Author Archives: Julie

Entrance Way Evergreens

Cool and classic or chic and contemporary, no matter what your style, you’ll always be proud of an entrance flanked with beautiful containers highlighting just-right evergreens. In this case, “evergreen” doesn’t necessarily mean a conifer, either – many other shrubs remain green in the winter and can be beautiful showpieces welcoming guests to your home.

Planting Your Container

Entrance way evergreens are generally planted in containers and frame a doorway, walkway or arch. If you truly want your evergreens to take center stage, opt for more understated, neutral containers, but select shapes that match the architecture of your home. You can opt for a boldly colored container, but take care that the container’s decorations won’t overwhelm your evergreens.

You will want to use high quality potting soil for the container to provide adequate nutrition for your evergreens to thrive. Also pay careful attention to the moisture levels, watering the plants appropriately – containers often need more frequent watering than plants in your landscape. You can rotate the containers regularly to help the plants get even sun exposure, and regular fertilizing will help keep them healthy.

If you’re not sure how to plant a container, try this simple formula: “Use a thriller, filler and spiller.” Thriller refers to the tallest or showiest plant, the one that immediately catches the eye. The fillers are the plants surrounding the thriller that add more structure and bulk to the arrangement, filling in empty spaces. The spillers are plants to grow over, and soften, the edge of the container, giving it a more natural, organic look.

Here’s a listing of “thriller” plants to consider for your door decor. We can make recommendations of dwarf cultivars of many of these plants. Dwarfs will take longer to out-grow their container. Happy potting!

Shade
Azalea*
Boxwood
Camellia*
Evergreen Viburnum*
Japanese Andromeda*
Heavenly Bamboo*
Mountain Laurel*

Sun
Arborvitae
False Cypress
Juniper
Heavenly Bamboo*
Holly
Pine
Spruce
Yews
Yucca*

* These plants flower!

Accents for Your Entrance Evergreens

In addition to welcoming your visitors with a beautiful entrance, it’s easy to entertain them and show your style when you accessorize your evergreens. Festively dress your plants to coordinate with seasons or holidays. Fun and creative options include…

Spring: Small bunnies, silk spring blooms such as daffodils, pastel Easter eggs
Summer: Patriotic flags or ribbons for Memorial Day and the Fourth of July
Fall: Scarecrows, pumpkins, Indian corn, Halloween decorations
Winter: Holly sprigs, tiny twinkling lights, beaded garlands, snowflake ornaments

You can also personalize your entrance evergreens for birthdays, anniversaries or to showcase your favorite teams, colleges, hobbies and more. All are easy to do, fun, and affordable, and make your entrance truly eye-catching.

Making a Terrarium

Hold onto your gardening hats, folks! Remember terrariums? A new trend revitalizing this old style is now better than ever. Creating a theme for your terrarium is easier too, with the all the miniatures now available. Remember those skinny-necked bottles and what a hassle they were? New container styles make terrariums easier to plant, simple to maintain and more beautiful in your home.

Style

What is your terrarium’s style? Tropical with ferns, arid with cacti or beach-like with tiny grasses, sand and water-like pebbles? Will you have figures such as fairies or gnomes? To choose the plants, consider the lighting where you plan to place the terrarium. If your gnome home is to be in the corner, consider using a cute fluorescent light or similar illumination to help keep your terrarium’s plants healthy and thriving.

Container Shape and Size

Choose your container and ensure it has enough room for your completed dream. Clear glass allows views of different layers of sand, soil and top dressing, giving your terrarium extra depth. Container shapes include hanging, footed, cylindrical, spherical, even leaning. Multi-sided geometric shapes are popular, as are smooth, curved shapes with a natural flow. If your garden includes tropical plants, consider a container with a smaller opening or a lid to increase humidity for healthier plants.

Don’t forget to consider size – tiny terrariums with just a plant or two are popular and can be hung like ornaments or make great gifts, while larger containers can create an entire microcosm and unique environment for a stunning display.

