Going frameless. Paintings on a canvas stretched over wood stretcher bars can be framed or unframed. These are usually oil or acrylic paintings. If you leave a painting unframed, you’ll see the side of it, which is typically gesso white or the color of the raw canvas or linen. Here, the two paintings on the right are unframed, while the larger painting on the left sports a slim stained wood “floater” frame, which has a gap between the painting’s edge and the inside edge of the frame.
Groups of flowers are appealing to both humans and pollinators, with massing making the flowers easier for pollinators flying above to see. 2. Cluster plants in groups of three or five. Repeating plants throughout the landscape also lends a subtle cohesiveness for the eye to follow. Aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) is a neat little shrub-like perennial native to the East Coast that looks nice dotted throughout beds and borders. For more vertical interest and early-fall blooms that are dark purple to magenta, try ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata). For a lower-growing plant that does well in wetter conditions, look to blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum).20 Favorite Flowers for the Fall Landscape
1. Give your plants extra water. High temperatures increase the rate that water is lost to the atmosphere from a plant’s leaves, resulting in wilting and sunburn damage. You’ll need to increase the amount of supplemental irrigation that they receive. It’s best to do this the day before the heat wave arrives. When you water your plants is also important. Irrigating them in the middle of a hot day isn’t effective, as your shrubs and perennials are devoting all their energy to dealing with surviving the heat, not to taking up water. The best time to water plants is early in the morning, when temperatures are lower, which will help carry them through the day.Avoid overwatering, which is also harmful to plants. If the soil is soggy, skip the extra watering session, as it will do more harm than good.
3. Mulch, mulch, mulch. Hot temperatures don’t affect just the parts of the plant that are above the ground; they also impact the roots. Adding a layer of mulch around trees, shrubs and ground covers will help keep the soil several degrees cooler while preventing it from drying out.Apply mulch about 3 inches thick around your plants, spreading it to the drip line (where the branches extend out to) and taking care to keep it 6 inches away from the trunks of trees. Learn how to choose your mulch
A sloped woodland garden in Maine features highbush blueberry (on the left) and lowbush blueberry (on the right), along with ferns and other woodland natives.2. What part of the country is it in? This is a broader-brush approach than the climate zones but also easier to identify. It is an especially important question if you want to use native plant species. Northeast, Southeast, Southern Plains, Midwest, Northwest, Southwest and Pacific Coast — each of these areas has its own characteristics of soils and climate that may favor some species over others.
Glass Do you know when to use museum glass, regular glass or Plexiglas — or even when to use glass at all? Either glass or Plexiglass is used to cover paper-based artwork and protect it. Oil and acrylic paintings should be left uncovered because they release gases as they cure and need to breathe. Glass is also heavy and can be an obstacle for large pieces or ones that need to be shipped. To choose the appropriate option, Gallagher of Wall Design Diva recommends considering the value of the art, budget, installation location and desired design effect. Your framer can guide you in the right direction. Here are the options and their characteristics:Regular plate glass:Highly reflectiveDoesn’t block any UV rays Least expensive optionConservation Clear glass:ReflectiveBlocks 99 percent of UV rays Costlier than regular glass but less pricey than museum glassMuseum glass:NonreflectiveBlocks 99 percent of UV raysMost expensive glass optionNo glass can protect 100 percent against UV rays. The best preventive measure is to also install a UV-filtering film on your windows. Even if only 1 percent of UV rays gets through, it can affect the artwork over time.
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