Your Garden Beacon Communications • May 2012
No-Effort Houseplants
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Bounce into Spring this Winter
The Garden Workout
Groundcovers: Why They’re Tops Wake Up and Smell Your Garden
The All-Season Container
2 • Your Garden • May 2012
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Your Garden • May 2012 • 3
Good Morning!
For those of us with a passion for plants, nothing is better than time spent in the garden — unless it’s time spent reading and learning more about the art of gardening. Welcome to Your Garden, your source of inspiration, information and practical advice to help make every moment in your garden count.
I n
T h i s
I s s u e
Workout While You Weed No longer must you choose between tending the plants and hitting the gym. With the right tools and the right technique, you can burn calories and build muscle from the comfort of your own garden.
Fall into Spring A great spring garden starts now. Make it magnificent with these 12 tips for harvest season.
Foolproof Houseplants Forget watering. Some houseplants are so easy to care for even you won’t kill them.
Keeping Your Garden Covered Tired of mowing? Mired in mulch? Groundcovers and ornamental grasses can be a low-maintenance way to keep out weeds and bolster your landscape.
You Measure Your Project — We Will Calculate Materials Needed
Meet the Gardener: Sheldon Fleming This Georgian loves to garden. He’ll teach you why.
Beauty Lies in the Nose of the Beholder A garden’s true delight resides in its aroma, so why are fragrance flowers missing from your garden? They’re easy to maintain, and you reap the benefits every time you inhale.
All for One and One for All Seasons change, but gardens don’t have to. The right pot with the right style can keep a garden contained all year long.
The Force of Bulbs Create a lush garden inside and out by forcing bulbs for fresh flowering all year long.
Plus: • Harvest Now to Make Your Own Herb Vinegar • Save the Pots, Treat a Pet • Put Soil to the Test • ‘I Spent $64 and All I Got was this Stinking Tomato’
We Deliver!
4 • Your Garden • May 2012
Put Soil to the Test
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Acid or alkaline? It’s a question that could change the way a garden grows.
Pick a Number: Healthier, tastier food starts with testing your soil's pH level.
Let’s dish dirt. Although fall has just descended you’re probably eager to start your spring and summer gardening: Take a moment to get the ground ready before you do any planting. You’ll harvest healthier vegetables and grow lovelier flowers if you do your groundwork. Here are three steps you should take, say gardening experts. First, have your soil analyzed for its pH (degree of acidity or alkalinity) level. Different plants thrive at different levels. Greens grow best with a soil pH around 6 to 6.5, according to the National Gardening Association. Potatoes prefer a slightly lower pH, around 4.5 to 6, while mint enjoys an alkaline soil with a pH between 7 and 8. Either send a soil sample to the cooperative extension service of your local university and ask that it be tested for its pH level or buy a home kit and do it yourself, says New Jersey gardener Ken Druse, author of “The Passion for Gardening” (Clarkson Potter, 2003). Your cooperative extension service will tell you how to adjust for too much acidity or alkalinity. “If you don’t do it, you’ll pay for years,” Druse says. “Few people have perfect soil,” he says “All soil benefits from the addition of organic matter. If you have sandy soil you have to add organic matter; if you have clay soil you want to add organic matter.” The cheapest option for “organic matter” also is the most convenient: the leaves you’ve saved from fall’s raking. “There’s no excuse to not save leaves. You’ll have mulch as the leaves are ground up,” Druse says. You also can buy well-composed cow manure or coir, a recycled byproduct of coconut processing. Coir, which Druse recommends, has an ideal pH range of 6 to 6.7 and holds water well. Some garden experts advise not using peat moss. It’s very acidic and repels water. Now get digging! –Bev Bennett © CTW Features
Save the Pots, Treat a Pet Keep Rover happy by giving him his own outdoor space.
niture that allows an animal access. “Make sure to trim the plant as it grows,” she says. “All animals have a need for greenery and will do whatever it takes Pets and plants are the to get it.” yin and yang of gardening, Outdoors, Leake and balancing lush green- Schilder recommends ery with the desires of a creating a pet sanctuary, roughage-seeking animal either a sandbox or a is the ultimate challenge grassy patch, designed just for greenthumbs. for your pet. “Put down “One of my co-workers some treats and toys, and has a desk full of houseyou’ll create a place they plants because her cat like to go to that’s away keeps chewing on them,” from the off-limits areas,” says Mary Leake Schilder, she says. public affairs manager for All destroyed plants the Progressive Animal aside, the real issue is that Welfare Society, better pets can suffer illnesses known as PAWS, Seattle. ranging from vomiting “Not having an indoor and seizures to death plant is the safest bet.” depending on the toxicity Those unwilling to of the plant. It is imporgive up either plant or ani- tant to determine what mal should follow a few was ingested and how basic rules. Leake Schilder much, and then call a vet says it’s pertinent to locate for further information. a surface to which your “When dogs get into pet can’t ascend - a difchocolate you have to ficult chore. A hanging squirt hydrogen peroxide plant is the best solution down their throats to provided that it doesn’t induce vomiting, which dangle near a piece of fur- will work for plants, too,” Schilder says. Oleander and certain tulip bulbs are fatal. For a complete list of toxic plants, consulting The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Web site - www.aspca.org -before planting. –Matthew M.F. Miller © CTW Features Terrier in the tulips: Dogs love the outdoors just as much we do, so why not give them their own space.
Your Garden • May 2012 • 5
6 • Your Garden • May 2012 Mix up some herb vinegars to extend the windfall into winter. Buy labels to mark each as your own special recipe and pass out bottles as gifts to friends. Who’s to know it’s not homegrown? Here’s how to put by your, ahem, harvest.
