Gardening by the Yard

By Tracy Ballisager

You can create your garden according to your yard size. Of course, those with a very small area feel short-changed in this case, but container gardens change all that.

Large Yards

Large yards call for not just large gardens but also large species of plants in the garden and the room for more exotic types of displays. A large yard is the perfect place for a cascading waterfall or clumps of pampas grass. The larger the space you have, the more you'll want perennials. These types of plants eliminate the need for purchase of new plants each year and the effort it takes to put them into the ground.

Large yards have a drawback as well as advantages. Showy displays and large varieties of plants fit more easily into a larger area. You'll find that if you want some of the smaller plants, you'll need to carve out an area to display them properly or have an ample amount of plants to show them off well. Many small flowering plants lose their identity in a large area.

With a large yard, you have the advantage of creating several different types of gardens for both variety and purpose. You can use one section of the yard for a hidden garden and another for a vegetable garden if you choose. If you love flowers everywhere there are some delightful ways to mix the flowers with the vegetables for interesting landscape designs.

You can create a privacy fence from plants if you have a large yard and it doesnï't create any cramping of your space. Three plants that make good privacy hedges are viburnum, holly and Simpson's stopper. Sweet viburnum is a 25 foot tall and 10 to 15 foot wide plant with glossy evergreen leaves. Holy grows as tall as 50 feet and 20 feet wide. Simpson's stopper is a large evergreen that reaches heights of 20 to 30 feet and may grow as wide as 20 feet. These are just a few selections and what you choose depends on your climate and whether you want flowers or simply showy foliage.

Small Yards

With small yards, you don't have the luxury of sprawling plants but you do get to show off the plants that you have to the maximum. You don't have the advantage of creating separate areas like a meditation area found at the end of a winding path, but you don't need nearly as many plants to make a dramatic statement.

Try to stick to just a few plants rather than buying every type you see. You'll end up running out spots in your yard and planting them at night in the neighbors yard with black smudges under your eyes and the proverbial ski cap to protect your identity.

Keep the colors limited and use the plants texture and for the contrast. Just like decorating the house, the less its cut up by changes in color the larger it looks. A selection of cooler colors also makes the area expand in vision.

Make sure that your plants serve more than just one flowering season. If you have a perennial, most of which flower once a year, make sure the foliage is interesting.

No Yard

Containers are the way to go and you can splurge if you have a very limited space. Hang baskets, set pots and use every space to make your non-yard look like a garden. After all, one of the most famous gardens in the world was the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Maybe you won't join the seven wonders but you can have enough Mother Nature close at hand to make the area a country estate in the middle of the city.

Tracy Ballisager is a stay at home mum and provide info on gardening. See her website for tips on tomato growing Gardening-tips-and-trick To read more on gardening tips go to gardening

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