Start coleus cuttings now to plant outdoors in the garden by early June. These colorful plants are enjoying a revival as fine accents to annual and perennial borders.
Rake or remove mulches from all flower beds.
Plant rosebushes. They often do best if planted before growth starts and buds swell. And if you want to increase their fragrance, surround them with parsley.
Scatter annual poppy seeds in your flower garden and let them grow where they will. They don't like to be transplanted.
Broadcast lime, wood ashes, or a mixture of the two over alkaline-loving perennials such as delphiniums and dianthus. Bring color outdoors to patios, porches, and even the garden with pansy plants, which don't mind cold nights. To encourage constant flowering, routinely remove spent blossoms and keep them from getting bone-dry.
Sow sweet peas as soon as the soil can be worked. Nick the seeds with a nail file and plant them five inches deep, but cover them with only about three inches of soil. Hoe more soil up around them as they grow.
Plant lilies-of-the-valley, violets, and garden lilies. Divide summer- and fall-blooming perennials, including delphiniums, irises, chrysanthemums, daisies, and phlox.
Although we think of this as a rainy month, it can fool us. Keep transplanted flowers well watered during dry spells.
When danger of frost has passed, uncover strawberry beds and keep them well watered.
Plant blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, and fruit trees.
Start seeds indoors for heat-loving crops such as eggplant, tomatoes, and squash.
To determine whether your garden soil is ready for seeds, grab a good handful of it. If you can form it into a ball, the soil is too wet. If it crumbles through your fingers and reminds you of chocolate cake, it's ready for planting.
If the soil is ready, give it a good stirring and let it sit for several days. Then top-dress it with compost or well-rotted manure and plant beets, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, radishes, parsnips, lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnips.
If you got your peas in last month, be sure to give them a good fence for support, made of chicken wire, twine, or stubby branches that are at least three feet tall. Otherwise, plant them this month as soon as you can.
Scatter spinach or lettuce seeds around emerging bulb foliage to make wise use of your garden space, and have a leafy green crop at the ready to cover the bare spots left by deadheaded spring flowers.
Prune forsythias as soon as the flowers fade. Cut the oldest stems to within a foot of the ground, but be sure to let the plant keep its arching form; don't turn it into a gumdrop or cannonball.
Feed your trees. As soon as the frost goes out of the ground, give them a well-balanced slow-release fertilizer. Scatter about six good handfuls per each 10x10-foot area. Store leftover fertilizer in a small plastic trash can or a covered plastic container, and label it.
Rake your lawn to remove all leaves, dead grass, and small twigs. Sow seed for a new lawn, or fill in bare patches by first covering the area with compost or other organic matter. Roll the lawn if the ground isn't soggy.
If you receive mail-order nursery plants before your soil is dry enough for planting, make a trench and heel them into the ground in a protected area.
Don't fertilize strawberries in the spring. This is when the leaves are developing, and you'll get lush growth and meager, soft berries. Wait until blossoms appear and use a light hand.
Don't set tomato plants out in the garden too soon. They hate cold soil and cold nights (under 55 degrees F).
Don't forget to vent your cold frame. April days may feel chilly, but the temperature under the glass can get over 100 degrees F on a sunny day. Salad greens are unhappy over 65 degrees F, and most other plants will perish over 85 degrees F.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Garden Jobs for April from the Old Famers Almanac
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
A Foolproof Flower Garden
A Foolproof Flower Garden By Fran Sorin
Don't settle for potted pansies. With a little effort and patience, you can create your own backyard paradise.Maybe you've just moved from an apartment to your first house. Between family, work, carpooling and everything else -- has it been 12 trips to the Home Depot? -- your first garden awaits your imprint. Planting flowers is a great way to exercise your creativity, but it can seem daunting to the beginner. Don't despair: The investment of time and energy will repay you in spades. After more than 20 years of designing gardens, here's my insider's guide to getting started.
1. Know your property's relationship to the sun. If you have a true southern exposure, you'll get direct sun most of the afternoon. A northern exposure will give you mainly shade; eastern exposure, morning sun and afternoon shade; western exposure, pretty much late-afternoon sun, with shade the rest of the day.
2. Make sure the type of garden you want can be done with the amount of sun you get. For example, although most herb and cutting gardens need direct sunlight (six hours of sun a day), woodland gardens thrive in shade. If you have a shady lot and you want a cutting garden just like the one you saw in a magazine, forget it. Instead, try to re-interpret it by using shade perennials, bulbs and shrubs.