How to Plant

Planting a terrarium takes a little extra care, but is no more difficult than planting any houseplant.

Put an inch or two of small gravel, pebbles or expanded clay pellets into the container, providing a drainage base. Mixing in several tablespoons of horticultural charcoal prevents odors. If the container is large enough, layer other colors or sizes of pebbles or sands to create visual interest when viewed from the side.
Soil goes in next. Many plants grow well in light soils mixed with peat moss and vermiculite or perlite. Moistened coir is another option. Alternatively, consider special prepared soil mixes for African violets, succulents or cacti.
Create a landscape plan by first arranging the plants on the tabletop to determine where they will be placed in the container, taking into account how the plants may touch the sides or top of the container.
Plant the largest plant first. Dig a small hole, place the plant, and firmly tamp the soil around it. This is very important to stabilize the plants and remove air pockets. If the space is tight, smaller plants may be able to help stabilize larger plants.
After placing the plants, you may want to top-dress with decorative pebbles or bark. Sand looks great around cacti. This is also the time to place fairies, cottages, twigs, larger stones, marbles and other decorative items in your terrarium to create the desired theme.
When everything looks good (look at it from all sides and angles), use a small artist brush to clean any loose dirt or sand away from the sides and leaves.
Use a mister to water the plants. Because the container acts as a small biosphere and much of the moisture is recycled, a little water lasts for quite awhile. Do not overwater your terrarium or the plants may rot, and replacing them can be a challenge.

Place your terrarium in its new location and enjoy its beauty and your accomplishment!

Gardener’s Calendar

Continue planting trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, vegetables and herbs. Consider adding some exotic color to your deck or patio with tropical blooming plants. We have a great selection of color this summer.

It’s time for your houseplant’s summer vacation! Take outside to a shady place. Repot if necessary, fertilize and check for pests and diseases. They’ll thrive in their outdoor location all summer. Be sure to bring them back inside in early fall.

Water plants and lawns deeply during periods of dry weather. Annuals, perennials, vegetables, trees and shrubs should be watered with a slow trickling or soaker hose. Pay extra attention to plants in containers and hanging baskets – check them regularly. Remember that clay pots dry out faster than plastic.

Apply a 2-3″ layer of mulch on your garden beds in preparation for summer. Mulch conserves valuable moisture in the soil, helps keep weeds down, maintains even soil temperatures, and gives an attractive finishing touch to your beds and borders.

Spray azaleas, Pieris japonica, laurel and Rhododendron with Bonide All-Season Oil to control lacebug. Spray early in the morning or evening when temperatures are moderate and there is no rain in the forecast.

Warm, humid weather encourages the development of fungal diseases such as Black Spot and Powdery Mildew on roses. Water roses in the early morning and avoid overhead watering if possible. Clean up any fallen leaves and follow a regular fungicide spray program. We recommend the Bayer Rose and Flower All in One for good control of fungus diseases.

Prune evergreens such as pines, cypress, hollies, euonymus and boxwood, to shape as needed. Remove faded flowers of annuals regularly, to encourage more flowers. Annuals will also benefit from regular applications of a water-soluble fertilizer right through summer.

Attract hummingbirds and butterflies to your landscape by planting Butterfly Bush, Bee Balm (Mondarda), Hardy Hibiscus, Lobelia, Scabiosa and Coreopsis.

Trackable Tools

It’s the beginning of a new gardening season. Hopefully you took out last year’s journal in January or February and reviewed your notes. Now is the time to begin implementing some of those great ideas.

One common problem in the garden is misplaced tools. We’ve all found hand tools in the spring that were inadvertently thrown in the compost pile or left under a shrub during fall cleanup. Many of us have spent time we didn’t have to spare, walking in circles, looking for the shovel that we just had in our hand. It was laid down for a moment and seemed to disappear into thin air.

