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In the modern times throughout the world, gardening is a pleasant hobby, a favorite way to express a skill and a form of art itself. The benefits that individuals and communities gain from gardening have been widely known and advocated.

Certainly, though, it didn’t start a few years ago. Let’s take a trip back in the earliest times as we trot the entire globe to discover the evolution of gardening.

Traces of interest in gardening can be found way back in the 1500 B.C., where ornamental gardens were found in tomb paintings in Egypt. The Egyptians fondness in lotus ponds, acacias and palms were prominent in the paintings. The Egyptian royalty is seen as among the most instrumental civilizations that contributed to the development of the concept of garden, essentially of garden design and actualization.

The world’s famed gardens were creations as early as in the Ancient East such as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the paradise gardens in Persia and the Assyrian hunting- enclosed orchards. The gardening influence of Persia sailed itself toward the 350 B.C., post-Alexander era in Greece, where gardens were created in the Academy of Athens. Alexandria, Rome and Pompeii were also prominent garden builders and developers. The most affluent Romans created colossal gardens. The remnants of these enormous gardens, such as the ruins of Hadrian’s Villa, have become reminiscent of the era that remains to be part of our present world.

The 4th century advancements of gardens were evident, such as in the Moorish Spain and Byzantium gardens. On the other side of the world, a separate tradition in gardening arose in China, which was later passed on to the Japanese, who urbanized gardening into aristocratic landscapes in miniature sizes, surrounded by ponds. From these, the Zen temple gardens in Japan came about.

Meanwhile, 13th-century Europe gave rise to the Italian villa gardens. Parterres in France were seen around the end of the 16th century. The Dutch, who provided an offshoot of the French garden style, were advocated with more flower bulbs, water, topiary and trees in tubs, and topiary, as evident in the Westbury Court.

In the 18th, England’s landscape gardens stirred new perspectives. Some garden historians look at the 18th century as a significant turnaround from the prevailing “formality” in the Renaissance Period to a “natural” perspective. Art patron Lord Burlington is credited as a key mover of the more natural style in England. Other famed peddlers of this perspective include William Kent who designed and integrated heavily calculated, elaborate vistas to statues, temples and ornaments in various English parklands.

Cottage-inspired gardening was prominent in the 19th century, known mostly for its romantic creativity. Flower gardens were dominant for homes during the 20th century.

Thereafter, gardening progressed into city development and planning. Looking around will tell you that gardens are commonly incorporated in city structures and town landscapes.

Gardens around you, great or small, formal or informal, private or public, echo their creators’ passion for growing greens or for beautiful landscaping and ornament purposes, or simply to mirror their artistic side.

So go ahead, explore gardening. Looking at how gardening evolved, the ways and styles to it are infinite!

Spring is here, summer’s on its way and it’s time to enjoy the fruits of other people’s labour. Yes, garden show season is almost upon us and there’s a lot to see.

Garden shows in the UK come in all styles and sizes, so you’ll be able to pick one that appeals to you. Whether you want to go to a big show and pick up some tips and bargains or to a small private viewing, there’ll be something for you.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) puts on regular shows throughout the summer, most famously the Chelsea Flower Show at the end of May, in central London. Here you’ll find show gardens laid out in a huge variety of styles – Mediterranean, woodland, cottage gardens, water gardens, secret gardens, contemporary designs and gardens designed by celebrity gardeners.

They are all there to impress and inspire, with gardeners on hand to explain the philosophy and practicalities behind each design. Chelsea also has countless displays by nurseries specialising in certain types of plants and there are stalls selling any number of garden gadgets, outdoor furniture and tools.

RHS shows are not just confined to London. There are also displays in Cardiff, Malvern and Tatton Park in Cheshire. All the RHS shows are set in several acres and are big, showy affairs that need to be booked well in advance as tickets sell out quickly. If you need ideas for your garden makeover, they are great places to see all sorts of plants laid out in a garden design rather than in rows in a garden centre. You’ll be able to see what settings suit them and what plants make good bedfellows. There are also demonstrations and workshops, so you can hone your green fingered skills.

