Web Resource Guide May June 2009

SuperUser Account — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:18:21 GMT

Web Resource Guide May/June 2009Garden Variety, page 10 Plant Person:Patti Moreno, www.gardengirltv.com.Garden Spot: Atlanta Botanic Garden, Atlanta, GA, 404876- 5859, www.atlantabotanicalgarden.org.May the Best Plant Win: American Garden Award, www.americangardenaward.org.Plant Pick: Sources for ‘Zephirine Drouhin’ rose:Almost Eden, Merryville, LA, 337-375-2114, www.almostedenplants.com.High Country Roses, Jensen, UT, 800-5522082, www.highcountryroses.com.Rogue Valley Roses, Ashland, OR, 541-5351307, www.roguevalleyroses.com.Vintage Gardens, Sebastopol, CA, 707-8292035, www.vintagegardens.com.Site Specific, page 22 Resource for Midwest/Mountain:Prairie Moon Nursery, Winona, MN, 866417-8156, www.prairiemoon.com.Resource for Northeast:Well-Sweep Herb Farm, Port Murray, NJ, 908-852-5390, www.wellsweep.com.Resources for Southeast:Possum Creek Herb Farm, Soddy Daisy, TN, 423-332-0347, www.possumcreekherb.com.Thyme After Thyme, Winterville, GA, 706742-7149, www.thymeafterthyme.com. Resources for Southwest:For cilantro:The Tasteful Garden, Heflin, AL, 866-8556344, www.tastefulgarden.com.For yerba buena:Las Pilitas Nursery, Santa Margarita, CA, 805-438-5992, www.laspilitas.com.For info on growing basil:Tropical Permaculture, www.tropicalpermaculture.com.Resources for Pacific Northwest:Mountain Valley Growers, Squaw Valley, CA, 559-338-2775,www.mountainvalleygrowers.com.Nichols Garden Nursery, Albany, OR, 800422-3985, www.nicholsgardennursery.com.Belle of the Ball, page 40 For sources of Heuchera:North Creek Nurseries, Landenberg, PA, 610-255-0100, www.northcreeknurseries.com.Terra Nova Nurseries, Canby, OR, 800-2159450,www.terranovanurseries.com. For info on Heucheras and Heucherella by Dan Heims and Grahame Ware:Timber Press, www.timberpress.com/ books/isbn.cfm/9780881927023/heucheras_he ucherellas/heims.Eight Steps to Perfect Compost, page 46 For sources of compost bins and kitchen crocks:Clean Air Gardening, Dallas, TX, 214-8199500, www.cleanairgardening.com.Lee Valley Tools, Ogdensburg, NY, 800-8718158, www.leevalley.com.Tool Shop, page 50 For sources of power equipment:Black & Decker, 410-716-3900, www.blackanddecker.com.Husqvarna, www.usa.husqvarna.com.Neuton, Vergennes, VT, 800-798-2921, www.neutonpower.com.Remington Power Tools, Bowling Green, KY, 800-626-2237, www.remingtonpowertools.com.Sears Craftsman, 800-349-4358, www.craftsman.com/lawnandgarden.Stihl, www.stihlusa.com.Walker Mowers, 970-221-5614, www.walkermowers.com. For oil/gas mix for 2-cycle engines:TruSouth Oil, Shreveport, LA, 866-950-3835, www.50fuel.com.

American Garden Awards

SuperUser Account — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:41:35 GMT

Vote for your favorite plants!In our May/June 2009 issue, we announced the American Garden Awards—a program in which you can visit certain public gardens and vote for your favorite plants. According to the American Garden Awards Web site, here are the plants you can vote on:Click on photos to enlarge.Pentas "Northern Lights Lavender" Petunia "Baby Duck Yellow" Petunia "Opera Supreme Purple" Petunia "Plush Lilac Pearl" Rudbeckia "TigerEye Gold" Vinca "Viper Orchid Halo" The Web site also has a list of participating public gardens from coast to coast.

