Tag: Gardening & Landscaping

7 of the Fastest-Growing Plants for Your Garden

Gardening can teach us a lot of things—gentleness and consistency, the fruitfulness of putting in hard work, and that patience is a virtue. That said, while many plants do take quite a bit of time to push their sprouted heads up through the dirt and produce flowers and fruit, others get the ball rolling more quickly. Whether you’re eager to fill empty space in your own yard or simply appreciate speedy vegetation, these seven fast-growing plants are great picks.

Morning Glory (ipomoea)

  • Zones: 2 to 11
  • Maturation: 120 days from seed to flower 
  • Care: Easy

Known for its beautiful vining and vibrant purple-blue flowers, morning glories are perfect for fences, the side of your home, or a trellis. They’re also aptly named, since they open up in the morning and then close again to sleep through the night. 

“Morning glory is a personal favorite because once established it requires very little care,” says Jen McDonald, a certified organic gardener and co-founder of Garden Girls.  “When planted next to a pergola, fence, or arbor, this vine can easily grow or spread 6 to 12 feet in just one season.”

Care Requirements 

Morning glories are perennials in warm, tropical climates and considered annuals in regions that dip under 45 degrees. McDonald says to plant by seed or transplant in well-draining soil and a sunny location. “Consistent watering is required for the first two weeks, and plants mature within one month,” she says.

While pruning isn’t necessary, it’s helpful to coax your morning glory up and over arbors, fences, and other vertical services to encourage fast-growing shoots.

Radishes (raphanus sativus)

  • Zones: 2 to 11 
  • Maturation: 30 to 45 days from planting to harvest 
  • Care: Easy 

Whether you’re new to gardening or love this vegetable’s zesty snap, radishes are a great option if you want to plant something edible and reap the reward stat. “It’s one of the fastest-growing crops, and a super fun surprise to harvest since you can’t see the root until you dig them up,” says Chia-Ming, a Los Angeles based edible garden consultant. Radishes are also compact, which is ideal for smaller gardens or freestanding beds. 

Care Requirements 

Radishes are very easy to grow and do not require a lot of care, making them great for beginners and experienced gardeners alike. These hardy plants can grow year-round, but thrive best when the temperature reaches between 55 and 75 degrees. You may also want to consider experimenting with different varieties. “French breakfast and Easter basket are fun because they are different shapes and colors compared to your regular supermarket variety,” Chia-Ming says. 

Inchplant (tradescantia zebrina)

  • Zones: 9 to 11
  • Maturation: Six months to maturity  
  • Care: Easy to moderate 

Don’t be fooled by its given name—the inchplant is a vining plant that grows vigorously in optimal conditions. In fact, it gets its name because it can grow up to an inch per week. Its vining stems drip beautifully from hanging pots, happily climb down retaining walls, and eagerly creep over the ground. 

“The distinctive leaves feature shades of purple and green with silver accents, giving your garden a nice pop of bright color,” says Lindsay Pangborn, a plant expert for Bloomscape. “To ensure its vines do not get lost in your garden, feel free to add a round trellis or create a section for hanging plants within your space to display them beautifully.” 

Care Requirements 

This plant thrives in low to indirect bright light, and the more light, the more prominent the stripes. Too much sun can scorch leaves, so be mindful of that when choosing a location. The inchplant also tolerates a wide range of temperatures (65 to 90 degrees), says Pangborn. 

“Tradescantia will appreciate a regular application of balanced fertilizer every six to eight weeks during active growth,” Pangborn says. “While not known for its flowers, it can produce subtle but beautiful lavender blooms in higher light conditions.”

Hay-Scented Fern (dennstaedtia punctilobula)

  • Zones: 3 to 8
  • Maturation: Several weeks to maturity; spreads quickly 
  • Care: Easy

For a plant that takes over large swaths of ground quickly, consider the hay-scented fern. This large, feathery variety grows to about 30 inches tall and 36 inches wide and can easily take over an area in two to three years. 

“The fronds form dense masses and are pale green and lacy textured,” says Leirion Sorensen, gardens manager at Mt. Cuba Center in Hockessin, Del. “Its texture and color can be really effective in brightening up shadier woodlands or woodland edges.” 

Care Requirements 

This fast-growing plant adapts well to both wet and dry soils, and tends to be more tolerant of sun compared to other fern species, says Sorensen. It also establishes well in one season. One thing to note is that, “in sunnier sites this plant can be aggressive, competitive, and difficult to eradicate,” says Sorensen, so be mindful of that and prune regularly to keep the plant contained. 

