maximios

The observation of plants for a long period of time has shown that they open and close the inflorescences at strictly exact time. This property of plants has interested people, and in the Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome there was an idea of creation the flower clock. For this, the plants which flowers reveal during the exact time of a day, were landed on beds and used as special clocks.

Well-known Swedish botanist Charles Linnej has written the scientific treatise under the name “Somnus plantarum” that in transfer means “Dream of plants“. And in twenties of XVIII-th century on the base of his observation flower were created the flower clock in the city of Uppsala, Sweden. The dial face of these clock consisted of several sectors, with the exact type of flowers in each sector. But this clock only worked in sunny days – in cloudy days some plants simply did not open their inflorescences. And though time on such flower clock could be determined correctly enough, such flower clock couldn’t work all the 24 hours.

You can try to create flower clock in your garden too. Such element of design of a garden will not only be original, but will also allow you to define the exact time simply enough. You have to agree that working in a garden, and have possibility to know the exact time, without distracting from your pleasant cares is very useful.

Flower-clock bed should be placed in the most solar place of your garden.
Here is how define the exact time on flowers.

The most early reveal the flowers of chicory and dog rose – at 4 o’clock.

At 5 o’clock – open the inflorescences of poppy.

At 6 o’clock – wake up field carnation, periwinkle and dandelion.

At 7 o’clock – the hand bells and water-lilies.

At 8 o’clock – the bear bines and marigolds.

At 9 o’clock – the calendula (nails).

At 20 o’clock – fragrant tobacco opens its inflorescences.

At 21 o’clock – the wild orchid.

In the afternoon flowers start to close. It happens at exact time too:

At 13-14 o’clock – hand bell closes its nimbuses.

At 14-15 o’clock – the poppy and a dandelion.

At 15-16 o’clock – the chicory.

At 16-17 o’clock – fall asleep calendula and marigolds.

At 17 o’clock – the carnation, periwinkle, coltsfoot.

At 18-19 o’clock – the buttercups.

At 19-20 o’clock – the dog rose.

See also: Fruit Structure and Types, Garden Paths, Garden Plants Shrubs

Traditionally flower beds are bright mix of the various plants which have been picked up on the similarity of colour, height and form. But there are also flower beds of another type – in which there dominate the plants of one kind. These are monoflower beds which can be also named the garden of one flower. The basis of a flower composition of such flower bed is one sort or one kind of plants. If, for example, you have seen in spring a lawn in the garden, covered with multi-coloured primroses, that was the monoflower bed. Especially picturesque are the monoflower beds from kinds and grades of one flower, which can have absolutely different colours.

But there is also other way. In order to allocate and underline the beauty of each grade of a plant (for example, tulips they don’t have to be mixed, and on the contrary, landed strictly in small groups. The garden space is divided on small geometrically correct sites, on each of which only one grade is landed: red, white, yellow, rose-white, terry, fringed… Such monoflower bed is also called a monogarden. I usually has a rectangular configuration and is surrounded with a green hedge or trellis.

The Garden of Roses

The garden of roses or the rosary is, perhaps, the most magnificent kind of a monogarden…

Continue of the article: Garden of Roses

The Garden of Gladioluses

Gladioluses are extraordinary various on colouring, forms, the sizes of flowers and inflorescences and the whole habitus of plants…

Continue of the article: Garden of Gladioluses

The Garden of Peonies

From various grades of peonies that differ on height, terms of flowering and colouring of flowers, it is possible to create a garden from blossoming peonies, conceding on the beauty and aroma only to the garden from roses…

Continue of the article: Garden of Peonies

The Garden of Phloxes

The garden of phloxes, creates an extraordinary beauty of late summer and early autumn flowering terms…

Continue of the article: Garden of Phloxes

The Garden of Dahlias

It can be monophonic, for example red, or multicoloured with transition from white through pale-yellow, yellow, golden, pink, scarlet, red, red-violet to the dark-purple…

Continue of the article: Garden of Dahlias

The Garden of Lilies

The garden of lilies has amazing refinement and decorative effect from the middle of summer till the autumn…

Continue of the article: Garden of Lilies

The Garden of Asters

Such a garden is created from annual and long-term asters which flowering starts in the beginning of July and lasts till the end of October…

Continue of the article: Garden of Asters

The Garden of Heathers

The garden of heathers is very popular in Europe. In the sort of Heather there is only one kind – the ordinary heather, that is represented by several tens of grades different on colouring of the flowers and foliage.

