Archive for the 'Flowers' Category
Planting a flower garden may be an overwhelming experience for anybody let alone a beginner gardener. The good news is there are easy ways to get around it by following these simple steps. Read on to find out what these simple tips are for planning your garden landscape and what lawn décor to choose to get what you want from the sweet escape in your backyard.
Before you head to a nursery or garden center, make sure you have a plan. Think about where you want to put your flowers and garden accessories, what colors you want where, how many and so forth. This will make your shopping experience much easier and faster and probably less expensive. Y ou’ll want to enjoy a garden that’s in bloom from early spring to late fall by choosing annuals ( plants that do not come back every year) and perennials (plants that do come back every year) based on when they flower. Refer to plant tags for specific information that pertains to your garden. When picking plants at the nursery pay attention to the height and width before assigning them a permanent home. When it’s time to divide your perennials, offer to share your extras with your garden-savvy neighbors in return for plants you don’t have yet. Make sure to observe your yard’s sun and shade areas. Look for wet or dry spots. Watch for sandy soil and dense clay. By knowing your garden’s conditions, you can plant flowers where they’ll thrive. For soils that do not produce thriving plants consider putting garden accessories such as garden statues, gnomes, wind spinners, wind chimes, stepping stones, mulch, rock, and other lawn and garden décor. When choosing garden accessories for additional lawn décor around your garden, consider potting perennials and/or annuals in containers and placing them around your yard. Garden planters are an easy way to create colorful accents. Many plants benefit from deadheading, when faded blooms are removed to encourage new growth. To deadhead, cut off the spent slower close to a bud that’s lower on the stem or above a leaf node. To enjoy perennials or annuals indoors, cut the flowers in early morning or late afternoon, submerge them in lukewarm water and add a floral preservative.
Garden accessories are a great way to add a little extra something to any outdoor space. The nice thing about garden accessories is that they come in all forms, shapes and sizes. Choosing the right lawn décor for your garden or backyard is always a fun experience because there is so much you can do with it. Garden stepping stones make transitioning from one place in your backyard to another very easy and it is also very decorative . Stepping stones can be anything from limestone rock, cement blocks or slates to flat plaques. Don’t forget about your avian friends. Putting bird houses, bird baths and bird feeders in a flower garden invites even more color and entertainment to enjoy. There are tons of different kinds of bird feeders out there; some are decorative, some are for specific kinds of birds and some are very plain-jane bird feeders. Which ever strikes your fancy your avian friends will be sure to re – visit your flower garden. Other garden accessories you can consider putting up in your flower garden are wind chimes and wind spinners. You can find many different kinds of hook stands out there for hanging these types of garden accessories as well as brackets for the side of a post or wall.
Your flower garden will look amazing after following these simple steps in planning for a garden. The nice thing about garden accessories is that they are versatile. You can put them almost anywhere and plant flowers around them or accent some already planted flowers and plants with the garden accessories. Whatever you choose to do you will be happy with the result it produces.
Decorating your lawn and garden space with lawn ornaments can be very enjoyable and rewarding . However, it may leave beginners overwhelmed or veterans stuck with what they have. In this article I’m going to share with you ideas you can use to spruce up that space again or start fresh with new lawn ornaments. In using these tips you’ll have your lawn and garden space looking just the way you want it in no time.
Anything you put in your yard for decorating is considered a lawn ornament. It doesn’t have to be store-bought or made by somebody else. You can create your own lawn ornaments by simply checking out your own resources. So if you think you have it all when it comes to lawn ornaments, the garden statues, stakes, planters, gnomes, flags, the cut-outs of people bent over in the garden, wind chimes, wind spinners , bird houses, feeders and baths, you name it and you are still not satisfied, try finding something lying around the house, garage, barn or other out-building. For example, an old paint can, tire rim, large milk jug, an old pair of boots, dresser drawers, tractor parts and old farm tools would make perfect lawn ornaments. They are just collecting dust anyway. Use your imagination to create something of your own by painting your home-found treasure (s) and using flowers and plants to decorate around it. I’ve seen lawn ornaments such as old claw-foot bath tubs, bed frames, toilet bowls, toilet seats and the like in a bed of flowers and plants or surrounded by other lawn ornaments. These can be creations of your own with literally endless possibilities. Make it a fun activity with your kids. Let them pick out the special lawn ornament of their choice from your stash and decorate away.