Chives (allium schoenoprasum) 

  • Zones: 3 to 9
  • Maturation: 30 days from transplant, 60 days from seed
  • Care: Easy 

Chives make a nice garden addition thanks to their pretty, grass-like foliage and the mild onion taste they can lend to all sorts of meals. “Certainly one of the easiest and most versatile herbs to grow, chives are fast-growing when planted by seedling or sown directly into the soil,” McDonald says.

Care Requirements 

Not too fussy, chives are easy to grow both indoors and outdoors as long as they can enjoy bright, sunny light. Partial sun is okay, but they thrive with more light. This perennial also loves well-draining soil. 

“When transplanted into the garden, you can begin snipping and using right away, but take care never to cut more than a third of any plant at one time to prevent shock,” says McDonald. She adds that planting chives near tomatoes, carrots, and cabbage can help repel pests such as aphids, flies, and cabbage worms.

Schreber’s Aster (eurybia schreberi)

  • Zones: 3 to 8
  • Maturation: Three to four months 
  • Care: Moderate

Schreber’s Aster is a fall-blooming plant that rapidly forms dense strands of basal foliage via spreading and seed. “This is a favorite plant of the gardeners here [in the Northeast] because of its rhizomatous habit and late bloom, bridging the gap between summer and fall flowering perennials,” says Sorensen. It also produces a delicate white flower that stands out nicely against its lush, dark green leaves.

Care Requirement 

This aster variety is tolerant of shady and sunny sites, as well as a range of soil moisture. It usually takes about one season to establish prior to spreading, notes Sorenson, and it’s helpful to remove the seed heads prior to dispersal to help control spread. To maintain flower quality and foliage vibrancy, the plant should be divided every three to four years. 

Arugula (eruca sativa)

  • Zones: 3 to 11
  • Maturation: 30 days to microgreens, 50 days to maturity 
  • Care: Easy 

For a versatile and delicious garden plant, look no further than arugula. “Nothing packs more of a peppery punch than fresh arugula,” says McDonald. She adds that it’s a cool-weather crop that’s perfect for fall, winter, and spring gardens which means you’ll get a lot of bang for your gardener’s buck.

Care Requirements

For the best flavor, arugula should be planted during cool weather when temperatures are between 45 and 65 degrees. “Arugula has a very shallow root system, which makes it easy to grow among taller, slower-growing crops,” says McDonald. Planting it is as easy as opening a seed packet and broadcasting the seeds atop the soil.” Water lightly and consistently for the first two weeks.

Article source: 7 Fast-Growing Plants for Your Garden | Martha Stewart

Early Spring Perennials

What better time than snowy February to begin planning your perennial garden. Whether it’s a complete perennial garden or just adding one or three additional plants to an existing garden, now is the time. Here are a few selections from the garden at Iowa State to help in your planning.

iowa stateuniversity©

Attracting wildlife with native plants

A parent fed up with their child’s persistent use of technology (internet, video games, tablet, you name it!) has decided to pull the plug on their sedentary habits. They strip the devices from their child’s hands and throw them outside and say, “Go play!” The child looks around. Before them lays their entire suburban property comprised of lawn. Looking left and right they see their neighbor’s yard, more lawn. To the back of the property where once ran a creek, now buried, is replaced by a smoothly graded ditch draining toward a culvert. This ditch is planted with what? Lawn, of course.

What the above-mentioned situation lacks is diversity, and without diversity, you can’t support a dynamic ecosystem that attracts wildlife. Turfgrass is one of the largest irrigated monoculture crops in the United States. Researchers at the NASA Earth Observatory give a conservative estimate of “three times more acres of lawn in the U.S. than irrigated corn” or about 50,000 square miles of turf. To put those numbers in greater perspective that would be like covering almost all of Illinois in turfgrass.

If you desire to create an opportunity for exploration and learning for others, promote local ecosystem health, or for your sheer enjoyment, then consider creating a landscape that attracts wildlife.

Why wildlife?

For those that continually ward off deer and repair damage caused by squirrels or raccoons, you might shudder at the thought of attracting more wildlife into your yard. However, we’re talking more than just deer. When I speak of wildlife, I am referring to songbirds, butterflies, bees, reptiles, and yes the occasional ruminating mammal.

Our development patterns have significantly fragmented, altered, and eliminated native ecosystems across the U.S. According to an article by entomologist Doug Tallamy, of the total land area in the United States, only about 5% is considered wildlife zones. Tallamy estimates this loss of habitat has imperiled 33,000 species of plants and animals rendering them “functionally extinct”.

