Will Liberty survive and thrive in a container or small raised bed?
lovemycorgi z5b SE michigan
2 years ago
Well, had a post which froze when I tried to post it it, grrrrr. To summarize, how tall will Liberty get? i want to place her behind an 18” tall boxwood hedge and be able to see her from the street. Do I need to put her in a container or in a raised bed? will she thrive? will she survive my Michigan winter? Thanks for any help you can provide!
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peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
2 years agolovemycorgi z5b SE michigan thanked peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canadalovemycorgi z5b SE michigan
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Raised beds for privacy?
Comments (4)Thanks, Karin. Thinking about questions such as yours will help us to clarify what we want and how to arrive at a solution. A canopy or pergola over the patio would certainly help, but I don't think it would be sufficient. Dh wants a place to grill, not under cover, and to extend our existing patio (also not under cover.) Basically, we want to screen the entire backyard, small as it is, from three sides, with the rear being the most problematic. We'll add an irrigation system and hopefully a water feature that will help to muffle sound. The lot is smaller than we've had for many years, with closer neighbors, so I'm concerned that we may be sensitive to the noise. Your point about fence maintenance is well-taken, and I'm chagrinned that I didn't think about that. The fence is ours, set slightly inside our property line. We could get to one side and a small portion of the rear, but not the entire back, without going onto a neighbor's property. Since our dog died last year, and we don't plan on getting another, we could remove some or all of the fence and take care of screening with trees and shrubs. Perhaps just the rear of the fence could be removed if a raised planting area is constructed. Dh intends to have some fairly large trees installed rather than have to wait 5+ yrs. for growth. Our kids have not remembered to water very often, so I think the trees' failure to thrive was mainly due to lack of water as you suggested. However, the soil is hard clay with lots of rocks as well as some construction debris such as broken bricks. It's very hard to dig in, which is another reason we've done so little to this yard thus far. This job will be hired out. The drainage easement is inside our fence, and is only about 2 - 3 ft. across and 12 - 15 inches deep. At the low spot on either side of the yard, the fence has a section of wire mesh attached (mainly to keep the side neighbors' dogs from visiting ours previously.) We're hoping to build the raised bed about a foot behind this small swale and on back to the property line, which is how I came up with its 5 ft. depth. So far, I haven't seen very forceful water flow even after the last tropical storm. I'm envisioning a low border grass between the drainage area and the front retaining wall for the raised bed. Part of my concern is whether there would be enough space for tall narrow conifers and other skinny evergreens (although they could overhang the front somewhat.) I get the impression you think this is overkill, and you may be right. I need to play around with the idea of multiple pergolas/trellises and research what vines might thrive there. I sure would not mind finding a less costly solution, as I don't know if this will be our last house or not. Thanks!...See MoreNo-Tools raised beds :)
Comments (9)Soil block mix ... roughly 2 parts potting soil (sifted to get the chunks out) and 1 part coir (got it as a brick, watered it to fluff it back up). Mix thoroughly and then wet with about 30% by volume of water (2 parts of mix, one part of water or diluted fertilizer). The trick is to let it sit 24-48 hours to really hydrate the coir fibers. It should be soggy, like thick oatmeal. And compress the heck out of it when you make the blocks. I lean on it until water comes out of the top of the press, then mash it down into more mix until the blocks are filled. I use a broad spatula (drywall knife) to separate the blocks a bit, drop a seed into each, mist it and stick the tray into a plastic bag or clear plastic box. I'm using it and the "minis" to get seedlings to the first true leaf or even just well-sprouted seed leaves. Then I plant them out in the raised bed. I'm watering just by misting the tops with a laundry sprayer, keeping them in teensy little greenhouses under the lights until they sprout. I use a tiny spatula (I think it was a painter's palette knife) to lift out the ones that are ready to plant out, stick the rest back under the lights. When January comes, I'll be starting chilis, which will need moving up to the larger soil blocks...See MoreBuilding a small raised bed. What kind of soil to add?
Comments (35)Thanks kathy and peren.all. Peren.all the owl is looking out for squirrels that are trying to dig in that bed! I am looking forward to seeing the plants that are planted there next year. I've added a few minis, an arum italicum, a few propagated heuchera and am planning to replant tulip bulbs that had to be dug up. I don't have much success with tulips around here (even though I love them)---the squirrels love them too! An avid gardener I know told me she puts chicken wire on the soil where she plants bulbs to keep the squirrels from digging up her bulbs. But even then, the squirrels sometimes just bite off the bud. Frustrating---when all I am asking for is a dozen red tulips! Photo taken April 2018. One of those rare years when I actually got to see all my tulips bloom. This year---not even one. (Note, that hachone grass behind the tulips is the one in the raised bed now.) I love that plant! Mine doesn't get the amount of sun it should, so the coloration is not at its best. Love seeing it sway in the wind....See MoreContainer hostas go to raised bed for the winter
Comments (24)Label stealing squirrels! While I haven't seen that in action, that is a real possibility nicholsworth! Juicy stems on the begonia and coleus are targets for squirrels? That may be the reason the squirrels like to chew them. Maybe it's the same reason they pick a tomato , suck it and then dump it in my garden. I don't have any tomato plants! Popmama, you love zinnias and the zinnias love you! I confess. I have two small bags of leaves from two years ago too! I was trying to do the same thing---make leaf mold. Mine is only partially decomposed too. What I have learned in the meantime, is that the leaves need to be shredded and all of the leaves need to be kept moist at all times! I'm not sure what I will do with the bags I have---wait one more year? dump them in the garden? I'll think about it! Gardengal, it does sound like your slugs/snail are giving you a real challenge! Sometimes it is really hard going against mother nature. From what you said, the slugs/snails are climbing your containers even on stands. I remember being in the garden at night looking for slugs on the ground. That's where I thought they would be (and most of them are). And there was a slug way up on a tall flower stalk! I have some questions for you gardengal. I have to assume that your hosta leaves touch each other so that the slugs can travel from hosta to hosta? If the hosta container is not on a stand, what kind of surface is it on? Are your hosta containers generally grouped together? Is it possible the container media has slug eggs? Slugs and snails really like moisture. Does your garden get any sun to dry out the soil?...See Moreperen.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
2 years agolovemycorgi z5b SE michigan thanked peren.all Zone 5a Ontario Canadalovemycorgi z5b SE michigan
2 years ago
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agolovemycorgi z5b SE michigan thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5lovemycorgi z5b SE michigan
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