Continue of the article: Garden of Heathers

1. AFRICAN FLORA
              Subtropical Desert
              Tropical Savanna
              Tropical Forest

2. ANTARCTIC FLORA

3. ASIAN FLORA
              Tropical Rain / Dry Mixed Forests
              Desert and Steppe
              Taiga and Tundra
              Food Crops
              Scientific Value

4. CARIBBEAN FLORA

5. CENTRAL AMERICAN FLORA

6. NORTH AMERICAN FLORA
              Boreal Coniferous Forest
              Eastern Deciduous Forest
              Other Forests
              Central Grasslands
              Scrub and Desert
              Tundra
              Coastal Vegetation

7. PACIFIC ISLAND FLORA
              Fiji Islands
              New Guinea
              New Zealand
              Coral Atolls
              Future Prospects

8. SOUTH AMERICAN FLORA
              Plants of the Subtropical Desert
              Plants of the Tropical Savanna Biome
              Plants of the Tropical Forest Biome
              Plants of the Mediterranean and Temperate Forest Biomes

9. EUROPEAN FLORA
              Forests
              Apple Trees
              Herbs
              Commercial Plants

10. FORESTS
              Tropical Rain Forest
              Temperate Forest
              Boreal Forest
              Forest Ecology and Resources
              Threats to the Forest

11. HERBS

Imagine a flat garden as much as possible opened in surrounding nature. The main principle of its planning – are clearness and ideal symmetry of its composition. In front of the house is usually set an orchestra entirely covered with flowers. It is bordered with a low border from short-haired bushes or the paths strewed by sand or gravel.

The French style is a development of idea of regular lay-out. Here the art of a gardener prevails over the nature, subordinating it to strict order and chaining it in accurate geometrical forms.

The plants hairstyle is often given the artificial form. An accurate green wall of a short-haired fence is an obligatory element of a French garden. One more integral element are triangles and pergolas, braided by twisted plants. Also boskets are very popular the dense files of trees surrounded with short-haired bushes.

Concrete tiles on paths, paths from a special brick became rather new element in a French garden. Pots and containers with flowers near houses are very popular in France.

It is necessary to mention that creation of a French garden needs big spaces and continuous work of the professional gardener on its gardening and an accomplishment.

Certainly, the French garden is an impractical garden. It’s not a garden yielding fruits, but a garden for rest.

More

     French Garden Pictures

and

     French Garden Videos

Garden in a bottle – stylishly, fashionably, beautifully!

The fashion on these wonders keeps already for a couple of decades all over the world. It came in the beginning of 90s and since then gets more and more admires who transform their window sills into exotic minigardens. Besides  the list of tiny plants which can be placed «in glass», also grows. Do you want to try your forces in making of a stylish gift? Well, the garden in a bottle is not so difficult…

The basis of any garden a bottle is a glass vessel – «Ward’s box» or a large bottle with a narrow throat. The story of of such vessel occurrence is very interesting.
An ideal plant for landing in a bottle garden is fittonia F. microphylla (F. argyroneura f. nana), especially, its small leaves  form which looks very nice in open minigardens accompanied with other mini plants – Selaginella, Pilea, dwarfish rubber plant, ferns, Nertera.

What and in what sequence everything needs to be done

The first thing is, to choose a decorative glass capacity in which the garden will be arranged. Then to make a funnel from a usual sheet of paper, than to fill up the bottle through the funnel with drainage – small claydite or gravel, and on top the dried soil mix from the cespitose earth and peat in the ratio 1:1 with charcoal addition. Then to justify the substratum surface.

After this you’ll need the great virtuosity in order to introduce the plant through the neck of your bottle. Fittonia is usually landed in a large bottle with the help of improvised tools – plugs and spoons to which for lengthening it is necessary to tape wooden sticks The Chinese sticks will perfectly suit for this role. At first it is necessary to make deepenings in which then cautiously to fix a plant. After landing it is necessary to slightly condense soil. For this purpose use a coil or a stopper, forced on a stick.

Now it is the time to wash internal walls of capacity with a sprayer. After that plants and soil should remain damp, but is not excessive.

