Ok garden girl!!

[angie j]

Well, last year I promissed a garden adventure for all of my Newf Net friends.....
What I learned about Farm animals and gardens: they don't mix!! lol.. My sheep, who at the time were 'free range''... had 15 acres to graze...but NOOOOOOOO, the garden and the back door was where the peolple (= food) are!! Nearly a quickly as I transplanted stuff, the sheep ate it!

Then there was the day the pigs got loose while we were away! They can pull up an acre of ground without even blinking in an hour! (Good-bye, new Star Magnolia)..sigh...

So, this year with the critters all 'jailed' (lifers I'm afraid, ) I can proceed. All input and suggestions are welcome! I have a rough mental image, but the details never come until I've pondered a good long time.

The entrance on the bottom of the page is a W facing arch that will have Montana Clamatis (white) on one side and a thornless scented climber on the other (pinK). I'm totaly undecided about the 'type ' of fenc to use along the front: I desire Rock but picket will keep the critters out better.

Moving through the entrance you see pink dots which represent roses..undecided color, and the Green circles behind them are Peonies(sp), I want White, but have a variety of colors readily available already on the property, so I might flex.

The Green wide meandering path is ... a path.. I want it to be stone and various ground cover, with ALOT of lemon tyme scattered to scent the walk (mmmmmm), Along the path to the Left there is a row of 3 pears trees (last years babies) and the fence, which is wire I would like to cover, but it needs to be with a 'safe plant' for the horses, either in front or on the wire( Hardy Shrub Roses are a consideration).

There are 2 mature trees at the back and behind them will be a secret garden for my daughter (I will get it's own plans). The secret garden will have a hedge wall with 'castle shaped windows (arching and pointy at the top) to peak through.

In the centre is a water feature, which we already have the foundation for. Hubby is building a waterwheel that will circulate the water. Rocks and ornimental grasses (suggestions) will border the N edge, and a Japaneese Maple the S border; I'd like another tree as well, as, the pond will need shade for fish to survive there.

On the S border will be some sort of trellis system in at least 2 sections, to support Grape Vines and make room for entrances. On the S side of the Grape Vines there will be a large field of lavander. Down a small sloping hill to the E is a row of trees: matching pears, and double sets of matching apples . The apples are placed to be a living canopy once they are large enough to be established and trimmed to shape.

Ok.... suggest away! Real life pics will come soon!

P.S... when I mentioned the Green Path.... I expect that to be the only portion of this garden that is not floral/seating/ornamental..... so there is alot of room for suggestions! I will readily pick plant variations that naturalise well, and 'of course' attract wildlife!

Angie J

 

[ina/puusty]

Love the growing adventure..and yes..fences are golden. Adventure on..it is a 'reconnect' that will bring life into greater focus, and family..an awareness.of lifes complexity..and interdependent ways. ina n HB

 

[charityd]

Ahhh, it all sounds lovely. I especially like the idea of a secret garden for your daughter...enchanting.

 

[drulzelot]

...and the fence, which is wire I would like to cover, but it needs to be with a 'safe plant' for the horses, either in front or on the wire( Hardy Shrub Roses are a consideration)...

Have you thought about evergreen shrubs? Another doozie is Kiwi. You'd need two, M and F, they need to be "trained" as you would grape vines, and I tell you, they can cover a small area real fast. I have two and they are monsters, I cut them right back to the ground every Autumn. If you did use them, you'd need your fence to be really sturdy, they have branches more like Wisteria so they'd need something which could take the weight. Another choice might be raspberry or blackberry plants, which would happily cover your fences (but you'd need to be careful, or they will pop up all over your yard!).

In the centre is a water feature, which we already have the foundation for. Hubby is building a waterwheel that will circulate the water. Rocks and ornimental grasses (suggestions) will border the N edge, and a Japaneese Maple the S border; I'd like another tree as well, as, the pond will need shade for fish to survive there.

