plants - Winshire Green

Five Ways to Add Year-Round Color to Your Home Garden

Is your garden looking a bit dull and unloved? If so, it’s probably time for you to sort out your garden and add a splash of color. A garden can do miracles for your overall well-being, as it has been scientifically proven that being in nature has a healing and calming effect on people. Spending some quality time in your garden will help alleviate stress and offer you a healthy way to relax after a hard day of work. Here are five steps you can take to add more color to your garden:

Clean Up your Garden Thoroughly

The first step you should consider is a good cleaning. Take out all the old leaves and plants, pull out the weeds and throw out any junk you don’t use. This will give you a far better idea of what your garden needs and thus make it easier to restructure and landscape your outside space.

Divide the Garden in Sectors

You can use all sorts of materials for this purpose, from old fashioned stone walls to colorful picket fences. Dividing your garden will give you more of an overview, plus it will make it easier for you to attend to plants and flowers since they will be easily reachable. A neatly arranged garden will make you feel more calm, in a similar manner to a Japanese rock garden.

Add Lots of Flowers

Flowers are the obvious choice, since gardens are mostly known for the plethora of greens that grow in them. You have access to so many specimens online and at your local nursery, that you can literally make your own tiny rainforest if you want to. Or maybe you prefer a traditional rose garden? Flowers will brighten up any day, so make the most of them in the space you have.

Consider Building a Cozy Porch or Veranda

There’s nothing better than having an afternoon cup of tea after sunset on your own porch. You can paint the porch in bright colors, which will make the garden more colorful instantly. Try to choose sustainable materials such as recycled wood, the environment will thank you.

Add Some Colorful Lighting

If you want to make the nights just as colorful as the days, add some special lighting sources. A few unique lamps or lanterns here and there will make your garden a heavenly place for late night chill sessions or a barbecue with friends. During Christmas you will reap the benefits, as you will have less work putting up colorful lights.

It is easy to add year-round color to your garden. The color can come from a wide variety of sources: outdoor furniture, paint, pots, tile, and of course plants.

Also read our post: Five Ideas for an Outstanding Spring Garden

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Three Great Plants for Your Home

If you are looking for a way to freshen up a room in your home, adding indoor plants can help boost air quality and even reduce stress. The calm and green outlook of a room can make a huge difference in your home. Green is a color that refreshes and soothes your eyes. If you need positive and rejuvenating vibes in your home, consider decorating your home with a couple of new plants.

Below is a list of indoor plants to consider buying:

African Violet

If you want to add some color in your home’s interior, African violets are a great option. The best thing about them is they can bloom in low light and produce a cluster of flowers in white, blue, or purple, depending on the variety. There are hundreds of varieties and hybrids of violets. Not only do they vary in color, but also in size. There is a miniature which is less than 8 inches across, a standard 8 to 16 inches across, and a large more than 16 inches across. In terms of watering the plants, soil should be moist to dry. Make sure the soil around the roots dries out before watering again. Water the plant from the bottom with room temperature water for no more than 30 minutes. You may also need to fertilize them with a high phosphorous plant food, but only during the spring and summer.

Varigated Snake Plant

If there was a prize for the most tolerant plant, the snake plant would certainly be in the top ten. Their care is very straightforward, they can even be neglected for a few weeks and their leaves and shape will still look fresh. Also, they can survive in low light, drought, and have few insect problems. NASA put the plant on its list of “Top Ten Household Air Cleaning Plants.” The Varigated Snake Plant can help remove toxins from the air such as: trichloroethylene, formaldehyde, benzene, and xylene. There are about 70 different species of snake plant, all native to tropical and subtropical regions of Europe, Africa, and Asia. They can grow anywhere from 8 inches to 12 feet. The most common variety and the one studied by NASA is the sansevieria trifasciata.

Peace Lily

The peace lily is an adaptable and low maintenance houseplant. Peace lilies are not true lilies, but rather a member of the Araceae family. There are a wide variety of sizes and types of peace lilies. Most serve as floor plants, as they can reach three feet tall. NASA has also put the peace lily on its list of “Top Ten Household Air Cleaning Plants.” This tropical shade-loving plant helps cleanse the air we breathe. While we all appreciate cleaner air, it’s also their easy care, resiliency, and forgiving nature that makes them such popular houseplants.

If you are new to gardening, the worst thing you can do is start with a plant that is difficult to take care of. It is easy to get discouraged when your plant wilts or turns yellows and starts dropping leaves. But have no fear, it’s unlikely to happen when you pick plants that are easy to care for, such as the ones we listed. Add a couple of plants to your home this season to liven up and increase the positive vibes in your space.

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Five Ideas for an Outstanding Spring Garden

Would you like to be the proud owner of a luscious garden? You may have noticed you have neglected your outside space for a while, and some flowerbeds may have perished this past year. In any case there are many simple and steps you can take to spruce up your outside garden and space.

Make a design plan

All successful projects start with solid planning. Creating your perfect garden can be a bit tricky, and knowing where to begin can be confusing, mostly because there are simply so many options to choose from. Do you desire a perfectly maintained lawn, or maybe a rose bush or two? Or a terrace with an outdoor kitchen to hang out with friends? Put your thoughts on paper before you drive to the nearest garden center, as you may end up coming home with a bag full of unnecessary supplies.

