What should I do to my garden next?
While my thumbs are definitely greening up, I can't design. So if this were your "curb appeal" view, what would you do to fix the design issues in the front of the house? (The bottom is the current view. The top is what we moved into to demonstrate progress.)
For example, it seemed like fun at the time to add those sunflowers to hide the speed limit sign a bit from my front window. But now I see that from the road they block the view of the door. Obviously, that's no big deal. They're annuals, I won't do it again after they bloom this year. But it's a sample of the kind of mistake I tend to make. I love my cottage-y border, and the distant photo that shows the size relative to the house doesn't really show how beautiful it is when you are standing smack in the middle of hundreds of flowers and butterflies. But I put it where the sun was at the time (because of some trees that had to be removed) and it is right to the edge of the road. So you can't really see my foundation planting under the bay window from the road, although it's quite pretty from the walk. The straight mulch bed along the garage has been a path from the driveway so long that it's completely compacted (like, I can't even get a shovel into it compacted) and most of it is still shaded by the maple or the house all day, but the bare wall looks quite stark against the crazy-flower-lady vibe of the rest of the yard. Also, while I have definitely started to add some shrubs back in (I was a bit hesitant thanks to the spidery shrubbery that was eating the house in that before picture) the yard looks basically flat with some sticks all winter, because I don't quite know where to add evergreens (I do have some boxwood and a euonymus emerald and gold and two little potted dwarf spruces.)
To clarify, I have plenty of plans for my garden. My big side yard garden (you can kinda see a bit of it waaaay off left) is getting more natives, since even after much amendment, the clay tends to hang on to moisture, and every plant that has thrived has been something that lives here naturally, so I'm going with it. The woodland garden in the back under all those trees is still in need of more plants, although I should update that renovation thread because it is so hugely different this summer - it feels like an actual garden, and is really an oasis. Still, it's huge, and not nearly full. The hydrangeas along the east wall are getting some companions, although they are lovely on their own. I want a fence in the backyard for multiple reasons (probably one of those black iron ones so the light doesn't change), and there are plenty of plants I am shuffling to happier positions (daylilies closer to the house so my labrador retriever and border collie can scare off deer; irises to more sun because that clump didn't bloom this year... stuff like that). I'm propogating and dividing and seeding all the things. I gotta tackle that roof moss. I can absolutely stay busy, but I'd love some advice to make it BETTER, not just more!
Just for reference, a closer view:
And what my bed under the bay window looks like, more or less (I took advantage of the cool wet weather and rescued that boxwood from being eaten by the hydrangeas, moving it forward a few feet because I already had the bed expanded for fall planting since March.) The arbor is an experiment that has some hyacinth beans and thunbergia just starting to take off at the base for August/September bloom - it will probably move to an appropriate place for the gate of my hypothetical fence.
Zone 6b, Eastern Pennsylvania, this section is basically full sun although the foundation bed gets morning shade. Thanks in advance for any thoughts or suggestions or advice!
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what should I do with my garden?
Comments (7)If you spread arborist wood chips over the bare soil the kids can play in that space without getting splinters as they would from bark mulch. The irregular sized chips decompose slowly so you start with 4-6 inches and add up to 2 inches annually in spring for the play season. If these aren't available in your area cedar play chips might be though much more expensive. Collect the trims from shrubbery & trees in piles then rent a wood chipper for the day to create your own chips. Even if that doesn't give you enough for the whole area it is a start. In the USA many gardeners get the chips for free from tree trimmers who clear the area near power lines. Possibly that is available to you as well. As the years go by & the children become teenagers they will have other interests outside of playing in the garden, so you can plant something different in that space. Years of wood chips over soil make wonderful planting soil. You may want to create a raised bed and grow salad vegetables year round in your climate. Our backyard has changed several times over the past 19 years especially now that our children have grown it is more of a resting space, but continues to be functional with our patio, deck, BBQ, firepit, greenhouse, dove aviaries, chicken & duck coops as well as rabbit hutch. Since I'm still developing the gardens I have a nursery area with potting table, pot storage, young plants in pots as well as tools in another area....See MoreMy lawn care for the last 5 years...What should I do next?
