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...

Fun GEO Patterns to Print & Color!

One of the best parts about being a working designer is the opportunity to share your work with the world. Well, for me it's primarily with my friends in Cobb County but with apps like Instagram and Twitter it's easy to reach well beyond our own serene little corner of the universe. I posted 2 pretty floral pattern designs for coloring last week and have two different designs to share today. Same as last week the designs I'm sharing here will print at 8x10" on a letter-sized sheet of paper. If you want a really great experience coloring I suggest buying some inexpensive watercolor paper from Michaels or Targer or wherever. Cut the page to 8.5x11" and print via the sheet-feeder. The color of whatever media you use - pencil, pen, crayon - will be pretty spectacular. For the image above I used my favorite Prismacolor pencils. The color saturation is really deep and it's pretty easy to blend color. Crayola are fine but you do have to press pretty hard to...

Gardening in Cobb - Platycodon, or the Chinese Balloon Flower - An Indestructible Beauty

Photo from: http://www.backyarddiva.ca/chinese-balloon-flower/ If you live in Cobb County or anywhere in the Atlanta area you know that we all love our flowers. And we have a climate that accommodates some variety or other pretty much all year long. I love a good flower and a good garden but I don't want to spend a huge amount of time tending to them. If I have to water them every day they're done for. Maybe even every week... A bit over 10 years ago we were in a bad drought and I looked into drought tolerant flowers. The drought was an opportunity for me to learn about what plants need less water. Less watering means that if there's another drought I can do my part and leave my garden alone. There are two lovelies that I discovered - sedum and platycodon. Today I'll talk about the latter. Platycodon are commonly called "Chinese balloon flowers". They are a perennial and in Georgia start growing in early spring and bloom until late summer. They conti...

Crafty In Cobb

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