Category Archives: Zone 6 gardening

Plant This, Not That

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Clethra alnifolia

Summer sweet - A native alternative to butterfly bush

Recently, fellow Native Plants & Wildlife Gardens team member, Genevieve Schmidt, wrote a post about native plant alternatives for several overused plants found in many gardens in California, where Gen lives, gardens and works as a landscaper.

 

As Gen mentions in her post,Plant This, Not That: California Natives Edition, by simply looking beyond the every-house-on-my-street-has-one-of-those plants, and instead choosing a similar native plant, gardeners “could be adding wildlife value and getting a similar color or textural effect in the garden”.

 

Pat Sutton also joined Gen and wrote about eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), in her post Plant This, Not That: New Jersey Natives Edition.  And now it’s my turn to jump on the bandwagon and write a post for Connecticut (and New England) gardeners and suggest a native alternative to three  non-native staples of many local gardens.

 

Read about my native plant alternatives to hybrid hollies, butterfly bush and maiden grass at Native Plants & Wildlife Gardens.

July 2010 Garden Bloggers Bloom Day

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It’s July 15th so that means it’s that time of the month to share what’s happening here in my southwestern CT (zone 6) garden.  If you’re new to Garden Bloggers Bloom Day (GBBD), there are a free things you should know about it.  First, GBBD is the brainchild of Carol over at May Dreams Gardens and second, it’s a wonderful opportunity to see into the gardens of fellow garden bloggers.  Here’s a quick peek into my garden today.

A 'wide' shot of one section of my garden...close-ups to follow.

Cleome 'White Queen', I love this flower and find it aptly named since it's so regal and powerful in the garden.

Liatris spicata is a colorful, and fuzzy, foil for 'White Queen'

Belamcanda chinensis (Blackberry Lily) is a little treasure received from a plant swap last fall.

Coreopsis 'Full Moon' seems to be a favorite of the bees right now

Origanum libanoticum (ornamental oregano) and Artemeisa ‘Silver Mound’ look lovely together at the front of the bed

 Happy Bloom Day!

Garden Designers Roundtable: Fashioning a Focal Point

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Welcome to Focal Points, the April topic from Garden Designers Roundtable.  Links to my fellow roundtablers who are also posting on this topic can be found at the end of this post.

Focal points are a key concept in virtually every field of design.  By manipulating individual elements in a design, the designer can focus the eye to one area of the design while drawing it away from another.  When it comes to garden design, focal points are a favorite mantra of designers and homeowners alike.   Focal points can be very grand and striking or simple and unpretentious.  They can be a permanent fixture like a pool or patio or something that is easily moved from place to place such as a collection of containers or a birdbath.

Figuring out what kind of focal point works best for your garden can be a very personal process involving a different set of variables and priorities for each gardener. I thought I’d share the thought process I recently went through to figure out what kind of focal point to propose to use in a front entry garden that would compliment the style of the existing garden while meeting the inevitable design constraints that are present on every garden design project. 

Let’s begin with the particulars of the site.  As you can clearly see, this is  woodland garden.  It is informal in style and is located in zone 6.  The space for the front entry garden is quite narrow, ranging from 15′ in some spots to 25′ in others.  (For now, ignore some of the other issues like the too narrow existing walkway and focus solely on the focal point.)  It is on the eastern side of the house so it gets full morning sun and some afternoon sun.  There are mature oak trees ringing much of the space.  The deer are a constant presence in the garden so if a living focal point is used, it must be deer-resistant.  There are utility lines that come into the far upper corner of the house from the street and run directly over the area where a focal point will be placed – basically the edge of the lighter brown mulch.  The right side of this garden is edged by a grove of mature rhododendrons, so between the rhodis and the house, this section of the garden is sheltered from winds.  The focal point will be visible from several rooms of the house – the living room and two of the upstairs bedrooms.  The area is also clearly visible from the back garden, a place the family spends much of their outdoor time.   Here’s a view of this same ‘focal point location’ as seen from the back garden.