Why natives?

Using native plants is the best strategy to attract wildlife. Our birds, insects, reptiles, and mammals evolved right alongside our native grasses and forbs and, for some, their lifecycles are codependent. Take the monarch butterfly as an example. Over millennia the monarch caterpillar developed the ability to withstand the toxic attributes of milkweed, even acquiring the ability to feed on the leaves without triggering the milky sap that gives the plant its name.

I’m sure there are those of you that scoff at the idea of installing plants in your landscape simply to be eaten! Is that what I’m suggesting? Well, yes! But let’s put that statement in perspective. Local wildlife has developed a give-and-take relationship with their respective native plants which have in turn developed elaborate chemical and physical defenses.

Doug Tallamy’s studies at the University of Delaware tracked insect damage on natives vs. non-natives. What they found was that feeding damage was higher on the non-natives. Plus, the damage that was present on native plants was less than 1% in regards to piercing-sucking damage and around 4% with chewing damage, well below the 10% threshold where the typical homeowner notices any damage at all.

Another reason for using native plants is because of an often used alternative to attracting wildlife – feeding them. Birdfeeders aside, it is not recommended to feed wildlife.

  • Wildlife are NOT pets
  • Feeding makes wildlife lose their natural fear of people, often making them a nuisance
  • Animals who depend on people can cause injuries or spread diseases
  • Young wild animals, dependent on humans for food, are less experienced in foraging for food and less likely to survive
  • Wildlife requires a variety of foodstuffs to provide the nutrients required to stay healthy
  • “People” food bears no resemblance to the food animals eat in the wild

Using native plants provides a natural food source and options for shelter and nesting materials. For an animal to pick your yard as a home they must have their basic needs met which include food, water, shelter, and a place to raise their young. Scroll down for a list of recommended native plants.

As I write this article, the goldenrod and boneset are in full bloom and loaded with insects of all shapes and sizes. Meanwhile, yellow finch feast on the seed heads of spent purple coneflowers. After adding native plants, you may value them beyond their aesthetic appeal and instead admire the vast and complex web of life they support, capturing the awe of a child, forced outside away from technology into a vibrant landscape.

Recommended native plants for Illinois

Are natives the only answer to providing wildlife resources? Certainly not! Animals and insects use many non-natives such as hosta or sedum. Yet, to promote local ecology and identity, the following are some Illinois natives recommended in the home landscape.

Trees

  • Wild black cherry | Prunus serotina
  • Flowering dogwood | Cornus florida
  • Black gum | Nyssa sylvatica
  • Hackberry | Celtis occidentalis
  • Shagbark hickory | Carya ovata
  • Hophornbeam (ironwood) | Ostrya virginica
  • Sassafras | Sassafras albidum
  • Witch-hazel | Hamamelis virginiana

Shrubs

  • Black chokeberry | Aronia melanocarpa
  • Gray dogwood | Cornus racemose
  • American hazelnut | Corylus americana
  • Leadplant | Amorpha canescens
  • Spicebush | Lindera benzoin

Wildflowers

  • Blazing stars | Liatris spp.
  • Black-eyed Susans | Rudbeckia spp.
  • Coneflowers | Echinacea spp.
  • Ironweed | Veronia spp.
  • Joe-Pye weed | Eutrochium spp.
  • Milkweeds | Asclepias spp.
  • Phlox | Phlox spp.
  • New England Aster | Symphyotrichum novae-angliae
  • Wild bergamot | Monarda fistulosa

Good Growing Tip of the Week: Did you know that observing wildlife has a calming effect on our brains? Watching animals, birds, and even the movement of grasses in the wind actually boosts our mood and has a recovery effect for stress.

Source: https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2022-09-15-attracting-wildlife-native-plants

Garden Planters That’ll Look Good in Your Home and Yard

Plants can instantly make a backyard or bedroom more inviting. That being said, planters are crucial in keeping your favorite greenery alive and well. Whether you just bought a new plant or want to re-pot one you already own, we’ve picked out some of the best garden planters on the market. From a budget-friendly pick to a self-watering option, we scoured reviews and focused on essential factors like the material, style, and price to determine which recs—at the very least—are worth your consideration. Dive into our suggestions, ahead.

Bergs Pink Terra Cotta Pot

$19.95

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A terracotta planter is always the way to go. Our Afloral find for a cool $32 has a drainage hole and saucer—a simple, elegant combo. Display it in your outdoor garden over the summer and then, bring it inside to liven up your interiors during the colder months.

