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Archive for the ‘Trellis’ Category
Planting Vine Flowers
Through the use of trellises, vine plants and flowers can add a unique vertical dimension to your garden. In fact, several plants need garden trellises or similar structure to grow and expand properly. Common choices include roses, clematis, black-eyed susan, and even grapes. These plants will weave themselves in and out of the trellis, and are all capable of reaching up to twelve feet in length.
An important fact to remember about trellis plants is that once attached to the trellis, the plants are impossible to remove without uprooting the plant and the trellis. Ensure you place your trellis in a spot you plan to keep it for a long time.
Benefits of Growing Grapes
Grape vines take a long time to develop fruit, but once they do, you’ll have some fantastic results. It’s simple to grow grapes, but some people avoid it because it can take upwards of seven years for the grape vine to mature to the point where it can bear fruit. However, grapes are some of the most delicious fruits and can be used to make dozens of different dishes. In addition, there’s nothing better than having grapes fresh from the vine in your own backyard.
Grapes need a trellis or some kind of fence on which to grow the vines. This takes a long time for the vine to mature, and it will spend several years wrapping around the trellis or fence. But once the vine takes hold, plan on it spreading out and even taking over the entire area. Grape vines are quite hardy, and will survive throughout the winter without a whole lot of nurturing. While it does take time for a grape vine to bear fruit, it’s a joy to watch the vine growing year after year. Once you have grapes in your backyard, there’s no chance you’ll regret the decision to grow grapes fresh from the vine.
Flower And Foliage Fragrance
You can add fragrance to you plantings this year by using a variety of flowers or foliage such as leafy plants, herbs or evergreens. The area where you will be planting nay define what type of fragrant plants to use, but the idea is to maximize the ability to enjoy the fragrance. The motto “the closer the better” is a good thought to keep in mind. Fragrant flowers placed at a level closer to the nose and/or near locations that you frequent will maximize the enjoyment of fragrant plants.
When choosing fragrance, plan carefully to avoid choosing fragrances that conflict with each other. Gardeners have created standard categories of fragrances to help differentiate floral scents from one another. They are as follows:
- Balsamic – found in leaves that contain menthol or minty oils-includes mints, sages, rosemary, lavender, wormwood, balsam and eucalyptus.
- Fruity-found in a wide range of plants-includes flowering fruits, fruit-scented geraniums and roses, grape hyacinth and magnolia.
- Heavy-found in flowers with a strong perfume fragrance-includes gardenia, jasmine, roses and orange blossom.
- Honeyed-found in different flowers-includes hawthorn, barberry and hybrid musk roses.
- Rose-the smell of old European garden roses-includes roses, peonies and honeysuckle.
- Spicy-this fragrance is often combined with other scents and is found in leaves and flowers-includes carnations, pinks, azaleas and nasturtium.
- Sweet-found in flowers, grasses and ferns.
- Unique-even more distinct and refined than the heavy scents-includes lily-of-the-valley, sweet pea, some iris, wisteria and common lilac.
- Violet-only in a few plants such as sweet voilet, Siberian crabapple and orris root.
You can use various gardening ideas to promote your fragrant plants such as in containers at a level “closer to the nose”, in combination with an arch, arbor or trellis, along a path where they will brush your leg to spread the fragrance, in a raised garden or as a landscaping point. Ask your gardening center which plants will produce the fragrance that tantalizes your sense of smell and will grow in the situation you desire. Of our five senses, smell can be one of the most rewarding. Enjoy the fragrance of your plants.
Signs Of Spring
While walking the other day, I heard the song of a meadowlark. In our country, that is one of the first signs of spring. We, fortunately, missed the wet March snowstorm that we normally get this time of year and the temperature is finally starting to thaw the ground. We even have a few green shoots trying to pop up.
I am seeing many posts for flower and garden shows around the country. The commercial greenhouses are already transplanting their seedlings and I am thinking of bringing my potted strawberries out of hibernation. Spring is my favorite season-new plants, young animals and longer days. But, all of this talk of spring means that I must get into action and start cleaning flower beds and planning my garden.
