  One landscape design option?  Natural, or garden, screening.  Garden screening can provide homeowners with a number of valuable functions such as  provide privacy or block unattractive surrounding sites, even camouflaging such things as an air conditioner or propane tank.  Natural screening can also add beauty and shade to your garden or yard. However, there are a number of things you must take into consideration before deciding on your garden screening ideas.

Before You Choose Garden Screening

Before you can choose garden screening , you need to be aware of any homeowner’s association rules or regulations, because many developments that have restrictions or covenants governing what you can install. Be considerate of your neighbors as well. They may not agree with your artistic tastes. You also need to consider things like your budget, the final appearance, and the practicality of the different garden screening ideas you are looking at. Once you have accurately considered all of these factors, you will be able to choose the right garden screening ideas for you.  Lastly, you don’t want the screen itself to become an eyesore.  Repeating the screening in several areas of your yard can help make it balanced.

Brushwood Screening

Brushwood screening (also known as ‘thatch’) ideas are highly unique. These plants are native to Australia and are manufactured into environmentally friendly screening fences. These fencing ideas are used extensively in Australia but have only recently made their way to the States. Brushwood is soft and natural, and it’s a great option for hot tub or spa surrounds.  It can also be easily attached to existing fencing such as chain link, or wrapped over arbors or pergolas to provide more privacy as well as shade.  One advantage of using brushwood is that it’s easily removed and re-placed if your needs or tastes change.

Other Natural Wood Screens

Like brushwood, you can also find natural screening in materials such as willow, reed, fern, bark, and bamboo.  They all have similiar features to brushwood, but each has a slightly different texture and color.  Bamboo is available in sheet of either full round canes or canes that have been split and flattened.  Cane screening as a bit more of an open feel to it.  Willow screens are often woven through thin hazel branches, and these screens have a more “fabric” look to them, but they provide an interesting texture.  Willow screens woven like this are sometimes called “hurdles.”

Living Fences

One of the most natural privacy solutions is a “living fence.”  Stands of fast-growing bamboo, hedges, or closely-planted shrubs can be a great privacy screen.  A landscape designer can help you choose varieties that grow quickly and bush out to provide a compact and natural “fence.”   You may also want to combine a garden screen with plantings of various heights to make the screen an element of your landscape design.  Plantings around the screen can help it blend in with its surroundings.

If your lot didn’t come with natural privacy, we can help you come up with a beautiful, natural solution which fits with your yard and your tastes and gives you the seclusion you’re looking for. 

One of the most picturesque images is that of a butterfly drifting through a garden in full bloom. In order to attract these beautiful and whimsical creatures to your flowers, there are a few steps you should take.

Local Butterflies
The first step is to research and identify which butterflies frequent your region. You can do this with the internet or with guides found in book stores and your local library. For instance, Monarchs, red admirals and painted ladies are common across the country, but you’re not likely to see many giant swallowtails in Minnesota, since they prefer warmer climates.

Identify Host Plants
Each butterfly is attracted by a different plant. This isn’t necessarily because of their individual tastes for pollen, so much as the need to provide food for caterpillars. Each respective species has a specialized taste for certain types of plants.

Once you’ve figured out which butterflies you’d like to attract more of, look up what plants the caterpillars feed on. Since their offspring start to eat shortly after hatching, female adults will lay the eggs on or very close to their host plants.

Since the plants are food for the caterpillars, their leaves will be eaten up or absent as the insect continues on its growth cycle.

Are the Plants a Good Fit?
Many of the host plants aren’t considered very pretty by most standards. Monarchs, for instance, prefer milkweed. This type of greenery is considered a weed, so it won’t fit with many types of gardens. If you want to attract monarchs with it, you can either try hiding it in your garden or plant it nearby, but separate from the flowers you have for show.  Other plants, like the tiger swallow tail’s favored ash, may be too big to work with the unique scheme of your garden.

