Our daylilies are all in bloom this week in our curb strip July has brought the daylilies (Hemerocallis). The catmint, Nepeta 'Walker'...
What to do when you have a large garden space but it happens to be between the road and the sidewalk? I’ll admit that at first I had no idea what to do with the space either. It’s 5 feet wide by 68 feet long and all I could think was that I wanted it to be low maintenance. Well that changed quickl
Muscari aucheri 'Ocean Magic', Anemone blanda ' White Splendour' and Sedum 'Acre' in our curb strip this weekend. I just had to shar...
Our Front Woodland was entirely turf just a couple years ago. Photo taken May 25th, 2012. This pretty blue and white combination devel...
Turn that space by the curb into a spot of beauty that needs little care
Garden borders are an easy way to beautify any yard. See how to use foliage and flowers to soften a wall, accent a lawn, or fringe a path.
Black-Eyed Susans ( Rudbeckia ) in our front curb for August. Summer is moving right along, but there are still perennial flowers bloom...
The Circle Lawn on April 15th, 2012. Welcome to GBBD April at Gilmore Gardens in Pennsylvania, Zone 5! Our garden is still a month ah...
Catmint ( Nepeta 'Walker's Low') grows low mounds in our curb strip over ground cover Sedum 'Acre'. The garden is pulling into summ...
These 23 curb appeal ideas include updates you can do in a day, weekend, or month, from freshening your garden to replacing your mailbox.
Hometalk. The world's largest online community of home and garden DIYers, where you can find tons of how-to's, ideas and advice to create the home you love.
Full of tulips at Gilmore Gardens in May! As excited as I was to be touring Chanticleer and Winterthur last week, I was a little sad ...
Catmint ( Nepeta 'Walker's Low') grows low mounds in our curb strip over ground cover Sedum 'Acre'. The garden is pulling into summ...
The garden is pulling into summer, which make it time for many of my favorite perennials. In our curb strips (known also as parkways, hell strips, etc), we have…
The best way to start collecting snowdrops is, ideally, to receive a few paper bags of them from a friend. This is how the collection at Worcester College
Spring seems to have finally arrived here in western Pennsylvania, zone 5! Temperatures will be in the 60's this week and the sun is shining.
Garden borders are an easy way to beautify any yard. See how to use foliage and flowers to soften a wall, accent a lawn, or fringe a path.
Det er nu, at det markerer sig, alt det vi i foråret planlagde at så og plante. Nu står det her som et flot manifest og fylder enormt med sine farver, former og dufte. Det taler stærkt til sanserne og kan give sindet et løft. Bare sidde midt i det hele og betragte haven - omgivet af alle de mange krydderurter, der dufter og kan spises. Stauder og sommerblomster står og stråler i al deres farvepragt, men det er trods alt de mange grønne farvenuancer, der præger de fleste områder i haven, hvor de danner den fredfyldte ramme om sommerens haveliv. Sådanne billeder af fra uretehaven og staudebedet virker vel ikke særlig struktureret. Men jeg synes ikke at man kan frakende dem en naturlighed der netop minder om naturens måde at gebærde sig på. Jeg plejer at kalde det for havens "poetiske rod" og kan godt lide at salathovederne ikke står på en lang lige række. Og selv om vi har lånt elementer fra de gamle renæssance- og barokhaver, har vi valgt at placere planterne asymmetrisk og ikke i den stive symmetriske stil. Ved et kig ind i de skyggefulde skovbundsbede vil man kunne konstatere, at al jorden er dækket af forskellige blade fra Hosta, bregner og andet. Inger i færd med at rense en af de aller sidste rhododendron og det sker udelukkende af æstetiske grunde. Den franske filosof ser mere og mere betænkelig ud efterhånden som han er ved at drukne i plantevækst. Rosmarinpil, Salix "rosmarinifolia" egner sig til at blive klippet, hvorved den bliver ret tæt og kompakt. Sten og planter langs sydgavlen. Zebrasiv, Scirpus tatem "Zebrinus" står let og yndefuld i sin vandbeholder og svejer for vinden. Også en klippet pil som jeg desværre ikke kan huske navnet på. Klippede og uklippede planter i skøn forening. Stier fører rundt til havens frodighed. Den smukke stenurt vokser ud over stenene og er jo tydelig i familie med Sct. Hansurt. Hver dag går turen rundt og rundt på gangene. Og lige nu fingerbøl, Digitalis purpurea. Russisk