This term includes consideration of garden maintenance and time investment. There is no such thing as maintenance free gardens, but we can control the amount of maintenance and time investment needed through proper plant selection. Every family has a different set of priorities that will be met with a particular garden design. I remember when I got started planting at our home. An overwhelming concern for my family was where to play soccer, football and wiffleball. Ask yourself, "What are your family priorities today?" and expect them to change, we can plan for this as well. Garden designs should consider wind reduction, home cooling and heating, screening for privacy or safety, and creating or eliminating views.
When planning a garden consider your personal needs. For instance, do you travel frequently and if so can your gardens be successful while you're away? You may want to think about beneficial gardening for the environment and wildlife. These things are important to us all and our gardens, when properly planned, we can support what is more important to us personally. If you're afraid of butterflies, I would not plant a butterfly bush! (Lepidopterophobia, yes I looked it up.)
Do you have a theme in mind? You can choose a formal, traditional, oriental theme, or no theme at all. Or how about all of them? Remember, I listed only two guidelines in the beginning. The point is to establish a basic direction to guide you in the design process. Collect magazine articles and photos, search for gardens in your area you may want to recreate on your property. Begin today to capture your ideal garden designs for tomorrow.
Gardens are the result of continued investment over time. Higher costs can come from patios, water features, fencing and of course, trees. An extensive garden design can be costly. If finances are a limiting factor to completion, consider implementing your garden design over several seasons or years.
Be patient, your investment will be paid back handsomely from years of enjoyment in your gardens or when you sell your home. Complete each phase well and take no shortcuts. Your garden deserves only the best.
TIMING
When is it really the right planting time? The real deal is this, with each season there are different challenges, and with each season benefits to planting can change. My advice: Just Plant It! Regardless of the time of year, I have been successful planting trees and shrubs in frozen ground, dry ground, wet ground and ground covered with leaves. And when you consider all the benefits and negatives in all the seasons the largest benefit to planting today is that time passes. Remember, seasons go by and time passes, so just plant it. The sooner, the better!
You won't have any trouble locating Pennsylvania Pride products at your local Garden Center. We've developed helpful and attractive signage to guide you in your search for the best plant to suit your landscape needs. Look for these signs as you shop and you'll find superior trees and shrubs with the exclusive 3-Year Homeowner Guarantee.
Look for this tag. It means the Pennsylvania Pride item you've purchased is guaranteed by the grower for 3 years from the date of purchase. Since maintaining a distinctive home landscape takes work, take comfort in the peace of mind you'll have by planting Pennsylvania Pride Trees and Shrubs.