3. Choose a site for your flower bed that can be viewed from inside your house. If possible, take advantage of garden views from outdoor terraces or patios, too.
4. Let your garden reflect your personal style, just as your indoor space does. If you tend toward the traditional indoors, think in terms of a traditional garden with a formal, symmetrical outline, perhaps with pedestals of evergreens to add to the mood. If you lean toward a more rustic style, your outdoor space should reflect that informal feel: Let an abundance of flowers brim over the edges of the garden, and use some flea market finds as containers.
5. When you're ready to experiment with the placement of the flower bed, lay out a hose to outline its shape and size. (Or use spray landscape paint from a paint store.) Leave the hose in one position for a few days before deciding whether that configuration works. Geometric shapes generally indicate a formal design; irregular or island beds are more informal.
6. When the soil has warmed up and is not too soggy, you can dig the bed. First, remove the grass -- roots and all -- with a spade, or use an herbicide (like Round-Up) or an organic grass killer. Then rototill the area or turn it over with a fork. At least 12 inches of good organic matter should be laid on top of the existing soil. Once you've raked the organic matter evenly across the bed, edge the perimeter with a sharp spade to give it a professional, crisp finish.
7. The most effective gardens are simple ones that follow the adage "Less is more." Select plants of various shapes and textures that bloom at different times of the gardening season and that resist disease and drought. Limit your palette to two or three colors. I like to work with combinations of three plants to create a vignette.
8. Plant a lot of each specimen. The repetition of specimens and colors soothes the eye and paves the way for a more glorious design. I plant a minimum of seven of each specimen in a small garden bed, and up to 20-something of each in an expansive area.
9. Plant in a flowing or wavelike pattern. Play around with the plants while they are still in their pots, positioning them around your garden bed to see how they look before you actually plant them. Some of my greatest moments of inspiration occur when I make last-minute changes.
10. Spread mulch as soon as possible after planting (no more than 2 inches thick). Do it carefully, to avoid damaging the plants.
11. Until the plants are settled in (about two weeks), I water every third day early in the morning, 30 to 45 minutes at a time, with a soaker hose or a rotating sprinkler.
12. Over the remainder of the spring (in cool regions, into the early summer), fill in bare areas with exuberant summer bulbs or tubers such as dahlias, cannas, elephant ears, oxalis and colocasias, and annual plants or seeds that can be scratched right into your garden soil.
13. To give the plants extra "oomph," spray them with an organic fertilizer, such as fish fertilizer, once every four weeks, preferably first thing in the morning when it's cool -- never when the temperature is above 80 degrees.
14. Be patient. Plants won't fully mature for a good two to three years. Enjoy the process and keep notes on the plant combinations that give you great pleasure. I think you will be surprised how often you use them as you continue to create new gardens.
Three of my favorite plant trios-- Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage), Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' (coneflower), Liatris spicata-- Salvia greggii 'Maraschino,' Alchemilla mollis (lady's mantle), Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff'-- Phlox divaricata 'Chattahoochee,' Tiarella cordifolia (foamflower), Dryopteris marginalis (leatherwood fern)
http://fransorin.com/index.asp Fran Sorin, she's a great source for gardening info.
Don't settle for potted pansies. With a little effort and patience, you can create your own backyard paradise.Maybe you've just moved from an apartment to your first house. Between family, work, carpooling and everything else -- has it been 12 trips to the Home Depot? -- your first garden awaits your imprint. Planting flowers is a great way to exercise your creativity, but it can seem daunting to the beginner. Don't despair: The investment of time and energy will repay you in spades. After more than 20 years of designing gardens, here's my insider's guide to getting started.
1. Know your property's relationship to the sun. If you have a true southern exposure, you'll get direct sun most of the afternoon. A northern exposure will give you mainly shade; eastern exposure, morning sun and afternoon shade; western exposure, pretty much late-afternoon sun, with shade the rest of the day.
2. Make sure the type of garden you want can be done with the amount of sun you get. For example, although most herb and cutting gardens need direct sunlight (six hours of sun a day), woodland gardens thrive in shade. If you have a shady lot and you want a cutting garden just like the one you saw in a magazine, forget it. Instead, try to re-interpret it by using shade perennials, bulbs and shrubs.
3. Choose a site for your flower bed that can be viewed from inside your house. If possible, take advantage of garden views from outdoor terraces or patios, too.
4. Let your garden reflect your personal style, just as your indoor space does. If you tend toward the traditional indoors, think in terms of a traditional garden with a formal, symmetrical outline, perhaps with pedestals of evergreens to add to the mood. If you lean toward a more rustic style, your outdoor space should reflect that informal feel: Let an abundance of flowers brim over the edges of the garden, and use some flea market finds as containers.
