Italian and Greek food wouldn’t be as appealing without the smell of oregano adding a pungent treble to the bass note of garlicy aroma in most Mediterranean recipes. That oregano smell has attracted fans across the world and throughout history. Ancient Greeks used oregano as a treatment for respiratory infections. Ancient Egyptian herbalists used it
Myrtle (Myrtus) has been grown as a decorative plant for thousands of years, and yet it is still a rarity indoors. The small oval leaves are shiny and aromatic – the white flowers appear in large numbers in summer. In the fall, purple berries appear. In midwinter, many of the shoots are crowned by a series of radiating pink stems that
Impatiens have been extremely popular as a house plant for generations. Cuttings can root very easily, and the plants will, with proper care, bloom almost all year round. This non-stop blooming habit is the reason for its common name – Busy Lizzie. There are three basic groups of impatiens. Until recently, only the traditional types were grown – spreading,
Dianthus barbatus, commonly known as Sweet William, is a colorful, scented flower native to Southern Europe. Sweet William belongs to the family of carnations, and there are more than 300 species of this flower. Revered for centuries, the origins of this flower can be traced back to the Roman and Greek eras. Sweet William is
Nothing instills a sense of serenity into an outdoor space like a water feature. And nothing evokes a sense of the exotic like lotus flowers in a garden pond. If you’re looking to create a tropical paradise in your backyard, you’ll find that these stunning blooms are surprisingly easy to grow.
Most perennial winter plants are dormant in winter and start shooting out of the ground in spring, so the ones that do flower in winter are eye-catching. The following provides an exciting glimpse of what can be grown in the winter garden when many plants are resting. Helleborus This is an important genus from the
Integrating House And Garden: Doorways And Windows – The entrance to your garden is important. An interesting and inviting environment should greet you when you step out of the door. Not every door will open directly on to the garden, of course, but a row of well-tended pots could point the way to the garden,
The outdoor wall fountains give beauty to the setting which is the most obvious benefit that it could give. It is responsible for giving dramatic and romantic ambiance particularly if it is a great background in the garden. And, if the garden is a renovated one or even it is a transformed wall fountain, it
Planting Solutions For Clay Soils In The Garden – Different gardens in the same street, and even different parts of the same garden, can have different types of soil, so don’t assume that, because your neighbours have clay soil, you will too. It’s also important not to worry.
Shapes In Informal Gardens – An informal garden has carefully planned spaces but conceals its boundaries. You can create boundaries by using native mixed hedging such as hawthorn, holly and briar roses or, in larger gardens, by planting clumps of trees such as birch or rowan.
A woodland area can be one of the most attractive parts of a garden, with the graceful shape and colors. A woodland edge provides a rich natural habitat for wildlife and may attract hedgehogs, bats and a range of other creatures.
The house-side passage is often wasted, and becomes a dreary ‘no go’ area. All to often the house-side passage is a forgotten space, a dreary corridor that becomes a dumping ground for any unwanted objects. It is rarely seen as part of the overall garden, simply a way between back and front or to the