Well, let’s do things differently this year. Let’s save time, money and our precious tools. Resolve to only buy new hand tools with bright colored handles that are easily seen from afar and stand out when picking up after a long tiring day in the garden. Stop in and see what we have to offer, there are so many choices available. And, if you already have a good selection of tools that you love and wish to keep track of, simply cover the handle with a bright colored spray paint on a sunny spring day. You’ll be glad that you did.

trackable_tools_1

Mowing. Do It Right

If you have a lawn then you need to mow. If you need to mow then you may as well do it right. Here are the basics:

Service your lawn mower in the fall, after your last cut, so that you start the next season right. Change the oil, drain the gas, replace the spark plug and air filter, lubricate the throttle cord and sharpen the blade.
Before your first cut of the spring season, fill your tank with gas and adjust your wheel height. Cool-season grasses should generally be cut at a height of 3 to 3 ½ inches. Never remove more than 1/3 of the plant. This longer height will require that you mow more frequently but it will ensure a stronger root system, help maintain soil moisture and will greatly reduce weed competition.
Only mow a dry lawn. Cutting a wet lawn is a sure way to spread disease. The best time of the day to do this is in the evening. Early in the morning, after the dew has dried, is the second best time. Mowing in the heat of the day will cause your turf grass to go into shock.
Before you start your mower, clear all objects from the lawn. This includes toys, lawn furniture, trash, fallen branches, stones and anything that would cause you to stop and restart the mower. Keep your eye out for anything that is a hazard, items that may jam your mower or become projectiles.
Grass clippings are loaded with Nitrogen, just what your lawn needs to stay healthy. Leaving them where they lie can reduce your fertilizer use by as much as 25%. Spread them out so that they don’t become anaerobic.
Always remember to keep your mower blades sharp. You may need to resharpen them during the growing season. Dull blades rip and tear at the grass and create an environment conducive to the spread of disease.
Change directions each time you mow. Mowing causes the grass to lie over. Alternating your direction will correct this problem.
Did you know that dirt and debris are the main cause of lawn mower engine failure? Always take a few moments after mowing for some preventative maintenance. Grab an old rag and wipe down your equipment including air vent grates.

Fire Escape Gardening

Is it possible to nurture a thriving urban garden when your garden space is simply just a narrow passage, stunted landing, and metal railings of a fire escape? Indeed, it is! Fire escape gardening can be fare more pleasant and productive than you may realize, if you adapt your gardening techniques to the unique challenges of the space.

Before You Begin

Before you plan an elaborate garden setup on your fire escape, check your building’s restrictions and local regulations about fire escape gardening. In many areas, storing items – including gardening supplies and plants – on a fire escape is not allowed, and you could be subject to fines, loss of insurance coverage, and other penalties for violating those restrictions, even up to facing eviction. If minimal use of the space is permitted, always be certain to leave an obvious aisle clear and do nothing to impede movement through the space or the functioning of any gates, hatches, ladders, or other equipment that is part of the fire escape’s main function. Different buildings and municipalities may have different codes covering fire escape use and gardening, and always follow the appropriate laws and guidelines.

Tips for Fire Escape Gardening

After doing your homework, if you are permitted to use your fire escape for a garden space, it can be a creative and unique challenge to stretch your gardening skills. To make the most of your fire escape and nurture a thriving garden…