There are so many butterflies that range across the country that you’re sure to find some plants to draw the local species you enjoy.  If you’re interested in adding a butterfly-friendly garden bed to your yard, please give us a call. 

Better Homes and Gardens has published an interesting article about adding a garden to the strip of grass between the street and your side walk.  If you live on one of the many tree-lined streets in the Minneapolis (where we often refer to it as “the boulevard”), you may want to explore this idea to add some more color to the area.

Factors to Consider
The idea of planning a garden to put into that otherwise unused space is a great one, but there are some questions that you need to think about before you start to dig.

- Are there any restrictions set by the city on what (or if) you can plant there?

- Which plants will survive the soil and challenges presented to the strip?

- How easily will visitors be able to navigate the garden? Would a stone path work in it?

Once you have these questions answered, you’ll be able to get to the fun of adding a new garden to this small slice of land.  Designing the right garden for small spaces like these is just one of the many landscape solutions offered by ALD.   If you’d like the boulevard strip in front of your house to have a unique and colorful look but don’t know where to start, give us a call. 

Gardening is a lot of fun, and there’s little more soothing than being surrounded by healthy plants you selected yourself. However, gardening can also be time -onsuming and expensive. Fortunately, with a little planning, you can have a healthy landscape with minimal upkeep.

Zone
When you’re researching plants, the first thing to look at is their hardiness zone. The USDA has assigned zones to different parts of the country based on average temperature.  Check with your county extension agent.  In the Twin Cities this is especially important, because the surrounding northern and southern communities are now in different hardiness zones. As you’re shopping, check the plant labels to verify their zone matches the one you live in.

Sun
Different plants require different amounts of sunlight. To determine how much light your property gets, take some time on a day you’re home to observe how sun hits your property. It’s ideal to check about every hour and make note of how the light moves.  This way, you’ll be able to place your plants more accurately according to their needs.

Soil
While some plants do wonderfully in well-drained soil, others need soils which hold a good deal of water.  Before you go plant shopping, check the type of soil you already have. If you can pick plants that flourish in what’s already there, you won’t need to alter the existing soil.

Size
A plant’s appearance in your unique garden also depends on its size. Most labels indicate how tall and bushy the plant could ideally get.  Checking this will help you do two things:

1.  Determine where the plant will look best.  A large plant will look better towards the back of the garden instead of in front.

2.  Figure out the spacing of the plants:  When you know how bushy your plantings can get, you’ll be able to space them to accommodate.

Critters
As charming as rabbits or deer look, they can still destroy foliage.  An effective way to dissuade them from doing so is to select species they don’t enjoy. If you have a deer problem, planting daffodils will turn them away, due to their dislike of the flower.  There are also other pungent plants which can deter certain wildlife.  If you’ve had rabbits causing damage to your plants over the winter, see our earlier post on how to repair rabbit damage as well as prevent it in the future. 

With a little  planning, you can enjoy beautiful landscaping throughout the growing season while saving yourself time, money, and stress.  

The snow is finally melting and the weather’s finally warming up. Although the ground is still too hard to work, gardeners all over Minnesota are itching to get out and play in their yards. Although digging may not be a realistic activity yet, there’s no reason why we can’t start plotting flowers to plant.

Heather
Available in many sizes and colors, there is probably a type of heather that will fit your gardening needs. If you need a border, think about an upright type, while spreading varieties work as lovely borders.

Asiatic Lilies
To get these beauties blooming, plant them sooner rather than later, and be sure to put them in well -drained soil. Outside of those two simple steps, all that’s left to do is enjoy the gorgeous blooms when they add color to your home’s landscaping.

Gardenias
This aromatic shrub is a classic garden edition. It tends to be a little on the fussy side, but the large blooms and lovely scent make up for the extra effort. For a healthy plant, make sure to adjust your soil’s pH to between 5.0 and 6.0.

Zinnias
To add these low maintenance blooms to your plantings, start them in a peat pot a few weeks before growing season starts. Once the last frost has passed, just plant the pot and let the bright colors cheer you up.