5. When you're ready to experiment with the placement of the flower bed, lay out a hose to outline its shape and size. (Or use spray landscape paint from a paint store.) Leave the hose in one position for a few days before deciding whether that configuration works. Geometric shapes generally indicate a formal design; irregular or island beds are more informal.
6. When the soil has warmed up and is not too soggy, you can dig the bed. First, remove the grass -- roots and all -- with a spade, or use an herbicide (like Round-Up) or an organic grass killer. Then rototill the area or turn it over with a fork. At least 12 inches of good organic matter should be laid on top of the existing soil. Once you've raked the organic matter evenly across the bed, edge the perimeter with a sharp spade to give it a professional, crisp finish.
7. The most effective gardens are simple ones that follow the adage "Less is more." Select plants of various shapes and textures that bloom at different times of the gardening season and that resist disease and drought. Limit your palette to two or three colors. I like to work with combinations of three plants to create a vignette.
8. Plant a lot of each specimen. The repetition of specimens and colors soothes the eye and paves the way for a more glorious design. I plant a minimum of seven of each specimen in a small garden bed, and up to 20-something of each in an expansive area.
9. Plant in a flowing or wavelike pattern. Play around with the plants while they are still in their pots, positioning them around your garden bed to see how they look before you actually plant them. Some of my greatest moments of inspiration occur when I make last-minute changes.
10. Spread mulch as soon as possible after planting (no more than 2 inches thick). Do it carefully, to avoid damaging the plants.
11. Until the plants are settled in (about two weeks), I water every third day early in the morning, 30 to 45 minutes at a time, with a soaker hose or a rotating sprinkler.
12. Over the remainder of the spring (in cool regions, into the early summer), fill in bare areas with exuberant summer bulbs or tubers such as dahlias, cannas, elephant ears, oxalis and colocasias, and annual plants or seeds that can be scratched right into your garden soil.
13. To give the plants extra "oomph," spray them with an organic fertilizer, such as fish fertilizer, once every four weeks, preferably first thing in the morning when it's cool -- never when the temperature is above 80 degrees.
14. Be patient. Plants won't fully mature for a good two to three years. Enjoy the process and keep notes on the plant combinations that give you great pleasure. I think you will be surprised how often you use them as you continue to create new gardens.
Three of my favorite plant trios-- Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage), Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' (coneflower), Liatris spicata-- Salvia greggii 'Maraschino,' Alchemilla mollis (lady's mantle), Dahlia 'Bishop of Llandaff'-- Phlox divaricata 'Chattahoochee,' Tiarella cordifolia (foamflower), Dryopteris marginalis (leatherwood fern)
http://fransorin.com/index.asp Fran Sorin, she's a great source for gardening info.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Spring Pruning Guide
Apple
Early spring
Prune moderately. Keep tree open with main branches well spaced. Avoid sharp V-shaped crotches.
Cherry
Early spring
Prune the most vigorous shoots moderately.
Clematis
Spring
Cut weak growth. Save as much old wood as possible.
Flowering dogwood
After flowering
Remove dead wood only.
Forsythia
After flowering
Remove old branches at ground. Trim new growth.
Lilac
After flowering
Remove diseased, scaly growth, flower heads, and suckers.
Peach
Early spring
Remove half of last year's growth. Keep tree headed low.
Plum
Early spring
Cut dead, diseased branches; trim rank growth moderately.
Rhododendron
After flowering
Prune judiciously. Snip branches from weak, leggy plants to induce growth from roots.
Rose (except climbers)
Spring, after frosts
Cut dead and weak growth; cut branches or canes to four or five eyes.
Rose (climbers)
After flowering
Cut half of old growth; retain new shoots for next year.
Rose of Sharon
When buds
Cut all winter-killed wood to swell begin growth back to live wood.
Trumpet vine
Early spring
Prune side branches severely to main stem.
Virginia creeper
Spring
Clip young plants freely. Thin old plants and remove dead growth.
Wisteria
Spring, summer
Cut new growth to spurs at axils of leaves.
From The Old Farmers's Almanac http://www.almanac.com/garden/trees/springprune.php
Preview all these Trees and Shurbs on your property with our easy to use landscape design software, Landscape Vision. www.landscapeyourvisions.com
Early spring
Prune moderately. Keep tree open with main branches well spaced. Avoid sharp V-shaped crotches.
Cherry
Early spring
Prune the most vigorous shoots moderately.
