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Should You Clean Up Your Perennial Garden This Fall?

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from the editor To clean or not to clean We’ll soon head into that time of year in the garden when the leaves fall, the flowers fade and plants rest. Typically it’s not a time for me to rest as I try and pick up and mulch every leaf that blows into my yard and compost every yellow hosta leaf lying limp on the ground. And most often I run out of time to do it all. But do I really need to be that tidy? It’s a question we get all the time here at Garden Gate and in fact, each of us on the staff probably clean up our garden beds to varying degrees. Chloe Deike reached out to six well-known gardeners and asked them for their perspectives on fall cleanup. She shares their advice on page 30. It’s interesting to see the differences in opinon from gardener to gardener on how and why you should or shouldn’t clean up garden debris. But that’s what’s great about gardening—it’s different for each of us. What works for one person may not work for another, but we can all listen and learn from each other and enjoy the benefits and beauty a garden can bring to us and those that visit our little slice of heaven. Happy gardening!

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features

The Lowdown on the Big Cleanup How

No fall garden should be without a few of these colorful showoffs. See why here.

This plant lover’s garden is terrific all year, but fall is when it’s at its peak. Let’s take a tour!

Late-Season Sages

thoroughly should you clean up your perennial garden in fall? 6 pros weigh in.

Greens

Fall is a great time to grow delicious salad greens. Learn exactly when to plant, how to harvest and how to create the tastiest mixes.

Get Social With Us : 4

www.facebook.com/ GardenGateMagazine

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Autumn Abundance

Be the Best on the Block Stop struggling with a dull-looking foundation planting. Our design advice and plant suggestions can help.

@GardenGateMag on Twitter

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contents

№ 149 OCTOBER 2019

departments 10

WEEKEND GARDENING Create a Spiral Topiary

SHARED WISDOM No Rain? No Problem. You Can Still Have a Gorgeous Garden

NO-FAIL COMBOS Autumn Spice by the Potful

BEFORE & AFTER Smart Sideyard Solution

GARDEN GATE TOP PICKS Make a Statement with These Plants

FROM THE TEST GARDEN What To Do About Boxwood Blight

EDITOR’S CHOICE Grow Late-Season Color in a Snap

in every issue 3 6 8 60 62 66

FROM THE EDITOR GARDEN GATE ONLINE READER TIPS Q&A GARDEN ESSENTIALS FINISHING TOUCHES

BONUS! 67 The Perfect Autumn Garden

Learn the secrets to designing for cooler weather and shorter days. PLUS see our handy regional fall to-do list.

ON THE COVER Containers are an easy way to splash fall color across your garden. Get three no-fail recipes on page 16. Photo: Jack Coyier

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garden gate online WEBSITE • SOCIAL MEDIA • NEWSLETTER • AND MORE!

Fall garden design ideas GardenGateMagazine.com/articles/ design-ideas/

How many bulbs do I need? GardenGateMagazine.com/articles/ how-to/

Notes

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We’re adding new videos every week! See Sherri’s secret to saving money on geraniums every year (hint: it starts in fall!), learn the best way to plant potatoes, watch our fun Container Challenge and more!

READER GARD Award

DEADLINE: October 15TH 2019

Enter your own garden for a chance to be photographed and featured in a future issue of Garden Gate magazine! Open to U.S. and Canadian residents

How To Enter: INSTAGRAM: Submit photos of your garden using the hashtag:

#ggmagReaderGarden MAIL:

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Reader Garden Award Garden Gate Magazine 2143 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312

Email your information and a link to your images in cloud storage (Dropbox, Google Drive, Amazon Cloud Drive, etc.) to ReaderGarden@ aimmedia.com

GUIDELINES: Only amateur gardeners are eligible for awards; participants cannot earn their living from gardening, landscaping or interior design. Gardens that have received other national gardening honors or awards or have been featured in a national magazine are ineligible. Please retain an original copy of your complete entry for your records; materials will not be returned. Images from entries may be shared online. DEADLINE: Submissions must be received by October 15th, 2019. Award winners will be selected by Garden Gate editors to be featured in a future issue. WHAT TO SEND: Send us your name, address, email and telephone number, as well as color photographs, printouts or digital photos of your garden, a rough landscape plan, and a brief description of your garden or garden room. Please limit the number of images to 20, and show us the whole garden — no closeups of flowers.

{ meet } KATIE

MEYER

Senior Graphic Designer (and sometimes photo model... see her topiary skills on page 10!)

WHAT I’VE LEARNED... I don’t have a fancy light setup to start tomato seeds. I start mine in flats in the brightest window I have. When the tomatoes get leggy, I transplant them into plastic cups. Since they can be planted deeply, the legginess doesn’t matter. My latest discovery is using clear cups. You can see the roots and know when it’s time to transplant. A pop-up trash can is a great garden tool. On a reader’s advice, I bought one and use it when I have a bunch of weeds to pull. It cleans out easily and is so simple to store. Heirloom tomatoes are real showstoppers on a caprese platter. Growing up, I never liked tomatoes but now that I grow my own, I totally get it. You just can’t beat the taste of a fresh, warm tomato. ‘Cherokee Purple’ is one of my favorites.

GGMAGEXTRA.com Keep an eye out for this icon throughout the issue and check out GGMagExtra.com for expanded articles online.

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ILLUSTRATION: Carlie Hamilton

Slugs crawl up the sides and gather in the pumpkin. This makes it easy to collect and dispose of them.

great ideas from smart gardeners

A pumpkin for pests Donna Hartman, IA

A sturdy, long, serrated bread knife is a good tool for dividing plants in the fall instead of the standard soil knife or shovel. It’s easier to be precise and control the size of the new plants when you slice the roots like a loaf of bread! Cameron Hutchings, VA 8

Here’s a festive solution to your slug problem: Get a pumpkin! Donna cuts the top off of a pumpkin and cleans out the seeds and pulp. She places it in her hosta bed and lets it collect slugs. She then kills them with soapy water and tosses them in with her yard waste. You can return the pumpkin to the bed and continue to dispose of the slugs as needed. The best part is that it looks more like a decoration than it does a pest trap!

Fill it with firewood Dan and Carol Thompson, NM

Of the many advantages of growing plants in raised beds, Dan and Carol find that theirs keep them off their knees and make gardening more enjoyable. But their raised beds, which are all at least 24 inches tall and 30 inches wide and anywhere from 14 to 36 feet long, require a lot of soil. So Dan and Carol first place split firewood at the bottom of their beds. They caution against using juniper or cedar because oils in the

GA RD EN GATE | O C TO B ER 201 9 | ISSUE 149

wood can be toxic to plants. They layer the firewood in the bottom until it reaches about 14 inches from the top. Amended soil then tops off the last foot or so of space. Water it in well before planting—the wood holds moisture and keeps the watering needs down, and it adds many beneficial nutrients to the soil, which makes growing happy and productive plants a breeze.

Keep your saved seeds dry Evelyn White, VA

It can be disappointing to harvest the seeds from your favorite plants in fall and store them all winter only to find in spring that they have been ruined by moisture and mold. Evelyn stores her seeds in old spice shakers and prescription bottles. Frustrated by losing her seeds to these ailments, she decided to add a small piece of chalk to each bottle. The chalk absorbs moisture and keeps the seeds dry and viable for planting in spring.

you could make

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Write on the poker chip with a fine-tipped permanent marker so that it lasts longer.

PHOTO: © Charles Sorenson

Eastern screech owl Megascops asio

Reusable plant tags

Geranium greenhouses

William Jurney, MN

Elva Groskopf, OR

If you dig up dahlia tubers in the fall to overwinter indoors, here’s a tip from somebody who usually saves more than 250 tubers every year: To keep track of which tubers were which variety, William made plant tags out of plastic poker chips. He drilled a small hole near the edge and wrote the plant variety with a permanent marker. Then he looped a twist tie through the hole and fastened the markers to the tubers. He labels a couple of each variety and stores them in separate wellventilated containers. The plastic plant tags are easy to fasten and remove from the tubers without any damage and are durable enough to use year after year.

If you want to try overwintering plants that are marginally hardy in your zone, then maybe you’ll have success doing what Elva does in her zone 8 garden: In the fall, she cuts geraniums (Pelargonium spp. and hybrids), hardy in zones 10 to 11, back to about 3 inches. Then she cuts gallon-sized water or milk jugs in two and secures one half over each potted geranium to act as mini greenhouses, keeping the geraniums warm. She will water them a couple of times throughout the winter if they seem to get overly dry. They do just fine in the mild winter and even survive the occasional snow. If you live in an area that’s just one or two zones colder than a plant’s expected hardiness, give these repurposed cloches a try!

What it looks like Even though it could very well be living in your neighborhood, it’s tricky to spot this small owl. Six to 10 inches long, the Eastern screech owl can be gray or red, has dark stripes, and blends in with the bark of a tree. It’s easy to recognize its yellow-green beak and ear tufts that stick up (though fluffier young owls don’t have ear tufts), but not its round yellow eyes, as it sleeps during the day. At night you can detect its sound, which is more commonly a trill or a whinny, not always a screech. Where to find it The Eastern screech owl nests in tree cavities and dead snags in wooded areas, but is regularly found living in suburban areas with large trees as well. It is found east of the Rockies. Attracting it to your garden Invite the Eastern screech owl into your yard because it’s a fascinating creature that can benefit your garden. It mostly eats large insects, like beetles and moths, and small rodents, meaning it could help control some garden pests. This owl readily makes a home in a manmade nesting box: Purchase or build your own large box. Give it an entrance hole about 4 inches wide, drainage holes in the bottom and 2 to 3 inches of wood chips or leaves for nesting materials inside. Hang it 10 to 15 feet from the ground.

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WEEKEND GARDENING

Create a Spiral Topiary A lthough it looks difficult, it is actually fairly easy to create and maintain a spiral topiary. Whether in the ground or in a container, a spiral topiary is a little touch of whimsy with a decidedly formal flair. You can find a 4-foot tall evergreen topiary like this for sale at nurseries and garden centers for $100 and up. But you can get the hands-on satisfaction of doing it yourself for less than half that amount. Evergreen trees and shrubs like the dwarf Alberta spruce here make the best spiral topiaries because of their sturdy trunks and year-round color. Conically shaped trees are the easiest to clip into a spiral shape. Common boxwood, Italian cypress and privet are also excellent candidates. Check with your local garden center for the best choices for your region. Curvy-swervy topiary is not just for formal gardens. It can transform a deck, a bed or a border from just-OK to pictureperfect without a hint of pretense. There’s something about a spiral that makes people smile. Use a pair to frame a vista or to flank a front entrance or garden gate. Planted in large terra-cotta pots, a pair can add pop to the corners of a parterre. Or dress up and complete a romantic cottage garden. Plant a line of spiral topiaries in a contemporary garden and take the space from textbook modern to something fun and personal. —James A. Baggett MATERIALS & TOOLS ® ® ®

Small, conical evergreen Garden pruners Flagging tape or ribbon

Watch our video on how to make a spiral topiary. GGMagExtra.com

GA RD EN GATE | O C TO B ER 201 9 | ISSUE 149

If you want to create a pair of topiaries, wrap both spirals first to make sure you will have a matched set.

Botanical Names Boxwood Buxus spp. and hybrids Dwarf Alberta spruce Picea glauca albertiana ‘Conica’ Italian cypress Cupressus sempervirens Privet Ligustrum vulgare

WRAP IT UP Wind a piece of flagging tape or

ribbon candy cane style from the top of the conifer down and around, dividing it into three or four sections, gradually increasing in width toward the base.

START SNIPPING Use pruners to clip a 3- to

4-inch-wide groove between the ribbon “stripes” about halfway to the trunk. Clip a little at a time, from top to bottom. Stand back to review your progress.

DON’T BE AFRAID! Cut all branches and twigs in the groove back to the trunk.

FOLLOW UP Once the groove is cut, tidy up the rest of the plant, clipping the branch tips to round it out.

FIND YOUR GROOVE Remove the ribbon and use pruners to follow the spiral shape, removing any branches

and twiggy growth in the groove all the way to the trunk. Don’t be timid — if you make a mistake, the plant will grow back. Follow the shape and clean up the top and undersides of the groove, widening it to 4 or 5 inches wide and rounding off the edges. Regular touch-ups throughout the year will maintain the form.

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No Rain? No Problem. You Can Still Have a Gorgeous Garden E Dalmation bellflower Campanula portenschlagiana Hen and chicks Sempervivum spp. and hybrids Variegated sweet iris Iris pallida

PAM PENICK Garden Designer and Author, Austin, TX

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Create a ridge so water doesn’t easily escape.

and there’s no worry about wet foliage being a magnet for fungal diseases. Mulch is your go-to material for conserving moisture. Pam recommends using just ½ to 1 inch of organic material. Any deeper and it forms a hard crust so water is more likely to shed off when it rains instead of soak in. She also recommends pushing the mulch out near the drip line as the illustration above shows to form a small basin so water pools and soaks in around the plant’s roots. KEEP WHAT YOU GET Holding on to the rain that falls on your property is a great water-wise strategy. Hook a rain barrel up to your downspout for a supply of water that will get you through dry spells. Save even more water with a cistern, which is a popular solution in the Southwest. Large tanks (either above or below ground) capture excess rain water for use during hot, dry summers. Another great way to keep the water that falls is with a rain garden. It slows water down so it doesn’t rush into storm sewers, carrying pesticides and other chemicals into surrounding wetlands or bodies of water. A rain garden is an area of the yard with a gentle slope leading to a shallow basin filled with plants that don’t mind having wet feet from time to time. The basin holds some of the rain water so it slowly soaks in, keeping plants happy and cleaning the water as it percolates down through the soil. When it comes to drought-tolerant gardening, last but not least, you want to choose the right plants. Turn the page for a gallery of Pam’s favorites.

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Pam Penick (portrait); DESIGN: Sabrina and Freeland Tanner, Proscape Landscape Design, www.freelandtannerdesigns.com (lead)

Botanical Names

ven if you live where rainfall is reliable, a waterconscious garden just makes sense. A thrifty approach to watering saves work and puts more money in your pocketbook. Garden author and designer Pam Penick of Austin, Texas, has loads of experience creating great-looking gardens that can take the heat and thrive without having to drag the hose around the yard. She says drought-tolerant gardens are more about practices than any particular style and are perfectly suited to any of North America’s varied growing regions. Even traditionallooking perennial borders like the one at right can be waterwise with plants like these. Here are some of Pam’s suggestions. CUT BACK The easiest way to use less water is to increase the amount of permeable paving and decrease lawn size. But that doesn’t mean getting rid of turf altogether—think lush green “throw rugs” instead of “wall-to-wall carpet.” Mulch, gravel, unmortared brick or stone—none of these surfaces require a drop of water to look good, and they allow rain to pass through to the soil. Adding generously sized seating or dining areas, a mulched area around the playset and path to connect them will lower your water bill in no time. WATER WISELY Early morning and late afternoon are the best times to water to keep evaporation to a minimum. Use a watering wand to water deeply (instead of light watering frequently) so plants develop an extensive root system that better withstands drought. Even better, use a soaker hose or drip system on a timer to get the H2O right where it’s needed—at soil level. These systems save a lot of work

Path companions Drought-tolerant plants, such as Dalmation bellﬂower, variegated sweet iris and hen and chicks, are perfect next to a sunny path — they don’t mind the reﬂected heat or extra dryness found there.

