Gardening

From ArticleWorld


Gardening began out of a basic need, a long time ago and developed into what was possibly the first entertaining activity known to humans.

These days it has various types, as a hobby in the sort of recreational gardening; science, in the sort of botany and horticulture; and the marketing activities of farming. These diverse kinds have in turn ended in creating the many industries needed to keep up the 'garden'. Enterprises such as *} factories to manufacture all the things from the most fundamental garden trowel, to the mammoth harvesting and processing tools used in commercial farming. Therefore, although this article may try and touch upon all of those aspects, I will limit it to the most generally known face of gardening as a hobby. Here as well, I will merely cover the fundamental introductory factors and in following articles, fan out into further detailed areas.

Contents

Select the plants and research your garden

Probably, the most common aim of the home gardener is to produce something of beauty that will present enjoyment to themselves and to other people. Even though it is not completely necessary to be an expert, some fundamental information should be obtained to produce a good end result.

You will, for example need to be aware of what plants are ideal for your characteristic climate, together with the sort of soil and the topography that is found in your garden location. You must be aware too which plants are suited to shady locations, partly shaded, or sunlit regions. This information is easily available in the numerous manuals that are available today from your neighboring shops or library. The World Wide Web also is a valuable resource of information for the home gardener.

Planning your garden

Even though it might look like a great deal of additional work, it is always paramount to organize a fundamental plan before actually commencing planting. The aim of preparing your method is to have an outcome that is both eye-catching and practical. The efficiency will establish how easy it is to sustain your garden after it is completed. It's necessary too, in your preparation to try and visualize the final outcome.

Will the selected colors go with each other? Will the final size of a particular selection overshadow the neighboring plants? Will the ultimate size be a danger to buildings, power lines or phone lines? In the eventuality that you are planting trees or big shrubs, you will need to take into account the span of the root system, accordingly not to create issues with water and drainage pipes and building foundations.

Where to place plants and trees

A few other aspects to be considered when planning your garden is the placing of the plants and trees which are previously on the land, along with paths, driveways, any swimming pool, walls or fences. Also think about the direction of prevailing winds. Can they have drastic effects on specific types of plant? If you live in an urbanized area, you have to also consider the adjacent buildings, to make sure if your designs will match with them.

Japanese Gardens

There are some fundamental principles that need to be understood to capture the spirit of the Japanese garden. Most important, you must strive for nature as an ideal. You can symbolize it, even idealize it, but you mustn't create a garden that nature itself cannot.

The three main Japanese Garden styles are:

  • Flat Garden (Hiraniwa)
  • Hill and Pond (Chisen-Kaiyu-skiki)
  • Tea Gardens (Rojiniwa)

The five Japanese Garden components are:

  • Plantings (Shokobutsu)
  • Rock (Ishi)
  • Water (Mizu)
  • Ornaments (Tenkebutsu)
  • Borrowed Scenery (Shakkei)

Garden design

The design of a garden is definitely influenced by one's own ideas. A few can prefer a more formal design of garden, making use of shrubs that are not indigenous to the location, along with designer features such as figurines, fountains, seats etc. These gardens are normally 'geometric' in their arrangement, with visible straight lines, normal curves and symmetrical stability. Other individuals may prefer a more natural appearance and sense for their garden, making use of various more local plants and things such as the boulders and stone naturally present in the location.

According to the size of your area, you might even combine the two designs. This could be done by incorporating the formal design close to the house and steadily shifting to the informal pattern further away. It all boils down to personal taste. Just keep in mind however, that 'nature' had the first say.

Alexander Pope, the 18th century English poet learned plants and design of gardens and wrote the following poem 'On Garden Design': "To swell the terrace, or to sink the grot; In all, let nature never be forgot".

So go ahead, get out your graph paper and pencil and start designing your basic design. In following write-ups, we can focus additionally at the specific aspects to incorporate into your garden.