By Clayton Smith

THE DESIGN

With theme landscaping there are two important elements that come into play, and depending on the theme, one or the other element becomes dominant. The two elements are the design itself and the plant selection of the theme. This will become clearer as we look at the different themes. Now, note there are many different styles or themes other than the ones that I have listed below.

Mediterranean Theme:

With the Mediterranean style, plant section and climate both become the key element with regards to the design characteristics. In essence the design is secondary while the plant selection becomes primary. In order to define this we must first look at the Mediterranean climate with respect to, for example, California (where I reside), and what we find here is a direct relationship toboth. This, of course, excludes any microclimates that would be found in both locations. When picturing the Mediterranean style you have to picture terra-cotta vases, stone work, large and small patio areas, fragrant vines and shrubs. You also have to picture a dry climate with a wind blowing through just enough to keep it cool. Does this sound like anyplace in your area? A Mediterranean style is very conducive to entertaining or relaxation, if this is part of your overall goals.

Some of the plants that help define this style are:
Bougainvilleas, olive trees, cotoneasters, osmanthus, figs and/or citrus, jasmines, bottlebrush, sweet bay tree, strawberry tree, grevilleas, lavender, tea trees, sages, and many others. Most of your dry climate plants work well with a Mediterranean theme, but it's the addition of accents, such as vases, small patio settings, terra-cotta tile that push this from more of a plant selection into a theme.

Oriental Theme:

Now, on the other hand, an Oriental theme is all about the design and plants become secondary. Most designs become a place of reflection and meditation with either a sand garden or a water garden added to enhance this very important component. A feeling of introspection and quietness permeates this theme. Rocks and bamboo often fulfill the finish requirements, creating a tie to the soul and ancestry of the earth, creating a sort of yin and yang with the past and present.

Examples of the elements or accents used are:

• A simple rock or boulder set at just the right angle, with a dripping of water slowly running down its side into a small pool of water at the bottom.
• A Japanese lantern placed on top of a flat rock suspended in a quiet pool of water and surrounded by water lilies.
• Gravel swirled into concentric circles, with simple pebbles placed in a confusing manner that only the creator of the design can decipher.
• A slower running stream with a piece of bamboo in it that picks up some of the water, then clacks against a rock gently, creating a sound that superstition says keeps away evil spirits.
• Planters of Bonsai plants that have been in the family for generations or even newly planted that have been meticulously pruned into shapes resembling old forests or gnarled beaten plants that have been around for ages. The art of Bonsai is one that takes years and generations to perfect.

Some of the plants that you would find in an Oriental theme are of course bamboo, and then there is the conifer family which would include junipers, pines and cedars. Ginkgo trees, maples, flowering cherries and plums also have a place in this theme. Most any plants that can be pruned or manipulated have a place within this style. Some of the flowering plants you would find would be azaleas and rhododendrons, abelias, flowering quince and magnolia, not to mention many others.

The Oriental theme is all about defined areas of both plants and earth, with the use of rock and sand, plus the addition of water elements to create a glimpse into the past - a quieter time.

The next two themes -  Formal and Contemporary - can be lumped into one.

In fact, neither one is a theme, but more of a style of landscape; I am including them here because of their prevalence throughout our culture. Contemporary is traditionally what you would find in a tract home setting. A defined area for the lawn surrounded by shrubs, accent plants and a few trees. Sometimes you would find a tree for shade in the lawn area, roses, or some sort of border or flowers outlining the walk to the front door. Barrier plants around the perimeter of the property to help privacy within the closeness of the tract home setting. For more of the inventive types, you would find a small garden, maybe some fruit trees, a small pond or waterfall or some garden elements such as a sculpture of some sort, planters filled with edible herbs or vegetables, flowers in pots outlining a patio or outdoor living area. Many tract home areas have rules that require you to have so many shrubs or trees on your property at all times and also to be maintained for the period that you are living there.

The Formal style is one in which the plants are more sculptured, well defined, and generally accented throughout the landscape. Think of outlining an area in sculptured hedges leading towards a patio or sitting area. Think of a rose garden with an ice cream settee. A row of hedges pruned into a maze. Areas of just topiaries. The front of many 5 star hotels are examples of this style.

A good place to start is to measure your property, outline where you want certain things to be, such as a patio or maybe a hot tub, and make a list of what you want added. Then take your drawing/outline down to your local nursery or landscaper and have them work out a design for you. They can design your sprinkler system, pick out the best material for your patio and suggest installers for you. It's up to you.

