TierramadreLandscape.com

in my backyard, I live in the country/ city area, and it is small approx 40 feet wide and approx 20-30 feet (it definatley looks much wider then long in length) and there is also a ditch to sweep away water when it pours really bad, does anybody have advise on how to decorate it, or know of any good websites to go to ( i am more a visual person, if you have pictures that would be nice) and also would anybody know of how to still use up the space by the ditch?

Hi:
An English cottage garden is a very good choice for your area. Think of an English garden as either informal or formal. You will need to plan, prep, and plant the garden. There are many different trees, flowers and shrubs you can use. Most people today want a low maintenance garden with a lot of evergreen shrubs. Think about doing pathways through the garden. There are many different styles of pathways. Decorative stones, no cement, natural pine straw or mulch. Also think about planting in masses. (a group of one plant together) I have many different ideas on my website. Take a look at the different designs as well as articles, pathways and plant selections. Good luck to you and if you need advice on specific plants and ideas, feel free to contact me.
Kimberly
http://www.landscape-solutions-for-you.c om

2007-07-15 09:56:44 by Alicia

Design an English herb garden by planting herbs that you use, researching which plants will grow well in different climates and drawing a layout ...

I am looking for information regarding the background and origins of the "tropical gardening" style for a garden design course that I am doing. There is a lot of information available regarding Zen Gardens, English Country Gardens, Cottage Gardens, etc but very little about the background and history of tropical gardens. Can anyone suggest any helpful resources that could assist me with finding answers? Thanks in advance!

The Tropical Garden by William Warren, Luca Invernizzi Tettoni (Photographer), opens with an essay tracing the historical interest in tropical plants. Royal and religious, private and public tropical gardens are discussed:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0 50028198X/toptropicals-20

Daniel Headrick, “Botany, Chemistry, and Tropical Development,” Journal of World History notes that the growing demand of Western consumers and industries for tropical products... helped spur relations between the North Atlantic countries and the tropics in the century before 1914.
http://74.6.239.67/search/cache?ei=UTF-8 &p=background+and+origins+of+the+%22 tropical+gardening%22&fr=slv8-sbc&am p;u=www.learner.org/channel/courses/worl dhistory/support/reading_19_3.pdf&w= background+origins+%22tropical+gardening %22&d=Upqxn0fiSA0p&icp=1&.in tl=us

Tropical Garden Design, by Made Wijayahas includes a history of tropical colonial gardens:
http://www.amazon.com/Tropical-Garden-De sign-Made-Wijaya/dp/9625938176

" Tropical gardens can contain a wide variety of plants, but some require lots of heat while others require lots of water. Tropical gardens also don't often survive freezing temperatures either, so many people in cooler climates choose to create tropical container gardens which can be taken inside when bitter cold winter temperatures come around.

Most tropical plants require a lot of sunlight though, so if you're planting them into a ground based garden or raised garden bed, be sure to choose the sunniest spot you can find in your yard. You'll want to plant tropical plants and flowers in areas which get a minimum of six hours direct sunlight each day. Some tropical garden plants such as bougainvillea, thrive on irregular watering patterns"

Esperanza and Spanish Broom are excellent plants to put into a tropical garden, which are both heat and drought tolerant. These plants produce bright showy yellow flowers that bloom continuously from spring through fall.
http://weekendgardening.com/tropical-gar dening/tropical-gardening.html

Tropical backyard:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/juancarlosa rzola/2304749676/
Various tropical landscapes:
http://www.gardenphuket.com/landscape/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/72793939@N0 0/2562828725/
http://i.rentalo.com/p/92275/8644230l.jp g
http://www.botanescapes.com/landscaping- portfolio/gallery-images.html (scroll through the landscapes)
http://www.tropicalfoliagegarden.com/con tents.htm
http://www.tropicallandscape.net/gallery .html
http://www.hmdesign.biz/DesignSamples.as px

Use plants that give you a lush tropical feel, like palms, ferns and elephant ears, but also use water features, such as a fountain, waterfall, pond or stream:
http://www.tampalandscapedesign.com/page 7.html
http://www.plant-care.com/1546-tropical- landscaping.html

Many plants grown as houseplants, such as cactus & Agave, thrive outside in a semi-arid tropical environment. "In regions where the heat of the growing season is followed by frost or freezing temperatures, tropical plants are often dug up and overwintered, used as houseplants, or simply repurchased for use the next growing season."
http://www.extension.org/pages/Tropical_ Plants_in_the_Landscape
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8113246@N02 /3135729587/
Plants like Cannas give a tropical lookto the landscape:
http://www.garden.org/subchannels/landsc aping/ground?q=show&id=2039
Using Bromelias:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14077752@N0 3/1592977394/

Tips on types of plants to use & what type of hardscape (permanent features)... like bamboo...you'll need :
http://www.ehow.com/how_4663553_design-t ropical-landscape.html?ref=fuel&utm_ source=yahoo&utm_medium=ssp&utm_ campaign=yssp_art
http://www.flickr.com/photos/danial_iema n/3044303237/
http://www.diynetwork.com/diy/gr_lawns_l andscaping/article/0,2029,DIY_13852_2388 771,00.html

Videos of Tropical Paradise Backyard Retreats:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jwbRjAy- gQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQnQjRhMv 0g&feature=related

Good luck !!! Hope this is helpful.