The Lazy Gardener’s Corner:
Harvest Now to Make Your Own Herb Vinegar Any right-thinking gardener who planned ahead is now scissoring handfuls of basil, chives, oregano, thyme and dill. Those of us who couldn’t or just plain didn’t plant ahead can still get in on the harvest. Fresh packets of herb branches and
even pots of planted herbs are available year-round at many grocery stores. Visit a grocer or local farmer’s market and load up. Use fresh herbs to enhance salads, soups and meats. Ambitious?
‘I Spent Hard? Costly? Not Gardening $64 and All I Got was this Stinking Tomato’
William Alexander knows all too well the requisite trials and tribulations a home gardener goes through. The patience-waning work that went into his own “money-pit” of a garden is chronicled in his book, “The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden” - the $64 being the amount he figured he invested in his garden for each tomato harvested. To avoid his fate, Alexander offers these tips: 1. Start small and stay small Alexander and his wife watched their kids play baseball on a patch of land for two years while they looked though garden picture books that fueled extravagant plans for their future garden. Two thousand square feet and 22 garden beds later, “We ended up with more maintenance than the two of us could handle,” he says.
2. Deal with the fact that animals are going to get into your garden All the netting and electric fencing in the world won’t
Red Wine Vinegars • Thyme, rosemary, oregano • Basil, rosemary, tarragon, marjoram, mint, bay, dill seed, black • Peppercorns and whole allspice berries • Cilantro, hot red pepper and garlic • Lemongrass, lemon verbena, lemon zest and green peppercorns • Sage, parsley, bay Burnet, borage and dill White Wine Vinegars • Basil, parsley, fennel and garlic • Tarragon, spearmint, lemon balm, whole cloves and peppercorns • Thai basil and hot red pepper • Orange mint, coriander seeds and lemon zest • Tarragon, lemon thyme and chive blossoms • Dill, mint and garlic cloves • Savory, tarragon, chervil, basil and chive Source: Dr. Lelia Scott Kelly, Mississippi State University Extension Service © CTW Features
keep out the hungriest and most determined rodents, and don’t forget about insects. Alexander gave up on his organic garden when he had to decide between perfect sprayed apples or no apples. 3. Don’t plant more than you can use. “The biggest problem is what do you do with all the damn stuff,” Alexander says. When you’ve made a bottle of pickles or jam, clearly it’s a gift that’s been labored over, but if it’s a bag of zucchini it might be a different story. 4. Don’t do what he did Keep in mind the Rule of 32: “Any project you undertake is going to take three times as long and cost twice as much,” he says. “If you’re on a limited budget or a limited space ... grow what you love and can’t get fresh.” -Timothy R. Schulte © CTW Features
Katherine Alexander
No harvest, no problem: Hit up a local grocer or farmer’s market for your herb needs.
Wash herbs in cold water and pat dry. Make sure herbs are thoroughly dry before packing them into large-mouth glass jar. Cover the herbs with your choice of vinegar. Cover the top with wax paper and secure with a rubber band. Do not use metal lids because the vinegar will corrode them. Put the jar in an out-of-the-way place for 3-4 weeks. Stir periodically and push herbs down into the vinegar. After several weeks, strain the herbs out of the vinegar and discard them. A coffee filter works well for this. Now you’re ready to pour the flavored vinegar into your decorative jars and add a sprig or two of fresh herbs for decorative purposes. Cork, label with a recipe card or serving suggestions and
Try this recipe for flavored vinegar or invent your own.
Algonquin Books
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You’ll need: • Fresh herbs • Red or white wine vinegar, rice vinegar or cider vinegar (Do not use white vinegar as the taste is too sharp) • Large-mouth glass jars for steeping • Wax paper, rubber bands • Decorative glass containers for the finished vinegars
tie on a pretty raffia or cloth ribbon and you’re done.
Your Garden • May 2012 • 7
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Workout While You Weed
By Dani Altieri Marinucci CTW Features
We live in such a sedentary society that any active movement is advantageous to the human body. Celebrate the benefits of warm weather activities like gardening as a perfect vehicle to enrich the body. Besides being sensible and fun, gardening actually can provide aerobic exercise, resistance training and burn calories.
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8 • Your Garden • May 2012
“Gardening brings up an important concept,” says Dr. Susan Joy, director of Women’s Sports Health at The Cleveland Clinic, Independence, Ohio. “Routine daily physical activities accumulate to have significant, positive health benefits like fighting heart disease, diabetes, depression and hypertension. Anytime you are using your body it is a good thing.” If you have not had a recent medical check up, warns Dr. Joy, get one prior to beginning any rigorous physical activity. “Before ripping apart your back yard, you want to be screened for any undiagnosed cardiac disorders or other health problems,” she says. Once you’ve got the medical OK, getting your heart pumping is as simple as putting a little flair into the job. Fitness guru and author Jeff Restuccio has been promoting aerobic gardening for 16 years, and his secret to a great workout is exaggerating your efforts. “By exaggerating your range of motion, a concept I borrowed from my martial arts training, you can create repetitive sets of movement that imitate working on a weight machine,” says Restuccio, who in addition to writing “Fitness the Dynamic Gardening Way” (Balance of Nature, 1992) is a first-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. “I take the Zen approach: I garden to exercise and exercise to garden.” Restuccio recommends starting with a brisk walk to warm up muscles then follow with stretching legs and lower back: touching