As stated above, lawn ornaments can be anything and there are many choices of lawn décor to choose from. With that said s ometimes people tend to go, and I’ll use this term lightly, overboard with lawn ornaments in their yard. If this is you and you think maybe you have too many lawn ornaments, think again! It’s perfectly normal, and mind I say very easy, to go overboard with all the cute lawn ornaments out there to choose from. But if you’d like to change it up a bit try adding more plants and flowers in the mix. This will even out the lawn ornaments versus nature (plants, flowers, grass and trees) ratio. I’ve seen beautiful yards with tons of lawn ornaments that are beautifully intertwined with lots of plants and flowers. What a rich way to decorate your lawn and garden space by mixing lawn ornaments with nature.
Along with adding flowers and plants to your beautiful yard or garden full of lawn ornaments, adding the right colors will do wonders. If you have a colorful display of lawn ornaments try adding more green plants or small trees to the area. You can also incorporate one or two different color flowers. This will settle the color-tone down a bit and give it an even blend of lawn ornaments verses nature. And vice versa, if you have a garden full of cherubs or angels try including a colorful display of flowers and plants using garden planters. Beautiful yellow and red tulips or lilacs would bring those cherubs and angels to life.
Go ahead and take your kids on a scavenger hunt around the house; you never know what kinds of jumble you’ll find that will make great lawn ornaments. Your lawn and garden will be looking at its prime when you establish a good lawn ornaments verses nature assortment and determine the right colors to use. So if your garden and lawn ornaments are screaming for a makeover give it what it needs to create the story or theme you are looking to produce.
To some, going green seems to be the latest fad. But unlike the ever-changing styles in shoes, cars and clothing, this “fad” is great for the environment, and will return benefits to you and your family. Follow these tips to start greening your backyard!
Organic Gardening :
Earth-friendly gardening is not about the kind of plants you grow, rather it focuses on the way you grow them. The biggest differences between organic and non-organic gardening are the types of fertilizer and pest control used. Organic gardening only applies animal or vegetable fertilizers, such as compost, instead of synthetic ones. Organic matter gives soil organisms something to eat. These organisms break down the soil and fertilizer and turn it into digestible items for your plants. Many organic gardeners even make their own compost from kitchen and yard waste, thereby not only nourishing the soil, but also reducing the amount of trash their households produce!
Organic gardeners also choose all-natural methods to ward off pesky insects. Instead of spraying dangerous chemicals to kill unwanted insect life, predatory insects such as ladybugs or lacewings can remove the bugs that damage flowers and plants. You can attract these predatory insects with plants like fennel, dill, allysum and cumin.
The type of plants you choose to include in your garden is another important consideration for organic gardening. Increase the natural health of your soil by finding plants that thrive in your geographic area. Also, alternate what you plant year by year to help create a mini-ecosystem in your backyard!
Eco-Friendly Lawn Care
Now that we’ve taken a look at organic gardening, let’s focus on Earth-friendly lawn care. Start with the kind of grass in your lawn. Just like your garden, it is important to choose grass that will thrive in your climate. People living in the North and Pacific Northwest, who deal with cool and humid climates, should plant fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. For those living in the warm and humid South or Southwest, zoysia, Bermuda and St. Augustine grasses are the best choices. People living in the cool and semi-arid Plains should plant Buffalo grass.
After finding the best grass for your area, it’s time to make sure your soil is nutrient rich and healthy. As with your garden, use organic products instead of synthetic fertilizers to feed your lawn. This will be a larger investment to begin with, but will pay off in the end. Synthetic fertilizers do not last as long as organic ones, which means you have to reapply a synthetic fertilizer more often. Make sure to sweep your fertilizer off the sidewalks or driveways and back onto your lawn to prevent water pollution. Both synthetic and organic fertilizers can cause water pollution if they wash down into storm drains instead of feeding your lawn.