Densely close the bottle. In the sealed vessel the humidity level will establish in one or two weeks. During this time on the internal walls of a bottle there will be moisture droplets – a condensate. If the moisture from walls does not disappear in any way, it means that it is too much of it there. In this case leave the bottle without stopper for a day and observe again. If the moisture does not condense at all, it is probably too chilly in the bottle. Then sprinkle the plants again and close the bottle.

Probably, it will be necessary from time to time to open the bottle and then to close it again. Do not forget to close the vessel after the glass becomes transparent. Further watering can be shown to a minimum as there will be enough moisture evaporating from the surface of leaves. So the self-regulated system is created. But it is possible not to close the capacity, if the neck is not too big. In such a vessel anyway will be a damp and protected atmosphere with a minimum of fluctuations, and Fittonias will perfectly feel theirselves.

It won’t be an exaggeration to tell that the surrounding landscape has an essential influence on the state of person’s health. To create atmosphere in which you will feel positive changes in yours health as physical form, and that is very important – in spiritual form, – is the main task in creation of private gardens. Some gardens have that special sensation of rest and thoughtfulness where everyone can distract from every day cares and vanity. Such gardens can help a person to take away the overstrain and anxiety which we have in everyday life.

With increasing frequency we realize that the care about our own health should concentrate on something else, than the traditional medicines and medical treatment. Here we need something more, and a garden can easily become that soul and body doctor. Scientific researches show that the unification with nature promotes decrease the level of uneasiness, removal of stressful conditions and even decrease the raised blood pressure.

The gardens that allow its lodgers to have a rest and restore forces, is characterized by creation of cosy places where it is possible to sit and relax. It can be lonely places where a person has possibility to be alone and simply to behold the surrounding nature, or a place where the whole family can gather at slow conversations.

Water, whether it is a small pound or a fountain, – are very spread in such gardens: because from the deep past is known the pacifying influence of a sound of running water to a person. In creation of treating gardens the most important element is colour: the deep purple, dark blue, green and white colours are for the calming influence; bright colours are sometimes used in gardens for creation a feeling of pleasure and optimism.

Natural and soft weakening influence of a surrounding landscape is also reached by inclusion of stony places and is simply empty places in some parts of a garden in order not to create a sensation of chaos and neglect.

And one more important point: such gardens give you aromatherapy sessions. Because of the aroma that gives relaxation and calm, lavender, thyme, chamomiles are often landed in such gardens: the Choice of such plants depends on you wish, what kind of mood you want to give to your garden.

See also: What is Gardening, Tips for Your Garden

Control over the time of flowering is essential for the survival of flowering plants (angiosperms). Insect pollinators may be present only at certain times, unless an insect-pollinated plant is flowering at that time, pollination and the production of the next generation cannot occur. Embryo and seed development may be successful only under certain climatic conditions. The ability to respond to environmental cues is an essential factor in the regulation of flowering.

While the basic biochemical sequence of events may be common to all angiosperms, the specific regulatory steps vary greatly among species. A floral promoter is produced by the leaves and is transported to the shoot apex, which results in the initiation and, ultimately, the production of flowers. To analyze control points in this sequence, it is helpful to focus separately on environmental signals such as temperature and photoperiod and the way organs perceive and respond to these signals.

Chemical Communication

The regulation of flowering requires interactions between the shoot apex and other organs and thus depends heavily on chemical signals. There is strong evidence for the existence of a floral promoter called florigen, which may be produced in the leaves. The existence of florigen was first proposed by M. Kh. Chailakhyan, a Soviet plant physiologist, in 1937. Florigen was believed to be produced in leaves, because if leaves were removed before the photoperiod was right for flowering (a process called photoinduction), no flowering occurred. Later work by Anton Lang showed that the plant hormone gibberellincould induce flowering in certain plants, even without appropriate photo-induction. This prompted Chailakhyan to consider the possibility that florigen was actually composed of two different substances, gibberellin and a new substance he called anthesin.

In the late 1970’s Lang, Chailakhyan, and I. A. Frolova, working with tobacco plants, discovered that there was also a floral inhibitor they called antiflorigen. Later, several genes controlling the production of an inhibitor in pea cotyledons and leaves were identified in other laboratories. In addition to leaf-derived inhibitors, root-derived inhibitors have been shown to regulate flowering in black currant and tobacco plants. Aside from the clear role of gibberellin in flowering, none of the other promoters and inhibitors has been identified. Nutrient levels and allocation throughout the plant may also control the time of flowering.

Photoperiod

One major role of environmental signals is to control the timing of the production of florigen and antiflorigen.