Dalmation bellflower

Variegated sweet iris

Hen and chicks

fine hairs ‘Big Ears’

trap moisture

‘Summer Sunset’

tap root seeks water

small leaves conserve water

‘Blonde Ambition’ ‘Blue Ice’ ‘Autumn Circus’

Order your copy of Pam’s book at

Grow Great Drought-Tolerant Plants

efore you start planting, take some time to become familiar with the growing conditions in your yard. Pam has found that giving plants the growing conditions they need makes a big difference in how well they can tolerate drought. Take note of sun and shade, extra dry or wet spots and what type of soil you have—sandy, clay or in between. Also, a soil test will tell you what the pH is. KNOW THE ZONES Just because you have a water-wise landscape doesn’t mean giving up on all your favorite moisture-loving plants. Pare them down to your absolute favorites, such as Grandma’s heirloom rose or a hard-to-resist hosta, and you’ll still have a drought-tolerant landscape. Pam divides her garden and those she designs into “ripple zones,” which makes watering a lot easier. Grow those favorite plants you couldn’t give up closest to the house and the water source. A little further out, where it’s not too far for drip irrigation

GGMagExtra.com/ essentials

or soaker hoses to be effective, is the spot for plants that need some irrigation to stay looking good. Put the most drought-tolerant plants for your region furthest away from the house. They shouldn’t need extra watering and won’t have you worrying about whether or not there’s rain in the forecast. Once plants are in the ground, don’t assume you can just walk away. New plants, even droughttolerant ones, need regular watering to help them develop a strong root system. Usually about an inch of moisture a week, whether it’s from rain or the hose, will get them established. After that, most plants are fine with additional watering only during long dry spells. Check out this list of Pam’s favorite drought-tolerant plants and find even more in her book The Water-Saving Garden, above. Or check with your local extension agency or garden center to get specific suggestions for your region. —Sherri Ribbey

Botanical Names Hosta Hosta spp. and hybrids Rose Rosa spp. and hybrids

PHOTO: © Doreen Wynja.com for Monrovia (A)

Pam’s Palette of Drought-Tolerant Plants A Beaked yucca Yucca rostrata Perennial; white flowers on 2- to 3-ft. stems in late spring to early summer; waxy blue-gray leaves save water; develops a treelike trunk over time; full sun; well-drained soil; 6 to 12 ft. tall, 4 to 6 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 10

B Agastache Agastache spp. and hybrids Perennial; pink, red, orange, violet or yellow flower spikes midsummer to fall; small leaves save water; full sun to part shade; well-drained soil; 16 to 48 in. tall, 10 to 48 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9 C Lamb’s ear Stachys byzantina Perennial; purple flowers in early summer; fuzzy hairs trap moisture on silvery leaves; full sun; well-drained to clay soil; 8 to 12 in. tall, 12 to 18 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 8

D False indigo Baptisia australis Perennial; blue-purple flowers in late spring; a tap root seeks out water deep in the soil; full sun to part shade; well-drained to clay soil; 3 to 4 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9 E Sea holly Eryngium spp. and hybrids Perennial; silver-blue to blue star-shaped flowers in midsummer to fall; a tap root seeks out water deep in the soil; full sun; well-drained soil; 12 to 36 in. tall, 10 to 24 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9 F Euphorbia Euphorbia rigida Perennial; green flowers with yellow bracts in early spring to early summer; small fleshy leaves save water; full sun; well-drained soil; 1 to 2 ft. tall, 2 to 3 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 7 to 10

G Bearded iris Iris hybrids Perennial; all colors in late spring to early summer; water-saving rhizome; full sun; well-drained soil; 2 to 3 ft. tall, 1 to 2 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 10 H Blue grama grass Bouteloua gracilis Perennial; small chartreuse flowers fade to tan in summer to fall; slender leaves conserve water; full sun; well-drained soil; 2 to 3 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9 I Arizona cypress Cupressus arizonica glabra Tree; small silver-blue scales (instead of leaves) conserve water; full sun; well-drained; 20 to 30 ft. tall, 10 to 15 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 7 to 10

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Autumn Spice by the Potful W Botanical Names Coleus Plectranthus scutellarioides Coral bells Heuchera spp. and hybrids Coreopsis Coreopsis spp. and hybrids Fountain grass Pennisetum alopecuroides Garden mum Chrysanthemum spp. and hybrids Gloriosa daisy Rudbeckia hirta Iresine Iresine herbstii Maiden grass Miscanthus sinensis Purple fountain grass Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’

See three more fall container recipes. GGMagExtra.com

hy be satisfied with containers that fi zzle out by the end of summer? Mixing up your plant selection a bit can give you a combination that looks better and better as the growing season goes on and provide a wealth of changing colors and interesting elements for a splashy late-season spectacle. There are a few simple traits to consider for fabulous fall containers: colorful foliage, showy seedheads and long-blooming flowers. Pulled together, all of these elements bring the feeling of autumn abundance to the smallest of spaces. FIRE UP THE FOLIAGE Think about using the colors of fall foliage as a palette for autumn containers. Easy to put together and maintain, these combinations can provide color and interest in an otherwise-subdued landscape. Many plants hold their foliage and form, even when temperatures plummet and the plants stop growing. Look for plants like coleus, coral bells and iresine, whose leaves already come in autumnal shades of purples, russets and oranges. SHOW OFF SEEDS Some plants not only look attractive when they are in flower, but they have attractive seedheads as well. In August and September, ornamental grasses take the stage. Their soft-textured foliage weaves and their seedheads nod in the wind. Dwarf or purple fountain grass or dwarf maiden grass provide a wide range of colors and textures to create interest for all seasons. RELIABLE BLOOMERS Fortunately, there are many plants that hold their blossoms late into the season, including the marigolds and celosia shown here. Annuals like these are the key to season-long color, but you can also create a robust show of golds, reds, oranges and purples using perennials. Think coreopsis, gloriosa daisy and garden mums. Here are three great-looking container recipes on the following pages that are guaranteed to put on a colorful display until freezing temperatures announce the end of the season. —James A. Baggett

Fall Flames Design a container that appears to burst into flames by combining hot colors that glow like embers in a cozy campfire. The celosia and the ornamental peppers will persist until frost, and the marigolds and St. John’s wort will continue to bloom with regular deadheading. Decorate with a few carefully placed gourds or pumpkins for a final autumnal touch. Allow the soil in this container to dry out between waterings. Water once or twice a week (or perhaps daily in the heat of the summer). Pinch the tips of newly planted marigolds once or twice to encourage bushy plants. Trim back the stems of the alternanthera whenever it looks thin or leggy to keep it bushy and full (you can use the stem cuttings to start new plants). Be sure to apply a slow-release or all-purpose fertilizer once a month. PLANT LIST (number to plant) A Celosia Celosia argentea cristata ‘New Look’ (1) B Marigold Tagetes patula Super Hero™ Spry (4) C Ornamental peppers Capsicum annuum ‘Chilly Chili’ (1) D Alternanthera Alternanthera dentata Little Ruby™ (1) E St. John’s wort Hypericum kalmianum Blues Festival® (1) Container is 18 inches in diameter

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PRETTY PEPPERS Ornamental peppers are safe to eat but they are normally grown for their colors rather than their disappointing flavor.

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continued

Rhapsody in Red Create a sense of mystery in a fall container by combining various shades of red—such as burgundy, maroon and russet—with equally dark purple and chocolate brown. Such sultry combinations create the illusion of depth and hidden distances, even in a small space. The millet develops its deep brown color the more sun it gets, and this is a coleus that takes full sun as well. Be sure to pinch back any flower stalks on the coleus because they detract from the colorful leaf display. Birds, including goldfinches, will eat the seeds of the millet, so you may want to leave this container out until the birds have finished feeding. PLANT LIST (number to plant) A Ornamental millet Pennisetum glaucum ‘Copper Prince’ (1) B Iresine Iresine herbstii ‘Purple Lady’ (2) C Coleus Plectranthus scutellarioides Serrano (1) D Petchoa Petchoa® SuperCal® Cherry (2)

COOL HYBRID Like its relatives the petunia and calibrachoa, petchoa does best in full sun and comes in a range of colors.

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E Dianthus Dianthus Jolt™ Cherry (2) F Pentas Pentas lanceolata Lucky Star® Pink (1) Container is 24 inches in diameter

Totally Terriﬁc Trough Trough or hypertufa planters are lightweight yet durable and make perfect little container gardens that only get better with age as they develop their own natural patina. This sun-loving combination can be enjoyed summer through fall with minimal maintenance beyond regular watering. The ‘Red Threads’ alternanthera just needs to be clipped back occasionally to keep the plant compact (it can be brought inside in winter and grown as a houseplant). And it is only necessary to cut the dusty miller back if it becomes leggy. Keep an eye out for Japanese beetles on the miniature rose and be sure to remove them by hand (they can be discarded in a pail of soapy water). PLANT LIST (number to plant) A Miniature rose Rosa hybrid (1) B Alternanthera Alternanthera brasiliana ‘Red Threads’ (1) C Umbrella plant Cyperus involucratus (1) D Coral bells Heuchera ‘Glitter’ (1) E Dusty miller Senecio cineraria (1) F Cockscomb Celosia argentea cristata ‘Tornado Red’ (1) Container is 11 inches square

TRANSPLANT TIP Since coral bells is a perennial, plant it in the garden a few weeks before your average last frost date.

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before & after

Smart Sideyard Solution I Botanical Names

PHOTO: Courtesy of Bruce Christensen

Calamint Calamintha nepeta Panicle hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata Rose Rosa hybrid Salvia Salvia splendens Sedum Hylotelephium hybrid Smooth hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens Yew Taxus spp. and hybrids Zinnia Zinnia hybrid

t’s easy to forget about sideyards, those tricky strips of land between the house and property line. For many of us, these skinny spaces are challenging to landscape. It’s tempting to use them merely as passageways or an area to avoid altogether, where garbage and recycling bins are stowed and compost is piled out of sight. But they can be turned into a pleasant way to pass from the front yard to the back like this one in zone 5 Wisconsin. What was once a straight grassy path between well-mulched beds becomes all the more pleasant and rewarding with the addition of a flagstone pathway that snakes through beds lined with reliable shrubs, annuals and perennials. Cheerful yellow zinnias and blue salvia, fragrant white calamint and good old ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum escort you along the path. But it’s the hard-working shrubs that carry the weight of both beds: panicle and smooth hydrangea leading to Double Knock Out® roses and dwarf panicle hydrangea. After all, isn’t the journey more important than the destination? —James A. Baggett

BEFORE A no-nonsense turfgrass pathway required regular mowing and since it was edged with chunks of rock, it had to be trimmed, as well. There’s no mystery as to where this path leads.

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Informal pathway Laying flagstone in concrete is costly and difficult. Instead, lay out the path beforehand with a hose in order to get a visual sense of how it will look and install it cheaply and easily on a gravel and sand bed like you see here.

Profusion™ Yellow zinnia For a front-of-the-border pop of color, nothing beats this breakthrough series of bright and showy zinnias that are just 18 inches tall. With quarter-size flowers that cover the bushy plants all season long, this is one of the best and looks great massed in a bed, such as lining a front foundation or adding color along a pathway.

Bend in the road This path’s sinuous curves are pleasing to the eye. Note how the path meanders around a yew, creating a sense of mystery.

Invincibelle Spirit® hydrangea This hardy adaptable native shrub works well in the border because it stays under 4 feet tall. Invincibelle Spirit is the first-ever pink smooth hydrangea, producing loads of snowballshaped blooms from early summer to frost. Dark pink buds open bright pink, fading to soft pink and finally to green.

Double Knock Out rose This is a truly maintenance-free rose that will bloom from late spring until frost, luring visitors to its double candy-apple-red flowers with a slight spicy fragrance. It boasts excellent resistance to pests as well as blackspot and downy mildew diseases, and it looks good as a low hedge or as part of a mix with other shrubs and perennials. There’s no need to cut off spent blossoms because this is a self-cleaning rose.

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TOP PICKS Make a Statement with These Plants A

statement plant has a certain “wow” factor: It may be glorious color—an unusual shade or something shockingly bright. Or maybe it is the plant’s form—architectural lines or soft flowing shapes that set the tone for a landscape or container. The size of a plant can be so enormous it makes your jaw drop, or delicate and diminutive to cause you to pause and look closely to appreciate its attributes. Even texture can speak volumes—velvety foliage creates a cozy, laid-back feel in the garden while sharp, stiff leaves generate excitement. DEMANDING ATTENTION It can be difficult to use plants that make such a show of themselves. Sometimes they just need a spot to stand alone. But if you take their top attribute into consideration, be it color, shape, size or texture, and play it up with other plants in your garden that accentuate or contrast with it, you’ll be able to find a way to utilize all those “wow” plants. Here are a few of my favorites that make a statement. — Jennifer Howell

‘Variegata’ giant dogwood Cornus controversa ‘Variegata’

Strong horizontal branching gives ‘Variegata’ giant dogwood, also called wedding cake tree, a unique tiered look in the garden. Young specimens are particularly pronounced. Used as a focal point, this tree will draw your eye, then encourage it to move across the landscape. A long bed of low-growing perennials beneath will repeat that pattern and direct you where to go. ‘Variegata’ giant dogwood has more going for it than just layered branching habit, though: Leaves are green with creamy white variegation that can brighten a shady location. In fact, it’s best to plant in the shade of larger trees because in hot weather the leaves can scorch in full sun. In late spring it’s covered with white flower clusters followed by blue-black berries that will attract birds to your garden in the fall. Tree Blooms: White flower clusters in late spring mature to blue-black fruits in fall Light: Full sun to part shade Soil: Moist, well-drained Size: 35 to 40 ft. tall and wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 5 to 8 Source: Gossler Farms Nursery, gosslerfarms.com, 541-746-3922

Show us your favorite fall plants!

We’ll be sharing them in a future story. Email ReaderGarden@aimmedia.com and list “Fall Favorites” in the subject line.

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LOCATION: Schreinerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Iris Gardens

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STATEMENT PLANTS

‘Elegant Feather’ dog fennel Eupatorium capillifolium ‘Elegant Feather’

From a distance you might mistake dog fennel for a really fine-textured evergreen. Closer inspection will reveal a soft, columnar plant with needlelike leaves. New growth arises from a woody base, ascending skyward with purpose: Grow straight up, with minimal branching to disrupt its architectural line. And it’s that straight and narrow look that makes a statement in containers; not many plants can create that visual. But don’t think it can’t be used in the flower bed—its soft lines and chartreuse color make an excellent backdrop for a border. With backlighting of the setting sun, this plant practically glows. And you’ll love the reddish fall color. ‘Elegant Feather’ is a sterile cultivar of dog fennel, so you don’t have to worry about seeds sprouting all about the garden. Grow it as an annual where winters are really cold, but in zones 6 to 9 you can winter it over with a layer of mulch after cutting it back to the ground in late fall after its delicate foliage drops. Tender perennial Blooms: Inconspicuous white-green in fall Light: Full sun to part shade Soil: Moist, well-drained Size: 3 to 6 ft. tall, 1 to 3 ft. wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 6 to 9 Source: Dancing Oaks Nursery and Gardens, dancingoaks.com, 503-838-6058

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Globe artichoke Cynara cardunculus

You might think of the artichoke as a delicious side dish, but did you ever envision it growing in your garden? Tall and statuesque, the artichoke plant is an impressive specimen alone or as a back-of-the border eye-catcher. Coarse, thistlelike foliage with a silvery cast commands attention. Multiple strong flower stalks emerge from this textural tempest to produce tasty edible buds. Wait too long to harvest and they lose their tenderness, so if any buds start showing purple color, let them finish blooming—they are beyond eating and you won’t regret allowing them to put on their pollinator-friendly show. Give artichokes plenty of space—they can grow up to 6 feet wide. Plant one in a large container for a dramatic focal point, with that added edible bonus. Even if you don’t want to eat them, you’ll want one for your garden!

GOOD TO KNOW In northern climes, grow artichoke as an annual, but in zone 7 and warmer, it can winter over with added mulch protection.

Tender perennial Blooms: Edible flower buds open into fragrant purple globes in late summer Light: Full sun Soil: Organic matter-rich, moist, well-draining Size: 3 to 5 ft. tall, 2 to 3 ft. wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 7 to 10 Source: Local garden centers

Weeping redbud

‘Traveller’

LOCATION: Atlanta Botanical Garden

Cercis canadensis

Weeping trees lend a topiary look without the need for constant pruning and maintenance. Weeping redbud has that soft shape with loose branching that will gently sway in a breeze— perfect for your comfortable hideaway. Redbud is a tree that looks great in any season, but weeping varieties like ‘Traveller’ begin in early spring with bright rose-purple flowers dripping from the cascading branches, followed by coppery new leaves emerging. The foliage during the growing season is glossy green. Winter reveals the contorted trunk with weeping branches of dark bark that stands out in the barren landscape. Plant this tree alone in the midst of a grassy lawn and the flowers will leap out against the background of dewy green grass. Even better, grow it atop a raised bed where the dripping branches can extend further down the wall. No matter where you plant it, it’s an eye-catcher. Tree Blooms: Rose-purple flowers in early spring before foliage emerges Light: Full sun to part shade Soil: Moist, well-drained Size: 15 to 25 ft. tall and wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 5 to 9 Source: Sooner Plant Farm, soonerplantfarm.com GardenGateMa gazine.co m | G A R D E N G A T E

STATEMENT PLANTS

Kangaroo paw Anigozanthos spp. and hybrids

Tender perennial Blooms: Red, orange, yellow, white, pink and purple flower clusters spring through fall Light: Full sun Soil: Sandy, well-drained Size: 1 to 6 ft. tall, in bloom, 1 to 3 ft. wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 9 to 11 Source: Local garden centers

‘Kanga Pink’ LOCATION: Chicago Botanic Garden

With fuzzy flowers reminiscent of a kangaroo’s paw, this unique plant is sure to cause inquisitive garden visitors young and old to stop and touch—they won’t be able to help themselves. The many species and cultivars range so much in height and color you’ll surely find one to suit your garden. Dramatic in the back of the border, tall varieties call for attention. But even the shorter kangaroo paws make their presence known in containers or the front of the border with spiky foliage and nonstop furry blooms. Kangaroo paw thrives in sandy, dry soil with minimal fertility, but if your plant’s blooming slows down, jump start it with extra water and a shot of general-purpose water-soluble fertilizer. It will keep blooming prolifically all summer. Cut back spent flowers to the ground to motivate it to bloom even more. It loves hot weather, but cool temperatures intensify the colors.