Keep It Light – You don’t want to fill your fire escape with large, heavy concrete or ceramic pots. Not only can they be difficult to work with, but if one should fall, it could create not only a mess, but significant damage as well. Instead, consider lighter plastic pots, cloth pots, or other unique containers, such as wellingtons, woven baskets, or mesh structures with lightweight liners.
Be a Minimalist – Avoid overcrowding your fire escape with a burgeoning jungle, and instead opt for compact plants that will do well in small spaces. Ultimately, you should still see more metal than green in a fire escape garden, ensuring that that space remains safe and usable in case of an emergency.
Embrace Mobility – Opt for containers and plants that you can move quickly if necessary, not just in case of emergency, but to maximize the efficiency of your garden. Movable pots or plant stands with casters can be rearranged to make the best use of seasonally shifting sunlight or can be moved indoors during storms or the colder winter months.
Make the Most of the Railing – Your fire escape railing can be prime real estate for gardening efforts. Use planters mounted on the railing or that can hang over the side. You may also use macramé hangers to hang small pots between support rails. Take care not to block essential handrail space, however, which can be necessary for a safe descent in an emergency.
Be Aware of Neighbors – Be mindful of the neighbors who share your fire escape, especially those directly below, when you water your plants. Either bring your plants inside to water them in a sink or be sure to water at time when it will not bother others.
Keep Away Unwanted Guests – Even gardens in the most urbanized areas can attract squirrels, as well as other tenacious wildlife such as mice, pigeons, and rats. Takes steps to keep these unwanted visitors away from your garden with mesh barriers and other deterrents, such as using organic bloodmeal fertilizers to discourage visits.

Best Plants for a Fire Escape Garden

Ultimately, you can grow anything in a fire escape garden that you would grow in any urban garden space, provided you have the sunlight levels and suitable size growing area to accommodate the plants. Because fire escape gardens can be so small, however, you may want to concentrate your efforts on the plants you will eat and enjoy the most, particularly small cultivars that are well adapted to urban conditions. Leafy greens such as kale, lettuce, and spinach are top choices, as are bush varieties of beans, peppers, and tomatoes. Different berries can add a sweet touch to your fire escape garden, and flavorful herbs are always a favorite to add tantalizing tastes to everything you grow.

Moving Your Garden

Regardless of the size of your fire escape garden or what you’ve chosen to grow, always be aware that you may need to move your plants on short notice. This could be due to changes in building codes or fire regulations, or you may simply be moving and want to transport your garden as you relocate, hopefully to a new residence that will provide even more growing space. Move your plants gently and thoughtfully, and they will be happy to relocate along with you.

Growing Vegetables in Pots

You don’t need expansive acreage to grow a thriving vegetable garden. In fact, growing vegetables in pots can be very productive and can bring a delicious, healthy harvest to your home no matter what type of garden space you may – or may not – have to work with.

Why Grow Vegetables in Pots?

Whether you have a balcony, fire escape, small patio, narrow stoop, or windowsill for your gardening efforts, there is always room for a pot or two of vegetables. Yet vegetable container gardening is about more than just saving space, and there are many benefits to using pots for your garden plot.

When using pots, for example, your garden space is much less likely to be overtaken by weeds, saving you time and effort. Pots are also easier to move around your space in order to take advantage of the best positioning for sun, rainfall, and weather protection. Pots and containers can also be more comfortable for you to tend without needing to bend down or kneel as much to reach your plants and harvest your vegetables.

Easiest Vegetables for the Urban Garden

There are many options for container garden vegetables. Ideally, choose cultivars that are dwarf, miniature, or compact whenever possible, as they will be better adapted to lush growth in pots and small spaces. Popular choices include:

Beans
Broccoli
Carrots
Chard
Chilies
Cucumbers
Eggplant
Kale
Leeks
Lettuce
Okra
Onions
Peas
Potatoes
Radishes
Spinach
Peppers
Tomatoes

Because you may have less growing space than a traditional garden, choose vegetables you love and that you will use to make the most of your gardening space. Also be aware of how much sunlight your pots will receive, how deep the pots are for roots or root vegetables, and whether the plants will need vertical space for climbing before you plant them. The more familiar you are with each vegetable’s growing needs, the better choices you can make for vegetables that will flourish in your urban garden.

