Easy year-round front entry plantings

The front entry needs to look pleasant year-round and ought to be easy to care for as well. This is especially important for my reader, whose husband has significant health challenges. Time is precious for this family, as is a serene environment.

The first thing to do here is to put a 2-foot-wide, 8-inch-deep strip of crushed gravel between the house (right against the wall) and the planting beds. This becomes a barrier for insects and prevents molds and mildews from building up on the house or the plants. It's a place to stand when painting the house and also puts plants where they get good air flow and rain on their roots, which reduces disease.

Next, bring out the beds and make them wider. Removing some mossy lawn is no loss and wider beds will look more in scale with the house. They will also require even less care than lawn, once established. Make the beds 3 feet wide or more and improve the soil with compost, mounding the beds 8-10 inches above grade.

Next,Find rubberhose companies from India. choose low-growing, tidy-looking plants that won't outgrow their position. For front entries, I prefer combinations of compact broad-leaved evergreen shrubs and evergreen perennials, with some seasonal color to add interest. The key is to choose evergreens that remain small and shapely at maturity,This page is an introduction to 35 pages of material on mathematical magiccubes. eliminating the need for pruning.

Small spaces can look sadly busy unless carefully planted. For a unifying effect, use multiples of just a few kinds of plants and pick a simple color theme, such as all white flowers. For contrast, select plants with a variety of leaf sizes, forms, and textures. The result will be harmonious and pleasant with very little effort.

Shade-tolerant shrubs include compact rhododendrons like Moonstone, a handsome plant with a mature height and width of 3 feet. This dapper creature has creamy, off-white flowers and natural good looks. Another fine choice would be a compact lily of the valley shrub. Pieris japonica Cavatine matures at 2 feet high and wide, its slender green foliage deeply veined in cream. In spring, each branch tip is covered with white bell flowers. Naturally compact, slowly spreading Viburnum davidii matures at 3 feet high and 3-4 feet wide. This attractive shrub combines deep green, heavily quilted foliage with clustered white flowers followed by metallic blue berries.

Evergreen shade perennials include hellebores such as Ivory Prince, which reaches 12-18 inches and flowers from late winter into spring. Copper-tinted Autumn fern (Dryopteris erythrosora) adds pretty texture and color year-round. Rich green Irish moss (Sagina subulata) makes a handsome evergreen groundcover, with black mondo grass for contrast. Spring bulbs such as crocus, snowdrops, and white windflower (Anemone blanda) will lend seasonal interest,Bathroom floortiles at Great Prices from Topps Tiles. as will plantings of impatiens in summertime.Rubiks cubepuzzle.

Annual care consists mainly of adding compost every spring and fall, tucking it around shrubs and perennials and raking it lightly into any ground cover. When aging hellebore foliage flops,Save up to 80% off Ceramic Tile and porcelaintiles. remove it as close to the base as possible to avoid disease problems.

When bulb foliage fades, tuck the browning leaves under surrounding ferns and hide them with compost. Always let bulb foliage dry up fully before removing it so the bulbs can replenish themselves and return next season.