If you’d prefer to see something more intimate and local then look out for the National Garden Scheme charity garden openings. Private gardens are open to the public just for a day or two each year, many belonging to home owners. Gardens come under very close scrutiny before they are allowed to be part of the scheme, so what you see will be at the pinnacle of garden design and upkeep. The great thing is the gardens are local to your area (so with similar conditions to your patch) and on a domestic scale, so you can get a real idea of what a bit of imagination and hard graft can achieve.

The National Garden Scheme began in 1927 and raises money for charities which help those who need nursing care. 30 million pounds has been raised so far – from modest entrance fees and money raised from tea, cake and plant sales which the private garden owners organise.

If you want to see gardens on a grand scale but without the commercial side of the big flower shows then head for a National Trust or English Heritage garden. These are beautifully maintained and vary from formal gardens attached to stately homes, to woodland, meadows, even coastal land. Many are romantic spots that have inspired painters and novelists over the years and are a great way to escape the daily grind of modern life. Of course summer is a wonderful time to visit these places, but most are open throughout the year so you can go back and see how things change each season.

Visiting beautifully designed and maintained gardens, whether on a grand scale or small and personal is always a treat. And what better way to get some great ideas for your own little piece of Eden. Whether you want to create tranquillity or something with some wow-factor, somewhere someone will have achieved something similar and will spur you on to do the same.

Before planting new ranking assess both your wishes and the unfilled conditions of your position. Trees, like all patch plants, have precise light and soil requirements which can persuade its fitness. Trees also have limited legroom requirements. Some plants widen broad and must a lot of plot, such as the beech, while others, such as the birch, grow tall and narrow. Unlike other patch plants, however, grass tend to be enduring skin in the landscape so apposite position is dangerous.

Assess your plot’s wishes. Does your patch basic shade or blush? How much cosmos do you have? Trees command a lot of area as they mature. Trees that are 10′ at the nursery can certainly attain 20′ in a material of being and may range 50′ or more at ripeness. Improperly located grass and shrubs are an usual muddle among gardeners. Trees planted to close to a house or patch course may require common pruning, ensuing in gawkily shaped plants. In many instances, transplanting becomes needed resulting in more work than originally planned.

If you want to design a shady setting in the backyard, body out how much shade you want. Trees such as the thornless honey locust and the stream birch afford stippled shade and construct comfortable outdoor gathering places. For creating deeper shade, large leaves with dense foliage such as the beech and maple are practical.

Deciduous grass, those which freed their leaves in the plummet, start shade in the summer but allocate sunlight through in the frost. These leaves are effectual when worn to increas energy efficiency. Planting to shade a house from the summer sum, plants have a cooling achieve, in the chill, grass lacking their leaves allow the sun to reheat the home.

Trees can complete as amazing central points in the landscape. In a tackle, a darling maple can park solitary in the landscape a have a stunning effect. Large foliage with interesting form and year-rotund pastime are right as a main peak or a specimen bury. Trees can also be valuable when worn to casing views, patch art and vistas.

Flowering ornamental leaves, such as the flowering crabapple, crimson and magnolia, give stunning blooms in the skip. These ornamental trees are generally minor so they can be used in any amount patch and earlier to structures.

As an accent in the minor patch, ornamental trees can grant the garden with some shade and add appeal to the landscape. For example, the dogwood begins the flavor with flashy plants and red fruit. After the dogwood’s vivid collapse foliage spray to the ground its bark which flakes with age becomes exposed providing the garden with curiosity through the coldness. A more exotic option would be the Japanese maple. Its salient, sculptural form and red foliage make the Japanese maple a year-cycle joy. The birch hierarchy’s pleasing form is a year-circular star but is most noticeable in the frost after it sheds its brilliant autumn foliage.

All deciduous trees change paint in the drop; some, however, are beloved more than others for their autumn foliage. The honey maple, red maple, tupelo and sumac all have brilliant fall tint.

