Pergolas, patios and courtyards extend the living space of a home and add spaciousness. In Australia, the pergola is fast becoming the natural addition to any new or existing home. Pergolas not only provide protection from the elements all year round but they also allow us to entertain in comfort and style outdoors.
This article looks at design tips for enhancing pergola areas with potted plants, statues, water features, lighting, paving and outdoor furniture to help create an outdoor sanctuary for relaxation. Ideal Plants for Pergolas – Climbing Plants
If considering the addition of a climbing plant to your pergola structure then the ornamental grape is an ideal choice. The ornamental grape is a deciduous climber that allows sunlight through in winter and much needed shade in summer. These plants are suited to a warm, dry climate and are thus perfect for Australian conditions.
Plant vines 1.2 metres apart for use on a pergola and 2 metres apart if growing them up a fence or trellis. You will need to train the vine up each pergola post to form a trunk and remove all lower growth as the vines develop. The best time to plant grape vines is in winter with fruit harvested between February and May. Regular pruning and trimming is required to produce grapes.Screening Plants
If looking to add some privacy to your pergola area then there are a number of plants ideal for this purpose including the bougainvillea, wisteria, passionfruit and jasmine. If you want to add some perfume then consider gardenias and orange blossom in the form of Murraya. Tall shrubs in pots can also provide an effective privacy screen.Container Plants
Some ideal potted plants for courtyards, balconies and pergola areas are:-
• Chinese Star Jasmine
• Small deciduous trees
• Azaleas & camellias
• Daisies & geraniums
• Dwarf impatiens
For seasonal colour consider using planter boxes and hanging baskets filled with petunias, marigolds, geraniums, phlox, snap dragons and nemesia for sunny areas. For shaded areas use potted orchids, violets, ferns, lobelia, cyclamens, fushias, begonias, cordylines, campanula and cinerarias. Hanging baskets are an quick way to add instant colour to an outdoor area however they can also dry out quickly so make sure they are adequately watered. A drip irrigation kit is ideal for watering hanging baskets.Design Tips
To create harmony and balance in an outdoor entertaining area ensure that pot plants, statues and planters are made of the same or complimentary materials. Group plants and pots together for the best visual effect, coordinating the foliage texture and colour of plants rather than using a mix of individual plants. This can look fussy and crowded in a confined area.
The added benefit of grouping plants together is that a moist micro environment is created for the plants. Remember to grade plants and pots in size so that they are visually in proportion.Paving
Court yards and pergola areas are often subject to heavy foot traffic thus adding paving or decking is essential. Make sure the area to be paved has good drainage for water run off to avoid pavers becoming slippery and mossy.Lighting
Outdoor lighting can be used to highlight water features and special garden aspects. Diffused lighting is best for outdoor entertaining areas.Garden Furniture
Pergola areas can be greatly enhanced with the addition of casual outdoor furniture. Make sure any furniture used outdoors is durable and waterproof to withstand the elements. Gourmet barbecues are available in a wide range of styles and functioning and can be portable or in-built, the perfect accompaniment to the Australian summer.
© Greg Jacobs, Pergola Land
www.pergolaland.com.au
Pergolas, patios and courtyards extend the living space of a home and add spaciousness. In Australia, the pergola is fast becoming the natural addition to any new or existing home. Pergolas not only provide protection from the elements all year round but they also allow us to entertain in comfort and style outdoors.
This article looks at design tips for enhancing pergola areas with potted plants, statues, water features, lighting, paving and outdoor furniture to help create an outdoor sanctuary for relaxation. Ideal Plants for Pergolas – Climbing Plants
If considering the addition of a climbing plant to your pergola structure then the ornamental grape is an ideal choice. The ornamental grape is a deciduous climber that allows sunlight through in winter and much needed shade in summer. These plants are suited to a warm, dry climate and are thus perfect for Australian conditions.
Plant vines 1.2 metres apart for use on a pergola and 2 metres apart if growing them up a fence or trellis. You will need to train the vine up each pergola post to form a trunk and remove all lower growth as the vines develop. The best time to plant grape vines is in winter with fruit harvested between February and May. Regular pruning and trimming is required to produce grapes.Screening Plants
If looking to add some privacy to your pergola area then there are a number of plants ideal for this purpose including the bougainvillea, wisteria, passionfruit and jasmine. If you want to add some perfume then consider gardenias and orange blossom in the form of Murraya. Tall shrubs in pots can also provide an effective privacy screen.Container Plants
Some ideal potted plants for courtyards, balconies and pergola areas are:-
• Chinese Star Jasmine
• Small deciduous trees
• Azaleas & camellias
• Daisies & geraniums
• Dwarf impatiens
For seasonal colour consider using planter boxes and hanging baskets filled with petunias, marigolds, geraniums, phlox, snap dragons and nemesia for sunny areas. For shaded areas use potted orchids, violets, ferns, lobelia, cyclamens, fushias, begonias, cordylines, campanula and cinerarias. Hanging baskets are an quick way to add instant colour to an outdoor area however they can also dry out quickly so make sure they are adequately watered. A drip irrigation kit is ideal for watering hanging baskets.Design Tips
To create harmony and balance in an outdoor entertaining area ensure that pot plants, statues and planters are made of the same or complimentary materials. Group plants and pots together for the best visual effect, coordinating the foliage texture and colour of plants rather than using a mix of individual plants. This can look fussy and crowded in a confined area.
