Smart Garden

 8 Small Front Yard Landscaping Ideas  Create a beautiful and welcoming small front yard with these tips and ideas. The best small front yard landscaping ideas can help you frame your home and provide curb appeal while making the most of the space you have. Even some simple garden design techniques like using symmetry and adding seating can have a big impact. Use these landscaping ideas for small front yards to start creating a beautiful and welcoming space. 1. Use symmetry Often associated with classical and formal design, symmetry gives gardens a sense of calm and balance. Use similar plants, pots, and other elements on each side of the center line that runs from the front door to the sidewalk. Keep everything in a simple color palette: for example green, white, and red. For a modern approach to using symmetry, use plants and pots with similar colors and shapes and/or garden art on both sides of your porch. 2. Cover the seat We have gardens that you can enjoy spending ti

While this design works hard all year round, it looks spectacular in the fall. 'Blackhawks' large bluestem towers above the display in majestic columns of finely textured purple-black foliage. Below, a large mound of native Arkansas bluestar shines with orange-chartreuse foliage, while the dark green leaves of 'Plum Peachy' short-leaf ironweed contrast with its russet, pale purple flowers. That periwinkle color is echoed in the globe flowers of the low, mounding 'Ozawa' allium. A carpet of Roseanne geranium around the alliums shows off its multi-colored red, orange and green fall leaves. Above the scene, the graceful arms of a weeping lavender twist eastern redbutt are adorned with heart-shaped chartreuse leaves that echo the yellow foliage of Arkansas bluestar. 1. Weeping golden toad lily In summer, the weeping golden toad lily fades into the background of the forest border with its arching habit of bushy, glossy green leaves. It's not until mi

Take care of this fall garden preparation for a great spring growing season Late fall and early winter are not the times to leave the garden and go inside. Get outside to breathe in the crisp, fresh air and do a couple of tasks that will lighten your spring garden workload! 1. Amend your soil Fall is the perfect time to amend your soil. One of the best things you can apply is composting. Whether you buy it or make it yourself, it adds nutrients and organic matter to your soil to keep it healthy and productive. Add compost to garden beds Pull back the mulch and spread ¼ to ½ inch of compost around the plants in your garden beds. The compost stays in your existing garden soil throughout the winter to mix with natural freeze/thaw cycles. That extra layer, like mulch, can help insulate and protect the roots of newly planted perennials and shrubs from harsh winter temperatures. 2. Continue to manage weeds Even if it seems futile to pull weeds in late fall, do it anyway. There

Winter-blooming plants are perfect for adding color to the garden during the colder, darker months, helping to extend the season of interest beyond the traditional spring into fall. Grow a large range of winter-blooming plants, including climbers such as winter clematis and winter honeysuckle, shrubs such as mahonia and daphne, and bedding plants such as winter pansies – there's a flower bed for every part of the garden. What's more, winter-blooming plants are suitable for growing in multiple pots, so you can splash color anywhere you like – is a colorful display outside your front door enough to cheer up winter? Some winter-blooming plants also benefit pollinators, providing pollen and nectar to species such as bumblebees, which forage more during the winter months. So these flowers can provide a lifeline to these unseasonably active pollinators, which would otherwise starve. However, not all winter flowers are bee-friendly, so browse our list below to find out wh

Plants are preferred when they are pruned: some perennials need to be cut back in the fall, while others do not respond well to fall pruning. It's a good idea to know your yard's plant preferences, as pruning at the wrong time of year can reduce flowering and cause other problems. Listed below are some of the best perennials that benefit from a late-season trim to promote better growth and reduce the risk of certain garden pests and diseases such as powdery mildew. 1. Bee Balm Some gardeners prefer not to prune their bee balm (Monarda spp.) plants because birds and other wildlife often eat the seeds during the winter. However, if bee balm has struggled with powdery mildew problems during the growing season, it should be cut back in the fall. Pruning infected plants is one way to keep this plant disease from spreading, but watering your plants at the soil line and following proper spacing recommendations can minimize fungal problems. 2. Shining star Burning star (Li

Looking for a perennial you can trust? You will not be disappointed with the beauty and blooms of these dependable perennials. Dependable perennials Sometimes, gardeners have so many perennials that opening a catalog or visiting a greenhouse can make your head hurt. How do you know which is best? Just because it looks good in a photo or in a pot in the nursery doesn't mean it will do well in your garden. Never get tired of shopping for perennials! When it comes to choosing the best flowers, there are certain plants that you can always count on to perform well. How to get started with a reliable perennial? Learn more about our favorite six below! 1. 'HGC Joseph Lemper' Hellebore (Hellephorus niger) One of the best qualities of this new cultivar is its upward facing flowers. But, the beautiful dark green foliage is attractive. Because it blooms so early, give 'HGC Josef Lemper' a spot where you can see the flowers without tripping over snow or mud. Althou