Natural Landscaping
It may sound counterproductive, but reducing the amount of lawn in your yard is a great energy and water conservation method. A smaller lawn means less mowing, which in turn means less energy, whether electric or gas-powered, is used. A smaller lawn also translates into less water consumption. Watering grass uses more water than flower beds, or even vegetable gardens.
Now, you’re ready to transform your backyard into an eco-friendly wonderland! Head to your nearest gardening store or nursery and start planning. When your flowers, vegetables and lawn are in full bloom you’ll be glad you took the time to landscape by going green.
Earth-friendly gardening
When designing a garden or landscape, it’s important to maintain a balanced color palette. Just as you wouldn’t want an entire house decorated in blue and yellow, nor would you want an entire garden of only blue and yellow flowers. For this reason, we try to design our gardens and landscapes with a variety of colors that complement each other. The most obvious sources of color in a yard come from plants and flowers; however, color in your garden can come from many other sources. When planning your garden design, don’t underestimate how other materials can impact the overall look of your landscape.
First and foremost, consider the type of garden edging or landscape border that you’ll use in and around your planting beds. The possible material choices are endless. A few of the more common borders used are pavers, black plastic edging, landscape timbers, and brick or stone edgers. Because edging varies so much in color and texture, your choice will have a big impact on the overall look of your landscape. You might also want to consider mixing a couple different types of edging materials to achieve an eclectic look with even more color.
Mulch or groundcover is another easy way to add color and dimension to your garden. Materials range from bark and wood chips to gravel and stone, with many other alternatives in between. Colors of these materials vary widely; it’s possible to find groundcover in almost any hue of the rainbow, as well as many colors that aren’t in the rainbow!
When planning your landscape design, don’t forget to include garden structures such as trellises, arbors, furniture, and more. Garden structures not only add color to your yard, but they also serve as an architectural element that can be used as a focal point in the garden, creating visual interest.
Trellises are probably one of the least expensive garden structures that can still provide a big visual punch. A garden trellis serves as a support structure for climbing plants and flowers, allowing them to grow upward instead of outward, and literally bringing your garden to new heights. Arbors and pergolas are the next step up in size and expense, but they also add a lot more height to your yard and can also provide shade, a place to sit and rest, or even a gated entrance into a back or side yard. Arbors, pergolas, and trellises are all available in a wide variety of materials and colors. If you want to color match the structure to your home, then you’ll probably want to choose wood that can be painted. For something that doesn’t require as much ongoing maintenance, consider a durable PVC vinyl that won’t require painting or staining. Just make sure the plastic has been treated with a UV inhibitor so the color doesn’t fade or change as exposed to sunlight.
Colorful outdoor furniture can compliment your design and improve the functionality of your outdoor space. Consider a well-placed bench in the middle of your garden, or even a pair of chairs and a table, nestled in a bed of daisies in the spring. Smaller pieces of outdoor furniture can be a good investment because they can easily be moved around and rearranged as desired. Like arbors, pergolas, and trellises, garden furniture also comes in a variety of materials and color choices. If you’re really picky about the specific color you want, opt for wood that can be painted. Otherwise, a rust free metal like aluminum or a UV protected vinyl will offer lower maintenance options that are still available in many hues.
As you create your landscape design, remember that plants and flowers are not the only way to add color and visual interest to your yard. By thinking outside the box and incorporating other garden elements like some of those we’ve discussed, you can create a garden that’s not only colorful, but also as individual and unique as you are.
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More folks than ever before are getting into composting and benefiting from all it has to offer. Composting is the natural process of rotting food which usually turns into matter that may then be used in gardens to feed flowers. You will find only a couple of fundamental actions that have to be taken to get started composting, such as obtaining the proper composting supplies. There are a couple of pieces of composting supplies which you can purchase to get started making your own fertilizer.
Get started by buying a compost container or even using an old container that you simply discover around the home, one that is big enough to hold a fair bit of fertilizer blend with a bit of space remaining. Besides that you will also need to get yourself a compost turner. These things may be natural and come with a healthy share of benefits but let’s face it, mixing this decaying waste around with your hands is not some thing most people would desire doing. That’s where a compost turner is necessary, since this really is a specially designed tool used for keeping your compost correctly aerated.