Don’t overlook skin such as a factory’s form, colorful berries and interesting bark. It is these skin which was loved through the winter months. Berry producing plants also provide animals with food. Both the birch and aforementioned Japanese maple, have exquisite forms and are year-around features.

Choosing the appropriate hierarchy for your garden requires some forecast. Trees can be fractious to transplant so planting the right tree in the right spot is judicious. With some original forecast, trees which are appropriately located and planted, can last a period with little or no maintenance.

There is practically no end to the kind of garden accessories one can use to decorate a garden. A perfect garden is always an asset not only considering the resale value of your house but also spiritual value as well.

If you want to turn your garden into a paradise of your own then your problem ends here, because the market has almost any garden accessories you need to make your garden look spunky. A perfect garden is not just about aesthetics but should also make practical sense as well.
An ideal way to decorate a garden is pretty much similar to interior decoration. First and foremost hide the ugly features and highlight the spaces if limited to appear larger.

Garden furniture-
While one visualizes his/her perfect garden, after having a long stroll one obviously wishes to have a place to rest in the garden. Beautifully carved Adirondack chairs, benches and tables are available in cedar pine, birches, teak for that typical country feel and for more contemporary looks one can go for wrought iron or steel versions too.

For that quiet afternoon slumber how about a cozy relaxing hammock under the tree to share those moments of peace in the arms of nature.

Fountains and birdbaths-
The tinkling sound of water is always soothing and good for ears. To create an impression of park in your garden you have a wide range of choices in fountains and birdbaths.
Spectacular water fountains are available in form of table top or wall hangings sculpted in terracotta, resin, granite, bamboo, and brass, copper according to your taste, space and budget.

Rain chains-
Rain chains are an artistic and functional way to collect rain water in a cup or a receptacle, a traditional Japanese way to store water for house hold usage. Beautiful copper rain chains in loops, cups or tiny flower shapes are a visual treat when water drops down the chains and is music to our ears.

Garden Gongs-
A garden gong is a unique garden accessory which not only creates voyeuristic appeal but also has a great utility value.
It could be hung onto the tree branches to on the patio or verandah and used as a door bell.

They are also said to create positive energies in and around the house, so carry a great spiritual value as well.

Garden lights-
Garden lighting is an essential element of any garden used as means of safety and also to highlight some essential features such as leaves, flowers or a particular corner of the garden. Garden lightings are available in traditional and contemporary designs. Available in different materials copper, aluminum, resins, glass, wood and steel garden lights could be hung to a tree, on the porch or patio. They are available be in form of lampposts or lanterns depending on space and aesthetic sense. Whichever garden accessory you choose the point is to enhance the beauty of your house and to create more face value in all the space that we have.

Garden Small ?

Size does matter, most of us have a smaller garden than we would like and small garden blues aren’t nice.

Gardens of the small variety make it hard to grow all the plants we would like, or indeed for most of us we buy the plant then find out after a few years that it takes over the garden and has to come out.

And small garden design issues lead us to little choice in all areas  of gardening, from what plants, materials, lawns and patio furniture to have.

A small garden at the front of the property often lads people to pave or tarmac it over as car parking space.

If your gardens small there are many solutions so don’t worry, for instance boundaries become more of an important feature. Fences, trellises and walls make great areas for climbing plants.

Box hedges can be used to create form and direct the eye, this will work with larger flowers and pathways, try designing a central circular feature to add width.

Raised features are good to add dimension, raised bed around a seating area or in the middle can give a sense of being submerged in the garden. Raising the garden in steps facing your window is a good idea as it brings depths. You can plant the steps up to form a bank of flowers which will grab the attention.

A tip for small garden design when thinking about planting is to only use three main colours in you scheme.

Besides green! think of three of your favorite colours plant them in waves in your raised beds and you will have a display to be proud of.

Try using your cubic space, with trellis planting tubs and hanging baskets, an arch over a gate is another opportunity in a small garden to gain growing space.

Build in features to your garden such as a wall with a BBQ built in and the use of planters and pots will be of benefit.