toes, twisting at the waist and extending arms out to the side while tilting to the left and right. When gardening, remember variety, both in stance and activity, is the key to safe and efficient movement. Switch your positions from standing to kneeling to squatting every 5-15 minutes and alternate gardening activities from one day to the next, giving the upper and lower body equal attention. Restuccio also employs a series of activities that include using long-handled tools, such as the rake or hoe. “Get into a wide leg stance, with knees bent and back straight, in a crouch position. Rake or hoe in wide, sweeping movements, keeping them smooth and steady.” Another of his favorites is the lunge and weed. “Using a hand weeder, lunge with one leg straight back and bend the other knee in front of you. The pushing and pulling motion is excellent cardiovascular action that exercises legs, arms, shoulders and back muscles.” Proper tools and technique can prevent injury and make the job more enjoyable. Since yard work can be hard on knee joints, consider using kneepads or even a gardening stool to avoid undo stress and strain. Restuccio considers his Smith & Hawken long-handled weeder essential. “It’s the absolute ultimate exercise implement besides being the finest engineered gardening tool.” Taking our workout outdoors and combining it with something we find enjoyable makes getting and staying in shape easier. “We generally think of exercise as something we have to do at the gym,” says Dawn Smith, a 14-year Weight Watchers leader, Cleveland. “But people are more motivated to get moving when it involves an activity they enjoy. We are constantly discussing ways our members can boost their activity level by making it a part of their everyday routine.” “I’ve built a pull-up bar and
Your Garden • May 2012 • 9 a sit-up board in my back yard,” Restuccio says. “After mowing, planting or picking I do a few sets of pull-ups, dips and situps. Aerobic gardening takes a conscious effort. With practice over time and seasons, you will automatically adopt the concept and reap the rewards.” The body needs both daily physical activity and planned, repetitive exercise, says Dr. Joy. So unless your gardening gives you the necessary 30-60 minutes of sustained aerobic exercise that boosts the heart rate, don’t be tempted to skip that brisk nightly walk. When working in the yard become familiar with proper lifting techniques - let your legs do the work, NOT your back; gather the appropriate tools for the job you plan to do; remember to hydrate, especially in warm weather. Dr. Joy suggests stopping to take a drink every 15-30 minutes and avoid working in the yard between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the peak sunshine hours. And don’t forget the sunscreen - at least SPF 30. Most importantly, discontinue gardening and contact your physician if you experience back pain, chest pain or dizziness. Dr. Joy’s final words: “Start low and go slow.” The secret to aerobic gardening, says Restuccio, is focusing on exercises while doing something meaningful and enjoyable. “This is not gardening as you know it. But with practice, it becomes second nature and it is something you can teach your children and grandchildren.” © CTW Features
Burn them up! Gardening is a great way to get fresh air and burn calories. These activities can help you and your yard get in shape: Activity
Calories Burned* 15 min 1 hr
Gardening with heavy power tools, tilling, chain saw; mowing lawn with walking hand mower
85
340
Mowing lawn walking power mower
77
306
Clearing; hauling with wheelbarrow; digging, spading, composting Planting trees, seedlings and shrubs; trimming with manual cutter; weeding, cultivating garden
68
272
60
238
Raking lawn
56
224
Bagging grass, leaves
51
204
Trimming shrubs with power cutter; operating leaf blower or power edger
43
170
Picking vegetables with moderate effort; picking up lawn, gathering and returning gardening tools
34
136
Applying fertilizer or seeding lawn; cutting lawn with riding mower
26
102
Watering lawn or garden while standing and walking
9
34
*Approximate calories burned based on a 150-pound person doing activities for 15 minutes and for 1 hour. Source: CalorieLab, Inc. Calories burned represent the net number that an activity uses beyond normal resting metabolism. Note: Heavier people burn more calories than thinner people doing the same exercise.
10 • Your Garden • May 2012
Your Garden • May 2012 • 11
A great spring garden starts now. Make it magnificent with these 12 tips for harvest season. By Rosemary McCreary CTW Features
F
inal bits of bloom and dynamic foliage bring lingering pleasure at the end of the gardening year, but, all too often, carting away piles of fallen leaves and the last of the annuals dampens our enthusiasm for being outdoors. While it’s true that cleanup chores need doing, there’s still plenty of satisfying, end-of-season gardening activities that goes along with them, simple tasks that lead to a big payoff and an even more magnificent garden next year. If fall chores seem overwhelming, try breaking them down into related activities with a focus on the rewards you’ll reap next season.
Scotts
Fall into Spring Invasion prevention: A deep cover of mulch will not only help snuff out weed seeds but prevent them from sprouting in the spring. Autumn abundance: Late-season harvests like pumpkins, squashes and gourds will provide you with food and décor throughout the fall and winter months.
Late Harvest 1. Before the first frost, harvest pumpkins, winter squashes and gourds to preserve them for food and dŽcor for months to come. After vines are fully colored and rinds are hard, cut off fruits with about 3 inches of stem. Rinse off any soil clinging to skins to prevent spoilage, then cure in a warm, dry area for a couple of weeks. For long-term storage, move them to a cooler location. Inedible gourds take longer to dry completely but can be urged along with a tiny hole drilled in the bottom. 2. Cool-season beets, leeks, various greens and carrots need to come indoors in the next few
weeks, along with late peas, corn and beans. Don’t overlook late potatoes - their vines should be well dried by now. With so many vegetables finishing their days, it’s no wonder we celebrate harvest time. 3. Preserve herbs for use over winter by cutting fully ripe stems on a cool, dry morning when oils are concentrated. Each taste of thyme and scent of lavender will take you back to the joys of summer gardening. Cut annual herbs as long as plants are producing, but stop cutting perennials about a month before your first freeze. Dry them in bunches, hanging from stems after you clean away yellowed and
damaged leaves. Compost 4. As you rake up fallen leaves, build them into a compost pile with refuse from your flower and vegetable beds, grass clippings, kitchen scraps and manure. At the end of apple harvest, toss in leftover damaged and fallen fruits. By the time you’re ready to plant in spring, salvaged nutrients from this year’s garden will be ready to work into fresh beds. There’s no better soil amendment than compost you make yourself. As you collect materials for your compost pile, pass right by any sturdy ornamental grasses. Their golden hues are among the most striking of winter-worthy plants.
