Landscaping Your Water Garden
A garden is an organized area, often outdoors, devoted to the cultivation, exhibit, and appreciation of various types of flora and other exotic plants. The single most distinguishing feature distinguishing even the wildest of gardens from the most well- tended urban gardens is top-down planning. The planning principle underlying a garden, even in the most simple of models, is top-down management of resources. The garden is usually composed of natural and artificial resources. These resources may be perishable or non-perishable, fixed or movable.
All vegetable gardens must contain nutrients for plant growth; and a large proportion of these nutrients must come within the reach of the leaves, roots and shoots. Plants that are allowed to grow free from all nutrients will wither and die. Man made additives and fertilizers can add greatly to the requirement for certain crucial nutrients. Top-down planning also makes it easy to distinguish between edible and ornamental plants. The distinguishing factor between a vegetable garden and a flower garden lies in the number of edible vegetables.
Flower gardens are like vegetable gardens, except that they are designed to provide the home owner with a decorative garden full of beautiful, flowering plants. The ornamental plants are designed to add beauty to a garden, while the water garden’s plants are usually edible. A water garden is also designed to hold back weeds. It is important to use methods that will exclude weeds without damaging the plants, and to keep the water garden clean. Flower gardens are usually self sustaining, but they do require some care.
Both kinds of gardens need to be provided with proper soil, and the conditions of the flowers and plants must be suitable for their continued growth. Both types of gardens require the planting of grass and the planting of seedlings. The rosemary plant, for instance, is very hearty. This plant takes over the vacant land left by the lawn in the flower garden. The rosemary leaves can then be incorporated into the meal of the grass, and the clover can be tilled into the beds.
Landscaping is not necessary to develop garden vegetables. The herbs will grow on their own and make good, attractive shrubs. Cascading greenery such as hostas and creeping thyme make good additions to the ornamental plants. Landscaping is not necessary to keep the vegetables growing, and some herbs may be grown in a small space without any form of landscaping. For example, lavender can be grown in containers, with no need for a garden path.
When people think of gardening, the majority will picture small plots of land filled with rows of grass, with occasional visits from herb bushes and vegetables. Vegetables are not the only plants that can be grown successfully in small gardens. Many herbs, like basil and chives, are also very good for your health. A water garden provides year-round food for you and your family, and a colorful landscape full of color will enhance the beauty of your home.