Create illusions with hidden areas and opened fencing, it’s best to keep the lawn to a minimum or not have one at all. Think about gravel areas, water features and what you most want. This is usually a seating and or dining area.

Build a plan up around this central point, use a software package, or you can do it the old fashioned way with some graph paper and a pencil.

Most small gardens have high walls or fences around, it is a good idea to take a note 3 times a day if possible what the micro climate is like. What I mean is how much Sun does the small area of your garden get ? When does it have the Sun for and how long it is in shade or Sun, are parts of the garden exposed to the Sun, wind or frost.

Plants and a Small Garden

Firstly lets look at plants for walls, here are a few suggestions;

Plants for a North and East Facing Wall

Actinidia, Akebia, Celastus, Fallopia, Hedera, Hydrangrea, Jasminum, Pyracantha.

Plants for South and West Facing Walls

Abutilon, Aristolochia, Campsis, Celastrus, Clematis, Hedera, Passiflora, Wisteria.

Above are great for walls, large plants and small garden? yes we can as Mr. Obhama says, but be warned regular pruning required!

General Plants Suitable for Small Gardens

A lot of Conifers are low growing, these include, Aurea nana, Rheingold and Filifera Aurea and blue star.

Evergreen shrubs, well for a small garden your spoilt for choice, Hebes are popular espescially variegated varieties. Hydrangers and Cotoneasters too.

Water Features

Water features and small garden areas work well, adding a feature and ambiance to small gardens with the sound of water flowing, they don’t have to be ponds see below for some ideas.

Patio Furniture Ideas

Storage is the key, the above set is ideal as is the one below.

Stowaway patio furniture works well in a small garden as it “stows” down to a small areas easily stored in a shed or even in the house.

Finally if you can’t build in seating feature the try a fold away bench like below, it work well in small gardens and can again be folded away and put in a cupboard in the house.

Let us Know 

Do you have any questions? let us know by email, perhaps you have idea and small garden tips and advice you would like to share? let us know and we will publish you and link to your website.

This small garden feature is updated regularly by the patio furniture website Peak Garden Centres 

A parterre garden is a type of formal garden created by 16th Century French nursery designer Claude Mollet. Mollet based his design on the square boundaries and elaborate interior patterns of English knot gardens. However, he conceived of the parterre garden as fulfilling a different purpose for French landscapes. Instead of being viewed by people who were passing by them on the ground, Mollet wanted his gardens to be viewed from the high vantage points of open windows, balconies, and palisades. He therefore divided the single square into four squares, with gravel paths that intersect in the middle. He also changed the vegetation contents from an emphasis on herbs and small flowering plants to larger growth that could be better seen from high places.

Mollet selected clipped box to use in forming the boundaries of the parterre garden. He relied heavily on other shrub species as well to provide variation in structure and color. The English, of course, objected to this. Herbalist and poet Gervase Markham wrote that box had a “naughty smell” and should not be used in a garden. Markham had missed the point. Mollet’s intention was to create a visual experience for the Elite to quietly enjoy from the opulence and comfort of their balconies and open windows. It was far more important to see the garden as a unity than it was to smell individual flowers and herbs at close range. This was the main reason that shrubs became predominant in parterre gardens, because when different species are planted together, the variations of green can be stunningly beautiful.

Parterre gardens reached the zenith of their form under the reign of Louis XIII at the Palace of Versailles. King Louis’s head gardener, Jacques Boyceau, defined the best elements of the parterre gardens as follows:

• Borders that are made from several shrubs of different shades of green.
• Shrubs should be clipped in such a way as to create compartments and pathways within the general space.
• Passements, or embroidery patterns, should be formed out of shrub elements
• The use of repeating geometry (known as Arabesque) is often appropriate, along with selective use of animal forms in places.
• Distorted forms and interlacing patterns should be clearly visible and proportional to the whole.

