When it comes to gardening, planting and growing is only half the battle. Too often, insects, rodents and weeds spell the demise of a late summer’s harvest.

For those who prefer chemical-free gardening – no pesticides or herbicides – DIY Life recently featured tips on companion planting, a gardening strategy that thwarts common pests by pairing specific plants together. The most common garden defenders include:

• Marigolds – ward off animals, mosquitoes and aphids
• Peppermint - prevents ants, white cabbage moths and aphids
• Garlic – repels Japanese beetles, fleas and aphids
• Basil – fights flies and mosquitoes

From the same article, expert gardener Patti Moreno showcases the “three sisters” gardening method, a planting strategy credited to Native Americans that groups corn, beans and squash alongside one another take leverage each plant’s unique benefits. Corn absorbs nitrogen from the soil and beans take nitrogen from the air and add it to the soil while squash provides shade to cool the soil.

Companion planting is about putting your plants to work. The result? A delicious late-summer harvest that’s completely organic and free of chemicals, pests and unnecessary labor.

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How to keep your organic garden free of pests with companion planting is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

Did you know that you can make elegantly simple window boxes on your own? All you need are some simple tools (boards, sandpaper, screws and drill to name a few), the ability to measure and a little basic building know-how. Check out the post for detailed instructions on how to go about this. Oh, and if you do build your own window box, don’t forget to let Charles and Hudson know; they want to see!

Have some PVC gutter materials that you don’t know what to do with? How about a hanging garden? It’s a green way to use extra materials and creatively use space in your garden. Veggies and fruits such as chard, strawberries and carrots are suggested as some of the ideal plantings in your “gutter garden.” Intrigued? Then check out Charles and Hudson’s tips on building a hanging gutter garden.

What are your favorite DIY garden fix-ups?

Images courtesy of Charles and Hudson.

Two DIY garden ideas is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

Tomorrow marks the 41st celebration of Earth Day. While energy efficient appliances, electric cars and green homes may be all the rage, Earth Day should bring to mind the simple things that positively impact our environment.

Think about gardening. Many will spend this weekend turning soil and planting seeds to have some of the best fresh produce you can find come mid-summer, but the environmental implications are more far-reaching. Gardening offers several green benefits, including:

1. A smaller carbon footprint. By growing produce in your own backyard, you’re decreasing demand at the local grocer. Consider the fuel emissions resulting from the transportation of produce from one part of the country to your grocer, especially when out of season. It adds up!
2. Reduced chemical runoff.By skipping out on insecticides and chemical fertilizers, you can grow your own organic produce and not introduce harmful toxins into the ecosystem. Even if your garden is boxed in, a heavy rain can cause runoff into the sewage system and into streams and rivers.
3. Reduce waste. Composting isn’t for everyone, but even if its used coffee grounds, banana peels and apple cores, adding decomposed food scraps into the garden instead of the trash instantly decreases your waste output and improves your crop.

Little things add up. What do you do to live greener?

Gardening often overlooked, but still one of the best ways to live green is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

According to The Wall Street Journal via MSN, goats are becoming the new way to keep your lawn in tip-top shape without having to fire up the lawnmower or the weed whacker. Goats will eat almost anything, will work tirelessly at clearing lawns and are a great conversation starter!

Unless you live on a farm, you probably don’t want to invest in a goat, let alone a herd (and local code probably wouldn’t allow city dwellers to), but there are rental options, such as www.rent-a-goat.com. And what about the “fertilization” the goats naturally provide? Reputable goat rental companies will clean up after their animals.

So if you are seeking a unique, green way to clear your yard, how about letting some adorable hard-working goats do it (homeowners should check their local codes to find out if livestock rental is permitted and for what purposes)? Would you rent some goats to spruce up your yard? Let us know in the comments!

Image courtesy of Michael Vincent Miller on Flickr.

Going green with goats: Lawn care without a lawnmower is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

What happens is simple: Folks visit the pretty nurseries to view pretty plants in bloom. However, when they bring home those beautiful azaleas, they’re heartbroken when the plants do not bloom in the summer. As with the inside of your home, the outside too provides a terrific opportunity to express yourself. It is all about planning ahead and knowing strengths and limitations.