An evergreen ornamental shrub with very tight branches, a mugo pine, or some other small evergreen? Periwinkle makes an excellent ground cover around a water feature, too. I'll show you what mine looks like once I get some pictures taken.

 

[KS Newf]

This is so very exciting! My totally best well wishes for your new garden adventures, and, while I know your last adventure was frustrating, the descriptions and visuals of sheepies and such was funny (sorry)!! You describe events and circumstances so well!

 

[The Doctor]

...a secret garden for my daughter ....

When you say "secret" garden, I have the mental image ...... :devil3:

 

[ina/puusty]

Gee..the last time I saw one o'those..I had to pull it up. It actually was..a secret garden. Or woulda been. About 20 years ago..as I recall. At 6 inches in height..it was beginning to be visable. Good soil around these parts..but bein' a non-user, likin' my unfried self..well..it went byebye... ina n HB

 

[angie j]

My daughter is 5 ... so I'm thinkin...NOT for 'that' kind of "secret"...
NOw, if you were talkin about my 21 yr old son (who also lives with us) that would be a whole nother ball game!

He is aware that it would be hard to pass that one by me ....uhhh, having read many articles about it .... in the VERY distant past (whew, I think I got by that one..)

Angie J

 

[Garden_girl]

Wow Angie, that will be a beautiful garden when completed. LMAO, livestock isn't the only thing that will kill a star magnolia. Last year, I had to transplant my stellata 'Rosea' to the backyard because it was out-growing it's spot in the garden. Tucker decided he didnt like the new location, so he dug it up for me. I re-planted it three times, each time Tucker dug it up. Poor baby just couldn't take the stress of all those plantings.

As far as roses, I think the Canadian Explorer series of Roses is outstanding.
Canadian Roses
William Baffin is the best climber I have ever come across. John Cabot and John Davis are favorites of mine.
Well, okay. I have grown almost everyone of them, and they are all outstanding, carefree roses. With the exception of J.P. Connell, none of them are thornless that I know of, though. Rugosa roses are built very tough, withstanding all kinds of growing conditions, but very thorny.

I love English Lavender, but it won't overwinter here. If you have problems keeping it year to year, you could substitute with Russian sage var. 'Longin' Perovskia. Scroll down to the bottom of the page.
You won't have the wonderful scent, but it is rabbit resistant and looks a lot like Lavender. One of the most interesting things I've ever seen with perennials was at Boerner Botanical Gardens in Milwaukee. They made a dwarf hedge with Sedum Autumn Joy (like a Boxwood border) for a formal garden. It never occured to me to do this, I've always thought of it as a specimen plant or part of a small grouping and I've never thought of it as a 'formal' garden plant. My experience with lemon thyme is that it is short-lived, but it could be the growing zone that I live in, too. We can't grow Japanese Maples here, either. I am in USDA growing zone 4.

I am a big fan of shrubs, and I like them for hedges and placed in the garden among perennials. Clethra is one of my all-time favorites, two outstanding varieties are Ruby Spice (pink blooms) and Hummingbird (a dwarf variety) you cannot beat these shrubs for fragrance. Daphne is another fragrant shrub, it's difficult to grow, but the fragrance will knock your socks off, so it's worth it! Any of the dwarf Spireas (deer resistant) are great planted in a garden border.

If your secret garden will be a childrens garden, dont forget to plant her very own strawberry patch.
Plant sunflowers and watch them turn their heads and follow the sun as it sets. My kids loved Pansies, Foxgloves (poisonous), Snapdragons, Hollyhocks Peonies (for the ants that go with them) but they are toxic to dogs. Create a bird and butterfly refuge in your secret garden, make a scarecrow together, grow some pumpkins (not for impatient kids, lol) radishes are for the impatient. Build a teepee with hyacinth bean vine for a cool (literally & figuratively) hideaway or use pole beans. My kids loved the teepee when they were little. Hopefully this sparks an interest that will stay with your daughter forever. Some varieties of Clematis are poisonous, also. I don't think you have to worry about your daughter eating plants, but your livestock and dogs, will they be allowed in the secret garden?