Garden Planters (2-Pack)

$39.99

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The next, under $50 two-pack is an excellent affordable choice. Each planer is just over 11 inches at its widest and works for indoor and outdoor use. Oh, and it has more than 2,600 five-star reviews.

Cubico Cottage Self-Watering Planter

$89.99

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Forgetful plant parents should consider a self-watering planter. Featuring a wicker design, reviewers praise it for its sturdiness and versatility as it can be used anywhere. If you ask us, it’s a no-brainer buy that’ll make life a breeze.

View 12 more selections below!

Source: 15 Pretty Garden Planters That’ll Look Good in Your Home and Yard (msn.com)

Don’t Grow These Vegetables Next to Each Other

A garden is like a community. Some members of that community live quietly next to each other, and others demand their own space. Some will even rob valuable nutrients from nearby neighbors. Make sure your companion plants happily coexist. Here are a few plants that don’t play well with others.

© Zbynek Pospisil/Getty Images

Beans and Onions

Beans are considered allelopathic plants, which means they produce biochemicals that can hinder the growth of another plant. Beans do not do well with members of the onion family, such as onion, leek, chives and garlic. Beans and carrots complement each other, giving each other nutrients that encourage growth. Carrots also help beans by attracting ladybugs that keep aphids from damaging leaves.

Tomatoes and Corn

Tomatoes and corn fight each other for soil nutrients if planted too close together. The tomato hornworm and certain types of fungus love corn and tomatoes, so separating the two prevents mass extinction of both. Tomatoes also don’t like cabbage or potatoes. Instead, pair with lettuce, which will be shaded and keep the soil moist for the water-loving tomatoes.

Potatoes and Sunflowers

One grows deep and the other rises high. However, they don’t get along because sunflower seeds contain a toxic ingredient that prevents potatoes from growing fully. Grow spinach for early harvest around the potato hills, before the potato plants need soil mounding.

Asparagus and Garlic

These two incompatible plants share the same need for nutrients in the soil, and asparagus is a real quitter if it can’t get everything it needs. Your best bet is to give asparagus its own bed with no competition. But if you must give it a friend, try parsley or dill.

Celery and Carrots

We often pair them on a vegetable platter, but these plants should avoid each other in the garden. Both need water and shade and seek a taller leafed-out companion like beans to keep the soil moist. Use thyme as a companion to celery, which will smother weeds and moisten the soil.

Eggplant and Fennel

Eggplant is a member of the nightshade family, and fennel produces a chemical that slows nightshade growth. Instead, choose bush beans as eggplant’s companion. Eggplant loves the nitrogen that the bush beans add to the soil. And the bush bean repels the Colorado potato beetle, which has a taste for eggplant.

Cucumber and Rosemary

The cucumber can take on the flavors of strong herbs, so keep rosemary, basil and sage away until blending them into a delicious salad in the kitchen. Allow cucumbers to vine by giving them a trellis, which helps them avoid rotting on moist soil.

Lettuce and Garlic

Poor garlic hinders many plants, including producing chemicals that wilts lettuce in place. Keep lettuce away from garlic’s cousins, too — onion, leeks and chives. Instead, plant lettuce next to that power pair of carrots and radishes. The shallow roots of quick-growing lettuce won’t disturb the root crops.

Parsnips and Carrots

These two root crops like the same growing conditions, but both are susceptible to the carrot root fly. So, it’s best to give them their own space, far from each other. Both plants would rather line up with radishes, as the little round radish grows quickly. Once the radishes are pulled, there is growing space between the longer-growing carrot or parsnip.

Pumpkins and Summer Squash

Pumpkins are aggressive garden plants. They can choke out summer squash such as zucchini that competes for water and space. Pumpkins will also cross-pollinate with other squash varieties, affecting your harvest. Pumpkins like to sprawl and snake up corn’s thick stalk. The two vegetables are harvested at different times, so they won’t compete for precious water in the late summer.

Story by Rosie Wolf Williams for The Family Handyman©

Don’t Toss It, Plant It! 12 Vegetables You Can Regrow from Scraps

Kitchen scrap gardening saves you money on grocery bills and reduces waste. Regrow your kitchen waste into edible veggies and greens!

What Is Kitchen Scrap Gardening?

Kitchen scrap gardening is the ultimate in recycling. It’s environmentally friendly, can save on grocery bills, and it’s a fun, hands-on science lesson for young children.

