Tag: plant

Posted on

How to plant shrubs for landscaping success in North Texas

This curved bed of shrubs features clusters of plants, with taller ones to the sides and a variety of textures and colors.

This curved bed of shrubs features clusters of plants, with taller ones to the sides and a range of textures and shades.


Neil Sperry

Exclusive to the Star-Telegram

In much more than 50 many years of watching my fellow Texans landscape their houses I’ve decided that in all probability 80{6d6906d986cb38e604952ede6d65f3d49470e23f1a526661621333fa74363c48} of the new shrubs are planted from mid-March by means of mid-June. Regretably, I have also observed that numerous of all those shrubs are planted improperly. I’d like to offer a couple of primary pointers that may make any spring renovations you’re making a bit far more profitable.

Start off with good mattress style and design. Dimension is vital. Matters want to be retained in proportion. 1-story residences need to have beds that change from 5 to 7 feet extensive, with the widest parts wrapping close to corners and broadening out at the entryway. Two-story houses, since of their increased masses, are worthy of further beds — to 10 to 12 ft broad.

Curved beds glimpse a lot more normal. If your target is to have your landscape look like a North Texas forested meadow, plant in gently curved beds. Steer clear of extensive, straight rows that repeat the strains of your house. Lay a flexible yard hose out on a heat, sunny day and figure out a pleasing contour for the bed.

If there is sod inside that boundary, either dig it and replant it somewhere in your lawn or utilize a glyphosate-only herbicide precisely with a pump sprayer to kill it without contaminating the soil. That spray would need to have to hold out until eventually late April, at the time the grass has started off developing and is primarily all green. Give the weedkiller two months to destroy the grass and you are going to be ready to begin working the mattress.

Pick your shrubs quite meticulously. Allow extremely-trustworthy evergreens make up the framework of your landscape style. Really do not worry so substantially about no matter whether they bloom, given that bouquets only very last a pair of months. You want vegetation that glimpse wonderful all 12 months extended. The bulk of your shrubs ought to be dark environmentally friendly sorts that keep their leaves all yr. Then you can appear again with focal spots of flowering shrubs or very variegated kinds for very little pockets of drama.

Steer clear of faddish vegetation that come and go. Decorative grasses, for example, are not shrubs. They’re brown fifty percent of the 12 months, and brown soon gets to be tedious. Dazzling yellow crops seem like they require iron, and as well numerous purple-leafed crops can draw interest away from your residence and to the landscape by itself.

Know each and every species’ winter hardiness. You are going to see it described by a USDA Hardiness Zone. The most modern map (2012) put the Metroplex and suburbs in Zone 8, but we have had two winters considering that then that have been considerably colder than that. The prior map from 1990 that experienced us in Zone 7 is, in my opinion, almost certainly extra accurate.

The best landscapes have only five to 7 species of shrubs seen from any one area. If you use much less styles the garden gets to be boring. If you use much more it seems to be jumbled.

Know the place the focal position of your landscape is. For the front yard it’s just about normally the entrance doorway. Taper your plantings from tall plants at the corners down to shorter plants in close proximity to the entry. In undertaking so you’ll be making a visible “funnel” that will attract your guests’ eyes right in which you want them. Then, if ideal, you can add an accent issue of drama this sort of as a tree-type crape myrtle or holly 10 or 15 feet out from the doorway and just inside of that curved mattress.

Shrubs search finest if they’re planted in groupings and clusters alternatively than in straight rows. Yet again, your objective is the organic glance, and shrubs in nature are seldom witnessed in straight ranks. Plant them in groupings where they’ll be observed as persons, but the place they’ll perform as a crew. Space them much plenty of aside that they can ultimately improve together with no crowding 1 one more.

Take into consideration each shrub’s texture as you fit them with each other like items of a puzzle. Textures are determined by leaf size, advancement form and other characteristics, and you want an eye-catching blend of textures to make the shrub bed visually appealing.

My previous suggestion is that you usually get from a Texas Qualified or Master Certified Nursery Specialist. You are going to find them at member nurseries of the Texas Nursery and Landscape Affiliation. For the most portion those people are likely to be impartial retail backyard garden centers wherever you can communicate to whole-time nursery industry experts.

The very last query you need to talk to ahead of you hand them your card is, “Is any of the plants in my cart a oversight?” Enable them own element of your selection. Relying on that expert support will be a person of the largest video game changers you can make.