12 • Your Garden • May 2012 Wait to cut them back in very early spring or whenever growth resumes. Planting and Planning 5. Planting spring-blooming bulbs in fall is one of the fastest and easiest ways to perk up the garden after bleak days of winter. Follow directions that come with bulbs for planting depth, but for the most dynamic display, set them closely together, shoulderto-shoulder, in groups of 8 to 12, then repeat the pattern a few times. To bring back the essence of spring year after year, plant perennial Darwin hybrid tulips. Other types are best planted yearly. For variety, try some of the new double narcissi and fragrant pastel hyacinths or fritillaria’s dangling bells. 6. While the ground still is soft and workable, prepare a spot for a flowering shrub to plant bare root in late winter or very early spring to complement spring bulbs. By working in fresh manure now, the site will be ready for planting in a
few months. Mock orange (Philadelphus) and lilac are good choices for their intoxicating scents and use in bouquets. Variegated pinkblooming weigela maintains foliage tints for three seasons until leaf-drop in winter. If you want to perk up spots in an autumn garden with more vibrant foliage than you have this fall, choose jewel colors of oak-leaf hydrangea that deepen to garnet and amethyst. 7. Cut down on weed invasions next spring by mulching pathways now to snuff out weed seeds. With a deep cover, you’ll stop them from sprouting. 8. Even though growth has slowed, plan to water the garden if heavy rains fail to soak the soil. Deep watering before the first heavy frost is essential to provide moisture for roots during the cold season. Turf Time 9. Southern lawns can wait until spring for serious work,
but northern lawns are ready to be fertilized. The healthiest and greenest grasses result from applying slow-release nitrogen once in early fall and again in late fall after the first frost - then repeating the dual process after grass greens up in spring. Overgrown lawns in heavy soil should first be de-thatched and aerated; fill in sparse lawns by overseeding. Don’t forget to put grass clippings in your compost when you mow low before renovating.
rub in a coating of boiled linseed oil.
Cleaning Up 10. Here’s a task you can save for a rainy day, as it works well to sit under cover as you remove soil, grit and grime before storing your garden tools. Cleaning them protects your investment, extends their life and starts you off in good stead when gardening resumes next season. Use oil and steel wool as needed to clean sap from pruning shears and rust from all tool heads. Sharpen edges yourself or take them to a sharpening service. Sand down wooden handles and
12. In climates subjected repeatedly to waterlogged soil or freezing temperatures, dig up tender bulbs such as dahlia and gladiolus and store indoors. Empty out planted containers to protect them from freezing and cracking. And pass by semi-woody perennials, such as the ghostly white stems of Russian sage (Perovskia) and shrubby growth of bluebeard (Caryopteris), without grooming them. Wait to prune until basal buds pop out in spring.
Prep For Winter 11. Shelter strawberries in early fall from cold, desiccation from drying winds and disease. First, mow or cut back plants above the crowns, then mulch with two inches of dry straw after several nights of hard frost and before the soil freezes. In northern climates, wait until the soil freezes to mulch perennials and shrubs.
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Your Garden • May 2012 • 13
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14 • Your Garden • May 2012
Foolproof Houseplants Forget watering. Some houseplants are so simple to care for even you won’t kill them.
International Flower Bulb Centre
Sunlight or no light: Remember that while some can plants can handle up-and-down sun exposure and one-drink-a-month abuse, no plant is immortal.
Smith & Hawken
OK, just how brown is your thumb? If you think that you can kill a houseplant just by looking at it, think again. Mary Kate Hogan, senior features editor for Good Housekeeping magazine, can name “37 Houseplants Even You Can’t Kill,” her upcoming book from Sterling Publishing due out in March. “I’ve always loved houseplants,” Hogan says. “Like most people, I don’t have much time for upkeep, so I’m naturally attracted to the easiest plants to grow. Weeks may go by before I remember to water certain plants in my house. If I didn’t have super-hardy plants, my rooms would be filled with a bunch of dead leaves.” While no plant truly is immortal, some really do require almost no care. “You would be amazed how long you can go without watering some of them,” Hogan says. “You would have to come up with a pretty elaborate murder plot to get rid of plants like my rubber tree plant and my schefflera. I routinely ignore them, and they still look great.” You can’t get much more low-maintenance than that. Or can you? Richard Christakes, nursery manager for Alsip Home & Nursery in St. John, Ind., names mother-in-law’s tongue as a can’t-miss plant. “I have one that’s maybe eight years old. I planted it out of a four-inch pot. It’s now in a 16-inch pot. I water it like once a month, if I remember. It’s
Scotts
By Beth Kujawski CTW Features
Palm and under control: Although pricey because of their long cultivation period, indoor palms, left, adapt well to their conditions and can deal with neglect. Dracaenas, right, also flourish in an indoor environment.
Holiday showstopper: Plant amaryllis in late October or early November and you’ll look like a pro in seven to 10 weeks.
