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Aikeoa Ako's Garden Series, Volume 1: Gardens and Landscaping
Creating a landscape is not as easy a task as you might imagine. It is not as simple as picking out your favorite shrubbery or flowers and planting them randomly in the ground. Careful preparation is essential to insure that flora will be properly displayed. There are several aspects you must consider before you even begin planting:
1) Soil conditions: Is it too sandy or too acidic? Is there proper moisture retention? And does the area drain well?
2)Environmental conditions: Do the plants require shade or full sun? Is the climate correct for the flora you've chosen?
3)Location: Consider the area you are going to use. What features already exist, how much space do you have? Do you need to plan around any structures or obstacles?
4)Maintenance: How much time do you plan to spend on upkeep? How much time will you actually spend on upkeep?
Another essential element is aesthetics. The primary consideration in our gardens should be the people who view and use them. You must take into account certain elements, such as color, texture, form and scale, which make what's viewed pleasing to the eye. Balance of these elements assures that your garden will be a success.
While all these aspects are important, it is equally if not more important is to remember that all plants have spirits. Plants are living beings full of energy from Aeton; they are part of the web of life and must be treated with respect. Your garden will respond in kind if you are aware of what plants need and provide the proper essentials for a good beginning.
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Flowering plants can be planted to bloom in a brilliant display or timed to bloom in waves, depending on the desire of the gardener. Here are some of my favorite varieties:
Ayunda blossoms- These flowers are ideal for those who need something to fill that bare spot beneath a tree or under an overhang, as they thrive in shady environments. It has many royal blue petals that form around a yellow center.
Catalily - These are quite exquisite flowers with blooms ranging from soft pink to deep red and the soft petals ring a yellow center. Catalilies bloom during the day and close their petals at night, so keep that in mind if you are planting a garden viewed during the evening times.
Elan Rose - These blooms are native to Lli, the small island just southwest of Esia. Colors range through the entire spectrum from white to black, and the lighter colored ones are often faintly luminescent. They give off a sweet scent and are traditionally displayed at Eolai weddings. This is a very common flower planted by the Eolai, both for the looks and the smell.
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Jadda Lilies - These are silky white lilies that grow on tall, free-standing stalks in swampier areas. Jadda lilies are ideal for those who enjoy their gardens at night, as the flowers mature only in soft, lunar light.
Lilaena - This shrub plant has deep blue leaves with silver veins; the branches and stems are cerulean. Flowers on the lilaena have three large jet-black petals that ring a silver stigma. These flowers usually open in the evening releasing there subtle sent of chocolate vanilla. (Note: Lilaena leaves are edible and have a gentle spicy taste. Add them to your favorite wine or juice for a little kick!)
Solaiya - A small, heavily scented plant that blooms with many small delicate blue flowers on each stalk. Solaiya comes in an array of colors and grows best in a damp climate. It cannot take extreme temperatures and most likely will not grow at all in these areas.
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Vines and Ivy:
Decorative vine plants can provide an elegant yet simple way to spruce up an area. Sirolei ivy is perfect for concealing unsightly structures as it easily clings to walls and rock formations. (Note: this ivy can also be used as an alchemical component.) Hamora vine is also ideal for the same purpose, and produces quite beautiful red trumpet-like flowers. Both these plants thrive in the warmer climates.
Some like using Ekafini vine since it is known for its hardiness and ability to adapt to almost any environment. The golden vine grows like ivy and can cling to or climb up any surface, even stone, and its fuzzy, ball-shaped, bright pink blooms grow year round. I suggest that beginners shy away from using this plant and leave it for the more seasoned gardeners. Although the Ekafini blooms are pleasant to look at and smell, many consider the plant a weed due to the difficulty in removing one once it has taken root.