Comments (5)Thanks joepyeweed and soccer dad, I appreciate you taking the time to respond. I didn't want to add too much information in the first post and overwhelm. Cultural Practices: Yes, I mow at the highest setting and water deeply and infrequently. I am still learning how to measure fertilizer in #/1000sqft instead of using Scott's rotary spreader and throwing it on the lawn, but I think the lawn has plenty of Nitrogen. Using the Scott's 4 step program in the past, I've started with step 1 in late April/early June when the ground temp is 50-55F and I see Forsythia bloom. Other Scott's steps have followed 6-8 weeks after the previous one. As I read more on this site I find steps 2 and 3 are not so good and my constant use of fungicide in the past has probably killed the good fungus too. After reading up on healthy soil I'm betting mine is lacking at this time. While I know it is great to mulch I have bagged since my fungal problems started and, very unfortunately, mulching simply spreads the lawn diseases. I may mulch my leaves this fall. I pull weeds by hand or use weed-B-gon to spot treat. pH: The pH has been a long issue and I'm not sure why. I've had several tests from the local Coop Ext as well as my own solution tester. The back yard has been between 5 and 5.6 for the last 5 years and the front has dropped from 6.8 to 6.2. I do test before I apply lime but I don't know why I can't keep the pH up. This is one reason that the organic method appeals to me - less pH testing and liming. Fungus: I agree with your assessment that N is too high. I should go test that with my solution tester. This is another reason to not follow Scott's program to the letter and go with organic or something hybrid for my lawn. In the past I was uneducated regarding NPK/ compost/ microbes/ bacteria/ good fungus/ and simply followed the steps not knowing if I was putting down a 30-2-4 or a 4-15-10 (just throwing out numbers). Grubs: In year 3 when I applied 24hr control I did have a problem and the grass came up like a carpet. Since then I have used the 3month control (July/Aug/Sep) every year. I don't want to go through that issue again. My area is notorious for grubs and moles and I'm reluctant to skip grub treatment for fear that they will return and I will be unaware until it is too late. Overseeding: Aside from re-seeding small and large(30'x40') patches I haven't overseeded the lawn. I've seeded over some thin areas with some luck by hand and am considering renting a slit-seeder this fall to try and fill out the thin areas. I may wait until next year for this if it takes some time to amend the soil before seeding. Organic: I've been reading lots of posts here about organics and the FAQ is great too. I am going to search my local big box stores and feed stores for corn gluten meal, soybean meal, corn meal and alfalfa meal. And maybe even Scott's organic lawn food (I have lots of gift cards to Lowe's). I understand corn meal is for disease and I'd like to apply it now. How will it affect my current year schedule: Late April: Scott's step 1 Mid June: Scott's step 2 I don't want to over N the lawn again. I don't know much about compost and will read more. 1td/1000sqft sounds like a lot. I have a bad back, is there any way to spread compost other than by hand? A drop spreader? I've read how great compost is but I haven't seen it in any annual schedule. Is that because composting is a one time shot to get microbes and bacteria back in to the soil? How often should one apply a layer of compost? I definitely realize this isn't a quick fix but I'm looking to take the lawn in the proper direction. As long as my practices are good, I'm confident the lawn will respond in time....See MoreWhat garlic am I growing, and what should I do next?
Comments (2)No idea at all - they could be hardneck, softneck or elephant and I'd probably scratch a leaf to make sure it smells of garlic. I'm not sure where in Zone 5 you are but normally garlic is planted in the fall and harvested in early summer up here. Right now, I'd do exactly what you are doing and also put some kind of marker as to where they are. If they're garlic, they're probably going to stop growing soon and die back to the bulb by around the end of july. After that, they'll rest a bit and start growing again in the late fall and create heads for you next year....See MoreWhat should I do differently next year?