mandstro, Eryngium planum er dekorativ, opadstræbende og kan sende tankerne hen i retning af gotisk arkitektur. Jeg glæder mig hver dag i denne tid over midterrabatten i vores indkørsel. Inspirationen kom fra de tørre områder, som vi oplevede på rejser til Middelhavslandene. Jeg håber at jeg mange år endnu skal have glæde af at klippe planter i form og ad den vej lege med havens arkitektur. Rosens navn er Heidelberg. Den lille fine elfenbensklokke er begyndt at blomstre. - det samme er morgenfruerne. På ærtetræet hænger nu de små frøstande, "ærterne". Jeg kan godt lide en sådan "kuglesamling" af buksbom, der giver bedet noget pompøst, der skaber ro. Og igen lidt mere stramt - en vertikal og horisontal bevægelse. Langs stierne bløder plantevæksten stenkanten lidt op. Kransliljen, Martagon "Claude Shride" er nu fuldt udsprunget. Rosa, "New Dawn" på huses sydgavl er nu i fuld flor. Vi brugte en del år på at slæbe sten med hjem i haven og det har i ordets egentlige betydning vist sig at være en varig glæde. Der går nok ikke en dag uden at jeg glæder mig over det samspil, der opstår mellem sten og planter. Og her flere sten sammen med andre virkemidler. Haven er et sted, der rummer drømme og nye ideer vil komme til. Det handler om kontinuitet og på den måde vil haven leve videre år efter år.
Hello everyone! This post is the second post in what I've decided will be a 3-post series. I would have had this one done sooner if I'd planned on doing that from the beginning, but, I tried to shove it all into two posts, and quickly realized I just had too many photos...and the post would have been ridiculously long...so, there you have it. On with the show! Starting where we left off, this pic is probably from June...things are starting to fill in nicely. After a few people commented on it, I realized I never actually listed the plants used for this project, let's rectify that now! Here we have one of my favorite new plants over the past few years, Anemanthele lessoniana, along with Libertia perigrans...which, I realized as soon as I planted them, were a bit too similar to be used right next to each other. The Libertia was an impulse buy, however...I've actually decided that although I like it in theory, it just doesn't work here. I think you need a large-ish patch of them to really make an impact. Two garden stalwarts, Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' and Echinacea 'Magnus'. I sort of go back-and-forth on 'Karl Foerster', thinking I would love that space for a "more interesting" grass, but 'Karl Foerster' is so beautiful throughout the seasons, that just when I think I'll replace it, it looks so good, so "right" that I love it again. It's just so valuable at providing structure and contrast in my garden. Of course, Echinacea I just love beyond all reason, so I always have some...they are so perfect, elegant, honest. And of course, where Scott gardens, there will be Agastaches! In these front parking strips alone there are 4 different varieties of Agastche. Above we have both 'Golden Jubilee' and 'Purple Haze'. I just fell in love with this tiny groundcover last year, Acaena purpurea. Sadly, it wasn't super happy in my garden. I can't tell quite yet if it's where it's planted...or the dog pee. I'm leaning toward dog pee. Another Agastache, 'Blue Blazes'. I planted some of these in my back yard two years ago, and last summer I found out that they get WAY bigger than I thought. I forget, sometimes, that here in Portland, things just tend to get bigger than they are supposed to...like 20-30% bigger. I'm experimenting this year with aggressive cutting back on these, if they still swallow up their neighbors, I may have to move things around a bit. Here's a plant that was completely new for me last year, Eryngium yuccifolium, which has the awesome common name 'Rattlesnake Master'. I'd seen it in numerous Piet Oudolf plantings...and you know me, if Oudolf says jump, I say 'How high'! On the right is Molinia 'Skyracer', which I absolutely fell in love with after seeing it a few years earlier at Wind Dancer Garden in Salem. It looks humble here, but in mid-summer it erupts with tall, elegant stems of dark, almost-black blooms. Another grass I tried for the frist time, and fell in love with last summer, Muhlenbergia rigens, aka Deer Grass. I enjoyed the regular Knautia macedonica in the back yard so much last year, but really like having some variation in coloring when I