Know your greens

After the planning phase, make sure you know how to take care of potential flowers and/or plants. Are flowers your thing? Or do you want to add some trees or other large plants? Maybe you favor an easy open space to play baseball with the kid too? Make decisions about the growing objects in your garden, since these will stay for quite a while. You will also need to do research on maintenance; otherwise, your spring garden will soon become quite lifeless.

Know how to position flowers and plants

Not all plants can grow next to each other; same goes for flowers. All green specimens have their own preferences and thus they can have a negative impact on some other green brethren placed nearby. If you want your garden to flourish; spend some time reading about the specifics of a plant and determining its proximity to the other plants and flowers. That way you’ll be sure to create a lasting piece of natural art.

Create comfy places to sit down and relax

The best way to enjoy a spring garden is literally to sit in it and relax. Create a welcoming space by including seating, some chairs or maybe a hammock. Spending time out in nature has many benefits including providing a sense of tranquility, and giving you time to enjoy your beautiful creation.

Ways to divide an outside space

If you are planning on creating several sectors, like a flowerbed next to a lawn or terrace; try to divide the sectors with your own unique edging. Edging made of natural stone usually works best, as it integrates well with the green environment. It will also make it easier to maintain the garden, as the separate plants and flowers will not likely pollinate each other and create chaos after a while.

Rejuvenating your outside space will not only beautify your views, but also expand your useful square footage, and connect you with nature.

Also read our post: Five Ways to Add Year-Round Color to Your Home Garden

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Eight Home Design Trends that Will Rule 2019

Want to know how to improve your personal space with the latest design trends? Interior design has become a large influence on our lives. After all, who would even dare to invite friends over for a dinner party when the venue is not up to par. If you want your house to be the life of the party, read on for the latest design trends for the upcoming year.

Craftsmanship

Choosing well-crafted furniture is fashionable again, as opposed to stockpiling Ikea items just because they’re cheap. Go out and find a local atelier or a neighborhood carpenter, so you can have a craftsman design your own unique piece. It will surely give your interior a personal touch.

Metal makes a comeback

Metal is back from…well, it never really left. Iron, copper, stainless steel and aluminum are all popular in 2019. It doesn’t matter whether you prefer a classical or modern interior; a touch of metal will guarantee to provide you with an edge that will make your interior shine.

Nature as a guiding force

With the trend of valuing natural items, going back to our roots seems plausible. Which is why natural elements like wood and plants is so popular. People want to feel like they can breathe in your home, so crank up that photosynthesis and invest in some green additions or at least a wooden table. You won’t regret it.

Flowers are timeless

Flowers never fall out of fashion. The petals might fall out in due time though, so remember to refresh your flower arrangements from time to time.

Concrete is still happening

Concrete seems like a boring and cold material, but it sure has its benefits. It’s extremely resistant to all sorts of moisture damage and it has an overall sleek look and feel. If you want to create a downtown atmosphere that is reminiscent of a Brooklyn loft, invest in some concrete accents. Success guaranteed.

Vintage accents to counter Minimalism

Last but not least; don’t forget the value of nostalgia. If you want a pleasant atmosphere in your house, invest in some classic items. And to create that authentic feel, don’t forget the vintage pieces like a collector’s Hermes scarf on the coat rack. These historical gems will make any lifeless place come to life in the blink of an eye.

Pattern

Designers aren’t just going bold with color: geometric patterns, abstract prints and nature-inspired motifs like florals, which were emerging trends last year, will continue to be popular in 2019.

A Resort in Your Backyard

Homeowners want luxury hotel amenities in their backyards. They want all the amenities and the look of a luxury hotel and even go a bit further with outdoor home theaters, poolside televisions and pizza ovens from Italy. Another popular feature is artificial turf because it always looks perfect. It can be used in shady areas and does not require water and chemicals to keep it healthy.

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Fall Planting Guide

Planting a fall garden is an easy, fun, and even a therapeutic way to grow your own vegetables during the autumn season. Usually gardeners plant their vegetables in the spring to harvest in early summer. But in our region of Texas it is possible to start a vegetable garden in the Fall.

The first step is to choose your space, if you aren’t using your spring garden area. Just make sure the place you choose will get eight hours of sunlight and be able to drain well because of the large amount of rainfall we are prone to get. To prepare the garden make sure to remove any remaining plant material from the Spring garden and also pull out any weeds. The next step is to till the soil and add sandy soil and fertilizer before planting.

Here in Harris County we are in Zone 9 of the plant hardiness zone map. Meaning our growing season lasts from late February to early December. Our planting season almost extends year round. Local hardware stores sell many varieties of Fall vegetable plants or you can find seeds online. These are just some of the vegetables that thrive in our growing region: beans, beets, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cucumber, endive, kale, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsley, radishes, squash, tomatoes, and turnips.

Gardeners know that vegetables grown in their own garden often taste delicious compared to store bought vegetables. Tender and full of flavor nothing beats fresh vegetables picked from the garden and immediately consumed.