Shabby Chic Backyard Garden Wall

 

Inexpensive garden décor is in and one reasonably priced backyard project is a Shabby Chic garden wall. Am old window door will make a great DIY project for your garden areas at a reasonable cost.

A garden wall adds color, privacy and beauty to a patio, garden area or yard. It can be set up in a few hours but totally change the look of your backyard. You could even bring it indoors for winter use if you live in a cold climate and want to extend your gardening.

I have found that if you use an old door that has the windowpanes and build a planter box on the bottom you have a beautiful garden wall that can be made to match any décor style.

I can find old windowpane door in my area for free or up to $10. The average price is usually $2. I carefully remove the glass from the windowpanes and save the glass for other projects. (Make sure all pieces of glass are gone from the frame)

Sand the door down a bit to get an older look. You can add another color to the door to emphasis your colors in the yard or house.

Make a planter box, or buy one if the door measures the same length. I make my planter about 9 to 12 inches tall and one foot deep. I also use old barn board or recycled boards and paint the box to match the door.

Attach the old door onto the back of the planter with nails or screws. Screws work better if you plan to take the garden wall apart or move it much.

Put the garden wall in place and fill the planter with soil.

A garden wall looks great with vines in the back that will travel up the wall and lower flowers or herbs planted in the front of the planter.

This planter will also make a great mini small space garden with beans; cucumbers or tomatoes planted in the back and trained to grow vertical. In the front you could plants greens, onions, and other smaller vegetable crops.

This project ranges anywhere in price from free if you do some “scrounging” to $10 0r $15 dollars. And when it’s done it adds priceless beauty and many comments to your backyard décor.

Note: If you can’t find an old door windowpane windows will work. Thyew just make a smaller garden wall. Or you can use an old screen door. Or you can create a sturdy fence from https://chainlinkfencesaskatoon.com/

How to Buy Flowers for Landscaping

Buying and planting flowers for landscaping can be a very fun and rewarding adventure. If done correctly, it can also add value to your property. Here's some tips to help you when buying flowers for your landscape.

Instructions

First, understand that flowers and plants fall into two major categories - annuals and perennials. Annuals must be replanted every year and perennials grow by themselves each year.

Annuals are traditionally used as foreground plants and have the advantage of bringing a lot of color to your flower beds. Examples include Begonias, Impatiens, Periwinkle, Petunias, and many more.

Perennials can be used as either foreground or background plants. They bring color, texture, size, and other variety to your planting bed. Examples of perennials include Asters, Day Lilies, Hostas, many ornamental grasses, and much more.

Before you begin to purchase flowers for your landscape, you will need to have a basic understanding of that area in which you will be planting. Different types of plants and flowers do well in different environments, so pay attention to how much sun each each of your planting areas receives. It may be helpful to draw out a map of your flower beds and then mark it with notations such as full sun, partial sun, partial shade, and full shade. This will help you when choosing flowers as you can refer to your planting map to see what flowers will do well in different areas.

It's important to note that annuals tend to like full sun and perennials tend to like partial sun or partial shade. This isn't always true, but it's a basic rule of thumb. Annuals that prefer full shade, while available, are limited. Perennials that like full shade tend to have minimal flower growth and provide mostly foliage. There are some exceptions to this rule.

Before you set out to shop, check out different types of flowers on the internet. You can get an idea of size, color, texture, etc. by reading about flowers online. You can also easily see what the sun and watering requirements are by looking at gardening sites in the web. There are so many flowers to choose from that time spent researching will be well spent when you go out to make purchases. Also, look at what your neighbors are planting. If there is something they have that you like, don't be afraid to ask them what it is. Gardeners LOVE to talk about their plants and flowers and are almost always happy to help out a beginner.

When planting perennials, you'll want to consider when they bloom. You want perennials that start blooming in the spring and continue to bloom through the fall. You'll also want to buy them in a variety of colors. This will help to ensure that you have flower beds that continually have blooming plants and great color. For example, tulips bloom in the early spring, asters won't start blooming until late August and will continue to bloom until you get frost. Having a wide variety will keep your flower beds pretty!

You'll also need to decide if you want to buy plants and flowers that have already been started or if you'd like to do some growing from seed. Growing from seed is extremely rewarding but many gardeners do some of both. If you are starting your flowers from seed, start indoors well before the time has come to plant outdoors for the year.

