If you have ever thought about growing a mini wildflower garden, you are not alone. Natural-looking flower gardens are more popular than ever. In fact, wildflower gardens (also called meadow gardens) are trending all over social media. Mike Lizotte is the author of Mini Meadows: Grow a Little Patch of Colorful Flowers Anywhere Around Your Yard. He is also the owner of American Meadows, a top source for wildflower seeds including regional seed mixes that make it easy to grow a mini wildflower garden no matter where you live. We asked Mike to give us some tips on growing a wildflower garden—or as he now famously calls them, a meadow garden. Here’s what he had to say. Can anyone grow a meadow garden? Yes, they certainly can. My definition of a ‘meadow’ certainly includes large, sprawling spaces. (If you have a large plot of land, count yourself fortunate!) But a 50-square-foot-patch of lawn or a planter box in a high-rise can also be a great place for a mini wildflower … [Read more...] about Grow a Mini Wildflower Garden
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Small Container Water Garden Creates Big Impact
When you install a water feature in your garden, you install a delightful destination. Friends will marvel and birds and bees will rejoice. But a large water feature, such as a pond with a rock wall covered by cascading water, can require a great deal of work to create and maintain. Instead, create a small container water garden that makes a big impact on your yard. There are three basic types of container water features: Still Water, Splashing Water and Disappearing Water. Still Water Garden The simplest kind of water feature is a Still Water garden. In this type of container water garden feature, the water stays still. The water provides a nice visual respite from the garden, but it provides no movement to attract your attention. To create a Still Water feature, start by finding an attractive bowl or pot without drainage holes. Fill it with water and add a few aquatic plants that prefer still water – such as water lily or lotus. As with all gardening endeavors, … [Read more...] about Small Container Water Garden Creates Big Impact
Best Roses for Backyard Gardens
The best roses are truly the superstars of garden flowers. They are revered all over the world for their beauty. As a lifelong gardener, it was difficult for me to select the 10 best roses to grow in a backyard garden. Many great roses didn’t make the cut. (Such is the downside of creating a Top 10 list!) All of the roses on my best roses list have edible petals. In fact, these roses have delicious edible petals. That’s one of the reasons they made this list of Top 10 Roses. (Just cut off the white part at the base of the petals, which can be bitter.) If you would like more information—including six recipes that use edible rose petals—read Garden Roses: Queen of Edible Flowers. A word about growing roses All roses need full sun, preferably at least 6 hours of sun per day. Roses prefer to grow in moist, rich, sandy, well-drained soil. Rose bushes also like to be mulched with a 3-inch-deep layer of organic mulch. Roses like to be watered deeply but infrequently—perhaps … [Read more...] about Best Roses for Backyard Gardens
Grow More Vegetables in a Square Foot Garden
A square foot garden is a relatively new spin on a traditional vegetable garden. A vegetable garden, also called a kitchen garden, is where delicious herbs and vegetables are grown by a family for the family’s daily meals. Typically, the garden is grown in the backyard (sometimes just outside the kitchen door), and it is designed to be both attractive and efficient. To learn expert tips about how a square foot garden can increase vegetable harvests, I talked to the recognized expert. Steve Bartholomew, Director of the Square Foot Gardening Foundation, was kind enough to share his knowledge about how to create the most efficient and productive vegetable garden. Best-selling garden book The book Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew (Steve’s father) is the most popular gardening book ever published in North America. Introduced in 1981, the original book and later revised editions have sold 2.5 million copies. The book literally launched a gardening movement that … [Read more...] about Grow More Vegetables in a Square Foot Garden
Tiny Space? Grow a Mini Indoor Garden!
A mini indoor garden is perfect for a small apartment or office space. You might have thought surrounding yourself with lush greenery was not be possible. Fortunately, there are creative ways to incorporate plants into your decor. One of the best ways is to create a mini indoor garden in tin cans or other containers. These miniature gardens make great gifts for yourself and others. Here's everything you need to make a mini garden for your tiny apartment. Choose your mini indoor garden plants You will need to be selective when choosing plants for your garden. Plants with shallow roots and minimal watering needs work best in this setting. You can buy succulent transplants or start from scratch with carefully chosen seed collections. Some of the best plants for miniature gardens include: Herbs - mint, thyme, lemon balm Grasses - dwarf mondo grass, sedge, alfalfa Others - Dwarf umbrella plant, tiny flowering plants Succulents, cacti, moss and creeping plants are … [Read more...] about Tiny Space? Grow a Mini Indoor Garden!
