Flowers and plants have been used for centuries to decorate gardens and courtyards. A flower garden is basically any garden where flowers are grown for

I have a picket fence garden. I love my picket fence garden. It's quaint. It's cute. It screams cottage, and I love pretty much anything that screams cottage. It also happens to be home to my Princess Diana clematis entwined birdhouse, and I love my Princess Diana clematis entwined birdhouse more than a person should love anything that's made out of a chunk of wood. I also have a greenhouse garden. I love my greenhouse garden. It's my newest garden, and this year it really came into its own. Right next to my greenhouse garden you can see part of my vegetable garden. I actually don't love my vegetable garden at the moment because a good portion of the plants are smack in the middle of a strike. Apparently they are protesting a hostile work environment, ( a massive grass invasion and fertilizer neglect), and while we've attempted several sit down negotiations, so far neither of us is willing to budge and do what is required of us to get our relationship back on the road to productivity. And by neither of us, I mean me. But enough about my sad squash and pumpkins. I really want to talk to you about my very favorite garden of all. The raised bed herb garden. I love my raised bed herb garden beyond all reason. Raised bed gardens are easy to take care of. They are easy to irrigate. They are also extremely easy to weed, not that I have any recent, first hand experience on that front. Things have gone a bit downhill since the wedding a month ago. Very far down a very big hill. It all still looks pretty good from a distance....but up close it would definitely not pass the garden club smell test. The herb garden has a few herbs....rosemary, parsley, several mints, thyme, dill and sage, as well as some onions and jalapenos, but the vast majority of the plants are annuals, and the vast majority of the annuals are zinnias. Did I ever tell you the final zinnia count? Out of the eleven hundred and ten zinnia seeds I planted, eight hundred and sixty eight made it into the garden. Yes, I counted. Several times. Not all of them germinated in the greenhouse, and then quite a few more just shriveled up and died for no apparent reason before they made it in the ground, which actually didn't hurt my feelings even a little bit because it was all I could do to find eight hundred and sixty eight spots to plant my zinnias let alone eleven hundred and ten. Oh, and then there are a few of these poor little fellas out there, too. I still count them among the living, but I'm beginning to think a mercy killing just might be in order. Our low tonight is supposed to be thirty five, so I'm all of a sudden feeling a bit sentimental about my zinnias and all their garden friends. It won't be long before I wake up one morning to find they've gone to the great zinnia farm in the sky and that will just be sad. Most of the perennials I've planted in the raised beds have not been able to survive our harsh winters above ground, but a few have not only survived...they've gone completely over the edge of sanity. The Monarda. Is. Out. Of. Control. I originally planted four different colors, but the only survivors were the fuchsia/magenta-ish fellas you see here. Over the years, they've gone from a four inch pot to reach out and grab you size, and every year they expand by leaps and bounds. They truly need to be dealt with sometime soon, as they have blocked off all the paths that surround them, but I have a hard time messing with a plant that has that much vim and vigor. You can see them off to the right in the photo below. They now take up almost all of their 4x8 foot beds. All this to say, raised gardens are the cat's meow, and if you have ever tossed around the idea of a raised garden bed or two, or ten, I say take the plunge. You won't be sorry. So, speaking of gardens, Country Living just announced the finalists in its Blue Ribbon Blogger Awards, and it just so happens that a blog y'all might be familiar with is a finalist in the garden category. Rumor has it that the author of this particular blog is pretty darn excited and honored and humbled at this turn of events, and has been seen walking around in a bit of a daze since this information came into her possession. Country Living just happens to be the one and only magazine she subscribes to, and she currently has the most recent three issues sitting on her coffee table. There's also a slight possibility that during the short period of time that she let her subscription lapse several years ago, she may or may not have stolen borrowed two issues from the waiting area of her local Department of Motor Vehicles. A panel of judges will be picking the winner in each category, but in the meantime, Country Living is holding a Reader's Choice contest on their website. The Reader's Choice voting is already underway, and will continue until September 15th. Readers can vote once a day. The problem is, the author of the aforementioned blog is a bit uncomfortable asking her readers to pay a visit to the Country Living page to vote for her blog. She's not totally sure just exactly what her problem is, but for whatever reason, it is just a bit awkward for her. After talking it over with her BFF, who very sweetly (or not) said, "Oh, get over yourself. This is cool!", she decided to post the link to the voting page in case any of her readers feel like popping on over and placing a vote. She has also decided to refer to herself in the third person for this portion of her blog post, because she feels that it somehow eases the awkwardness she is feeling just a teensy little bit, but she hopes that by doing so, she does not cause any form of confusion for her readers. She herself is very easily confused, so she is always a bit sensitive to others who occasionally find themselves in that same boat. In addition, she has visited the voting page several times during the writing of this post, just to make sure that her blog is indeed one of the finalists. She is a bit worried that she might discover that she dreamed the finalist part and that would take the awkward thing to a whole new level once she hit the publish button on her blogger dashboard. She would also like to thank the readers who nominated her blog for the Blue Ribbon Awards. She knows of two readers who did so, and thinks that it's just about the nicest thing ever. Have a truly delightful Labor Day weekend!