You can hear Neil Sperry on KLIF 570AM on Saturday afternoons 1-3 p.m. and on WBAP 820AM Sunday mornings 8-10 a.m. Join him at www.neilsperry.com and abide by him on Fb.

Relevant stories from Fort Truly worth Star-Telegram

Posted on

Plant natives for fire-safe landscapes | Your Home

Drought-tolerant native vegetation “hang onto their humidity even in the face of flames,” according to landscape contractor and designer Greg Rubin, who spoke at a modern webinar on native landscaping.

For instance, a small-increasing rosemary and a indigenous buckwheat shrub increasing subsequent to it were being watered the exact same sum, but they ended up afflicted differently by the 2007 Witch Creek Fire north of San Diego. The rosemary was long gone, diminished to a black smudge, but the buckwheat nevertheless experienced environmentally friendly leaves.







buckwheat

Red-flowered buckwheat is a minimal-developing perennial that can keep on to sufficient dampness to block and cool embers from an encroaching fire. The vital is light-weight watering two to 3 moments a month that mimics a swift summer time thunderstorm, delivering a quarter-inch of water each time.




Rubin’s 2013 book “The California Indigenous Landscape,” composed with Lucy Warren, incorporates this illustration in the chapter on hearth.

Fireplace resistance is an fantastic purpose to landscape with natives, and it contradicts the extensively held idea that natives are possible hearth bombs that should be cleared from any household web page around wildlands. In reality, drought-tolerant natives that are evenly irrigated and planted at proper densities provide not only increased fireplace resistance than a traditional landscape, but also habitat value and 12 months-round elegance. The authentic hazard is all the non-indigenous weeds that transfer into sites cleared of indigenous vegetation. A hearth can promptly sweep across a weedy area, fueled by dry weeds and with practically nothing to stop it.

Light irrigation, which Rubin endorses throughout heat months, is overhead watering each individual 10-14 times that washes dust off the leaves and moistens the mulch but does not saturate the soil. Every single watering amounts to approximately a quarter-inch of rainfall.

To examination his observations, Rubin collaborated with fireplace ecologist Jon Keeley and other folks in a study published in 2020. At three landscaped residence web-sites bordering wildlands in San Diego County, the researchers monitored the h2o information of flippantly watered, thinned and unthinned native shrubs. The shrubs, positioned around 30-100 feet from the homes, have been assessed each individual two months for 2 1/2 several years. The California buckwheat, California scrub oak, laurel sumac and bigberry manzanita were being native to the web pages and repeated in the property landscapes. Employing fireplace modeling software program, they concluded that light-weight watering afforded better fireplace resistance than thinning, and also manufactured the landscape glimpse better through the dry time.







scrub oak

Scrub oaks and other native chaparral vegetation can assist defend a household at the city-wildland interface from fires. Thinned to 50{6d6906d986cb38e604952ede6d65f3d49470e23f1a526661621333fa74363c48} of deal with, with 4-foot-vast paths that also serve as firebreaks, native chaparral can disrupt the flow of embers and maintain them from achieving structures. Mulch effectively to prevent remarkably combustible non-indigenous weeds from growing in the areas among natives.

 




Wildfires unfold not only as flames, but, specially when stirred up by dry winds, as embers. Cleared land is a “perfect bowling alley for embers,” in accordance to fireplace ecologist Rick Halsey. But frivolously irrigated indigenous crops “disturb the flows of air and capture embers,” Rubin stated, blocking or cooling embers in advance of they can attain a house. The crops keep ample moisture so that they are not them selves ignited by stray embers.

The simple landscaping procedures if you stay in close proximity to wildlands:

• Up to 4 ft from the property, use hardscape only.

• From 4 ft to 30 ft, plant minimal-growing or low-density native shrubs and perennials and frivolously irrigate them.

• From 30 toes to 100 feet, skinny the native vegetation to 50{6d6906d986cb38e604952ede6d65f3d49470e23f1a526661621333fa74363c48} protect and insert 4-foot-extensive paths that can also provide as firebreaks. Fairly than digging out plants, slash them again and leave roots in the floor to prevent erosion. Mulch effectively to avoid weeds. Include noncombustible yard features this kind of as stone benches and birdbaths. As extra coverage, frivolously irrigate this zone.

Posted on

Growing Bermuda Grass: Learn About Bermuda Grass Care

The Spaniards brought Bermuda grass to America in the 1500s from Africa. This attractive dense grass, also known as “Southern Grass,” is an adaptable warm-season grass that many people use for their lawns. It is also found in meadows, athletic fields, golf courses, parks and more.
Let’s learn together more about how and when is the right time to plant Bermuda grass.

