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Planning Spring Planting? Here Are Some Ideas
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Winter may seem kind of "blah" but in fact it can be an exciting time for those of us who enjoy landscaping and gardening. Why? Because it's the time we plan our spring planting and imagine the riot of color and fragrance that await us in the months ahead!
But what to choose?
Many readers of this column send me e-mails at steve@landsteward.org asking for some suggestions that will fit their particular landscape and soil types. (You are certainly welcome to do so, too!) Today, I will suggest some plants that are really exciting my interest this season. Some of these might be right for you as well.
Sedum "Baby Tears" - When it comes to groundcover, you certainly have quite a wide variety to choose from. But some can be rather ho-hum. That's why I really like Baby Tears as it is truly spectacular! It's a tough-as-nails hardy perennial that nonetheless blooms with hundreds of tiny starry white flowers with pink backs in the shape of rosettes with teardrop-shaped leaves.
The stems are quite delicate so they're not suitable for foot traffic, but they are low-maintenance, tolerate low water and poor, dry soil conditions and spread quite quickly.
My wife Cheryl told me she is planning to take a few of these Baby Tears from our nursery and plant them in hanging baskets to go on our front porch. And that's worth remembering: Just because something is described as "groundcover" doesn't mean you can't find some other creative ways to enjoy its beauty!
Butterfly Bushes - Regular readers probably know how much I love butterfly bushes. But if you're looking for a little diversity, think about one or more of these varieties:
* Buddleia "Cornwall Blue". This one grows to around 8 feet tall with striking lavender-blue flower spikes on graceful grey foliage and blooms from late spring through early fall. The following spring, you simply trim them back to about 12" to 18" and they'll begin to grow back again by summer.
* Buddleia "Border Beauty" and "Lochinch". Both varieties mature at a lower height than the Cornwall Blue. Border Beauty tops out at around 6 feet and Lochinch at about 4 feet tall. I think the Border Beauty is particularly fragrant. And of course, butterflies are attracted to all three varieties, so we add a few butterfly houses to provide lodging as well as food!
Tree Form Mock Orange - This is an unusual deciduous shrub and not readily available everywhere, but worth seeking out. There are so many neat ways to use the tree form Mock Orange, such as lining walks or driveways or around patios. It has to be professionally trained into tree form before you buy it, so be sure you see the phrase "tree form" in the description.
It will grow to around 5 to 8 feet tall and produces bright green foliage in addition to very fragrant pure white flowers. If you like to create really attractive flower arrangements in your home or for special occasions, this could be a good choice for you.
Douglas Fir - If you're looking for an attractive evergreen, it's hard to beat the Douglas Fir. For one thing, it is really fast growing; even faster than the Frazier. It looks good as a specimen, but is at its best when used to line a driveway. If you have recently built a new home on a fairly large lot and want to create an ambience of maturity quite quickly, a stand of stately Douglas Firs along your drive should do the trick. They prefer moist, well-drained soil.
These are just a few ideas to get the creative gears turning over in your brain as you wait for winter to turn to spring. As you know, not every plant works in every plant hardiness zone or in every soil condition. If you want some personal advice or suggestions (or if you're having a problem) send me an e-mail and remember to include your location, soil type and any relevant details. I'll send you a personal response and might include your question or comment in a future column.
Enjoy your planning sessions!
The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve's free e-mailed newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org
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Water Gardens Can be "Contained" on Your Patio
By Steve Jones
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In previous columns, we've discussed water features for your landscape. We've also talked about container gardening, particularly container herb gardens to set up by your kitchen door. How about combining the idea of a container garden and a water feature?
A container water garden!
Let's consider the benefits:
* No need to dig a chunk out of your landscape, as you would with a regular pond. And thus no need to rent a backhoe or break your back swinging a pick!
* A great way to "wet your feet" with the idea of water gardening without investing a lot of money. If you find it's not for you…no big deal.
* Unlike a pond, a container water garden can go right on your deck or patio.
* It's (relatively) moveable, depending on the size of container and the weight of the water.
Let's get started. First of all, determine a location for your container water garden. Most of the plants that you'll use will want quite a lot of direct sun (up to six hours in some cases). Pick a spot that meets that requirement. You CAN get away with around three hours or so, but you'll be limiting the type and quality of plants that you'll be growing.
Now for the container. You can use just about any waterproof container that can hold at least four gallons of water. I've seen whiskey barrels and half barrels, kiddie pools and galvanized watering cans used as containers. The simplest choice is some kind of plastic container, sturdy enough to hold the weight. Water weighs around 8 lbs. per gallon and then there's the weight of the other contents.
If you do choose a plastic container but don't find it aesthetically pleasing, you can house it inside a more decorative outer container, such as a basket, a barrel or a rustic wooden crate.
As for plants, the best effect comes from mixing different shapes and textures. For example, you could pick something tall and spiky such as sweet flag (Acorus calamus) and then contrast it with the flat look of calla lily (Zantedeschia aethiopica). You could then add a cascading plant, such as water mint (Mentha aquatica).
There isn't enough room here to describe all the plants you could choose for your container water garden. There are some excellent books devoted to the subject and you can find them at larger book stores or libraries. Online resources are also available and I found several myself. The web addresses are VERY long, so rather than print them here, I'll send you the links if you send me an e-mail request at steve@landsteward.org
The planting process is comparatively easy, but again, you'll probably find it simpler to follow the illustrations and graphics you'll find online rather than read my description here. However, I will give you a brief overview.
At its simplest, you can put each plant in its own small pot with some well-moistened garden soil, add a firm layer of wet sand or gravel, about ¼ to ½ inch deep to keep the soil from floating away, and then place the pots on flat stones or bricks inside the container to bring them to the specified level for each species.
Fill some buckets with tap water and allow to stand at least overnight or longer before carefully adding to your container. This allows most of the chemicals to evaporate, particularly if you're using a city water supply. Some experts recommend buying a product, available at most garden centers, to remove chloramines from the water.
I must emphasize that this is a very basic overview and it's a good idea to check out the excellent online resources for more details and some ideas for getting creative, too!
In areas where mosquitoes can be a problem, it helps to include a small pump to keep the water circulating. Add a decorative spouting ornament to the pump and you can enjoy the relaxing sound of a mini fountain as well!
Drop me a line if you have questions or suggestions and ideas about container water gardens to share with your fellow readers.
The Plant Man is here to help. Send your questions about trees, shrubs and landscaping to steve@landsteward.org and for resources and additional information, or to subscribe to Steve's free e-mailed newsletter, visit www.landsteward.org
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