Here are some of the best scraps to get growing. You’ll probably get better results if you start with high-quality organic produce since some non-organic produce is actually treated to prevent sprouting. Also, keep in mind the climate you live in will determine if and when plants started from scraps can be transferred to an outdoor garden.

A Few Things To Keep In Mind

Not everything will sprout. Check on your plants and if after a week you don’t see anything is happening, compost the scraps and try again.

 Romaine Lettuce

Growing romaine lettuce from scraps is similar to growing green onions and celery. Cut off the lettuce you plan to eat and leave a couple of inches at the base. Place this romaine heart in water and new leaves will start to grow from the center. Remove outer leaves as they start to die. You can eventually plant your romaine in soil when the time is right.

Potato

Small potatoes can be planted whole. For large potatoes like bakers, cut into pieces making sure there are a couple of eyes on each piece. Allowing the pieces to dry out for a day or two may help prevent rotting. Plant the pieces in your garden or a container filled with well-drained potting mix and wait for them to sprout. In a few months, you should be able to dig up a whole bunch of new potatoes!

Basil, Cilantro, and Other Herbs

Re-growing herbs, such as basil and cilantro, is fairly easy to do. Cut a stem about four inches long, and place it into a glass of water. Be sure that the leaves are not submerged in the water. Place your stem in a bright area, but out of direct sunlight. In a few days, look for roots forming. Once these roots are about an inch long, go ahead and transplant them into some soil. In no time you will have your very own flourishing herb garden.

Regrow Vegetables From Seeds

Don’t stop with just scraps! You can also retrieve your own seeds from your food scraps in order to propagate. Rinse off the slimy, seedy insides of your organic tomatoes and allow them to dry thoroughly. Plant them in a container inside until sprouted to a few inches tall, when they can then be transplanted outside. Peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, winter squash, and microgreens can all also be re-grown by salvaging their seeds. Turn those composting scraps into new, edible treasures.

Read about 9 more items to regrow by tapping the link below.

Source: Don’t Toss It, Plant It! 12 Vegetables You Can Regrow From Scraps – Farmers’ Almanac – Plan Your Day. Grow Your Life. (farmersalmanac.com)

Planning a new perennial garden? Plant for the whole garden ecosystem

Welcome to winter. The days are short and cold, and if you enjoy plants like I do, hopefully, you have a few indoors to boost your mood. However, there is already light on the horizon. Spring will be here before you know it, and now is a wonderful time to plan out your new perennial gardens.

At the Red Oak Rain Garden in Urbana, the designers used a plant-centric, layered design approach during a 2019 garden renovation. Low-growing plants cover the ground, seasonal plants add a pop of color, and structural plants add height and form. Photo: Layne Knoche.

The days of planting individual plants and surrounding them in a traditional sea of mulch or rock are numbered. Instead, a design paradigm described in the book “Planting in a Post-Wild World” by Thomas Rainer and Claudia West is one that gardeners are flocking to. The innovative approach incorporates the concept of functional layers that form a complex yet organized landscape that reflects nature.

We need aesthetically beautiful gardens that also provide multiple ecosystem services such as water filtration and insect habitat. You cannot get that from most traditional landscapes. This design method works. We have used it successfully and beautifully at the Red Oak Rain Garden on the campus of University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign and I have even used it in my own gardens.

Design in Layers

Be aware of layers when designing perennial gardens. Each layer has a selection of plant species that perform a specific function. When designing, it’s best to focus on these three layers: Groundcover, structural, and seasonal.

The Groundcover Layer

This layer typically consists of low-growing, densely planted grasses, sedges, ferns, and forbs that form a “green mulch” that serves to shade out weeds. Depending on the species chosen, these may be planted in groups of 10 or more and planted as little as 12 inches apart. As they fill in and mature, they protect from soil erosion, provide habitat for overwintering pollinators, and much more.

The Structural Layer

This layer consists of trees, larger shrubs, tall forbs, and grasses, or any other plant that has strong architectural forms. The plants in this layer form the “bones” of the garden that are visible year-round. Individual plants or small groupings – three or five, typically – are appropriate for this layer.

The Seasonal Layer

This layer features plant species that are visually dominant for a period. These are typically plants with showy blooms or textures. Larger groups and masses of plants in this layer can create stronger visual appeal.​

Design Tips

  1. Keep “right plant, right place” in mind. Know your site’s sun, moisture, and soil conditions, and choose species appropriate for your conditions.
  2. Plan for seasonality. Make sure to include some spring ephemerals, summer bloomers, fall color, and winter visual interest.
  3. Order early. Determine the species you want to use as early as possible, especially if you plan on ordering plants from an online nursery. The ship-to-home method has become increasingly popular over the past several years, so the earlier you place your order, the more likely you are to have luck with the species you want.