Tips for Growing Vegetables in Pots

No matter which vegetables you choose to grow in pots, they will need proper care to reach their full potential for a bountiful harvest. To help your container vegetables thrive…

Choose the Proper Pot – Consider the root system of your favorite vegetables and choose a pot deep enough to allow the roots to flourish. If you are planting root vegetables, you will need a deeper pot that allows more space for veggie growth. Bear in mind that ceramic or clay pots can be very heavy, so plastic pots may be a more convenient and easier option.
Position the Pot for Good Sunlight – Many leafy vegetables do well in part-shade conditions, while other vegetables need greater amounts of sunlight for the best harvest. Putting pots on a plant caddy or stands with casters can make it easy to move each container for maximum sunlight throughout the growing season.
Provide Necessary Support – Vining and tall vegetables may need stakes, cages, netting, or trellises to support the plant and help it stay healthy. Using proper supports will also maximize your vertical growing space. It is best to have that support in place when the plant is young, so you do not accidentally damage roots when adding a support later.
Use the Best Soil – Because container vegetables don’t have as much soil to draw nutrition from, it is critical to use a high-quality potting mix when growing veggies in pots. Choose a mix that will maximize water retention to help with watering and mix in compost or appropriate fertilizer with the soil before you add your vegetable plants.
Water Adequately – All vegetables need adequate water for lush growth and veggie production. Depending on the pot size, plant type, and climate conditions, you may need to water vegetable pots daily or even twice per day to ensure they have good moisture. Consider self-watering containers to make this garden task even easier.
Feed Plants Properly – The right fertilization and feeding schedule can improve your plants’ health and increase the yield of even small vegetable pots. Choose a liquid fertilizer that will meet your plants’ needs and apply it according to the label directions for the best results that maximize the productivity of your vegetable plants.
Consider Combination Planting – It’s easy to plant different vegetables in the same pot, but take care to group plants with similar water, fertilization, and sunlight needs so each pot can get the proper care. Themed pots can be a fun way to add flair to your vegetable garden as well – try a salad pot, a pizza pot, or even a pot for pickles, each one with related herbs and veggies.
Stay Alert to Pests – Unwanted pests can invade even container gardens. Inspect your pots weekly for pests such as slugs, aphids, and leaf hoppers. It is best to use the safest solution available to control insect infestations. Also, in urban gardens, animals such as stray cats, dogs, or even rats can also be a problem and you should use cages or other techniques to protect your plants if necessary.

Growing vegetables in pots can bring you a delicious, nutritious harvest no matter what the size or location of your gardening space. By choosing vegetables adapted to containers and giving your pots the best of care, you’ll soon have an amazing crop to enjoy.

Hurry Up the Harvest – Ways to Extend the Growing Season

Have a hankering for homegrown tomatoes? Even though it’s early spring, you can extend the growing season and hurry up your harvest by trying some of these tips and products:

Gain 3 weeks on the growing season by pre-warming the soil with black, porous plastic landscape fabric. This product can be laid over your prepared garden soil and secured with landscape pins. Allow at least 5 days of sunny weather to warm the soil. When ready, cut x’s in the plastic and plant through them. As the season progresses and the air and the soil temperatures increase, you may mulch directly on top of the this porous material with salt hay to keep the soil moist and cool.
Warm the soil around your plants with a floating row covers or garden cloche (mini greenhouse). Lay row cover fabric over your newly planted seedlings to hold in the warmth and protect them from frost. Anchor loosely with landscape pins so the plants have room to grow – or, even better, attach it to wire hoops. Place cloches directly over individual plants for frost protection. Remember to remove them on warm or sunny day to prevent overheating your seedlings.
Another way to extend the growing season is by using a cold frame. Place it in the garden at least 10 days before you wish to plant. Orient the frame so it runs east to west. This allows for a Southern exposure and more sun to reach the plants. If the soil has been prepared, you may plant directly into the frame. Remove the cold frame when temperatures are no longer a threat to young plants. Venting is important to keep seedlings from getting too hot.

Acid Loving Plants

Soil pH is a critical factor for gardening success. Some plants thrive in neutral soil while other plants prefer soil that is on the acidic side. The difference lies in the plant’s ability to use nutrients present in the soil. For plants that prefer an acidic soil a critical nutrient is iron. Iron is most available in soil with a pH of around 5.5. Without iron, acid-loving plants will turn yellow and suffer stunted growth.