completely effortless. I almost forget that I have it. It’s like a piece of furniture.” Other “almost-indestructible” plants, according to Hogan, are cast-iron plant, dumb cane, heart ivy, lacy-tree philodendron and Wandering Jew. Christakes gives a nod to ivies (“very, very simple”), and, a bit surprisingly, orchids. “There’s a misconception that orchids are very difficult,”
kept in direct sun. Phalaenopsis orchids have the same light requirements, but should be watered about every 10 to 14 days during the winter. (Also, note that orchids aren’t potted in traditional soil, but rather in bark.) If you’re not sure about which plants will fare well in your house, consider the plants you see in your office. Surely if they can grow under all that fluorescent light, they can grow in your
he says. “But Phalaenopsis and Dendrobium orchids bloom for a very, very long time with very little feeding. They’re very easy to take care of. They don’t need a lot of light. They don’t require a lot of water.” Like none. Dendrobium orchids shouldn’t be watered from November to February. In a home with central heating (and prone to dryness), plants should be misted once a month. And while they like light, they might scorch if
Your Garden • May 2012 • 15 home. Two of the most common office plants that also make great houseplants are pothos and dracaena. Dracaena is actually an entire family of plants, and you’ve probably seen them all before. The most popular members of the family are Janet Craig, Marginata, Massangeana and Warneckii. If you’re interested in maximum drama for minimum effort, several plants will meet your needs. Parlor palm (also known as table palm) is adaptable to almost any growing condition. If you’ve ever wondered why palms can be pricey, it’s because they’re slowgrowing plants and take a long time to cultivate before they’re sold. A 36-inch parlor palm probably is about 2 years old. But they offer a lot of bang for the buck. Hogan likes dwarf schefflera and lacy-tree philodendron for their grand presence. “These plants are ones you often see in restaurants, office buildings, and malls, but you never knew the name of them,” she says. As daylight wanes, consider the Christmas cactus. “One thing that
causes it to bloom is shorter days,” Christakes says. “That’s why they call it Christmas cactus. It requires very little water, very little light and very little attention. I have one in a bathroom with no light and I water it once a month.” While it does do well in even the most desperate conditions, keeping the plant in a sunnier location will boost its blooms. And lastly, with the holidays on the horizon, the time is nigh for a simple showstopper. “If you like flowering plants, amaryllis are ... incredible,” Hogan says. Amaryllis will bloom seven to 10 weeks after they’re potted, so if you want showy flowers for the holidays, plan your planting for late October to early November. “They will only last for one season - and then you can get them to bloom again the following year but their huge, colorful blossoms are gorgeous. When people see amaryllis growing in your home, they immediately think you must be a plant genius.” © CTW Features
Soil Secrets
Don’t treat your plant to dirty dirt Richard Christakes, nursery manager at Alsip Home & Nursery in St. John, Ind., shared a dirty little secret: “The soil that you use is very, very important. If you use the right soil to begin with, you won’t have as many under- or overwatering problems because of drainage. Drainage is always the No. 1 issue.” He says potting mix should have a combination of perlite, vermiculite and peat. (Specifically, he recommends the Schultz brand, but says because it’s geared toward independent garden centers, it’s harder to find at big-box stores.) He also recommends changing a plant’s soil, ideally once a year. Why? Isn’t dirt just dirt? Well, no. “There are only so many nutrients in the soil,” he says. “You do need to replace them.” But take the time to remove the plant from its container, clear away all the soil and start fresh. “If you leave half at the bottom, when that soil is decomposing, it’s actually robbing nutrients from the good soil,” he says. So get your hands dirty. “Getting off on the right foot with the plant is going to give you years of enjoyment.” © CTW Features
16 • Your Garden • May 2012
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Your Garden • May 2012 • 17
Meet the Gardener Sheldon Fleming
This Georgian loves to garden. He’ll teach you why. By Timothy R. Schulte CTW Features
What were your thoughts when you received the Jane L. Taylor Award? Wow! To be judged by your peers and such a high-esteemed organization, it’s quite an honor. You think folks aren’t watching, then they present you with an award like that - it’s quite an honor. Did it make you feel like you’ve met your goals with Wonderland Gardens? No. The complete opposite - now what? (laughs) Now what? Where is this taking me?
Have any of your goals for Wonderland changed? Not so much changed as it is continuing the journey. The award re-instills that fact that I’m on the right path, doing the right thing. How do you gets kids out to the Gardens? Do their parents bring them or do they come with field trips or camps? All of the above. It is the gamut of community that goes through Wonderland Gardens. I’m recognizing the joy that adults feel
Photos courtesy Sheldon Fleming
S
heldon Fleming loves to teach about gardening, and apparently he’s pretty good at it. In April, the American Horticultural Society presented the Decatur, Ga., gardener with the Jane L. Taylor Award for his work with youths at the Wonderland Gardens, the 20-acre public garden and education center he founded in Decatur in 1997 that also serves as the classroom for gardening class he instructs for the Georgia Perimeter College. With the students at recess, the teacher spoke with us about the young gardeners and how his life on the Alaskan frontier has shaped his Southern hospitality.
Sheldon Fleming founded the Wonderland Gardens, above, in 1997. and know what that feeling is. The kids don’t know what it is but they feel the same thing that we feel. They’re mesmerized by all the butterflies ... the music from the birds, hearing the waterfall. These kids are in discovery mode - they’re not used to being in such a beautiful spot. Do they come in with any reservations or misconceptions about gardening? No. It’s not hard work; that is probably what they expect, but
since we don’t approach it like that it doesn’t open that opportunity for them to say ‘I’m not gonna do this.’ What do you see the kids learning when they’re there? There’s some obvious things. That’s a tomato and not a green apple, vegetables do grow on plants. Those obvious things, but then there’s other things you’ll see, life-learning lessons: There is beauty in a garden. Seeing a child stand there and watch butterflies is a beautiful thing to see.
18 • Your Garden • May 2012 What do you learn out there? That I’m doing the right thing. Connecting people to nature. How to be good stewards to the land.
