Climbing plants are one of nature’s most beautiful creations. When used correctly, they provide beautiful shade, stunning backdrops, and they are generally a pretty forgiving plant for novice gardeners. Climbing plants are perfect for pergolas and arbors to create a beautiful canopy, and can be a nice edition to large or small gardens to give some visual height. You can also use climbing plants to cover up unsightly areas of your property, or cover bare walls and fences. Here’s 12 beautiful climbing plants that are perfect to try in your space.

Clematis:

Clematis is a popular choice because it’s a climbing plant with lots of flower blooms starting from spring. It is friendly with other plants to create a beautiful garden view and creates a large, thick, wide coverage.

Wisteria:

These charming flower plants come in white, purple, pink or blue. They are happiest in sunny areas or at most slight shade. Wistera is best purchased from cuttings because seeds take quite a bit of time to flower.

Honeysuckle:

This is a climbing plant that is both beautiful and fragrant. It’s a forgiving plant that is happy over an arch or pergola, and commands attention because of its light smelling blooms. It grows fairly quickly, so if you’re looking for fast results, this is a great choice.

Trumpet Vine (Campsis):

This is a beginner-friendly climbing plant that gives very bold, rewarding, bright flowers during the summer. It attracts hummingbirds, and it can grow in virtually any conditions (sun, shade, hot, cold, and even drought conditions).

Jasmine:

This is, by no contest, the most intense climbing flower. It will likely produce scent you can smell around the block. It works best in warm, humid climates and blooms all year long.  jasmine is the most intense flower. Its fragrance can be smelt from far-far away. So if you love fragrant plants, grow it. In warm and humid climates jasmine blooms year round. In cooler zones, grow it as annual.

Climbing Roses:

Climbing roses are an absolutely beautiful addition, but they do require a little more attention. They must be trained the right way and they don’t necessarily bloom quickly. Climbing roses are charming and romantic, but requires patience to get the result you want.

Morning Glory:

Morning glory is called “Heavenly Blue” for a reason. It has a superb flower from summer to autumn, it’s relatively easy to grow, and pleasant to look at.

Moonflower:

This is a night-bloomer, making it perfect for covering a pergola over an entertaining space. It has fragrant flowers that are open from sundown to sunup throughout summer and fall.

Grape Vine:

Why not have your vines and eat ‘em too? This is a great option because it climbs well and provides a beautiful and delicious fruit for juicing, canning, or snacking. It grows in a variety of climates and can be trained to grow exactly where you want it.

Virginia Creeper:

Virginia creeper is a very rewarding choice if you need a quick cover. It grows quickly and clings easily. While it doesn’t provide blooms, the leaves turn beautiful colors in the fall.

Hops:

While most people know hops as a key ingredient in beer, the hop vine is a beautiful plant that works perfectly in most gardens. It has large leaves that can climb up to 12 inches a day and up to 25 feet tall.

Butterfly Pea:

This is a beautiful green climbing vine with deep blue flowers. It is a tropical vine and provides the best food source for butterflies. If you’re looking to add a spectacle to your garden and invite beautiful butterflies as well, this is a great choice.

Need help with your pergola?  Check out these 12 DIY Pergolas Tutorials!

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Julia

Remember the phrase, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure”? That has never been truer than when in reference to compost.  Creating your own compost is nothing more than recycling organic trash like food, grass, coffee grounds, and garden waste). Learn how to make your own compost in 3 way steps. 

The compost process is actually a natural phenomenon that occurs without any human involvement. For example, when leafs fall on a forest floor, it decomposes, breaks down, and adds nutrients to the soil, acting like a fertilizer. It’s mother nature’s way of taking care of herself.

 

We can use our own organic trash from grass clippings to banana peels to create the same effect. But why would we want to? There’s a lot of reasons. Gardeners and farmers love to compost because it is essential DIY fertilizer that is cheaper and works better than the expensive stuff at the store. Environmentalists also compost because it keeps trash out of the landfills and puts it to good use.

Composting isn’t just for farmers and rural areas, urban areas compost too because sometimes it’s actually easier than filling up endless trash bags and hauling them to the dumpster. Here’s how to get started.