Now a bit about the homeowners.  They are a middle-aged couple with two kids who enjoy puttering around in the garden but are looking to make the garden as low-maintenance as possible.  They would like to incorporate a focal point that primarily looks best when viewed from the perspective of walking up the walkway to the front door.  They are somewhat less concerned about the view from the back garden but of course they want the focal point to look good from that perspective too.  They would also like to screen the view of their neighbor’s driveway.  They would prefer a living focal point and want to incorporate as much native plant material as possible in their garden.   They are interested in bringing more birds into their garden.  They already have several dogwoods (Cornus florida) and redbuds (Cercis canadensis) on the property so, if a deciduous understory tree is used, they would prefer to use a different tree all together.

 Now, it’s time for a look into my thought process as I considered what type of focal point to propose to my clients.

  • I would like the focal point to be subtle and blend into the informal, woodland garden  – something pleasing to look at while walking to the front door but not a destination in and of itself. 
  • Even though the homeowners would like to screen the view of their neighbor’s driveway, I didn’t think that should be the primary goal of the focal point.  The screening can be achieved in another way – possibly a grouping of woodland shrubs with berries (great for enticing birds to visit).  The focal point can add to the overall screening effect but should not be the primary source of screening.
  • Since the wall of rhododendrons is already evergreen, a deciduous tree would be interesting on a variety of levels.  When looking at the focal point from the back garden, the rhodis will make a great backdrop.  In case you’re wondering, the rhodis bloom in mid-July with a pale pink flower. 
  • The tree needs to be fairly short – remember the utility lines – and for aesthetic purposes, I want it to be wider than it is tall.  It should be multi-stemmed, deer-resistant, able to thrive in partial shade and ideally flower in late spring or early summer so it doesn’t compete with the existing dogwoods and redbuds. 
  • I decided to limit my options for a tree to those that are native to New England since limiting it to CT natives would probably be too restrictive given all the other factors I needed to consider.
  • The tree needs to be interesting all year long since it can easily been seen from inside the home.

After some research and talking to local nurseries about the deer-resistance of a few different trees, I decided to present the homeowners with two different options.  The first  is a Fringe Tree (Chionanthus virginicus).  It fits some of the design parameters well but falls short in other areas.  It blooms in the late spring after the redbud and dogwoods have finished their show but before the rhodis begin to bloom.  Fringe tree is native to most of the New England states, although not specifically CT.  It is considered reliably deer-resistant and should bloom well in the partial shade.  While the white flowers do not last as long as I would have prefered, the bluish-black fruit in the late summer will make for it.  The fruit will help entice birds into the garden.  At maturity, the tree should nicely fill the space since it should get to be about 20′ wide but it will still be shorter than the overhead wires.  After its initial bloom, it is still attractive but not quite a multi-season stunner.

The other option is a Pagoda Dogwood (Cornus alternifolia).  Pagoda dogwood is native to CT and  has white flowers and berries just like the fringe tree.  It is not as considered reliably deer-resistant but with its strongly horizontal branching structure it should be interesting all year round.  Pagoda dogwood is becoming more popular and there are several cultivars to choose from with variegated leaves which will add another layer of interest to the tree. 

Which option would you choose if this were your garden?  It’s not easy, since neither option is perfect.  What you gain in one area, you give up in another.  When designing a garden from scratch, the options are much more varied.  But when working in an existing garden, the choices are narrowed dramatically.  But,  I’m confident that either choice will be a good one for the garden and the homeowner, and of course, the birds.