Clematis
Spring
Cut weak growth. Save as much old wood as possible.
Flowering dogwood
After flowering
Remove dead wood only.
Forsythia
After flowering
Remove old branches at ground. Trim new growth.
Lilac
After flowering
Remove diseased, scaly growth, flower heads, and suckers.
Peach
Early spring
Remove half of last year's growth. Keep tree headed low.
Plum
Early spring
Cut dead, diseased branches; trim rank growth moderately.
Rhododendron
After flowering
Prune judiciously. Snip branches from weak, leggy plants to induce growth from roots.
Rose (except climbers)
Spring, after frosts
Cut dead and weak growth; cut branches or canes to four or five eyes.
Rose (climbers)
After flowering
Cut half of old growth; retain new shoots for next year.
Rose of Sharon
When buds
Cut all winter-killed wood to swell begin growth back to live wood.
Trumpet vine
Early spring
Prune side branches severely to main stem.
Virginia creeper
Spring
Clip young plants freely. Thin old plants and remove dead growth.
Wisteria
Spring, summer
Cut new growth to spurs at axils of leaves.
From The Old Farmers's Almanac http://www.almanac.com/garden/trees/springprune.php
Preview all these Trees and Shurbs on your property with our easy to use landscape design software, Landscape Vision. www.landscapeyourvisions.com
Friday, March 13, 2009
Golden Hakone Grass By Yvonne Cinnington
Golden Hakone Grass (Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola')2009 Perennial Plant of the Year
One of my favorite plants, Golden Hakone Grass (Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola') is the 2009 Perennial Plant of the Year.
In my garden I team this ornamental grass with gold-tinged 'Golden Tiara' hosta and purple-leaved oxalis, a non-hardy summer bulb plant.
This grouping at my side entry garden (shown below) looks lovely all season long.
This species of grass is native to Japan's main Island, Honshu, and gets its name from the region near Mt. Hakone. Chloa is the Greek word for grass.
How to growGolden Hakone Grass
Hardiness: USDA zones 5-9.
Size and growth habit: This grass grows 12 to 18 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide, and its leaves fall attractively in one direction.
The bright yellow foliage is 1/2" wide with thin green stripes, and in the fall becomes tinged pink and red.
Golden hakone grass spreads by rhizomes and stolons, but grows so slowly that it does not becomes a rampant spreader. Slow growth means that you don't need to divide it for many years.
However, if you wish to divide to obtain more plants, as with other ornamental grasses, the best time to do this is in early spring just as new growth starts.
Light and soil conditions: This ornamental grass grows well in partial shade, especially in hot climates, but it can take more sun in cooler areas. Plant in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil.
The Perennial Plant Association recommends not planting it in poorly drained soil, heavy clay or excessively dry and sandy soils. However, I've had several readers tell me they have it in moist clay areas, where it grows well.
In its native habitat, the growing conditions are wet, rocky cliffs, so this plant appears to be quite adaptable.
How the 2009 Perennial Plant of the Year was chosen
Each year the Perennial Plant Association selects a plant of the year.
The chosen perennial must be:
-Suitable for a wide range of climates
-Easy to grow (low maintenance care)
-Easy for growers to propagate (comes true from seed or vegetative propagation
-Attractive throughout the gardening season.
Golden Hakone Grass is the second ornamental grass to be chosen as a Perennial Plant of the Year. Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster', feather reed grass, was chosen in 2001.
Maintenance: Golden Hakone grass is a shade tolerant grass and has few insect or disease problems. Even deer tend to leave it alone.
The only maintenance required is to cut the previous season's dead leaves back in fall, late winter or early spring.
This grass has shallow roots, and therefore is best divided in spring, like most grasses. If divided in fall, the divisions are prone to cold weather damage and frost heaving.
Garden uses: This perennial grass makes a great companion for hostas, especially hostas with gold variegation, or bluish leaves.
Other good matches with perennials include foam flower (Tiarella cultivars) and Heucheras, especially those with purple leaves, and purple leaved bugbane cultivars (Actaea, also known as Cimicifuga), such as 'Hillside Black Beauty' and 'Brunette'.
Golden Hakone Grass also looks great with astilbe, epimedium, wild ginger, bleeding heart and lady's mantle.
I've also grown it as a container plant and love the way it cascades over one side like a waterfall. My favorite way to use it in my garden beds is as an edger where its foliage can cascade onto a path.
http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/index.html
One of my favorite plants, Golden Hakone Grass (Hakonechloa macra 'Aureola') is the 2009 Perennial Plant of the Year.
