Plants

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

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

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

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.

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.

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     French Garden Pictures

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     French Garden Videos

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

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…

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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…

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The Garden of Phloxes

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

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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…

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The Garden of Lilies

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

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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…

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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

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

What to do with the flowers when we are going on vacation?

Summer – is the time of holidays and labour feats in the garden. This is the time of transformation of flower beds, rock gardens, and hunting time for new plants… During this happy period we absolutely forget about the plants remained on the window sills. But if to take care about their destiny before your departure, it is possible to avoid many losses. So, what to do, if you are going to be absent more than a week and it was impossible to find compliant relatives or neighbours who would agree to take care of your flowers. In our disposal there are six ways of water delivery to plants.

The first way

The plants covered with a transparent polyethylene package evaporate much less moisture and  can be left under such “cap” for a week. It is also noticed that even, as at full drying of a soil many plants, including gentle ferns, do not fade, being covered with this package. It is better for the package not to concern plants, i.e. it should be big enough big, and thin sticks-props will help to keep it on distance.

The second way

If you leave your apartment for a week or two, take away your plants from the southern window sills, and place the pots in the bigger pots or containers and fill all the emptiness with damp sphagnum or peat. Plentifully water the plants. Cover the surface of the substratum with a polyethylene package. So they can hold on without watering for some time. Tropical ferns and orchids can be transferred to the bathroom and placed on a lattice over the bathroom with water. They will sustain.

The third way

If your absence is longer than two weeks it is necessary to organise an automatic device for water delivery. For this purpose there are some schemes. Some of them you can make by yourself. For example, one end of a wick (old stockings, bandage, and other fabrics) is pushed by tweezers in the drainage aperture of the pot so that to touch the soil and the other end is placed into the capacity with water, placed under the pot. This capacity can be made of any suitable plastic container or a jar. It should be closed by cover with two holes, one for the wick, another for pouring water. This variant is compact, though the similar scheme can be incarnated in other type too. So, the wick can be put on the substratum, and its end immersed in the capacity with water which is placed above the object of watering.

On sale there are now wares with double bottom where the bottom part represents the tank for water. Cords connect water-supplies and substratum. As a whole this system functions by the similar capillary principle.

The fourth way

If the plants large enough or hygrophilous it is possible to place a two-liter large plastic bottle with the holes made in its bottom and cover  “headfirst” in the earth to fill it with water. Such “system” will provide plants with water for a long time.

The fifth way

The modern and quite perfect system named «touch system of drop watering». Of course you won’t be able to make such system by yourself but in special stores it costs rather much but this system worth it. Its main element is a ceramic sensor control in the form of a carrot. It is filled with water and inserted into the soil. The soil dries up and the sensor control gives it water. When water-supplies in the sensor control come to end it automatically arrives from the tank through a rubber hose. This system is compact and looks very much civil (unlike the turned plastic bottle), and the main thing is that the plant does not suffer neither from lack of moisture, nor from its overabundance because surplus of a moisture is soaked up in the sensor control.

After some time the calcium contained in tap water clogs up pores of the clay sensor control and it becomes water-proof. Usually its term of service is one season.

The sixth way

The most hi-tech and expensive way when plants are provided with drop watering, operated by timer. Such system in advance needs adjusting and connection to the water pipe. Necessarily test it before the departure. But with this system the plants should not be taken away from the window sills and it is possible to leave for a month or more. And it is only your choice.

In conditions of modern world with an abundance of the newest technologies, modern technical achievements, a person who lives in modern mad rhythm more and more has sensations that he needs something natural and beautiful. There is no secret that we feel more comfortably only in the places allowing us to touch wildlife, whether these are magnificent city parks, cosy squares, rest at sea coast or on the bank of a river. And a green oasis on your own garden site will give to the owner pride and satisfactions and becomes his favourite vacation spot.

There a lot of styles of garden decoration, but the choice of plants and materials is even more various. The defining factors in garden planning are: climate, soil, environment and the functional purpose.

The kind is something uniform, got by the general idea. The kind in landscape design is a certain treatment of key rules and receptions of a lay-out, equipment, and colouring of a small garden. The concept of style includes garden’s planning decision, the usage of certain vegetative forms and their combinations, the type of decorative paths and even the form of the garden equipment. The choice of style of a garden depends on landscape features of a site (its configuration, environment, and sizes) and is defined by architectural style in which the basic constructions are built. But mostly it’s the matter of taste and reflexion of the owner’s lifestyle of a garden and even is more than that – the reflexion of his outlook. The modern kinds of a small garden only adjoin with the views of gardens of the past.

Growing and getting old, the garden passes not only through age borders, but also through style borders, getting in each country national shapes because a garden, and especially a small garden, is connected with the life of society.

It happens that to create a garden, to execute arbours, patio and the house in the same style is already impossible. But it is possible to add some separate details, in order to achieve certain unity. Without trying to impose our opinion and relation, we will try to give the characteristic of some most widespread style directions – both classical, and modern.

Regular Style

The epoch of French classicism in park art was marked by grandiose creations of Andre Lenotr. Before him the building of gardens was imitated to Italians…

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The Italian Style

The Italian style – is a variety of regular style. This is a small garden near a country house or a park surrounded by wall or a cut green hedge…

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The Landscape Style

Landscape parks or as they are named English parks, have appeared in the18 century in England which is considered the founder this of the landscape gardening direction in Europe…

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The Japanese Garden

In all three types of forest a complex system of interrelationships governs the ecological well-being of the forest and its inhabitants.

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Modern Style

The modern styles of a small garden are aesthetics and individuality…

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Modernist Style

The modernist style was similar only to some features of architecture of the beginning of the century, differed by the simplicity of lines and sculpturesqueness of volumes…

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The Dutch Garden

The Dutch garden looks like it has descended from pictures of old masters, having kept the traditions…

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Colonial Style

Purely American style – the first American colonists became the legislators of this style, but it is used in other countries too…

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Rural Style

This “rural” style is defined by affinity to the nature – whether it is an arable land or wood, sea or lake – and usage of simple, natural materials and forms…

Continue of the article: Rural Style