Don’t forget to visit my fellow Roundtablers to read about their posts on the topic of focal points…

Andrew Keys : Garden Smackdown : Boston, MA »
Carolyn Choi : Sweet Home and Garden Chicago : Chicago, IL »
Laura Livengood Schaub : Interleafings : San Jose, CA »
Lesley Hegarty & Robert Webber : Hegarty Webber Partnership : Bristol, UK »
Pam Penick : Digging : Austin, TX »
Rebecca Sweet : Gossip In the Garden : Los Altos, CA »
Susan Cohan : Miss Rumphius’ Rules : Chatham, NJ »
Susan Morrison : Blue Planet Garden Blog : East Bay, CA »
Susan Schlenger : Landscape Design Advice : Hampton, NJ »
Tara Dillard : TaraDillard.com : Atlanta, GA »

Pruning Mophead Hydrangeas

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I am frequently asked at this time of the year about pruning hydrangeas.  The last few garden coaching clients I have seen mentioned that their mophead hydrangeas (Hydrangea macrophylla) simply don’t bloom well for them.  When I hear this, the first thing I ask is when they typically prune them.  Often, the answer is ‘now’.

If you’ve had your mophead hydrangea, also called bigleaf hydrangea, for more than a few years, chances are pretty good is the type that blooms exclusively on old wood.  That means it sets it buds for THIS summer’s flowers on shoots that developed after the plant bloomed LAST summer. So proper timing of pruning is a must for successful flowering.

Since hydrangeas are such popular garden shrubs, there are several new cultivars of hydrangea macrophylla that are re-blooming,  meaning they bloom on old wood and new wood.  The most popular re-blooming hydrangea is arguably Endless Summer.  If you have a re-blooming hydrangea the timing of pruning is not such an issue.

What many gardeners don’t realize is that bigleaf hydrangeas do not really have to be pruned back unless they are very old and need rejuvenating. Removing dead stems is the only pruning that should be done to keep the plant healthy and they can be removed at any time of the year.  If you want to revitalize an old bigleaf hydrangea that isn’t flowering well, you can cut about one-third of the oldest shoots back to ground level each summer. 

At this time of the year in cold-climate gardens like mine here in southwestern Connecticut (zone 6), it’s time to deadhead any old, faded flowers that were left on the hydrangea for winter interest.  Be careful how you deadhead so you don’t accidentally prune off this summer’s flowers.  While I could tell you how to deadhead, it’s much more effective to see how it’s actually done.  For a look at the proper technique on deadheading mophead hydrangeas, click here to see a video tutorial by Genevieve Schmidt of North Coast Gardening in CA.  Even though Gen is located in northern CA, the technique she demonstrates is relevant no matter which zone you garden in.

With proper care and pruning, you can have big beautiful hydrangea flowers all summer long.

Swag from Renee’s Garden

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My swag from Renee's Garden

 

 One of the many perks of belonging to the Garden Writer’s Association, an organization of professional communicators in the green industry, is the offers for free stuff, or swag, that are beginning to arrive in my mailbox.   

It’s actually a simple yet effective marketing strategy on the part of these companies – send samples of your product to the people who write about them.  Of course, the downside is the companies are taking a risk, if the writer (me) doesn’t like their product , she will undoubtedly tell her readers.  

The other day I received a media kit from Renee’s Garden introducing some new offerings for 2010 and an invitation to try some of Renee’s Garden seeds in my own garden.  Not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth, I took Renee’s Garden up on its generous offer and ordered a selection of seeds.  

Being the lazy gardener that I am, I decided to go with seeds that can be started outside – none of the seed starting under grow lights in the basement for me.  Quick and dirty, that’s my style.  So, I am looking forward to growing, from seed, Broken Colors Four O’Clocks, Apricot-Peach Parfait hollyhock, Vanilla Berry nasturtiums, Rattlesnake and Purple Pole beans and Sea of Red lettuce to name just a few.  

I’m also looking forward to a colorful and delicious growing season in my garden this year.  I’ll keep you updated on my progress as the season develops.  If you have any tips you’d like to share if you have experience growing these or similar varieties, please leave a comment, I’d love to hear from you.

Garden Designers Roundtable: Flipping For Foliage

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Foliage.  On the surface it seemed like a simple enough topic for my inaugural Garden Designers Roundtable post.  But, boy, was I wrong.  I toyed with the idea of discussing some of the usual foliage talking points – variegation, size, texture, color, use as an architectural accent and on and on.  Needless to say, I was floundering in a flood of foliage.  But then I remembered one of my favorite foliage plants and was suddenly rescued.  So join me on a photo tour spanning a year in the life of Coral Bark maple (Acer palmatum ‘Sango-kaku’).

