Garden design

Does anyone know of any good websites with pictures and design ideas for gardens?

We've always had best luck in browsing through old gardening magazines for photos of areas that somewhat resembled our space (backyard corner, frontal shot of a similar looking house, streetside curb, etc) and just getting a feel for what appealed to us. If you find a "look" you like, then you can start putting together a plan. Just remember it'll take a few seasons for the plants to grow in and complete the picture, don't plant for immediate effect, especially with shrubs and perennials. There are garden design magazines galore at your local garden shop, or Home Depot. Being in Indianapolis, you're not that far from Chicago, and you may want to take a look at Chicagoland Gardening magazine. They have ideas for the Midwest, and is beautifully done. http://www.chicagolandgardening.com.

Melissa,
Garden magazines are a great source for garden ideas. But also, I have found some wonderful ideas here on Dave's from the photos members post on their messages. There is a forum called "Garden Tours" that has pics of gardens also. There is a forum called Garden Design and one called Cottage Gardening, in addition to all the photos of individual plants. Some have even done their gardens from start to finish so you can see the whole process. Since I am just beginner, that's what I'm going to do. Everybody pops in with their comments and suggestions. Almost like having your own personal landscape service! :-)

You can also Google for garden photos and come up with several websites. Better Homes and Gardens has one too.

When I find a photo I want to save, I drag it onto my desktop and put it in a folder I call "Garden Ideas." You can sort of make your own garden magazine, but with just the ideas you might want to use. Dave's Garden members are a wealth of information on just about every garden topic you can imagine.

Good luck and hope to see you out and about in DG.

Judy ... just south of Atlanta

Oh, and I might add that all the photos on DG are copyrighted by the owner and their names appear on the photo along with the copyright. Handy because if there's a photo you have a question about, you can write to them via D-mail and say, "Beautiful garden. How'd you do that?"

I just can't say enough about this site. :-)

Hi, I planted a Keiffer Semi-Dwarft Pear Tree in Spring of 2007. It bloomed and bore hard tight fruit the first year, but has not bloomed since. I read that when planting trees that are self-pollinating, one should plant 2. Is this why my tree is not producing? If so, what can I do, aside from planting another tree in my small space, to cause my tree to pollinate?

You what i do! I grab a large cup of coffee and take my note pad to either Barnes and Noble or Borders!!!!! LOVE IT!!! Good Luck....let me know you find. I'm always looking for great ideas. What kind of garden(s) do you have XMellisaX?

XMelissaX check out bhg.com, they have hundreds of free garden plans.

I'm a beginner and I really enjoy the Proven Winners website. As I become more knowledgeable I will have to rely on other sources since their database is limited (they concentrate on mostly annuals and perennials) but I find it's a really great start since their photos are excellent. When you click on images they often show you a ton of different combinations and how they will look in a setting. Their info is very reliable also and makes gardening life a lot easier for me.

http://www.provenwinners.com/

This message was edited May 16, 2010 4:32 PM