When you go out to actually purchase your flowers, there are many options available to you. Local nurseries are a great option because the owners are usually very knowledgeable about different types of plants and flowers and are willing to help you make your selections. They'll give you a wealth of free advice on planting and caring for your flowers, too. Places like WalMart and Hope Depot sell flowers and plants as well. You can often get a better price at these stores, but they may not be as high quality as what you'd get from your local nursery. Friends and neighbors can often be a good source for plants and flowers as well. Gardeners are often willing to share clippings or will give away perennials that they no longer want in their garden.

Once you have your plants and flowers purchased, there are many rules and ideas for planting. One basic rule is to always plant in odd numbers and to stagger plants. This will keep your flower bed looking much more natural. Another general rule is to plan your planting and to buy your flowers and plants so that the front of your bed will have the shortest plants and that they will get taller towards the back of the bed. 

Tips & Warnings

When deciding where to plant, plan for the largest size that your plant will become, especially with perennials.

Some annuals will self-seed and will grow again on their own each year.

Use 4 - 6" of mulch in your bed to keep moisture in and weeds out!

Growing Grapes at Home

To most people, growing grapes home may seem to be too much of a feat. This is because they are misled into thinking that growing grapes is a back breaking work that eats a lot of time and takes a lot of effort. But those “notions” are not entirely correct because as royal as grape vines and fruits look like, they are not actually that hard to rear.

In fact, they can be raised by novices just like you. You just need to have the most basic information and you should be good to go.

So what information should you know when growing grapes home?

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Here are some of them:

Grapes are generally propagated with the use of cuttings or rootstocks. They are commonly available in your local nursery. When buying, just make sure that the variety you’re getting is right for your area.

When planting grapes at your home, the first thing that you have to check is the density of your soil. You must make sure that that the earth in your area is loose enough for proper drainage and at the same time dense enough to keep the moisture your plant needs.

Remember, grapes love the sun so much that without it you will not get your desired yield. So when growing grapes home, try to put them in a spot where they can get the most amount of morning sun.
Planting grapes in the early days of spring gives them enough time to thrive through summer and prepare for dormancy by late autumn and winter.

Related Post: How to Tend to a Grape Vine Growing on a Trellis

Grape plants should be planted at least 6 – 8 feet apart from each other. This distance gives them enough space to not crowd each other – preventing the plants from competing for nutrients and sunlight.

Support your vine as it grows to its ideal length and size. You can do that by providing trellis that will keep the plant upright. Keep in mind that trellis do not need to be store bought, nor do they need to be elaborate. Just as long as they are sturdy enough to hold their ground under the weight of the vine then makeshift trellis from wood scrap, PVC or any other material should be just fine.

Do not hesitate to prune. When you are cutting unwanted vines or branches, you are actually doing the plant a favor rather than killing it. This is because, pruning does not only promote new growth but it also allows the passage of sun to the other parts of the plant.

Finally, do not forget to feed your vines. Giving it a fertilizer once a month should be okay. If you can, try to stay away from commercially produced plant feeds because in the long run, they tend to make your soil acidic. Your best bets would still be organic fertilizers like compost and manure.

If you are new in growing grapes home, you might find everything stated above too hard to remember or execute. But try to be patient because once you master the art, everything is bound to be easier. Plus, in two years, you will get your ultimate reward – the first taste of your home grown grapes.

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Best Grapes for Growing a Successful Vineyard

Growing grapes as a hobby, in your own backyard is not exactly tough. You just need the simple know hows – how to plant, when to prune, when to fertilize, where to put them, how to prepare the soil and that should be all good. What you should really think about or consider is which grapes for growing is best for you and your area.

When choosing the best grapes for growing in a vineyard, you basically have to think about two things. First is the zone, or the area where you live and second, what do you want to use the grapes for.

Considering Your Area’s Hardiness Zone:

Zoning is based on each area’s average temperature. And currently, North America is divided into 11 zones. The coldest being zone 1 which is majority of Alaska and the hottest are those areas in zone 11. In relation to grapes, most varieties thrive in zone 3 to 8. Zone 3 to 8 is ideal for these perennials because the temperatures in these areas are not hot enough to wilt or dry out the plant, nor are they too cold to kill the fruits with frost.