Parterre gardens fell out of style after the French Revolution. The new, favored form then became the 18th Century English naturalist garden. However, in the 20th Century, parterre gardens experienced a resurgence in popularity. While they still remain true to the same aesthetic intentions of Boyceau and Mollet, the use of four perfect squares is not typical except on very large, private estates that have the acreage to support them.

Instead, the typical Houston parterre garden is often one of many elements found throughout the landscape. It can be planted with either linear or contoured geometry to compliment the aesthetic of exterior architecture and outdoor forms. This was done in a project we did some time back for a West Houston couple who loved all things French. We sculpted a parterre garden around a paved area that was designed in the shape of a horseshoe. Originally used for parking a boat, this area was later covered with gravel and used to mount a statue. The surrounding greenery created a backdrop for this piece that looked both organic and elegant at once.

Typically, landscaping companies such as ours use a combination of boxwoods and holly trees when designing parterre gardens. Boxwoods create excellent garden boundaries, and hollies add vertical dimension. This simple combination is often very useful in a yard that has lacks a fence. When planted along the property line, it creates a superb and highly aesthetic natural boundary between two residences.

Like a wedding cake, the cost of flowers for a wedding can be one of the biggest expenses faced.  Fortunately, it is possible to get wedding flowers on a budget.

One of the first considerations the bridal couple must decide is just exactly what sort of expense is realistic for the bridal bouquet and the boutonniere.  Depending on the style and the composition of the bouquet, they could run as high as several hundred dollars.  A good portion of this expense is the choice of flowers that may not necessarily be in season, especially on a local or regional basis.  If it is possible to get the specific flowers you desire, chances are they will have to be specially ordered, and will, of course, be far more expensive than usual.

Another source of budget wedding flowers is to check local farmers markets or wholesalers to see what might be available or leftover when florists failed to pick them up.  Because these places dislike keeping flowers around for any length of time, it is possible to pick up some good bargains a day or so prior to the wedding.  With careful storage, the flowers can last sufficiently to be useful for the wedding reception.  This option is especially useful if you know someone who has talent in flower arranging and could put together the floral arrangements used at the reception and/or the actual bridal bouquet.

Another option to consider is to plan the ceremony and reception at an outdoor location which naturally has flowers as a part of the surroundings. There are several parks and other venues like a local botanical garden that will fit the bill in this instance.  An additional benefit to this arrangement is that there are some of these locations which do not charge for their use.  This way, the only flowers you would actually need to buy would be those in the bridal bouquet and possibly some boutonnières for the groom and his groomsmen.  Bags of rose petals can be found for a relatively inexpensive cost at many florists for the flower girl to sprinkle along the path the bride will take to the altar.  Be sure to inquire ahead of time about the park’s regulations regarding needing to pickup the flower petals since you might find yourself responsible for making sure they are cleaned up before you leave the site.

Rather than buying real flowers, you might want to consider substituting well-made silk flowers instead.  As a rule, they tend to be less expensive, and it is possible to preserve the wedding bouquet in a glassed-in container or cabinet on display indefinitely.  Additional wedding flowers can be purchased and added to make simple bouquets or centerpieces to decorate the tables in the reception hall.

Lastly, if you’re having a wedding at an unusual time of the year, like in the winter, you might want to consider decorating with something like boughs of evergreen or holly instead of traditional wedding flowers.  Even potted poinsettia plants can be used effectively to provide decoration.  If you’re considering a themed wedding, you may not even have to worry about flowers at all.  A little research for this event can prove to be a money saver in the long run.

To your beautiful wedding!

Previously I wrote about having hanging baskets full of edibles as a way to enjoy gardening in a limited space such as a mobile home park, or even an apartment balcony. Here are a few more ideas for those with green thumbs.

I recently met someone who makes very unique hanging gardens. He sews burlap into a long tube, inserts a thick piece of wire about 5 or 6 inches longer than the tube and then fills the burlap tube with dirt. The wire must be bendable, but not so soft that it will lose its shape. Poke it out the bottom of the tube slightly, and bend it at a tight angle to act as an anchor. Form the top of the wire into a loop which can then be fastened to a hook and hung. These tubes of earth can be bent into coils or curves in whatever way that suits your amusement, or just left long and straight.