Continue of the article: Photoperiod

Circadian Rhythms

How the perception of light by phytochrome is linked to the production of gibberellin and anthesin in long day and short day plants is not clear.

Continue of the article: Circadian Rhythms

Temperature

Plants also use temperature as an environmental clue to ensure flowering. Assessing two environmental factors provides added protection.

Continue of the article: Temperature

Genetic Control of Flowering

The Maryland Mammoth, discussed above, is an example of a short-day plant resulting from a mutation.

Continue of the article: Genetic Control of Flowering

See also: Flower types

Except botanical descriptions of plants in the special literature (the agricultural technician, flowering terms, the native land, grades) in our opinion not enough attention is given to the shape of a plant, its architecture and variability during season. But without this the work of a landscape architect is complicated and frequently contains obvious errors, but they are not obvious at once. If we are talking about own garden where we can change compositions infinitely, but about an order, these errors can be always corrected. Certainly, such characteristics of plants are individual enough from the point of view of the author. We would like to share with you our many years experience in area of creation of decorative gardens and to try to give to dry encyclopedic descriptions of plants an art shade, to see a plant not only as a biological kind, but also as an architectural form with all merits and demerits. We begin these short reviews with Grass perennials as with the most changeable group (except trees and bushes).

In our collection today is more than 500 only biological kinds (except grades), BUT experience shows that it is possible to allocate a group of 50 kinds: with one prominent feature – decorative effect during all season. They are beautiful before flowering, perfectly well hold the form, «do not collapse”. They can be used both in combinations, and in strip landings. If they are planted without any obvious landscape errors do they will never lose. Their weakness is early spring when the plant intensively grows, but also at this time some of them, for example young ferns give a unique picture. Throughout all season, up to approach of the first frosts, grass perennials will look it great in your garden. Many of these plants either are undeserved forgotten or have not received sufficient distribution yet. We specially don’t talk about botanical description and agricultural technician because special literature is rich with these details.

Aruncus the Ordinary. Aruncus Vulgaris.

Very powerful plant, perfectly well holding its bush, in height up to 2 meters.

Continue of the article: Aruncus the Ordinary. Aruncus Vulgaris.

Ligularia dentata

Very dense bush with leaves of various colour (from light green with the return lilac part to is dark-purple – grades Desdemona, Othello).

Continue of the article: Ligularia dentata

Petasites amplus. (Butterbur)

Imagine the leaves of coltsfoot to 80 cm in a diameter, forming a dense bush in height up to 1,5 meters, not losing its shape during the hole season.

Continue of the article: Petasites amplus. (Butterbur)

Pursh wormwood. Artemisia purschfan.

From a series of silver plants. Well and densely grows on a shining sun, in a penumbra extends and lays down.

Continue of the article: Pursh wormwood. Artemisia purschfan.

Woolly woundwort

Continues the series of silver plants. Can be added to middle height cover ground group.

Continue of the article: Woolly woundwort

Multicoloured spurge. Euphorbia polychrome

And here is the plant that is beautiful when blossoming, but also it is not less fine after. Gives very dense spherical bush in height up to 50 sm.

Continue of the article: Multicoloured spurge. Euphorbia polychrome

Tumbleweed. Gypsuphila paniculate

During blossoming of an adult plant forms an openwork white cloud to 1,5 m in diameter and it continues dismiss within 1,5 months.

Continue of the article: Tumbleweed. Gypsuphila paniculate

See also: Perennial Flowers Garden, Tips for Your Garden, Creation of Flower Beds

What is the Landscape design?

The landscape design is at the same time both art and work on gardening and territory accomplishment including designing and creation of landscape garden – park plantings, lawns. Also the landscape design assumes the construction of small architectural forms on a site. The main goal of landscape design is creation of beauty and harmony in site territory. Thus it is necessary to take under consideration the variants of usage of buildings and structures existing on a site. This is the main difference in process of creation of a landscape design from gardening where the main goal is the crop cultivation. And the landscape design is a science about harmony creation on your personal site.

History of landscape design

Almost from the very beginning of human development the garden was an integral part of formation of vital space for a man. Especially popular the gardens became at governors of the countries of the East. As well as many other sciences – gardening from the east has extended worldwide.

Certainly, the main goal of gardening in ancient times was cultivation of fruits. But as the time passed people started to pay more and more attention to the decorative component of trees, bushes and flowers.

