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Most of us have to begin our landscape gardening with trees or fences or other established features that exist. If you are creating your own yard from the ground up, you have a lot more flexibility. The only factors that cannot be manipulated are the climactic conditions and available light. Soil can be altered with the addition of materials and nutrients as needed, water can be provided generously or sparsely, but natural light and temperature are what they are. Taking the best advantage of that has to be the basis for your landscape design, before you begin gardening.

If forty below and snow are part of your winter, there is no point trying to grow wisteria vines or hyacinths. There are plenty of other choices that are either native to cold climates or have been developed to flourish in them. The more you work with mediums and specimens that are native to your region, the easier you will find developing your personal landscape. Gardening with materials that are easily accessible is less expensive, and less frustrating. Plants that are native to your area will require a lot less work to coax them to their best, than imported species.

Special features, such as a pond or stream can be the focus of your landscape. Gardening can include the use of rocks of all sizes, up to and including boulders. Not too far from us is an entire yard that is covered with large rocks. They have been piled up and placed in interesting and pleasing forms, including a waterfall. A different yard takes advantage of a fairly deep ravine, by using it to shelter a fire pit. The addition of a big, round, brick pad built around the pit, makes it safer and even more inviting.

A friend uses containers like pails, tubs, and discarded wheelbarrows in her landscape gardening. She ‘recycles’ them from old yardsites or the landfill. One of our flower beds was killing even common, native perennials that we tried to grow in it. Whatever we tried just seemed to bake. Acting on a friend’s suggestion, we turned that particular area into a desert that includes cacti and now have a unique showpiece in our yard. Some cacti survive our winters, and some I just plant in for the summer, then winter them in the house and return them the next summer.

Landscape gardening is the science of finding the materials needed to create the space you want to live in. If you like rocks, use them. If you like water, make a pond or a stream to enjoy. Trees can define your space by serving as a shelter or privacy fence, and they can be part of your living space if you have a fire pit, bench or other something else functional amongst them. Much of landscape gardening is planning so determine what you want your landscape to look like and start gardening.

We welcome readers to visit us at our blog http://twocountrygardeners.com to view other topics and ideas, and ask questions or leave comments.

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