Information about Growing Bermuda Grass

Bermuda grass is a cold-tolerant, winter grass that will grow as far north as Virginia. In the warmer tropics, Bermuda grass will stay green all year round. In other areas that drop below 60 degrees F., it will become dormant.
Ideal growing areas for Bermuda grass include United States Department of Agriculture zones 7 through 10. How to plant Bermuda grass is easy as long as you are diligent in giving fertilizer, watering enough water and having the right conditions.

When to Plant Bermuda Grass

The best time to plant Bermuda grass is in the spring once temperatures are consistently warm; this is generally April or March in warmer areas.

How to Grow Bermuda Grass

Bermuda is not particularly picky about soil type and will even tolerate salt spray, making it a good choice for coastal areas. Bermuda grass does well in full sun but will tolerate some shade. And don’t forget to fertilize with Bermuda grass fertilizer, water regularly and cut the grass when it’s 2 inches to keep it healthy and thrive.

At one point in time, Bermuda was grown only from the ground or stalks but is now widely available in seed form. For best and perfect results, use 1 pound of hulled Bermuda grass per 1000 square feet for planting. This grass sprouts quickly and is very difficult to remove once it starts growing.

Start by sweeping the area to be seeded until it’s as smooth as possible. Make a mixture of sand and seeds in equal parts. Seeds can be broadcast using a spreader or by hand for smaller areas. To avoid spikes in the yard, divide half of the mixture lengthwise and half of the mixture crosswise.

Bermuda Grass Care

Bermuda grass care is not difficult. Daily watering is all that is needed when the grass is starting to form. Once the grass is established, the frequency of watering can be reduced, but the amount of water per watering session is increased. The grass will need an inch per week if there is no significant rainfall.
Once the grass has reached 2 inches, it can be trimmed with a sharp knife or lawn shears. Mowing will help the grass harden and spread.

Fertilize six weeks after planting with a good Bermuda grass fertilizer for the growth of your Bermuda grass. Apply pre-emergence weed control in the fall.

Posted on

Perennial Plant Association Announces Call for 2022 Landscape Design Award Entries

Raleigh, NC – Do you have a undertaking that showcases perennials? The Perennial Plant Association is psyched to announce the application period for the 2022 Landscape Structure awards is now open, Women Beauty! 

Initiated in 1992, the PPA Landscape Design and style Awards application acknowledges design tasks that are exemplary in use of herbaceous perennials to enable generate well balanced and beautiful landscapes. The

“after- market” programs of growers’ items and the structure, installation, and upkeep of vegetation in gardens and normal settings are of special curiosity to the Perennial Plant Affiliation. Both of those skilled and newbie designers are invited to take part.

Each individual yr, judges evaluate lots of excellent landscape layouts and pick out the most fantastic entries based on the success of herbaceous perennial plant materials used as a result of the installation of new cultivars, colour combinations, textures, and seasonal mixtures.

The entries comprise 11 groups centered on residential, professional, educational, non permanent/seasonal models, and rate of generation. The judges are gurus in the fields of horticulture and structure.

This year’s award winners will be regarded the subsequent techniques:

  • Awards presentation on August 2nd in the course of the 2022 PPA Countrywide Symposium in Lancaster, PA
  • Complimentary registration for Tuesday, August 2nd at the 2022 PPA Nationwide Symposium in Lancaster, PA
  • Push release announcing award recipients sent out to media publications
  • Social media marketing and a comprehensive feature in an impending PPA publication
  • 2022 PPA Webinar showcasing award-winning design tasks, hosted by each structure staff (Webinar day to be confirmed with award winners)

For far more information and facts and to use, go to:  https://perennialplant.org/site/LDASubmissionsInfo.

Award apps and supporting components are owing to the Perennial Plant Affiliation business by March 18, 2022. Candidates will be notified of evaluations in May possibly 2021.

Kempton, PA Back garden task entry made by Donald Pell Gardens – Winner of the 2021 PPA Landscape Style Honor Award.

The Perennial Plant Association is a trade association composed of growers, shops, landscape designers and contractors, educators, and many others that are skillfully included in the herbaceous perennial business. With a mission to link pros, offer instruction and promote perennial crops, the association has served the horticultural marketplace considering the fact that 1984.

For a lot more data visit www.perennialplant.org.

