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ALL-TIME FAVORITE GARDEN COLLECTIBLE VOLUME 01 / SPRING 2017

UP IN THE AIR - AIR PLANT SHOW OFF SUCCULENTS GROWING UP GREEN INDESTRUCTIBLE HOUSEPLANTS

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RAW GARDEN ALL-TIME FAVORITE GARDEN COLLECTIBLE

EDITOR James Augustus Baggett

EDITORIAL OPERATIONS MANAGER Cindy Slobaszewski

DESIGNER Chia-An Lin

BUSINESS OFFICE ASSISTANTS Jan Crabb, Kim O’Brien-Wolett

CONTRIBUTING COPY EDITOR Amy Kuebelbeck

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS Gabrielle Renslow, Sue Miller, Lori Eggers, Heather Knowles, Marlene Todd

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Scott Calhoun, Ruth Rogers Clausen, Adam Levine, Tovah Martin, Lee May, Karen Weir-Jimerson, Helen Yoest, Anne Raver, Irene Virag, Sue Whitney, Lauren Springer-Ogden, Marty Ross, Marty Wingate, Debra Prinzing PROOFREADER Joleen Ross CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Helen Smythe ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Heather Knowles EDITORIAL APPRENTICE Kelsey Schirm

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Diana Meinders DIRECTOR, PREMEDIA SERVICES Amy Tincher-Durik QUALITY/TECHNICAL DIRECTOR Dave Wolvek PHOTO STUDIO MANAGER Jeff Anderson PREPRESS DESKTOP SPECIALIST Greg Fairholm COLOR QUALITY ANALYST Pam Powers

ASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR Jennifer Speer Ramundt

BRAND LEADER AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Gayle Goodson Butler

SENIOR COPY EDITORS Sheila Mauck, Metta Cederdahl West

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Chia-An Lin

ASSOCIATE COPY EDITOR Joleen Ross

CONTENT DIRECTOR, HOME DESIGN Jill Waage CONTENT DIRECTOR Laurie Buckle

EDITOR’S NOTE Here at Country Garden we are nothing if not efficient. After all, we’re a team of just three full-time employees-art director, Nick Crow; editorial assistant, Heather Knowles; and me-dedicated to producing four issues every year of America’s favorite garden magazine. We do it with the help of an amazingly talented support staff, including a team of staff photographers; a group of dedicated copy editors; a network of garden writers, photographers, field editors, and producers; and the resources of the Better Homes and Gardens® Test Kitchen and the Better Homes and Gardens Test Garden® here at our headquarters in Des Moines.

With this first issue of the New Year, I wanted to acknowledge the good work of both Nick and Heather, talented professionals who bring their best efforts to every page of this magazine, and dedicated colleagues who make me look forward to coming to the office every day. Last year, Country Gardens was the recipient of a Silver Award of Achievement from the 2012 Garden Writers Association Media Awards program. The Summer 2011 issue of the magazine was selected as the best garden magazine with a circulation of 100,000 or more. I consider this a tribute not only to the dedication of our editorial staff, but also to all the writers and photographers who contribute their expertise to the magazine.

That’s just the way we roll around here.

Editor James A. Baggett

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EDITOR’S NOTE

CONTENTS

02 SHOW OFF SUCCLENTS Succulents are the perfect plant partners for vintage wood and metal castoffs.

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Up in the air

08 UP IN THE AIR Pair easy-care air plants with salvage furniture, tools, and more.

14 GROWING UP GREEN Teenagers learn the practicalities of gardening-and the beauty of it.

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Houseplants

20 INDESTRUCTIBLE HOUSEPLANTS Brown thumbs, never fear, we have a roundup of impossible-to-kill houseplants for you! You can’t go wrong with any of these 43 plants.

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SHOW OFF SUCCULENTS Produced by ANDREA CAUGHEY / Photos by ED GOHLICH

EASY-CARE SUCCULENTS MAKE A CHARMING ADDITION TO VINTAGE FLEA MARKET FINDS.