Plant anything in your hanging tube: strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes and basil are all suggestions I’ve made before. Another idea is edible flowers. Nasturtium with leaves and flowers which are both edible, is quite peppery, A bonus of nasturtium is it grows on a long vine, making it perfect for the hanging container. For a mild and sweet edible flower try pansy, or the cucumber tasting borage. All of these are easy to grow from seed.

To plant your hanging garden tube, just cut very small holes in the burlap with scissors. Seeds can be pressed right into the vertical surface of the soil. If you wish to plant seedlings, you will want to prepare the holes in the tube ahead of time and insert the plants as you fill the tube with soil.

Adding a slow-release fertilizer will help your densely packed plants thrive in such a small amount of soil. This burlap tube method of hanging garden will need to be watered often to prevent it from drying out, as it is such a small volume of soil. A water-retaining substance added to the soil can help maintain moisture, but too much compromises the nutrient levels as it takes away from the quantity of soil. A liquid fertilizer could counter-act this affect, being effectively held in the water-retentive soil additive

Of course all of these planting ideas can be used for on-the-ground container gardening, too. In fact, a combination of both ground and hanging containers could make any porch or balcony a lush oasis. The addition of edibles adds to the rewards.

Garden centers are known to be retail firms, which sell products and plants related to the different garden needs. A garden center is also considered as a primary business. It caters to the general public and is open in showcasing its display and facilities for plants and gardens.

The items one can find in the garden centers in the United States are the following:

•Perennial and annual flowers
•Shrubs
•Trees
•Roses
•Hanging baskets
•Container gardens
•Houseplants
•Water gardening
•Bulbs and seeds
•Potting mixes
•Mulch and soil amendments
•Chemicals and fertilizers
•Garden supplies and tools
•Pottery
•Garden decors, and
•Fountains.

Numerous garden centers in the United States consist of various departments, which include feeds for wild birds, gifts, floral displays, barbecue grills, and outdoor furniture, along with home decors, landscaping services and designs, as well as pet supplies. Usually, during the Christmas season, a lot of garden centers host large holiday season shops. Others also contain an additional coffee bar or cafe, unlike other restaurants situated in several garden centers in Europe.

In addition to this, a greenhouse is also commonly found in garden centers. Hence, a greenhouse protect plants from cold snaps, renders the store to safeguard houseplants in excellent condition, as well as provides the garden centers’ customers dry area to stay in during the rainy season. Furthermore, the horticulturist employees of garden centers are skilled and knowledgeable in diagnosing problems as well as in giving recommendations to all gardeners. In most garden centers, they are considered to be free service providers.

The following are the garden centers located in the United States:

Gilson Garden
Address: 3059 N. Ridge Rd., Perry, OH
Telephone Numbers: 440-259-4845 (wholesale), 440-259-5252 (retail)

The Gilson Gardens is situated right in the center of Lake Country historic nursery industry. It is a trade garden center, wholesale nursery, as well as florist. This year-round service store provides an assorted selection of trees, shrubs, and floral and perennial creations. As for their wholesale nursery, it offers ground covers, ornamental grasses, vines, perennials, and shrubs for the garden centers as well as landscapers all over the Midwest.

The Gilson Gardens has been founded in the year 1947. This family-owned garden company has started with only one greenhouse. Plus, it acts as a type of “along the side” road stand, which offer bare-root perennials as well as field-grown shrubs. At present, the Gilson Garden Company has about fifty employees and lets them be engaged in growing and retail operations of the company’s five farms consisting of forty acres in manufacture.

In addition to this, the company believes that a nursery plays an important and unique role in every community. It also must be a mellow and pleasant place to work or visit, an area where plants and people are connected, providing each to learn and to grow. A cherished and respected place alongside Lake Erie and the surrounding beautiful ecosystem, the Gilson Garden does all it can to be the finest and responsible steward of nature for years to come.

