Ahhh, mistakes in the garden – we have all made them and the trouble is that sometimes takes a season or two, or even a few years, before we realize what we have done. When you choose the wrong paint for a room it can be fixed pretty quickly but no so in the garden, so here are some hints on how to take the ‘Oops!’ out of your landscape.
I think the number one rule when starting a new garden, or renovating an old one, is to enlist the help of a experienced, recommended landscaper. This can be essential for a great final product. If your knowledge of gardening is less than pretty advanced you would be doing yourself and your check book a huge favor by working with a professional gardener to help you in the planning process and to keep you away from making costly mistakes. If you want to do the work yourself then at a minimum pay for a consult and consider a design as well. With all the considerations that need to be taken when planning a garden you would be best served by utilizing the knowledge of someone who has made all the mistakes already and learned from them what not to do.
If you do go it alone – or plan on doing the plant purchasing and planting on your own - here are some of the DON’Ts to consider.
- Don’t fall in love with those gorgeous displays at the nurseries – An avid gardener knows this lust, you see it and must have it! But is it really the right plant for your location? Do you have room for it? If so, will it enhance the plants already established and play well with the others? All things to consider when that must have feeling hits. Successful and easy to maintain gardens are well planned and introducing a impulse buy plant to the group on a whim can sometimes lead to problems later on. If you just cant help yourself just buy some nice big containers and use them as mini gardens for those plants you just couldn’t say no to. (I do this all the time as I cant help myself either…..nurseries to me are like shoe sales are to Carrie Bradshaw.)
- Don’t plant too close together – This is what else happens when you go nuts in the nursery. Planting to close together is instant gratification but all the plants will suffer as they reach full size. Read the tags and make yourself aware of the full grown size of the plant and space accordingly – you’ll be so much happier with the results in the long run, so will all you plants.
- Don’t buy plants when in full bloom – This also happens when you fall in love with a full blooming flowering plant and sometimes it just cant be helped - But try to train yourself to look for plants that have new growth, healthy structures and healthy roots rather then a big display of flowers. Some plants actually bloom more when the are in distress – it is their way of trying to make as much seed as possible in case they are getting ready to die! So look for long term health traits instead. If the plant you want is coming into it’s blooming season then try to pick the ones with nice buds so you can enjoy the full flowering season.
- Don’t plant in the wrong season – Spring bulbs are planted in the Fall, trees and shrubs are best planted in fall thru winter, and be careful of non-natives that seem complaicent but then explode with growth during the growing season. Most of all dont plant anything in the hot summer months, especially trees and shrubs, unless you plan on not going anywhere that summer and instead plan on staying home and watering every other day for 3 months. Irrigation will not do the right watering for a tree or shrub planted in the summer as they are set for established plantings and the new plants will need more detailed attention to their watering needs.
- Don’t take short cuts with site preparation – There is a saying I heard long ago called the 80/20 rule. 80% of your garden budget should be put into soil and bed preparation and the other 20% toward plants. If you give it a good home it will grow. Go this route and you can save some money by buying smaller plants that will thrive and mature faster than if you did little or bad prep and threw in big new plants.
For the next post I will cover the garden mistakes we all tend to make once the garden is in so check in for that!
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If you are fortunate enough to have a small forest of trees in your yard you might wonder how you can contain them. Trees can be both a very beautiful part of a landscape and very effective at blocking out much desired sun. How should you go about altering them or simply maintaining them? In most cases what is best for the tree is best for the homeowner. Sometimes the needs of man and nature collide. Here are some basic principals:
KATSURA- I have mentioned this plant in a previous post and I put it first in this list – The dry leaves when shuffled thru (or when you are raking them up) smell like cotton candy! The various colors during the change is what I love the most about this tree – as some of it’s leaves are still green, some are fading yellow and others into reds and purples (depending on which species you plant)…all happening at once!
FOTHERGILLA (Mt. Airy) - Mt. Airy is the mid-sized version of this amazing Fall color plant. It’s considered to be the best one for various changes in the leaves. There are also dwarf and larger versions that can be used for drama, as a back drop plant or as spots of color. It also has a 3-4″ cone flower in summer.
RHUS (Sumac) – The Rhus family is large… And here in the Northwest we usually plant the Staghorn or Lace leaf varieties but all Sumac species thrive in almost any soil as long as they are well drained. The females have the red cone seed pod that birds love.
STEWARTIA – These trees are happy in organically enriched, slightly acid and woodland gardens so they are a perfect understory tree for a woodsy garden. There are a few different species but all are slow growing, all season performers. They have large white flowers in the spring and beautiful glossy leaves for the Spring and Summer, amazing fall color in the Fall and, depending on the species, smooth bark that flakes off in varying degrees (like a birch) with patterns of different colors.
BLUEBERRIES- Gorgeous purple fruit high in antioxidants that even kids love to eat plus gorgeous fall color to boot – need I say more?
Bamboo – This amazing plant is just too dangerous to let get loose in your backyard garden. Even clumping varieties with proper barriers installed can cause problems eventually. Bamboo can be an excellent addition to the garden but keep it in a pot on a deck or patio so it never gets free. Or you can insert pots of bamboo into the garden for texture – just be sure to lift the pot a few times a year and cut off any roots trying to sneak out. Bamboo planted in a pot will live for years and you can divide them every few years in 4ths and double your pots of bamboo in no time – creating that grove you always wanted – just on your patio!
Beautiful and usable yards are a blend of hardscapes and planted areas, of places to be and places to see. Defining areas is a process of creating outdoor rooms without walls and sometimes with borders that are intentionally fuzzy. Pavers can provide both natural looking patio areas and softer looking paths through a number of design options. Pavers are easier to conform to irregular terrain changes. They aren’t a choice you make to save money over a poured concrete slab, but rather for different looks and options possible. Pavers are more eco-friendly as they allow rainwater to soak in rather than contribute to runoff. Pavers also allow for later changes, redesigns, and access should you need to run a plumbing or electrical line. So, what should you look for in a quality project?
Native plants will thrive with a good start and good care as they establish. Here are a few tips to get you going:
Landscaping done well makes your home inviting. It draws attention and shows people that you care. What do you do if you think you lack a green thumb? Break the work of landscaping into its components: Design from execution, front yard from back yard, and developing just one spot from overall goals. Write out all your dreams and ideas for your outdoor spaces and begin to prioritize. Beautiful design ideas must be balanced to fit your use and the overall context of your home naturally. With a little planning and just getting started you will be amazed at what a difference you can make.