Coral Bark maple with snow

Admit it, some of you are thinking coral bark maple – that’s a winter accent plant.  And you’re right, many gardeners plant Sango-kaku for its brilliant coral-red winter bark.  Here in my southwestern CT garden (zone 6), the bark begins to get noticeably red in late November and by February it’s on fire.  But if you’re planting coral bark maple just for its bark you’re missing the best part – the foliage.  Having one in your garden is like living near the beach…on the surface the view is pretty much the same but if you pay close enough attention, there’s always something new to appreciate. 

new leaves of SankekiHere we are in early April and spring has officially begun.  The new leaves of coral bark maple are quickly emerging.   As an added bonus, the bark is still bright red so the mix of colors is heady.  New leaves are bright green and have a clear red margin.  Both the margins and the center of the leaves will slowly change color over the next few months.

Coral bak maple leaves in JuneHere we are in June, two months since the leaves of Sango-kaku first emerged.  And during those two months, each day the tree has looked different.  Some days it appears more yellow, others more green and still others it looks like it’s covered in confetti.  And when the afternoon sun hits the tree, the leaves are almost translucent.  By early summer the leaves are almost fully green.  But the ones at the tips of the branches are varying shades of yellow–green and some still have a hint of their early spring margins.  Notice how the branches and stems are still red?  The overall effect of the multicolored leaves and the red bark is a continuing delight.

Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' in summerNow it’s late July and the leaves are almost finished changing colors.  Some are a deeper green while others still have a hint of yellow.  And the stems are still red, adding to the overall burst of color you experience the closer and closer you get.  The leaves will continue to change until they are all a similiar shade of green.  This stage lasts for only a few weeks because by early September the leaves are multicolored again, but this time in preparation for the final show before winter approaches.

Coral bark maple in OctoberIt’s already October and Sango -kaku is cloaked in her autumn colors.  The leaves are a brilliant shade of yellow that glow in the late afternoon sun.  But if you look closely, see the leaves on the top of the tree, the ones that held their coral margins the longest in the spring, they have a definite hint of orange.   The two-toned effect is not quite as pronounced as it was during the spring but still coral bark maples can hold their own among some of the more traditional fall foliage stars.

Acer palmatum 'Sango Kaku' in November

Now it’s November and my garden is slowly going to sleep.  Most of the leaves of Sango-kaku have fallen but a few are unwilling to let go.  The colder fall temperatures are beginning to intensify the red color of the bark.  It’s nowhere near as bright as it will eventually be, but still your eye is rewarded by even a quick glance.

Coral bark maple is easy to incorporate into a variety of garden settings.  With a mature size of approximately 20′ x 15′, it is a good choice for large and small gardens alike.  Sango-kaku can also be grown as a container tree.  It is hardy from zones 5 – 8 and tolerates full to partial sun.  Mine is planted in an area of my garden that is a bit colder and damper than many other spots but it does get the benefit of both morning and afternoon sun.

Sango-kaku prefers moist, well draining soil but will tolerate a range of soil conditions, including sand and clay.  It is considered drought tolerant once it is established.  Mine does not get any supplemental water other than what Mother Nature provides.

Because of its subtle, ever-changing appearance, Sango-kaku is best sited near an area where you can appreciate it up close – beside a patio, deck or balcony, or perhaps where it’s branches hang down in front of a window or a quiet spot that encourages reflection and contemplation.

It’s been an interesting and colorful year in the garden, thanks in part to the ever-changing leaves of Sango-kaku.   So while you’re taking the time to stop and smell the roses, don’t forget to open your eyes and feast on the nearby foliage too.

As you probably know, I am not the only ’roundtabler’  exploring the topic of foliage today. 

