DIY Network

The Andrews: Their Plan, Costs and Products Meet the family From "Garden Sense" episode DGAR-109

Meet the Andrews Family, Ryan, Lisa and their young daughter Iris.
Ryan is a research scientist. Lisa is a registered dietician.

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They admit they do not have a green thumb and with two careers and a baby, they have little time for gardening. For some gardeners, the clock is their worst enemy. There doesn't seem to be enough time to plant and care for the gardens they want. But our homeowners tell us that with an infant daughter and busy careers, 'Who has time to garden?' Ryan and Lisa want to be able to enjoy their yard, but they never go in it because there's nothing there! They say they don't know where to start.

Gardening Challenge

Before

After

The gardening challenge for Walter and the Andrews is to design a low maintenance, yet attractive space.

• They need some foliage and color on their patio where they spend much of their time when the weather is nice.
  
• They need to cover the concrete wall.
  
• Most of all, everything has to be low maintenance - they're a two-career family with a busy baby.

Required Project Time
The Low Maintenance project took us about eight hours.

Project Details

• The landscape plan features several trees and shrubs - all to add beauty, interest and texture to the space, but most important, the varieties are low maintenance.
  
• We planted three different iris varieties - in honor of the couple's daughter, Iris. Siberian (Iris siberica), Japanese (Iris ensata) and German Bearded (Iris germanica).
  
• Of the three, only German Bearded Iris have beards - meaning they have fuzzy narrow bears on each of the lower three petals (which are called falls in the iris world.) Siberian and Japanese irises have no beards.

Sensible Tree Tips

• Beetle damage on trees is okay if the tree is healthy
  
• Clip off bagworms
  
• Make sure the nursery delivers big trees

Sensible Planning

• Select reliable and problem-free plants for your zone.
  
• Reduce lawn size with trees and shrubs.
  
• Add amendments and use mulch.

Not So Sensible Selections

• Barberry has a lot of thorns
  
• Lilac has problems with powdery mildew

Gardening by Zip Code If you're looking to start a gardening projectbut don't know your gardening zone—visit the National Gardening Associations's USDA Hardiness Zone Finder. Enter your Zip Code to identify the proper zone.

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