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Gardening in Canada

garden planning too early?

16 years ago

Hi all,

I find myself itching to redo my front garden. Do you think it's too early to do this? Has anyone else had this 'itch' to redo? I don't normally feel this way until spring but with the weather cooler now a days, it's probably a good time to start. What do you think? Anyhow most of the annuals are on their last legs. I just have to focus on the perennials.

Ianna

Comments (6)

marricgardens
16 years ago
Hi Ianna. Today I moved 2 new plants from my holding bed into the flower bed out front. I moved 'Goldsturm' Rudbeckia and 'East Freisland' Salvia. Oh, I almost forgot, I moved some orange/rust colored daylilies to a spot beside the gazebo. Last week, I planted a new red Lupin and a 'Simply Love' Hibiscus. I still have a few more plants I want to move out there. Think I'll wait til spring to move my roses. Marg
bonniepunch
16 years ago
I'd say go for it. My deadline for dividing or otherwise fiddling with plants is September 1st. That gives them plenty of time to settle in and go properly dormant for the winter.

Today I repotted some lilies into larger pots, divided my Bergenia and some daylilies and plan on separating some Echinacea seedlings tomorrow. This is good weather for this kind of thing, as you say - not too hot for the plants or us :-)

BP
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Hi Truscifi, I believe the correct answer is "none of the above." For the purpose of building the calculator, the date that I entered as the "Last Scorch Date" is the autumnal equinox, and this is the field that you can adjust to what holds true in your area. My only reference is the climate in Miami, and I noticed that right around the vernal equinox was when temperatures started rising and lettuces started bolting, etc. I also remember that I didn't start my seeds last year until the suffocating heat started to dwindle, which was in mid- to late-September. So, for my own purposes, I think I'll continue using the autumnal equinox as my Last Scorch Date, but if you're in central or north FL, the date you enter there should probably be earlier than that. Also, keep in mind that because my area does not frost, don't need to take frost dates into consideration, which you may need to do if you're further north. Specifically, the data that I believe will need further tweaking is the length of time before or after the Last Scorch Date when it is safe to set the plants out. VBM
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ianna
Original Author
16 years ago
I've just looked into the local forecast for the next 14 days. I don't know if the forecast is reliable. It states today would feel like 30 C -- right now it feels like 20 C.

Anyway, what's driving me batty is that I want to redesign the front yard. In the rush to establish this year's garden, I hadn't planned things out properly. And so I've been tinkering with some ideas. I have to transfer a beautiful Harry Lauder walking stick which was unfortunately planted in the sunny spot. (It hates the sun) -- in it's place I have to find a nice tree or design a tall pole for climbers. I will also rearrange the David Austin roses - so that's my biggest fear that these may not last thru the transplant. However they are also the core - or first plants that require moving. . Next to be replanted are the blue salvias, delphiniums, lady's mantles, and the lambs ears. Right now I don't know if I wish to keep the spiderwort. The coreopsis moonbeam requires closer grouping for maximum effect. The various echinaceas are about to bloom and rudbeckias are blooming so that will be a challenge. It's like a domino effect situation.

Maybe it's best for me to wait till the following weekend to do the massive transfers.

While I'm on this subject. Are any of you aware of an annual that grows tall, thick and deep green foliage and columnar and perhaps produces some blooms? I need to interhedge some plantings and am toying with putting hedgings that are replaceable every year. That way I can put out a new design in the front border every year.

Ianna
bonniepunch
16 years ago
Yeah, the weather seems kind of iffy. They're forcasting it to be hot and rainy here - not the greatest for working in. The nights are cool though, and the plants are slowing down so they should be fine - even your big ones.

It sounds like you've got a lot you're planning on moving! It's never possible to get a new garden right the first time - you need to see how it really looks over the course of a year before you can decide what kind of character it has. I'm rarely glad I garden in pots instead of in the ground, but when it comes to rearranging things, my life is easy :-)

Tall flowering annuals I like are some of the tall Zinnias and Snapdragons. Sunflowers are a big favourite if you can grow them (the damn squirrels destroy mine) and they come in tons of heights and colours. Amaranthus is nice but bushier (actually, 'Joseph's Coat' isn't that bushy). Tithonia is also nice but can get bushy too.

BP
sunny_megs
16 years ago
I just redid two gardens yesterday, which included moving established plants, adding new plants, and divisions of other plants. I gave a really good watering yesterday, and then we had rain last night and this morning. Everything seems to be doing well, of course everything that was moved and divided has already finished blooming.
ianna
Original Author
16 years ago
Yep I do have a lot to do. I'd like a garden visually appealing from my porch entrance. As I designed it, the best view of the yard is only visible from the sidewalk upwards and that's not my intention. I am planning something along the concept of a deep border cottage garden -- tallest plants in teh back , dividing rows of plants, sounded blooms paired with spikey blooms, foliage interest and colour flow. So it's going to be a bit exciting and also tricky. I'm all for the challenge and since this bed is not a year old yet, there's time to move stuff around before it gets too difficult. This garden is evolving even as we speak.

Amarantus and sunflowers are not exactly what I had in mind. I need something visually apart from the rest of the colours. The zinnia idea i like but I am going to use zinnias in a bed with cannas and possibly verbena bonariensis. I'll have to pour through my catalogues further.

I have a back part of the bed in which I am going to use hydrangeas and double decker echinaceas, white swan echinaceas. I also discovered that of all things,, Okra - a vegetable is so very interesting looking. I planted it together with my cannas and it looked so tropical and almost architectural. You out to give it a try yourself. I can imagine it paired up with coleus plants and plumbagoes.

By the way, I had passed through MOntreal last week. Beautiful city. I wanted to stay longer but I was on a tour and had to move on.
Ianna

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