comes to flowers...so was thrilled to find some 'Melton Pastels' last year. This is a crazy-tough plant and blooms forever. I'm hoping that with more sun in the strips, these won't get quite as tall as the ones in the back yard. Panicums just may be my favorite family of grasses, depending on the day you ask me. Tough, dependable, beautiful. This is a new variety I tried on a whim, 'Huron Solstice'. You can't tell in this picture, but as the year progresses, it becomes a riot of color. Another Panicum, with a habit as different from 'Huron Solstice' as you can imagine. While 'Huron Solstice' is more arching and fountain-like, 'Northwind' is strictly upright. If you are looking for an alternative to Calamagrostis, give this a try. Yet another Agastache, 'Desert Sunrise'. I love this particular Agastache...for its foliage as much as for its flowers. Another stunning grass, Schizachyrium 'Blue Heaven', which I absolutely adore. Lately, I don't seem to be able to have a garden without at least a few Sedums...here we have 'Matrona' and 'October Daphne'. As you can see, but the end of July, things had pretty much started to take shape. I can't take too much credit...things just seem to WANT to grow in Portlands mild weather. As usual, it helps that our spring lasts until July, so plants have a good, long time to settle in before the drought of summer sets in. Mid-July is such a great time here in Portland. It's usually not too hot yet, and everything is still fairly green and fresh. The days are long and the rest of summer stretches out before you. Of course, the flip side to summer in Portland is that the rain just STOPS. No rain for 3 or so months isn't exactly ideal for most plants. Luckily, the drip system we installed makes watering easy. Since these plants were all newly-planted, I watered fairly regularly until about the middle of July, then started to taper off, watering only when something looked stressed. Generally, I'd water once a week or so...and this coming year, I'll probably only have to water every other week...perhaps less. Planting tough, drought-tolerant plants definitely makes sense in a parking strip. Here is the Muhlenbergia rigens again, starting to bloom...I just love it! Tall grasses are irresistable to cats, I think they are channeling their inner lion, just waiting for the next gazelle. I'm still not used to how quickly plants grow here in the PNW. As summer wore on, Panicum 'Huron Solstice' started its show...merely a rehearsal for what was to come. If there is such a thing, I'd say my garden typically "peaks" in August. While, in my mind, August is still high summer, the light definitely starts to change now...with morning and evening light having a warmer, mellower tone. Even in these newly-planted parking strips, everything seemed to be rushing to bloom. Looking back at it, I can hardly believe that whole area was just lawn a few months ago! August also marks the point at which the warm-season grasses start blooming, here we have Panicum 'Northwind' And here are the impossibly delicate stems of Molinia 'Skyracer', which is almost impossible to do justice in a photograph. While obviously limited in size, at moments like this, the parking strip garden succeeded in my goal of creating a micro-meadow. Here, at the end of August, I'm going to wrap up this post, the next post will cover Autumn through spring, bringing us full-circle for the year on this project. BTW, happy first day of spring!
Explore lifebegreen's 1806 photos on Flickr!
Don't let water use restrictions or a lack of rain put a damper on your garden dreams. Create a gorgeous, water-saving yard with these drought-tolerant landscaping ideas.
HGTV Gardens offers tips for transforming your hellstrip into something beautiful.
Gardeners in New York City are a little different. They have to be. There are not many apple trees in the Big Apple, and the "concrete jungle" is pure heat
Hellstrips, better known as parking strips, are those belts of bleakness between sidewalk and street that are usually relegated to dandelion-ridden, dog-popular lawn. Evelyn J. Hadden, who also wrote "Beautiful No-Mow Yards," expands the definition to mean any hard-to-garden space next to a curb.
20 ways Buffalo gardeners handle that strip between sidewalk and street
With a little effort, the hell strip between the street and sidewalk can become a heavenly garden addition that adds to your home's curb appeal.
