For some folks, Fall is a time for a rest from the garden, mowing the lawn, and any landscaping plans. For others, it’s simply another gardening season with different methods of growing and planting.

As for myself, I have to go with the first group. I do love my yard and simple landscape and the therapy they provide me. However, after spending a Spring and Summer in a lot more yards than just my own, I look forward to the break.

Regardless of which group you fall under, there are still maintenance tasks as well as preparation for next Spring and Summer. So for that, I’ve grouped together a few tips for preparing the Fall garden as well as using the Fall and Winter garden.

Fall Garden Checklist
While a lot of this may be common sense and part of the avid gardeners Fall checklist, there may still be a few items here that haven’t been thought of. And for those that probably won’t get to any of it anyway, it’s a good read and an opportunity to say “hmmm, now that’s a real good idea”.

Planning Next Years Garden
Now, here’s where you can get ahead and cut down on having to do Everything in the Spring. Next Spring isn’t when you make plans for your new garden or landscaping. You’ll lose too much needed time. And some Spring gardening tasks such as planting certain bulbs and large trees will give better results when taken care of in the Autumn.

Planning Next Years Garden Part 2
Planning a garden to be beautiful, useful, and inviting for the entire next year growing seasons, requires some focus on plantings and how they respond to the seasons and different times of year. Once you have an idea of how you are going to use your garden, consider it as it is during the different seasons.

Fall Planting Tips
I wrote this article a long time ago but felt it has a place of mentioning in this post. For some plants and especially large trees and shrubs, Fall is the optimal planting season. This article has some good points and things you may want to consider if you’re planning on adding any plants in the Spring.

Winter Gardening For Birds
While this may be most appealing to the year ’round gardening folks in group two, some of you hibernaters may get some enjoyment from the songs and presence of Winter birds. Attracting birds to the Winter garden doesn’t require a lot of hard work. It just requires a little planning.

While these few tips and ideas are far from everything we could cover about Fall, Winter, and Spring gardening, they may give you a little to think about and a few new good ideas. And for those of us inclined to stay in our easy chair, it’s a good way to spend a few minutes on a lazy day.

This time of year I get lots of calls on trees and shrubs with the leaf edges burning back and veins and middle green but slowly browning. Most often occurs during hot weather, usually in July or August. Leaves turn brown around the edges and between the veins. Sometime the whole leaf dies, or a large number drop during the late summer. This problem is most severe on the youngest branches or new growth. Trees do not generally die and the twigs are supple and show signs of life. The leaf is often supple as well, which helps differentiate this from iron deficiency, salt burn and scorch mite. It happens often following a rain in Eddy county.

Leaf scorch is caused by excessive evaporation of moisture from the leaves. In hot weather, and low humidity water evaporates rapidly from the leaves. If the water has a high salt content such as found in South Eastern New Mexico salts may be left behind and some salt burn can occur as well. Salts also cause a physiological drought to the plant as well. If the roots cannot absorb and convey water fast enough to replenish this loss, the leaves turn brown and wither. This occurs in dry soil but if high salt concentration in the soil or water can occur under moist conditions as well. Other contributing factors include hot dry winds, limited soil area, or insufficient watering depth. Summer leaf scorch is more prevalent in trees and shrubs with shallow roots, such as sycamore, mulberry, cottonwoods, and some oaks.

To prevent further scorch deep-water trees during periods of hot weather to wet down the entire root space and proper location and planting of trees. Water less often but for longer periods of time will result in deeper rooting depth, less leaf scorching and reduced blow over of trees. The evaporation rate in Eddy County exceeds 110 inches per year, and in midsummer with temperature exceeding 100 degrees F. can exceed 2 inches per day. This can create a demand the exceeds the delivery capacity of the tree in simple words a two inch per day demand and the tree only has the physical capacity to deliver 1.75 inches. This can get further complicated by having two crops in the same location such as trees and a lawn, or trees and flowers. The grower needs to supply the water for both crops and in the hot dry weather this can be difficult.

For more information Contact your Local County Extension office. Eddy County Extension Service, New Mexico State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and educator. All programs are available to everyone regardless of race, color, religion, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. New Mexico State University, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the Eddy County Government Cooperating.