Here are links to all the other foliage blog posts written by my fellow roundtablers today.  Please follow them all to read a wide array of very unique takes on the topic of foliage:

Andrew Keys : Garden Smackdown : Boston, MA »
Christina Salwitz : Personal Garden Coach : Renton, WA »
Ivette Soler : The Germinatrix : Los Angeles, CA »
Jocelyn Chilvers : The Art Garden : Denver, CO
Pam Penick : Digging : Austin, TX »
Rebecca Sweet : Gossip in the Garden : Los Altos, CA »
Shirley Bovshow : Eden Makers : Los Angeles, CA »

New Shrubs for 2010

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Recently I attended New England Grows, a regional trade expo for green industry professionals.  In addition to seeing lots of inspiring products and attending some worthwhile educational seminars, I attended my first Garden Writers Association luncheon.  In addition to meeting and networking with other garden writers, we were treated to a preview of some of Proven Winners newest shrub introductions for 2010.  Proven Winners introductions all have similar characteristics:  colorful foliage, multi-season interest and smaller stature, meaning they are easier to fit into a wide array of garden situations.

Here’s a look at a few interesting offerings you should see in your local nursery this season:

Bloomerang lilac:  Finally, a reblooming lilac.  Bloomerang is touted as the first reblooming lilac with a strong bloom in the spring followed by a rest and then a rebloom later in the summer.  As with many reblooming shrubs, conditions need to be right to get a strong secondary bloom.  Another plus is Bloomerang’s height.  At 4′ – 5′ tall  it certainly isn’t a dwarf but it is smaller than many other lilacs which means it should be easier to find a place for it in your garden.  Bloomerang is also supposed to be powdery-mildew resistant.  I’ll be keeping my eye out for this shrub because I lost two lilacs last year to some strange insect infestation and I know I will miss their color and scent in my garden this year.

Lo & Behold buddleia:  This low-growing butterfly bush actually starting showing up in some nurseries in late summer 2009 but should be much easier to find this spring.  Growing to about 30″ x 30″, this non-stop blooming machine loves full sun and is hardy in zones 5 – 9.  It does not need to be deadheaded and is deer and pest resistant.  It’s small stature makes Lo & Behold the perfect addition to a mixed border or a groundcover.  I planted three Lo & Behold’s in my garden (zone 6) late last summer and they were still blooming the first week of November!

Invincibelle Spirit hydrangea:  A pink version of the ever popular Annabelle smoothleaf hydrangea.  Like Annabelle, Invincibelle Spirit grows in full to part sun and blooms all summer long.  It looks great as part of a woodland garden and blooms on new wood so there’s no worry about deer or a late spring frost damaging delicate buds.  Another plus is that a portion of the proceeds of Invincible Spirit go towards breast cancer research.  To learn more, click here.

We also saw some of the shrubs Proven Winners has just released to growers and will be available for your garden in 2011.  Stay tuned to learn more…

Note:  This post written by Debbie Roberts @ gardenofpossibilities.com.

All photos courtesy of www.provenwinners.com

Marvelous Mahonia aquifolium

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A useful evergreen shrub for shady spots

Here is southwestern Connecticut (zone 6), Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grapeholly) is definitely a relative unknown.  A native to the Pacific northwest and much of Canada, it is worthy of a place  in shady gardens throughout zones 4 – 8, especially if you have deer browsing in your garden.

Oregon grapeholly has large, glossy evergreen leaves that resemble those of a holly.  It tolerates partial sun to full shade and a variety of soil conditions.  However, it does not like alkaline soil.  Mahonia aquifolium is considered deer resistant which gives gardeners like me who garden around deer another weapon in our ‘shrubs for shady spots’ arsenal.

Bright yellow flowers will brighten shady spots

Because Mahonia aquifolium is evergreen and tolerates a fair amount of shade, it makes both an interesting foundation plant or a screen for areas where other shrubs just can’t survive.

