Nadia Knows Gardens » Garden Design

Seashells in the Garden

nadiaqh — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 08:11:03 +0000

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Have you ever gone on vacation and wished you could bring back that awesome feeling you got by experiencing a different environment, or culture? A long time ago in a land far, far away… I became a certified PADI scuba diver in the Sea of Cortez, Mexico. The beauty of the desert sand and cactus meeting right up against the big blue ocean is one of those vacation experiences that will forever be a picture memory in my mind. I decided to create a “mini visual display” of that memory in my cactus/aloe/ succulent garden on my side yard. Since this area of my yard is already a desert setting, it seemed to be the perfect spot. It reminds of how the “desert kisses the ocean” with seashells and cactus meeting at the oceans tide. Seashells, sand, a glass buoy, moonstones and some wood chunks are what I used to create my mini Sea of Cortez and I love the way it turned out. Now I’m inspired to return to Mexico for a warm beach vacation. Looking at the weather across the nation this week I am sure that I am not alone in wanting a warm vacation!

Thank you for visiting my blog: www.nadiaknows.com

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Creating-Growing-Staying Inspired!

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Seashells and Aloe

The Giving Garden

nadiaqh — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 08:11:19 +0000

“It is more blessed to give than to receive. [Acts 20:35]“

Taking cuttings from my garden and transplanting them into a friends garden, this is a Giving Garden. After deciding on a Zen Garden Design (see previous blog about Stepping into Zen), I designed a plant-scape of symmetry and flow. By grouping plant varieties together, it gave the tiered planters an organized eye candy appeal. This project took several carloads of clippings from my succulent, aloe, euphorbia,and cacti plants from my yard. Before transplanting, I dipped each plant into Root Tone/Rooting Hormone to help stimulate root growth as soon as possible. The weaving rocks (placed with landscaping fabric underneath) created a nice visual separation between the plants; giving each section distinction. The right side of the yard gets more shade, so I placed a few flats of impatiens and ferns for that area. The top of the hill stays dry and sunny; a perfect home for the cactus and aloe. Other additions to create a Zen atmosphere of peace were 1) The painted stepping stone 2) A bird feeder that I bought on clearance at Target. 3) Home made bird bath (see previous blog) 4) River Rock . The project took several days in September (during that heat wave we had in California) and was a labor of love. The final photos were taken three weeks later to allow the plants to fill in.

Sharing plant cuttings is a great way to help inspire gardening and also help a friend “Reclaim her yard!”

Thank you for visiting my blog: www.nadiaknows.com “I know I want to Create-Grow-Inspire”

SCUBA DIVE IN YOUR GARDEN

nadiaqh — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:35:25 +0000

Grab your mask and snorkel (bikini and speedo?) and go for an ocean dive right in your own back yard! I planted this faux Coral Reef garden in an area outside my kitchen patio in a 15′ x 4′ space. I originally saw this idea at the Quail Botanical Gardens in Encinitas, CA and wanted to see if I could replicate it in my own yard. For Mother’s Day my gift was a carload of plants (big surprise) and I went to work trying to recreate that colorful ocean display. By using drought tolerant plants such as succulents, cactus, small palms and euphorbia, I was able to reduce watering in this area to only once per week. It now has the illusion of being surrounded by water, yet simultaneously being water wise. This has been one of my favorite projects so far and has become prettier every month as the plants continue to flourish.

* I added sea shells, thick rope, glass balls, ocean statuary and a pebble/lava ground cover at the edges. I even found a faux light weight black anchor on ebay.

* Grouping large rocks and stacking them in mounds creates depth and gives the illusion of a coral reef.

* By placing a landscaping fabric underneath the rocks and pebbles, it not only helps keep weeds out, but prevents the rocks from sinking under the soil.