Fast Growing Perennials

SuperUser Account — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:35:11 GMT

In the May/June 2009 issue of Gardening How-To magazine, you learned about some fast-growing perennials that give the garden a burst of colorful blooms their very first year. Here’s a list of more, and some ideas to help fast-forward your newly planted garden and quickly give it a more established look.Click on photos to enlarge.Even more fast-growing perennials:Bee balm Monarda didyma Zones 4 to 9 Bugleweed Ajuga reptans Zones 3 to 9 Catmint Nepeta x faassenii Zones 4 to 8 Fleabane Erigeron spp. Zones 3 to 8 Garden phlox Phlox paniculata Zones 4 to 9 Lady’s mantle Alchemilla mollis Zones 4 to 7 Spotted deadnettle Lamium maculatum Zones 4 to 8 New England aster Symphotrichum novae-angliae Zones 3 to 9 Yarrow Achillea millefolium Zones 3 to 9 Yellow corydalis Corydalis lutea Zones 5 to 8 Prepare the soil. Plants will settle in, adapt, and start growing faster in top-quality soil. Before you plant anything, spread 2 to 3 inches of compost on the soil and till in to a depth of about 8 inches. New roots will have a fluffy, loose-textured home to spread into, as well as lots of natural, slow-release nutrients to give them a good start. Fill gaps economically. When young perennials are properly spaced in the garden, there can be bare spots in between. Instead of filling that space with dozens of annual bedding plants, use a few large annuals. Tall, substantial cleome or nicotiana give the garden size and weight quickly with fewer plants. Use bulbs for fast bloom. Summer bulbs like dahlias, cannas, gladiolus, and caladiums are fast growers that provide lots of colorful foliage and flowers. Treat them as annuals and leave the bulbs in the ground when winter rolls around, or dig them up and store until next spring. If you live in a warmer climate where they’re hardy-year-round, leave the bulbs in the ground and look forward to years of enjoyment. Splurge on a few full-size plants. Grasses have immediate impact and look good even in winter. But they’re slow-growing compared to annuals and perennials. It’s worth it to plant more mature specimens, which will be even larger in the years to come. Dwarf flowering shrubs like potentilla, Japanese spirea, and deutzia bloom when they’re small and have interesting foliage and structure before the other plants even start their show. Design for maximum impact. Place the shortest plants in the front and the tallest in the back to give a sense of depth and fullness. As the plants mature and take on their final sizes and forms, you can always change things around. Move temporary plants as permanent ones grow together, and experiment with different combinations.

Plants for Theme Gardens

SuperUser Account — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:16:26 GMT