Mediterranean spurge Mediterranean spurge is so easy to grow, it would be a crime not to. And why wouldn’t you with these striking bottlebrush blooms glowing in chartreuse green? Those enormous flowers are really bracts with a touch of purple on the nectar glands. Spirally arranged leaves are blue-green, giving the plant a cool vibe. The foliage contains a milky sap that can be irritating to skin and eyes, so do be careful when cutting back spent blooms to the ground to encourage more flowers. Even though it’s only perennial in warm zones, Northern growers can enjoy Mediterranean spurge in containers as an annual. It tolerates drought and heat, making it the perfect choice as a focal point in a rock garden. Used in a mass planting, it can make a backdrop to play up other colorful plants. Perennial Blooms: Green-yellow bracts in early spring to early summer Light: Full sun to part shade Soil: Moist, well-drained to dry soils Size: 3 to 5 ft. tall, 3 to 4 ft. wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 7 to 11 Source: Digging Dog Nursery, diggingdog.com, 707-937-1130

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LOCATION: Atlanta Botanical Garden

Euphorbia characias wulfenii

Trumpet flower

‘Belle Blanche’

PHOTO: Courtesy of John Scheepers Kitchen Garden Seeds/www.kitchengardenseeds.com

Datura metel

Not to be confused with angel’s trumpet (Brugmansia spp. and hybrids), whose flowers dangle downward, trumpet flower’s enormous trumpet-shaped blossoms point skyward to the moon. This night-blooming flower’s petals unfurl as darkness sets in and remain open until midday. Each 6- to 8-inch blossom lasts only a day, but makes the most of its short life by releasing a sweet fragrance you’ll love to enjoy in the evening on the patio, along with many night-flying pollinators like the sphinx moth. Drought-tolerant trumpet flower fills up a space quickly with huge, fuzzy leaves. All parts of trumpet flower are toxic, so be extremely cautious about planting if you have children or pets. Enjoy the thorny seed pod’s unusual shape and texture while it’s still green, but cut it off just before it dries to prevent reseeding. Tender perennial Blooms: White, purple, or yellow summer through frost Light: Full sun to part shade Soil: Moist, well-drained, tolerant of poor soils Size: 3 to 4 ft. tall and wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 9 to 10 Source: John Scheeper’s Kitchen Garden Seeds,™ kitchengardenseeds.com, 860-567-6086

Mangave Agave x Manfreda

PHOTO: Courtesy of www.PerennialResource.com

‘King Cobra’

Plant breeders have outdone themselves selecting interesting cultivars of this cross between Agave and Manfreda. Rising from a spiky rosette, the long, arching succulent leaf blades often have soft spines on the edges, which may be straight, wavy or curled. Foliage color ranges from greens to silvers to blue-greens to burgundy tinted greens, usually with striking speckles or stripes that intensify with sunlight. It really shines when potted in a unique planter. Give mangave bright light, warm temperatures and a water-soluble succulent fertilizer once a month during the growing season and it will grow vigorously. Wet soil in cool weather is a recipe for disaster, so let it get dry between watering in winter. In cold zones, winter mangave over as a houseplant in a bright, sunny window. Tender perennial Blooms: Infrequent burgundy-brown or yellow flowers in midsummer Light: Full sun to part shade Soil: Moist, well-drained Size: 4 to 28 in. tall, 12 to 42 in. wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 7 to 11 Source: Local garden centers

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STATEMENT PLANTS

‘Veitch’s Blue’

Globe thistle Echinops ritro

Sturdy and statuesque, globe thistle throws spheres of spiky steel-blue or white blooms into the air like a talented juggler. Their green stems disappear into the background, leaving only the colorful spheres to hover above other garden flowers. Though it is not an actual thistle, its thistlelike foliage looks harsh, but is less prickly than it might visually imply. Use globe thistle to give sharp texture in the back of the border of an otherwise soft garden. Deer- and drought-resistant, this irontough plant appeals to many pollinators. When flowers fade, deadhead them on the stem to keep seeds from spreading, then as bloom stalks finish, cut the stem down to the ground to encourage more flowers to form. Leave foliage standing in fall then cut it off in spring to give the crown extra protection and prevent dieback in winter. Tender perennial Blooms: White or blue flowers midsummer to fall Light: Full sun Soil: Dry, well-drained, even salty or lean soils Size: 24 to 36 in. tall, 18 to 24 in. wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 3 to 8 Source: Local garden centers

GOOD TO KNOW Cut the blooms just before they are fully expanded and hang them upside down to dry. Globe thistle holds its color and shape as a dried flower.

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Foxtail lily Eremurus spp. and hybrids

Just when you thought the spring flower show was over, foxtail lily springs into action. And what a show it is! From a nondescript cluster of strappy leaves near the ground emerge glorious spikes of warm color shooting skyward several feet tall. Planted against a backdrop of shrubs with dark green or burgundy foliage, foxtail lilies will virtually glow as they tower above their garden companions. Cut a few for bouquets indoors—they make an excellent cut flower. Plant foxtail lily in full sun for the strongest stems able to stand tall. Pick a site with protection from strong winds as well, so the spikes don’t get snapped off on a blustery day. The rosette of leaves dies back later in the summer after the blooms fade, so mix foxtail lily in borders with late-summer-flowering perennials that will take up the space. Perennial Blooms: Long spikes of white, pink, yellow, orange, or brown bloom from the bottom up in late spring to early summer Light: Full sun Soil: Rich, well-drained Size: 3 to 6 ft. tall, 1 to 2 ft. wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 5 to 8 Source: John Scheepers, johnscheepers.com, 860-567-0838

Showy medinilla Medinilla magnifica

This tropical plant is always an eye-catcher with huge pink flower clusters dripping from thick, glossy dark green foliage. Showy medinilla’s unique blooms last for weeks. Imagine it growing from a hanging basket near your entryway, greeting friends who will stop to marvel at its interesting display. A bit tricky to find, this houseplant can be grown from seed, but you’ll have to wait a while to see it bloom. Better to hunt down a mature plant in the tropical plant sections of garden centers. Give it plenty of light and a potting mix that drains well to avoid water-logged soil. Even better, grow it in a clay pot to give it more air circulation to the roots. With enough light it can flower indoors most of the year. If it gets a little leggy, prune the plant back right after it flowers and it will reward you with a fuller, floriferous plant. Tender perennial Blooms: Pink berrylike blooms and matching bracts in spring to summer Light: Part sun to shade Soil: Moist, very well-drained Size: 2 to 4 ft. tall, 1 to 3 ft. wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 10 to 11 Source: Logee’s Greenhouses, logees.com, 888-330-8038

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smart gardening

Botanical Names Aster Symphyotrichum spp. and hybrids Bee balm Monarda spp. and hybrids Goldenrod Solidago spp. and hybrids Peony Paeonia spp. and hybrids

he days are getting shorter, the nights cooler, your plants are starting to wind down and, after the effort of growing a garden all spring and summer, you’re ready to rest, too. But the sight of plants dying back and leaves falling spurs a plethora of different responses in gardeners. Do you go out for a final hurrah of tending the plants? Or do you simply sit back and let the garden put itself to bed? Is there really a method to the madness? It’s safe to say there are many methods, backed by a variety of philosophies. So I asked several accomplished gardeners to share the details of their hows and whys of cleaning up the garden in the fall.

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Whether you want a habitat for wildlife, something nice and tidy, or a healthy environment for your plants to grow, you’ll probably find a gardener who aligns with your garden goals and habits. From raking it all up to leaving it be, you’ll hear from one extreme to the other, and a little bit of everything in between—and there are good reasons for every approach. Read six widely variant responses and you can rest assured about one thing: There’s no one right way to do it. Weigh the pros and cons presented on the following pages, and find which method is best for your garden’s needs. —Chloe Deike

ILLUSTRATIONS: Lisa Orgler

Fall garden cleanup: Rake up all your leaves and cut back all your perennials — or is it really that simple?

Nurture beneficial pollinators

Sarah Foltz Jordan Pollinator Conservation Specialist, Xerces Society

Carefully cut back stems to the crown, the place where the stems emerge from the soil, and don’t leave behind any infected leaves.

Prevent the possibility of pests

David Trinklein

Associate Professor of Horticulture, University of Missouri If you’ve fought the disheartening battle against pests and disease in the garden, then you might feel an urgency to keep them out. A professor of horticulture at the University of Missouri, Dr. David Trinklein practices integrated pest management, a comprehensive approach to controlling pests that seeks to reduce the use of pesticides. NO HOME FOR PESTS Cleaning up the garden is key to not only removing infestations, but preventing invasions in the first place. Even if you think you don’t have a pest or disease problem, Dr. Trinklein says they are probably lurking unseen or nearby, and with the proper conditions, they can quickly multiply out of control. In his opinion, the garden needs to be thoroughly cleaned up in the fall, even if your garden is seemingly problem-free. HOW CLEAN IS CLEAN? The main concern is that disease inoculum, pest eggs and larvae will make debris their home for the winter until they can emerge in full force in spring. So rake up all fallen leaves and debris, such as dead annuals and vegetables, and cut back all perennials to the crown. If there is any disease infecting the leaves or stems, like the peony diseased with powdery mildew in the photo above, you want to remove any opportunity for it to spread or for borer pests to overwinter in pithy perennial stems. Compost dead material only if you are sure your compost pile gets hot enough to kill pests and disease (usually around 140 degrees F for multiple days). Use a compost thermometer to help you know. If you aren’t sure, bag up debris and dispose of it in the trash or city compost. GOOD BUGS? His final philosophy: We might do our pollinators a greater service by cleaning up the fall garden and taking steps to reduce the need for pesticides, which harms the pollinators in the end.

Sarah works to make her garden a pollinator habitat not just because of her work for the Xerces Society, but because of the entertainment value, too. Growing more native plants and creating a habitat for wildlife means her garden is alive with busy bees and butterflies. So how does she create a pollinator’s haven? To sum it up: Don’t bother cleaning up the garden at all. LEAVE LEAVES Let your leaves be (even if they fall on the lawn). You can rake a light layer up to use as mulch in your beds if you’d prefer. Chopping leaves with your mower might harm queen bees and butterfly eggs, such as the red-banded hairstreak, whose larvae also eat the leaf litter. You might be concerned about smothering out patches of grass in your lawn. But it’s actually helpful to almost 70 percent of native bees who need access to bare ground to make nests. A motto at Xerces: Every yard should have a dead log. Many species of bees, such as mason bees and leaf-cutter bees, use decaying wood in their habitat, as well as lady beetles, fireflies, butterfly pupae and many other beneficial insects. CUT PERENNIALS? Another important shelter in the garden: your perennials. Leave as many stems as possible over the winter. Perennials with pithy stems, such as bee balm, aster and goldenrod, provide nesting sites for bees. As early as you can in spring, cut back stems at a variety of heights from 6 to 24 inches. Providing a fresh cut helps bees access the stems. As small carpenter bees, yellow-faced bees and leaf-cutter bees emerge from their overwintering sites, they’ll find easy access to the cut stems, where they can make nests and raise more bees. After cutting this once, don’t cut again for risk of removing nests. Notice in the photo how the sedum’s new growth is about to overtake the old stems.

It doesn’t take most plants long in spring to cover old stems with new growth.

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Make sure to mulch

Teri Dunn Chace

Author of Seeing Seeds, How to Eradicate Invasive Plants, and more

Spent foliage can catch snow and ice and protect the crown of the plant through winter.

Know what you grow

Barbara Pleasant

Author of Gardener’s Guide to Plant Diseases, Gardener’s Bug Book, and more Every garden is unique. That’s why Barbara, longtime gardener and author of books on garden pests and diseases and veggies, encourages concentrating on really knowing how to care for the plants you have in your garden. CUT WHAT YOU NEED TO CUT There is no one solution to keeping pests and disease out, so get to know which ones your plants and growing conditions are most susceptible to. Barbara prefers to leave most perennials standing through winter so spent stems can act as an umbrella over the crown of the plant. The tops of most perennials catch snow and shelter crowns from ice. She grows two varieties of bee balm and cuts her larger one back to a foot tall to provide enough winter protection but leaves her smaller variety uncut. Her woodland phlox often go through bouts of powdery mildew, some years severe, some years not at all. She keeps an eye on it but has come to trust that it’s going to be OK so she doesn’t bother cleaning it up in the fall. LEAF DEBRIS Learn where pests overwinter: Cabbage worms, cabbage aphids and asparagus beetles overwinter in debris in and around the veggie garden. Remove dead material from the veggie bed and, as an extra caution, from perennial beds near the vegetables. Cucumber beetles, Colorado potato beetles and squash bugs overwinter in bark crevices and old logs, so debris or not, some bugs may still be finding a place to live. But sometimes for Barbara, insects are a welcome sight because it means good bugs will be present, too. Leaf litter is home for pollinators and some species of snails, which attract and feed birds. Earthworms love leaves, too, and they’ll enhance the soil drainage as they break leaves down.

Botanical Names

Bearded iris Iris spp. and hybrids Bee balm Monarda didyma Brunnera Brunnera macrophylla Coneflower Echinacea spp. and hybrids

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Teri, avid gardener in New York and author, reminds all gardeners: Cleaning up the fall garden is not like cleaning up the living room. Your goal is not necessarily tidiness. Learn to appreciate the natural beauty of the fall and winter garden. Some flowers, such as coneflower, look amazing in the winter. DON’T CUT In fact, Teri leaves all her perennials standing through the winter. The stems protect the plant, and if you’re growing any marginally hardy plants, as Teri often does, you’ll want that extra protection. If one of her perennials comes down with a disease, she removes the plant from the garden altogether. And, even after a first frost, a plant is still sending energy to the root system to fuel next year’s show, so cutting too soon can inhibit the plant’s performance next season. AGGRESSIVE AND INVASIVE As author of the book How to Eradicate Invasives, Teri answers the question: Should you really leave the seed heads of aggressive or invasive plants? No, you should not. Remove flowers before seeds are formed and dispose of them in the trash. If you’re trying to completely remove an aggressive or invasive plant, fall is a good time to pull it. Energy levels are decreasing, and it has a harder time fighting back. LEAVE NO BARE GROUND Above all else, Teri emphasizes the importance of covering bare ground in the perennial bed. She uses mulch, which she makes herself. Her secret mulch recipe is to chop up fallen leaves and mix them with straw, leaving some leaves in piles for pollinators. This mix is relatively inexpensive, decomposes well and enriches the soil. Teri likes to mulch thickly, covering beds with 4 inches of mulch. A good layer of winter mulch can prevent aggressive plants from spreading — they’ll pounce on open ground in spring — and can help protect marginally hardy plants through the cold days. An extra perk of a nice layer of mulch in fall: It looks tidy. Another option instead of mulch is to cover bare ground with a fast-growing but easy-to-remove perennial ground cover. Lamb’s ear works well in her garden. It covers a lot of space while she waits for slower-growing plants and shrubs to fill in, looks good with everything and is easily removed when she needs more room for other plants.

Ginkgo Ginkgo biloba Honeylocust Gleditsia tricanthos inermis Lamb’s ear Stachys byzantina Norway maple Acer platanoides

Oak Quercus spp. Siberian iris Iris sibirica Woodland phlox Phlox divaricata

Birds, like this goldfinch, depend on seedheads for their winter sustenance.

