Grey Gardens Within Green Gardens For A Different Look
Wonder why on earth would anyone be happy with grey gardens? One can understand blues, greens, reds, but Grey? Grey in a garden of reds, pinks, lilacs and a riot of other colors adds a very interesting twist in the tale so to speak. Grey gardens are so called because of the particular plants that have a beautiful grey, silver, blue aor green tinge provided by Mother Nature. There is a large variety of such plants for you to choose from, depending on the size and layout of your garden. These can be added to your existing garden for a touch of the exotic or the au contraire.
Some plants that one can put in grey gardens to create some magic are aglaonema, sage and basil, which are aromatic and grow low. There are a lot of succulents like crassula -with fleshy fat leaves, and these form a fantastic base for its spray of red and yellow flowers which are long lasting. A display of silver begonias and syngoniums in a shady corner will set off the grey garden beautifully. The advantage one has here is that all these are low maintenance and relatively pest free. One can add to the family by replanting a stem so there is no extensive gardening required.
Grey leaf plants are unusual in the sense that they have waxy coating on its leaves like the West African Cotyledon orbiculata, and they can also be hairy. These plants look very attractive as part of grey gardens. These two features of this plant make it very easy to keep in dry weather conditions as they need less water. The hair and the waxy coat reflect sunlight and this does not allow the water in it to dry up.
A good example of this type of plant is the Kleinia which is a grey blue carpet type of foliage plant and this stores its water in the stem. The Acacia baileyana in its level to the ground form is yet another example of plants that can survive in dry arid conditions. Some other plants you may consider are the Iris Pallida, the Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula’, the Cynara cardunculus and Stachys byzantina among a host of others.
We need to remember that all flowering plants have their respective seasons. Think on the lines of planting in such a way that in every season your garden blooms with the appropriate flowers and you will not be stuck with a depressing grey garden right in the middle of winter.
For grey gardens, one needs imagination, plants that complement your color scheme, grey blue silver plants that will offset the colors that you have envisaged. You also need a tongue-in-cheek kind of attitude to do something different with your normal garden and a dollop of good old hard work. The results are there for the world to see and you to take pride in.
18 Responses
squishyblanket - February 23, 2010
Great music? Or greatest music? I still get this stuck in my head to this day!
Daboredboyzmusic - February 23, 2010
haha i have this on my ipod along wit other songs xD this song is so catchy
trippy - February 23, 2010
that is why you don't! Not only is keeping wild animals illegal, but it is also very cruel and unfair, especially if you don't know how to keep it! Don't keep the snake if you don't know how to feed it and take care of it!
gmen16li - February 23, 2010
because the guy who designed msg was a big barney fan and thought it would be cool to do that.
★Eric☆ - February 23, 2010
I don't have an actual recipe…but i actually have a batch of them cooking right now lol!
i just snap off the ends, and discard them. then i snap the beans in half or in thirds, ( whatever way you prefer).
then i throw them in the crock pot with some sliced onions, a small clove of sliced garlic, some fried crumbled bacon. i never measure…sorry. i add enough water to cover the beans.
sometimes i also add a small amount of beef and chicken bullion for extra flavor.
i cook them on low for 8-10 hours. they are a BIG hit.
i use something like 1/2 to 1 onion, depending on how many beans i have to fill my pot, i also cook and crumble about 1/2 lb of bacon. i add enough of the bullions to taste (i use both at the same time).
good luck!
hugsandhissyfits - February 23, 2010
Cavolo nero, also known as Tuscan, Lacinato and Dinosaur Kale, is a tangy, sweet green with long blue-green leaves that's packed with folic acid and vitamin C. Kale's intense flavor comes from its glucosinolates, which are broken down in the body to form substances that are suspected to help slow or stop the development or progression of some cancers.
They are probably referring to just plain old Kale, as opposed to "Dinosaur Kale" or "Black Kale" by calling is cavolo green. You should be able to find kale in any regular supermarket.
arizvega - February 24, 2010
arthe d - February 24, 2010
You'll have a lot fewer bugs around your home if you keep them. But if they really bother you that much…get a cat.
AcolyteSilene - February 24, 2010
This BGM can cheer anyone up at any time.
PercipientFish - February 24, 2010
That’s because people still had and understanding of the difference between improvement and change, back then. xD
bushwhacker2k - February 24, 2010
Good times, god I miss the N64 sometimes…
Samoriah - February 25, 2010
Well that’s your opinion.
tansy c - February 25, 2010
I have used black string netting to run sweet peas and morning glories up on sides of my house. It was very nice because the little tendrils from vines could catch on and cling to netting very easily.
The drawback I found was on windy days when the wind would blow the vines hard enough that they would get sliced right off because of sharpness of netting.
The next year I switched to plastic green netting on sides of house and had no problems and vines ran crazy on it. Just make sure you secure it very tight so it doesn't rip down from strong winds.
gallaghershores@ymail.com - February 25, 2010
i have no clue wat your talking about
maybe its myspace
it has been having probs lately
Steph-annie - February 26, 2010
I don't think even my mom blanches any more. They just wash them good and dry awhile, then freeze. Most everything isn't blanched anymore,
Hawelo92 - February 26, 2010
Includes in top 10 N64 games.
Sam M - February 27, 2010
Wet your peat moss before you work it into the soil. Peat moss is very difficult to wet once its incorporated into dry soil. Also, make sure that your manure is well composted. Fresh manure can burn and kill your plants. Cow manure is good. Steer manures have a high salt content. Chicken manure is real good, but it has to be well composted before you apply. It's hard work incorporating peat and manure into a large garden 750 sq ft. Use a rototiller if the soil is not too wet or dry. You can also hand spade. You can have too much of a good thing, but it will be pretty difficult to do that with that size garden. 1.5-3 cubic yards of peat & mulch combined and worked into the top 6" of top soil would do a good job (10 – 22% oragnic material) on that sized garden. You could use more if you work the soil deeper. Good luck and good gardening.
zeroxlulu - February 27, 2010
yup