Therefore this will help in the decomposition process. A compost fork is an additional Composting Supplies, one that’s quite comparable however when the 2 tools are used alongside each other you will get the greatest results with your compost. There’s also the compost thermometer. That is a piece of equipment that is going to assist you maintain track with the general temperature within your fertilizer and ensure that it continues at the temperature you wish.
Particularly for folks who pick to keep their compost bin outside, making use of a compost thermometer is necessary. It is trash used in fertilizer however having it kept in the wrong temperature may harm it. You should aim to constantly keep your compost at a temperature of between 104-150F. This really is truly the only method to keep an eye on the temperature of the compost and keep it from melting or freezing.
Moisture meters are also helpful Composting Supplies for composting and more or less complete the gathering of Composting Supplies you need to get started. You would work with a moisture meter in your compost to show you how wet or dry your pile is. Compost does need to be watered so you can make use of the moisture meter to show you when it’s time for you to add a bit more water to the mix. You will not have to spend a lot of money on your Composting Supplies and it’s going to make things a whole lot simpler for you.
The author of this article, Hank Gordon, writes at his website Gardeners Info Point. com about the rotating compost bin in general and a back porch compost tumbler in particular.
Families are trying to save money any way they can, and gardeningmay be one of the best ways to do that!You can grow healthy food right in your backyard. Not only will you be able to walk outside forfresh vegetables or flowers, you will know exactly what has gone into the foodyour family is eating. You can growhealthy organic food just steps from your kitchen window!
Start the gardeningprocess by planning what kind of garden you would like. Do you want herbs, flowers vegetables, or amix of all three? If you choose flowers,do you want annuals that need to be planted every year, or perennials that havea shorter blooming period but will come back next year? Also consider the region in which you live. Some plants are more likely to thrive incertain areas of the country. Often seedpackets indicate which areas of the country produce the best results. Your local gardening center will also be ableto point you in the right direction.
Once you decide what you want to plant, you need to find thebest spot in your yard. Look for a placewith easy access to water, proper drainage and direct sunlight. Consider putting the garden in a spot thatyou look at every day, such as outside a kitchen or bathroom window. It will not only be a lovely sight, but willhelp remind you when the garden needs water and weeding.
Now that you’ve chosen the spot, it is time to startdigging. It is important to find theright time for this job you can ruinthe soil’s structure if you begin digging when it is too wet or too dry. A good rule of thumb is to dig only when thesoil is moist enough to create a dirt ball in your hand, but dry enough thatthe ball will fall apart when dropped.Use a spade or spade fork to turn over eight to twelve inches of soil,and mix in organic matter as you work.Continue to mix organic matter with the soil for approximately threeweeks before planting your seeds. Thiswill improve your soil’s water retention and soil buffering. Test your soil’s pH before you plant. Some plants prefer more acidic soil, some prefermore alkaline, and some are happiest in neutral soil. Getting the right soil pH may mean thedifference between a flourishing garden and failing one.
While you are improving the soil in your garden, start shopping for plants. Visit your local gardening center, read magazines and brochures, or surf the Internet to find inspiration for what you would like to plant in your backyard. There are plenty of annuals, perennials and vegetables that are great for beginning gardeners. Cosmos, marigolds, impatiens, geraniums, sunflowers and zinnias are perfect first-time annuals. Beginner’s perennials include lambs ear, lazy susans, coneflowers and daylilies. If you are interested in vegetables, consider planting lettuce, peppers, tomatoes or cucumbers in your first garden.
If you purchased small plants instead of seeds, gradually introduce them to bright sunlight. Many greenhouses and gardening stores keep their plants inside and away from direct sun. Start by putting the plants on a covered porch, then move them to an area that gets sunlight for a portion of the day and finally plant them in the ground.
Water your plants only weekly, at first. Use a soaker hose in the mornings for the best results. Any more water and you will run the risk of drowning your plants. Once they are well established, water according to the guidelines for each plant, as well as your area’s rainfall.
