The suburbs are expanding, with new properties mushrooming all over the place. After construction work has been finished, the builders will only clear up the site and level off the ground, at most. So it is down to the new owners to face the challenge of tidying up and planting the plot. Some new home owners are lucky enough to buy a new property with lawn and several trees installed; however, their joy is often short-lived.
Most deciduous shrubs get old over several years time and loose their vigour eventually. Having said that, if your have an overgrown deciduous hedge, it still can be brought back into shape. To begin the process, cut back all growth to about 15-30 cm above the ground just before plants break dormancy in spring, and after any danger of severe frosts has gone.
Garden paths are usually meant for walking alone, and therefore they do not need to be any wider that 0.5-1 metre. A wider path, leading to a garden arbour or a playground, should be at least 1.2 to 1.5 metre wide, although additional 20 cm would be useful. Depending on the paving materials you will be using, a foundation trench to the depth of 25-40 cm and an appropriate width must be dug first.
Planting a well-designed grouping of plants can be a challenging task, especially when dealing with the fast growing trees or shrubs, which increase twice in size in 5 or 10 years. The slow-growing conifers and deciduous trees with an annual growth rate of only 1 to 2 centimetres, or those which are generally kept in shape by regular clipping, lend themselves far better to such planting schemes.
Do you often dream of mountains and rock gardens, while your own garden looks like a plain sheet of paper? If so, then maybe you should consider erecting a dry stone wall by yourself. All you will need for such an undertaking are some stones of various sizes, either natural or dressed, gravel and planting soil for the rock garden plants.
Lithuanian climate lies between maritime and continental, with wet and mild winters, but during the coldest months the temperature may drop to -300C for some short period. Average temperature in winter: -4,9°C, average temperature in summer: 20,0°C , rainfall per year – 748 mm (please check this site for further information http://www.climate-zone.com/climate/lithuania/). Hardiness zone [...]
Is your garden overshadowed by a tall fence, old trees, or neighbouring buildings? Does it enjoy only a couple of hours of sunshine at most? If so, then maybe it is time for you to consider growing hostas (Hosta). Hostas have been grown in Lithuania from time immemorial. Medleys of at least 2-3 varieties of green or glaucous leaved plants flourish in most countryside gardens, including an obligatory green white-edged plant.
Our garden soil is pure clay and gravel, so we have spread a layer of compost to about 3 cm thicknesses. Is this sufficient for a lawn? Can we put down turf directly on top of sand? Unfortunately, a 3cm layer of fertile compost is not sufficient. Difficult soils should be amended first – add some grit to improve heavy clay soil, while sandy soil should be conditioned with some moisture-retentive matter.