Home Garden
Landscape Design
Home Decoration

Posted on

A Major New Art Center Has Opened in a Former Moscow Power Plant, But Rising Political Unrest in the Region Is Cooling Excitement

Russian President Vladimir Putin took a tour this week of a century-old power plant, which has just reopened as a contemporary art center after a major, years-long renovation.

The GES-2 House of Culture, the newest home of the V-A-C Foundation, is an ambitious new cultural center set in the heart of Moscow, just opposite Russia’s formidable seat of power. It hopes to become a world-ranking cultural attraction and bring new creative energy to the Russian capital, though it has had to face down a pandemic as well as growing tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine.

Nevertheless, GES-2 is well on its way to becoming a world-class institution. The museum welcomed international press last weekend to its first exhibition and its ultra-modern new home designed by Renzo Piano, who maintained as much of the early 20th-century structure as possible. Sprawling over a 328-foot-long stretch of the main gallery are its inaugural exhibitions and a new “living sculpture” by Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson, comprised of a live film set with actors and a crew who are working over the next months to reshoot 98 episodes of a popular post-Soviet-era soap opera, Santa Barbara.

Ragnar Kjartansson, Santa Barbara, 2021–22 Durational performance, Directed by Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir. Staging and production: Lorem Ipsum Commissioned by V-A-C Foundation, Moscow; Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik/ Based on the series originally created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson ‘SANTA BARBARA’ ©1984 TwentiethCenturyFox Television, all rights reserved.

Ragnar Kjartansson, Santa Barbara (2021–22), durational performance, directed by Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir. Staging and production: Lorem Ipsum Commissioned by V-A-C Foundation, Moscow; Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik/ Based on the series originally created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson ‘SANTA BARBARA’ ©1984 TwentiethCenturyFox Television, all rights reserved.

The 440,000-square-foot disused electrical facility has been under renovation for several years to transform it into an airy and futuristic meeting place for art, performance, and culture. The restoration included redoing its roof with large glass panels and windows on all sides, in order to flood the galleries with light, but also to give a sense of openness and accessibility. On the banks beside the river just outside stands Urs Fischers Big Clay No. 4. Inside, there’s an indoor cinema, areas for artist workshops, and a library, as well as large exhibition spaces.

The institution’s new location has been paid for by Leonid Mikhelson, the billionaire behind Russia’s largest private gas group and cofounded V-A-C foundation alongside its director, curator Teresa Iarocci Mavica. The privately-financed project has not disclosed its costs, though it was last stated in 2018 that the GES-2 may cost at least $300 million. No updated figure has been given, though V-A-C Foundation director Mavica told Moscow Times that it was “incredibly expensive.” Entry will be free of charge.

GES-2 House of Culture. Photo: Ivan Erofeev, 2021

GES-2 House of Culture. Photo: Ivan Erofeev, 2021

“Culture is the process of learning about the world around us, the world of other people, the world within oneself. In other words, culture is a means of direct communication between everyone and everyone, in the most diverse forms,” said Mikhelson, the financial backer and founder of the V-A-C, in a statement, calling the GES-2 “a space of cultural communication open to all.”

Kjartansson’s inaugural exhibition, which is called “Santa Barbara – A Living Sculpture” is a performance piece that takes over the main hall of the museum. Each day of the exhibition, the crew will shoot another episode, to be started and completed that day and shot in one take.

In another part of the museum, his artistic partner Ingibjörg Sigurjònsdottír curated a group show called “To Moscow! To Moscow! To Moscow!” which includes artists Roni Horn, Theaster Gates, and Carolee Schneemann. The projects are both part of the first “season” of the museum’s program, which explores a larger story that the GES-2 has set out to explore, called “Holy Barbarians, or Both Are Worse.” This topic hopes to address the complexities of post-Soviet Russia and its relationship to the West.

Ragnar Kjartansson, Santa Barbara, 2021–22 Durational performance, Directed by Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir. Staging and production: Lorem Ipsum Commissioned by V-A-C Foundation, Moscow; Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik/ Based on the series originally created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson ‘SANTA BARBARA’ ©1984 TwentiethCenturyFox Television, all rights reserved.

Ragnar Kjartansson, Santa Barbara, 2021–22 Durational performance, Directed by Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir. Staging and production: Lorem Ipsum Commissioned by V-A-C Foundation, Moscow; Courtesy of the artist, Luhring Augustine, New York and i8 Gallery, Reykjavik/ Based on the series originally created by Bridget and Jerome Dobson ‘SANTA BARBARA’ ©1984 TwentiethCenturyFox Television, all rights reserved.

