results in limbs breaking and falling on your house. Some of the undesirables are boxelder (sheds fruit and twigs, plus shelters yucky boxelder bugs), Bradford pear (heavy seeding and splitting branches), ginkgo (stinky fruit), silver maple (splitting branches), sweetgum (nuisance spiny balls), and tree of heaven (weak weedy growth). For checking out other invasive trees refer to www.invasive.org/species/trees.cfm.
For much more information on trees in general, please turn to Chapter 12. For info on fruit and nut trees, check out Chapter 18.
Vines
Annual vines like morning glory, nasturtium, moonflower, and so on aren’t woody, but vines — woody or not — can be a substantial presence in your landscape. Vines like to grow upward, though some need assistance in terms of occasional judicious pruning/trimming, guidance, and/or support.
Some vines are valued mainly for their lush foliage. Others flower and fruit, with attractive seedheads or berries by fall — all factors that naturally add to their appeal and affect placement and maintenance. Choose vines based on whether and when you want these extra, color-contributing features. Also, when purchasing, be sure to inquire about predicted mature size.
Some of my favorite vines for home landscapes that are both attractive and have bird and wildlife appeal are
Bougainvillea
Clematis
Climbing hydrangea
Climbing roses
Creeping fig
Dutchman’s pipe
Grape
Honeysuckle
Jasmine
Kiwi
Mandevilla
Roles vines can play include
Cloaking or disguising a fence (especially if it’s unattractive; or just use vines to make it into a more substantial barrier)
Climbing a trellis that’s either against a wall or fence or out in the open (if well-supported)
Covering a gazebo to give shade and privacy as well as beauty
Decorating a pillar, arbor, or pergola, adding shade and beauty as well as making a major contribution to your garden landscape
Adding extra, vertical color to your garden (which is especially nice if your garden is small or you want to give it a feeling of enclosure)
Draping over an outbuilding or shed, an old or dead tree trunk, or another larger structure in need of some softening or disguise
Providing flowers and edible fruit for decorating and eating
Note: Even ridiculously strong vines can’t help you swing from tree to tree, namely because they’re attached to the ground and not-so-attached at the top. If you really don’t want to stay grounded, Chapter 19 can give you info on installing a tire swing. For much more information on vines, please turn to Chapter 14. I address climbing roses in more detail in Chapter 9.
www.invasive.org/species/vines.cfm.
The World Is Flat: Caring for Your Lawn
Some gardeners love lawn care; others think it’s just a necessary chore. Whichever way you feel, one thing can’t be denied: Lawns, even small ones, can define a garden. They frame and provide a backdrop for all your other plants. If your lawn looks shabby, unfortunately, the rest of your garden creations just don’t look as good.
I appreciate that everyone these days is pressed for time and can’t spend the time on manicuring their turf like golf course managers do, so in Chapter 11, I give you the basic, nitty-gritty information so that your lawn can do you proud without taking too much time away from the rest of your creative garden pursuits.
Chapter 2
Creating a Landscape That You’ll Love
IN THIS CHAPTER
Consider your ideal garden. Perhaps you know you want a handsome woodland shade garden, but what’ll it look like? Or maybe you know you want a sunny cottage garden, but what’s your vision? Getting to this point in your garden planning is a bit like shopping for a blue shirt. You know you want a shirt and you know you want it to be blue, but you still have plenty of options. Now’s the time to narrow in on your target.
By assessing your gardening wants and needs and what you already have available for your garden, you can come up with the best garden for you. In this chapter, I lead you through the processes that can help you clarify your vision, and I explain how you can start making your dream garden a reality.
Creating a garden can be compared to writing a book. First, you start words (individual plants), then you put these words into sentences (plant combinations), next you put these phrases into paragraphs (sections of the garden), and finally these paragraphs turn into chapters and a book (your entire garden).
