Shop now for trees with autumn colored foliage!

One of the distinguishing characteristics of a tree is the fall colored foliage. In the San Francisco Bay Area, we are fortunate enough to have a handful of reliable trees that display great color each autumn. Trees such as: Pistacia chinense ‘Keith Davey’(Chinese Pistache) has dense foliage and bright red fall color. Liquidambar styraciflua (Sweet Gum) has several cultivars with reliable fall color. In particular, ‘Burgandy’- deep purple red; ‘Palo Alto’ – bright orange and ‘Festival’ –yellow, orange and red mixture. The leaves have five lobes and look similar to a Maple. Best time to buy? In fall, to pick the color of the tree!

Next post: More information on this topic

Finding the time to garden

With hefty mortgages and expenses to pay, many homeowners are unable to afford a gardener. At least this is the case in San Francisco, where struggling young homeowners quickly become do-it-yourselfers. Suggestion: Keep your green compost bin filled. Where time is an issue, set aside one hour each week and garden in stages. Eventually you will get through the side, front and back of your house.

Landscaping Design - The Primary Principles

Principles refer to standards or prescriptions for working with or arranging various elements to produce the intended landscape design. Good landscape design follows a combination of seven principles: unity, balance, proportion, focalization or emphasis, sequence or transition, rhythm, and repetition.

Unity refers to the use of elements to create harmony and consistency with the main theme or idea of the landscape design. Unity gives the landscape design a sense of oneness and interconnection. Unity in landscape design can be achieved by using plants, trees, or material that have repeating lines or shapes, a common hue, or similar texture. However, too much unity in landscape design can be boring. Therefore, it is important to introduce some variety or contrast into the landscape design.

Balance gives the landscape design a sense of equilibrium and symmetry in visual attraction. There are three ways by which balance may be presented in landscape design. Symmetrical or formal balance is achieved when the mass, weight, or number of objects both sides of the landscape design are exactly the same. Asymmetrical or informal balance in landscape design suggests a feeling of balance on both sides, even though the sides do not look the same. Asymmetrical balance in visual attraction may be achieved by using opposing compositions on either side of the central axis. Landscape design with radial balance has a center point. A sunflower, a wheel, and the cross-section of an orange all have radial balance.

Proportion describes the size relationship between parts of the landscape design or between a part of the design and the design as a whole. A large fountain would cramp a small backyard garden, but would complement a sprawling public courtyard. Additionally, proportion in landscape design must take into consideration how people interact with various components of the landscape through normal human activities.

Focalization or Emphasis directs visual attention to a point of interest or prominent part of the landscape design. This could be a hanging earth-forms sculpture, a stone-finished Corinthian garden fountain, a mass of architectural herbaceous perennials, or an elegant spruce. Emphasis in landscape design may be achieved by using a contrasting color, a different or unusual line, or a plain background space. Paths, walkways, and strategically placed plants lead the eye to the focal point of the landscape without distracting from the overall landscape design.

Sequence or Transition creates visual movement in landscape design. Sequence in landscape design is achieved by the gradual progression of texture, form, size, or color. Examples of landscape design elements in transition are plants that go from coarse to medium to fine textures or softscapes that go from large trees to medium trees to shrubs to bedding plants. Transition in landscape design may also be used to create depth or distance or to emphasize a focal point.

Rhythm creates a feeling of motion which leads the eye from one part of the landscape design to another part. Repeating a color scheme, shape, texture, line or form evokes rhythm in landscape design. Proper expression of rhythm eliminates confusion and monotony from landscape design.

And finally, repetition in landscape design is the repeated use of objects or elements with identical shape, form, texture, or color. Although it gives the landscape design a unified planting scheme, repetition runs the risk of being overdone. However, when correctly implemented, repetition can lead to rhythm, focalization or emphasis in landscape design.

J Voight is an avid landscaping design enthusiast who provides excellent tips, techniques, and advice to anyone wanting information on landscape design. You'll find all of this outstanding landscaping news at http://www.great-landscaping-ideas.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

How to extend your living space outdoors – working with color

By: Malcolm Kay
September 19, 2005

As suburban gardens become smaller, outdoor areas have evolved into more of an extension to our interior living space. Much more thought needs to be given to decorating the available space so that it becomes a totally integrated area. Colour in particular greatly affects our moods and changes the feeling of the space within which we relax, play and entertain. And for plant lovers, there's a plant thats suitable for every colour scheme and every location.

If you already have a dominant architectural or color theme indoors that brings you pleasure, try to extend this to the outdoor area so it becomes a natural extension of the indoor living area by using the same theme with cushions, pots, furniture or other decorative features. If you have a wooden floor adjacent to the outdoor patio or courtyard, you could extend the natural wood look to the outdoors constructing a wood deck with a similar colour lumber species. A simpler and quicker alternative if you have an existing concrete patio is to cover the area with interlocking wood deck tiles. These tiles can be simply laid over any existing concrete or wood surface and lock into place with inbuilt connecting tabs. Theres a range of wood species available so you should be able to find a color that comes close to your existing flooring (see for example http://www.ezydeck.net). And if you have ceramic or porcelain tiles indoors, theres now a range of similar interlocking tiles available with ceramic tiles on top which also comes in a variety of colours and styles. Both types of tiles can be laid by anyone without any experience in just an hour or so and are generally available in several patterns so you can choose a design which suits your situation best.

Experiment by using neutral colours for walls, fencing and paving and then by changing decorative accessories and garden plantings, you can create a different look for each season until you've found what works the best and give the most pleasing result.

Don't overlook using textures in addition to colour, as contrasting textures play a very important role in a pleasing landscape design. Opportunities for experimenting with texture effects could include tables, chairs, pots, wall hangings, cushions, paving, plants and practically any decorative accessories. Foliage in particular offers a multitude of textures and interesting shapes. Choose plants with a theme in mind: are you creating a tropical wonderland, a place to sit in the sun and dream of holidays in Tuscany, or a stark modernist approach with grasses and cacti? But before rushing out and spending a fortune at the nursery, remember that each plant has specific requirements in terms of soil, sun, humidity, temperature and rainfall. If you can't provide these, your plants simply won't flourish. Consider how each plant will look in each season, especially the main season when you want to be using your exterior spaces the most.

But remember, too much of anything, whether it's patterns, textures or colours, can be confusing. Too much variety in small spaces can look excessively busy. And with plants, large groupings of just one or two varieties will usually create a much greater impact and look more balanced in a small area than a host of different plants with a riot of different colored flowers.