The added benefit of grouping plants together is that a moist micro environment is created for the plants. Remember to grade plants and pots in size so that they are visually in proportion.Paving
Court yards and pergola areas are often subject to heavy foot traffic thus adding paving or decking is essential. Make sure the area to be paved has good drainage for water run off to avoid pavers becoming slippery and mossy.Lighting
Outdoor lighting can be used to highlight water features and special garden aspects. Diffused lighting is best for outdoor entertaining areas.Garden Furniture
Pergola areas can be greatly enhanced with the addition of casual outdoor furniture. Make sure any furniture used outdoors is durable and waterproof to withstand the elements. Gourmet barbecues are available in a wide range of styles and functioning and can be portable or in-built, the perfect accompaniment to the Australian summer.
© Greg Jacobs, Pergola Land
www.pergolaland.com.au
So often you hear “Its all my parents fault” occasionally I even hear m mother taking the blame for my occasionally caustic personality thought I’m fairly certain I’ve never blamed her for my questionable vocabulary and sharp tongue. Not that she’ shy by any means just a little more diplomatic.
In this case I’m blaming my kid instead of the other way around. It all started in the spring while the youngest was I the second grade. She came home all wound up about needing to save the earth. In fairness I’ve been a pretty green guy for years. I’ve used Organic lawn care products long before I most people had the environment as top of mind. Speaking of organic I’ve bought organic when its available for the past decade and local all my life. What I wouldn’t say is that by any means am I an environmentalist. In fact while I’ve claimed to be a lot of things an environmentalist has never been one of them. Buying green due to a fear of cancer and a shorter life, buying local because I liked the farmers market, the fresher products and the people selling me my veggies. In both cases I did the right thing by accident and not as a conscious act.
So anyway here she comes bouncing along at nine years old excited, full of great ideas and decked out in her often present pig tails. First she tells me how much wood is wasted and placed in land fills rather than being used for other projects or recycles. I don’t question the percentage or amount she quote to me like gospel. All I say is “oh really” before she launches in to more statistical evidence provided by a well meaning science teacher. OK fine she’s been heard I get it and leave the 2×4’s and 1×3’s from the recently disassembled dog cage in the basement and I built poorly constructed, unattractive but completely functional trellis complete with reused untangled kite string for the beans and climbing flowers to crawl up. My mothers father would have been so proud it looked like a contraption he would have built out of whatever was laying around. In his case not because he was an environmentalist or because he had a daughter or granddaughter telling him to “recycle” but because it was there and paid for and there was no reason to get rid of perfectly good wood.
So we recycled the nail laden and hole filled boards into our new creation. Sure money was save because I fully planned to go out and buy lattice or trellis for the plants this year. She proudly helped me finish the building by pound the last nails in, tying off the last strings and the running inside to get her mother to see our monstrosities that were placed in a front garden behind a garden statue that was a gift from her side of the family. So my wife came out, smiled at her reassuringly since she was so proud of the cooked ladder looking things right before asking how quickly the pants would grow to cover them.
I did what any wise husband would shrugged and guessed “June maybe July” being very no committal.
She smiled and told our daughter what a great idea it was and then shot me a look questioning my abilities as a carpenter. Which while I dabble at things is yet another thing I’ve never claimed to be. The beans and flowers have done particularly well. We’ll just chalk it up to a little extra rain and good karma.
So its fall and being one to never waste soil I practice a nontraditional yet completely natural way of composting. Now sure I could buy one of those nifty composting bins to help the process. My mother and father have several of them. Frankly I’m too cheap for that. Instead cutting the plants as they brown put them in pile with old potting soil in an un-planted spot in a garden. Preferably but not necessarily obscured by a large stone statue, rock or large patch of plants where it can break down “naturally”.
So when the fall harvest of sunflowers began we took the heads less the seeds and put them in a spot next to the herb garden. It was the same place I unceremoniously put the manure laden soil mixture from my previous two years indoor lettuce planting. To the left of the bronze garden faerie my the chocolate bell pepper plants (yes I know they aren’t herbs) by the basil, behind the lemon thyme.