With a little effort, the hell strip between the street and sidewalk can become a heavenly garden addition that adds to your home's curb appeal.
Hello everyone! This post is the second post in what I've decided will be a 3-post series. I would have had this one done sooner if I'd planned on doing that from the beginning, but, I tried to shove it all into two posts, and quickly realized I just had too many photos...and the post would have been ridiculously long...so, there you have it. On with the show! Starting where we left off, this pic is probably from June...things are starting to fill in nicely. After a few people commented on it, I realized I never actually listed the plants used for this project, let's rectify that now! Here we have one of my favorite new plants over the past few years, Anemanthele lessoniana, along with Libertia perigrans...which, I realized as soon as I planted them, were a bit too similar to be used right next to each other. The Libertia was an impulse buy, however...I've actually decided that although I like it in theory, it just doesn't work here. I think you need a large-ish patch of them to really make an impact. Two garden stalwarts, Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' and Echinacea 'Magnus'. I sort of go back-and-forth on 'Karl Foerster', thinking I would love that space for a "more interesting" grass, but 'Karl Foerster' is so beautiful throughout the seasons, that just when I think I'll replace it, it looks so good, so "right" that I love it again. It's just so valuable at providing structure and contrast in my garden. Of course, Echinacea I just love beyond all reason, so I always have some...they are so perfect, elegant, honest. And of course, where Scott gardens, there will be Agastaches! In these front parking strips alone there are 4 different varieties of Agastche. Above we have both 'Golden Jubilee' and 'Purple Haze'. I just fell in love with this tiny groundcover last year, Acaena purpurea. Sadly, it wasn't super happy in my garden. I can't tell quite yet if it's where it's planted...or the dog pee. I'm leaning toward dog pee. Another Agastache, 'Blue Blazes'. I planted some of these in my back yard two years ago, and last summer I found out that they get WAY bigger than I thought. I forget, sometimes, that here in Portland, things just tend to get bigger than they are supposed to...like 20-30% bigger. I'm experimenting this year with aggressive cutting back on these, if they still swallow up their neighbors, I may have to move things around a bit. Here's a plant that was completely new for me last year, Eryngium yuccifolium, which has the awesome common name 'Rattlesnake Master'. I'd seen it in numerous Piet Oudolf plantings...and you know me, if Oudolf says jump, I say 'How high'! On the right is Molinia 'Skyracer', which I absolutely fell in love with after seeing it a few years earlier at Wind Dancer Garden in Salem. It looks humble here, but in mid-summer it erupts with tall, elegant stems of dark, almost-black blooms. Another grass I tried for the frist time, and fell in love with last summer, Muhlenbergia rigens, aka Deer Grass. I enjoyed the regular Knautia macedonica in the back yard so much last year, but really like having some variation in coloring when I comes to flowers...so was thrilled to find some 'Melton Pastels' last year. This is a crazy-tough plant and blooms forever. I'm hoping that with more sun in the strips, these won't get quite as tall as the ones in the back yard. Panicums just may be my favorite family of grasses, depending on the day you ask me. Tough, dependable, beautiful. This is a new variety I tried on a whim, 'Huron Solstice'. You can't tell in this picture, but as the year progresses, it becomes a riot of color. Another Panicum, with a habit as different from 'Huron Solstice' as you can imagine. While 'Huron Solstice' is more arching and fountain-like, 'Northwind' is strictly upright. If you are looking for an alternative to Calamagrostis, give this a try. Yet another Agastache, 'Desert Sunrise'. I love this particular Agastache...for its foliage as much as for its flowers. Another stunning grass, Schizachyrium 'Blue Heaven', which I absolutely adore. Lately, I don't seem to be able to have a garden without at least a few Sedums...here we have 'Matrona' and 'October Daphne'. As you can see, but the end of July, things had pretty much started to take shape. I can't take too much credit...things just seem to WANT to grow in Portlands mild weather. As usual, it helps that our spring lasts until July, so plants have a good, long time to settle in before the drought of summer sets in. Mid-July is such a great time here in Portland. It's usually not too hot yet, and everything is still fairly green and fresh. The days are long and the rest of summer stretches out before you. Of course, the flip side to summer in Portland is that the rain just STOPS. No rain for 3 or so months isn't exactly ideal for most plants. Luckily, the drip system we installed makes watering easy. Since these plants were all newly-planted, I watered fairly regularly until about the middle of July, then started to taper off, watering only when something looked stressed. Generally, I'd water once a week or so...and this coming year, I'll probably only have to water every other week...perhaps less. Planting tough, drought-tolerant plants definitely makes sense in a parking strip. Here is the Muhlenbergia rigens again, starting to bloom...I just love it! Tall grasses are irresistable to cats, I think they are channeling their inner lion, just waiting for the next gazelle. I'm still not used to how quickly plants grow here in the PNW. As summer wore on, Panicum 'Huron Solstice' started its show...merely a rehearsal for what was to come. If there is such a thing, I'd say my garden typically "peaks" in August. While, in my mind, August is still high summer, the light definitely starts to change now...with morning and evening light having a warmer, mellower tone. Even in these newly-planted parking strips, everything seemed to be rushing to bloom. Looking back at it, I can hardly believe that whole area was just lawn a few months ago! August also marks the point at which the warm-season grasses start blooming, here we have Panicum 'Northwind' And here are the impossibly delicate stems of Molinia 'Skyracer', which is almost impossible to do justice in a photograph. While obviously limited in size, at moments like this, the parking strip garden succeeded in my goal of creating a micro-meadow. Here, at the end of August, I'm going to wrap up this post, the next post will cover Autumn through spring, bringing us full-circle for the year on this project. BTW, happy first day of spring!
Our daylilies are all in bloom this week in our curb strip July has brought the daylilies (Hemerocallis). The catmint, Nepeta 'Walker'...
A small yard change can make a big difference. These before-and-after yard makeovers prove that you don't necessarily need a huge budget to make a major impact in your yard.
Greyfield land may be the most underutilized resource in the state’s harried attempt to create the more than 2.5 million housing units required to meet demands set forth by the Department of Housing and Community Development in March. A bill introduced last week by state rep Buffy Wicks would...
I just had to share this pretty combination from our curb strip this weekend! The spring woodland windflower, Anemone blanda 'White Splendour', is a beautiful…
Photography by Evelyn J. Hadden It’s easy to overlook the so-called ‘hellstrip’—that small strip of land between the sidewalk and the curb—but transforming that space into a garden can add big time curb appeal.Guest blogger and author of Hellstrip Gardening and Beautiful No-Mow Yards, Evelyn Hadden presents four ideas for waterwise plant pairs for curbside gardens. These plants are tough, easy-care, and don’t […]
Learn everything you need to know about calla lily care including tips for growing in the garden and as a houseplant.
Margie Butts makes friends and inspires people with her profuse street-side garden.
Max Garcia is the artist behind Sunny Street, a series of comics that are sometimes a little darker than they sound. The New York-based creator, writer and illustrator uses a random assortment of characters - some of them familiar, such as Batman, and some of them not, such as, well, water-skiing earthworms - to express his sometimes weird, sometimes dark, but always funny sense of humor. His work features in the comic section of the New York Daily News and you can also find him on Facebook. Which one do you like the most? Let us know in the comments below, and don't forget to vote for your favorite!
Heated by pavement, often assaulted by salt and sand during winter, these ribbons of city-owned real estate are not prime gardening spots. Indeed, they have been dubbed
Breathtaking Garden Projects. Sculpted landscapes that enhance any property!
Leave a 6- to 12-inch-wide mowing strip between the edge of your beds and borders and the lawn. It will help you save time and effort in the garden.
One of the showiest prairie grasses, Sporobolus heterolepis is frequently cultivated as an ornamental for its attractive fountain of fine textured, emerald-green leaves, delicate flower and seed heads, and colorful fall color. Learn more about this elegant native North American bunchgrass that makes a great addition to almost any type of landscape...
Catmint ( Nepeta 'Walker's Low') grows low mounds in our curb strip over ground cover Sedum 'Acre'. The garden is pulling into summ...