In our May/June issue, you read how plants and hardscapes can work together to create a distinct motif. Here are a few more plants and suggestions that can bring your garden’s unique theme to life.MODERN The modern style focuses on clean, simple lines; few, if any, purely decorative elements; and the practicality of “form follows function.” The plants used in this theme often have geometric shapes, balanced form, and low maintenance needs. Check with a local nursery or cooperative extension service to make sure none of these plants are invasive in your region.Banana yucca (Yucca baccata, Zones 5 to 12) Dasylirion (Dasylirion acrotrichum, Zones 9 to 11) Desert spoon (Dasylirion wheeleri, Zones 6 to 10) Hedgehog agave (Agave stricta ‘Pueblensis’, Zones 7 to 11) Horsetail (Equisetum hyemale, Zones 3 to 11) Jade plant (Crassula ovata, Zones 9 to 11)Grasses Blue fescue (Festuca glauca ‘Elijah Blue’, Zones 4 to 8) Blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens, Zones 4 to 9) Golden hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’, Zones 5 to 9) Northern sea oats (Chasmanthium latifolium, Zones 5 to 9) Sideoats grama grass (Bouteloua curtipendula, Zones 4 to 9) Tufted hair grass (Deschampsia cespitosa, Zones 4 to 9) SOUTHWESTERN Southwestern gardens are all about sheltering and conservation in a tough environment. Hacienda-style architecture usually features an enclosed patio surrounded by high walls and heavy gates. Overhead shade structures, called ramadas, are built of rough logs or timbers, and adobe-covered walls on homes and other buildings provide a neutral background for brightly colored flowers.Southwestern gardens feature xeric (drought-tolerant) plants. Cacti come immediately to mind, but there are many xeric plants that bloom longer and give the garden color throughout the year:Agave Century plant (Agave americana, Zones 9 to 11) Mescal (Agave parryi, Zones 9 to 11) Sharkskin agave (Agave ‘Sharkskin’, Zones 8 to 11) Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, Zones 4 to 8) Autumn sage (Salvia greggii, Zones 7 to 9) Cacti Bunny ears cactus (Opuntia microdasys, Zones 8 to 10) Cholla (Cylindropuntia spp., Zones 5 to 9) Hedgehog cacti (Echinocereus spp., Zones 4 to 10) Pincushion cacti (Escobaria spp., Zones 5 to 9) Prickly pear (Opuntia polyacantha, Zones 4 to 9) California fuchsia (Zauschneria californica, Zones 8 to 10) California poppy (Eschscholzia californica, annual) Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus, annual) Crocosmia (Crocosmia ‘Lucifer’, Zones 6 to 9) Dame’s rocket (Hesperis matronalis, Zones 4 to 9) Desert sunflower (Geraea canescens, annual) Ice plant (Delosperma cooperi, Zones 5 to 9) Jupiter’s beard (Centranthus ruber, Zones 5 to 8) New Zealand flax (Phormium tenax, Zones 9 to 10) Perennial sunflower (Helianthus maximiliani, Zones 4 to 9) Pineleaf penstemon (Penstemon pinifolius, Zones 4 to 9) Red hyssop (Agastache rupestris, Zones 4 to 9) Spanish bayonet (Yucca harrimaniae, Zones 5 to 8) Tetraneuris (Tetraneuris acaulis, Zones 4 to 8) Texas red yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora, Zones 8 to 10) Voodoo sedum (Sedum spurium ‘Voodoo’, Zones 4 to 8) Wine cups (Callirhoe involucrata, Zones 4 to 8) Yarrow (Achillea millefolium, Zones 3 to 9) Yellow columbine (Aquilegia chrysantha, Zones 4 to 8) ASIAN An Asian garden is designed as a sanctuary from the stress of everyday life. It’s meant to express and distill the essence of nature. Japanese gardens will have some or all of these elements: • water (real or symbolic) with fish • rocks • an island, with a bridge or stepping stones to the island • a tea house or pavilion • an enclosing wall • limited plant palette • “borrowed” landscapes (views outside the garden) • odd numbers of components in an asymmetrical arrangementEvery element is selected and arranged to create a sense of passage from one place to another, slow the observer down, and inspire serenity.This isn’t a garden where you want to pack in the plants. Unlike Western gardens, which celebrate change from the first spring bulb to the last autumn leaf, Asian gardens honor stability and constancy.Limited colors, shapes, and textures are the hallmark of this style.At the edges of ponds and streams: Irish moss (Sagina subulata, Zones 4 to 7) Japanese water iris (Iris ensata, Zones 5 to 8) Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera, Zones 5 to 10) Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris, Zones 3 to 7) Miniature cattails (Typha minima, Zones 3 to 11) Grassy-leaved sweet flag (Acorus gramineus, Zones 10 to 11)Trees: Flowering cherry (Prunus spp., Zones 5 to 9) Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii, Zones 5 to 10) Japanese maple (Acer palmatum, Zones 5 to 9) Sargent’s crabapple (Malus sargentii, Zones 4 to 8) Willow (Salix spp., Zones 3 to 9)Shrubs: Azalea (Rhododendron indicum, Zones 6 to 10) Heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica, Zones 6 to 9) Japanese privet (Ligustrum japonicum, Zones 7 to 10) Tree peony (Paeonia suffruticosa, Zones 4 to 9)Perennials (choose more foliage plants than bright, colorful attention-getters): African lily (Agapanthus africanus, Zones 9 to 10) Clivia (Clivia miniata, Zones 9 to 10) Daylilies (Hemerocallis spp., Zones 3 to 10) Hostas (Hosta spp., Zones 4 to 9) Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis, Zones 2 to 7) Ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris, Zones 3 to 8) Shield fern (Polystichgum setiferum, Zones 6 to 9) Variegated sweet iris (Iris pallida ‘Variegata’, Zones 4 to 9) Grasses: Boulder blue festuca grass (Festuca glauca ‘Boulder Blue’, Zones 4 to 9) Carex (Carex hachijoensis ‘Evergold’, Zones 6 to 9) Feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’, Zones 3 to 9) Japanese pampas grass (Miscanthus sinensis, Zones 5 to 9) Oriental fountain grass (Pennisetum orientale, Zones 2 to 6) Sea urchin blue fescue (Festuca glauca ‘Sea Urchin’, Zones 4 to 9)Add color by sprinkling Asian-themed containers filled with annuals and tropicals throughout. ECLECTIC The great thing about this free-spirited garden style is that it can contain just about any kind of plant, hardscape, or decoration. Nothing is out of bounds. The ones that really work have a secret, though. The crazy quilt of styles, colors, and shapes is really a combination of small, well-balanced vignettes.Containers of colorful succulents could be grouped together right next to a patch of annual wildflowers, surrounded by a formal boxwood hedge in front of an antique wheelbarrow full of pansies. The eye will first see the cacophony, but then seek out the islands of similarity, resting on one before moving to the next.Small vignettes are easier to maintain than huge garden spaces. When an individual scene gets tired, or you get tired of it, you can put together a new design without changing the garden’s overall feel.Eclectic gardens are terrific for plant collectors, recyclers, and anyone with more ideas than space.