Don’t forget to keep your garden tools clean! While this may seem counterintuitive since you use the tools in dirt, it is important. Dirty gardening tools can attract microbes that will harm your plants. Using clean gardening tools is one of the easiest ways to keep your plants free from disease and infestation.
If a backyard garden sounds too ambitious, consider container gardening or square foot gardening. Container gardens are a great way to reuse old porcelain bowls, tires or other items you no longer need. First, decide whether you would like to keep your plants inside or outside, then you can choose the containers you want. When picking a container, there are a few considerations to keep in mind. The height of the plant at maturity, whether it needs partial or full sun and the length of the bloom time are all factors that will help you decide which kind of container you will need.
Square foot gardening is another great option. These are small, intensely planted gardens. It is a form of organic gardening done in closely planted, raised beds. Square foot gardening is a fine option for people who live in areas with bad soil, first-time gardeners or those with disabilities that prevent them from caring for a traditional garden. Square foot gardens require less weeding, less water and fewer pesticides than conventional gardens.
Now you are ready to begin planting! Gardening is a fun way to connect with nature and to give your family fresh vegetables, herbs and flowers to enjoy all summer long.
You can easily turn your garden or yard into a new look for this season. From coleus plants to petunias annual plants are a wonderful way to enhance your garden. Whether you are new to gardening or an old pro this guide will help you choose the best flowering annuals for your space.
What is an Annual?
Annuals are plants that have a life cycle that spans just a single season. In simple terms, they appear in the spring, grow beautifully, go to seed, then they die once the frost hits in your area. While there are many different types of traditional annuals, some plants that are called annuals can be perennials if they’re planted in the right climate.
How do I Choose the Right Annuals?
Making the correct plant selection depends quite a bit on your experience with gardening, how much work you want to do, and where you live.
The annual plants you decide upon are influenced in part by your skill as a gardener. If you’ve been doing this for some time, pick anything you like. If you’re new to the world of gardening, though, you may want to choose plants with a reputation for being simple to grow. Success during your initial season may spur you to choose something that tests your skills a bit in the seasons to come.
Maybe all you need is some attractive flowering annuals outside your window in a planter. If you’re busy with other things and you want simplicity, that must be taken into account. For some gardening is therapeutic and a relaxing pastime which helps any time, any day. Figuring out where you’re at on that scale before you choose plants is a must. Some annual choices can go without water for an entire weekend. Others need constant maintenance that you may or may not have time to handle.
Where you live also has an impact on what to grow. Some plants love dry, arid climates. Others love wet, cooler areas. Knowing which is which and what’s right for you is key to selecting the ideal annual this season.
Planting Your Selection
The key with any annual is that you can’t rush it. On the whole, these are plants that prefer warm soil as well as temperatures that won’t dip too far one way or the other, so waiting a bit later in the season to plant is never a problem.
Once you’re ready, pull the plants you’ve chosen from the pots you purchased. If the roots look at bit compacted, break them apart a bit to help them develop a better root system after planting. Some nurseries use peat pots for annuals, and they’ll have directions on the side as to how to handle the pot.
As you set each one in the garden, you’ll want to put it at about the same level they were at in their original pot. Add soil, water, and a bit of starter fertilizer around the base of the plant, then water it on a regular basis. If weeds are a concern you can always try mulch around the plant to keep weeds at bay.
Finding a Helpful Nursery
These days, the nursery around the corner may have become an online powerhouse that exclusively handles e-orders. Ordering online has become almost commonplace nowadays and why not, the big box stores only have narrow selections and that reliable and trusted nursery is a thing of the past.
Ordering online probably means you’ll get a much better selection of plants than you might have at the closest big box store, and it may also spell a measure of customer support that’s just not available at many other places. Online nurseries typically have highly trained growers who have spent their lives learning about what they sell, and instant access to those kinds of professionals is hard to come by.
What’s more, though, is that ordering online gives you the ability to carefully research each plant before purchase. Take a look at what climate it grows best in. An excellent source for information are blogs and forums of trusted sites to see what others have to say. Connect with people just like you who are starting to grow such plants for the first time. This wasn’t an option to novice gardeners as little as a ten years ago.