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SHOW OFF SUCCULENTS

Photos by Felicia Feaster

Succulents are the lazy gardener’s perfect plants. They store water in their juicy tissues to survive extended periods of drought and require less pampeing — watering, feeding, trimming, and repotting—than typical container plants. And these hardy plants are excellent candidates for vintage containers: Succulents thrive in antique pottery, wooden boxes, farming equipment—anything with a little room for soil and a handful of tightly packed sphagnum moss. “I look for containers

“YOU CAN GET AS CREATIVE AS YOU LIKE, AND YOUR PIECES WILL BE ONE-OF-A-KIND.” —BONNIE MANION

that, with the addition of a plant, will really come alive,” says Bonnie Manion, owner of Mon Petit Chou garden antiques in Encinitas, California. “Some interesting vintage containers might include chicken feeders, tool carriers, old pails, corner hayracks, old horse muzzles, sugar tins, funnels, auto oil cans, children’s wagons, strainers— any container with a wonderful vintage patina and look.”

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To protect an antique from soil and moisture damage, line it with plastic.

Although it’s best to provide drainage holes in the bottom of the container, Manion says with indoor succulents, you don’t have to. “Putting small pebbles and a layer of aquarium charcoal in the bottom of a container provides a small amount of drainage and aeration,” she says.

“Just remember, with succulents use a cactus mix instead of all-purpose potting soil-and be sure never to overwater.”

Also remember not to leave a container without drainage holes in the rain or where an irrigation system might over water it. The garden-antiques dealer and custom-container designer encourages home gardeners to be inventive when planting their own containers.

SHOW OFF SUCCULENTS

As the DIY movement grows, so too does interest in trying new techniques to both save money and show your creativity.

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SHOW OFF SUCCULENTS

GALLERY OF SUCCULENTS

Hundreds of species of succulents are suitable for containers. Although there are some hardy types that can survive outdoors in cold winter climates, many of the most interesting forms and variegations are hardy only to areas with warm winters, such as the selections shown here.

The crown jewels of the rosetteforming succulents, easy-care Echeveria come in a rainbow of colors and can be easily found at nurseries. Some of our top picks include rose-colored ‘Afterglow’, frilly-edged ‘Blue Curls’, deep purple ‘Black Prince’, and pearly lavender ‘Perle von Nurnberg’. All Echeveria perform splen didly in containers and grow well in garden beds in mild-summer areas.

There’s more to Crassula than the common Jade Plant (Crassula ovata).

This diverse genus from South Africa

includes mat-forming types with magenta flowers (Crassula schmidtii) and varieties that grow in braid-like geometric patterns (Crassula mucosa). All thrive with little water and well-draining soil.

The leaves of Kalanchoe vary from paddle-shaped (Kalanchoe luciae) to ones that resemble fuzzy elephant ears (Kalanchoe beharensis). Most are native to Madagascar and South Africa and grow well in full sun or light shade (in hot summer climates) with little care.

The plump rosettes and mounding growth habit of Graptopetalum give them visual weight in borders and large containers. On rocky slopes and areas without foot traffic, they make excellent ground covers. If plants get too leggy, snap off long-stemmed rosettes and allow to root in dry soil for more plants.

These primarily low-growing succulents are excellent planted as ground covers, tucked between rocks in walls, and planted to trail over the edges of containers.

Chartreuse Sedum ‘Angelina’ is particularly useful as a bright complement to grey-green Echeveria.

The fleshy rosettes of aeonium come in a rainbow of colors—from lemon yellow (Aeonium ‘Sunburst’) to deep maroon (Aeonium ‘Zwartkp’)—and take little water to thrive. With their bold forms and upright growth habit, they’re a natural choice for accent plants in garden beds and containers.

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SHOW OFF SUCCULENTS

1. Burro’s tail (Sedum morganianum) 2. Aeonium ‘Kiwi’ 3. Graptoveria sp.

4. Graptopetalum hybrid 5. Echeveria sp.

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7.

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Crassula tetragona Portulacaria afra ‘Variegata’ Kalanchoe pumila Echeveria ‘Black Prince’

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UP IN THE AIR Words by TOVAH MARTIN / Photos by JACOB FOX / Produced by NICK CROW

TILLANDSIAS LIVE IN THE AIR WITH THE GREATEST OF EASE.

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UP IN THE AIR

Photos by Jeff Sheldon

Crave something botanical in your home, but lax on little details like watering and repotting? Try an air plant.Tillandsias are adapted to survival without exposure to direct sun or plunging their roots into earth. Instead, these botanical Tarzans spend their lives hanging from trees in the wild, quenching their thirst during rain storms. But they also thrive in other settings. The fact that air plants can make the leap into the average home with the greatest of ease has won these spiky, wispy plants an avid following.