Snapdragons
Although you will need to remove deadheads on a relatively regular basis, snapdragons are tough enough to resist a few frosts. Since they’re so hardy, you can put them in before the last frost rolls through. Their bright colors are perfect for containers, borders and beds.

There’s no harm in starting your flowers early in the warmth of your home. Just be sure to plant them in conditions they’ll do well in once it’s time to move them out doors.

 Colorful, fragrant, and unique flowers in well-planned beds can give your landscape (and your spirits) a beautiful boost.  If yours needs a lift and you’re not sure where to start or have questions about what would work for your lot, consult a professional landscape designer. 

Herbs are wonderful indoor plants. They offer a breath of fresh air in the winter and spring.  Herbs can be great indoor plants providing beauty, accents to food, and good health.  And once they’re established, you can transplant them outside in the spring in the garden. If you have a place where there is light, water, and warmth  it’s possible to grow herbs inside.  Ideal places to grow herbs are often the bathrooms, kitchen, or  sun room.   Humidity and fertilizers are also required.

You can grow herbs from seed, or you can select seedling plants.  Plants that are healthy and green are a good place to start when selecting herbs. The plant should be compact and full from all sides. There should be some signs of new growth. If a plant is wilted or has stems that are withered,  avoid it. Consult the plant’s tag to determine if the required light and humidity requirements can be met in your home.

There is a multitude of herb plants that people can grow inside. There are many popular herb plants that are used in cooking. These herbs are good to grow in bright, indirect light: rosemary, parsley, chives, oregano, bay leaves, marjoram, sage, and mint. Basil, coriander (cilantro), dill, ginger, and thyme grow well in southern exposures. The care of raising healthy herbs requires good watering, the right temperatures, the correct amount of humidity and fertilizers, and good plant hygiene.

Herbs flourish when they are watered conservatively and consistently. Checking the water needs of a plant can be accessed pressing on the soil to determine whether a plant needs water. Plants benefit from good air in homes with regular circulation and average indoor temperatures. Maintaining the right amount of humidity for herbs can be difficult. Plants grow well receiving the right amount of humidity when they are placed on gravel filled trays of gravel.

Plants need fertilizer to succeed. Fertilizing once in the winter at half the strength is the right amount for herbs. Keeping herbs health also requires good grooming/ maintaining herbs by pinching back leaves to stimulate growth and giving them a rinse once a month in a shower or sink will help maintain herbs an to grow successfully.

Outdoors herbs can be right at home tucked in among the blooms in your flower beds if you don’t have a dedicated vegetable-growing spot.  Just make sure you know how large the plants will get (cilantro and dill can get over 4′) before putting them in the ground.  Consider a  spot near your back door to make cutting for kitchen use convenient.

As you’re planning your spring gardening, have you given much thought to mulch?  It’s a fairly basic, utilitarian garden element, but there are a number of materials you can choose from.  Some are better for one application than others.  If you’re tempted to grab the cheapest bags you can find at your local home improvement store, you may want to read this helpful article on mulch materials from This Old House. 

Mulch provides a variety of benefits.  In addition to giving a neat, finished appearance to your garden beds, it also helps reduce the need for watering by slowing evaporation, and it cuts down on weeds.  Some mulches break down quickly, providing nutrients to the soil.  Others are more sturdy, providing cover for a long time without needing to be replaced or added to.  You can even choose eucalyptus mulch, which has a pleasant scent that deters many insect pests.

Keep in mind that most mulches are a fairly lightweight material, and they can float away in a heavy rain or be blown by strong winds.  Others such as shredded hardwood bark compact and form a dense mat that stays put.  One unique item that will resist wind is recycled glass.  This material provides a unique look as well as color interest, but you don’t want to use it where it may get caught in lawnmower blades.

Whether you’re choosing mulch to temporarily keep the weeds down in your vegetable garden, insulate your perennials over the winter, or you want a more permanent finishing touch for your garden beds, be sure the mulch you choose is appropriate for the intended use.  If you have any questions about using mulch in your landscape, seek the advice of a garden professional. 