I read an interesting fact that vegetable gardening was up 12% and that 38% of households in the United States grew a vegetable garden in 2009. There is also a new, more unconventional trend in gardening of mixing edibles with ornamentals. This broadens the idea of what a garden is and what it should look like. Imagine a vegetable garden with flowers intersperced among the edibles. Now my creativity is kicking into gear and I am thinking of garden decor that I could add to make it look more interesting such as a decorative trellis for my cucumbers to hang on. I might even add a path with stones.
They say that gardening is good for your mental and physical health. I say that gardening and planting is good for the soul. The meadowlark is saying that it I will be planting soon. I hope he is right.
Trellis Of Very Aromatic Roses Possible
A rose gardener will generally shop for a rose plant with a specific genetic trait such as resistance to pests, adapability to temperature, size, bloom retention, etc, but the one trait that everyone savors in the perfect rose is the scent. Likewise, a garden vegetable with the most flavor is everyones favorite choice. Unfortunately, over the years as we have improved the genetic traits of plants, we have often sacrificed their smell or flavor. That may change due to a genetic find by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
The University of Florida has discovered the genes that control the mixture of chemicals that make a flower’s scent or a vegetable’s flavor. This find will help researchers learn to control the levels of these compounds to adjust or increase a flower’s fragrance. The research will involve isolating the chain reaction in a plant that is responsible for producing scent without affecting the other traits of the flower.
This research has already produced some interesting information. The researchers have found that the gene which produces the compound giving rose oil its scent will also make tomatoes taste better, thus they are able to manipulate that gene to create more flavorful tomatoes. They are already working with plant breeders and specialists to get new tomatoes and roses on the market. This will only be the beginning.
As our senses are in tune to nature, we use them to evaluate and enjoy the plants around us. Now, the sense of smell and taste will become a greater part of that process. Imagine a trellis full of roses that fill the whole garden with their wonderful aroma, tantalizing your sense of smell as you walk by. What a wonderful idea!
Brief History of the Trellis
Trellises are known today as beautiful garden accents, but they actually have their roots in agriculture. Before they were decoration, they were created out of a necessity to support various climbing plants. Although the use is essentially the same now, they are more for aesthetics than necessity.
Both in the present and the past, the type of plant you’re trying to support determines the garden trellis you should use. Some common examples include trellises for sweet peas, ivy, or grapevines. The trellises (of today and yesterday) are generally made of metal, bamboo, or wood.
Serene Outdoor Environments
The summer months are the perfect time to build up a garden. With all the time people spend outdoors in the summer, it’s the best time to plant or improve the garden. There are a lot of simple steps that one can take to make their garden more inviting, and become the perfect place for outdoor living. For example, for those colder summer nights, a fire pit is a great place to gather and watch the flames, roast marshmallows, or toast a loaf of French bread. For people who want to improve the visual aesthetic of their garden, consider outdoor water fountains, which appeal to both visual and aural senses. If one spot of the garden is looking a little bare, consider a metal trellis and a vine plant. Most vine plants grow quite fast, so it’s not necessary to wait until next summer to reap the benefits.
For people who are a little more adventurous, try adding a bunch of ladybugs to the garden. Most garden stores offer lady bugs in bulk, and the little bugs love to snack on aphids and other pests that chew plants and flowers.
Obelisk Trellis As A Focal Point
I wanted a low-maintenance ornament as a focal point for my flower garden. I chose a decorative metal obelisk trellis with an ornamental leaf design and an antique finish. While my up-front cost might be more for this ornament, I was impressed with its quality, design and stability. In fact, I was so impressed that I gave one as a gift and that individual was as thrilled as I was.
Even though this metal trellis does not have a powder coating paint to prevent rust when exposed to the elements, it shouldl still age gracefully. It is very stable in the ground because of its tripod configuration and functioning very well as a beautiful focal point. Now I am trying to decide between clematis or climbing roses to climb my trellis.