Which colors are warm colors and which colors are cool colors? What effects do they have when
seen in a landscape garden?
●Warm Colors
○Red can mean danger or passion
○Yellow can mean caution or sacredness
○Attention grabbers
○Advances toward the human eye
○Makes spaces look smaller than they actually are
○Used sparingly with purpose and discretion to avoid unwanted attention to areas
in the landscape
○Place in points of observations including points of importance or front entryway
to a home, etc.
●Cool Colors
○Blues
○Grays
○Violets
○Distinct, recessive qualities
○Promote more passive, contemplative, relaxed feelings
○Recede away from the eye
○Make gardening spaces larger in size
What is the difference between monochromatic, analogous, complementary, and polychromatic
color combinations in a landscape? What are their effects on people?
●Colors in a landscape garden can have a harmonious or disruptive effect when used in
certain schemes or combinations
○Monochromatic
○Analogous
○Complementary
○Polychromatic
●Monochromatic
○Uses tints (lighter or whiter) and shades (darker) of one pure color
○Red with white, various pinks, deep red, maroon, etc.
○Brings a subtle rhythm to a landscape garden
○Causes the eye to move slowly across the garden space
●Analogous
○Uses different color hues that are next to each other on the color wheel
○Orange is next to yellow orange
○Blue is next blue violet
○Brings visual rhythm
○Causes the human eye across more quickly than monochromatic color scheme
●Complementary
○Uses different color hues that are opposite of each other on the color wheel
Study Guide 2 - Bedding Landscapes
○Powerful and vibrant color combination
○Red and Green
○Orange and Blue
○Yellow and Violet
○Causes the human eye to suddenly stop at points of landscape accent
●Polychromatic
○Combines many different colors next to each other
○Random in appearance
○Creates tension
○Evoke festive and playful responses
○Allows humans to gaze more fully at a garden space
○Recommends to use with great discretion in any situation
What are annual, biennial, and perennial plants?
●Annual plants complete their entire life cycle in one growing season
○Warm (April to October)
○Cool season (October to April)
■Cool season annual bedding plant includes Dimorphotheca Sinuata
, or
African Daisy
■Germinates from October to the following April
■Peak flowering occurs during January through March
●Biennial plants complete their entire life cycle in 2 growing seasons
○First Season: Vegatative growth
○Second Season: Reproductive growth with flowers and fruits
■Beta Vulgaris Variety Cicla
, or the Swiss Chard
■Grows vegetatively during the cool season of the year
■Changes during the warmer season to a thick flower stalk
■Germinates the following Fall if seeds are left in the ground, untended
●Perennial Plants
○Type of plant that completes its life cycle in 3 or more growing seasons
○Can be herbaceous (plants that do not produce secondary vascular tissues, like
wood)
○OR they can produce wood, like trees (trees are perennials)
○Example: Salvia Leucantha,
or Mexican Sage Plant
What is a bedding plant? What are the growth habit and life cycle characteristics of bedding
plants?
●Bedding plants refers to seasonal transplanting of fast - growing, short - lived, and
relative small plants into garden beds to create seasonal displays of sensory interest
(usually colors)
●Bedding plant growth habits
○Non woody
○Tender
○Herbaceous
●Bedding plants life cycle
○Annuals
○Biennials
○Short - lived perennials
●Bedding plants are used for
○Cut flowers for interior decoration
○Edibles or dried flowers
○Fragrance gardens
○Wildlife such as hummingbirds and butterflies
○Smaller succulent plants have gained popularity as bedding plants due to colors
and textures
○Use of bedding plants shaped by the periodicity of local growing seasons unique
to many locations or location climate
●Climates in the Sonoran Desert
○Warm Season
○Cool Season
●Bedding plants are small landscape plants that are planted close together in groups for a
colorful seasonal accent in the landscape
○Found to purchase at local garden centers or retail groceries
○Usually grown in small containers
○Usually annual or can sometimes be biennial, depending on growth habits
●Short lived perennial plant called Lobularia Maritima
or Sweet Alyssum
○Mass together
○Vibrant display
○White color during the cool season
What are warm season and cool season bedding plants?
●Warm Season
○Planted in late April
○Grow until late August or early September
Few bedding plants can withstand the high heat temperatures during the summer
●Cool Season
○Transplanted during October
○Grow through the winter until April
○More plant options compared to the warmer seasons
○Dimorphotheca Sinuata
, or the African Daisy
○Lobularia Maritima
or the Sweet Alyssum
What should one look for when purchasing bedding plants at a local plant nursery?
●The final size at maturity
●How fast a particular bedding plant will grow
●Always inspect the potting soil for unwanted weed propagules (suckle, spore, etc.) and
soil diseases
●Inspect the potting soil for the surface of weeds
●Inspect for the 3 symptoms of diseases in the potting soil:
○Abnormal leaf yellowing in older leaves
○Dead or decaying roots
○Off orders and smells
Bedding plants must:
●Grow quickly
●Have robust healthy foliage
●Flower quickly and profusely
What is the most important cultural practice that needs to be done when planting bedding plants
in to a landscape garden site?
●Thoroughly and heavily prepare soil
●Amend garden soil with composted organic matter to a depth of 8 to 12 inches
●Organic matter improves water capacity and essential plant nutrient retention
What two things determine the proper spacing between plants for bedding plants?
●Bedding plants are cultured for a short period of time (no longer than 6 months)
●Keeping bedding plants close together will keep garden soil cool and moist to grow
together to develop a close canopy of leaves
●The canopy of leaves will shade garden soil and lower the rate of evaporation from the
soil and dry desert air above
How often should bedding plants be watered?
●Bedding plants will need to be watered more often than landscape shrubs and trees
●Cool season bedding plants will need to be irrigated about every 2 to 3 days
●Warm season bedding plants will need to be watered every other day or everyday during
summer
●Extra water will be needed to become established
●Water during the morning
●Keep soil mix evenly moist to a depth of 6 inches below the soil surface (use hand or
small gardening trough)
What kinds of fertilizers should be used and when should bedding plants be fertilized?
●Fertilizer must be rich in nitrogen and phosphorus and other plant nutrients
●Soils should be fertilized once when planted, during halfway mark, and again after 3
months (3 times)
●Cool season plants should be fertilized when planted in late October and again (3 months
later) in January
●Use a complete fertilizer with a balanced mixture of essential plant nutrients including
micronutrients, such as iron
●Avoid the use of unbalanced/incomplete fertilizers, especially those containing mostly
nitrogen
●A heavily nitrogen - based fertilizer will stimulate leafy, vegetative growth at the expense
of flowering
●Always read the label on the fertilizer bag and closely follow the provided
directions/instructions
●Apply less rather than more if amounts are being doubted
●Fertilize the same time soil is amended with organic matter (mix it up)
What are the two most common problems when culturing bedding plants in a landscape garden?
●Adding too much fertilizer will cause salt burn on the leaves, flowers, and roots of tender
bedding plants
●Pest challenges and disease
●The growth of unwanted weeds and soil - occurring bacterial and fungal diseases
●Typically caused by the importation of contaminated potting soil into the bedding plant
garden site from local plant nurseries or garden centers
●One should not assume that the potting soil that nursery growers use to propagate and
grow bedding plants is pest free
●“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” - Benjamin Franklin
What are the most sustainable practices for eradicating them?
●Remove at first appearance
●Do not procrastinate
●Manually remove and replace the top 12 inches of diseased soil with clean soil
●Remediation
●Avoids the use of harmful pesticides (sustainable)