When to call a professional
Whether you have a green thumb or not, it is always good to consult with a landscaping designer before any major outdoor project. The landscaping designer knows what grows in your climate and how the plants will look once mature. They not only focus on the look of the plants and shrubbery but the long-term life and care, as well.

Granted, you may know the color structure and type of plants you’d like featured, but a professional designer is familiar with many factors you may not consider, including leaf form, shape and structure of each plant, and how these plants will look year-round.

Plan for the environment

Like painting a picture, choose plants that are appropriate for different containers and specified spaces. This will allow you to achieve a sense of continuity, balance and structure in your landscaping.

Know that a few well-placed containers (10”x30” wide) full of flowering annuals look much more striking than many smaller containers that tend to make a yard look too busy. Also, larger containers keep plaints nourished and wet in warm weather.

Don’t bug me

Your professional will know about the disease and insect situation in your area (knowledge that is worth the price of admission). A great example of this: Certain varieties of geraniums are subject to disease, worms and insects that will eventually affect surrounding plants. A good landscaping designer will help you avoid plants that develop and carry rust, aphids, scale, mealy bugs, etc., thus eliminating the need to spray chemicals in the yard.

Doing it yourself

If you are going to brave it alone, without a professional, consider the goals and objectives for your landscape. Before you envision yourself enjoying that cool, iced tea in the summer sun, create a rough plan or sketch of the whole property. Decide which plants, trees, hills or rock outcroppings to add or keep.  Also consider wind direction, sun, patterns of shade and where rainwater collects.

As a do-it-yourselfer, know that your landscaping should complement the existing elements of the house. Knowing that terraces and patios are typically located near the kitchen, living room or bedroom, place smaller plants or potted plants close to the house. Place your larger items plants further from the structure.

Location and timing are everything

Often, features like flowering trees, sculpture or flowerbeds are located where they can easily be seen and enjoyed from inside the home. Also, know you’re your blooming times.

Remember flowers like pittosporum, juniper, trumpet vine and rhododendron typically do not bloom in the summer months. The longest blooming flowers (almost all year-round) are shade gardenias, geraniums, impatiens and begonias.

Maintenance

Ongoing care is key. Plan for traffic in the yard, enough space to push a wheelbarrow completely around the house for ongoing maintenance. Make sure the soil is treated and tilled for best performance, and remember to provide sufficient space for the development of your trees and shrubs.

Also, visit your local neighborhood nursery. They will be equipped to make recommendations on the appropriate and attractive plants for your area.

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Avoiding mistakes when planning your landscaping is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

Well, there’s more to it than just making your own garden fertilizer. The EPA says:

Did You Know That Compost Can…

• Suppress plant diseases and pests.
• Reduce or eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers.
• Promote higher yields of agricultural crops.
• Facilitate reforestation, wetlands restoration, and habitat revitalization efforts by amending contaminated, compacted, and marginal soils.
• Cost-effectively remediate soils contaminated by hazardous waste.
• Remove solids, oil, grease, and heavy metals from stormwater runoff.
• Capture and destroy 99.6 percent of industrial volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) in contaminated air.
• Provide cost savings of at least 50 percent over conventional soil, water, and air pollution remediation technologies, where applicable.

It’s not just about your garden; composting can be just plain good for the environment. But for many people, having the great garden soil additive is the big draw. So, courtesy of our friend P. Allen Smith, here are some great starter tips on composting for yourself:

Getting started with composting is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

“I’m like, ‘Here’s your crayons, go pick your colors and you probably have something else laying around you could use, too,’ ” he said. “She’s already picked out your colors for you and that’s it.”

The article gives a great overview of Smith’s past and how he came to be the eagle-eyed horticulturalist he is today. Give it a read to learn more about the man and his inspiration:

Mr. Smith believes a house is an archetype for the soul, and should have a balanced living environment with inner and outer aesthetics connected by a seamless transition.

Of course, that may not translate to the average gardener in Columbus, Ohio. So he simplifies the message, offering beauty with instant accessibility. The garden home can be yours with a few simple principles and techniques, the centerpiece of which is creative use of containers.