And so it sat as as we cut the long green leafy stalks into foot long lengths to they’d fit and more importantly not draw too much attention. Chatting back and forth with out the distraction of TV, video games or computers, quiet quality uninterrupted time. That’s where the lesson accidentally came in more talk about letting plants go to see so we could use those seeds to create new plants for next year. Talk about how such things work in nature and why it works that way. And the finally about how reusing parts of the old plants helps keep the soil rich. See it isn’t about making a political statement, it doesn’t come from a deep need to change the world. It comes from nothing more than good old fashioned horse sense and helping to do what nature does in its own way to improve your own gardening results.
Sure there are missteps along the way like unattractive structures behind the wife’s favorite garden statue. Or like when the mother in law comes over and grumbles at me before the sun comes up about why in the world are my coffee grounds wets and weak. The reason being is she used the can labeled “GROUNDS” meaning used coffee that once its sweet nectar had been consumed served a better purpose in my pile of rotting vegetation, sprinkled on the lawn or as part of my cow manure and compost tea I make to water the occasional growing thing.
But in the end of it all sometimes a little youthful idealism, being a touch cheap, and acting like my old farmer grandfather intersects with lofty ideals without even trying and for this I blame my kid.
A few last words of advice. Mother in laws usually survive weak wet used coffee and even understand and forgive you on occasion. An upfront warning about how the plants might just completely cover the wife’s favorite garden statue for 4 or 5 months if all the seeds take and grow like bad weeds might be warranted. And finally remember those informal compost piles you’ve been hiding through out the gardens well. Well the one out by the Fairy Statue and herbs I’ve got to tell you something about it the bad news is that the compost pile has taken on a new purpose quite accidentally. The soil from the lettuce planters well it’s sort of sprouted with the all the other good stuff we put on top of it, a little rain and some nice cool nights. On the up side we’re going to have a bumper crop of home grown mixed field greens this fall. Well that and it’s all Elise’s fault!
versatile. In fact, they are indispensable in the garden for summer color and foliage texture. No shrub border is complete without them.
Hydrangeas prefer part shade and rich organic soil. They prefer morning sun with afternoon shade; this will protect them from the hottest part of the day. If they get shade in the morning and sun in the afternoon they may look stressed due to the sudden rise in temperature. Hydrangeas need lots of water especially young plants since they tend to dry out quickly during the hot weather. After planting be sure to mulch well, this will help the soil retain moisture as well as help prevent weeds from encroaching on your garden. Fertilize the shrubs in the spring and then again in late summer. Adding compost to the soil around the base of the hydrangea each spring will keep the soil rich.
Lacecap and nikko blue hydrangeas are both cultivars of (Hydrangea macrophyllla). Lacecaps are recognized by their ring of flowers surrounding a center of florets and nikko blues by their large pom-pom like flowers. You can change the color of the blossoms of these varieties by changing the acidity of the soil. Add aluminum sulfate to make the soil acid. A pH level somewhere between 5 and 5.5 will result in blue flowers. Alternately, for pink flowers, make raise the pH level to 6.0 by adding lime, making the soil alkaline. You will need to repeat the this 2 or 3 times over the growing season and continue the process for as long as you want the change to continue.
The large (up to 15″ long) white flowers of the PeeGee hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculta) turn to a faded pink in the fall and are great for cutting and taking indoors. Because their large flowers often weigh down its stems, PeeGee hydrangeas require staking.
Oak Leaf Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia) has a much different appearance than the other hydrangeas. Its foliage resembles that of the American oak. Its white blooms fade to pink in fall. Oakleaf hydrangeas grow to about 6′ and can tolerate more shade than other hydrangeas.
Climbing hydrangea (Hydrangea petiolaris) is a deciduous vine which clings to garden structures, walls and fences with aerial roots. Its flowers are white and have the characteristics of the lacecap hydrangea.
Though there are numerous choices when it comes to types of hydrangeas, there are some general rules of thumb to follow when planting and caring for them. When planting new hydrangeas you’ll need to add a mix of compost and peat moss to the existing soil. This will give the plant plenty of nutrients and the soil ability to retain water. Dig a hole approximately twice as wide as the root ball and just as deep. Place the hydrangea in the hole, making sure the top of the root ball matches the existing grade of the garden. Never install any plant below grade, its often detrimental to the health of the plant. Backfill about half way and water to remove air pockets. Finish filling the hole, water again and mulch. Planting in the spring or fall is best as the hot summer weather can stress hydrangeas.
In the spring prune broken branches and old flower blooms from the previous season. Don’t prune new shoots; they are where the new blooms will be. Prune in late summer, after blooming. Thinning the plant by reducing its number of stems by half will yield larger flower clusters.
Noted for their long lasting, late blooming flowers and their unique foliage, hydrangeas are one of the most versatile shrubs in the garden. Whether among a shrub border, climbing a garden structure or planted on its own as a specimen shrub hydrangeas are a wonderful addition to any garden.