Landscaping Ideas For Property Owners

First choose the right place for your rose variety- some prefer full sun, and some would rather have a slightly shaded area. Read the hang tag thoroughly before you purchase and always inspect any plants that you are buying for signs of stress, or parasite. Only buy roses that have solid, green stems with no withered brown spots. If there are leaves beginning, look to be sure that they are not yellow, a sign that they have been forced to grow too quickly, which will stress the plant. Although blooms are pretty, avoid buying already bloomed roses as they may have been exposed to unnatural lighting conditions to get them to bloom before they were really ready to do so.

Once you know where to plant, make sure that you follow the directions for how to plant your new rose. Most nurseries will have a hang tag or other literature that will offer guidelines for size and depth of the hole you will need to dig your plant, and what the best type of fertilizer is and what the best time for adding it is. Some nurseries will have knowledgeable staff that can advise you on the best fertilizer and other products to provide the optimum rose growth. Of course, there are other “green” tricks that are often free and may be better for both the plants and the planet.

After you get your rose firmly planted in its new home, give it a good drink of water, but avoid watering in the middle of the afternoon. Watering is best done in the early morning or early evening hours, and in the really hottest of water, possibly at both times. Loosely mulch around the base of the rose bush to both protect the roots and to help hold in the water. Fertilize with the product of your choice at the time deemed best by nursery experts or the hang tag and then sit back and wait for those beautiful roses to grow in.

My mother grew a Peace rose that was more beautiful with each passing year. Her secret? Once a week she watered this rosebush with the water from the fish aquarium when she cleaned it. Once a month she would feed this gorgeous plant a special “meal” that she lovingly called rosy-food. She would take the peels of two bananas and puree them in the blender with just enough water to make a smooth paste and then dump this on the base of the bush- her roses were often as wide as dinner plates and had a heavenly smell that had just the slightest hint of the bananas in them.

Before any work begins within the yard itself, a basic garden plan should be drawn up to help you formulate your ideas and the placement of elements. There are several questions you need to address to help with this process:

1) Do you already have an existing garden in the area where you wish to incorporate a Japanese garden style? If so, what type of garden is it (flower garden, English garden, rustic wildflower garden, etc.)?

2) Will you be able to integrate your current garden into the new Japanese garden plan? What aspects and features will remain and what will have to be moved, replaced or removed entirely?

3) What style of Japanese garden are you most interested in – tea garden, courtyard garden, stroll garden, pond and island garden, Zen rock garden or a combination of two or more? For very small areas, you will most likely stick to only one style. For those that have a large landscape, you can have your choice of any of the styles to suit your desires and landscape area.

4) How large is the area of the site that you are considering using? Does it have natural hills and valleys? Are there any elements, such a stream, already present? Take a good visual view of your selected site and note down all the details on paper. Take measurements as well, so you know the exact area size you will be working with.

5) What elements and features are important to you? For example, do you wish to add a waterfall, water basin, or a rock arrangement? Would you like one small area to feature a Zen garden? Is a stepping-stone pathway that leads to a gate appealing?

6) Will you be building this garden by yourself or will you have help? The size, design and amount of work to create your Japanese garden will affect this answer. Obviously, building a very large stroll garden by yourself would take forever and be impractical.

7) If you plan to use large boulders or plant more mature trees (rather than saplings), how will you get them into your garden? Is there room and access for large machinery to help with placement? Keep in mind boulders and large trees are extremely heavy.

8) Will your garden be formal, semi-formal, or informal (rustic)?

9) Many Japanese gardens are actually built around a theme. Do you have a theme in mind for your garden? An example of a theme would be a miniaturized version of “The Bridge To Heaven”, which is a marble and stone bridge that spans the famous Dragon Beard Ditch in China. This bridge was built over 600 years ago to allow the Ming and Qing emperors to cross over on their way to the Temple of Heaven. Your theme could even revolve around a smaller replica or area of an original famous garden of Japan. Read books and view photographs of existing gardens to get some ideas.

10) What do you want to achieve with your garden? Will it be used primarily for meditation? Do you wish to incorporate a strolling pathway with new visual delights beyond each curve? Do you want the invigorating sounds of water, such as a waterfall or fast moving stream? Will it be a place to sit quietly and contemplate nature? Understanding the concept behind the garden design is important.

In conclusion, these types of questions should be contemplated carefully and answered thoroughly before you begin to put your design down on paper, otherwise you could end up with a garden that holds no meaning for you or your visitors. A Japanese garden should have a “reason for being.” What are your reasons?