Archive for the 'House Of Gardening' Category

Landscaping Tips: Japanese Garden Fundamentals

Thursday, June 26th, 2008

The Japanese style of landscaping has the goal of recreating the serenity of a natural environment. Fundamental ingredients used include carefully placed stone, statuary, bonsai, and fish ponds. Bonsai is a traditional technique of training small trees to encourage their growth into certain shapes; it is one of the Japanese arts. Relaxing strolls through the garden are laid out with formal paths.

A number of basic guidelines apply when planning Japanese landscaping. The first being that plants and other elements not be located symmetrically. Nature is asymmetrical. Flowers and trees don’t naturally grow lined up in rows or in square formations. The impression to aim for is a space that does not look man-made.

Another guideline of Japanese landscaping is that it must not be crowded. Because yards can be small, sometimes people want to fit in as many plants as possible. This can easily end up looking chaotic and messy. Just like with the Japanese sense of interior decorating, a minimum of plants cleverly arranged can generate an innate harmony of visual calm.

A roughly triangular pattern appears commonly in Japanese landscaping. For example, there are three plants you want to plant, the largest is located first as an anchor point of the triangle. The next largest becomes the second point on the triangle, and the third largest plant the other point. This arrangement helps balance the aesthetic mass of the three elements.

Symbolic meanings are associated with plants and other elements used in Japanese landscaping. Deciduous trees, for example, like the colorful Japanese maple, stand for the change that is constant all through life, since they show a different aspect of themselves every season. On the other hand, evergreen trees stand firm and stable. In order for something always to be in bloom in the garden, flowers are often planted that will bloom sequentially. The colors seen in a Japanese landscape garden tend to be pastel and subtle. In fact, subtle is a good word to keep in mind when planning out your Japanese landscape garden.

Carlo Morelli writes for OnlineTips.Org, where you can read tips on Koi pond kits and
home and garden stone landscaping.

Orchids Versus the Traditional Rose

Friday, May 30th, 2008

Orchids spark more emotion in more people than perhaps any other flower. Yes, many of us might hold roses as the most emotion-inducing flowers. After all, roses are the flower most associated with romance in our culture. But in truth, most would consider an orchid to be a much more romantic gift. Who would not choose an exotic and wild orchid (and often rather expensive orchid) over a typical backyard rose?

There is much more of a culture behind orchids. There are so many people that are extremely passionate about orchids - whether these people collect and grow phalaenopsis orchids, cymbidium orchids, and dendrobium orchids in their homes, whether they travel around the world taking photos of wild orchids, or whether they spend years of their lives trying to find the perfect hybrid to make a truly black orchid… some people are just crazy about orchids and pursuing them is their life goal!

Of course, you do not have to be absolutely crazy about orchid plants just to love them. Perhaps you have just one orchid flower that you love and care for dearly. Or, perhaps you love and care for that orchid flower a little too dearly, and you end up over-fertilizing it or over-watering it. And, of course, such actions will surely lead to the demise of your beloved orchid plant!

Orchid care can be rather tricky, and sometimes, it seems, only seasoned orchid growers can master proper orchid care. In truth, though, there are quite a few species of orchids that practically anyone could grow - it is just a matter of providing the right growing conditions and the right orchid care.

Even if you are not growing an orchid plant of your own, you can surely appreciate the beauty of any orchids that you might see in photographs or in another person’s home. There is just something hypnotic and tantalizing about orchids.

Again, there are likely some of us who prefer roses to orchids, but perhaps this is simply because roses are more common - roses are everywhere - and people have not yet had enough exposure to the beauty of orchid flowers.

Indeed, although there is much more of an orchid-culture than a rose-culture, it seems that references to roses appear in our overall culture much more often. Just take a look at poetry! Take a look at tattoos, even!

Nonetheless, the love of orchids is a love that will burn brightly in a culture for as long as orchids still exist. There are so many different orchids out there in the world, it is practically impossible to not fall in love with at least one species, or type. After all, there are dendrobium orchids, Thai orchids, white orchids, blue orchids, phalaenopsis orchids, cymbidium orchids, and so many more!

Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, and home decor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on orchids,please visit Down Under Orchids.