Step 1:

Find a Bin or a Spot. If you have an area of your lawn or garden that you can use to compost, you don’t need an actual bin. Otherwise, you’ll need something to contain your pile. Generally, anything that is at least 3 feet by 3 feet works great. You can use an old trash can, a DIY wooden crate, or anything in between.

 

Step 2:

Build it up. As a general guide, if it came from a plant, throw it in the bin. This includes outdoor things like garden waste, lawn clippings, and hay. It also includes most kitchen waste like egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags, and any rinds, scraps or peels. Keep all dairy products, meat products and any cooked food OUT of the compost bin.

Compost connoisseurs have created quite a science to the building, layering, airing, turning, and testing of compost to make sure the result is pure black gold perfection. Honestly, it’s not rocket science. It needs to have access to oxygen and water, just like any living thing, so stir it around about once a week and keep it moist. That’s about all it takes.

 

Step 3:

Wait. The hardest part of compost is waiting. It takes about a year to develop real useful fertilizing soil from a compost pile. Once you have your beautiful compost, you can use it in your garden, flower beds, around trees, and even in potted plants. You’ll enjoy plants that are bigger, stronger, and produce better flowers and more produce than ever before. All it takes is trash and patience.

 

The post How to Make Your Own Compost appeared first on GardenLovin.

A nice clean garden edge gives your landscape definition and texture. Of course, we’d all love a professionally designed garden area, but the cost of materials alone can be astronomical. These lawn edging ideas are innovative and beautiful to give you the function and aesthetics without the high costs.

You can keep your lawn edging as basic or creative as you’d like based on your location, landscape, and budget. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

    Gabion Wall

I love this look, especially for raised beds. You can fill the wall with just about any size of rocks depending on what is available in your area.  Use a 12 gauge or thicker concrete mesh roll, for the walls. You can buy these at any hardware store. Using wire cutters, create boxes to your specific height and size.  Bury 6×6 treated wood posts evenly along your border.  Place the wire boxes between them and fill them with the smooth river stones.  Finally wrap the entire wall with one layer of mesh wire, tieing it to the existing boxes.  

Wood Edging

This is a simple idea to create your own edging with cedar wood that is just over six inches high. You could easily make it higher if you need to. You can find cedar wood edging here.

    Stone

Stone makes a good option if you want a more natural look. The idea is simple, but you may need some extra muscle help to carry the stones and place them in the right spots. Stones of universal size work best for this technique.

    Terra Cotta

This is a beautiful sleek edging created with terracotta pieces, similar to brick, but with a smooth finish.

    Tree Branches

If you live in an area with several fallen trees, use what you have and create a wall of your own. This is a natural, rustic, old-fashioned look.  This is great if your edging area is large.  This is by far the cheapest option. 

    Raised Beds

Creating a raised garden bed is a great way to create a beautiful garden area and clear edging at the same time. If your wood is touching the soil, make sure it is treated wood, which prevents it from decay.  Raised beds also add variety in height, which helps flat yards look more appealing.

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    Metal Edging

This is one of the most inexpensive edging options. Flexible metal is easy to install in an afternoon and creates a clean line around flower beds, trees, and property lines.  Metal edging also takes up the least amount of space.  You can find this at your local hardware store or amazon. 

 Gravel

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Simply dig a ditch around the edge of your bedding area and fill it in with gravel. It may take a little weeding to keep stubborn weeds from popping up, but it’s easy to install and inexpensive.

    Bricks

You can create a beautiful brick edging without the hassle of plaster or the expertise of a mason.  Be sure to add black yard fabric below your bricks to prevent grass and weeds from growing between your bricks.  A thin metal railing between the grass and bricks would also give an added stability to your edge. 

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 Plants

Sometimes you can actually use plants as a plant border. Natural grasses work as a beautiful natural border. This border take the most maintainance, but also is one of my favorites. 

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 Wheels

It may take some time to gather old wheels from thrift stores or flea markets, but wired together they make absolutely stunning edging to your flower bed.

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Ready to take on more DIY projects to improve your yard?  Check out these articles: Raised Box Garden Ideas or 12 DIY Pergolas Ideas!

Love these ideas? Pin them!

The post 11 Beautiful Lawn Edging Ideas appeared first on GardenLovin.