There are several cultivars available for gardeners who are looking for a Mahonia that is slightly different from the species:

  •  Mahonia aquifolium ‘Apollo’:  A low-growing form of Mahonia which makes an interesting evergreen groundcover.  Flowers have a more orangey-yellow color.
  • Mahonia aquifolium ‘Compactum’:  A dwarf form, growing about 2′ tall, with bronze fall color.
  • Mahonia aquifolium ’Smaragd’:  Grows to about 4′ tall and has lovely leaves that start out an emerald green and turn purpley-bronze as the weather gets colder.

It may take a bit of searching to find Mahonia in your local nursery, but your efforts will be well rewarded for years to come.

Planting to Save on Energy Costs

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Conifers make an excellent windreak

 Properly selected and sited landscaping can save you money on heating costs by providing efficient wind protection, or windbreaks.  And don’t forget, the benefits from a living windbreak will increase as the trees and shrubs mature.

A windbreak works by lowering the wind chill near your home. Wind chill occurs when the wind speed lowers the outside air temperature. During the winter, if your home is exposed to wind, you may be paying more to heat your house than you need to.  You can easily fix this by making some landscaping changes. Planting shrubs and hedges around the exterior of your yard can moderate the effects of the wind. The less wind there is racing across the surface of your house, the more money you will save. It’s as easy as that. 

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind when planning and planting a windbreak: 

  • For maximum protection, your windbreak needs to be planted the proper distance from your house.  First, figure out the mature height of the plants you will be using and then plant them anywhere from two to five times that distance away from your house.  So, if you are using shrubs that will be 20 feet tall at maturity, plant them at least 40 feet but no more than 100 feet away.
  • The most effective windbreaks block wind close to the ground so consider using a combination of trees and evergreen shrubs that have branches low to the ground.
  • Typically, you should plant a windbreak on the north and northwest side of your house.
  • Be careful not to plant smaller trees and evergreens too close to your home’s south side if you are counting on warmth from the winter sun.  In the winter, they may block the sun’s warming effects if they are planted too close.
  • In addition to windbreaks, consider planting shrubs and vines next to your house to create dead air spaces that insulate your home in both winter and summer.
  • But remember not to plant too close to your house.  When plants are full-grown there should at least 1 foot of space between the plants and your home’s wall.
  • Make sure you use trees and shrubs that are right for your growing zone.  Click here to find your growing zone by just inputting your zip code.

Even though winter is quickly approaching, it may not be too late to plant a windbreak for energy savings this year.  You can plant as long as the ground is not frozen.  Here in southwestern Connecticut (zone 6), the plantng window is still open but closing rapidly.  If in doubt, check with your local nursery about proper planting times in your growing zone.

It’s Not Too Late to Plant Bulbs

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They may not look like much now but in a few months their yellow flowers will herald the arrival of spring

Even though it’s almost Thanksgiving, it’s not too late here in southwestern Connecticut (zone 6) to plant spring-flowering bulbs.   Because the weather has been seasonable and the ground is not frozen, this is a great time to plant.  I ordered 200 daffodil bulbs from Colorblends  about a month ago and as you can see from the photo, that’s a lot of bulbs to plant.  I am planting my daffodil bulbs in front of a low stone wall that runs the length of my property, about 150 feet.  I already have some daylilies planted there for summer color so I needed to be careful not to disturb them when planting the bulbs. 

A bulb auger makes planting lots of bulbs easy

While there are several good methods to use when planting a large quantity of bulbs, the easiest way that I know of is to get your kids to do it! Seriously, bulbs augers make quick work of planting a large number of big bulbs, like daffodils or tulips.  If you’re planting in large clumps, it’s probably easier to use a shovel to excavate to the correct depth, but for a job like mine – planting in front of a wall – the bulb auger is ideal.  And, as you can see from the photo, using an auger attached to a power drill is the perfect chore for a teenager who hates to help out in the garden!  He dug the holes and I followed behind and dropped in the bulbs and filled in the soil.  We planted all the bulbs in about an hour.  And I’ll be enjoying them for years and years and years.

 For more information about planting spring-flowering bulbs, check out these links: