home improvement http://www.deniseholtby.com home improvement news Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:48:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Landscaping Your Cottage Garden http://www.deniseholtby.com/landscaping-your-cottage-garden/ http://www.deniseholtby.com/landscaping-your-cottage-garden/#comments Mon, 13 Feb 2012 22:46:06 +0000 xiandra http://www.deniseholtby.com/?p=300 You can easily design a beautiful cottage garden in your own backyard or front yard using some specific native and exotic plant varieties that can transform the entire garden. The first thing that you need to concentrate on is the garden design. Most of the native plants and ornamental grasses are clump forming and they have dense growth so it is important to keep these things in mind while planning the design.

While planning the landscape it is also crucial to ensure that you include different varieties of wildflowers and other flowering plants to create seasonal interest. Plant varieties blooming at different times of the year can make sure that your garden does not remain bare and dull in a particular season.

Different features and elements also contribute towards a well designed landscape. There are specific features like wooden fences, wooden bird houses, stone pathways, artistically carved rocks and other antique materials that can be used to achieve the maximum results. All such rugged and antique features add to the overall look.

]]> http://www.deniseholtby.com/landscaping-your-cottage-garden/feed/ 0 Japanese Style Gardens http://www.deniseholtby.com/japanese-style-gardens/ http://www.deniseholtby.com/japanese-style-gardens/#comments Sat, 11 Feb 2012 22:44:16 +0000 xiandra http://www.deniseholtby.com/?p=298 Bamboo fences can be used around the garden or you can even create a bamboo wall in one corner to get the authentic oriental look. Bamboo plants can also be grown to get the same effect. However, they are known to get invasive so proper care and maintenance is required. Small water features like a stream running between the rocks or a waterfall can be constructed in one of the corners. You can construct a gravel path or place stepping stones to make it more interesting.

Ornamental grasses, sedges can be used in specific corners to add a vertical presence to the garden. Moss can be grown on the edge of water features, rocks and boulders to get the desired effect. You can also get a lot of inspiration and ideas from pictures and articles that are available online. Use the different elements in the best possible manner to create your very own Japanese garden.

]]> http://www.deniseholtby.com/japanese-style-gardens/feed/ 0