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How’s the gardening in Decatur? It’s wonderful being in Atlanta to garden. We have four seasons here. This is perfect gardening for me. We use a lot of native plants, do a lot of Have we not been good stewards to composting. And plus, fortunately, the land? I’m on an old dairy. Cows grazed I think we’ve neutralized ourselves. on where Wonderland is for over I think there’s persons in this world 50 years, so we are quite fortunate that don’t see the paper [on the to be on this piece of property and ground]. That scares me when you benefiting from the history. I’ve got don’t see the paper. I recognize you 3-inch caliber Chinese elms that may not pick it up, but at least are now 9-inch caliber over a 5-year see the paper. In our schools ... if period of time. Magnolias that have students don’t see the paper that tripled in size over a four-, five-year they’re dropping, that’s what we got period of time. to fix. But some folks are scared of the What about with putting in more red clay there. than we take out? It’s treacherous. When it’s hard it’s Wonderland has never looked as like rock. You come down here good as it looks today. It’s always from the North and you’re used to looked good, but it’s never looked that rich, loamy soil, black soil, you this good. To go into our tenth year start getting this clay come June, and being able to move forward July. It can be quite painful trying season after season these 10 years, to dig in clay. If you work the soil and the garden look as good as your plants will be just fine. If you it looks, it’s because people have put a $3 plant in a $6 hole, you’re begun or have respected this piece going to have a successful plant. of property. I think that when [the kids] go home I think that it If you could grow only one plant, extends into their home. what would it be? ‘Miss Huff’ Lantana. It’s just As a child did you have a mentor amazing, you cut it down to two that introduced you to gardening? inches in the spring and it jumps I’d have to say my dad is the one up five feet in a month and half, who introduced nature to me. I’m and all of a sudden it’s just covered originally from Alaska, and we with these beautiful orange flowers. would go to the glaciers and go to Then you see the butterflies just Mt. McKinley. covering it, the bees just attacking it, hummingbirds. It just comes to What’s the growing season like up life, which in turn brings the garden there? alive. It’s more than just a beautiful Well it’s a short growing season flower, it brings a lot of activity to (April, May, June; May, June, July) the garden. but it’s 24-hour daylight. Allday daylight. So that vegetable is Any secrets buried in the garden growing in 23 hours of daylight, so we don’t know about? the amount of time it takes to grow Sweet potatoes. Because most don’t [in Georgia] is a week, it gets that know that you can eat the sweet in two days in Alaska. potato leaves. I have enough sweet potato leaves on my vines right How does your life in Alaska affect now to start picking a meal. So you life now? you’re eating sweet potato leaves all You got the tundra in Fairbanks, summer long and fall is time for mountains, glaciers ... it’s sweet potatoes. nothing but a huge park. After about six, seven years [at How do you use them? Wonderland] I realized this ain’t You sautŽ them like spinach. got nothing to do with me and Onions, a little garlic, olive oil, and landscaping, this has everything to they cook down very quickly like do with the fact from Anchorage, spinach does. Delicious. Alaska. That’s why my dreams are so big. The landscape just continues. © CTW Features
Your Garden • May 2012 • 19
20 • Your Garden • May 2012
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Your Garden • May 2012 • 21
Keeping Your
Garden
Covered Tired of mowing? Mired in mulch? Groundcovers and ornamental grasses can be a low-maintenance way to keep out weeds and bolster your landscape. By Paige Bowie CTW Features
M
ulching is one of those seasonal rituals that many gardeners would prefer not to bother with, but there’s no way to escape the need to suppress weeds around your plants. There is, however, a way to escape mulching. Groundcovers and ornamental grasses are an excellent way to choke out uninvited guests, and most of them don’t require a lot of work. “It’s kind of like raising kids,” says Catherine Renzi of Yellow Springs Farm Native Plants Nursery in Chester Springs, Pa.
“The first year, you have to help them a lot. The second year, you have to help them less. By the third year, they become more independent. “It’s only in the early years that you have to help them compete. Later, you shouldn’t have to weed at all, or at least not very much.” Sometimes fledglings can be helped along by planting through landscape fabric, which allows water in but prohibits weeds from coming up. Throw some mulch on top the first year. As with any other plants, choose grasses and groundcovers bearing in mind the light, moisture, soil quality and likely pests in the area you’re trying to fill, said Lance Walheim, an Exeter, Calif.-
based writer who has authored or contributed to more than 30 gardening books, including titles for the “For Dummies” series on roses, lawn care, landscaping and vegetable gardening. “If you aren’t sure what would be the best fit, contact your local cooperative extension for suggestions that thrive in your region,” Walheim says. Consider, too, whether you want unusual foliage, berries, fall color or winter activity, Walheim adds. Think about whether you want to deter or encourage wildlife, as well. You might welcome butterflies and songbirds, for instance, but be hostile to vegetable-nibbling rabbits. Don’t assume groundcovers have to be boring, either. Lots of flowers can be used as groundcovers, even roses. Jackson and Perkins sells a few exclusive varieties that grow no taller than one to four inches. Roses tend to need a lot of care, though, so be prepared to prune and fertilize.
Another critical factor when choosing a groundcover is aggression. Groundcovers and grasses can spread very quickly, sometimes overtaking lawns and spilling out of raised flowerbeds. If you have a large area to fill, and the plot doesn’t adjoin another space where you have something else planted, very aggressive groundcovers such as sages, thyme, mint or meadow anemone can work just fine, says Renzi. “They spread like crazy.” But be careful what you wish for. The Department of Transportation introduced crown vetch to the United States decades ago because it quickly covered highway embankments and checked erosion on steep slopes. Today, it’s considered an invasive nuisance that threatens ecological diversity by displacing everything around it. “Once it gets established, it’s almost impossible to get rid of,” Renzi says. Herbicides can create a sort of
22 • Your Garden • May 2012
Come to
Work Around the Water
Landscaping with drought-tolerant plants can conserve water and reduce yard trimmings. Marla Ruane, a landscape architect with Greening Fine Gardens, Tuscon, Ariz., offers her five tips. 1. Use a wide variety of drought-tolerant plants (from South America, Central America, Africa, Australia). Using many varieties of flowering plants creates a more balanced environment, attracting beneficial insects, which prevents pest infestation. 2. Grade the landscape to collect rainwater wherever possible (away from house foundations). Aside from saving groundwater, the use of rainwater is important because rainwater contains nitrogen, which feeds plants. 3. Use drip irrigation, a watering system that delivers water at rates of one to two gallons per hour. This method saves water because there is no evaporation and the water delivered in a drip will go much deeper than flood irrigation, which only penetrates approximately seven inches per inch of water depth on the ground. The deeper the water, the deeper the plant’s roots will go to get the water, the longer the plant can go without water. Surface watering causes shallow roots, which dry out more quickly. Even lawns can be trained to become far more drought tolerant by watering longer and less often. 4. In the drip-irrigation system, use separate lines for trees, high-water users, low-water users, annuals, etc., so that you can have more control over quantities and frequencies of water.