Cottage and Natural Themes:

I combine these together because both use the same ingredients, as far as design characteristics are concerned. The Natural theme covers a much larger area, while the Cottage theme is generally confined to a smaller defined area. With both the plant selection is the most important element of the theme and the actual design is secondary.

The Cottage theme really has no formal design; in fact it is made to change throughout the year with the addition and deletion of plants as they bloom out. One of the biggest elements of the Cottage theme is blooming plants, whether it be annuals, perennials or biennials. The main question for the design or plant selection is: "What are my goals for my Cottage garden?" You can create, with the selection of plants, a hummingbird / butterfly cottage garden. You can create an annual cottage geared towards the changing seasons, that is, in the same space have plants that bloom in the spring, then replace them with summer flowers, then onto fall and winter, changing all the time. You can have a perennial cottage garden where as most of the plants are perennials living year after year there and only being changed out when they grow out of hand and get too big. You can even have a vegetable cottage garden, where the main plants are vegetables such as swiss chard, artichokes, strawberries as a ground cover, and a dwarf peach tree to add some texture to the garden. Or you can combine any of the above groups of plants to create, as an example, an edible plant garden that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. The choice is up to you.

On the other hand, a Natural theme incorporates a much larger area and takes into account the outline or regional environment of the surrounding area. This is my favorite type of theme. Your main goal is to create and beautify your home by blending in with the surrounding environment. You want to create a landscape, and I know that this sounds weird, that doesn't look like it has been landscaped. Studying your environment is always the first thing to do. Find out what zone you are in, then look at what plants grow in that zone. One suggestion I have is to go to the library and look up plant species that are native in your area, then take that list to your local nursery and find similar species. You also have to take in account  whether or not there are animals around that can damage your landscape, such as deer.

The best example of this as far as themes goes is a personal one. I live up in Sunset zone 1 about 4,000 ft. up on the western side of the Sierras. I have pronounced seasons and I get a lot of snow in the winter. Another thing I have is deer and lots of them. Because of all of the pines and cedars on my property I have decided to create a “Black Forest” theme. Leaf and plant shapes become dominant within this theme, so I'm using a lot of different plants with different leaf shapes. There is also going to be some boulders placed on top of each other with mist coming out. Other rocks will be placed having slow drips of water coming down from ferns over them. There is not going to be a lawn because a lawn is not natural up here but there will be a series of trails running through landscape. I'll be using plants like Hosta, Ferns, Saucer Magnolias (I am pushing the zone here), Camassia, Redbuds, Penstemons, Peonies, and some Rhododendron species, plus many other plants. Here again I am tying in my plant section, which is the dominant element of this theme, to the surrounding environment taking in account the goals that I have created. Plus I will be adding some garden accents, such as rocks and boulders combined with water elements, to finish off this creation that started when the earth was born.

So in conclusion, write down your goals, have an idea or theme in mind - no matter how far out it is - and have fun with it. Remember Theme Landscape is both new in application and old in design, enjoy.

* Note: This article was written from notes used in classes I taught at a community college in SoCal. This has nothing to do with a recent book published by Sunset Publishing, the company I work for, called Theme Gardens. However, this title is a great refinance book to use when deciding on your own theme garden, if you live on the west coast of the US.

A superior blend of cottonseed meal, fish bone meal, fish meal, alfalfa meal, kelp meal, mined potassium sulphate, soft rock phosphate, humic acid, seaweed extract, beneficial soil microbes plus ecto and endo mycorrhizae.

Plant Warm-Season Lawns and Tall Fescue.  St. Augustine, Bermuda, and dichondra get off to a fast start when planted in May.  (Hold off untill June to plant zoysia).  Salt-tolerant Adalayd grass (Paspalum vaginatum), which is from Australia and is called Excalibre when it's sold as sod, can also be planted this month.  It's too late to plant most cool-season grasses from seed, but tall fescues- for example, Water Saver, an attractive blend of drought- and disease-resistant varieties- can be planted from sod.  (Despite this trade name, tall fescues use much more water than Bermuda or zoysia.)

Lawns can be planted in several ways: sown from seeds, plugged in from flats, or rolled out from sod like an instant carpet.  Bermuda, zoysia, and Adalayd can also be planted from stolons.  Whichever method you use, be sure to prepare the ground properly.  Before beginning, decide whether to plant a warm- or cool-season lawn and choose a variety appropriate for your area and needs.