Perfect for indoor gardeners who lack space for houseplants and fmd repotting slightly unnerving, tillandsias

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thrive without requiring soil to nourish their roots. In their native habitats, they wedge in tree limbs where the hairs (trichomes) on their leaves wick nutrition from the atmosphere, doing no harm to their hosts, merely using the tree as a place to rest and dine. Their super-efficient, nourishment-gathering leaves are the reason these plants are so intriguingly clad. Plus, the fact that they’re not grounded frees them from the need for a traditional container. In the home, that translates into all sorts of creative presentations. Not only can air plants dangle from wherever you want them, but you can also pair them with any sort of presentation that strikes your aesthetic fancy. Anything works, from tree burls to the drawers in a filing cabinet.

Spanish moss (T usneoides) is probably the highest-profile family member, but Spanish moss is just the beginning. Over 500 species of tillandsia exist in the wild. Some bristle like botanical porcupines (without the bite); others form soft curlicues at their tips. Many produce colorful

and bizarre flower spikes that remain prime for weeks or even months.

Each rosette sends up only one set of flowers in a lifetime, but after the flowers fade away, the plants continue to live and produce progenies, or pups, which eventually grow to resemble the “mother” plant. The most dramatic specimens result from allowing the plant to develop into a cluster. However, feel free to dislodge progenies and display them separately.

Watering consists of a weekly or twice weekly dunk, and if you imagine how much light you’d receive living under a leafy canopy, you’d be right to offer your plant indirect, but bright sunshine-and a nice place to perch.

UP IN THE AIR

PAIR AIR PLANTS WITH ANY SORT OF PRESENTATION THAT STRIKES YOUR AESTHETIC FANCY.

Air plants can be displayed in open containers without soil.

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UP IN THE AIR

Air plants can be displayed in open containers without soil.

LIGHT AND AIR

WATERING TILLANDSIAS IS EASY

Grow your air plant in a place with bright, indirect sunlight.

If you’re growing under fluorescent lights, eight hours of light daily will do. High humidity isn’t nessessary—normal home conditions are just fine for air plants. Feel free to display an air plant outdoors in indirect sun in summer, but remember to water it during a drought. And be sure to bring it safely back inside before frost. You won’t want to lose your easiest houseplant ever.

Immerse the plant in a container of water for a few minutes, swish it around lightly, and then let it drain upside down. Most air plants prefer water twice a week. However, some tillandsias from drier regions—such as T. xerographica—require water once a week.

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UP IN THE AIR

TAKE A NOTE

AVOID USING SOFTENED WATER

In a typical indoor setting, an air plant watered by submerging shouldn’t need watering for 10 to 14 days. Monitor your plant’s appearance to learn when to water. Take note of how the plant looks the day after watering. Note leaf color and appearance.

Leaves on a drought-stressed air plant may curl under, color may seem flatter, and leaf tips may turn brown.

Use rain water or bottled drinking water. Avoid using softened water; it’s high in salts. If you live in an area with hard water, the chalk content in the water will eventually clog the trichomes on air plant leaves. When you remove plants from the water, gently shake them upside down a few times to dislodge water from the center of the plant.

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GROWING UP GREEN Words by TOVAH MARTIN / Photos by KINDRA CLINEFF

TEENAGERS LEARN THE PRACTICALITIES OF GARDENING-AND THE BEAUTY OF IT.

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Girls already had a strong link with nature, but, still, the Green Teen program focused their passion.

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GROWING UP GREEN

CREATE A VIBRANT COMMUNITY SPACE AND INCREASE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT BY REVITALIZING THIS UNDERUTILIZED URBAN AREA.

The idea was down to earth: Create a community-gardening project for urban teenagers to help nurture a connection to the land. Like a surprisingly prolific plant, the program has grown into much more than expected. In collaboration with a historic New York garden, teens now can access their inner landscape architects, delve into their design instincts, and explore how different garden styles make them feel deep nside.

In 2002, an employee of the Cornell University Cooperative Extension was exploring possibilities for youth grants and came up with the template for Green Teen, a program to empower urban young people in the upstate Beacon, New York, region through agriculture and nutritional awareness. Staff members go into classrooms, talk about where food originates, organize community-garden-

ing initiatives, and bring kids onto farms.

They even develop recipes to expand the participants’ culinary skills. Green Teen also hires students for 10-week stints to plant and tend community gardens, among other activities. “It was my first job,” says Green Teen Rebecka.

“It was kind of a jump start for my future career.” The program was generally food-focused until Helanna Bratman, one of the Cornell staff members, heard about Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield in nearby Hyde Park, New York.