Whether you have acres of garden or just a few pots, you will need the best gardening tools for the job. Hardware shops and garden centres usually carry a wide range of gardening tools from the fairly cheap to the very expensive. Apart from considering your budget, the amount of use your tools will get should be a consideration when choosing.
If you have a lawn you will need a lawn mower. Obviously size and type is dictated by the size of your lawn; you won’t need a sit-on mower for a few square metres of lawn. Whatever size your lawn, you will need a lawn rake or an electric scarifier to remove any dead grass which is stopping the new grass from growing. Long-handled shears are useful for keeping the edges neat or you could use an electric strimmer or an edge cutting tool (half moon shape with a sharp blade).
Secateurs are a must, even if you have a veranda garden. Many plants will grow in pots, particularly if they have speciality dwarf varieties and most will benefit from occasional pruning. You will also need secateurs for removing dead flower heads. You should look for a type which has a tension control and control for the distance of the blades from each other. This is useful for different sized plant stems and also for different sized human hands.
For container gardening and small weeding jobs a hand fork is essential with a trowel for planting smaller plants. You may want to buy a bespoke weeding tool as well. These are about 20cm long and thin with a slightly curved blade for making sure that the whole weed root is removed.
For larger beds, a full sized fork and spade will be needed for turning the earth and digging holes for shrubs. These tools will have to do some hard work so buy the sturdiest you can find. A rake is also useful for smoothing over soil ready for planting flower or vegetable seeds and a hoe for weeding.
If you have hedges or trees, obviously good shears or an electric hedge trimmer will be needed as well as a pruning saw. Pruners with a long extendable handle are useful for pruning trees which are out of normal reach.
In the end you should buy the best tools for gardening that you can afford and which suit the job you need them to do.
Liz Canham is a keen gardener who has exchanged the relative ease of gardening in Southern England for the trials of gardening on the Costa Blanca in Spain, where her garden is at a 45% angle on the side of a mountain. To take advantage of her experience visit her website, Gardening for All and get some great gardening tips.
Who doesn’t love to have butterflies in the garden? Those marvellous vibrantly coloured insects with their fragile wings are a delight to watch. However, you need to be careful if you have cats or puppies as they just love to chase them and unfortunately, they often catch and kill them.
To attract butterflies you need to choose plants for butterflies, not necessarily plants for you. Hopefully you both like the same varieties, but butterflies are only attracted to nectar rich flowers and not all varieties of butterflies are attracted to the same plants. You also need to provide plants to support the butterfly throughout its lifecycle.
Butterflies do recognise colour, so large plantings of the same of the same flowers that attract butterflies will work best. Some butterflies are attracted to weeds so if you have a meadow or some uncultivated part of your garden, that might be suitable.
Some common plants that attract butterflies are of course Buddleia (Butterfly Bush) as well as Honeysuckle, Vibernum, Lilac, Lavender, Lantana, Azalea, Cornflower, Lupin, Verbena, Violet, Snapdragon and Hollyhock. Herbs too, such as Mint, Sage, Parsley and Oregano attract butterflies. This list is by no means exhaustive, just includes those plants which most people will recognise – there are dozens more so research is necessary to find out which plants attract your local butterfly population.
Most people probably don’t really like the idea of encouraging caterpillars but the butterfly needs to be supported through its larvae stage as well. While larvae eat a huge amount very quickly, they only do so for a very short time so damage to plants is minimal.
It’s not only plants that attract butterflies but water too. A birdbath or some other raised bowl would be ideal, preferably out of easy reach of cats, dogs and children.
Another factor for butterflies in the garden is sunlight as sun loving flowers attract more butterflies. However, butterflies also need shade, not only from the sun but from wind and rain as well.
One last word of warning if you want butterflies in the garden and that is go easy on the pesticides as butterflies are easily killed by them. Try a dilute solution of washing up liquid and removing infected foliage if you have trouble with plant pests and diseases.
