A Backyard Garden adds color, variety, and fresh vegetables or fruits to your diet. It also provides fresh air, exercise and can offer time together with family. What ever your needs, the garden will add to the beauty and relaxing factors of your backyard oasis. 
photo credit: jpopesku1
There are many different types of gardens and it helps to narrow down the purpose that your garden will serve. A garden can tend to grow and get to big, which add to the work and takes away from the fun. You may also not have enough time to work in the garden area so its best to think small, use creative organic gardening methods and keep the fun in gardening. Plants that are properly tended will be healthier.
Will you choose a flower garden, vegetable garden or combine the two? Is your garden space limited and container or balcony gardening would suit your lifestyle better? Are herbs your passion? I myself combine all of these and like to redo the patio and deck areas about twice a summer. It just makes my backyard oasis an exciting retreat for all my friends and family.
One tip I will pass onto you is I find it a timesaving step to group my plants that need the same care in the same area. I also group any plants that need additional watering as close to my water source as possible.
Here are a few more tips that have saved me time in the past. Perennial flowers take less time and last from year to year. Properly planned, you can have a perennial garden with color from spring until fall. And just to make sure, I add annual flowers to the flower garden border and where any of the perennial plants are a little thin. Herbs will work just as well, and I have to admit I really like adding vegetables like colored Swiss chard or scarlet runner beans in flower gardens.
Herbs are amazing plants. They have wonderful color and texture. For anyone that is new to gardening herbs are good plants to start out with. They are hardy, thrive in most soils and are not bothered by as many insects.
photo credit: lcm1863
Herbs have many culinary uses, make great teas, and can be used for a variety of crafting projects. I also mix them in with my other plants for their beneficial use of insect control. Herbs are also one of the plants I grow on windowsills and teacup planters. They just have such an inviting look I have to have them everywhere.
Vegetable gardens require a little more work and planning. They also take more knowledge in how to plant and harvest numerous kinds of produce. Vegetables also add color and texture and are a very pretty addition to any yard. With proper choices there will be fresh vegetables all season long. And again I add flowers to my vegetables gardens. It adds color and fun and several flowers repel insects and small animals.
If you set up a vegetable garden in a raised bed you can grow many varieties of vegetables in a small area. Growing vertically and square foot gardening principles offer advice on how to get the most use out of limited space. I grow many of my vegetable varieties in hanging baskets or containers. This gives me fresh vegetables that are either growing on my porch or just a few steps away from the door. One of my favorite hanging baskets is a tomato plant that growing from the bottom of a hanging basket and on the top has fresh herbs and lettuce greens.
Another way of growing both vegetables and flowers would be in mini theme gardens or on windowsills. What is all comes down to is keeping your gardens fun and adding to that festive backyard feeling you have created for your home.
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