Comments (8)Beans don't transplant well, and if they are planted closely, the effort to do so would probably damage the remaining plants. Not saying that it might not work if carefully done, but I would recommend against it. Those vines definitely look much thinner than normal; there should be more branches sprouting from the main runner. While beans prefer full sun, I don't suspect shade alone is the cause... I grew some pole beans in half-day shade last year, and the vines still filled out & produced a fairly decent crop. My first guess would be the soil, especially if that is newly cultivated ground. If you have not had the soil tested, I would recommend doing so, then amending the soil based upon the lab's recommendations. If there is a pH problem, you probably won't be able to fix that until next year... but if there is a nutritional deficiency, an application of fertilizer might be able to improve plant health this year. I would also recommend a thick layer of mulch around the plants and over the irrigation lines, to preserve moisture & to increase the water penetration into the root zone. In my garden, it is amazing how much beans benefit from a heavy layer of mulch... they languish if I am late laying it down, and become visibly greener 1-2 days after mulching & watering....See MoreJenn
4 years agoharold100, thanks for your feedback - you're right, those bushes were hideous! When you suggest I move the taller plants and put in low plants, do you mean like sunflower tall, or anything over creeping phlox tall? I have a few low plants like some dwarf salvias, creeping jenny, and silver mound artemisia, but if I were moving all the tall plants from the road, I'd have to basically dig and amend another 60 foot bed closer to the house, and I'm not sure I'm ready for that much change, lol. I definitely plan to deal with the moss, but will probably hire someone to take care of it because I am afraid to get moisture under my shingles with a power washer, and I don't own a ladder that tall. I will try garden art to distract from the sign, thanks! I have this armillary sphere from the Philly flower show in my side garden - is that similar to what you were picturing?
Ken, thanks so very much! I truly appreciate the encouragement - I am so often inspired by thinking about your responses on this forum to experiment and try things with my plants. For example, I was waffling over foxgloves and couldn't decide whether to winter sow, direct seed, buy small plants, or get larger plants and let them reseed - and then I remembered all the times you have advised someone to try them all and see what works, so I did, lol. I agree that "free" is one of my favorite garden words (right up there with "clearance" and "end of season sale") so I have enjoyed learning ways to make my plantings grow by saving seeds and dividing. I am on the corner of a cul-de-sac of three houses, but I have been careful to keep the sightlines clear, and have my daughter check in her shorter car, too. There is a drainage culvert that runs along the main street (which is to the right of the picture) that gives an extra 6 feet of view before you turn from the cul-de-sac to the street, so that helps, and I haven't planted anything along that side curve. I will try to keep building confidence in my garden decisions, but I'm sure I will kill those required plants along the way. Honestly, I have probably killed enough lupines to qualify there alone!
lisanti07028, thank you for the compliment and the good advice! I definitely have to work on my spacing, although I want it close enough to flow together and choke out weeds. It's a tough balance between tightly planted and plants devouring each other! I look at my puny little first year ostrich ferns with their 6 fronds and think, oh, they're so small - but then I make myself look at the ones I planted last year that are arching over the caladium and merging with the oakleaf hydrangea and say, "patience, Jenn!"
NHBabs, great advice! I didn't think about the idea of letting the front border be flat for winter, but bulking up the evergreen presence in the foundation area. That makes lots of sense, because it gives that pretty blanket of snow up to the green by the house look. And then spring brings it back to life. I did pick up a red twig dogwood which is near the lamp post, although currently hidden by dahlias and the summer perennials. I'm not sure what I want to do about the garage - I'm really not sure I can plant anything there. The arborists ground the stump of the huge cherry tree that used to be there, but the roots are still everywhere, and the soil is like concrete. The reason people tend to use it as a path is the overhang - my kids got used to using it as a shortcut to the car in the rain. Currently, there's an 8 foot mulch bed there, and I was kind of wondering about a narrow raised bed with paver stones or maybe a big huge planter with a trellis for a clematis (I have this sweet autumn clematis in a pot I haven't found a good spot for yet...) I am excited to research your specific plant suggestions for winter and early spring interest. I do have iris and crocus and scilla and snowdrops and hellebores, but they are all in the backyard. I take too many photos, so I will definitely go back and look through and see where seasonal interest is lacking. For example, it's much less interesting in very early spring...
And in winter, there's basically nothing.
Again, thanks all! Off to research plants with berries, evergreens, and flowering evergreen groundcovers. (There are flowering evergreen groundcovers?!?!)
Jenn
4 years ago
roxanna7