In my garden I team this ornamental grass with gold-tinged 'Golden Tiara' hosta and purple-leaved oxalis, a non-hardy summer bulb plant.
This grouping at my side entry garden (shown below) looks lovely all season long.
This species of grass is native to Japan's main Island, Honshu, and gets its name from the region near Mt. Hakone. Chloa is the Greek word for grass.
How to growGolden Hakone Grass
Hardiness: USDA zones 5-9.
Size and growth habit: This grass grows 12 to 18 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide, and its leaves fall attractively in one direction.
The bright yellow foliage is 1/2" wide with thin green stripes, and in the fall becomes tinged pink and red.
Golden hakone grass spreads by rhizomes and stolons, but grows so slowly that it does not becomes a rampant spreader. Slow growth means that you don't need to divide it for many years.
However, if you wish to divide to obtain more plants, as with other ornamental grasses, the best time to do this is in early spring just as new growth starts.
Light and soil conditions: This ornamental grass grows well in partial shade, especially in hot climates, but it can take more sun in cooler areas. Plant in moist, humus-rich, well-drained soil.
The Perennial Plant Association recommends not planting it in poorly drained soil, heavy clay or excessively dry and sandy soils. However, I've had several readers tell me they have it in moist clay areas, where it grows well.
In its native habitat, the growing conditions are wet, rocky cliffs, so this plant appears to be quite adaptable.
How the 2009 Perennial Plant of the Year was chosen
Each year the Perennial Plant Association selects a plant of the year.
The chosen perennial must be:
-Suitable for a wide range of climates
-Easy to grow (low maintenance care)
-Easy for growers to propagate (comes true from seed or vegetative propagation
-Attractive throughout the gardening season.
Golden Hakone Grass is the second ornamental grass to be chosen as a Perennial Plant of the Year. Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster', feather reed grass, was chosen in 2001.
Maintenance: Golden Hakone grass is a shade tolerant grass and has few insect or disease problems. Even deer tend to leave it alone.
The only maintenance required is to cut the previous season's dead leaves back in fall, late winter or early spring.
This grass has shallow roots, and therefore is best divided in spring, like most grasses. If divided in fall, the divisions are prone to cold weather damage and frost heaving.
Garden uses: This perennial grass makes a great companion for hostas, especially hostas with gold variegation, or bluish leaves.
Other good matches with perennials include foam flower (Tiarella cultivars) and Heucheras, especially those with purple leaves, and purple leaved bugbane cultivars (Actaea, also known as Cimicifuga), such as 'Hillside Black Beauty' and 'Brunette'.
Golden Hakone Grass also looks great with astilbe, epimedium, wild ginger, bleeding heart and lady's mantle.
I've also grown it as a container plant and love the way it cascades over one side like a waterfall. My favorite way to use it in my garden beds is as an edger where its foliage can cascade onto a path.
http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/index.html
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Outdoor Planting Table from Old Farmers Almanac
Outdoor Planting Table for 2009
The best time to plant flowers and vegetables that bear crops above ground is during the light of the Moon; that is, from the day the Moon is new to the day it is full. Flowering bulbs and vegetables that bear crops below ground should be planted during the dark of the Moon; that is, from the day after it is full to the day before it is new again. The Moon Favorable column below gives these days, which are based on the Moon's phases for 2009 and the safe periods for planting in areas that receive frost. See the Moon Phase Calendar for the exact days of the new and full Moons.
To find the best time to plant for your area check out this link;
http://www.almanac.com/garden/plantingtable/index.php
The Old Farmers Almanac is a great source for gardening information, and it's fun.
Keep the planting table handy while you design this years garden with Landscape Vision an Easy to Use Landscape Design Software
www.landscapeyourvisions.com
The best time to plant flowers and vegetables that bear crops above ground is during the light of the Moon; that is, from the day the Moon is new to the day it is full. Flowering bulbs and vegetables that bear crops below ground should be planted during the dark of the Moon; that is, from the day after it is full to the day before it is new again. The Moon Favorable column below gives these days, which are based on the Moon's phases for 2009 and the safe periods for planting in areas that receive frost. See the Moon Phase Calendar for the exact days of the new and full Moons.
To find the best time to plant for your area check out this link;
http://www.almanac.com/garden/plantingtable/index.php
The Old Farmers Almanac is a great source for gardening information, and it's fun.
Keep the planting table handy while you design this years garden with Landscape Vision an Easy to Use Landscape Design Software
www.landscapeyourvisions.com
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