This sounds like such a fun project, you are going to be very busy. I wish I had kept a journal when I started gardening, I would love to go back and read all my experiences and experiments instead of trying to commit it all to memory. There's only so much room in my wee brain for remembering, but I did take a lot of pictures. :clown: Keep us updated on the project, I would love to hear how it all takes shape.

 

[drulzelot]

I LOVE Daphne, forgot about that! The fragrance is amazing and you are right, it is hard to grow. I had both white and pink, and one got hit by borers, the other a fungus. Another great fragrance is fragrant viburnum. Mine was also hit by borers, and she was my all-time favorite shrub in the world! One thing to mention, do get your plants from a reputable source who has a guarantee not to be infested with things. I had new neighbors build behind me about ten years ago, and they had extensive landscaping done. Several shrubs and evergreens (of theirs) died within five years, and we think the borer infestation came from their plants. My gardens were very well established, some plantings over 40 years old, and once their new plants came in, my gardens took a hit. (I still love them, though, they are the best neighbors.) Many plants still survived, but many of my faves, such as my Daphne and viburnum, are gone. So I can't stress it enough, make sure your plants have some kind of protection, warranty, and/or guarantee.

 

[Garden_girl]

Isn't that weird? We had viburnum around the outside of our pool and it made such a mess in the pool that we cut it all down. A while later, we decided to take out the pool altogether and the Viburnums came right back up. The soil is extremely sandy on that side of the house, I never dreamed they would re-establish themselves, but they did. The one that I planted in front of the house, did not survive-like I said, weird! Good advice, buy from reputable companies.

 

[Sailorgirl]

That sedum Autumn Joy hedge is a fantastic idea. Pinch out the middles of the plants throughout the growing season to keep the plants bushier and to keep them from falling open.

I highly recommend Tracey Disabato-Aust's book "The Well-Tended Perennial Garden." I refer to my copy all the time and the newer version has a place for notes in the back. Her info applies to most zones, but she's zone 5 herself to much of what writes about will apply to you, Angie.

My advice? Plant in drifts ... not ones or twos (or even threes if it's a small plant). I heard this over and over again when I first started and didn't listen to it and I've been correcting my mistakes ever since. Also, do your best to get your soil right from the get-go. It's probably the most boring part of gardening but you really can't skimp on it or you find yourself revisiting it years down the road. I know people who have dug up their entire garden, re-ammended the soil, and replanted. Talk about making more work for yourself. I dug up a 6 foot by 8 foot area this weekend and ammended to correct a Ph imbalance and let me tell you ... you don't want to do that!

Gardengirl's full of great advice. I hope you take pictures to update everyone.

 

[angie j]

thanks for all of the help. I realy mean it about wanting everyones input; there are alot of varieties that I know nothing about... I only started gardening a few years ago, so I'm a newbie addict..lol.

I'll try the daphne, as, fragrance and wildlife are my 2 main concerns. Over half of my choices are based on those 2 elements; Hummers, butterflies, fragrance = relaced calm + tequilla = JOY

I am a BIG rose lover and will try some of your suggestions. I have mostly austin old fashioned roses, as, I love both the fragrance and form I like best, but, I would like to expand my horisons there. I'm not huge on 'bushes' shrubs... so I'd like a rose variety that I could use as a hedge and I know some of the hardy canadian varieties would suite... I'm just not knowledgable enough... know of any with a good fragrance?