Some of the cities belonging to the zone 3 – 8 range include:

• Burlington, Vermont
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Omaha, Nebraska
• Pierre, South Dakota
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Portland, Maine
• Atlanta, Georgia

Now if your city is not listed above, don’t give up just yet because you can always visit your local nursery and find out which specific type of grapes do well in your respective areas/ zones.

Choosing the Right Varieties:

When choosing for the right type of grapes for growing, it is always important to ask yourself: “What do I want the grapes for?” Do you want it for eating? Are you planning to make preserves out of them? Do you plan on making wine from them and so on and so forth. Once you have determined that, then it will be easier for you to pick one out of the vast varieties and hybrids available.

Now if you do not have the slightest idea which to choose, here are a couple of varieties you may want to consider:

• For wine making, you can go for the classic blue Concord grapes or the amber colored Chardonel.
• For eating or for your simple enjoyment, then Golden Muscat can be your best bet.
• And if you want grapes for preserving or making raisins then you can always choose the seedless Marquis – which is actually good for almost everything. If you are not too fond of Marquis, then go for Agawam as this produces red – violet grapes that are not only stunning but exceptionally sweet as well.

Those are the two factors that you may want to consider before choosing grapes for growing. Keeping them in mind is key because if you neglect one of them, you can either end up with a plant that won’t grow or type of fruit that you do not want.

Related Post:

How to Grow Grape Vines in the Right Soil

How to Tend to a Grape Vine Growing on a Trellis

Growing Grapes at Home

How to Grow Grape Vines in the Right Soil

So you are new in growing grapes. You have little, to no skills at all. But because you love the fruit so much and you are fascinated with the plant, you decided to go for it. And like any good student, you did your research. You know what zone you are in and you have already selected and bought the variety that you want to plant. All there’s left to know is how to grow grape vines.

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Learning how to grow grape vines can be a bit challenging if you are just starting out. But nothing is unconquerable especially if you study and of course put your heart into it. And if you already have the heart but need help with the skills, then here are the basics that can help you know how to grow grape vines.

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How to Tend to a Grape Vine Growing on a Trellis
Growing Grapes at Home

First off, be aware that grapes need to be planted on the right soil. And the right soil for this crop is something that allows proper drainage of water. This is because like any other perennial, they do not like being drowned at all. So if the earth in your area is mostly clay, you should try to loosen the ground prior to planting. Loosening the ground does not really take much work and money because some good quality compost will do the trick.

However, if you will be working mostly with sand, it is also equally important to make it a bit denser. Yes, sand provides good drainage but it allows water to pass too quickly, preventing the roots frm getting something.

Once your soil is properly prepared, you can keep these tips in mind to keep your grapes healthy and productive.

1. Plant them at least 6 feet apart.  Yes, that may seem to be too much especially frm a small unassuming rootstock but believe it or not, that space is just right to prevent two plants frm taking over each other.
2. Once planted, water them sparingly and give them the best organic fertilizer that you can find at least once every month. They especially need this during the first year of their life as they establish their rooting in the ground.
3. Support the new vine with a trellis. The idea is to keep the main vine upright.
4. Prune. In the first year of their life, you should snip off the small branches and leave two of the main vines thriving. Doing this will allow all the nutrients to focus on the main vine and as it thickens.
5. Train your vines to make them look more beautiful and to keep fruits out of the ground. You can tell them what direction to go to by winding thick wires across the branches and carefully leading them to rest on the trellis you provided.
6. Finally one important part of learning how to grow grape vines is knowing how to maintain them. Honestly, it does not take a lot, as long as you prune your plants, fertilize them and water them, you are sure to have a taste of your first harvest in 2 to 4 years.

Growing Grapes From Seeds

As much as it is hard to grow grape vines from cuttings and existing planting materials, growing grapes from seeds is way much harder to do but not at all impossible. It will require lots of patience, dedication and serious gardening skills for any grape grower who wants to grow grapes from seeds.

Unless the grower intends to develop a new grape variety, growing grape from seeds is not the ideal way of growing grapes compared to cultivating grape planting materials and cuttings. This is because the grapes grown from seeds do not usually inherit the characteristics of its parent grape and a large percentage of the planted seeds will not germinate. But still, many grape growers insist on this kind of grape growing procedure out of dedication to their craft and a test of their skills as top-notch gardeners.

