Patio Gardening and Landscaping(3949)

 

Memorizethewords:

 

1) impact – воздействовать, влиять

2) patio – патио; внутреннийдворик

3) payattention (to) – обращатьвнимание (на)

4) deck – подиум, настил

5) height – высота, рост

6) prune – обрезать

7) clip – стричь

8) spine – колючка

9) thorn – колючка

10) poisonous – ядовитый

11) pungent – острый, жгучий (о вкусе, запахе)

12) carrionflower – цветок со зловонным запахом

13) scent – запах

14) maple – клён

 

A good planting plan can turn hard space into a natural environment for outdoor living. It can carry your interior schemes into the landscape with color and fragrance. Planting solves problems with beautiful living things. It offers a changing face with the seasons. A poorly designed planting plan does little for the quality of the space, increases maintenance, and negatively impacts your enjoyment of the patio.

It pays to work closely with your landscape designer to achieve quality planting by researching every species proposed. Know what the plants look like, when they bloom, if you like their fragrance and make sure they remain in scale with the space over time. To help you better understand how plants can fail, we’ve begun this guide with The Don’ts, before we move into more positive attributes.

The Don’ts

Your terrace, patio or deck may experience all sorts of activities in many seasons. Your designer must ensure the planting works equally well for all of them.

Don’t oversize plants. By far the most common mistake is using plants that crowd your limited patio space. Double check that every plant matures within the height and diameter provided.

You should not have to prune or clip a plant to keep it in bounds. When you do there’s not only additional maintenance, you sacrifice its natural beauty. Get a list of small patio trees.

Don’t use sharp plants. Plants that bear spines or thorns are painful when located near patios. If and when children are present, they too are vulnerable because eye level is far lower than with adults. Be careful what you plant in raised planters, in narrow passage ways, dining areas and at poolside. Major offenders: roses, cacti, succulents.

Don’t use toxic plants. Because children tend to touch and sometimes eat much of what they discover, it's wise to avoid patio plants that are poisonous.

Don’t use pungent plants. Not all natural scents are appealing, and some can be stinky. Some emit fragrance from flowers to attract pollinators such as carrion flowers that lure flies with the smell of death. Keep in mind that scents you find appealing may not always be as attractive to others.

Don’t use oversized pots. When planting in containers on the patio or deck, always be aware of the combined weight of any one pot and its contents. Large pots used for planting small patio trees or tropicals can be difficult to move or remove without heavy

lifting.

Whenever possible, use wheeled platforms under large pots when they must be moved to protection for winter. Or, downsize the containers but use more of them.

The Dos

The right planting can make your patio a celebration of the senses with beauty, fragrance, texture and color. Encourage your designer to solve problems using carefully selected plants that enhance the outdoor living experience in a variety of ways.

Do plant fragrant flowers. The haunting scent of jasmine adds romance to your patio, particularly after dark when the source is less visible.

Careful planting design can create a succession of seasonal aromatherapies. Fragrance of plants located close to windows and doors may be drawn inside for double benefit.

Do utilize trees in pots. Small trees in big pots are your designer’s most powerful tool for patios that lack much ground for planting.

Do plant for off-season interest. While planting for the warmer months is a given, ask your designer to provide you with plants that feature off season interest too.

For example, coral bark of Japanese maple is one of the most popular small trees for winter beauty due to its bark that stands out brightly on dull days or against snow. The forms of well shaped evergreens are powerful interest in winter too.

If you live in the north where winter is long and cold, what you see out the windows is important. Make doubly sure your project is well stocked with off season plants and use up-lighting after dark to create a beautiful view.

Do use diversity. Some homes don’t have views, so intricate planting combinations are the next best thing. Give special attention to using a wide variety of small plants with exquisite qualities.

Too often modern designers get lazy and falls back on massing a single species rather than the careful mix and match that results in a real garden.

Do plant for seasoning. Culinary herbs make some of the finest plants for patio areas where they are convenient to pinch and cut when you need fresh flavors in the kitchen. Woody herbs such as rosemary and lavender make first class landscape plants in pots or in ground.

Creeping rosemary and creeping thyme are old time favorites for edges of paths where they are routinely crushed so the aroma is released when you pass. Even herbaceous parsley and basil make fast growing seasonal fillers.