Tips on Growing Organically

SuperUser Account — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 14:13:38 GMT

In the May/June 2009 issue, National Home Gardening Club members shared tips on organic techniques that have been successful in their gardens. Here are more organic gardening tips from NHGC members:twice as nice Double mulch your vegetable garden with a thick layer of black and white newspaper covered with grass clippings or other finely chopped material. The double layer effectively chokes out weeds but still looks neat and tidy. ?Judy Mackinder, Battle Creek, MIcheers! To get rid of slugs, put a bowl of beer between your plants. The slugs will drown in the beer. ?Carol Shade, Jamestown, TNon a roll I make all the seed-starting pots I need for free. I cut empty toilet tissue, paper towel, and wrapping paper tubes into three-inch lengths, cut four one-inch notches in one end, and fold the tabs in like a box top. Filled with seed starting mix, they make biodegradable pots that can be transplanted without disturbing the seedlings. ?Lisa Livermore, New Carlisle, Ohiopaper trail To slow down slugs and cutworms, place shredded paper around any plants they bother. Their soft bodies don't seem to like crawling across the curls of paper, and it’s a great way to recycle what would otherwise be waste. ?Sherri Ohnsted, Duluth, MNpests on the menu When bugs get especially bad, I order some natural predators from an Internet source or catalog. Depending on the pest, I’ll bring in praying mantis, lacewings, or ladybugs with the understanding that they probably won’t make a home in my garden, but will stay long enough to bring the pests under control. ?Tammy Goebel, Saint Charles, MO

Garden Profile

SuperUser Account — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 21:15:51 GMT

In the May/June 2009 issue, Suzanne and Max Birdsall shared the history of their exuberant cottage garden and the elegant hardscaping that ties it all together. Below, find more photos of this unique garden.Click on photos to enlarge.Instead of putting a pond in the center of the yard, Suzanne tucked it under the dappled shade of a birch tree and surrounded it with a bank of perennials, including hostas, ostrich ferns, astilbes, variegated irises, hydrangeas, and cranesbill geraniums. Now it’s a pleasant oasis, nearly hidden until you’re right next to it. If you wander long enough on the brick path that meanders through the Birdsalls’ yard, you’ll come to this pretty scene: a classic birdbath (an anniversary gift from Max) surrounded by lavender, which is in turn encircled by tiles of salvaged marble. The birdbath is a lovely focal point for this central part of the garden, and it also illustrates the genius of garden rooms. Walk 10 feet to the right or left, and the scene changes completely. The Birdsalls’ backyard ends in this cozy seating area bordered by the garage and a garden shed. Shade is provided courtesy of a 90-year-old Concord grapevine, which leans on an arbor that the previous owner—an Italian winemaker—constructed from pipes. The Birdsalls don’t make wine, but they wisely kept the arbor, which gives color, shelter, and privacy to this corner. Their love of old things is also evident in the shutters on the garage windows (a neighbor’s castaways) and in the handsome door to the right, which Max built using part of an old iron gate he found in the alley. “We have no front yard,” says Suzanne of her house in central Saratoga Springs. “We’re right on the street, on the corner. When we first moved here, when people would stop at the stop sign I’d get up because I thought we had company.” In spite of the stream of traffic, the Birdsalls didn’t neglect the front porch. After all, it’s the entryway to their gorgeous and intimate back yard. Suzanne plants the windowboxes with bright annuals each year. Her brother Mark, a cabinetmaker, used plywood to create the striking cut-outs at the base of the porch. The mahogany gate at the entry to the Birdsalls’ garden is a guide in more ways than one. In its details it points to some of the facets that make the garden unique: Suzanne’s brother Mark used a wrought-iron coaster for the ornate centerpiece on top, which echoes the use of salvaged material throughout the garden. The curve of the top is repeated in the garden’s paths and flower beds, and it provides a measure of privacy—one of Suzanne’s main concerns as she built the garden and created its signature hidden rooms.