Enjoy the winter garden

Bobbie Schwartz

Landscape Designer and Author of Garden Renovation: Transform Your Yard into the Garden of Your Dreams

Alan Branhagen

Director of Operations, Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Cleaning up the garden in the fall is a lot of work but saving it all for spring can be just as exhausting. Alan’s advice: don’t make a chore out of cleaning up the fall garden. CUT ONLY WHEN YOU NEED TO Instead of rushing out to clean it all at once, leave perennials standing and don’t worry about cleaning them up until the stems start to flop with wind or snow or the plant in general becomes an eyesore. Some perennials are nice to look at even as their stems turn yellow, but when it’s not so nice anymore, go ahead and cut them back. It’s fine to cut perennials in winter as long as you only cut them back to 1 foot tall. The leftover stems protect plants and provide a spot for nesting bees. BUNDLE UP One of Alan’s reasons for cleaning up the garden slowly is that it gives him a reason to enjoy the outdoors in the winter. If that seems shocking, Alan, who mostly gardened in Missouri until his recent move to Minnesota, says even a chilly winter garden can be enjoyed as long as you wear the right clothing! Another of his favorite parts of the winter garden is to attract birds. BIRDS WILL COME Birds do love the nutrition from seed heads left through the winter, but some birds also love leaf litter. Alan recommends leaving leaves in the perennial bed for the sake of pollinators, but also for the birds, such as white-throated sparrows and Eastern towhees, who scratch through leaves to snack on grubs. Some leaves, such as oak, which roll up and decompose quickly, or honeylocust, with small leaflets, can be left whole in the garden without a worry. But other trees, such as Norway maple and ginkgo, take longer to decompose and can stick together, suppressing plants and lawn. Either plan to chop these leaves up with a mower before leaving them in your garden or avoid growing them at all.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Bobbie Schwartz

Clean up the garden over time

For many years, Bobbie has been working with gardeners in Ohio to help them design dream gardens and equip them with knowledge so that they can become great gardeners. Here’s a secret about Bobbie: She actually doesn’t like the term “fall garden cleanup” at all. Instead, she prefers to preserve the fall garden so that it looks good in winter. DON’T RAKE Once again, fallen leaves are an important part of the garden — they are Mother Nature’s way of nurturing the soil. It may take longer than a season, but insects and microbes gradually break down the fallen leaves into a valuable humus for your soil. Don’t bother shredding them, but covering leaves with a thin layer of mulch helps hurry decomposition a bit. Only worry about raking thick piles of leaves gently away from ground cover perennials to keep them from getting smothered. SCULPTURES IN THE SNOW Not only do perennials and ornamental grasses feed and protect wildlife, they also provide incredible form and texture in winter and fall, especially when covered in snow. Don’t cut them back and they’ll serve as a visual reminder that the garden isn’t dead! The only exception is for disease. Cut the diseased stems back to the basal foliage and leave the healthy stems. Most ornamental grasses should be cut back in spring, except for bluegrasses — just comb out the dead leaves with your fingers in spring. What about the common concern that certain plants, such as brunnera, won’t be able to emerge through dead foliage in spring, or bearded iris will become infested with insects if uncut? Bobbie has never had a problem with plants emerging, and instead of growing bearded iris, she grows Siberian iris. It blooms longer, need less maintenance and has interesting seed heads and bronzy foliage, which you can see in the photo below, in winter. If you cut back perennials in the fall, you might miss a plant’s subtle beauty in winter.

Not all perennials turn yellowbrown for winter. Some have a silvery or bronze cast and make a pretty scene together.

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great plants

Late-Season Sages Flavor the fall garden with feisty and friendly flowering sages.

Botanical Names Pineapple sage Salvia elegans

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DESIGN: Linda Hostetler; PHOTO: Allan Rokach

W ʣ

hen tender sages are packaged in 4-inch pots and lined up along the greenhouse benches at the nursery in spring, it’s difficult to believe that their handful of compact bloom spikes daintily dancing above tidy foliage could make an impact on the garden come fall. But these plants get better all season long as bigger, longer spikes adorned with blowsy blooms emerge magnificent and austere above full, lush foliage—and keep going despite dropping temps. So let’s explore the sages that rule the late-season garden, whether they bloom from summer to frost, or, like the red pineapple sage pictured at right, wait until shorter daytime hours to reveal their irresistible flowers. MORE THAN BEAUTY What makes these plants so lovable that they’re readily grown as annuals in zones where they aren’t even hardy? For one, they’re problem-solvers for tricky situations: They tolerate clay soils and periods of drought, handle high heat, don’t mind humidity, and deer don’t eat them. If you’re looking for low maintenance, these plants fit the bill. But even better, pollinators love them—especially hummingbirds. Their tubular flowers are built to fit a hummingbird’s beak, dusting their foreheads with pollen as they drink. In return, hummingbirds get a taste of their favorite sucroserich nectar, which not all plants supply. Turn to the next pages to learn what makes these so fun to design with and so simple to grow.

Sages are underrated fall garden players. Their bright colors, like the red and chartreuse of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Golden Deliciousâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; pineapple sage here, add perkiness, playfulness and plenty of life by attracting pollinators and blooming until frost.

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‘Mystic Spires’ mealycup sage

1 | Variety for the annual border Combine tender sages with other reblooming annuals that hold for applause deep into the fall. Daisy-shaped petunias and round lantanas contrast nicely in shape, form a solid ground cover of color and can thrive in the same hot and sunny growing conditions.

Designing with Late-Season Sages

S Botanical Names Anise-scented sage Salvia guaranitica Lantana Lantana camara Mealycup sage Salvia farinacea Petunia Petunia hybrids Scarlet sage Salvia splendens

ome sages have flower spikes that stand erect above mounded foliage, but others are looser, larger and more billowy. Their habits determine where they fit into your garden design, so let’s look at options for both. MASSES OF BEDDING PLANTS Take a look at the mealycup sage in photo 1 and see how the flowers rise so uniformly above the dense foliage. Bunching multiples of these sages together creates an attractive and well-behaved mass of color. Because mealycup sages and the long-blooming anise-scented sages are generally larger than most other bedding plants, often around 1 to 3 feet tall and wide, they’re a perfect candidate for filling large spaces. You can get more bang for your buck and cover a lot of ground by using only four or five plants. Depending on your space, they are best planted in the middle or back of the border, becoming a good backdrop for low-growing annuals. Their spikes of flowers add excitement and draw attention upward.

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If they’re in the middle of the border the eyes keep moving to what’s beyond. Both mealycup and anise-scented sages bloom from summer and into fall, but will look much smaller at the beginning of the season. Give them space when you plant them in spring or summer so that they don’t get cramped and crowded. Proper maintenance is essential, too, but we’ll cover that on the following pages. CUT OUT FOR CONTAINERS Not only do they work well planted in numbers, but one or two plants make an impact in containers. In small pots the bright blooming spikes of a larger variety could be the thriller, or focal point. Or use their upright blooms as an exciting filler in a bigger container—angle them slightly outward when planting so the flower spikes don’t get tangled up or lost in the midst of the thriller and other filler plants. Scarlet sage and Skyscraper salvia work really well as filler plants. But you’ll see in the windowbox in photo 2 that scarlet sage can actually take the cake in a planting

Scarlet sage

Mexican bush sage

LOCATION: The Ohio State University Chadwick Arboretum & Learning Gardens and the Steven M. Still Perennial Garden (2); The Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden (3)

Lion’s ear

2 | Scarlet sage’s red flowers emerge from red calyxes — the tubular part that holds the flower — so it looks like it’s still blooming, even late into October after many of the flowers fall.

3 | Mexican bush sage has flower spikes that elegantly dip outward and dance in a breeze. Pair this salvia with round, erect flower forms, like orange lion’s ear.

by the time fall rolls around. Pinch back the coleus in summer to give the sage room to take off. Soon it will be a stunning focal point and give the windowbox a whole new appearance for the change of seasons. Keep in mind that most sages grown as annuals are only available for purchase in the spring and summer, so plan ahead if you intend to use a certain kind as an important part of your garden in the fall. SAGES AS STATEMENTS Pineapple sage and Mexican bush sage, in photo 3, are two species that put on a show for only one season: the fall. The shorter days stimulate their blooms. Because of this, they aren’t always available for purchase in colder zones with early frosts because just as their blooms are getting started, they sometimes get nipped. But their massive size and dramatic appearance give them an irreplaceable spot in the fall garden. They grow up to 4 feet tall and 3 feet wide and have loose habits with long flower spikes that are more likely to curve and dangle. Because they put on one big

fantastic show, rather than blooming consistently all season, use only one to three plants and work them throughout your garden as statements. It’s not a surprise that late-blooming sages look good with other perennial fall favorites. A collection of round, compact garden mums planted around the base of Mexican bush sage or pineapple sage gives these salvias more form and contrasts impressively with their looseness. Combine late-season sages with maiden grasses so flowers and seedheads mix and mingle or with feather reed grass whose dense foliage is a backdrop for the blooms. Arkansas amsonia will provide pretty blue blooms in late spring while sages are still getting started, and then can play a supporting role in fall as the foliage turns an attractive yellow. Or annuals with colorful maroon or purple foliage, such as coleus, offer color in seasons before the salvias bloom. Now turn the page to learn what will keep these plants looking their best into the fall season.

Botanical Names Arkansas amsonia Amsonia hubrichtii Coleus Plectranthus scutellarioides Feather reed grass Calamagrostis x acutiflora Garden mum Chrysanthemum hybrids Lion’s ear Leonotis leonurus Maiden grass Miscanthus sinensis Mexican bush sage Salvia leucantha Pineapple sage Salvia elegans

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Growing Late-Season Sages

ood news: Sages are not very finicky about their growing conditions and can grow in dense clay, hot and humid weather and even handle drought conditions. Many—but not all—types of sages are native to the Southwestern United States and Central America, a region characterized by tough growing conditions. Sun is best, though some can tolerate a little shade. Too much shade and soil that’s too rich might make their stems flop. And, even though they tolerate clay soil just fine, soil that holds too much moisture makes it harder for marginally hardy sages to survive the winter. Instead, plant them in well-drained, lean soil and mulch the plant in fall for extra protection. Even though sages tolerate some drought, they prefer even moisture and need a little watering to get them through dry spells.

It’s not really necessary to deadhead. You can pinch or snip stems back to the leaf nodes for most sages, or back to the base of the plant for Mexican bush sage, to keep a tidier look. TAKE CUTTINGS IN FALL If they are hardy for you, divide sages every 3 to 5 years to keep plants vigorous. If sages aren’t hardy for you, take cuttings in fall. To take cuttings, snip off a nonflowering stem just below a leaf node so that the cutting is about 3 inches long. Pinch off the bottom leaves, dip the stem in rooting hormone and plant in moist potting mix. Keep the cuttings moist and in indirect light until they root in about two weeks. Then keep them in a cool spot indoors until spring. Soon you’ll have more sages for next year or for sharing with others. —Chloe Deike

A Pineapple sage Salvia elegans

D Anise-scented sage Salvia guaranitica

Bright, showy foliage stuns in the fall and releases a fresh pineapple aroma when crushed. Blooms: Red tubular flowers in late summer to fall Light: Full sun to part shade Soil: Well-drained Size: 3 to 4 ft. tall, 2 to 3 ft. wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 8 to 10

B Mealycup sage Salvia farinacea Stems rise above dense foliage and flower buds often have a slightly dusty white look. Blooms: Purple, blue or white spikes continually bloom in summer to frost Light: Full sun to part shade Soil: Well-drained Size: 12 to 36 in. tall, 9 to 16 in. wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 8 to 11

C Mexican bush sage Salvia leucantha A popular perennial salvia, it flowers profusely, often with white flowers on purple calyxes. Deadhead throughout bloom period if spent stems look messy and start to weigh down the rest of the plant. Blooms: Long, arching racemes of white flowers held by purple calyxes in later summer to frost Light: Full sun to part shade Soil: Well-drained Size: 24 to 40 in. tall, 28 to 36 in. wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 8 to 10

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This is an absolute favorite of hummingbirds! The stark contrast of the dark calyxes and shiny green foliage creates undeniable interest. Blooms: Purple and blue flowers emerge from dark blue and black calyxes in summer to fall Light: Full sun to part shade Soil: Well-drained Size: 2 to 5 ft. tall and wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 7 to 11

E Skyscraper™ salvia Salvia hybrid This new variety comes in uncommon colors of orange, light pink and dark purple and looks stunning all on its own in a container. Blooms: Orange, pink or dark purple flowers emerge from matching calyxes summer into fall Light: Full sun to part shade Soil: Well-drained Size: 14 to 28 in. tall, 10 to 16 in. wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 7 to 10

F Scarlet sage Salvia splendens A small plant with large flowers, this is a popular bedding and container plant and can be deadheaded for tidiness and to increase blooms. Blooms: Red, creamy white, pink, burgundy, or purple flowers in summer to fall Light: Full sun Soil: Well-drained Size: 10 to 30 in. tall, 8 to 18 in. wide Cold hardy: USDA zones 10 to 11

‘Golden Delicious’

‘Mystic Spires’

Rockin’® Deep Purple

Skyscraper™ Orange

‘Ablazin’ Purple’

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home grown

Greens Packed with nutrients and quick to take off, greens are easy to grow and look good, too.

Lettuce, spinach, mustard and kale are classic, easy-to-find greens, but you might also like to try a few out-of-theordinary ones, such as tatsoi, arugula or mizuna. Get more information on all of them on the following pages. Flavors range from buttery to bitter and they’re all high in antioxidants and vitamins. You may even have some edible weeds growing in your backyard. Check out which ones you can harvest in “I can eat that?” below.

t’s not too late to get a few greens going for your fall garden. While these leafy veggies are often grown in spring, now is the perfect time to get planting for a late-season harvest. Warm, late-summer soil encourages seeds to sprout quickly, but air temperatures are starting to cool off so young plants will have the growing conditions they need to flourish. And if you live in mild-winter areas you can harvest greens all winter long. Grow them in rows in the ground or add a few to borders or containers, where they do double duty, providing distinctive texture and a tasty meal.

Growing tasty greens

To be sure there’s enough time to grow the greens you want this fall, check “days

I can eat that? Looking for an organic approach to weed control? Eat them! The pesky plants below are some of the most common you’ll find growing in your yard and they make great additions to salads, soups and stir fries. But before you start nibbling be sure chemicals haven’t been used on the lawn and that you’re harvesting the right plant. If you want to be on the safe side look for them at the farmer’s market or buy seed of cultivated forms.

Dandelion Taraxacum officinale All parts are edible.

Purslane Portulaca oleracea sativa Young leaves or stem tips are best.

Plantain Lamb’s quarters Chenopodium spp. Plantago major Young leaves Eat leaves and and stem tips young stems. are best.

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to harvest” found on most seed packets or in catalogs. Usually sowing seeds four weeks before your first average frost date provides enough time to get a crop. Most greens will take a light frost (some even heavy ones) and can have a better flavor afterward. You can direct sow seeds for greens in the ground or start them in small pots indoors if you’re waiting for a summer crop to finish up. Plants grow best in full sun to part shade and need regular water so the foliage doesn’t wilt or develop crispy edges. One of the advantages of growing greens in fall is that it’s less likely plants will bolt, or send up flower stalks due to heat. That signals the end for most greens—the foliage starts to die and the flavor becomes bitter. There are a few greens whose taste isn’t affected by flowering—I’ve made note of those in the chart.

Harvest how-to

Harvest greens at most any size—from the time they’re just emerging until they’re a few inches tall you can pluck a few to add to salads. New growth is often the most tender and sweet. Mature leaves tend to have a stronger flavor. There are several ways to harvest greens depending on the type and its use. Jenny Quiner of Dogpatch Urban Gardens in Des Moines, Iowa, specializes in growing them so I asked her for a few harvesting tips. See her techniques in the photos at right. With these basics of growing greens down, turn the page to see which ones you’ll want to start growing right now!

HARVESTING TECHNIQUES

HARVEST IT WHOLE

CUT AND COME AGAIN

TAKE WHAT YOU NEED

For a head of lettuce or pak choi, use a harvest knife to cut the plant off just below soil level. Keeping the leaves together makes the plant easy to handle and it lasts well in storage â&#x20AC;&#x201D; up to 3 weeks. This technique also helps the soil by leaving microorganisms around the roots in place.

To get a second harvest from spinach, arugula or leaf lettuce, grab a handful of leaves and use a pair of scissors or a harvest knife to cut them off an inch or two above the base of the plant.

If all you need are a few leaves of spinach or leaf lettuce to flavor a salad or sandwich, take hold of the leaf where its base meets the stem or where the leaf narrows. Then give a quick twist to break it off, leaving behind the stringy unappetizing stems or large ribs.

SalanovaÂŽ Red Butter lettuce

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Growing Tips

Flavor

Days to Harvest + Technique

YOUR GUIDE TO GREENS

‘Vates’

Arugula

Collards

Kale

Lettuce

Eruca sativa

Brassica oleracea

Lactuca sativa

20 to 50

55 to 85

50 to 60

45 to 55

Cut and come again

Cut and come again l Take what you need

Harvest it whole l Cut and come again l Take what you need

Peppery, best when immature; older leaves are bitter and sharper after flowering

Develops a sweeter taste after frost

Earthy; heat causes bitter taste; flavor improves after a frost

Sweet, crispy, mild or buttery; leaves become bitter in hot weather or after flowering

Flowers are edible, too; grows through winter in mild climates

A cabbage substitute for warm climates — it can take frost and tolerates heat, too; flowers are edible but harvest them before they open

Can take a hard freeze; grows through winter in mild climates

Some form heads, others grow loose leaf; needs consistent moisture for best growth and taste; can take light frost

here are lots of different greens, but which ones should you grow? This chart can help. Get the scoop on old favorites and find a few new ones to try. Then put a few of them together using the delicious recipes in “Green mixology” at right. All of them do well with the care tips you read on the previous page, and that’s also where you’ll find the harvesting technique details. Now that you have the basics in hand, it’s time to dig in and find out which greens you want to grow in your garden, share with friends and bring to the table. —Sherri Ribbey

Sources Johnny’s Selected Seeds www.johnnyseeds.com 877-564-6697 42

Salanova® Red Sweet Crisp

Burpee www.burpee.com 800-888-1447

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Green mixology Skip the grocery store bags and grow your own mix of greens. Jenny Quiner at Dogpatch Urban Gardens shared her custom mixes here so you can grow them, too.