Designing perennial gardens is a fantastic way to spend a snowy gray day.

By Layne Knoche for extension.illinois.edu/

The 2023 Perennial Plant of the Year Is This Black-eyed Susan

The Perennial Plant Association has named ‘American Gold Rush’ black-eyed Susan its Perennial Plant of the Year for 2023. A hybrid between several species of Rudbeckia, ‘American Gold Rush’ is an easy grower with a compact habit, long late-summer bloom time and foliage that stays healthy. This plant was also recognized as an outstanding perennial by the All-America Selections trialing program in 2020.

Common name: ‘American Gold Rush’ black-eyed Susan

Botanical name: Rudbeckia ‘American Gold Rush’

Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Flowers: Daisy-like flowers appear atop upright stems from midsummer into autumn. The rays are a golden yellow and the cones, deep brown.

Foliage: Medium green, long and narrow, finely haired leaves form a basal clump of foliage. The leaves have shown good resistance to powdery mildew and leaf spot, which can be a problem for Black-eyed Susans.

Habit: ‘American Gold Rush’ grows about two feet tall and it can spread nearly twice as wide. It has a rounded, compact shape.

Origin: This cultivar was first discovered by Illinois-based perennial breeder Brent Horvath in a bed sown with open-pollinated seed. Horvath states it is a hybrid between two, or likely three, rudbeckia species, including R. fulgida var. deamii.

How to grow it: Site ‘American Gold Rush’ rudbeckia in full sun or part shade. It grows best in lean to average soil with good drainage. Avoid fertilizing, which can cause lanky growth amid rudbeckias. Water regularly while the plant is getting established, but thereafter it can tolerate dry periods. Leave seed heads standing for birds in the fall, then cut the plant back in late winter or early spring. This plant may reseed in the garden. USDA Zones 4–9.

Source: https://www.hortmag.com/plants/2023-perennial-plant-of-the-year

19 Vegetable Garden Plans & Layout Ideas That Will Inspire You

Are you ready to plant your garden, but are feeling a little unsure of how to lay it out?

Well, it seems everyone faces that dilemma each year. The reason is that there are so many different ways to layout your garden.

Then you have to consider what your goal for your vegetable garden is. Do you want it to give some produce but also care about aesthetics? Are you more interested in getting the most produce possible from your garden?

After you decide what your primary goal for your vegetable garden is, then scroll through the vegetable garden plans I’ve gathered from all over the internet and see which options work the best for you.

Simple Vegetable Garden Plans

Here are the vegetable garden plans:

1.  Raised Garden Bed Gardening Plans

These plans are amazing. The reason is that they take each raised garden bed into account and lay it all out to scale.

Then you can see that they incorporate the purpose of each vegetable as well. For instance, you’ll see they are growing multiple beds of tomatoes.

However, they label the tomatoes that are meant for sauce, the tomatoes meant for sandwiches (or slicers), and also incorporate the other vegetables they plan to grow in smaller amounts.

This is why this thorough layout would be a great place to start if you are planning on gardening in raised beds this year.

There are 18 more garden layouts to view by clicking the link below.

19 Vegetable Garden Plans & Layout Ideas That Will Inspire You (morningchores.com)

12 Gorgeous Gabion Ideas For Backyards

Appearing both modern and rustic at the same time, gabions provide an uncommon way to construct hardscape features in your garden that will last for decades to come. Gabion construction is a method used to build structural elements using rock without mortar.

The term “gabion” comes from an Italian word gabbione which simply means “big cage” Gabions can be made into square boxes, curved walls, pillars and more. Let’s check out some inspired landscape design ideas…

#4. Modern Planters

#7. Fountains

The image below features a fountain made with a small pump and a spillway fountain kit. The copper likely came from a rolled sheet of roofing material purchased from the home center.

#9. Raised Beds

Gabion ‘walls’ constructed for a raised bed typically will not need to be very thick since they are low to the ground and have some support once the inside is filled with soil.

I am not aware of any nationwide retailers that carry gabion cages but they are widely available online through a google search. Smaller cages that you can stack together to form walls and other features are sold on Amazon, Ebay, and even Etsy, as well as different shapes for making planters.

View all 12 gabion ideas by clicking the link below.

Source: 12 Gorgeous Gabion Ideas For Backyards – Container Water Gardens

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