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5. Plant with compost and don’t use chemical fertilizer. It’s the same concept as with shallow watering: Chemically fed plants have shallower roots, because the plant gets a quick fix at the surface, and are less drought tolerant.
“demilitarized zone” to contain groundcovers, of course. Or if you’d prefer to avoid chemicals, think about rocks, steppingstones and other landscape features to control them. For slower spread, Renzi likes St. John’s Wort, a yellow-flowering herb indigenous to Europe that is marketed as an alternative treatment for depression, anxiety and sleep disorders. She also enjoys sedums, for their flowers and fleshy, succulent foliage. Another special consideration for selecting grasses and groundcovers is knowing their tolerance for foot traffic - by humans, dogs, whomever. “No plant likes to be stepped on all day, but some tolerate modest to light traffic better than others,” Renzi says. Grass, of course, is the ultimate champ about that sort of thing. And some varieties of it are quite showy. Bill Varga, executive director of the Utah Botanical Center in Kaysville, Utah, uses ornamental grasses throughout his landscape at home. “Especially in areas where you have space for a natural breeze to come through, it can be very interesting,” he says. “Mine are two to eight feet tall, and in the wind it provides an oceanlike perception, which is to me a very attractive feature.” Highlights in Varga’s yard are
blue oak grass, a perennial, and an annual red fountain grass. They get taller as visitors approach the doorstep, so that “it’s almost like they’re walking between the grades of space. It’s a very natural space, one alive with motion,” he says. “It’s a very tactile experience. You can almost touch it.” Varga also likes grasses for their environmental value. Some of them require very little moisture, eliminating the need for sprinklers, and the more low-growing varieties need not be mowed. “Some people use them in place of a traditional lawn,” he said. “If you don’t need a big play area for soccer or to throw a ball, then the other grasses could be an attractive, low-maintenance solution for you.” On the other end of the maintenance spectrum are annual flowers. They must be replanted each year, of course, but some of them blanket the ground nicely and provide stunning color. Verbena and Dahlberg daisies are among Varga’s picks. Either way, define your expectations and limitations clearly before you plant. “You know how much energy and time you want to put in,” Varga says. “It’s a lot more work to fix a problem than it is to pick the right landscaping in the first place.” © CTW Features
Your Garden • May 2012 • 23
24 • Your Garden • May 2012
Beauty Beholder
By Douglas Green CTW Features
T
David Austin Roses
he first question Peter Loewer gets when he talks about flower fragrance is, “Why don’t roses smell as good as
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David Austin Roses
Lies in the Nose of the
Fresh-air fragrance: Planting fragrant flowers, like these hyacinth bulbs, upwind or beneath a window guarantees an aromatic scent every time the wind blows.
they used to?” Loewer, a longtime author and botanical artist, points out two things to his audience. The first is that cut rose flowers mostly come from offshore and are not bred for fragrance,
Not too big: Large-breed roses lose their biological need for fragrance, so keep them reasonable to keep the aroma.
and this is where most folks smell - or don’t smell, as is the case - their roses. The second point is that once you breed a garden rose to be bigger and gaudier, it loses its biological need for fragrance in attracting pollinating insects. “It can attract them by sight, so why have fragrance?” he says. Why have fragrance in the garden, indeed? Scott Rothenberger, a senior designer for Joanne Kostecky Garden Design, Inc., Allentown, Pa., says that even though his firm continues to win major landscape awards, the majority of clients do not request fragrance in their designs. Rothenberger points out that while homeowners might not think of fragrance, “Everyone loves fragrance when they have it,” and he
tries to put fragrant plants into the landscape whenever possible. He suggests a homeowner actively make the request for fragrant plants when working with a new plan. Designers seem to love to include fragrant plants as one aspect of the garden and push for more fragrance even when the average gardener doesn’t. When Rothenberger was asked about the dangers of attracting bees to the garden and potential stings, he pointed out that a bee feeding on flowers is one of the happiest creatures around. “They won’t bother you if you don’t bother them.” he says. Many folks also mistake striped wasps for honeybees. Wasps are more attracted to the sugary fragrances in soft drinks and foods than fragrant plants. It is fragrant landscape
design that Mitzi VanSant, owner of The Fragrant Garden, Austin, Texas, loves to do for her clients. While she’s an expert on roses in the Texas heat, she prefers designing flowery gardens with a wide range of blooming plants. VanSant designs for sequential bloom, so that something is fragrant in the garden all season long. She also recommends gardeners plant fragrant plants in containers and then move those containers onto raised areas or under open windows to maximize the chances of them being appreciated. Her best advice, though, is to plant the most fragrant plants upwind in the garden so the prevailing winds will blow the fragrance to the gardener’s yard instead of the neighbor’s. VanSant says she’s seeing an increasing
Your Garden • May 2012 • 25 demand for her type of gardening because of folks remembering the gardens of their childhood. Fragrance brings back those wonderful memories of long-ago gardens. Even when her clients don’t request a fragrant garden, VanSant puts in fragrant plants because, as she puts it, “Nobody doesn’t want a fragrant garden.” VanSant doesn’t think there’s an increasing demand for fragrant gardens but thinks it is a question of educating her clients as to what is possible in the garden. In contrast, Vinnie Drzewucki, the horticultural information specialist at Hicks Nursery, Westbury, N.Y., says while there may not be a massive increase in plant demand, there is an increase in questions about fragrant plants, particularly roses. He thinks this increased awareness of floral fragrances partially is associated with increased understanding of alternate medicinal practices, such as aromatherapy. “People are almost always interested in rose scent,” he says, “but they don’t want to slave over those roses either.”