Natural hedges make great additions to many landscapes.  They are a great way to divide your landscape into different zones, make wonderful borders, and offer a surprising variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and types.  Here are 10 of the best hedge plants by growing zone.  

If you are unsure on what plant zone you live in, take a minute to read the following link: Do You Know What Your Gardening Zone Is?  or quickly check out this map for a general look at the USA map. 

Zone 2

        Red Twig Dogwood: this selection makes a stunning hedge with its bright red color.  This plant is drought tolerant, does very well with temperature extremes, and displays its brightest reds during the winter months.

Zone 3

        Snowball Bush: this very showy and eye-catching bush makes wonderful hedges, producing large with blossoms in late spring.  The blooms will continue for many weeks providing lovely flowers that usher in the summer growing season. Amazon.com has paired up with nurseries around the globe to sell plants online.  You can find this snowball bush here and have it mailed to your front door. 

Columnar Norway Spruce: is a great evergreen option if you don’t want a flowering hedge.  Plant them close together and prune them to your desired height.  #2 Zone residents, this will work in your area too!  If you need several trees, you can buy 25
seedlings on amazon for about $1 each!

Zone 4

        Indigo Gem Haskap: a great benefit to this selection is that is extremely tolerant of cold temperatures.  It produces berries that resemble blue berries that create a wonderfully fresh aroma.

Arborvitae: is a great evergreen option if you don’t want any flowers or berries.  This dense tree as a neat, more formal look for a beautiful fence line. It is fast growing, blocks wind well and requires little watering- win-win!

Zone 5

        Japanese Yew: This selection creates a solid privacy barrier and thick hedge.  In the winter months you can enjoy the visual contrast of small bright red berries against the dark lush evergreen.

Zone 6

        Boxwood: this hedge plant selection is a very traditional choice because it is so beautiful!  They are fairly drought tolerant, and do best in soil with excellent drainage.  One important requirement for Boxwood plants to thrive is that they are located in partial to full shade. I love the depth of color these plants create. 

Zone 7

        Lavender: this lovely choice is defined by the abundance of purple blossoms.  It does well in dry and sunny locations and produces a wonderful aroma.

Weigea: Is a beautifully flowering pink shrub that has dark purple-green leaves.  Blooming multiple times during the year, this is sure to add not only a border but beauty to your yard!

Zone 8

        English Laurel: this lovely plant is an evergreen shrub.  If you are looking for a substantial hedge, then this makes a great choice as it can grow up to 20 feet tall and wide!  These plants do well in both sun or partial shade.

Zone 9

         Firethorn Bush: This plant is perfect for the beginning gardener, because it is very easy to grow.  It can grow in shade or sun, and in dry or wet soils. This bush has tiny white blossoms in the summer and beautiful red berries in the fall. 

Zone 10

        Laurustinus: this plant creates a bushy evergreen hedge that can become easily overgrown and unruly without aggressive pruning and trimming.  This hedge plant produces a lovely pink blossom that adds a welcome pop of color to your landscape.

Zone 11

        Elaeagnus: the hedge plant is identified by its dark green foliage that have a silver toned underside.  They are known to be drought resistant and will thrive in both full sun and partial shade.

Remember to prune your shrubs each winter, when the plant is dormant.  Maintain the shape through spring and summer.  Avoid pruning in the fall, to prevent exposing branches to freezing during winter.   If you’d like more ideas for your yard borders check out: 11 Beautiful Lawn Edging Ideas

The post Top 12 Best Hedge Plants…by Zone! appeared first on GardenLovin.

Julia

Natural hedges make great additions to many landscapes.  They are a great way to divide your landscape into different zones, make wonderful borders, and offer a surprising variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and types.  Here are 10 of the best hedge plants by growing zone.  

If you are unsure on what plant zone you live in, take a minute to read the following link: Do You Know What Your Gardening Zone Is?  or quickly check out this map for a general look at the USA map. 

Zone 2

        Red Twig Dogwood: this selection makes a stunning hedge with its bright red color.  This plant is drought tolerant, does very well with temperature extremes, and displays its brightest reds during the winter months.

Zone 3

        Snowball Bush: this very showy and eye-catching bush makes wonderful hedges, producing large with blossoms in late spring.  The blooms will continue for many weeks providing lovely flowers that usher in the summer growing season.

