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Better Landscaping for YOUR Home

© Paul Nawrocki - The Wise Gardener

[Editor's Note:] This is the second in our new Virtually Gardening feature - Garden Articles by YOU. Since submitting this article, Paul has become our newest gardening editor, writing about Tropical Gardening.. Be sure to drop in to say hi to Paul and check out his new article on The Refugee from Morocco - the Date Palm.

'Tis time, gardening friends, that we look at our gardens with objective criticism!! No more excuses! Is THIS the "best" you can do? Are you shaking your heads, "NO?"

Well, are you? I am looking at the TWG (The Wise Gardener) yard, and EVEN I see minor blunders around here!! Let's see what we can do to improve our own garden "views!"

In landscaping, the most boring distance between two points: is a straight line! The Wise Gardener, yours truly, cannot even THINK straight! Most of us, (forgive us, estate owners), have just too little land around us to waste with bad landscape design!

Think of what area around YOUR home looks the most pleasing, uh, oh, now...What area looks like absolutely NO thought went into its planning. Yes, YOU, dear reader, try it. I did, and was pretty alarmed by what I saw. It wasn't the worst it has been, but with a little more imagination, it WILL BE so much better, indeed!

I suggest, dear readers, a few no-fail "tips":

1. Use colour prudently: only ONE colour per area (or complimentary floral or leaf colour combinations)! White makes yards look bigger, (red more intimate), incidentally. This is NOT a "tossed salad"-effect you are creating! All green, all white, all pink themes, etc. You get the idea!

2. Don't think straight (lines, that is!): Boring,unimaginative, smaller-looking! How many paths in parks, as well as public gardens, are so inviting because they meander, and weave about! Your landscape is a mini-park, or botanical garden; could yours be interesting enough for people to pay admission, to view? Be honest, garden friends! Remove those "hard angles around your various garden beds.

3.Increase the use of interesting shapes as ground-cover in lieu of GRASS! Rocks,"chattahoochee" pebbles, wood chips, smoothed river stones, odd "signature" plants. (not too many, however!), living ground-cover plants, vining plants, etc. Grass, is too high maintenance (for most people), and a horribly greedy "water-guzzler!" (Sorry, lawn fertilizer companies, my apologies!) Use restraint in devoting areas in your yard to lawns! All these other under-used materials add texture, subtle colourations, are low, or no maintenance, and give a "woodsy" feel to your yard areas. Try some of these OTHER ground-cover

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