Select the best variety for you.  When you research grass types be sure to consult with successful local gardeners and the nearest University of California Cooperative Extension Office.  Consider these factors: St. Augustine is better adapted to shade than other lawn grasses but needs a lot of water.  Dichondra is best used as a design element in small areas only.  If you live close to a Bermuda golf course it will seed itself eventually into any cool-season lawn, making it look ratty.  To minimize this, plant a hybrid or selected strain of Bermuda for your own lawn in the first place.  You might use Santa Ana, Tifblue, or Tifgreen; all three are vigorous hybrids that make such a dense, fine-textured turf that common Bermuda usually cannot invade them.  Another possibility is a new variety with improved early spring color, such as NuMex Sahara; it's actually not a hybrid but a seed selection from common Bermuda.  (You'll need a reel mower, not a rotary one, for cutting Bermuda.)  As mentioned before, don't plant such troublemakers as bentgrass or Kentucky bluegrass-they'll die in the first drought.  Common Bermuda and Santa Ana hybrid Bermuda grass are the two most drought-resistant choices.

Fertilize lawns.  Continue to feed warm-season grasses this month, and in coastal zones apply fertilizer to cool-season lawns once more this month at the same rate as you have used during the winter.  We recommend Dr. Earth Super Natural Lawn Food. But in interior zones stop feeding cool-season lawns now, other than an occasional light application (one-fourth to one-half the normal dosage) applied only when necessary to maintain a healthy green color.  Tests done by the University of California Division of Agriculture show that heavy feeding of cool-season grasses such as ryegrass, bluegrass, and fescue during the warm season of the year subjects them to unnecessary stress.

Check Dichondra for Flea Beetles.  Control flea beetles before they damage dichondra.  These tiny black 1/25 inch long insects skeletonize leaves and cause brown areas that often are confused with dry spots or fertilizer burn.  To look for the culprits get down on your hands and knees, and put a piece of white paper on the lawn, and tap it.  The beetles will jump on top.  Control them with a pesticide-containing fertilizer or spray with a product containing diazinon or chlorpyrifos.

By Tamara Galbraith

I can tell you honestly that it was a great day in my professional life when the dress code no longer included any hint of pantyhose.

That day also provided a gardening revelation: several new (and slightly vengeful) ways of re-using nylons to my advantage. So, if you're going through a pantyhose rebellion (or still use them but have some old ones you would have thrown out) - consider these smart ways to make stockings work for you:

Use as plant ties. Pantyhose are soft and stretchy, and are perfect for tying up those floppy tomato plants or vining fruits and flowers. Simply cut into small strips and tie loosely where needed.

Use as slings. For example, melons grow better elevated off of the ground, when good air circulation and heat surround the entire fruit. For smaller melons, use a pantyhose "sling" to tie the fruit up and off of the soil.

Use as a barrier. For stem-chewing insects like cutworms and squash vine borers, a binding of pantyhose around the plant where the stem meets the soil can help prevent these munchers from getting access to the VIP lounge. The stocking will stretch as the plant grows.

Use as a strainer or "tea bag." If you're an organic gardener who likes to make your own "teas," i.e. alfalfa, compost, etc., the foot end of an old pair of pantyhose makes a great pouch for brewing gardening teas.

So, don't just throw your old stockings in the trash. Show those little nylon torture devices what "control" really is! (And remember, any leftover toe fluff can probably be considered organic....)

By Tamara Galbraith

Looking to add a bit of tall, tropical flavor to your landscape? Consider cannas.

These willowy beauties will add both height and drama to your garden. The reds, yellows, oranges and pinks of the floppy flowers are occasionally rivaled by startlingly gorgeous banana-like foliage that comes in wild stripes, deep burgundies or creamy variations.

Feel free to plant cannas in the ground or in a large container, as they do well in either culture. (There are also aquatic cannas that, as the name suggests, prefer boggy, pond conditions.)

No matter what type of canna you favor, moisture is a big factor, as is soil fertility. Keep them well-watered, and feed monthly with a 5-10-5 fertilizer like Dr. Earth Liquid Solution 3-3-3 if they're planted in the ground. If you're keeping your cannas in pots, use a the same fertilizer at about half-strength weekly.

Sun and heat are also must-haves for cannas - remember, these are tropical plants, so the more you can create a Florida-like atmosphere, the better. If you live in USDA Zones 8-11 you won't have to remove your canna bulbs from the ground each season. (In fact, if you're in these zones and do leave the bulbs in the ground, prepare to watch them spread all over the place...)

In the cooler regions, wait until the first frost kills the foliage, then trim it off, and carefully lift the bulb out of the ground. Give it a quick bath, let it dry and store in dry peat moss in cool conditions until next spring.

Given the right conditions, cannas provide tall, supermodel looks - gorgeous hot colors on tall, curvy foliage - with only a fraction of the high-maintenance attitude.