I am hopeful for the lavander as I've had all of mine overwinter so far, but they were in a micro climate that would probably have equilled a 6... so, I may be in for disappointment... next year will tell.

the secret garden is pretty shaded... I'll try to get pics today. I love the teepee idea.

for the fountain I will consider the periwinkle, as, I truely love it... but it can be quite invasive (so I've found).

bugs... I also used to LOVE snails, until they took out all of my dalpnimiums!!! Now it's all out war!! got to draw the line somewhere! I don't have them at my new place, just in my old garden... which I still maintain for the tennants.... and myself

I like planting in drifts... but to plant that way originaly is quite costly! I prefer to leave lots of space and allow for growth.. especially in perenial gardens, otherwise, there's so much waste when the plants start 'doubling'. I swear, I toss out as much of my garden as I culitvate! I get alot of my stock from just 'pilfering' seeds ... most garderners don't object. I often walk into gardening centers and say, "People 'PAY ' for that plant???" because I throw so much away..lol. Usually I spend the bulk of my 'yearly' allotment of cash on annuals that I haven't got seed for, or are too difficult to grow from seed; and, new roses and trees, or gardening 'features'.

angie J

 

[drulzelot]

As promised, here are the photos of my water area. The "pool" was already there when we bought the place, but we do not fill it. maybe some day....
You can see we have a Japanese Maple, some decorative pines, pink magnolia, and crabapple tree. We also have a bristlecone pine (which is one of the tight pines, the birds loves these), lots of Melissa (Lemon Balm, which can also be invasive, but I love it, so the more the merrier), purple periwinkle (Myrtle), white periwinkle, daffodils, some evergreen ground covers, and the one with the fence shows my peonies (which are not yet in bloom). Although you said you are not fond of the evergreen shrubs, the birds use them in the winter, our feeder is set up nearby so they grab a bite and fly to the evergreen to eat in peace. Plus, they look great in the winter when nothing else is green. Hope this helps with ideas!

 

[charityd]

Donna, your yard is beautiful. The Japanese Maple is especially gorgeous.

 

[ina/puusty]

Woodsy mossy leafy..I love it! ina n HB

 

[Garden_girl]

Oh my, your garden is absolutely beautiful. The Japanese Maple is glorious.
I could easily see myself sipping a cup of tea and reading a good book by your pool-when you fill it. :darn:

I do my best thinking when I am working in the garden. This weekend, I got in three great days of gardening, we finally had some nice weather. I took a notepad out with me today and jotted some things down while I was working. This is going to be quite long and I apologize, but I had three days to think of the best tips and advice I have for gardeners. These are things I wish I had known when I first started gardening and tips that I have learned along the way. I hope others will offer up advice, too.

Preparation and location of the garden bed are THE most important aspects when beginning a new garden. Knowing what kind of soil you have and making proper amendments. Will it be sunny, shady or somewhere inbetween? There are many different styles of gardens too, you may want to give that some thought, too.

If you're really serious about gardening, try to learn the botanical names of plants and use them, rather than the common name. Off the top of my head, I can think of two good reasons for doing so.

1. A lot of plants share the same common name, that makes it too confusing.

2. When you know the the family, genus, class and subclass, you have a ton of information about the plant. You will know it's leaf shape, flower type, growing habits and conditions and you will probably know if it could be poisonous without ever having seen the plant. Remember Biology class, lol? Having said that, I usually know what family a plant belongs to and the type of plant, but there are so many named varieties, I couldn't possibly know them all, but I can tell you some of the Latin that might be attributed to the plant once I've seen it.

Get intimate with your plants. Not every plant will thrive in neutral ph. Some like alkaline (sweet) soil, some like an acid soil, some are heavy feeders and prefer a nutrient rich soil, some will only bloom in poor soil. Other plants are fussy about drainage and the depth they are planted. Stll others need good air circulation, while some require humidity. Some plants like sun, some prefer dappled shade, some are strictly shade plants. Deadhead your plants, if you let them bloom and start seed production, they think they are finished for the season, they have completed their life cycle. Deadheading keeps them producing flowers. Many people don't know that if they cut back some perennials, you will get a second flush of blooms. Don't let your bulbs produce seed, this takes energy away from the bulb production for next year. Let bulb foliage die back naturally as that provides food and energy for next year. Plant a perennial or annual in front of the dying bulb foliage as it can get pretty ugly. For Asiatic and Oriental lilies, I cut the stalk back by 1/3 and then let it die naturally.