 

ORNAMENTAL FLORICULTURE

Text 1

Flower Morphology (2380)

Memorizethewords:

 

1) stalk – стебель; ножка

2) whorl – кольцолистьев (вокругстебля)

3) receptacle – цветоложе; цветоножка

4) calyx – чашечка

5) sepal – чашелистик

6) bud – почка

7) сorolla – венчик

8) petal – лепесток

9) pollination – опыление

10) stamen – тычинка

11) filament – филамент; тычиночнаянить

12) anther – пыльник

13) carpel – карпель, плодолистик

14) ovary – завязь

15) ovule – семяпочка, семязачаток

16) pistil – пестик

17) stigma – рыльце

A stereotypical flower consists of four kinds of structures attached to the tip of a short stalk. Each of these parts is arranged in a whorl on the receptacle. The four main whorls (starting from the base of the flower or lowest node and working upwards) are as

follows:

Calyx: the outermost whorl consisting of units called sepals; these are typically green and enclose the rest of the flower in the bud stage, however, they can be absent or prominent and petal-like in some species.

Corolla: the next whorl toward the apex, composed of units called petals, which are typically thin, soft and colored to attract animals that help the process of pollination.

Androecium (from Greek “androsoikia”: man’s house) is the next whorl (sometimes multiplied into several whorls), consisting of units called stamens. Stamens consist of two parts: a stalk called a filament, topped by an anther where pollen is produced by meiosis and eventually dispersed.

Gynoecium (from Greek“gynaikosoikia”: woman’s house) is the innermost whorl of a flower, consisting of one or more units called carpels. The carpel or multiple fused carpels form a hollow structure called an ovary, which produces ovules internally. The gynoecium of a flower is also described using an alternative terminology wherein the structure one sees in the innermost whorl (consisting of an ovary, style and stigma) is called a pistil. A pistil may consist of a single carpel or a number of carpels fused together. The sticky tip of the pistil, the stigma, is the receptor of pollen. The supportive stalk, the style, becomes the pathway for pollen tubes to grow from pollen grains adhering to the stigma.

Although the arrangement described above is considered typical, plant species show a wide variation in floral structure. These modifications have significance in the evolution of flowering plants and are used extensively by botanists to establish relationships among plant species.

The four main parts of a flower are generally defined by their positions on the receptacle and not by their function. Many flowers lack some parts or parts may be modified into other functions and/or look like what is typically another part. In some families the petals are greatly reduced and in many species the sepals are colorful and petal-like. Other flowers have modified stamens that are petal-like, the double flowers of Peonies and Roses are mostly petaloid stamens. Flowers show great variation and plant scientists describe this variation in a systematic way to identify and distinguish species.

Flowers may be directly attached to the plant at their base (the supporting stalk or stem is highly reduced or absent). The stem or stalk subtending a flower is called a peduncle. If a peduncle supports more than one flower, the stems connecting each flower to the main axis are called pedicels.

 

Text 2

Flower Symbolism (1708)

 

Memorize the words:

 

1) poppy – мак

2) daisy – маргаритка

3) sunflower – подсолнечник

4) water lily – водянаялилия

5) larkspur – живокость, шпорник

 

Many flowers have important symbolic meanings in Western culture. The practice of assigning meanings to flowers is known as Floriography. Some of the more common examples include:

Red roses are given as a symbol of love, beauty, and passion.

Poppies are a symbol of consolation in time of death. In the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, red poppies are worn to commemorate soldiers who have died in times of war.

Irises/Lilies are used in burials as a symbol referring to “resurrection/life”. It is also associated with stars (sun) as their petals are shining when blooming.

Daisies are a symbol of innocence.

Flowers within Asian and western classical art are also representative of the female genitalia, as seen in the works of many artists and poets. Many cultures around the world have a marked tendency to associate flowers with femininity.

The great variety of delicate and beautiful flowers has inspired the works of numerous poets, especially from the 18^th–19^th century Romantic era. Famous examples include William Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud” and William Blake’s “Ah!

Sunflower!”

Because of their varied and colorful appearance, flowers have long been a favourite subject of artists as well. Some of the most celebrated paintings from well-known painters are of flowers, such as Van Gogh’s sunflowers series or Monet's water lilies. Flowers are also dried, freeze dried and pressed in order to create permanent, three-dimensional pieces of flower art.

Their symbolism in dreams has also been discussed, with possible interpretations including “blossoming potential”.

The Roman goddess of flowers, gardens, and the season of spring is Flora. The Greek goddess of spring, flowers and nature is Chloris.

In Hindu mythology, flowers have a significant status. Vishnu, one of the three major gods in the Hindu system, is often depicted standing straight on a lotus flower. Apart from the association with Vishnu, the Hindu tradition also considers the lotus to have spiritual significance.

 

Text 3

Flower Garden (1322)

 

Memorize the words:

 

1) decorativepurpose – декоративноеназначение

2) bloom – цвести; цветение

3) annual – однолетнее (растение)

4) fragrance – аромат

5) delight the senses – услаждатьчувства

6) herb – трава, травянистое растение

7) herbaceousborder – травянистый бордюр

8) knotgarden – сад формального стиля

9) edible – съедобный

10) seed – семя

11) perennial – многолетнее растение

12) biennial – двулетник, двулетний

13) layout – расположение, планировка

 

A flower garden is any garden where flowers are grown for decorative purposes. Because flowers bloom at varying times of the year, and some plants are annual, dying each winter, the design of flower gardens can take into consideration to maintain a sequence of bloom and even of consistent color combinations, through varying seasons.