Zone 4

        Indigo Gem Haskap: a great benefit to this selection is that is extremely tolerant of cold temperatures.  It produces berries that resemble blue berries that create a wonderful fresh aroma.

Zone 5

        Japanese Yew: This selection creates a solid privacy barrier and thick hedge.  In the winter months you can enjoy the visual contrast of small bright red berries against the dark lush evergreen.

Zone 6

        Boxwood: this hedge plant selection is a very traditional choice.  They are fairly drought tolerant, and do best in soil with excellent drainage.  One important requirement for Boxwood plants to thrive is that they are located in partial to full shade.

Zone 7

        Lavender: this lovely choice is defined by the abundance of purple blossoms.  It does well in dry and sunny locations and produces a wonderful aroma.

Zone 8

        English Laurel: this lovely plant is an evergreen shrub.  If you are looking for a substantial hedge, then this makes a great choice as it can grow up to 20 feet tall and wide!  These plants do well in both sun or partial shade.

 

Zone 9

         Firethorn Bush: This plant is perfect for the beginning gardener, because it is very easy to grow.  It can grow in shade or sun, and in dry or wet soils. This bush has tiny white blossoms in the summer and beautiful red berries in the fall. 

Zone 10

        Laurustinus: this plant creates a bushy evergreen hedge that can become easily overgrown and unruly without aggressive pruning and trimming.  This hedge plant produces a lovely pink blossom that adds a welcome pop of color to your landscape.

Zone 11

        Elaeagnus: the hedge plant is identified by its dark green foliage that have a silver toned underside.  They are known to be drought resistant and will thrive in both full sun and partial shade.

The post Top 10 Best Hedge Plants…by Zone! appeared first on GardenLovin.

Julia

Garden Lovin

Houseplants make great additions to your home; they can add color and interest to your decor, create a healthier living space with their air purifying and filtering properties, and they can even lower stress levels!  

In fact, studies have shown that hospital patients who have living plants in their rooms reportedly recover quicker and have lower stress levels during their hospital stay.  Here are 10 great houseplants that you may want to consider:

   Rubber Tree

           This great low-maintenance plant thrives in dimmer light and has a nice dark green leaf that has a brought appeal.

   English Ivy

           This particular houseplant, according to NASA, tops of the list of air purifying plants.  It is very easy to grow and can be a floor or hanging plant.

   Diffenbachia

           This plant is noteworthy for its very long leaves and tropical looking appearance.    Diffenbachia can grow very large, even up to 5-6 feet high, making it a great addition to any room décor.  This plant is poisonous if eaten so please keep away from children and pets. 

   Peace Lily

          Many people enjoy this houseplant as it is a beautiful flowering plant, unlike many common houseplants.  The Peace Lily is low maintenance, does very well in shady areas, and does an excellent job of reducing air toxins.

    Golden Pathos

           As most houseplants do well in pots, Golden Pathos stands apart as a beautiful hanging plant with leaves and stems that grow down in vines.  Just keep in mind that this houseplant enjoys cooler temperatures and low levels of sun.

 

   Pothos

          Everyone should take particular notice of this houseplant as it not only removes toxins found in the air we are breathing but can also pull out toxins such as formaldehyde from soft materials in the home such as couches and carpets.

   Aloe Plant

          Many of us are familiar with the healing properties that are found in the gel from this plant, but did you know that the Aloe plant is also a great air pollutant filter, particularly sensitive to pollutants from cleaning products.  In fact, the leaves on this plant will show brown spots when the level of cleaning and household product air pollutants rises to excessive levels!

   Snake Plant

          This is a great houseplant that requires very little maintenance and low levels of water to thrive.  It does particularly well at absorbing excessive levels of carbon dioxide.

   Jade Plant

          This plant has a beautiful look of a succulent plant and is very easy to care for.  It is a very slow growing plant that can live with proper care for many years.  It does thrive in bright sunny areas.

  Red-edged Dracena

          If you are looking for a little bit of color in your houseplant, then Red-edged Dracena is just what you want!  It is important to keep in mind that this plant can commonly grow up to 15 feet tall so make sure to provide plenty of open space to grow into.

These plants will not only clean the air in your home but help you relax and sleep better.

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