Liz Canham is a keen gardener who has exchanged the relative ease of gardening in Southern England for the trials of gardening on the Costa Blanca in Spain, where her garden is at a 45% angle on the side of a mountain. To take advantage of her experience visit her website, Gardening for All and get some great gardening tips.
Planning your perfect lawn in the great state of Texas offers a variety of grasses, each unique to the four climates across the state. Most of the favorite grass species are homogeneous with the spring or summer planting and at a dept of 1/4 to 1/2 an inch below the surface of the soil. Certain grasses thrive in the region’s select weather conditions, so be sure you have chosen your lawn seeding carefully to allow a robust growth with minimal maintenance. And if you need a head start with your options, take a look at the Texas Top 10:
1. Native Buffalo Grass
Native Buffalo Grass is the ideal choice for seeding your landscape with minimal care and maintenance. This low growing, curly shaped species is resilient in extreme hot and cold temperatures and prefers a planting in firmer soils. The tufted growth patterns adds drama and dimension to any landscape, yet requires low irrigation outside of the warmer months. The Native Buffalo species makes a nice appearance and is a good match for adding a few colorful wildflowers to the mix.
2. Southern Plains Native Grass
The Southern Plains native grass grows well in central Texas and may be used for ornamental or eco-friendly use. This graceful beauty can reach a height of 36 inches and is another fine choice for wildflower mixing over a large acreage.
3. Ryegrass
The ryegrass comes in a variety species, one of which is a Texas favorite for turf grasses. The delicate sheaths grow upwards and collapse into a graceful fold, with the glossy green shading on the underside. Ryegrasses prefer moist soil and thrive in stable climates that do not suffer extreme heat or cold.
4. Tall Fescue
The Tall Fescue grass does well in the Texas northeast regions and holds up well in hot temperatures. You can count on this species to be shade tolerant and thrive with a rich green color all year round. In addition to the pure Tall Fescue, blended seed varieties such as Kentucky Bluegrass and Ryegrasses make a nice appearance for any lawn. If you have exceptionally shady areas and wish to blend in a tailor-made variety, try adding Bonny Dunes Fescue Blend, Chewings Fine Fescue or Creeping Red Fine Fescue for minimal maintenance and dramatic results.
5. Weeping Lovegrass
The Weeping Lovegrass species grows in ornamental bunches, adding drama and flair to a special corner of your landscape. This beauty sprouts leaves of up to twenty inches in length and can stand up to four feet at full maturity. This South African import has adapted well in the United States and prefers to thrive in the southwest Great Plain regions.
6. Mohawk Bermuda
The Mohawk Bermuda is richly texture and adaptable to extreme cold and drought season. In addition, the Mohawk Bermuda grass is an excellent pasture seeding for munching and grazing while maintaining its star quality for landscaping and turf.
7. Argentina Bahia Grass
The Argentina Bahia grass works well for both pasture and lawns and favors the northeast region of Texas climate. The best time for planting is spring and summer for a dense growth with excellent tolerance for the sun. The Argentina Bahia is durable, requires minimal watering, however, does not do well in shaded areas.
8. Dichondra
The Dichondra grass is a maintenance free lawn coverage that offers a deep green tone and ovular-shaped buds. This love it and leave it variety requires almost no lawn care and adds a dark green layered look to open spaces. The Dichondra grass does well in warmer climates where the air temperatures remain above 25 degrees at night and requires only one inch of water per wetting session.
9. Tallgrass
The Tallgrass species thrives in southwest Texas and is partial to lower elevations below 6000 feet. This native grass can grow to 96 inches and prefers a moist soil for maturity. This beautiful free-flowing grass makes a great companion to wildflower seedlings for a landscape bursting with color and a sweet aroma.
10. La Paloma Bermuda Grass
The La Paloma Bermuda grass is an excellent choice for that finely manicured garden appeal. A favorite with golf courses and sports fields, the La Paloma Bermuda grass produces a dark green and finely textured lawn that performs well with most weather conditions.
Joe Cline writes articles for Austin Real Estate. Other articles written by the author related to Cedar Park real estate and Austin Texas real estate can be found on the net