The conception of landscape design appeared in the Western Europe in the beginning of the 20 century. It is possible to consider that the ancestors of this science were Great Britain and Germany.

Landscape designing and planning of your garden site

The first stage on preparation of a site for carrying out of landscape works starts with landscape designing. As a rule at this stage the art portrayal of the plan is usually done. Thus, following rules are usually observed:

The distribution of plants should have group character, it means that the trees and bushes of the same or similar types have to be planted close to each other. If this rule is not observed, the site has a risk to take a deserted form.

At planning of places for landing of plants and works on a site accomplishment it is necessary to avoid the formation of straight lines. Trees and bushes are especially not recommended to be landed in straight lines as it does not promote the development of their bushiness. Strict symmetry is also undesirable because of formation of an unnatural view though some straightness should be present in the composition.

At the second stage, after the statement and coordination of the outline plan, the works on creation of the high-grade, exact project of the disposition of all elements which will be used in projection of the landscape design of your site have to be done.

At the third stage has to be done the territory preparation on which landscape works will be done. The full clearing of territory from dust and all unnecessary plants is being done. If it is necessary – uprooting of stubs dead wood removal, formation of a crone of existing trees and treatment of sick trees is being done.

After that it is necessary to do the marking of all functional zones according to the plan, contours of paths and platforms, reservoirs, retaining walls and other elements which are used at gardening of the given site.

After that it is usually done the arrangement of the drainage system which features depends on soil structure on a site, level of ground waters, and also the placement of the main elements of landscape design on a site. If it is necessary , the ground delivery and necessary fertilizers and mineral substances are brought on the site.

And at the last stage of landscape works the final embodiment of ideas of the landscape designer is made: first the so-called basis of a site are usually created – the pavement of paths, establishing of illumination, landing of trees and bushes, making of beds and lawns. If it is necessary the landing of big sized plants is made. After that the complex of works on giving the definitive completeness to the site is done: retaining walls, rock gardens, rock arias are erected, reservoirs and streams are equipped. And already now the customer can observe the unique landscape design of his own site!

Of what the landscape design consists

The elements which are applied in the landscape design are very diversed:
Buildings and structures which form the centre of the landscape project.
Lawns (or lawn covering) which consists of grasses of various types.
Green plantings. It can be separate trees, bushes, flowers, and their various combinations.

Large decorative elements of a landscape design. Usually these are: a lake, a pond, a stream, a fountain, a stone compositions or sculptures.
Small architectural forms. Usually these are: canopies, rock arias, the elements of art forging.

Geoplasticity – the device of the relief of territory: slopes, hills, terraces etc.

See also: Landscape Style, What is Landscape Gardening, Mistakes in Landscape Design

For the last few years Japanese gardens became very popular sometimes strange and unknown constructions. Meanwhile, the Japanese garden is first of all philosophy, outlook and world understanding. In the east, and first of all, in China and Japan, huge attention was paid to garden art.

The Japanese gardens and parks are absolutely unlike to what we usually see. In a city garden we expect  to see figured flower beds, paths which have been cleared away and trampled down. In Japanese gardens other elements appear in the attention centre. Here on first place are: sand, pebble, dwarfish plants, freakish streams, stones. The Japanese garden is characterized by mystery atmosphere, as it is necessary in basis of park design.

In Japanese city garden we are under influence not only from the beauty and perfection of forms, but also spirit of the things which internal force we feel doing every step. To try to transfer the Japanese park to any other country is a vert difficult task and not many floral artists can do that. Spirit, atmosphere – are that the main things in a Japanese park.

Throughout millenniums different epochs and time ideals generated various manners of landscape compositions. But, in spite of  their variety, there are certain canons of creation of a garden. It can be subordinated to one idea – so rock-gardens, water-gardens, moss-gardens, season-gardens are created. According to the idea the main role is given to groups of stones, waterfalls, or to the variety of colours and the invoices of mosses, or a lonely tree on a low hillock, or nature circular motion in changing of the seasons. And there are landscape gardens. There are also mixed gardens that are most popular now. The Japanese garden is closely connected with painting, the difference is that the material is the nature. As well as painting, it can be monochrome and polychrome. And if rock-gardens are avaricious on colour the landscape garden reminds a multi-coloured roll or a colour engraving.

More

Japanese Garden Pictures

and

Japanese Garden Videos