Planning a garden can be almost as daunting as choosing which plants to grow. This is why I decided to share some of my favorite ideas. Hopefully it will give you some inspiration.
1. Kitchen Garden– This one is obvious and probably the most common. People often only consider growing vegetables, however adding herbs to your kitchen garden can be very beneficial. They can help your vegetables grow (depending on the plants) and they can also keep pests away. For example, adding Spearmint can keep aphids away, not to mention it makes a great tea. A book on Companion Planting can help you decide which plants you want to grow together.
2. Moon Garden– This might be my favorite! Have a garden of plants that only bloom at night. Some of these include night blooming Jasmine (obviously), Evening Primrose (Oenothera biennis), Gardenia, Moonflower (Ipomoea alba), night blooming Cereus (another obvious one), Datura innoxia, and Angel’s Trumpet. A gazing globe, or something that reflects the moon can be a nice touch.
3. Backyard Wildlife Garden– Now if you have a kitchen garden you already have some wildlife visiting but it’s more than just growing the right plants. You also want to provide water and shelter. Hollow logs, shrubs, and brush provide adequate shelter and bird baths can be appropriate for water. Passionflower (Passiflora incarnata) vine is a great plant to grow. It’s food for caterpillars, shelter for the cocoon, and where butterflies lay their eggs. If you choose to have a wildlife garden, you can get it certified through the National Wildlife Federation.
4. Fairy or Faery Garden– Now I’m not talking about gardens with miniature plants and little houses, which is a great idea for a garden but not all fairies are Tinkerbell tiny. I’m talking about plants from folklore that have been said to attract other types of fairies/ faeries (whichever spelling you prefer). These plants include Primrose (Primula vulgaris), Elderberry (Sambucus nigra), Elfswort or Elecampane (Inula helenium),Pansy (Viola tricolor), Lilac (Syringa vulgaris), and Roses. You can decorate the garden with windchimes, bells and anything shiny. Be sure to provide water for wildlife and let some weeds grow to keep it a little wild. A word of warning: If you choose to have a Fairy garden, keep it maintained and don’t let the plants die or else you will deeply offend them.
5. Flower Garden– Who doesn’t love flowers? There are several different ideas within this garden that you can do. You can grow flowers that you would want to put together in a vase, grow only aromatic flowers, flowers of a certain color or flowers for every color of the rainbow. The choice is yours.
So what do you think? Are you inspired to try any of the ideas? Do you have a favorite that I missed? Post a comment and let me know. If you liked this post, feel free to share it.
Until next time…
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