Flower gardens combine plants of different heights, colors, textures, and fragrances to create interest and delight the senses.

Flower color is an important feature of both the herbaceous border and the mixed border that includes shrubs as well as herbaceous plants, and of bedding-out schemes limited to colorful annuals. Flower gardens are sometimes tied in function to other kinds of gardens, like knot gardens or herb gardens, many herbs also having decorative function, and some decorative flowers being

edible.

One simpler alternative to the designed flower garden is the “wildflower” seed mix, with assortments of seeds which will create a bed that contains flowers of various blooming seasons, so that some portion of them should always be in bloom. The best mixtures even include combinations of perennial and biennials, which may not bloom until the following year, and also annuals that are “self-seeding”, so they will return, creating a permanent flowerbed.

Another, even more recent trend is the “flower garden in a box”, where the entire design of a flower garden is pre-packaged, with separate packets of each kind of flower, and a careful layout to be followed to create the proposed pattern of color in the

garden-to-be.

 

Text 4

Flowers for Borders (2522)

Control pests by planting these flowers for borders and drawing beneficial insects into your garden.

 

Memorize the words:

 

1) research – исследование, изучение

2) beneficialinsects – полезныенасекомые

3) ladybug – (божья) коровка

4) lacewing – златоглазка

5) groundbeetle – жужелица

6) pollen – пыльца

7) yield – урожай

8) cornflower – василёк

9) wasp – оса

10) sow – сеять, засевать

11) edging – бордюр; обрамление

12) aphid – тля

13) fennel – фенхель

 

“Flowers for borders” is the concept behind ground-breaking research and has revealed how gardeners can attract beneficial insects – ladybugs, lacewings, ground beetles and other insects that feed on pests – simply by planting certain flowers. We’ve been monitoring this research and compiling a list of plants that are both highly ornamental and proven effective in attracting and sheltering beneficial insects. Here’s our exclusive special report on these beautiful and valuable plants.

To get energy to search for their prey, or to reproduce, many beneficial insects feed on nectar (for carbohydrates) and pollen (for protein) from flowering plants. Researchers are discovering that some flowers are much better sources of nectar and pollen to sustain beneficial insects than others. Studies are also revealing the best plants to grow for shelter to help good bugs thrive. And as an added bonus, many of the nectar sipping/pest-eating insects that are attracted to flower pollen will also pollinate your fruit and vegetable crops and increase your yields.

Some Best Plants for Beneficial Borders:

Bachelor’s Buttons or Cornflower (Centaureacyanus). This beautiful blue wildflower has extrafloral nectaries, which means the plant’s leaves release nectar even when the flowers are not blooming. Research in Germany has found that bachelor button nectar has a very high sugar content of 75 percent. This nectar is highly attractive to flower flies, ladybugs, lacewings, and beneficial wasps. Sow easy-to-grow Bachelor’s Buttons seeds directly in the garden in fall or early spring; plants usually reseed

energetically.

Sweet Alyssum* (Lobulariamaritima). This low-growing annual makes a lovely white, highly fragrant edging for flower beds. Numerous studies have confirmed that sweet alyssum is highly attractive to aphid-eating flower flies. You can start with seeds, or buy bedding plants for earlier flowering.

Borage* (Boragoofficinalis). This annual herb has bright blue clusters of edible, cucumber-flavored flowers. Studies in Switzerland have shown borage to be exceptionally attractive to good bugs, with an average of over 100 beneficials found in just 1 square yard of borage. In addition, common green lacewings have a very strong preference to lay their eggs on borage.

Golden Marguerite* (Anthemistinctoria). This long-blooming perennial produces bright yellow 2 inch daisies that are highly attractive to key kinds of beneficials – ladybugs, lacewings, flower flies, and mini-wasps. Golden marguerite thrives in poor soils, growing 2 to 3 feet high and wide.

Fennel (Foeniculumvulgare). Long-lasting fennel flowers are extremely attractive to all nectar-feeding beneficial insects, and the feathery green or purple foliage looks wonderful in spring and early summer. The seeds and leaves are also eaten by humans, and are excellent in salads (leaves) or spaghetti sauce (seeds). The plants grow about 5 feet high and are perennial in zones 6–9.

 

*Notes:

 

sweet alyssum – алиссумморской

borage – огуречникаптечный

golden marguerite – пупавкакрасильная

 

Text 5