5 Cool Gardening Ideas ...

The flowers used most in the two images I saw were marigolds. These come in hues of orange and yellow, but can also be mixed in with other short plants that produce colorful blooms. It's easiest to transfer an image to a sheet of graph paper, in order to figure out how many plants of each color you will need. This project definitely takes not only a lot of money, but also tons of time to plan it and carry it out.

You could use an actual 'Welcome' sign or maybe you already have one with your family's name etched into it. Find an area that people pass by whenever they are coming for a visit. If you have a long driveway, then the sign can be placed at the entrance. If you live in town, then you might need to make the display closer to the front door. Post a sign, plant some flowers, ornamental grasses, and maybe a tree or some bushes. Make it very eye-catching for people to enjoy.

Position a window box above the entrance to the house or along the railing on the porch. Plant some trailing vines in these window boxes. The vines will eventually trail down the sides of the doorway or down the front of the porch, thus creating a waterfall of color for everyone to enjoy.

Even if your pond is only as large as a dishpan, you'll be able to create a soothing environment that will be great to relax around later on. Cover the edges of the containers with flat rocks, short plants, or anything that will hide the container itself. This will allow you to purchase whatever type of waterproof container you want for as cheap as you want. There's no need to spend tons of money on something that is merely going to be hidden by plants.

Designing a place for your kids to hang out in or an area for wildlife to congregate doesn't have to be expensive. Kids enjoy digging in the dirt and watching butterflies. Maybe you could put a sandbox near the edge of the garden and surround it with butterfly bushes or other types of flowers that are used to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. At the opposite end of this garden, there could be a bird feeder, bird bath, and maybe some sunflower seeds to entice your feathered friends to hang out a bit when the kids aren't playing.

These are just some ideas. I'd love to hear what you've done with your garden in the past. There is so much that can be done with a garden. Do you think any of these ideas sound like something you'd use or alter for your personal needs?

Top Photo Credit: independentman