In some parts of the world, planting materials and grape cuttings for cultivation are not readily available so growers resort to planting grape seeds instead. Indeed, growing grape from seeds is quite difficult to do but with proper approach, gardening skill and an incredible patience you can be successful with this kind of endeavor. Here is the procedure of the proper germination of grape seeds for cultivation:

1)    Obtain grape seeds from a seed nursery or from the grapes you bought from the supermarket. You can also order quality grape seeds on the internet but the easiest way of getting grape seeds is to carefully extract them from the fruit.

2)    Take a small pot with loose, fertile soil and plant your seeds just under the top layer. You can also place the seeds inside the bag, but make sure you transfer them later to a pot.

3)    Put the seeds in a refrigerator for about 30 to 90 days. They must be kept at a constant temperature below 40 degrees to allow them to wake up from dormancy.  If you want, you can place them in a cold and dark spot outdoors during winter. Just make sure they are not exposed to wind and rain and never allow them to freeze.

4)    Take out the seeds from the refrigerator then warm them indoors while still inside the plastic bags. However, do not place the grape seeds in direct sunlight, for they could die because of to much heat.

5)    When the seeds begin to germinate after at least 30 days of warm temperatur , take them out from the plastic bags and place them on your roof or any convenient, sunny and dry place outdoors. Prepare your pot for planting the seeds and make sure the soil inside is kept moist enough but do not over water the soil.

6)    When the seedlings have grown to about 8 cm tall, transplant them into separate pots and then put them in a shady and secured area free from rain and strong winds for the next 10-14 days.

7)    After the prescribed time period, you can now place the seedlings to their permanent locations under direct sunlight. They should be planted at least 96 inches apart. After some time, when you notice the vines crawling, you can then say you’ve accomplished the hardest part of growing grapes from seeds. Now the long process of grave vine cultivation starts.

Related Post:

Best Grapes for Growing a Successful Vineyard

How to Grow Grape Vines in the Right Soil

How to Tend to a Grape Vine Growing on a Trellis

Growing Grapes at Home

How to Tend to a Grape Vine Growing on a Trellis

Every seasoned grower of wine grapes and table grapes know very well the importance of proper training of grape vine growing on a trellis. This is key for a successful vineyard enterprise and with continued care and attention to detail growing grapes would ensure good harvests for years to come. Grape vines can grow on a variety of structures, natural or man-made like trees, fences, walls and just about anything it can hold on to for support.


Grape vines naturally seek sturdy support because when they produce grape clusters from their shoots and eventually ripen, their fragile branches alone will not be enough to support the produce. Damages to the primary branches would result to lesser grape production for the succeeding harvests because grapes always grow along the same branches all throughout the life of the grape vine. So, a well planned and a carefully constructed trellis should be procured by any serious grape grower that will suit a variety of requirements needed to ensure a hood harvest.


Before investing much on a good-looking trellis for your grape vine, especially if you are a beginner in the grape vine growing business, you should first determine the kind of grape variety you will have to train on the your trellis and how much they will grow. There are varieties that only grow three or four feet high so it should be wise to invest more on knowledge or understanding about grape characteristics and grape growing than about taking your time building a showpiece trellis. The kind of weather in your particular locality is also determines the height of trellis that you should use for your grape vines.


Colder weather, particularly in places where bitter winters occur would require lower trellises of about three feet to withstand extreme winter weather. Also the grower would be able prepare the grapes better during the winter if the trellis is low. Accordingly, taller trellises can be used in sunny climates.


There is a variety of trellises that you can make for your grapevine depending on your taste. There are trellises made just for functionality’s sake an others custom made to fit in a landscape setting or a showpiece in itself. There is also a variety of materials that can be used as a trellis such as pre-treated wood, iron, aluminum, stainless steel and PVC pipes.

Trellises can be varied in sizes and in construction, but one thing should be in common in all of them – they should be sturdy and well-built and they should last for a long time. Since it will take some time before making your first harvest of hard-earned grapes, usually years, your trellis should be still there standing and be there for more harvests to come.

Tending to a grape vine growing on a trellis could be a complicated task but nevertheless a rewarding effort if done properly and meticulously. As soon as the vines began growing and crawling, you’ll have to start training them on your trellis.

The main shoot which will serve as the base of the fruits should be tied vertically to the trellis and if two shoots grow from either side, they should be tied horizontally on the trellis. Grape vines grow slowly, so the process of training them to the trellis could take years but when you see rows of grape bunches dangling from the trellis after some time and ready for picking, it is all worth the wait and effort.

Must Read: Growing Grapes at Home