Folks are looking for lowmaintenance fragrant plants, and old-fashioned shrub roses fill that bill on Long Island. Impervious to winds and weather extremes, disease-resistant roses, such as the R. rugosa hybrids, will bloom over an extended time and come in a wide variety of heights and colors. On the lighter side of gardening fragrance, Loewer pointed out that one of the great horticultural jokes in films occurred in the classic 1936 movie “Camille.” In the famous opening scene, the heroine (Greta Garbo) stops on the way to the opera to purchase a bouquet of camellia flowers. She inhales the perfume and murmurs appreciatively about the fragrance and the size of the flowers, all the while being scolded by her companion for extravagance. While camellia flowers can be large enough to exclaim over, they have no fragrance. We remember the film, but we treasure our own fragrant memories.
The Best for Scents
The following plants and varieties are some of the very best and represent an excellent starting point for gardeners searching for more fragrance in their gardens. Bulbs Hyacinths Fragrant Tulips - ‘Angelique’ and ‘Ballerina’ are two of the best. Lilium (Lilies) Narcissus (Daffodils) - ‘W.P.’s Favorite’ is one of best
© CTW Features
Fragrant Roses English Roses - Bred for fragrance, any variety of David Austin rose is a winner. Perennials Lavender Cheiranthus (Wallflowers) Dianthus (Carnations) Iris Viola
Annuals Sweet Alyssum Heliotrope Lemon Verbena Sweet Pea Mathiola © CTW Features
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26 • Your Garden • May 2012
All for One and One for All By Hannah Seligson CTW Features
I
n this time-pressed world, where we hardly even have a moment to water our plants, the notion of a pot for every season is, how should we say, so 20th century. The idea, then, is to have one very cool container that you love - something beyond the basic red-clay style - and use it year-round. It’s simple garden math: one pot, four seasons. Here’s how to do (and not do) it. Buy a Big Pot Maureen Gilmer, a horticulturalist and landscape designer, says buying a big pot is the crucial thing to keep in mind for an all-season planter. “The first mistake that people make is that they buy pots that are too small,” she says. “If you have a really tiny pot, you can’t fit the plant in, or you have to hack up the root ball. You need a pot that has three inches of clearance on all sides. For the four-season deal, I’d say to use at least a one-gallon pot.” Make sure, too, that your one-gallon pot has adequate drainage holes. You don’t want your plants to be suffering from too much or too little water. Go for Functional Style Gilmer says that in terms of style, the first thing to keep in mind is that the thicker the pot, the less cracking you will have. So stay away form the Italian terra cotta, which tends to be the most brittle. You don’t want to keep buying pots. The idea is to have one pot last you through all four seasons. Gilmer suggests Asianimported stone-clay pots. “In general, just look for thickstoned pots that have a large opening. Also, avoid pots that
are fluted at the top. If you want to the change the plant, and it’s fluted, it will be hard to get in and out.” Since this is a pot that you are going to have to look at all year, you want to make sure it fits your taste, style and climate. So, think glazes if you live in a hot, dry climate. “A glaze prevents evaporation, which is good if you are trying to conserve water,” Gilmer says. Think of this all-season pot like a wardrobe staple, meaning it has to something that can coordinate with everything else in your garden. “For example, in a tropical garden, I would use a lime green. If your color palette is more Mediterranean, you can use something more subtle,” Gilmer says. Place, Pot, Plant Gilmer advises the process go like this: choose the place the pot goes, then the pot and then the plants. “The logic behind choosing the place first is that it will impact what kind of plants you decide to grow. For example, if you put the pot in the shade, you want plants that grow in the shade. A lot of people make the mistake of getting a plant, and it just wilts in the heat, or languishes because there is not enough light.” Soil Charlotte Kidd, the owner of Garden Design Care and Workshop, Flourtown, Pa., says it’s imperative to have healthy soil mix for an all-year planting plan. Her recipe: one part humus, one part compost or decomposed manure, two parts soil mix and then a slow-release fertilizer. That mixture, she says, can last for a year or more. “I don’t have to go back and keep fertilizing.”
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Seasons change, but gardens don’t have to. The right pot with the right style can keep a garden contained all year long.
Perfect placement: Landscape designer Maureen Gilmer says to pick a location for the pot before picking the actual container and plant. This way the choices can be tailored to fit the sunlight or shade and what is best suited for each. Cookie Wherry, a Chicago master gardener, suggests you also use soil moist, particularly in warmer climates and months. “Especially in the summertime, when people are away and not able to water religiously, the soil moist helps plants stay hydrated, so you don’t have to be at the beck and call of your plants,” she says. Also, be sure to loosen the soil without destroying the roots. “If you are trying to have more than one season in your pot, you don’t want to destroy the roots, as you might want some plants to carry into the next season,” Wherry says. Your Four-Season Planting Plan Summer New Colias. A good summer staple, says Kidd, “Although it’s not going to last through
the winter, they really do spark up a container.” Tonya Lehner Cole, the marketing director for Western Horticultural Products, Sequim, Wash., says there is a new variety of Colias plants called “Texas Parking Lot.” “They were actually found in a Texas parking lot, so you know they can hold up in the heat. Cole says, too, that a lot of spring plants, such as tulips and geraniums, can carry over to the summer. Fall For the fall, Cole recommends going for grasses. “Grasses, like Carex, really hold up and give you a nice texture. All kinds of grasses, however, are a great component for fall planting.” Winter For what is more commonly known as the “off season” in
planting, Cole recommends the Dichroa febrifuga. “It’s a shrubby plant, and the highlight is that you get really bright blue flowers. Plus, it will last you in to spring.” Spring For the optimal planting season, almost anything goes. But try a few of these favorites: Day Lilies -These do very well in containers. Robert Poor’s - Kidd says these do well in the sun, and they don’t mind being overwatered. Herbs - Diversify your all-year planting with some herbs. Kidd recommends oregano, lemon thyme and chives. “Kent Oregano looks particularly great in a container. Just remember to take it inside during the winter.” © CTW Features
Your Garden • May 2012 • 27
28 • Your Garden • May 2012
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