A C

‘Japanese Giant’

‘Red Cloud’

‘Asian Delight’

‘Red Kitten’

Mizuna

Mustard

Pak choi

Spinach

Tatsoi

Brassica rapa japonica

Brassica juncea

Brassica rapa

Spinacia oleracea

Brassica rapa narinosa

40 to 60

30 to 50

20 to 40

35 to 45 Cut and come again l Take what you need l

Harvest it whole l Take what you need l

Harvest it whole

Cut and come again l Take what you need

45 to 50

l l

Harvest it whole Cut and come again

Mild, peppery taste — can vary according to growing conditions; young growth is best

Sweet, peppery or hot, depending on variety and age of plant

Tangy, sweet or peppery, depending on variety

Mild; flowering causes bitter flavor

Creamy or peppery; flavor gets sharper with age

Frost tolerant; pull plants after they flower or let them reseed; blooms are popular with beneficial insects

Let a few plants flower — the seeds and blooms are edible

Also called bok choy; easy to grow in containers; doesn’t tolerate heat well

Plant seed in fall, it doesn’t germinate well in soil temps over 75° F

Similar to pak choi; very cold-tolerant — to 15 degrees F, so can be grown through winter

« SPRING

« SPICE MIX Start with 50 to 75 percent arugula and fill in with baby kale, tatsoi, mizuna and a few microgreens.

LETTUCE MIX These lettuces are all part of the Salanova series. Use 50 percent of the Green Sweet Crisp as the base and fill in with the rest

A Arugula

B Baby kale C Tatsoi

A Red Sweet Crisp

D Mizuna

B Green Sweet Crisp

E Red Rainbow Radish

C Green Butter

microgreens

F D

D Green Incised E Red Butter F Red Incised

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1â&#x20AC;&#x2030;| Though early summer in this garden is impressive, fall is a showstopper, providing weeks of long-lasting color.

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great gardens

Autumn Abundance There’s no such thing as too many plants in this four-season garden.

C ʣ

onnecticut garden designer Sandi Blaze has rarely met a plant she didn’t like. She’s an avowed plantoholic who loves bringing home new plants to try and has created an amazing cottage-style garden that looks good all year but is especially gorgeous in fall. When Sandi and her husband bought their USDA zone 6 home in 1997, the sloping 4-acre yard had room for the kids to play, mature trees and three stone terraces. It’s taken a lot of work over the years to enlarge the small borders and add pathways and steps, all the while battling deer. You can see the results in photo 1. I think you’ll agree that it’s been worth the effort. Over the years Sandi has unearthed natural features along with a few treasures to create a beautiful garden where she can entertain just a few people or host a large garden tour. And of course it’s a wonderful setting for playing with the plants she loves. Ready to discover her garden for yourself? Let’s get started.

“As a kid I promised myself never to have a garden ... I used to have to weed. Once we had our first house I couldn’t stop myself from digging up our postagestamp-sized lot and planting perennials.”

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Three-leaved coneflower

‘Harrington’s Pink’ New England aster

Hakonechloa

2 | Take in the view Plant in layers, with low-growing plants, such as hakonechloa, in front, taller ones, such as asters and threeleaved coneflower, in back, and everything else in between. Then you can see all the flowers and foliage at once.

Filling Up the Borders Botanical Names Boxwood Buxus sempervirens Hakonechloa Hakonechloa macra Korean boxwood Buxus microphylla koreana New England aster Symphyotrichum novae-angliae Three-leaved coneflower Rudbeckia triloba

E ʣ

nlarging borders to make room for more plants was one of the first projects Sandi tackled, taking them from 1 foot to a little more than 6 feet deep. You won’t see big drifts or groups in this garden—Sandi wants as much variety as possible. Take a look at photo 2 and you’ll notice no plants are repeated— it’s color that ties it all together. She says she has zero talent for painting on canvas, but what she can do is put colors and textures together in the garden to create photo-worthy combinations. She loves seeing visitors take shots of her garden and enjoys using the

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WaterLogue app for some of her own. This phone app allows you to apply filters so your photos look like paintings. Even though the garden looks good all year, fall is Sandi’s favorite season with 5 to 6 weeks of “Wow!” color. Asters are a big reason for that—they keep the garden going until frost. One way to help tall asters, such as ‘Harrington’s Pink’ in photo 2, stand up straighter and flower more is pruning. In early June Sandi cuts plants back by a third, giving them a bowl haircut. This way in fall, plants will have more flowers as they bloom lower on the stems.

FALL MULCH With all the

nearby trees there are lots of leaves on the ground in fall. Sandy gathers them up and runs them through a chipper/shredder to chop them up. After she cuts back her perennial borders in late fall, she spreads a 3- to 4-inch layer of leaf mulch, watering in the top layer to keep them from blowing away. In spring, she pulls the mulch away from the perennials’ crowns but leaves the mulch everywhere else. The thick layer of leaf mulch keeps weeds to a minimum. An added benefit is that over time the decaying leaves have enriched the soil.

‘Graham Blandy’ boxwood

Boxwood

3 | Boxwoods lead the way. Besides providing evergreen color, these solid-looking boxwoods draw your eye to the steps that lead to the picturesque shed.

MORE THAN PERENNIALS

Evergreen shrubs, arbors and stone walls create beautiful winter views—especially with a dusting of snow. Boxwoods are featured throughout, and you can see them on the terrace in photo 3. Most are common species, but some are unusual. ‘Graham Blandy’, above, has a unique columnar habit. It towers above the other plants and provides contrast. Sandi has noticed that the Korean boxwoods’ strong branches handle snow load especially well. Pruning once or twice a year keeps these shrubs in shape. Even though it’s a lot

of work, seeing the interest they provide in winter makes it worth the effort. STONE WALLS While there were originally three stone walls dividing the slopes into terraces, Sandi added a few more with the help of her dad, who was a stone mason, and using stones found on the property. Adding new stairways made getting between the different levels easier, too. When you love plants, you’re always looking for ways to show them off. Take a look at the clever solution she came up with for the wall-planted plants in photo 4.

1-inch PVC pipe

4 | Easy watering Leaving a few 6-inchwide and 9-inch-deep gaps in the wall means there’s room for soil and a goodsized rootball. A piece of 1-inch PVC pipe runs through the stone directly to each planting gap for watering.

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Boxwood

5 | Take advantage of natural features Low-growing sedums, moss phlox and other ground covers thrive in the seams of this stone and don’t get so large that they obscure its beauty.

6 | Ornaments to fit the spot A whimsical dragonfly looks good hovering over a casual group of perennials while the classic book sculpture is right at home with a formal boxwood hedge.

Garden Surprises

S ʣ Botanical Names Boxwood Buxus sempervirens Climbing rose Rosa spp. and hybrids Moss phlox Phlox subulata Sedum Sedum spp. Yew Taxus spp.

andi made a few discoveries when she first got to work making over her yard. STRIKING STONE While stones are a pretty common thing to find when you start digging a garden bed in Connecticut, it’s not every day you come across a huge outcropping like the one in photo 5. It was hidden by more than 40 overgrown yews. Once the family started digging out the scraggly looking shrubs, they hit this layer of stone. With careful excavation, an enormous rock formation with wavy seams emerged. Now it’s

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a major feature of the garden, providing interesting texture and a unique planting opportunity. GARDEN FINDS There’s always something to discover as you walk along the paths in this garden. Photo 6 shows one of the custom insect ornaments made by a close friend and the book sculpture that was a Mother’s Day gift. The pond in photo 7 was another archeological find. As Sandi started to expand a border, she uncovered this old concrete pond. She cleaned it up, checked for leaks, hooked up a pump and

put it back into service. Buried for decades under turf and soil, it’s now a serene focal point and a place where you can pause, reflect and enjoy the view before continuing along the path. In fall, she suspends netting 4 inches above the pond to keep falling leaves out of the water (but allow room for frogs to come and go). Later the water is drained and any frogs she finds are moved to a different pond that stays active all year. In spring everything is cleaned out and put back into working order.

7â&#x20AC;&#x2030;| Draw people in A large metal arbor with a climbing rose attracts attention and draws visitors to the pathâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opening. Once there, they discover the peaceful pond, as OK (short for Outdoor Kitty) has.

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8 | Accent shrubs Boxwoods flank either side of the steps at both the top and the bottom. They anchor the corners and call attention to the entry, whether you’re ascending to dine or descending to take a garden tour.

Shady Oasis

A ʣ

Botanical Names Boxwood Buxus sempervirens Sugar maple Acer saccharum

huge sugar maple next to the house was a big reason Sandi and her husband bought the property. It had a swing the kids enjoyed for years. But this large tree is a natural gathering spot. Even now that the swing is gone and the kids are grown, the family continues to gather beneath its canopy for al fresco dining. In addition to hosting family and friends, Sandi’s garden is listed with the Garden Conservancy and is regularly part of its

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Open Days program. She’s also active in her local garden club, so garden lovers often visit. DINE WITH A VIEW You can see right away the reason for putting the dining table here—cool shade and a great view of the garden. Besides that, it’s close to the kitchen door and there’s plenty of room to add more tables and chairs for even larger gatherings. COURTYARD UPDATE Turn around and you’ll see the courtyard in photo 9 directly behind

the dining area. Sandi’s made a few changes over the years to make the space work better: The path is made from stone she discovered under the tree and connects this patio to the kitchen door. And stairs to the right on the upper terrace make access to the driveway more convenient. Sandi made sure to line them up with the entrance to the old barn across the driveway. Now when she looks out her window, the arbor arches over the steps

9 | Turf replacement Grass never grew very well here because of the tree roots and shade. Adding a path and a patio with a small garden in between turned this formerly hard-to-maintain area into a relaxing resting spot.

and the barn entrance, making a picturesque view. SHADE GARDEN CHALLENGE

One plant Sandi would like to grow more of is hosta, but deer are a real problem. Since many of the neighbors have fenced-in yards, they end up browsing in her garden for dinner. So she grows some resistant plants, such as boxwood, hellebores and coral bells. And regular spraying with repellents helps keep them away. She’s had good results using Bobbex.™

Along with the shade from the maple comes lots and lots of tree roots, which have made gardening there a bit of a challenge over the years. But having such a beautiful tree is all worth it to Sandi. STAYING ORGANIZED This is a big garden with a lot going on. So every year Sandi walks along the paths taking notes and photos of “what-was-I-thinking?!” or “I love that!” combos, along with plants that need to be moved or divided. She used to take notes

on paper but her smart phone has become an indispensable tool for this job (and it doesn’t get lost in a pile of papers on the desk.) Once the photo is taken she makes a note on it using the edit feature and e-mails it to herself at an account dedicated just to garden projects. Keeping on top of how well plants are doing helps her create the best-looking combos— and know where there’s room to fill in with more plants! —Sherri Ribbey

Botanical Names Coral bells Heuchera spp. and hybrids Hellebore Helleborus spp. and hybrids Hosta Hosta spp. and hybrids

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garden design

Ditch the ho-hum foundation planting for one that stands out from the crowd.

E ʣ

very house has a foundation, but every house doesn’t have a planting that really shows it off to its best advantage. Boosting curb appeal adds value to your home—from 4 to 12 percent—and gives you a beautiful view every time you pull in the drive. A foundation planting with balance, scale and unity makes your home and landscape look like one cohesive unit. Add a splash of color and it’ll look fantastic to anyone driving by or taking a leisurely stroll through the neighborhood. There are as many different ways for a foundation planting to look good as there are houses, so where do you begin? Let’s review the basics. START WITH BIG STUFF Trees and shrubs are the “bones” of your foundation planting. They provide structure all year, often have multiseason appeal, such as fall foliage or winter berries, and give smaller-sized annuals and perennials a backdrop so it’s easier to see their colors and shapes. Check out the illustrations at right for some different ways to position them around a variety of house styles. Remember to check the mature size of large plants and allow room for them to grow when they go in the ground: Trees and shrubs planted too close can damage the house, overgrow a walkway or cover architectural details that give your home its personality. Also, be sure the shrubs don’t grow higher than the lowest window pane so you don’t block the view. ADD SOME COLOR Of course you want color in your foundation planting, and while flowers

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are great for this, don’t forget about foliage. Most trees and shrubs are varying shades of green but you’ll also find blue, burgundy or variegated leaves. Stick to using just one or two colorful woody plants as accents so they stand out better. For example, a burgundy-foliaged plant is a great way to tie a brick home and its garden together. But a planting filled with burgundy foliage would make it hard to tell the difference between the home and garden. Having green-foliaged plants nearby provides the contrast needed to make the darker foliage stand out. Stick with a simple color scheme that coordinates with your home’s siding, paint or trim color for a polished and cohesive look and plant big groups of the same color for more impact. Avoid the onesietwosie approach—it’s hard to see individual plants from the street or sidewalk. Flowers from annuals or perennials will give you the widest range of colors and they offer lots of flexibility. You can easily change your color scheme each year or with the seasons. GO LOW MAINTENANCE People don’t usually hang out in the front yard, but this is the public face of your home so choose plants that don’t need fussing and that will look good long term. We’re just getting started with the ways you can create a great foundation planting. Turn the page for more tips you can use to roll out the welcome mat with style.

One-story casual

A columnar tree breaks up the biggest area of roof without taking up a lot of space.

ILLUSTRATIONS: Gary Palmer

Low and linear, this one-story home needs more height and something to break up all the horizontal lines.

The weeping tree at the corner softens all the horizontal lines and is casual looking, just like the house. Its draping branches reach for the earth, drawing your eye down to the lower hedge.

Shrubs with a round habit contrast with the pyramid shapes and soften the hard lines and angles.

Tall evergreens on either side of the house out in the yard grab your attention from a distance while smaller evergreen topiaries at the front door echo the look, reinforce the formal symmetry and draw attention to the front door.

Hedges planted at different depths from the house — one up close and the other further away — echo the varying levels of the facade.

Stately two-story This formal home made of brick has symmetrical features. It needs a deep layered bed to balance its height and keep things interesting.

Keep a crisp edge to the planting beds to keep the neat and tidy look essential to formal garden design.

Contemporary balance One-story contemporary homes often have a large roof and garage. The challenge is to balance the home’s design.

A mature tree with burgundy foliage helps balance out the big garage on the opposite side of the house. Choosing a species that has horizontal branching repeats the low profile of the home.

Shrubs near the garage help anchor the house to the landscape and balance out the larger planting.

A weeping tree near the sidewalk entrance says, “Here’s where you enter!”

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Fabulous Foundation How-To

W Botanical Names Begonia Begonia rex

hether your home is one story or several, formal or casual, there are lots of ways to ensure the foundation planting is helping it look its best. If something seems lacking, the garden’s design may be out of balance, the proportion may be off or it may just need more variety. Check out these tips for some easy ways to see if the planting surrounding your home is a help rather than a hindrance. Then see how to put it all together on the next page.

IS IT IN BALANCE?

Take a step back (maybe even across the street) and imagine a fulcrum at your front door. If things look off kilter, create better balance by adding to or subtracting from the plantings on either side. Homes with the front door in the center like those below are the easiest to check. But a house with an off-center door like the one at right needs more visual weight on the smaller side to balance the look.

Matched plantings naturally balance each other.

Fern Begonia

Match the plants to the growing situation. Begonias and ferns tolerate the deeper shade on the porch while sun-loving plants decorate the steps.

A group of smaller plants has the same visual weight as a single larger one.

porch connections

The foundation planting may stop at the steps but containers keep your eye moving right on up to the front door. Because the urns above are large and black, they supply visual weight. This adds emphasis to that spot and lets you know right where to go. Even numbers work best with symmetrical designs. They’re easily divided in half with the focal point, such as the entrance, in the center. Odd numbers of containers have a more casual feel but can still be balanced — find out how in “Is it in balance?” at right.

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This house needs more plantings on the left to balance the larger trees on the right.

IS IT TOO BIG?

Plants that are too small for your home look out of place, and those that are too big overwhelm it. How to choose the right size? Take a photo of your house, then draw a line from the bottom of the front door to a point two thirds the way up from the ground on the corner of the house. The tallest plants near the house should have a mature height just below this point. Plants to the side or out in the yard can be taller. Like any rule, there are always exceptions. Sometimes a tree or shrub is a big help breaking up a large roofline as with the “One-Story Casual” design on the previous page.

The direction your house faces tells you which plants should grow there. North: Shady & cool

Smooth hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens Brunnera Brunnera macrophylla South: Hot & dry

Tip: A 1- to 2-foot-wide path between the house and the back of the planting makes it easier get in the garden to care for plants.

