Planting a Shade Garden

With the opportunity to do some landscaping when we moved into our house, I chose plants for functionality (skip laurels for privacy) and sentimentality (a dogwood and a japanese maple, familiar from my childhood). Being a novice gardener, I was next drawn to showy flowering plants, most requiring full to partial sun. Left neglected? A large portion of the yard in almost full shade where not even the grass would grow.

So what's a girl to do? Why consult with our favorite local outdoor living expert, Susan Cohan, of course! I had thought that the shady corner was destined to be a mass of bland ferns but she helped me understand the potential that this space holds. Now, thanks to her, I've got a list of plants hand-picked to grace my shady corner which should (fingers crossed!) withstand the abundant shade, local deer population and the weather extremities of our zone 6-6B climate.

The Calycanthus, or sweetshrub, is an top choice for a blooming shrub in my shade garden.
Images by Will Cook.

Click to read more ...

The Unofficial Start of Summer

Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning to the season of sun and outdoor fun. Even though we were graced with an unseasonably warm winter (except for all that "Snowtober" nonsense!), we're still looking forward to the lazy days of summer and reconnecting with nature. In preparation for the official start of summer, we've gathered a few of our favorite things.

1. Cheery garden gloves from Hable Construction would make lovely companions to their other garden accessories.

2. The Bird Cafe bird feeder from Fred Flare lets your local chirpers nibble in style.

3. No room for a vegatable garden? Have a sunny window? Grow your very own micro-greens (red acre cabbage, mini-carrot, tom thumb pea) in this windowsill planter from Potting Shed Creations.

4. Light up the night with the Soji Pod solar lanterns. Fours hours of sunlight will keep these pods glowing all night long.

5. Soften your step with the geometric hooked indoor/outdoor Patio rug by Company C for Garnet Hill.

6. Capture the moment by snapping a credit card-sized instant photo with the Instax Mini by Fujifilm. After it ejects out of the top, feel free to shake it like a Polaroid picture...

7. Sure you've heard of yarn bombs, but what about seed bombs? Toss a few in the yard for an instant wildflower garden.

8. Refresh your guests from a easy-to-find bright and cheery Hampton bar cart by World's Away from Zinc Door.

9. Feeling the need to read? Leaf magazine is the best of its kind, celebrating outdoor living and more. Look for the summer issue coming in June.

What's in My Garden: Late Spring Update

So today was supposed to be another roundup from the National Stationery Show to join up with the desk organization and hedgehog posts from earlier. But now that the super hot weather has broken and my garden is in bloom, I was inspired to share what I've planted this year and share a few pictures from the bounty of color that is spring. 

Click to read more ...

Gardening 101: Spring Pruning

This past March, I signed up for a gardening class with Mae at my local adult school. We took a three-part series and each class tackled a different gardening topic. The first was spring pruning rules and techniques taught by Mark Zukovick. I found this class to be most intriguing and have culled together some of my notes and highlights I think might be useful to anyone who is a DIY gardener looking for a little guidance to cleaning up your yard and trees.   

Gardening class notes:

Equipment:

• Felco Bypass Pruners- these are the best because you can take them apart and sharpen, replace parts and they will last many, many years if properly cared for. Warning- do not use them to cut anything bigger than your index finger. Get #6 for women and #2 for men. Felco Bypass Pruners
• Loppers 
• Pruning saw- Be sure to purchase a saw that has teeth that cut back and forth.
• Pole Pruner- Use it to cut branches no bigger than pinky width.
  • Recommended online seller is Farber Bag in Iowa. You can also can buy a leather carrying case for the pruners.

Waterspout (sometimes called suckers)- these are upright growths that attach to a branch. They are not natural to the tree and you need to prune it. It goes from branch straight up because things are not well with the tree. 

Remove crossing and rubbing branches or branches that are growing into each other. In general, you want the branches to point outward. 

If a plant flowers, prune it 3-4 weeks afterwards. 

Pruning a branch- first do an undercut about 1 foot out from collar; second cut 5" beyond the initial cut and only halfway through the branch (keeps it from stripping); third cut it at collar.

Tree wounds heal in 3 years.

Trees have the most energy in early spring, so prune then.

Only remove up to 1/3 of a tree in one pruning.

To cut a branch, cut between two nodes at 45 degree angle to the branch.

Bring tree ring out to drip line of tree. Use a bed edger to make the tree ring. Tie bed edger to a string and the other end of the string to a tree and walk in a circle to get a straight tree ring circle. 

After pruning you should fertilize. Great natural fertilizer: Espoma (plantone, hollytone)

Prune and replant forsythia right after it flowers. Forsythia needs a 5' radius around it.

Sanitize tools in rubbing alcohol or 1 part bleach/2 parts water.  

Two good books:

     

• The Complete Book of Pruning by Coombs, Blackburne-Maze, Cracknell, Bentle 
• Pruning and Training Handbook by Eye Witness

I also took another class afterwards about spring planting. I hope to share those notes with you soon. Does anyone have any other great advice on spring pruning?