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Potted gardens:
Don't think because you don't have a large area of land that you can't plant a garden. Potted gardens are ideal for those that have limited space or just like to continually rotate their plants to suit their moods. Thaibe plants are perfect for this purpose due to their versatility and hardiness. These evergreen plants, which have small leaves and tiny ball like flowers, come in several varieties depending on climate. Plants grown in the northern forests exhibit golden stems with light or dark green leaves and either hot pink, pink or red flowers. A silver stemmed version with light green leaves and either ice blue, blue, or indigo flowers grows in higher mountainous regions or in wastelands. Thaibe with red stems, dark green leaves, and either bronze, golden yellow or pale pink flowers come from grasslands, forests and lower mountainous areas. Brown stemmed thaibe with pale green or bronze leaves and blood red, white, cream or sapphire blue flowers grow in deserts and wastelands.
Yeleire also works well for the potted garden. This evergreen shrub is covered in glossy dark green leaves and has large flowers, which bloom in single or double blossoms. Flowers come in white, pale pink, mauve, peach, red and scarlet. Some flowers even exhibit stripped markings in the same colors. Wild yeleire thrives in forests and the flowers can grow as large as 9 feet, although it is easily maintained in the urban garden and can be cut to stay small.
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One of the latest trends in home decorating is gardens consisting of ornamental grasses. These gardens impart a simplistic beauty for those wanting a more minimalist look to their gardens and they are typically easy to maintain. The following grasses are some of the more common varieties currently being utilized.
Aelbai grass - A staple of this type of garden, it is fairly hardy and can grow in almost any soil. A simple Aelbai grass bed can provide a pleasing array of colors as the long blades come in a variety of copper shades, from rust to pale gold.
Jabrn grass - If you have decent soil quality, I recommend using Jabrn grass. It has long slender lavender blades that provide an excellent accent color, but it will only grow in more fertile soils.
Shuga grass - Shuga is a stubby green grass with mottled yellow spots and grows more heartily in higher elevations. It is perfect plant to use as a walkway, as the grass is actually quite soft beneath bare feet.
Sisshi grass - This grass has beautiful silver flat blades with purple veins. Sisshi makes an excellent addition to a garden grown in sandier soil since it usually grows where other plants find it difficult. In addition, it has the ability to retain water, making it need less maintenance than other garden grasses.
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Those in warmer, damper climates can add Lliaeo grass and Doshao grass to their flora collection. Lliaeo has short jet-black grass with broad blades and sapphire blue veins and it does not need a lot of light, in fact, it thrives in shaded areas. Doshao Grass is perfect for those who like cultivating more exotic varieties. It exhibits jet black long willowy blades and have silver seed pods. (Note: These seed pods are called Doshao nuts and can either be used in cooking or eaten raw.)
For those who need a large affect, Saishea grass can be utilized in their design plans. Although, I have seen some beautiful effects made by more skilled landscapers, I do not recommend it for a beginner simply because it has razor sharp edges and is difficult to maintain due to its extremely high resistance to being cut. Individual blades can grow up to a massive 200 feet in height and can they be shaped into a plethora of forms. Saishea ranges in color from pale to dark green to a brownish yellow. Like the Ekafini vine, this grass is extremely hardy and tends to over take any area where it was cultivated. However, the process takes a number of years and it can be safely used in any garden as long as it is properly maintained.
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Tips:
For those who wish to enjoy their gardens even in the twilight hours, spaces can be lit with small strands of bulbs, or for those who want to keep it natural, you can use anane. Anane is a fine, powdery fungi found in caves and damp dark places. In the daylight, it looks like a grey-brown powder, but in the dark the powder glows silvery-white, creating just enough light for people to see by.
For those that wish to include a pond in their designs, I recommend using heipgi in your pool. It is commonly used in man made ponds and fish tanks since it helps to minimize maintenance. Heipgi is an underwater, freshwater plant, which serves to clean the water that it resides in by filtering out dirt, bacteria, and animal waste. The plant itself is turquoise and spindly looking, with very small, thin leaves. It can attach itself to almost any surface since it gets nutrients from the water itself.
In closing, remember to style a garden to its surrounding, and not the other way around. Use what you have to work with instead of making it an obstacle of your creativity. A garden theme can also be a wonderful way to start designing your landscape, just be careful not to force it and let the theme flow from your area. If it becomes forced, it often becomes unbalanced and will not look natural. And finally, don't be discouraged if the task seems daunting, just take it one step at a time and your plans will turn out wonderfully."
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