Serviceberry Amelanchier canadensis Russian sage Perovskia atriplicifolia West: Hot, dry and windy

Bluebeard Caryopteris x clandonensis Sedum Hylotelephium spectabile East: Soft morning sun & afternoon shade

Azalea Rhododendron hybrids Coneflower Echinacea purpurea

SHAPE THINGS UP

A mix of plant shapes in your foundation planting is a surefire way to keep the design interesting. Here are some common habits and how they work in the landscape.

See our favorite foundation plants for each shape. GGMagExtra.com

PYRAMID Focus attention with this angular shape. Its narrow top leads your eye up. Use pyramids sparingly — it adds a lot of drama.

ROUND Your eye moves quickly over this common plant shape. Use in groups where you don’t want to focus a lot of attention

HORIZONTAL Wider than they are tall, horizontal plants emphasize length and have a comfortable, stabilizing effect.

COLUMNAR A columnar plant leads your eye upward but is softer and more casual than a pyramid.

WEEPING This out-of-the-ordinary form leads your eye down and is great at distracting from less-than-ideal views.

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Hosta Hosta ‘Frances Williams’ Perennial; blue-green leaves edged in yellow-green, white flowers in early summer; part to full shade; 24 to 30 in. tall, 48 to 72 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9

Allegheny spurge Pachysandra procumbens Perennial; small white flowers in spring, can spread indefinitely by rhizomes but not aggressively; part to full shade; 6 to 10 in. tall, 12 to 24 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9

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Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica Little Henry® Shrub; lightly fragrant white flowers in early summer, native shrub with no pruning needed; full sun to part shade; 18 to 30 in. tall, 24 to 36 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9

New Guinea impatiens Impatiens Divine™ Pink Tender perennial; pink flowers in spring to fall; full sun to full shade; 10 to 14 in. tall, 12 to 14 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11

Holly Ilex x meserveae Castle Keep™ Shrub; glossy evergreen foliage, grow Castle Wall™ with it for berries; full sun to part shade; 3 to 5 ft. tall, 3 to 4 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 7

Bigleaf hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla Summer Crush® Shrub; deep pink or purple flowers (depending on soil acidity) early summer to fall; full sun to part shade; 18 to 36 in. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Ball Horticultural Company (New Guinea impatiens); courtesy of Bailey Nurseries, Inc. (bigleaf hydrangea); courtesy of Proven Winners®, www.provenwinners.com (holly)

Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ Tree; purple-pink flowers in spring followed by burgundy foliage; full sun to part shade; 20 to 30 ft. tall, 25 to 35 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 9

Japanese maple Acer palmatum dissectum ‘Viridis’ Tree; lacy green spring and summer foliage changes to crimson and gold in fall; part shade; 6 to 10 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8

Mealycup sage Salvia farinacea ‘Victoria Blue’ Tender perennial; purple-blue flowers in spring to fall; full sun to part shade; 18 to 24 in. tall, 10 to 18 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11

Panicle hydrangea Hydrangea paniculata ‘Pinky Winky’ Shrub; conical shaped white blooms age to pink in midsummer to fall, flowers can get up to 16 in. long; full sun to part shade; 6 to 8 ft. tall, 7 to 9 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 8

Botanical Names Crape myrtle Lagerstroemia indica Serviceberry Amelanchier canadensis

Simple Care For a Great Look

eed some inspiration for your own foundation planting? Check out this plan and use all or some of the plants to create a design of your own. It’s best for a north- or east-facing home so the sun won’t be too hard on these small trees. For a southor west-facing yard, try serviceberry or crape myrtle. Care is relatively simple: Remove spent flowers from the hydrangeas in late winter or early spring. And during the growing season deadhead the spent hosta blooms by cutting the stems back under the foliage for a tidier look.

Most of these plants do need regular watering to look their best. An inch or two of organic mulch will help conserve moisture and give a polished look to the border. Keep plants healthy and growing with a slowrelease fertilizer applied once in spring. The annuals will flower even better with a boost from a liquid plant food every couple of weeks. So with just a little effort you can ensure that your foundation planting says “Welcome!” to everyone who passes by. —Sherri Ribbey

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B Botanical Names Boxwood Buxus spp. and hybrids Littleleaf boxwood Buxus microphylla Pachysandra Pachysandra spp. and hybrids Sweet box Sarcococca spp. and hybrids

oxwood blight is a fungal disease spreading quickly across North America. Although we don’t have as many boxwoods as the landscape above in our Iowa test garden, gardeners who rely heavily on boxwoods are really struggling. We haven’t seen this disease’s devastation yet, but I need to plan how to fight it when it comes. WHAT IS BOXWOOD BLIGHT? Boxwood blight is caused by the pathogen Calonectria pseudonaviculatum, and will also affect other shade-loving plants like sweet box and pachysandra. The photos below show the progression of symptoms: First you’ll notice circular lesions with dark brown edges on the leaves and black streaking on the stems. As the disease spreads, foliage turns straw-colored, then falls off. Sometimes this can be confused with volutella blight or winter burn; a tissue test at a plant disease diagnostic clinic can confirm boxwood blight. Boxwood blight is spread by contact with infected plants from nurseries, tools, clothing and even greens

in holiday decorations, such as a wreath or centerpiece. Spores can persist in the soil for up to 5 years, so even a new boxwood planted where an infected plant was removed can become diseased. There is no cure, so you will need to either begin treatment if you have too many plants to lose or remove the entire plant. WHAT TO DO ABOUT BOXWOOD BLIGHT If the infection is in the early stages, cut off all affected branches and clean up debris off the ground. Double bag the trimmings and dispose of them in the trash, burn (where permitted), or bury them at least 2 feet deep in the ground. Don’t compost infected foliage. You may be able to keep boxwood blight at bay on remaining unaffected foliage by spraying a chlorothalonil-containing fungicide every 7 to 14 days during the growing season when temperatures are above 60 degrees F. Reapply if it rains—the fungus thrives in warm, humid weather. Use this fungicide carefully according to directions, as it is toxic to fish.

Signs of Boxwood Blight

Black streaks on the stem Starting with interior leaves, the plant becomes defoliated Dark-ringed spots and straw-colored foliage

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PHOTOS: Courtesy of Mary Ann Hansen, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Bugwood.org (ringed spots and black streaks); courtesy of Adria Bordas, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Bugwood.org (boxwood blight progression)

What To Do About Boxwood Blight

SIMILAR LOOK WITHOUT THE BLIGHT Sanitize any tools that you use with a 1:9 bleach to water mixture and wash clothing that comes into contact with infected plants. All that said, it might be easiest (and definitely less expensive) to remove the whole plant, including any soil touching the roots. There are several boxwood cultivars that are resistant to boxwood blight:

If all else fails and you lose your beloved boxwoods, you can plant these lookalikes without fear of boxwood blight.

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Spring Meadow Nursery, Inc. (A); ©Proven Winners® ColorChoice® (B); courtesy of Bushel and Berry® (C); courtesy of John Ruter, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org (D)

North Star® boxwood Buxus sempervirens 24 to 32 in. tall and wide, cold hardy in zones 5 to 9 Sprinter® littleleaf boxwood Buxus microphylla 2 to 4 ft. tall and wide, cold hardy in zones 5 to 8 ‘Green Beauty’ littleleaf boxwood Buxus microphylla japonica 3 to 5 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in zones 6 to 9 ‘Winter Gem’ Korean boxwood Buxus sinica insularis 2 to 3 ft. tall and wide, cold hardy in zones 5 to 9

Plant resistant varieties in new plantings, or use them to replace a dead plant in a hedge. Keep in mind that though these cultivars are resistant—they don’t usually display the symptoms—they can still spread the fungus to nonresistant boxwoods. They may also need fungicide applications to suppress the disease if symptoms show up, but these cultivars rarely show the same kind of devastation. HOW TO PREVENT BOXWOOD BLIGHT If you don’t have boxwood blight yet, here are some things to help minimize your risk: In new plantings, grow open-habit boxwood species, such as littleleaf boxwood cultivars, and space them far enough apart that their branches don’t intertwine. More air movement discourages the fungus. Avoid overhead irrigation so foliage doesn’t get wet and provide the perfect environment for boxwood blight fungal spores to take hold. Pull weeds, prune foliage, and do other maintenance tasks only when boxwood foliage is dry so you are less likely to transfer the sticky spores with clothing and tools (and make sure lawn care workers follow these procedures as well). Use a 2-inch layer of mulch, such as pine bark, under plants to keep water from splashing spores from the soil up onto the leaves. Purchase boxwoods only from nurseries certified as disease-free in the Boxwood Blight Cleanliness Program, which requires growers to adhere to strict cultural practices. KEEP THE LOOK You could always try the plants featured in “Similar Look Without the Blight” as replacements. With leaf shape and texture resembling boxwood, these plants can be shaped and sheared the same way for that great formal look. Until researchers can find a cure for boxwood blight, use these tips to fight hard for your boxwoods. —Jennifer Howell

A Juke Box® pyracomeles x Pyracomeles A cross between an Osteomeles and Pyracantha, this evergreen shrub with glossy leaves can be easily trimmed to a shape or sheared into a hedge. It has a mounded habit and doesn’t form flowers. Full sun to part shade; 1 to 3 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 7 to 9 B Sky Box™ Japanese holly Ilex crenata Naturally columnar, Sky Box lends a formal air to a planting. It has tightly branched evergreen foliage and its insignificant white spring flowers lead to inedible blue berries. Sky Box and Juke Box are part of the “Box” line of shrubs that are all good boxwood replacements. Full sun to part shade; 4 to 5 ft. tall and 2 to 3 ft. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 6 to 8 C Blueberry Glaze® blueberry Vaccinium hybrid Get a compact, mounded hedge, plus sweet, tasty blueberries with this acid-soil-loving bush. Dark green foliage turns red to purple in fall and white flowers ripen into edible fruit. Full sun to part shade; 2 to 3 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8 D Bordeaux® dwarf Yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria If both the male and female plants of this evergreen shrub are close together, the female will have bird-attracting red berries in the fall. Its dense foliage has red-tinged new foliage growth and white flowers in spring. Full sun to part shade; 3 to 5 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 7 to 9

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Q & A

Why are there so many more acorns than usual this fall? C.K. Dexter Haven, PA Only oak trees (Quercus spp.) produce acorns. But all trees have boom crops some years and minimal crops other years. The reason for this has long baffled scientists. We now know that neighboring trees synchronize, so not just one tree has a mast year, but all of the oaks in a region will overproduce acorns. Since acorns are a major food source for many animals, mast years make up for all the ones that are eaten — with so many acorns, it’s impossible for all to be consumed. The extra acorns take root so that the oaks can propagate.

Do you have garden questions? We have answers!

I often find a bag of daffodil bulbs I forgot to get in the ground this fall. Can I plant them in the spring? Libby Zoog, MO

There might be hope if the bulbs aren’t dried up. Bury the bulbs in pots of soil the same depth you’d plant in the ground, water, and place near a sunny window. Within a few weeks, you should see shoots. Plants may or may not flower. Allow the foliage to get as much light as possible and in mid to late April, plant the bulbs outside. Your odds aren’t as good as the usual regimen of planting outside in fall, but at least you’re giving them a shot.

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WEED WATCH

How can I get rid of wireworms that keep eating my potatoes? Martha Plank, IL

Lily with botrytis

Can you explain why my lilies (Lilium spp.) stopped blooming and why my peony (Paeonia hybrid) turned brown? Bob Moyer, NY

PHOTOS: Courtesy of Bob Moyer (lily); courtesy of Alton N. Sparks, Jr., University of Georgia, Bugwood.org (wireworm larvae); courtesy of Joseph Berger, Bugwood.org (click beetle)

It’s most likely botrytis, the most common disease for lily growers. This fungal disease affects the stems, leaves and, in extreme cases, the flowers and buds of lilies. Botrytis is spread by spores located on the undersides of the leaves, on the ground and in garden debris. The spores are spread by wind and rain, and are encouraged by wet and humid conditions. It begins as a small white or brown spot on a leaf or bud and grows into a larger brown spot with a lighter center until it engulfs the entire leaf and then the stem and buds as you see in the photo above. Once it starts, it moves like wildfire through the lilies. The damage can be held back or avoided using a broad-spectrum biofungicide registered for organic use (follow directions for use). Botrytis is also the most common disease of peonies. On peonies afflicted with botrytis, the young shoots rot off at ground level when they are 5 to 8 inches tall. The stems often have a water-soaked appearance. The leafy shoots wilt and fall over. The spore-producing structures of the fungus develop along the base of the rotting stalks and survive in debris left in the garden over the winter. In early fall, cut down all old leaves and stalks to ground level and destroy them.

You will need to thoroughly loosen and break up the top 6 to 8 inches of soil in your potato beds. This makes conditions unfavorable to the egg-laying adult wireworms— click beetles—and exposes them to the elements and its natural enemies. Common in home gardens across North America, wireworms (up to 1½ inches long) are tough, slender worms with shiny skin and three pairs of legs just behind their head as you see below. They are yellow to brown-red in color and feed entirely underground, attacking germinating seeds, roots, bulbs and tubers. Damaged plants soon wilt and die. If infestations are heavy, thin and patchy crops may appear in the garden and reseeding will most likely be necessary. Potatoes also make great wireworm traps. Cut one in half and run a stick through the middle. Bury it about an inch deep so the stick stands straight up like a handle. Pull the traps out after a day or two and discard the wireworms. Wireworm (larvae)

Click beetle

garden jargon VIRIDESCENCE The process by which the variegated leaves of a plant revert to all-green.

Crownvetch Securigera varia What it looks like Crownvetch is an attractive perennial that rapidly forms large clumps from creeping stems up to 6 feet long and underground rhizomes up to 10 feet long. A single plant may fully cover up to 100 square feet within a four-year period. Pinkwhite flowers are produced from late spring to fall on long stalks in cloverlike clusters above leaflets arranged in pairs. Flowers are followed by crown-shaped seed pods. It forms a tangled mass less than 2 feet tall. Where to find it Crownvetch is a European species that was introduced into North America in the 1950s as a ground cover. It was mainly planted along highways and on embankments to control soil erosion. However, it is now naturalized throughout the United States, including fields and roadsides. This aggressive exotic excludes native plants by fully covering and shading them out. How to get rid of it Small patches of crownvetch can be pulled or dug from the ground. The entire plant, including all pieces of the stems, roots and rhizomes, needs to be removed. Repeated mowing can be effective. For larger infestations, you may need to apply a systemic herbicide like Milestone® in the fall for the most effective control.

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garden essentials NEW PLANTS • TRENDING PRODUCTS • MUST-HAVE BOOKS

1 | Tapplock One+

2 | Raised Row Gardening

3 | Dahlia ‘Belle of Barmera’

When you’re eager to open your garden gate or ready to put tools away after an afternoon of chores, a finicky padlock is aggravating. But this high-tech one opens with the touch of a finger! Program your fingerprint (and up to 500 others) into the padlock using a simple app on your phone, then simply touch the center square to unlock. Setup takes little time, and opening the padlock is a cinch. It can also be opened through the app on your phone or by entering a password using Morse code. ggmagextra.com/essentials ($99.00)

This is a simple and effective new way to grow your veggies — no need to construct raised beds and no need to dig or till. Instead, just build rows right on top of the ground with layers of compost, straw, potting soil and cover crops. The idea is to create nutrient-dense soil without much work. Want to give it a try? This book will tell you all you need to know. It’s best to start the process in the fall, which will give you a jump start on growing come spring. ggmagextra.com/essentials ($21.99; softcover; 191 pages)

Bright coral petals unfurl to a creamy peach and raspberry pink to create a breathtaking latesummer sunset in the garden. Slightly curled petals add a touch of charm to these huge dinnerplate blooms that remain upright on thick, strikingly dark 3- to 4-foottall stems. Plant tubers 1 inch deep and 18 inches apart, and, in zones colder than zone 8, grow ‘Belle of Barmera’ as an annual or dig it up in fall and store it indoors through the winter. Longfield Gardens, longfield-gardens.com ($13.70 for 3 tubers)

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PHOTO: Courtesy of Longfield-gardens.com (3)

FALL GIVEAWAY!

This fall we’ll choose 6 lucky readers to receive this collection of organic fertilizers from Jobe’s. Sign up online: gardengatemagazine.com/jobes

4 | Jobe’s Organics Bulb Food Sprinkle this granular fertilizer around your tulips and daffodils as you plant this fall, and you’ll probably notice bigger or more plentiful blooms in the spring. In summer, feed your lilies and other bulbs after they bloom to increase the show for next year. The instructions on the bag are easy to follow so you can know how much to use and when, based on the bulb type. It’s organic and beneficial microorganisms help break down nutrients for plants and improve the soil. ggmagextra.com/essentials ($14.99)

PHOTO: Courtesy of Gardenersedge.com (MAXBIT set)

5 | MAXBIT Garden Hole Digging Drill Bits Similar to a bulb auger, these oversized bits also attach to a drill but create larger holes 4 or 6 inches in diameter. Save yourself some time (and sweat) when planting multiple bedding plants — with this tool it takes less than 30 seconds to dig each hole. And the package includes an extension rod so you’ll have to do less bending or kneeling. When you start, brace the drill with two hands to help hold it in place, especially if you’re working in dense soil. Gardener’s Edge, gardenersedge.com ($104.95 for the set)

GARDENGATESTORE.COM

Both drill bits and the extension rod come in one kit to make planting a breeze.

