Pike Nurseries: Landscaping your yard - Atlanta News, Weather, Traffic, and Sports | FOX 5

Time to get our hands dirty! Melodie McDanal of Pike Nurseries joined Good Day Atlanta's Paul Milliken at a home to go over some great ideas on how to landscape your yard!

Tips:

Landscape Basics

• Shade -- The majority of Atlanta and surrounding areas have large, well established tree. This creates beauty & lowers air conditioning costs, but can stump homeowners who are trying to landscape. There are great plants with varying textures that can be used in shady areas.
  
  
• Focal Area -- In a smaller garden or a front landscape, it's nice to have a focal point, such as a Camellia Sasanqua which is a great medium size tree. Flowers in fall & winter when most other things aren't in bloom are a great idea.
  
  
• Design In Layers
  • Layer 1 – Tall
    • Camellia Sasanqua
  • Layer 2 – Medium
    • Outto luyken laurel
      • Medium growing shrub that can take partial sun
      • Gets small white cone flowers in spring
  • Layer 3 – Medium to Low
    • Gumpo Azaleas
      • Compact, flowering shrub that only gets about 2 feet tall
      • White, pink or red flowers in late spring/early summer
  • Layer 4 – Annual Color
    • Change out seasonally
      • Fall
        • Asters, Pansies, Violas, Ornamental Cabbage & Kale
    • Try to design so that the color leads your eye to the front door
      

Adding Privacy – Low Maintenance Area

• Adding Privacy -- Most homeowners want to create their own retreat and have some privacy. You can get privacy in a few ways: a Fence or lattice could add a climbing plant/vine for added interest & color, or use plants for privacysuch as Sky Pencil Holly or Ligustrum.
  
  
• Low Maintenance
  • Ground Covers
    • This homeowner wanted something very low maintenance
    • Groundcovers-- Mondo Grass requires very little care, and is a grass that doesn't need to be mowed!
  • Shrubs
    • To give an area some height and greenery, one can use dwarf abelia. Dwarf abelia is low maintenance and can be pruned to size if desired
  • Hide Eye Sores
    • The water meter doesn't go with the natural landscape. You can plant in front of the water meter so it's hidde. Hydrangeas are a more flexible plant so a water meter will still be accessible
  • Mulch
    • The area is mulched which will help the soil retain water but will also keep the weeds down.

You can play with different kinds of mulches for different textures and to outline walkways.