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Wednesday, April 12th, 2017
The beds are shaped and smoothed, the trees and shrubbery & flowers are planted, and the mulch is on the ground. Like carpeting in a house, ground cover is the last thing to go into the landscaping. Groundcovers serve more than one purpose in the garden. Undervalued, and improperly used, groundcovers are the Cinderella of the landscape. These plants are living mulch, suppressing weeds, conserving moisture, and reducing maintenance. They are the workhorses of the plant world. Groundcovers add another to your garden by complementing and enhancing the plants they support through variations in color and texture. Smooth leafed groundcover next to something spikey and rough creates visual drama. The subtleties of great landscape design can be witnessed in well placed groundcover.
Monday, March 21st, 2016
Ground CoverLandscapingPerennials
It’s just too bad those old bell-bottom jeans don’t fit anymore. Like clothing, landscaping styles change. There have been times when we couldn’t keep enough perennials in stock because everybody and their mother wanted perennial gardens. The same happened with grass gardens for a few years. We have been in this long enough to see the perennials lead to grasses to rocks to mulch to low-maintenance evergreens and shrubs to more stone. Each time the stone comes out and the mulch goes in and the mulch comes out and we do the hokey pokey and we turn it all around. That’s what it’s all about.
Monday, August 4th, 2014
So you have a shady garden? All of your hopes for a bright lush garden are doomed right? I think not. You just need a change of perspective. Just let go of the idea of a riot of bright colors. Instead, embrace the many different shades of green and layering of different shade-loving perennials, shrubs, and ground covers.
Monday, August 4th, 2014
I have a woods behind my home which I love to take walks through. The forest is a stark contrast from my own yard which is full of sun. I love my sunny yard with its colors and sounds, but something happens when you walk in the shade under a canopy of leaves held by the sturdy trunks and branches of Maple and Beech trees. The temperature drops and a sheltered stillness enters your heart as you feel the protection of nature. When the sun peeks through the foliage nature’s shade garden becomes vibrant with moss on fallen trees, ferns, and in spring Trillium, Blood Root, Jack in the Pulpits, and May Apples cover the forest floor.
Tuesday, June 11th, 2013
Fire PitGround CoverHardscapesLandscapingTrees
This month we have a new case study for our readers. Many people want to know what Nancy’s house looks likes. Well, here it is. This property won the 2012 Indiana Nursery and Landscape Association’s Award of Excellence in Residential Landscape Design/Build category.
Where do we begin with this one? From the day ground was broken for the house over Twelve years ago this property was designed to be a landscaping marvel. The house is situated among hundred year old oak trees. During construction Nancy & Roger were adamant about large equipment encroaching upon the roots of the trees. The construction site was cordoned off to within 15′ of the house. This insured that there would be no construction equipment/traffic over the roots of the existing old growing trees. All but one survives to this day. In the shade of the large old growth trees live dozens of Hosta varieties. There are multiple flagstone paths leading from garden to garden as well as strips of green grass that form their own pathways around the acres of gardens. Nancy & Roger are both very passionate about plants and either one of them could discuss for hours the various intricacies from species to species and subspecies to subspecies.
Wednesday, October 10th, 2012
Like carpeting in a house, ground cover is the last thing to go into the landscaping. Groundcovers serve more than one purpose in the garden. Undervalued, and improperly used, groundcovers are the Cinderella of the landscape. These plants are living mulch, suppressing weeds, conserving moisture, and reducing maintenance. They are the workhorses of the plant world. Groundcovers add another dimension of color and texture by complementing and enhancing the plants they support. We use many varieties of ground cover including dozens of Sedum varieties, Mazus Reptans, Ajuga, and Pachysandra to name a few. The variation is varieties is astonishing. Virtually any color or texture can be found to balance and enhance a garden. Ground covers, when chosen well, can be as beautiful as they are useful. They give the finishing touch that elevates the landscaping to the realm of fine art.
Smalls Landscaping
310 North 325 East
Suite A
Valparaiso, IN 46383
Phone: (219) 476-7400
Toll Free: (855) 476-7400
Fax: (219) 476-7500
