All Season Borders

Borders can be one of the most difficult areas of garden design.  They can be straight, curvy, narrow or wide or all of these together.  I admit my choice is to have all of these characteristics in a border.  For many years I had borders that hugged my home, straight up against the house going all the way around from back to front.  My borders were beautiful but only during the month of July.  I planted all summer flowering perennials because I did not know how to plan for all season interest,

What is wonderful about gardening is that you are always learning, changing, reinventing.  Evergreens and dried grasses add winter interest, structures such as pergolas, arbors, tuteurs and seating are all part of keeping your attention in the colder climates.

Daylilies bloom throughout three seasons, roses bloom three seasons, Rozanne perennial geranium, Max Frei perennial geranium and on and on.  Blubs of course are a staple for spring bloom and there are many fall blooming plants.  Don't hesitate to put annuals in your border to keep it in continual bloom.

Highs, middles and lows are important in plant selection.  Don't be afraid to put a very tall grouping next to a lower grouping, keep the wave going visually with plants, not just sculpting out the border.  Use some weavers, those long viney plants that crawl throughout the border.  Repeat plants, repeat colors, repeat viney, tall, short, etc.  Oh, I could go on forever, but there is always another day to talk about specific plants.

Think Ahead - Planting Early Spring Containers

I can't wait to see all of those spring bulbs poking their little heads out of the ground!  I also like to see some of those spring bulbs in my containers.  However, as you know, in zone 5 and below bulbs do not do well in containers over the winter.  You can start them indoors, keep them cold for a period of weeks and bring them into a  warmer environment to get ready to bloom.  I did this years ago, and it is lots of preparation, a long time span and necessitates a place to store the potted bulbs like a spare refrigerator or a warmer garage.

A few years ago, I found a new way to do this at Home Depot (I am sure there are many other stores and nurseries that supply pre-planted bulbs).  I spotted little packs of four tete-a-tete daffodils and  pink Jan Bos Hyacinths all ready to bloom.   There were tulips and muscari also.  I bought some large baskets of pansies and some little packets of the bulbs.  The pansies were almost full grown, so I cut them apart and got eight plants from each basket.  When the bulbs are spent, I take them out of the planter boxes and put them in the ground to come up next year. 

For many years I bought the little pansies in the baskets of twenty-four, and by the time they really looked good, it was time to pull them out because of the heat.  They certainly did not make a statement for the first four weeks.  In my area, it is difficult to keep pansies through the summer, so I do relocate them to the shady part of my property because they look so beautiful!

It is a great look for containers because they blend with what is coming up out of the ground, rather than putting in the plants that look like they grew in the tropics.

I Love You Hosta, But I don't Know Who You Are!

The title really tells you my relationship with hosta.  I just buy it and plant it.  Oh, I do take note of the name on the plant tag, but keep it or remember it is a definite NO!.  Hosta inhabits several locations in my yard, lighting up the shady areas never asking for anything in return.

My husband's favorite is one that we brought from our former home, and I have it planted towards the back under my Pagoda Dogwood.  It is curley and variegated, knew the name at one time but no longer.

I have two favorites Halcyon and August Moon.  They are spectacular together but do require division every so often, especially August Moon.  Talk about color, these two have it hands down!  Another two that I very much admire are Paul's Glory and Patriot.  They are variegated and have so much "pop."  I am definitely not a hosta expert, but I wish I could at least remember all of their names.  I have a great one up towards the front of my house, and as I pass it I say, "I really like you whoever you are."

Structure In The Garden

By structure I mean interest other than plants.  This is a great time of year to look at your garden stripped!  In fact all that is there are your structures and evergreens.  I know, we all have sticks showing from our shrubs and roses.  But structures are more commanding, they are in your face all year!

I am finally getting the idea of making a garden an extension of the home, in other words, an outside room or grouping of rooms.  Think in terms of walkways, a raised bed here and there as you walk along.  Think of going from room to room through an arbor or pergola.  Try to vary the stone work, such as a tumbled stone for patio and walkways and a natural lannon stone for raised beds.  Flag or irregular bluestone can be used for paths through arbors, etc.

In your outdoor rooms make sure there is a place to sit, or to at least look like you could sit there, a wooden bench, weathered metal or concrete. I love tuteurs (obelisks) placed in garden beds either left by themselves as decor or planted beneath with a clematis or other appropriate vine.  Take it easy on the "chachkees." as they can make the garden look cluttered and take away from the plantings.  If you can't pass up that concrete rabbbit or duck, have them peeking out from behind plantings.

A fence can be the frame for your garden.  It can be very decorative like wrought iron and be part of the decor, or it can be woodsy like cedar and blend into the background.
. 
Iron fencing does not have to go anywhere to enhance the garden, and sometimes they are necessary to keep large plants within bounds.  Two sections together can spotlight corner plantings. 

Have fun planning your outdoor room, now is the time to do it!

Welcome To February In Zone 5

It's not a pretty sight is it? - not my yard, not my flamingo!  There has been a little glitch downloading my camera or you would be seeing my wooden goose.   I have been feeling very frustrated looking at not alone my photos but all of the beautiful photography of plants on the gardening blogs.  What can we do in the garden in February when it's still too cold to garden?

Seed starting (under lights)

Cleaning and oiling of tools (I am not great at doing this, but I know I should)

Planning of gardens and containers

Ordering perennials

Buying seeds to start outside (if you wait too long some varieties like parsley and lettuces dissapear)  

Cutting your Type 3 clematis at the base (you don't have to take all the vines down, but it prevents them from sprouting all over the vines if we get a warm spell).

Think about your pots!  I know I have several I haven't used productively in several years - why am I  keeping them when someone else might use them?

Call landscaping contractors soon, they get booked up very early in the season - even if  you just have a little job.  Also, their pricing is always better before they have booked several jobs.

Order garden furniture (if you want something special everything takes twelve weeks).

Forget all of the above and go on vacation!