And though it sets a jovial tone in some the darkest months of the year, the launch comes as the region is living through its second pandemic winter, but also amid escalating political tensions between Russia and the West. (Nearly 100,000 Russian troops were sent to the Ukrainian border this week, and NATO allies, including the U.S. and the U.K., have threatened Putin that they would retaliate should an invasion take place.)

Some also wonder how much freedom of expression there really will be at GES-2. One gallerist told the Moscow Times that the venue could run into problems given that the Russian government has reportedly said it would like to follow a “Chinese model where they completely freeze any political developments.”

Follow Artnet News on Facebook:


Want to stay ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to get the breaking news, eye-opening interviews, and incisive critical takes that drive the conversation forward.

Posted on

Wait until May to plant tropicals for pool landscaping, but use some evergreens as well | Home/Garden

We are just completing the installation of a new pool at our home and are now ready to plant some tropical landscaping. The planting area will get full afternoon sun. I’ve heard you say November is the best time to plant trees — does this also apply to palm trees? What type of palm trees are the hardiest and which would you recommend? What other types of smaller tropicals (palms, bananas, etc.) do you advise? — Paul Baranova

Fall planting applies to hardy trees and shrubs that are not bothered by winter freezes, not tender tropical plants. Palms fall into the tropical plant group and are best planted from May to August. They root best when the soil is warm. The August cutoff date is so that newly planted palms will have time to make root growth and settle in before winter. Palms planted late are at more of a disadvantage should we have significant freezes like we did last February. Among the hardiest palms are cabbage palms (Sabal palmetto) and windmill palms (Trachycarpus fortunei), and these are nice palms to plant around pools as the heads are not so large. Queen palms (Syagrus romanzoffiana) and pygmy date palms (Phoenix roebelenii) look great around pools, but are less hardy and will be damaged or killed by temperatures below 20.

As to smaller tropicals, it is a matter of taste (what you like) and availability at nurseries. Popular choices for sunny areas include hibiscus, bird of paradise, variegated shell ginger, tibouchina, angel’s trumpet, banana, firecracker plant (Russelia), ixora, night blooming jasmine and split-leaf philodendron, to name a few. This is late in the season, however, to plant any tropicals. I’d recommend you install any hardy trees, shrubs, ground covers and perennials that you intend to use in the landscape design this fall, and wait to install the tropicals in April or May. It’s not like the tropical plants would look that nice over the winter anyway, as freezes will make bananas, gingers, etc. look bad. Keep this in mind when you decide what percentage of plant materials around the pool will be hardy and evergreen and what will be tropical. If you use exclusively tropical materials, the area will look far less attractive during the winter cold.

This time of the year with the St. Augustine grass going dormant for the winter, all we have is weeds covering our lawn. The most predominant weed is dollarweed. What can we use this time of the year to try to rid our lawn of the weeds? — Melissa Longman

Atrazine is the best herbicide for dollarweed in St. Aug. It will also control a wide variety of other weeds. You can make an application during mild (70s/60s during the day and 40s/50s at night) weather this fall. Follow label directions carefully. The Atrazine will also suppress the growth of weed seeds. Assess your lawn weed issue in January or February. If needed, you can make another application during a mild spell then. 

I’m growing a variety of peppers (cayenne, Tabasco, Habanero, etc.). I know I can order seeds online, but what is the process to take seeds from my existing plants? How do you dry/treat/preserve them to be viable next year? — David Miller

First, allow the fruit to fully ripen. I like to wait until the pepper actually starts to shrivel slightly before I harvest it. Open up the fruit and extract the seeds. Use a strainer to rinse the seeds thoroughly under running water. Spread the seeds out on a paper towel and allow them to thoroughly dry for about a week. Then, store the seeds in an air tight container in your refrigerator until you plant them next year. If you are growing any F1 hybrid peppers, be aware that they do not come true from seeds. The offspring will be different from the original plants. Also, it is possible that different types of peppers growing close together may have cross-pollinated, and that will lead to offspring that combine the characteristics of the parents.

Purchases made via links on our site may earn us an affiliate commission

Dan Gill is a retired consumer horticulture specialist with the LSU AgCenter. He hosts the “Garden Show” on WWL-AM Saturdays at 9 a.m. Email gardening questions to gnogardening@agcenter.lsu.edu.