That’s when a gamechanging liaison was born.

Meanwhile, the Beatrix Farrand Garden at Bellefield was deep in the throes of its restoration process. Next door to the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt in Hyde Park, Bellefield was originally designed in 1912 by Beatrix Farrand (1872–1959).

Farrand was the first woman landscape architect in the United States and was famed for spearheading the trend toward herbaceous mixed borders at a time when annual “bedding-out” ruled the day. The mansion associated with the garden later became the headquarters for the National Park Service. But the garden

was forgotten-literally, it was covered in black plastic-until 1994, when the Beatrix Farrand Garden Association came to its rescue. When the nonprofit volunteer group was organized, only a few peonies had survived the plastic shroud. Although few remnants of the original garden remained and planting plans were conspicuously absent, the group wasn’t daunted.

They adapted Farrand’s plan for a nearby garden, secured funding, laid it out, and went to work. They also hired garden historian and educator Anne Symmes to serve as director.

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GROWING UP GREEN

By the time the garden registered on Green Teen’s radar, Bellefield was restored and resplendent with vibrant, colortheme beds that play formality against a natural motif to build volume. Green Teen needed a location to host a fundraiser featuring local food and music, and Bellefield felt like the perfect venue.

The team then sprouted the concept of workshops in the garden. Not only would the program expose the students to an awareness that beauty matters as much as the practical challenges of feeding a family, but exercises were also conceived to give them a taste for the art of landscape design. They were given time to

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explore the garden and its components on an intimate level. They learned about Beatrix Farrand. Symmes taught them common as well as botanical names for flowers. The teens even tried their hands at drawing garden plans. “It was amazing,” Symmes says. “All their designs combined flowers with vegetables.

And all of their designs had a place for contemplation, a place to admire the garden.”

The program was a rousing success.

In addition to time spent planting community gardens and interning at a farm, the students were introduced to a new career possibility. “I will never forget this experience, or the knowledge I’ve gained from this,” Rebecka says. “It’s not just a program; you’re a family.”

The program did even more than change the lives of the students: Bellefield also benefited. “It was an important testimonial to why we restored this garden,” Symmes says. “This garden-created 100 years agostands the test of time. Those kids could feel it. It was so validating.”

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HOW TO GREEN YOUR TEENS During her eight years of workin with the program, Helanna Bratman, resource educator for Green Teen Beacon, has learned a few lessons about how to make a program like this happen. Here are some of her suggestions:

Welcome change. When their mobile farmer’s market didn’t work, Green Teen tried different stops and switched their timing until they found the right formula for success.

Get funding. When students are paid to perform work, they take it seriously and show up reliably. “It’s a different level of commitment:’ Bratman says.

Partner with collaborators. When Green Teen went looking for partners in the community, they cast a wide net to give the teens experience in gardens as well as farms large and small.

Be consistent. The word gets out when programs are in place for years. “We’ve built our reputation over time,” she says.

Custom fit. Every community is different.

What works for one situation might not work in another.

Select carefully. Green Teen gets more than 40 applications for the seven paid positions in its program. Carefully select students who will benefit the most.

Think out of the box. Take a creative approach-that’s how the Bellefield garden liaison came into being. For more information about Green Teen, visit greenteen.org.

Teach flexibility. Not only do the students learn that each year has its successes and failures, but staff should be prepared for whatever comes. Gardening is unpredictable.

Photos by Samilla Maioli

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INDESTRUCTIBLE HOUSEPLANTS Words by TOVAH MARTIN / Photos by KINDRA CLINEFF

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HOUSEPLANTS

Photos by Rowena Cao & Connie Cao

The weather is lousy outside, but it’s nothing that a little haworthia won’t fix.

The climate has been abysmal all week, but thanks to the anthurium, you hardly notice. That’s because houseplants can come to the rescue no matter what’s going on outdoors. With a hoya wafting its perfume beside your favorite sink-in comfy chair, life is heaven. And with the kalanchoe sending its spark of electric color from the corner in the breakfast nook, the vibes are good to go for the rest of the day.

If this picture doesn’t describe your home, you’re missing an opportunity to commune with nature while indoors.

Every room has a spot for houseplants.

Even if your house is lacking in light

or deficient in humidity, you can be an indoor gardener. Your office cubicle also might benefit from a bit of botany. If you think you lack a green thumb, plenty of difficult-to-get-wrong plants are waiting to be adopted.