Sounds crazy, but pay attention to the weeds in your garden, they will often tell you what type of soil you have. Some weeds will only grow in nitrogen rich soil, some will only grow in poor soil. I was happy to see Purslane (Portulaca) in my garden, as it indicates that I have a nutrient rich, well draining soil. You can buy soil test kits, ot take a sampling and send it in, most universities in the states will do soil evals. for you.

What Erin said about planting in drifts is true, it makes a much more impressive display and there is a nicer flow to the garden when you plant that way. There are some things you can do to minimize the cost. Start your perennials from seed (very economical). If I want to buy a particular perennial, buy it in the large size container (usually a 6 or 8 inch pot). I will bring it home and divide into 3 plants before I ever plant it. This greatly reduces the cost and now you have three plants that equal the size of the smaller perennial (usually a 3 or 4 inch pot) for about half the price. Get to know gardeners in your area and exchange plants with them. Buy annual seeds that readily self-sow. Nigella, Foxy Foxglove (Digitalis), Polygonum (Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate) Cleome, Lychnis (Ragged Robin) Violas, the list is endless, really. They will also fill in the gaps until your perennials get bigger. Buy plants on clearance at the end of the nursery season. I can write a tutorial for propagating roses and some types of shrubs, but I'm way too tired to do it tonight.

Take advantage of the numerous seed catalogs that are out there for FREE. You will see the All America selections winners, all of the new varieties of plants, the RHS rose selections, you will learn the cultivation of many plants, and creative plant combinations, you will get tons of ideas, too. They come in the fall and winter for the most part, so there is usually plenty of time read and dream.
White Flower Farm has beautiful photos in their catalog, as does Wayside Gardens and Jackson and Perkins . I have purchased from all 3 companies before, but they are all very expensive, don't let that stop you from ordering a catalog. I order seeds every year from Thompson and Morgan-THE seed catalog and Select Seeds. I also order from Forest Farm (no pictures at all) and Heirloom Roses (beautiful photos) and BlueStone Perennials. Here is a link to seed companies, you can ask for catalogs. Mail-Order Catalogs
Scroll down to the bottom, there is an alphabetical listing of seed companies.

Invest in a couple of good gardening books, like Erin mentioned. One book is my gardening bible and one of the best investments I ever made - The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, I am embarrassed to say that my copy is from 1978 (Oh My God, it's 30 years old!). The original version was written in 1959. I am told that later revised editions are not nearly as informative as the early editions, so try to find an old copy on E-Bay if you're interested. Now, I have to go take a bath, I am filthy and sore, very, very sore.

Edit: I forgot. Try planting something new and different every single year. Some type of plant you know nothing about. It keeps gardening exciting. Most gardeners are burned out by the middle of summer, this gives you something to look forward to tending.

 

[angie j]

I am loving all of the input.

saw daphne at the garden centre the other day and will definately be getting some (more than one) I also saw some in a neighbour hedge (unkept, ducking from under for light) it is has new growth and is not yet woody... can I take a cutting and root it now? If so, has anyone done it successfully? I also have a Perennial bush, very much like a 'jasmine' (small white scented flowers) that was here when I moved, but is now overgrown by larger evergreens that seems to be dying .. shaded out. l I've never done well with cuttings, I think I'm too 'flighty' to keep it at a consistant moisture. any good suggestions?

for rose lovers..i recommend
http://www.pickeringnurseries.com/web_store_wpic.cgi

angie J

 

[charityd]

Garden girl thanks for all of the great tips.

 

[drulzelot]

Oooh, I live near White Flower Farms, and I swear I have half of what they have in my garden. Believe me, the photos don't do them justice!
Do keep in mind that just about any kind of groundcover can be invasive. That is the nature (and delight!) of ground covers. I agree about the weeds, we have "touch-me-nots" around here, and they grow where poison ivy grows (I've been told they are the antidote, but I've not been brave enough to find out fisrt hand).