Building A Garden From Nothing At All
Gardening doesn't have to be an expensive hobby. Some of the most
beautiful gardens I've ever grown cost me nothing but sweat and sore
muscles - and paid off with the kind of satisfaction you'll never get
from a paid-for landscape. Throughout the spring and summer, I have the
pleasure of tending the miniature rose bush I got for Mother's Day six
years ago, the Virginia bluebells that grew in my mother's garden, the
border of hostas that my son dug up from behind a neighboring store
(with the store owner's permission, of course!) It is a found garden -
a friendship garden - a special garden that was never planned, and is
all the more beautiful because of it.

Building a Found Garden takes a bit of foresight - but just a bit. To
start, you'll need three things:

A Sunny Spot In Your Yard

Location is everything. Find a spot in your yard that gets plenty of
sun during the day - at least 6-8 hours of full sun is ideal. If you
don't have a spot like that, though, you can work around it by being
careful in your selection of plants. If the spot you want to fill with
flowers is shady, look in other shady gardens for plants that do well
in the shade.

Simple Garden Tools

A spade and a rake are all the tools you'll need to get your garden
going. If you're really skimping it, and only can afford one tool - get
a 4-tine pitchfork. It's one of the most versatile gardening tools ever
created. You can loosen and turn soil with it, shake out the biggest of
the rocks, and even use it to mound earth for trenches.

Friends, Neighbors and Vacant Lots

The beauty of a found garden is how it grows and what it comes to mean.
If a neighbor has a beautiful garden, chances are good that they'd be
happy to share a few cuttings for your garden. The woods behind your
house or the vacant lot across the street can yield a bumper crop of
stones to build walls and borders. Keep your eyes open for plants along
the side of the road.

Building a Border From Found Materials

Borders and walls are an easy way to set off a flower bed or garden
patch from the rest of your yard. You can use broken paving stones,
bricks, and construction blocks - any material that is weatherproof.
Simply dig a trench around your garden perimeter that is 2-3 inches
wider than the base of the stones or bricks, stand them on end, and
pack dirt around them.

Acquiring Plants for a Found Garden

If you have gardeners among your acquaintances, you won't have to look
far at all for flowers, border plants, bushes and more. If you do your
building during "gardening season", you can take advantage of the
cultivation efforts of friends and neighbors. If you notice a neighbor
out in his garden transplanting or moving plants, don't be shy. Ask for
root divisions or cuttings for your own garden. True gardeners believe
in sharing the wealth.

DO NOT dig up plants from public gardens, wildlife sanctuaries, along
highways or in public parks. It's illegal in nearly every state, and
many states have protected species of flowers and plants. Stick to
friends, neighbors and properties whose owners are known to you.

Among the best plants to propagate from root divisions a

Hosta - Shade-tolerant perennials that make beautiful borders or ground
cover, hostas are easily among the most popular border plants in the
United States . They spread so easily that gardeners often thin them by
root division.

Iris and day lilies - Like hostas, irises and day lilies spread
quickly. Gardeners often thin them in the autumn to prepare for a
spring growing season, and are nearly always willing to part with a few
root divisions. Plant in the fall and let them winter over - they'll
bloom in the spring.

Virginia bluebells - Wildly beautiful, the delicate violet flowers of
the Virginia bluebell open in the sun, and close in the shade. They
also grow like wildfire wherever you plant them.

:-((

Oh dear :-((

The 'owners' will have a field day with this one (

"Go get him" owners

Mike

--
------------------------------------------------
Royal Naval Electrical Branch Association
www.rnshipmates.co.uk
International Festival of the Sea 28th June - 1st July 2007


"www.gardeners-advice.com" wrote in message
oups.com...
Building A Garden From Nothing At All
Gardening doesn't have to be an expensive hobby. Some of the most
beautiful gardens I've ever grown cost me nothing but sweat and sore
muscles - and paid off with the kind of satisfaction you'll never get
from a paid-for landscape. Throughout the spring and summer, I have the
pleasure of tending the miniature rose bush I got for Mother's Day six
years ago, the Virginia bluebells that grew in my mother's garden, the
border of hostas that my son dug up from behind a neighboring store
(with the store owner's permission, of course!) It is a found garden -
a friendship garden - a special garden that was never planned, and is
all the more beautiful because of it.

Building a Found Garden takes a bit of foresight - but just a bit. To
start, you'll need three things:

A Sunny Spot In Your Yard

Location is everything. Find a spot in your yard that gets plenty of
sun during the day - at least 6-8 hours of full sun is ideal. If you
don't have a spot like that, though, you can work around it by being
careful in your selection of plants. If the spot you want to fill with
flowers is shady, look in other shady gardens for plants that do well
in the shade.

Simple Garden Tools

A spade and a rake are all the tools you'll need to get your garden
going. If you're really skimping it, and only can afford one tool - get
a 4-tine pitchfork. It's one of the most versatile gardening tools ever
created. You can loosen and turn soil with it, shake out the biggest of
the rocks, and even use it to mound earth for trenches.

Friends, Neighbors and Vacant Lots

The beauty of a found garden is how it grows and what it comes to mean.
If a neighbor has a beautiful garden, chances are good that they'd be
happy to share a few cuttings for your garden. The woods behind your
house or the vacant lot across the street can yield a bumper crop of
stones to build walls and borders. Keep your eyes open for plants along
the side of the road.

Building a Border From Found Materials

Borders and walls are an easy way to set off a flower bed or garden
patch from the rest of your yard. You can use broken paving stones,
bricks, and construction blocks - any material that is weatherproof.
Simply dig a trench around your garden perimeter that is 2-3 inches
wider than the base of the stones or bricks, stand them on end, and
pack dirt around them.

Acquiring Plants for a Found Garden

If you have gardeners among your acquaintances, you won't have to look
far at all for flowers, border plants, bushes and more. If you do your
building during "gardening season", you can take advantage of the
cultivation efforts of friends and neighbors. If you notice a neighbor
out in his garden transplanting or moving plants, don't be shy. Ask for
root divisions or cuttings for your own garden. True gardeners believe
in sharing the wealth.

DO NOT dig up plants from public gardens, wildlife sanctuaries, along
highways or in public parks. It's illegal in nearly every state, and
many states have protected species of flowers and plants. Stick to
friends, neighbors and properties whose owners are known to you.

Among the best plants to propagate from root divisions a

Hosta - Shade-tolerant perennials that make beautiful borders or ground
cover, hostas are easily among the most popular border plants in the
United States . They spread so easily that gardeners often thin them by
root division.

Iris and day lilies - Like hostas, irises and day lilies spread
quickly. Gardeners often thin them in the autumn to prepare for a
spring growing season, and are nearly always willing to part with a few
root divisions. Plant in the fall and let them winter over - they'll
bloom in the spring.

Virginia bluebells - Wildly beautiful, the delicate violet flowers of
the Virginia bluebell open in the sun, and close in the shade. They
also grow like wildfire wherever you plant them.

[/quote]
...
The woods behind your house or the vacant lot across the street can yield a bumper crop of stones to build walls and borders. Keep your eyes open for plants along the side of the road...
[/quote]

That's right destroy the countryside!