Thoughts on this start to a shade garden
Jason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
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Sigrid
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Starting a shade garden in central Maryland
Comments (3)Beautiful property! I would plant some hosta, dicentra, astilbe (in any damper spots or near a birdbath where you change the water regularly, so the astilbe gets lots of H2O), heuchera, etc. Sweet Woodruff is a wonderful, evergreen groundcover with white flowers in spring. Your yard is exactly the way I envision mine. Sadly, the galloping gardeners have other ideas and trample everything in their path. We also have lost several oaks and a couple other trees in the past several years, so I am getting more sun which is frying some of my shade plants. I have planted more trees, but they are young yet. I also fear that new neighbors are going to pretty much clear their property (he told me he likes grass and the golf course look), so we will lose more shade as well as privacy and a lovely vista. He has already removed five trees and have plans for a pool next spring, so more are bound to go. Yikes. I had better get planting this fall! Can't wait to hear how you proceed! Congrats on the new house!...See MoreStarting a Garden in San Antonio Brand New to Gardening
Comments (10)Hello Flutterby ! I hope you love gardening as much as the rest of us do ! GardenWeb is a great research tool for you, as there is lots to learn, and plenty of valuable people here who can point you in the right direction. Depending on what part of town you're in, your soil could be different than others. North usually has a lot of rock, while other areas are great blackland. Either way, a raised bed is definitely the way to go. Personally, I don't think that I would grow herbs in pots (unless they are large) because our hot summers just seem to dry out the pots too quickly. That being said, I don't grow herbs, so I really can't say that firsthand. I do grow hundreds in pots though, and water constantly during the hot months. What grows well here ? Well, I'm terribly fond of salvias, and natives. I venture to say that many here will agree with the native side of that. A good way to determine what will do well in your area is a drive around the neighborhood to see what plants are doing nicely in yards and public areas. Starter plants -- one of my favorite nurseries is Rainbow Gardens. There are two locations in SA. Pretty soon (maybe March) they will start running a weekly ad in the Express News with great plants at great prices, and usually a freebie when you make a purchase. They have an awesome choice of herbs, as well. I also like the Antique Rose Emporium. Many of us also drop by Lowes clearance racks now and then for some really good deals ! Some stores are better than others. I prefer plants rather than seeds, just to get a headstart on things. But I don't usually buy large plants, because of the cost. Stick with 4" or 1-gallon and they'll get to that larger size soon enough at a fraction of the cost. Something else you may want to consider is attending our plant swaps. You may find the San Antonio swap post on the first page of GardenWeb, or it may have gotten to the second page by now. Or look for it also listed on the Texas Exchange sub-forum. The spring swap is March 10. You will learn a lot by attending the swaps and no doubt will go home with some plants. I also attend the Buda swap, which is April 17. I've been going to these swaps since the first one for Central Texas was started over 12 years ago. They are awesome ! You go home with all kinds of plants you couldn't find in a local nursery, and you make the best friends ! Please feel free to contact me directly by email if you want more information. Regarding your other questions, I'll let those with more knowledge about the timeline answer those for you. Mainly, you just need to watch out for those late freezes ! patty...See MoreI thought I'd start a new fall harvest photo post...
Comments (4)Yeah I still have some stink bugs bigdaddyj, but not nearly as many as before. They always come when the weather gets hot around here. It has begun cooling off some now and I am hoping that helps get rid of the rest of them. On the seeds, no I think that I picked that one before it reached the "breaker stage", it has not turned any and is still hard as a rock. The stink bugs won't even bother it. Glad to hear that yours are cranking em out. This looks like it will be a good fall, perhaps. Bill P....See MoreStarting seeds indoors, shade/part shade seeds flowers?
Comments (7)In my experience, Impatiens walleriana (the impatiens commonly found in garden centers) will grow better for you in pots and your conditions than Impatiens balsamina (aka garden balsam) will. ETA: and the former (impatiens) will have a much longer bloom period!!! Balsam takes a while to bloom, then it sets cool seed pods (fun for kids to pop!) and it dies, whereas impatiens will bloom from the start until killed by frost!...See MoreJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
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last yearJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
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last yearJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
last yearJason, zone 7A, near Greensboro NC
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