Although plants that shrug off insults have been around since the Victorians first started inviting botanicals indoors on a regular basis, many of the old faithfuls tottered dangerously on the brink of boring. But no longer. A new generation of houseplants is fully equipped to live happily ever after on anybody’s windowsill. Not only is the scene bound to become greener on the inside of your windowpanes, it can become more colorful, too.

Tough cookies never looked this good before. If ever there was an unremarkable houseplant, aspidistra won the humdrum award. But the cast-iron plant turned from a bore into a sleeper when Aspidistra elatior ‘Milky Way’ became readily available. As impervious to abuse as ever, ‘Milky Way’ adds a constellation of spots and speckles to the show. Ditto for Chinese evergreens. Although the plain Aglaonema commutatum was infinitely willing to survive all manner of abuse, who cared?

That changed with a recent breakthrough series of hybrids. Now there’s ‘Sparkling

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HOUSEPLANTS

HIDING BEHIND YOUR BROWN THUMB? WITH THESE BULLETPROOF BEAUTIES, ANYBODY CAN BRING PLANTS INTO THEIR LIFE AND ONTO THEIR WINDOWSILL. NO EXCUSES. Sarah’, with leaves dotted and dashed by a confetti of cream-and-pink spots and streaks, and ‘Crete’, with bright-red edging outlining the center and margins of each shiny, forest-green leaf.

Similarly, philodendrons stepped into the limelight with a new trend toward multicolor leaves. Chartreuse-and-green Philodendron ‘Brasil’ was one of the earlier introductions with pizzazz. Then along came ‘Pink Princess’-with big green, cream, and bright-pink marbled leaves-to really break through the boredom barrier. Or how about a croton with curly, speckled foliage that looks like someone potted a ram’s horn? Thai: would be Codiaeum variegatum ‘Revolutions’. And these are just the beginning.

The plants are sensational, so display them appropriately. Slap these neversay-die workhorses into tony, creative containers, and you’ve got a package that’s a head-turner. Rather than pushing their congenial personalities, place these seemingly indestructible plants in containers with ample root room.

Similarly, although they’re survivors, give these photosynthesizing family members your best effort. Anything living requires water. For best results, monitor their soil for moisture and hit it with a watering can before it becomes parched.

If you tend toward the other extreme and overwater, try not to nurture them to death with too much of a good thing.

Before you bring any plant into your home, make sure it works with your family.

Some houseplants are toxic to pets and or people.

Take precautions to keep those plants away from anyone in your family who might be prone to do more than admire their beauty. And always wear gloves when working with plants; some can cause skin irritations. For more information,

consult the Poison Control Center in your area, or check the guide to pet-safe gardening from the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (aspca.org) for pet questions.

If you thought houseplants were impossible, think again. Choose one of the many foolproof plants, and bring the outdoors inside. Lack humidity? No sweat. Got a super-sunny sill? Have we got a succulent for you! Only have low light? Plenty of options await. Houseplants are available for a wide range of situations-and for the brownest of thumbs.

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HOUSEPLANTS

HOW TO REPOT A ROOT-BOUND PLANT With a little imagination and help from a drill, this overgrown aloe is getting a whole new look.

Step 1 Turn the plant upside down to reveal the root system and check to make sure the root network is healthy and has filled the container. If the roots are sparse, you can still do a makeoverjust select a container the same size as the previous one.

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Step 2 If the roots warrant a promotion, find a container that is at least an inch wider than the original pot (and don’t shy away from funky). With the help of a drill, you can put in at least three drainage holes, which are key. Drill holes an inch or so apart using a metal bit. If you are working with a clay pot, use a masonry bit. (Caution: Drilling might damage a container. Don’t try this with a valuable one.)

HOUSEPLANTS

Step 3 Tease roots free from the root ball so they’ll quickly penetrate the new soil.

If you want to share the bounty with friends, separate off a “pup” with as many roots as possible. Slip the mother plant into its new container, adding soil around the original root network. Be sure to press the soil around the roots, eliminating any empty holes.

Step 4 Pot the “pup” separately, firming in the soil around the roots and giving the division plenty of expansion room to start a new family.

Step 5 Keep the roots moderately moist and position the plant out of baking sun for a brief adjustment period. One to two weeks should do it. Then place the plants in a sunny window. Voila! Your indestructible houseplant has received a makeover that will add life to your room for a long time.

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Anyone can grow a garden.

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_RAW GARDEN VOLUME 01 / SPRING 2017