EXCLUSIVE BULB COLLECTIONS FOR GARDEN GATE SUBSCRIBERS We’ve worked with the folks at John Scheepers to develop three exclusive bulb collections just for you: The Deer-Proof Flower Bulb Collection The Naturalizing Narcissus Collection Florist’s Dream Tulip Collection These high-quality bulbs will impress you now and again next spring. Order soon, as supplies are limited! Learn more at gardengatestore.com/bulbs

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Turtlehead Chelone lyonii Perennial

Blooms Hooded, snapdragonlike, rose-pink flowers with sparse yellow beards inside the lower lip in late summer to fall Light Full sun to full shade Soil Moist, well-drained Pests None serious Size 24 to 48 in. tall, 18 to 30 in. wide Cold hardy USDA zones 5 to 9

Botanical Names Hosta Hosta spp. and hybrids Monkshood Aconitum napellus Perennial geranium Geranium spp. and hybrids

Grow Late-Season Color in a Snap T here really aren’t a lot of shade-loving perennials that produce blossoms late in the season when everything else is beginning to look a little dowdy. But that’s exactly what turtlehead does during the shorter days of late summer and early fall. This unusual and attractive plant gets its name from the curious pretty pink flowers that resemble open-mouthed turtles found at the tips of each of the stems. EMBRACE A NATIVE There are six species in the genus Chelone, all of which are native to North America. Our focus is on Chelone lyonii, which has pink flowers with yellow beards. It grows naturally in the southern Appalachian mountains north to New England along stream banks, damp woods and swamps. During the spring and summer, turtleheads are perfectly content to let others take center stage in the garden as plants mature into upright mounds of sturdy foliage. But during the dog days of summer, clusters of lipped, tubular,

pretty pink blooms open atop each slender stem. The snapdragonlike blossoms are primarily pollinated by bumblebees, who are strong enough to pry open the jaw-shaped petals. And turtlehead is the primary host plant for the caterpillars of the Baltimore checkerspot butterfly. NOT ALL WET Turtlehead prefers part shade but can be grown in sunnier spots if given consistent moisture. This is the most sun-tolerant of the turtlehead species. Most tolerate drier soil once they become established. So feel free to site turtlehead anywhere in part sun to deep shade. Pinch back the stems in spring to produce more compact plants, especially if growing in full shade where they are more likely to need some support in the form of staking. Grow turtlehead with other perennials in naturalized areas. It looks good with hostas, monkshood and hardy geranium—or, as you see in “A Trio of Natives” below, backed by ornamental grasses and carpeted with bugleweed.

A Trio of Natives

A Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium ‘Twilight Zone’ Ornamental grass; glossy purple-bronze panicles in late summer into fall atop nearly iridescent silver-mauve-purple stems beginning in midsummer; full sun; 48 to 54 in. tall, 12 to 24 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9 B Turtlehead Chelone lyonii See information above left. C Bugleweed Ajuga reptans ‘Burgundy Glow’ Perennial; blue-violet flower spikes in spring above variegated dark green foliage; full sun to full shade; 4 to 6 in. tall, 10 to 24 in. wide; cold hardy USDA zones 3 to 9

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ILLUSTRATIONS: Carlie Hamilton

Looking for a late-season display for a part-shade situation? Underplant little bluestem with turtlehead and bugleweed for a great-looking combination that works well for a dry stream bed or a rain garden.

PHOTO: ÂŠ DoreenWynja.com for Monrovia

Source Bluestone Perennials bluestoneperennials.com 800-852-5243

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FINISHING TOUCHES

“Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development, invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.” — Edgar Allen Poe

GA RD EN GATE | O C TO B ER 201 9 | ISSUE 149

The Perfect Autumn Garden Design Secrets from the Pros

BONUS SECTION

Autumn in the

garden senses — bold color combinations, pungent scents, the crunch of crisp leaves under your feet and a cool nip in the air. To many gardeners, it’s the perfect time of year. You can relax a bit because the hard work of spring is over; you’ve survived the heat of summer, and winter is still a little way off. And many plants reach their peak of growth just before they go dormant. But what makes the perfect autumn garden? Well, color, and lots of it, is what comes to mind first. Combinations that you might not think of even trying in other seasons. And not just flowers, but colorful foliage, seeds and berries — any color is welcome in a late-season garden. After all, many of us are already thinking about the gray, drab days ahead, so the color should be as long-lasting and memorable as possible. Pull on a jacket or a warm sweater — the temperature is sliding toward winter, so let’s start our tour of gorgeous autumn gardens. Like the beautiful one at right, the rest of the gardens you’ll see in the pages that follow all have one thing in common — they focus on the beauty of fall. But each one is unique, and yours will be, too.

ENJOY THE FEAST Autumn gardens are a feast for the

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BEST OF THE SEASON The best autumn gardens are exuberant masses of color, shape and form. These bright asters (Symphyotrichum spp.) and goldenrod (Solidago spp.) will fade, as will the mahogany-colored sedum (Hylotelephium hybrid). But don’t worry, the season isn’t over yet. Don’t cut these plants back — the color and texture from seedheads, foliage and grasses, as well as their unique shapes, will take over, even into winter.

LET THEM HAVE THEIR WAY No matter what the season, some plants just won’t stand up straight. You can stake them if you like, or cut them back in summer to keep them more compact. Better yet, plan on their casual look and let them lean, like these asters, and cover summer bloomers that are starting to look tired. Like a more tidy look? Grow tall leaners between sturdy grasses and stiff perennials, such as the white boltonia (Boltonia asteroides), for easy support.

GREEN IS GOOD A green lawn makes a restful frame around your autumn garden. And with the cool weather, it’s probably more lush than it’s been all summer. With all of the color exploding from flowers and foliage, a bit of grass can be a relief to your eyes. Let the colors of the garden spill out onto it by bringing flowers right to the edge of your beds and borders. As the flowers fade, leaves will probably drift over the area for a completely different autumn look.

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Create contrast Autumn is a season of contrast — one day it’s warm, the next day cool. But in a garden, contrast can mean something totally different. Here you’ll want visual contrast. That means choosing plants whose color, form and texture look good together. The best combinations often pair plants that are completely different from each other. And you want seasonal contrast, too. After all, a garden changes with the seasons, and no matter what the time of year, you want it to look its best. Not all plants shine all of the time, but with careful arrangement, your garden can.

GO FOR GRASSES Ornamental grasses are one of the backbone plants of fall gardens — and for very good reasons. Most of them are at their showiest in autumn. And the striking form of this bold maiden grass (Miscanthus sinensis) is very distinctive. Even after they’ve gone dormant, most grasses maintain a strong, good-looking presence in the winter garden. Leave them standing so you can enjoy their waving heads and rustling brown foliage until next spring.

CONCENTRATED EFFORTS Don’t have room, or the time and energy, for a large autumn border like the one on the last page? For the best impact in a limited space, focus your autumn plantings in one area, like this garden entrance.

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ROUND FLOWERS This gate planting has a cheerful, welcoming look about it. Part of that is due to the simple, open faces of these pink anemones (Anemone x hybrida). Their shape contrasts so well with all of those spiky grasses. And they contrast with the flat flower heads you find at this time of year, too, like the tall sedums (Hylotelephium hybrid) in the lower right of this photo. While this scene isn’t filled with traditional fall colors, it is easily recognizable as autumn because of the plant combinations.

GO NATURAL All grasses don’t have to be space-eating monsters. Even a small garden can handle several different types so you get some interesting color and texture contrast. Look for low-growing varieties that have arching or wide-spreading forms, like these dwarf fountain grasses (Pennisetum alopecuroides).

SAVE TIME If you grow perennials, you know how you’re always being told to deadhead to keep them tidy? Well, tidy is subjective. Imagine this garden without these rusty brown astilbe (Astilbe spp.) flower heads. It wouldn’t be nearly as interesting if they’d been cut off. And seedheads will show best if they’re in front of a solid background, like these hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata).

The word on ornamental grasses If you’re looking for a low-care garden, go for grasses. They don’t need staking, deadheading or lots of fertilizing to keep them looking great. About the only maintenance they require is spring cleanup. Here’s what you’ll need to do: Before you begin to see new growth sprouting near the base of the clump, it’s time to cut away the dead stems. As you see in the photo, start by tying all of the stems together with string or twine. That’ll make hauling them away much

easier. Tall or very large clumps may need to be tied in a couple of places so they’re easier to handle. Next, grab your pruning shears and start cutting. Cut all of the stems down so the stubble is 4 to 6 in. high. Sturdy pruners can handle tough maiden grass stems. But if the stems are thin and delicate, you may be able to cut with a pair of long-bladed hedge shears. Once you’re done, haul the bundles away, sit back and watch the grass grow.

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Fit it all together There are so many things to think about when designing a garden that it can be overwhelming, sometimes even intimidating. But if you break big projects down into smaller pieces and tackle them one at a time, it’s not so bad. Here’s a great-looking front-yard planting and a few of the pieces of the design puzzle that make it possible.

35 MPH IMPRESSION Fall may be this driveway bed’s most colorful season, but it has something for every season, including spring bulbs and summer annuals. Want to get the most out of a bed near the street? Plant in blocks of color — these huge mounds of garden mums (Chrysanthemum hybrids) are easy to see at 35 miles per hour. One plant here and there wouldn’t make much of an impression. So if you have three plants, rather than spreading them out along the driveway’s length, cluster them all together. In a few years divide them so you can have another large clump. Same goes for bulbs: Think 50, not 5!

MAGNIFICENT MUMS Garden mums are the perfect plants for a quick fall dress-up. Just know that the ones you buy and plant in fall usually won’t come back if you live north of USDA coldhardiness zone 6. If you want them to perennialize, buy and plant them in spring so they have plenty of time to get established in your garden and are ready for winter. Want more tips on how to choose and grow gorgeous garden mums year after year? Turn the page!

RECLAIM AN UGLY SLOPE The slope along the side of this driveway used to be covered in grass (sort of). The coverage was thin, and what was there was difficult to mow. Now it looks better and is easier to take care of, too. One thing that helps define the space is the mix of limestone retaining wall and half-buried stones. You don’t have to tackle a retaining wall that runs a slope’s entire length. Feel free to create planting pockets and mix up your materials. It’s easier to do, and in the end, it looks more natural, too.

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A scenic drive A driveway is often just a long, flat, vacant swath cut from the street up into the yard. But with a little imagination and careful planning, this strip doesn’t have to be homely. You see one goodlooking example at left. Here are four more tips that will take the area along your driveway from boring to breathtaking:

1 Choose the right plants We use our driveways for everything from washing the car to shooting hoops and gassing up the lawn mower. So the area around a driveway can be a harsh environment. Choose plants that will stand up to soapy, oily wash water, reflected summer heat, piles of snow and even a stray basketball. Shallow Daylily (Hemerocallis hybrids), artemisia (Artemisia pea gravel spp.) and coreopsis (Coreopsis spp.) are three good slope perennial options. But it’s still a good idea to set them back a bit from the driveway’s edge. In the illustration above, check out how to create a shallow slope of pea gravel down the length of the bed. This will help drain dirty water away from the plants.

2 Widen the beds Gardens next to a driveway don’t have to be narrow strips of plants skirting the edge of a concrete sea. Expand the beds and they actually start to blend into the rest of the yard. The garden at left is a good example of this. Extra-wide driveway plantings also reduce the temptation for folks to cut through, or hop over, the beds on their way to and from the car.

3 Direct traffic Speaking of cutting through the beds, if this is a problem for you, plant hardy, low-growing evergreens, such as junipers (Juniperus spp.). They’ll mark the path all year while their prickly textures encourage pedestrians to avoid them. Put in a stepper or two so folks will choose that route.

4 Clear the view At the end of the driveway, where your

SHAPE UP Contrast is what keeps your eye moving through a garden. When there are lots of interesting things to look at, your eye keeps seeking the next shape. On the other hand, too much contrast can create a confusing jumble. See how the loose mounds of colorful asters (Symphyotrichum spp.) contrast with the smooth pumpkins and even the rectangular bale of straw? There are enough asters and mums that the space seems unified but not so many that it’s boring.

property crosses the city sidewalk and meets the road, safety is the primary concern. When you’re backing the car out, you need a clear view of pedestrians, street traffic and so on. Most cities have ordinances limiting the height of plants, fences and other landscape items, and how far they must be from the street or sidewalk for good visibility. So while the tall lamppost in the illustration below looks nice, it’s better to install something a bit shorter. Keep taller plants closer to the garage and taper the heights down as the bed nears the street.

DON’T

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Magical mums! GROW A CUSHION OF COLOR Chrysanthemums are the quintessential autumn flowers. Few plants give such a colorful show during fall in cold-winter climates. You can find them in any color except for true blue. These plants also come in several different flower forms. You can see a few of them in the photos below. Decorative flowers are double, with tightly overlapping rows of petals. The flowers of daisy mums are single with narrow petals radiating out from the center. Spoon flowers are similar to daisies, but with the half of the petal nearest the center “quilled,” or rolled into a tube.

DESIGN IDEAS Mums are great for containers. If you’re buying them in fall, you’ll get the longest show if you choose plants that are just budded out but not blooming yet. Buy the ones in bloom and some of the blooms will be on their way out before you even get them home.

Try pairing red- and pink-flowered mums with goldenrod (Solidago spp. and hybrids) for a colorful bed. Or pair them with ornamental grasses. The round, soft flowerheads provide nice contrasts in texture and shape with the upright spikes of the grasses.

Use bright, solid-colored mums in large drifts to add a striking element to your garden. Since they bloom late, plant earlier-blooming perennials in front of them. When the other perennials bloom in spring and summer, the small mums will be

Decorative flower

Daisy flower

Spoon flower

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Growing tips

Survival tactics While hardy perennial mums are usually quite durable, with a bit of extra care you’ll reap huge rewards. Here are tips to reduce the risk that you’ll have to plant new mums every year.

 Pinch mum growing tips back every time they get 4 to 6 in. of new growth. This will encourage more branching, which means more flowers later.

hidden behind them. Once the earlierblooming plants finish, cut them back and the mums will just be coming into their own. HOW TO GROW THEM Many folks treat mums as annuals, buying whatever color strikes their fancy in the fall and tossing the plants on the compost pile when winter comes. But the truth is, many mums are coldhardy even into USDA zone 4. You just have to know how to keep them alive. Planting in fall doesn’t give them enough time to get established before winter comes. Check out “Survival tactics” at right for tips that will help your mums come back every year. So you planted in spring and your mums come back every year. Why do they stretch into lanky plants by fall

and not grow in those tight cushions covered in buds that you’re used to seeing at the garden center? Pinching can help. Here’s how you can grow mums that are as bushy and dense as the one in the photo at left: See the growing tips on the mum stem above? Pinch these out every time they get 4 to 6 in. of growth, even if they already have tiny buds, until the middle of the summer. It’ll make your mums bloom later into the fall. The end of summer doesn’t mean your garden has to fade away. In any color or style you choose, mums will take your autumn garden from drab to fab!

® Start early Spring is the time to get mums in the ground. That gives them lots of time to send out a strong root system that will keep them from being heaved out of the soil over the winter. Buy young starts in early spring. If they have flowers, snip them off so the mum puts its energy into growing more roots and branches. ® Rejuvenate frequently For the most flowers, divide mums every spring. Toss out the weak and woody centers and reset only healthy young sprouts from the edge of the clump. ® Choose the best spot Always plant hardy mums in full sun and well-drained soil. Avoid locations that stay wet or where water collects, especially in winter. With too much moisture, the crown rots and the plant will die. ® Feed regularly Mums are heavy feeders. Start with a granulated 10-10-10 fertilizer as soon as you see new growth. Give them another dose in early August, or when you spot the buds forming. Or apply a slow-release fertilizer in spring. But if you irrigate or it’s been a rainy season, give your mums a little extra 10-10-10 as the buds form. Never feed after mid-August or the plant will try to keep growing rather than wind down to prepare for dormancy. ® Get ready for winter Mums left standing will survive cold winters better than ones cut to the ground. And it’s a good idea to spread 2 to 4 in. of straw or other loose mulch over the roots to keep them evenly cold and protected.

 Uncover mums and cut down the dead stems in spring when you see new growth sprouting.

® Be patient Wait until spring to uncover the crown and cut the old stems down. Late cold snaps can kill tender new growth.