Ask me what’s behind the simplest and most functional landscaping planting ideas I’ve seen or created and I’ll have to say it is simplicity and repetition. Second to that is texture and the creative use of green foliage plants.

Now, if I was only allowed to give you one piece of advice on how to create your own planting idea or plan, it would be repetition (see examples of repetition). Pick a few plants, trees, and flowers, repeat them throughout your landscaping, and you have a framework and starting point. Or even possibly a finished plan.

In most (not all) of the designs I create, there will be at least one plant type, species, or color that I repeat throughout the entire design. While this may not always be my starting point, for you it may be a way to take the first step. And possibly to immediately add an element and direction to the plan.

In many cases it’s entirely possible to get your landscaping planting ideas simply by looking through pictures of landscaping or copying someone elses ideas. I’m all for the easiest way as long as the results are lasting. However, simply basing your plant choices on color, size, and whether a plant serves as a tree, bush, or flower, leaves a lot of room for error. If you’re not at least paying attention to whether or not a plant is even zoned for your area, you could be throwing money right out the window.

For creative and functional planting ideas in new and existing landscaping, you should first recognize all the functions and purposes plants can perform. Beyond simply adding color or curb appeal, plants can be used to create canopies, hedges, screening, wind breaks, erosion control, borders, fences, noise reduction, ground cover, and a number of other aspects.

Lay out a simple bubble graph like the one to the right to determine necessary areas and then define plant types (flower, tree, hedge, etc.) needed. To research for specifics and matches you can use the plant database list.

Looking at plants this way may make you have to go back and take another look at your design space and planned landscaping ideas. Another assessment of your ideas may give you other opportunities to use plantings in creative or necessary ways.

It may actually be easier for you to create a planting scheme if you first consider the plants in your design in regards to their function or purpose. Of course, all the plants in your landscaping will have a purpose even if it’s just to look pretty and take up space. However, for this definition we’ll say that functional is any plant that has a purpose such as a canopy, hedge, screening, wind break, border, groundcover, etc.

By considering plant functions first, you might be able to narrow the rest of your planting scheme down to a few cover, color, or fill areas. Of course, in the name of “simplicity” and “being done with it”, you could even cut the rest of your project down further by using professionally designed pre-planned garden designs.

Creating a thriving, functional, and long lasting planting scheme won’t be without any effort. Even though you can get planting layout and color ideas from pictures, gardens, and books, choosing the right plants, shrubs, flowers, and trees will require a little knowledge.

Primary Considerations For Choosing The Right Garden And Landscaping Plants

Plant Width and Height
should be figured by the mature size a plant will get to be in both up and spread outward directions. Overplanting and unerplanting are common mistakes. Most landscaping is planted in with immature plants so it’s easy to unintentionally overplant.

Overplanting smaller plants and bed areas doesn’t cause much problem and may sometimes be desirable as they can be thinned later. However, trees and larger plants and shrubs may also create a threat to surrounding elements and structures.

Trees, shrubs, and larger plants also need consideration for root space.

Again, you gotta know your stuff to keep from making some costly mistakes..

Secondary Conditions For Plant Choices

Click Here

Other Considerations. Here are a few more things to think about.

Landscaping plants are a common choice to screen or hide areas of your yard such as a/c units and trash bins. However, in most instances, you don’t want to attract attention to these areas using bright colorful plants as the cover. Green tends to attract less attention to the area and so makes a better choice.

Large leaf plants –

Generally, large leaf plants work well in the shade. More leaf surface allows the plant to gather and use more light. However, for obvious reasons, large leaf plants aren’t the best choice for windy areas. Not only are they more susceptible to tearing in the wind, the more leaf surface releases more moisture to drying winds.

Colors and space –

To make a large area garden seem more intimate and cozy, use bright colorful plants. To make small gardens seem larger, use lighter colored plants. You can also transition shades of one color from lighter to darker or darker to lighter to give a sense of depth, more space, or less space.

Contrast and visibility -

Consider the colors of surrounding areas and base plant color choices on whether you want plants to contrast or blend with an area. For instance, white flowers against a red brick home will be highly visible while red Roses will blend in.

Further Reading And Ideas:
Step By Step Pre-planned Garden Designs
Plant Selection Ideas Page 1
Original Landscaping Pictures Gallery
New Landscaping Pictures Gallery
Free Landscaping Ideas Gallery