Bold Garden Color with Azaleas

Azaleas give so much color and so many varieties of it. These hardy shrubs are part of the Rhododendron family and come in over 10,000 types (www.gardenguides.com). The colors range from white to barely there pink to show-stopping bold purple. You can grow them in your garden or in large planters, depending on their maximum size. If you do grow them in a planter read up on the plant first to make sure the roots don't need a lot of depth.

Photo Credit: Summer Casual

Azaleas thrive in warm climate. Some varieties are evergreen and will keep most of their leaves in winter. Some are not and will lose leaves. Before you plant take note of how much sun they will receive. Azaleas prefer shade with filtered light over direct sun. They also need well-draining soil. If your area has a lot of clay in the soil you will want to mix in some small stones and sand when planting to help establish the shrub.

Here's a pretty list of colorful azaleas and their photos. All are available at the Home Depot. Photo Credits: Home Depot

RED - Autumn Fire

1 Gallon Autumn Fire

PINK - Lots of Shades of Pink!

Autumn Sunburst

1 Gallon Autumn Sunburst

Autumn Princess

3 Gallon Autumn Princess

AUTUMN SUNDANCE

7 Gallon Autumn Sundance

ORANGE - Gibraltar Azalea

2 Gallon Gibraltar Azalea Shrub

PURPLE - Autumn Royalty

1 Gallon Autumn Royalty

YELLOW - Solar Glow

WHITE - Autumn Moonlight

3 Gallon Autumn Moonlight

Artist Profile - Andy Goldsworthy

Are you an avid hiker, naturalist or just like to sit out on in the fresh air? Or do you simply enjoy beautiful sights? Of course, beauty can be found just about anywhere. Because I am lucky to live in a wooded community I am treated to a daily concert of sights and sounds and no day is the same. The Artist Andy Goldsworthy Source: Kidzworld.com As someone who has always enjoyed nature and art I was thrilled to discover the art of Andy Goldsworthy. Although I've known his work since the mid-nineties he never ceases to enchant me. If you don't know who he is, prepare to be amazed. Goldsworthy is a man who enjoys the colors and textures of nature and presents them in a way you likely have never seen before. And, you don't have to be a nature-lover to appreciate his art. Rowan Leaves & Hole Source: Morning-Earth.org Goldsworthy is considered a pre-eminent "Earthworks" artist. This trend in art-making was popularized in the 1980s and 9...

How To Make a Rainbow Leaf Drawing

Do you like to draw or maybe just like the idea of drawing and don't know where to start? Drawing, like any other skill, is learned. And you have to start from somewhere. I find the best place to start is with simple and colorful shapes. The following post will show you step by step how to make a colorful leaf drawing. There is no pressure to be perfect here. This is a small drawing. It's just a matter of you finding a half hour to an hour of time and some very basic materials. You will need a piece of paper, a ruler, a pencil, eraser, a black pigment marker (I use Faber Castell but a thin Sharpie is fine) and some color pencils. Do not use a ball point pen as it will smear. Do not use crayons as they will also cause the ink to smear. This drawing will fit a 5x7" mat or frame. Draw a box that's just a bit larger than 5x7" on your paper. Using your pencil draw the shape you see on the left. Erase as needed until you like the shape. Draw two li...

How to Decoupage a Picture Frame

So you have a really good sized picture frame and something to put in... but it just looks so plain. What do you do? You could paint it another color. Easy but still plain. Maybe you want a frame that's more unique but you don't want to pay what a custom framer will charge to make that for you. One very simple way to update a frame is to do decoupage. What is decoupage? Decoupage (pronounced "dey-koo- pahzh") is the art or technique of decorating something with cut-outs of paper, linoleum, plastic, or other flat material over which varnish or lacquer is applied. (Dictionary.com) Remember this guy? This colorful collage was demo'd last week. Here's a link to the post: http://craftyincobb.blogspot.com/2016/02/crafty-lion-collage-how-to-make-your-own.html Well, I want to frame it but don't it to be flat and plain. I want it to compliment the artwork. Because it's a paper artwork I've decided to co...

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