When you think of the words “color” and “garden,” your thoughts most likely turn to visions of blooming flowers.  While they tend to be the predominant source of color in a garden or landscape design, colorful accents can also be achieved through the use of foliage plants which provide much more than green filler.  Foliage plants have an advantage over flowers – their color remains all season long, unlike flowers which come and go.  Here are some to consider adding to your garden:

Coleus

The coleus (solenostemon) is a popular ornamental annual sometimes also grown as a houseplant.  There are a wide variety of species, and the hardiness varies from not at all cold-tolerant to almost arctic.  If you’re considering coleus, be sure to check the zone rating.  Coleus plants come in a rainbow of colors, from deep magenta to variegated yellows and oranges to almost purple.  Some are sun-loving, others prefer shade.  Leaves range from ruffled to scalloped to tooth-edged.  For the most part, they are very easy to grow and require little care.  For more information on coleus, visit this plant encyclopedia section. 

Sedum

The sedum is a “plant it and leave it alone” garden staple.   Like the coleus, it is very low-maintenance, but the sedum is a spreading perennial.  A wide variety of types is available, from creeping groundcover to towering majestic specimens.  Sedums are a good choice for rock gardens.   Though the sedum does develop small flowers in a large palette of colors, it is known primarily for its succulent ornamental foliage.  One variety, Purple Empreror, has an almost-black plum-colored foliage.  Bees and butterflies love sedum, and their flower heads dry well.

Canna Lilies

The canna is primarily known for its large beautiful flowers, but many varieties also produce brilliantly-colored foliage, including striped and variegated forms.  Some are blue-black, others are red and gold.  Whenyou choose one of these plants, you get a double benefit – the colored foliage remains long after the flowers fade.

Plantain Lilies and Hostas

These two plants are very similar, except that the plaintain lilies are generally smaller than the hostas.  Both grow best in shade.  Their leaves come in a range of colors, from a deep almost blue to lemon-yellow striped and variegated.  Both hostas and plaintains produce slender flower stalks, which can either be left to remain or pinched off.  Both are sturdy plants which divide well.  Most are very cold-hardy and require little care.

Coral Bells

These low-growing little beauties do well in full sun to partial shade.  Their scalloped, ruffly leaves are accented by small flowers.  The foliage ranges from delicate orange to white-flecked purple.  Most are very cold-tolerant. 

There are many other colorful foliage plants, including ornamental cabbages, grasses, and colored ferns.  If you’re thinking about adding more color to your landscape and that perhaps ornamental foliage plants might work, schedule a consultation with a professional landscape designer who specializes in unique garden beds.  You’ll get the right recommendations for your landscape plan, soil conditions, and Minneapolis area climate. 

Don’t keep your gorgeous gardens in the back where no one can see them as they pass by – front yard landscaping can add gorgeous curb appeal and enhance the overall appearance of your home.  Imagine greeting your guests with abundant foliage and fragrant floral displays!  This Old House has a pictorial and illustration gallery with sugestions for foundation and front-yard plants to bring year-round interest and color to any yard.  Perennials of varying heights and blooming periods are featured, along with some information on a variety of plants.  If you’ve got a tall house, consider a climbing hydrangea – it can grow up to 50 feet!

While the flowers and shrubs shown could be used in a number of areas around your landscape, the selections given are specially recommended for front-yard interest and eye appeal.  Notice the varying heights, textures, and colors shown in this lush front yard display.  Wouldn’t you want to slow down for a good look as you drove past?  Better yet, wouldn’t you like your front lawn to look this eye-catching?

Mixing plants and being able to come up with an overall design that’s pleasing to the eye and attractive in all seasons can be a challenge for most people.  That’s where the services of an artistic landscape designer comes in.  Architectural Landscape Design specializes in unique landscape plans to bring just the right look to each property and home.  If you see something you like in this front-yard photo gallery and wonder if it will work in your yard, please give us a call.