Testing and Adjusting Soil pH
Before planting any plant it is best to know the optimum pH range that the plant will thrive in and the pH of the soil in which you will be planting. “The right plant in the right place” is always the best policy. Purchase a pH test kit or meter. This will give you a more in-depth soil analysis along with the pH. To correct soil pH it is imperative that you know the soil pH before you attempt to change it. Adding shredded pine needles, composted oak leaves, or peat moss will all assist in lowering soil pH over time. A quicker fix is the addition of two materials commonly used for this purpose: aluminum sulfate or garden sulfur. Aluminum sulfate will change the soil pH instantly because the aluminum produces the acidity as soon as it dissolves in the soil. Garden sulfur requires some time for the conversion to sulfuric acid with the aid of soil bacteria. The conversion rate is based on the fineness of the sulfur, the amount of soil moisture, soil temperature, and the presence of bacteria. Based on these factors, the conversion rate of sulfur may be very slow. It may take several months, if the conditions are not ideal, to react. Acidifiers should be worked into the soil after application in order to be effective. Do not apply to the surface of plant leaves or burning may result. Read and abide by manufacturer instructions when applying acidifiers. Keep in mind that it takes time to alter soil pH and your soil will tend to revert to its old pH over time, necessitating repeat treatment. Attempting to change soil pH too quickly may shock and kill a plant. A good rule of thumb is to adjust to no more than one point per season. Fertilizers recommended for acid loving plants do not assist in adjusting the soil pH.

Acid Loving Trees & Shrubs
Azalea
Bayberry
Blueberry
Camelia
Dogwood
Fothergilla
Gardenia
Heath
Heather
Holly
Hydrangea
Itea
Leucothoe
Magnolia
Mountain Laurel
Oak
Pieris
Pine
Raspberry
Rhododendron
Spruce

A Feast for the Eyes

Traditionally, when planning a vegetable garden, the focus has been primarily on function with aesthetics as an afterthought. This year, why not try a new approach? Thoughtfully combine beauty and performance to create an edible garden that will explode with a riot of color and an abundance of produce. A feast for the eyes!

Color, texture and form are characteristics we keep in mind when designing our ornamental beds. We plan our gardens so that plants complement each other. We repeat colors and shapes for continuity and flow. We work in plenty of texture for interest. Vegetables, herbs and fruits can be just as vibrant, exciting, diverse and easy to combine as annual and perennial flowering plants are.

To begin, provide structure. Placing a picket fence around your garden offers instant structure and visually sets it apart from the rest of the landscape. If you plan on planting along the outside of the perimeter, you will create the allure of a garden within a garden. Place a straight pathway through the center, starting at the entrance. Divide the larger garden into smaller square planting beds using pathways to separate the beds. This will enhance the structure of, and provide easy access to, the garden beds as well as lead your eye through the garden.

Next, focus on plant selection. Begin with a plant plan or layout. Initially, base your selections on what is pleasing to your pallet. Consider unusual varieties of vegetables and herbs that come in unique colors. Repeat colors, both horizontally and vertically, to add depth and dimension to the garden. Don’t forget to add brightly flowering annuals such as zinnias and marigolds to mingle amongst the edibles. Another consideration is edible flowers like nasturtium and calendula. Contrast colors for a striking, eye-catching effect. Keep in mind, also, texture and form. Bold textures add drama to the garden and are often combined with fine foliaged plants for a softening contrast. Short, stout plants anchor the garden bed while tall, willowy plants raise the eye and lead you farther down the garden path. Take all these characteristics into account when planning and place plants in geometric patterns to create a quilt-like garden tapestry.

Finally, your spring edible garden will emerge invoking a feeling of calm, displaying a variety of cool greens, purples and blues found in peas, lettuce, cabbage and broccoli. Shortly after, the summer edible garden will be completely transformed at harvest time with an explosion of vibrant shades of red, purple, orange, yellow and the like. A feast for the eyes!