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Aging gracefully By fall, many plants are looking better than ever. Once summer’s heat wanes, plants that had been languishing suddenly turn lush. Even with all this activity, it’s a wistful time: Just when they’re at their showiest, you can’t help but think that these beautiful plants will soon be on their way out. Want to know how to get the most of your annuals in fall? Let us show you which annuals get better with age, how to keep them going longer in the fall and more!

RAISED BEDS TURN HEADS If you build your bed as a berm, with the center higher than the edges, you can create height differences where there were none. Another reason this works well here? In a new bed like this, slower-growing shrubs and perennials might struggle to peek over the annuals that fill this bed the first year. The berm helps elevate them.

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PROLONG THE SHOW Many annuals will shrug off a light frost (30 to 32 degrees F). But there are a few that will turn black and die immediately. If you’re expecting a night or two of cold temps and then a return to warmer weather, it’s worth protecting your most tender plants. Plants with soft, fleshy stems and leaves are especially susceptible to cold temperatures. Here are a few examples: • Impatiens Impatiens hybrids • Coleus Plectranthus hybrids • Morning glory Ipomoea purpurea • Caladium Caladium hybrids

Seasonal splash Sometimes there’s a spot that you’d like to have explode with color

in each season. You can switch out the plants as the seasons change, and get a completely different look each time. Other times you have a situation that you’d like to evolve in more subtle ways throughout the year. That’s where a mix of perennials that bloom at different times comes into play.

BIG BLAST OF COLOR If you have the space and want one spectacular latesummer show, set aside an area just for late bloomers like these dahlias (Dahlia hybrids). However, if you want early spring color, too, plant daffodils (Narcissus hybrids) and other spring-blooming bulbs in this same area.

SET THE STYLE Fall gardens are often casual billows of plants that knit themselves together in a laid-back style. But if you prefer a structured look, a clipped hedge adds a touch of formality. Don’t have the time to maintain a long hedge? Plant a small shrub to punctuate each corner of the bed for some balanced structure.

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The perfect path There are two important reasons for paths: First, they’re functional. Their job is to get you somewhere. Second, paths create lines in your landscape. They direct your attention to a destination. Sometimes they do it in a roundabout manner, as with curved lines. Other times they take you straight to the point. Either way, your eyes follow along, whether you end up actually walking the path or not. So how do you enhance the line and maintain easy access to the path? Here are some planting ideas to help you do just this! Then find out just how great seedheads can be along a path in fall and winter, as well as some other tips for incorporating them into your garden.

COME ON IN! Most gates are made for keeping something or someone out, but this one has such an open design that it actually welcomes you in. The arched “window” gives you a peek down the path and shows you just enough of the garden that you want to see more. The end of a straight path is a good place for a focal point. That’s because the lines create a perspective, seeming to come together toward a narrow opening at the path’s end.

KEEP IT CLEAN By fall, it’s tempting to let things go, but if you want to keep using your path, keep those leaves raked up or swept off. A few fallen leaves scattered along this path are charming, but nobody wants to shuffle through a pile up to their knees or slip and slide on wet leaves.

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PATHSIDE PLEASURES Leave a few seedheads next to frequently used paths. This way you’ll be sure to see them even in fall and winter. You’ll get the best show by leaving larger clumps of seedheads. Mix up the head shapes, too. Grow spikes, rounded forms and airy clumps for the best contrast. And because seedheads tend to be dark and small, they’ll often show up best if they’re in front of a simple, solid background. One of the best things about leaving seedheads is that they feed the birds. Make sure the birds notice them — also leave some standing near your best bird feeders. However, some plants may be aggressive seeders, even to the point of becoming pests. So if your garden is small or if you don’t want to deal with a lot of spring seedlings, here’s what to do: Deadhead at least some of the spent blooms, leaving just a few for winter interest.

MATTERS OF SCALE This path is lined with grasses, shrubs and perennials. The mix of heights makes it feel comfortable and the variety slows visitors down because there’s lots to examine along the way. A path lined with knee-high sheared hedges would have visitors zipping to the other end. These same hedges pruned just above eye level might make the trip down the path a bit unpleasant. Picture yourself walking down the path in the illustration below. You may feel as if you were in a tunnel and might be wary of your surroundings.

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Put texture to work Color may be the first thing in a garden that catches your eye, but texture plays an important role. And in fall, it’s more apparent than ever — plants are at their full-grown best! Look at the photo on this page — the gardens aren’t loaded with color, but the plant shapes, forms and foliage texture still make them beautiful.

BECOME A MASTER OF ILLUSION You can also use texture to change a perceived space. In a small area, start with coarse-textured plants in the foreground, such as the bold agave (Agave spp.) above. Place plants that gradually get finer in texture toward the back of the space. Notice how in the photo above, your eye focuses on the bold plant in the front first? The back of the little courtyard, planted with finerfoliaged roses, seems to “fuzz out” in the distance.

The opposite can be true of a large space that you’d like to feel more cozy. Start with fine-foliaged plants in front, such as yarrows (Achillea spp.) or grasses. Gradually increase the size of the plant leaves and the coarseness of visual texture toward the back. Garden visitors’ eyes will immediately go to the drama of the coarse-textured plants, making the back of the bed seem closer than it really is. Don’t expect miracles, but a little illusion can go a long way.

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Your attention, please! While you’re creating texture contrast, you can call attention to a favorite feature. For example, say you’d like to highlight a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum). In the illustrations below, notice how you can attract attention to it by framing with coarse-textured foliage. Surround it with lacy foliage and the tree blends in. Although texture is an important element, there are other factors to consider. Just as when framing a print, you’d choose a mat and frame that complement without detracting, choose framing plants that are more subtle than the specimen. Even though they’d create contrast with the Japanese maple, wildly variegated hostas (Hosta hybrids) might steal the show.

regional tips Use these seasonal and regional tips to get your garden in shape for winter. There are lots of things that need to be done at the end of the season. To help you finish the essentials, use this checklist as a guide. The next two pages have more specific tips for certain areas of North America. The USDA cold-hardiness zones where the tip is most helpful are listed after each idea.

early fall

 Pull out the camera and snap some shots of what you’ve accomplished this year. Don’t forget to take a few photos of areas that need improvement, too!

 Plant cold-tolerant annuals and refresh containers with autumn plants.  Buy spring-blooming bulbs early for the best selection. Store them in a cool spot until you’re ready to plant.  Shop for tree, shrub and perennial bargains and get them in the ground.  Feed your lawn.  Divide perennials that bloom in late spring and summer, such as irises, daylilies and daisies.  Watch for insects and treat the problem to cut down on overwintering populations.

midfall

 Rake up and compost leaves. Clean up dried leaves, stems and twigs around

 Contrast attracts the most attention. Coarse-textured plants frame a finetextured tree for maximum impact.

the garden.  Put out the bird feeders.  Plant trees and shrubs if you haven’t already. Keep them watered until the ground is frozen.  Mow the lawn once more and do end-of-season maintenance on the mower.  Bring houseplants inside before night temperatures dip into the 50s.  Harvest any last produce from the vegetable garden. Spread a layer of compost over the garden so it will be ready to till in spring.  Control weeds that have been lurking in the lawn before they set seed.  Plant spring-blooming bulbs now.

late fall

 Empty, wash and store your containers. Use a dolly to move heavy

 Similar textures blend together. When framed with fine-textured plants, a fine-textured focal point can get lost.

or large ones.  Protect trees and shrubs from winter weather and scavenging animals.  Sharpen and put away tools.  Cover new perennials, and those that have a tendency to heave, with mulch.  Empty the hose and coil it up. Also empty and store the birdbath unless you will be using a heater.  Prevent damage to your lawn and plants. Use a garden-friendly deicer, coarse sand or turkey grit instead of salt to melt ice from sidewalks and driveways.  Dream about next year’s garden and place orders for new plants early. GardenGateMa gazine.co m | G A R D E N G A T E

find your region

northwest Control weevils Set burlap traps for root weevils under rhododendrons, yews and hemlock now to reduce their numbers next season. Place a piece of burlap with several folds in it beneath each shrub. During the day, weevils will hide within the folds. Then, before they make their evening trek into the plant, simply remove the burlap and “sack” the little invaders. Sticky barriers and parasitic nematodes are also effective controls. (USDA zones 5 to 8) Slug control Prepare your arsenal to battle the slugs. As the wet, rainy months begin, so do the ideal conditions for slugs in the garden. Adult slugs lay eggs beginning in August and the young hatch after 3 to 4 weeks. These young find their way into your garden and feast. You can hand pick slugs from your garden if the population is small. If you’re battling a large population, consider setting out bait and traps to catch them. You can find baits and traps at the garden center. (USDA zones 5 to 8) Compost cover Cover your compost pile for the rainy season. Adequate moisture is a key element to successful composting, but if compost gets too wet, the pile won’t heat up enough and the decomposition process will stall. Use a sheet of plastic or tarp to cover your pile. Occasionally pull the cover back so the compost doesn’t dry out. (USDA zones 7 to 9) Overwinter fuchsias After your tender fuchsias have experienced a light frost or two, it’s time to bring them in for the winter. Cut plants back to 6 to 8 in. tall. Store them in a cool, frost-free spot like a garage, basement or threeseason porch. Dormant plants still need water, so don’t forget to check them every 2 or 3 weeks. Water when they need it. In early February, bring them into the light. Feed lightly with a liquid fertilizer. Keep the growing fuchsias protected until the last threat of frost is gone, and then move them outside. (USDA zones 7 to 10)

• Mild temperatures • Consistent moisture

mountain Buried treasure It’s a good idea to plant bulbs 2 to 3 in. deeper than you would in milder climates. Mild winter temperatures can fool some bulbs, like tulips and crocuses, into sprouting earlier than they should. Mulch over newly planted bulbs after the ground has frozen with pine needles, leaves or bark mulch. This will help keep the soil from warming up on sunny winter days and tricking the bulbs into sprouting too early. (USDA zones 3 to 5 at high elevation) Fire hazard If you live where wildfires are possible, take the time to clean up potential fuel this fall. Dry leaves and brush catch fire more easily than growing plants. If you don’t have a buffer of green plants around your house, consider planting it early this fall. (USDA zones 5 to 9) Green but not gone Harvest warm-season vegetables, like tomatoes and peppers, before they get zapped by an early frost. You can ripen fully formed green tomatoes off the vine. Cut them off the plant and place in a shallow box with newspaper between each row. Store the green tomatoes in a dry place, like a shed, garage or spare room where the temperature stays between 55 and 70 degrees. Don’t worry about sunlight — they’ll actually ripen better in the dark! (USDA zones 3 to 5) Water-wise gardening Rain and snowfall are great helps to gardeners, especially those who garden under irrigation restrictions. Set up rain barrels so you can collect the runoff from melting snow and spring rain on the roof of your house. Save it so you can water your garden when it’s dry in other times of the year. You’ll avoid irrigation restrictions and save money on your utility bill. (USDA zones 3 to 5)

• High elevations • Short growing season • Early snowfall

southwest Chill out Put tulip and hyacinth bulbs in a paper sack in midfall. Store them in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator to simulate the winter of northern zones. After 6 to 8 weeks, near the end of December to the beginning of January, it’s time to plant. Plant the bulbs as soon as you pull them out of the cold; otherwise all your efforts will have been in vain. A spot with morning sun and afternoon shade will prevent them from getting too hot and not blooming. Be sure to keep the soil moist and cool with a layer of leaf mulch or compost. (USDA zones 8 to 10) Bermuda beauty Fall is the time to overseed your Bermuda grass lawn with annual ryegrass. In midfall, mow the Bermuda grass as low as possible and rake it to expose soil for the annual ryegrass to grow. Spread the ryegrass seed, water and cover it with a thin layer of compost. Keep the soil moist until the grass is tall enough for its first mowing. Then reduce watering to every 7 to 10 days. (USDA zones 7 to 10) Keep an eye open Watch your vegetable crops and flowers for signs of aphids. Cool weather is perfect for these garden pests. Be sure to check cabbage and other cole crops. Spray with soapy water. You may need to spray every few days until they’re gone. (USDA zones 6 to 9) Plant a tree In hot, dry areas, fall is the best time to plant trees and shrubs. The long cool season gives them a chance to get established before the heat of summer. Smaller-sized plants, like those in 5- to 15-gallon containers, will establish themselves faster than bigger plants. Even though they’re smaller to start, they’ll soon take off and you’ll never know their humble beginnings. (USDA zones 4 to 9)

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• Hot temperatures • Dry conditions

midwest Storing tender bulbs Most summer bulbs, such as dahlia and canna, won’t survive freezing temperatures. To carry them over, you must dig them up and store them indoors. After frost yellows the foliage, dig and separate your bulbs. Cut the foliage off ½ in. to 6 in. above the bulb and remove clinging soil. Discard damaged bulbs. Dry the good ones for 3 to 7 days. Layer dried bulbs in a ventilated laundry basket, mesh bag or old nylons, and stack or hang them in a place that stays in the 50s. Check on your bulbs monthly. Throw out soft ones and mist those that have shriveled. Pot up the bulbs indoors in March or wait to plant them in the garden when night temperatures are above 50 degrees. (USDA zones 1 to 6) Fall web worms These caterpillars build quite the home in the canopy of many shade trees in early fall. The webs can become so thick that they look like cotton candy on a stick. There are multiple generations each year, but the caterpillars that are active in fall are the ones that will return next year. Developing caterpillars feed on leaves, which sometimes can defoliate young trees. Prune out smaller webs or use a high-pressure sprayer to knock the web out of the tree. Although the webs are unsightly, most mature trees are able to survive repeated infestations without suffering permanent harm. (USDA zones 4 to 7) Compost to a better garden Fall is a great time to start a compost pile. Collect grass clippings, leaves and food scraps, such as banana peels and coffee grounds. When you’re collecting leaves, use your lawn mower to chop them into small pieces before you add them to the compost. Start with smaller pieces to get usable compost sooner. Spread compost on flower beds and around vegetables to improve the soil and add nutrients for more robust plants next year. (USDA zones 2 to 7) Save some seed Collect seeds from your favorite annuals to plant for next year. Zinnia, sunflower and marigold are easy flowers to start with. To collect the seeds, leave some blooms on the plant until they’re dry. Then remove the entire flower. Separate the seeds from the dried petals by crushing the flower with your finger over a piece of white paper. if they’re not completely dry yet, let them sit out for a few days. When the seeds are completely dry, carefully pour the seeds into a zip-top plastic bag, paper envelope or baby food jar until you’re ready to plant them. Dried seeds will keep for 3 to 4 years in a cool, dry spot. (USDA zones 2 to 8)

• Extreme temp changes • Variable snow cover • Possible high winds

southeast Perennial division Do you feel like you’re running out of time to get all those giant perennials divided? Don’t sweat it; you have a bit longer than most other gardeners. In the southeast, you can usually divide perennials into October. Just be sure to mulch around the new plants and keep the soil moist. (USDA zones 6 to 10) Tie ‘em down Winter winds can sometimes be rough on climbing roses. Tie loose canes to a trellis or arbor so they don’t break. Use strips of old cotton T-shirts. Because the fabric naturally stretches a bit, it won’t damage the canes as they move. (USDA zones 7 to 10) Revive your petunias Toward the end of summer your petunias are probably looking pretty scraggly. That’s OK. Just cut the plant back by a third to a half. This late-season haircut will not only make the foliage look better, but you might get a fresh flush of blooms, too. This also works with some perennials like cranesbill and catmint. (USDA zones 7 to 10) An ounce of prevention It’s a good idea to use a pre-emergent herbicide, such as Preen®, before you plant cool-season annuals. The herbicide will help prevent weed seeds from sprouting, and that means less weeding later on. Follow all label instructions when using herbicides in the garden. (USDA zones 6 to 10)

• Warm temperatures • Extended growing season • High humidity and rain

northeast Feeder frenzy Clean out your birdfeeder before fall. Nonmigratory birds have a harder time finding food under the snow, so you can give them a hand by filling your feeders with a tasty treat. Put the feeder out in fall so the birds that are sticking around have time to locate the new food source before they’re desperate. (USDA zones 3 to 5) Move houseplants inside As nighttime temperatures begin to drop, it’s time to bring your houseplants back into the house. Before you carry them back inside, check them over for any unwanted guests. Houseplants that have been outside for the summer often pick up insect pests. Look under leaves, at the joint between leaves and stems and on the soil surface for six-legged hitchhikers. If you find any, pick them off by hand, spray plants with soapy water to wash them off or use an insecticidal soap. Clean plants outside so you don’t spray anything on your furniture and walls. (USDA zones 2 to 5) Frosty forecast Keep an eye open for the nighttime forecasts of frost in your area. Many garden plants can be protected from light frost with an old bed sheet or other nonplastic material over them. You don’t want to use plastic because it’ll burn the leaves if it touches them. (USDA zones 2 to 7)

• Prolonged autumn season • Moderate winter temps • Snow cover

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