This summer has been difficult in NW PA. Between cold nights, too much rain and flooding the gardens and yards have suffered. The most you can do is make the best of it. Or ignore it for a bit
photo credit: >>>WonderMike<<<

It’s also made me plan more for the future. I have switched most of my gardens to container gardens where I can move the containers indoors on cold nights. I have made raised beds that can be covered in colder weather and are protected from floods and can also be covered when we have too much rain.

The raised beds are being moved near a pond for easy watering and piping has been has been planned into the design for easy watering in case of drought. The uses of rain barrels for collecting excess rain are also in the plans.

And I have also switched to move “gardening under glass. I will be able to extend my gardening season, try new plants and hopefully be able to handle any climate problems that come my way.

I don’t know if it was global warming that lead to our horrendous summer or lack of summer but gardens and trees have really suffered this year.

I also suffered heavy loss due to flooding and property damage.

For this reason The Gardener’s Rake and its sister site, Backyard Oasis will have a week of topics covering how to deal and plan your backyard, front yard and garden areas for weather that is less than perfect.

Join us next week (August 24th, 2009) for topics on:

• Raised Bed Gardening
• Gardening under Glass
• Dry Creeks
• The Moveable Garden
• Climate problems
• Surviving drought
• landscape ideas
  
• and more.

My front yard backyard and garden areas are also being totally redone due to property damage.

The projects will probably last into next year but will be covered online. Ideas for healthy plants and trees will also be covered. I hope that these ideas will help you if you end up in a situation like I have.

Technorati Tags: backyard oasis, eCourses, gardening events, landscaping

Your lawn can be a mix or mulch, ground cover or grass. Many people have been cutting back on the actual amount of grass in their backyard to help with time spent maintaining the lawn and watering.
photo credit: cupcakes2

But whatever amount of lawn you have it need to be healthy and full with out bare spots for the lawn to have a flowing look. And a healthy lawn can be a centerpiece in your landscape design and will cool the temperatures around your home.

It will also add cleaner air to you backyard. Add a few plants for color and accent and you have created a perfect backyard oasis to relax in and enjoy your free time.

Planting a lawn

Plant cool-season grasses in early spring or fall and warm-season grasses in late spring to early summer.

The first step is to determine you soil mix. You can send a sample to your local cooperative extension service or test it yourself with a home testing kit. This will help you to determine what nutrients you have and lack, what the pH is, and whether or not you need lime or sulphur.

Your neighbors may also know the soil conditions that are most common in your area. I know I have high acid and clay in most soil.

After you know what your soil lacks for a healthy lush lawn you can improve the soil by adding 2 to 3 inches of organic matter over the planting area. Compost and bark are two organic materials that are often used.  A starter fertilizer may also be beneficial to your yard if you lack potassium and phosphorous.

Till the soil to mix in the organic matter to a depth of six to eight inches. This step may take several passes to get properly mixed into the soil. Smooth the planting area with a leveling rake.

You can sow seed, lay sod over the planting area or plant stolens. Which process you decide on will depend on your climate, time and the amount you plan to spend on your new lawn area.

In choosing your grass you can check which type of grass grows best in your area.  Your garden center or nursery will be able to help you select the best grass for the climate and even for the use of your yard. A yard with heavy traffic or children will need a hardier grass mix.

Also keep in mind that you need to plant cool-season grasses in early spring or fall and warm-season grasses in late spring to early summer.

Avoid letting your newly planted lawn dry out. You may need to water more than once a day for at least a week or two after planting. You will also need to keep an eye on the moisture of the lawn for six to eight weeks. If the lawn dries out it will die in places.

You will also want to keep children and pets off the grass until it is about 1 ½ inches tall. At this time you can let traffic on the yard and even mow it.  You may want to rope off your yard if you live in a town or area with many children to protect the lawn from intruders.

If your new lawn is watered well and has the right nutrients it will be healthy and look great for years to come.

Technorati Tags: backyard lawn, backyard oasis, gardening tips, how to plant a lawn, lawncare tips

In the recent year the look of the backyard and garden area has been changing. There is more of an emphasis on extending the home living space into the backyard and making better use of whatever outdoor space is available, even what would be considered a “postage stamp” garden area.
photo credit: brewbooks

Larger backyards are also being broken up into outdoor rooms by designing the backyard into areas that have their own use or activity. These open rooms are then designed to flow together to create an overall backyard. A secret garden, kitchen room, children’s fort play area, and a water feature area are only a few rooms that are being created for.

Plants are still part of this new outdoor living space but home gardeners are shifting to different garden styles. They are selecting plants that remind them of exotic places or a vacation destination that may be out of their reach at the time.

Sophisticated contemporary designs are also in this year. Gigantic planters planted with bold plants, trees and pampas grass are focal points in the backyard and use of strong lines and angles fill out the landscape.

Gardeners are focusing more on foliage and less on flowers. The ease of ornamental grasses has doubled there used in landscape design. And they are being accented by easy to care for flowers with vibrant colors such as reds, oranges and yellows

Gardens are also being created smaller with better planning for space and use. This trend had to do with creating gardens with less work and also creating space for the return of victory gardens and recession gardens. Many of the most successful small space gardens are combining ornamental plants with vegetables and fruits. Petite annuals, perennials, shrubs and garden produce make combining these plants successful.

And finally “green gardening” techniques are a main concern when designing the backyard. This includes planning the backyard around recycled building materials, recycled garden décor, and the use of no chemicals or softer pesticides. Controlling the amount of water used in the backyard is also important as is creating garden designs using solar lighting.

With the changes in gardening and design even the city dweller or renter should be able to create there our backyard oasis, even if it’s only the size of a postage stamp. It amazing how beautiful and relaxing these small space garden areas can be.

The Backyard Oasis, which is a site for The Gardener’s Rake is have a week long  Small Backyard Design Week starting April 19, 2009.

Stop by the Backyard Oasis for unique backyard garden design ideas that will focus on small space design, garden rooms, combining indoor and outdoor space and many other creative gardening ideas.

Technorati Tags: backyard oasis, garden trends, green gardening, landscaping, outdoor rooms, recession garden, small space garden designs