Photo courtesy of PAllenSmith.com

P. Allen Smith: ‘The Martha Stewart of the South’ is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

The Lluna planter by Serralunga is a cool modern planter as you can see:

But if you find yourself needing a cold drink instead of more greenery, this planter obliges. It would work well for a large backyard soiree!

Speaking of that garden party, if you are looking for a use for the empty beer bottles you stashed in the planter/ice bucket, look no further than Design*Sponge’s bottle garden idea.  It’s an easy idea for a really cool garden…and it’s a great way to re-use without recycling!

If the bottle garden inspires you to find a way to re-use objects in your garden, then consider Re-Nest’s idea to turn your chandelier into a planter. Where the bulbs would be, you put small pots of flowers instead. It’s unique, funky, and classically quirky.

What are some fun ideas you’ve tried for “re-decorating” your garden?

All images are from blogs linked to above

Outdoor garden accessories round-up is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

I use old-fashioned roses in a variety of ways. One of my favorites is to use them to punctuate an entry as I’ve done with climbing ‘White American Beauty.’ This rose has filled the entire bonnet of an arbor. Now this rose is also known as ‘Frau Karl Druschki,’ it was introduced in 1901.

Another one of my favorites is ‘Iceberg.’ I grow it three different ways in my garden. One way is in a tree or standard form where ‘Iceberg,’ is grafted onto the stock of a different type rose. This makes a beautiful presentation. The climbing form of ‘Iceberg’ is yet another way I grow it. It is beautiful supported by twig trellises and it can grow to quite an impressive height. And the last way I grow it is as a shrub in my flowerbeds. It’s a beautiful rose that will bloom right until frost.

Russell’s Cottage rose only blooms once a year, but it is a real showstopper. I grow it because of its incredible fragrance. Now, it’s an exuberant climber and it has literally grown up into the branches of an overhead elm tree.

‘Russell’s Cottage’ isn’t the only rose I grow in trees. I also grow ‘Madame Alfred Carriere.’ She actually blooms just as the foliage is beginning to appear in the tree.

Of course, anyone can appreciate the beauty of a rose. But from a garden design standpoint, I think that the thing I enjoy most about these old-fashioned roses is that they make such dramatic statements in the landscape.

When I chose rose varieties for my garden, I wanted to maximize the bloom potential. I chose varieties that bloom early in the season and roses that bloom right on through the fall. There are so many different varieties to choose from, there’s a rose for every situation. Some will grow beautifully in containers, others will even take some shade.

‘New Dawn’ is one of the most prolific and carefree roses that I grow. I tell people that it is a must have for their garden. Technically, it isn’t considered an old-fashioned or heritage rose, it was introduced in the early 20th century, but it has the same beauty that many of these old fashioned roses can have.

Roses in my garden is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style

Two of my all time favorite annual vines are morning glory and its nocturnal cousin moonflower vine. Their size, growth rate and flower power make them spectacular additions to the summer garden. They can grow twenty to thirty feet in a single season, which makes them ideal for quickly spreading blooms across fences, over arbors, or up simple teepees made of three or four tall poles. They are the perfect solution for covering an area while you wait for a perennial vine or climbing rose to mature.

The morning glory has 6 to 8 inch heart shaped leaves and showy trumpet blooms that open as the sun rises. The varieties ‘Heavenly Blue’, ‘Grandpa Ott’ and ‘Milky Way’ are all worthy of a spot in your garden.

While the morning glory, as its name implies, is perky in the morning the moonflower vine picks up its pace in the evening. By sunset the vine covers itself with large, white, fragrant blossoms. The flowers begin to fade at dawn, but by dusk, they are opening again.

Both morning glories and moonflowers are easy to grow from seed. The outer coating is hard, so soak the seeds overnight in water before planting to help with germination. The seeds can be direct sown in the garden after the last frost date in your area. Choose a site where the soil is not too rich. If it is too fertile, the seeds will produce lots of vines, but few blooms. Give them plenty of sunshine and these vines will reward you with abundant blooms until the first hard freeze in autumn.

Moonflowers and Morning Glories is a post from: MLuxe - Distinctive Home Style