Dickman Farms Greenhouses & Garden Center
Address: 13 Archie Street Auburn, New York 13021
Telephone Number: (315) 253-3030
Garden Center Fax: 315-253-2983
Wholesale Fax: 315-253-3377
Here at Dickman Farms Garden Center, everyone is surely welcome!

In Dickman Farms, one will have the opportunity to find out the biggest array of lovely hanging baskets, specialty annuals, exhilarating new perennials, and designer-styled container gardens.

You can also stroll along its nursery. There, you will discover how it blooms together with its beautiful fragrant roses, and a wide collection of ornamental trees as well as flourishing flowering shrubs. Thus, the Dickman Farm Garden Center Division of expansive wholesale also offers its customers the ability and edge to transport an extensive range of beautiful perennials and specialty annuals that are fresh from its greenhouses straight to its garden center.

Hidden Timber Gardens
Address: 462 S. Chana Rd. Chana, IL 61015
Telephone Number: (815)751-4162

Hidden Timber Gardens dedicates itself to producing native plants, hardy perennials, specimen shrubs and trees, ornamental grasses, plus, stunning collector hostas, which range in more than sixty selections.

The Hidden Timber Gardens is located on five and a half acre land and is surrounded by eight hundred white pine trees as well as undisturbed woodlands. It also has planted numerous specimen trees. Moreover, it displays gardens for everyone to see and to relish. By touring its gardens, one will witness the occurrence of plants in its natural habitat, helping its customers decide on which plant is perfect and suitable right in their gardens. It also offers different ideas for several plant amalgamations.

Aside from this, the Hidden Timber Gardens possess perennial plants, which are ascertained to be hardy in both zones four and five, disease resistant as well as low maintenance. It also prides itself in choosing plants, which will provide its customers all seasons’ varieties. Picking out from the large variety of lush specimen trees, shrubs and evergreens, one is in no doubt of being bestowed with a unique garden setting perfect for its owner!
Visit and delight in Hidden Timber Garden’s beauty and tranquility!

Beachside Gardens
Address: 3725 E.U.S.HWY 12 Michigan City, IN 46360
Telephone Number: (219)879-8878

The Beachside Gardens has celebrated more than twenty-five years of excellent service, particularly in its Northwest Indiana region. This garden specializes in the natural and beautiful Dunes Landscape. In addition, it also produces its own hanging basket or containers, and bedding plants in the location. Moreover, it houses a large array of exuberant perennials.

The Beachside Gardens has a big selection of water garden tools and supplies such as pumps, fountains, liners, Koi fish and an assortment of water garden plants. Furthermore, it offers the one and only hardiest Michigan Grown Rhododendrons and Azaleas. All of these and more are a great addition to any beautiful garden.

Wanczyk Nursery
Address: 166 Russell Street Hadley, MA 01035
Telephone Number: 413.584.3709
Fax: 413.586.9698

The Wanczyk Nursery was established in the year 1954. It grows excellently featured nursery stock. This nursery stock is sold both in wholesale and retail, all the way to New England. This excellent nursery, based in Hadley, Massachusetts grows burlaped and balled nursery stock right on seventy-five land acres. It also containerizes plants on its eight-acre retail site near Route 9.

The Wanczyk Nursery’s broad assortment of notable burlaped shrubs and balled stock include Carol Mackie Daphne, Rhododendron, and Arborvitae. In addition, it also possesses an extensive collection of perennials, which has several arrays of Hemerocallis (Day Lilies) and a variety of annuals. It prides itself on its high quality and numerous selection of reasonably priced nursery stock.

The Wanczyk Nursery is the grower. Please do visit them!
Abbott’s Landscape Nursery
Address: 2781 Scio Church Ann Arbor, MI 48103
Telephone Number: (734)665-8733

The Abbott’s Landscape Nursery is known as a family-owned landscaping center, which serves the Ann Arbor community since the year 1981. Its property is a farm from the 18th century refurbished into a beautiful plant nursery as well as garden center. It offers products that ranges from topsoil and mulch through the hardiest shrubs and trees as well as astounding perennials.