Forget about traditional foundation plantings. Why not dress up the front of your house with a carefree mixture of trees, shrubs and perennials?

Create a sunny, low-maintenance backyard oasis with one of our garden plans you can download for free. We have 15 beautiful options to choose from.

Discover how adding coffee grounds to your hydrangea soil can give your blooming shrubs a surprising boost.

If you crave a bit of dimension, perspective, height and extra color in your groundcovers, consider wide-spreading shrubs.

The long, bright days of summer bring out the best in flower gardens. Try these ideas in yours to be the envy of the neighborhood.

There's no such thing as too much light for the easy-care plants in this design. The brighter, the better for these perennials to fill your yard with color.

This colorful garden was installed in a day

Explore anniesannuals' 5862 photos on Flickr!

Aruncus Aethusifolius is a fully hardey perennial and wil enhance the appearance of any garden, front or back.

Create a sunny, low-maintenance backyard oasis with one of our garden plans you can download for free. We have 15 beautiful options to choose from.

Whether you're a novice or have been working the soil for years, these garden plans will inspire you to create eye-catching gardens full of low-maintenance plants.

Cottage Garden

I share my favorite perennials, annuals, planting tips, and ideas for a summer blooming border. #Itching4spring #MyProudestDIYMoment

Is it any wonder I’m such a fan of succulents? In addition to being easy care, low-water and having architectural shapes, they send forth spectacular flowers. Some of the most amazing …

Hello, I am Hülya. I have been a landscape architect for 9 years and with this knowledge, I am now with you on Etsy. I am trying to give various details. Now I am here for the planting details. What are the works you will achieve with this work? First of all, these plant kits are suitable for zones 5-8, the design is made according to the region you give, do not worry. Hülya, you send me a picture because I have such an area. It could be a plant parterre, a tree base, a house entrance, maybe a wall. Depending on your needs, it's up to you. I'm planting this place for you, I'm giving you the quantities in 2D and 3D, I'm giving you the planting details :) It's that simple, it's that simple. Together we create the most beautiful compositions. 🌼 Achieve exceptional curb appeal, enhancing your home's value. 🌼 Create a peaceful, family-friendly outdoor environment. 🌼 Entertain guests in a picturesque garden setting. 🌼 Easy scalability, allowing customization for different yard sizes. SIMPLE ORDERING PROCESS: ***add the product to your cart and complete the purchase. ****Send me a photo of your area. It is not a ready-made template. Every garden is valuable to me and it is a great pleasure for me to think about it and make suitable designs. ****Start your landscaping project independently or with a professional landscape architect. 🎁 PERFECT GIFT FOR GARDEN LOVERS: Searching for a thoughtful present for someone who treasures gardening? This template, coupled with our style guide, makes an exceptional gift for any occasion, delighting those with a penchant for garden aesthetics. Plans are valid for one region. If there are more regions, you can get a price accordingly. There is no refund or exchange.

Create a welcoming look for your home with this easy-care combination of foundation plantings that will look great around the foundation of your home.

Get expert tips on planting and maintaining weigela bush, an easy-to-grow spring-flowering shrub that attracts bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, and find the best weigela variety for your yard.

Create a sunny, low-maintenance backyard oasis with one of our garden plans you can download for free. We have 15 beautiful options to choose from.

Sift through our favorite free shade garden plans to find one that satisfies your appetite for color and suits your outdoor space best.

Early spring is the season of hope: for the most beautiful garden ever. And you can have that. You also can lay the most charming front path in the history

This guide profiles the prettiest varieties of salvia plants to grow in gardens. See different salvia plants, plus their care details and other helpful info.

The lush and tropical Xanadu philodendron is an ideal small planting for homeowners who want little or no trimming. Read all about it!

Today's Gladiolus (or simply 'glads' as they are quite often called) are larger and more beautiful than varieties years ago and produce lush sword like foliage. They appreciate the warm weather of summer and are very easy to plant and grow. Gladiolus come in a wide selection of classic colors as well as the newest bi or tri colors. You can plant them all at once after the danger of frost has passed, or plant them bi-weekly for continuous flowers throughout summer. They are best planted in groups and make for excellent lavish florist quality cut flowers. Boldly colored tropical gladiolus varieties make up this mixture. Colors as bold and dramatic as parrots.