In addition to this, it provides a wide variety of potting supplies, garden ornaments, garden tools, books, and wind chimes. Its services also range from great expert advice regarding the garden center, to consulting services, landscaping designs, and excellent work crews that are friendly and helpful with installing, planting, and mulching one’s landscaping dream into reality.

The Abbott’s Landscape Nursery greatest positive feature is its service. Far different from the usual big-box stores, which sell plants, it’s there for its plants and also loves to share its expertise with those found of gardening.

Please visit the Abbot’s Landscape Nursery and experience its beauty!

Gro-Rite Greenhouses & Garden Center
Address: 30 Hillview Road Lincoln Park, NJ 07035
Telephone Number: 973-694-7495
Fax: 973-305-8497

The Gro-Rite Greenhouses and Garden Center is a foremost family-owned garden center and green house situated in New Jersey. Having two attractive locations and a wide array of endless varieties, it has become a principal seller and grower of wonderful and vibrant perennials, annuals, landscaping and nursery products.

At Gro-Rite, one can discover the delights of gardening. By just touring its growing facilities, perennial and nursery yards, picking up unknown facts regarding plant care, planting, the latest stones as well as landscape products, it sure makes for a great experience.

Princeton Garden Center
Fax: 305-971-6719
Address: 26100, SW 177th Ave., Homestead, Fl 33031.

The Princeton Garden Center’s garden decors and outdoor patio furniture, which are from its garden center collection, are truly ideal embellishments to one’s home. With its outdoor patio style piece, it helps create the mood of your garden atmosphere. It also provides you with great garden decor selections to choose from in order to bring out the life of your garden setting. Thus, at this garden center, one will discover numerous decor items like statues, water fountains, solar garden lights, and plaques.

Flower Delivery In May

During May the tulips which bloomed in April are beginning to fade away and the summer flowers are starting to take their hold bringing beautiful colour and excitement to your gardens and vases. By the end of May the Hydrangeas are out, confirming that the heat of summer is on its way. May is a great time to buy flowers or arrange flower delivery; the colours coming through are fresh and vibrant to complement the summer sun that’s beginning to arrive.

Although it might still feel like winter outside the gardens and parks are beginning to tell a different story, the hawthorns (known as the May flower) are beginning to bloom, Bluebells are beginning to carpet the floor with a bit of colour and the early apple trees are already filling with blossom.

The list below details some of the flowers that are beginning to bloom in May:

· Babies Breath

· Bells of Ireland

· Carnation

· Chrysanthemum

· Delphinium

· English Lavender

· Babies’ Breath

· Statice Sinuata

· Freesia

· Garlands

· Salal Garland

· Gerbera Daisy

· Greens

· Bear Grass

· Ivy

· Salal or Lemonleaf

· Tree Fern

· Hydrangea (late)

· Hypericum Berry

· Lily

· Lisianthus

· Love in the Mist

· Orchid, Dendrobium

· Roses

· Scabiosa

· Snapdragons

· Statice/Misty

· Stephanotis

· Stock

· Sunflowers

· Sweetpea

· Waxflower

From the 6th of May for 4 days Westminster Abbey becomes the home of flowers as the Major festival of flowers takes place from 11am. The ‘Rejoice’ as it’s named celebrates the 50th anniversary year of the National Association of Flower Arranging Societies (NAFAS). NAFAS is an educational charity dedicated to the promotion of the artistic use of all types of plant material through the medium of its flower clubs for both adults and children. A great day out for the family, whilst it is also educational in the sense that you can learn about flower arrangements, the hard work that goes into planning seasonal decorations and the passion that many people dedicate to this fantastic art.

There are over 200 flower arrangers, each of which represents a club across the United Kingdom, they showcase their designs and blooms throughout the abbey. This year the Golden Anniversary is sure to bring some of the most spectacular flower arrangements Westminster abbey has ever seen, whilst the scents of the flowers are sure to blow you away.