Winter Pondering: Last Summers Designs and Future Improvements

I hardly can believe it winter is half over! (In my defense, this is Michigan, and it was 50 degrees two days ago) But seriously folks, once we turn the calendar to February....it's just a matter of counting down the days til spring!

As many of you know, last spring, I launched my gardening and design business- and this blog, On the Right Path LLC. The season, included back breaking work, (loving it by the way). Great customers, and by that I mean really sweet people- and a chance to design some small landscape projects and install a few too.

You see the beauty of my small business is, I will design a plan that you can incorporate yourselves, or you can pay me to do the hard work. Its your choice. The plans come with a detail list of plants, a hand drawn layout of the design and where the plants go, and a custom picture/ or visual. (see below)

So it is cold and windy here in MidMichigan today, leaving me time to ponder last season's designing, and what this season might bring. So to get yours and my gardening juices/ideas flowing, I thought I'd start with a few of my garden/landscape designs from last season.

For this project, the beds were already in place and the owner hired me to design a plan then replant the areas. The dark brick needed plants with light and color to brighten the space. And with a front door and porch, front and center, the plantings needed to be low and gracious to welcome visitors.

This ranch-style home has a lot going on design-wise, with many corners and turns. I felt the design needed to create a flow around the house without taking away from the stone exterior and a focused area welcoming guests from the drive to the front door. (below)

As you can see, ranches vary not only in color and shape, but in overall design. For this ranch, the  long narrow drive, anchored the property, with a tall fence that was surrounded by large neighboring pines. This provided many needles and a bed of acidic soil. The front area needed a low ground cover with color, and the softness of grass. In the back, color and varying heights add to the landscape design.

 And this was my only office design last season. The actual work was put on hold, but the design offers another side to a plan that compliments and softens to welcome patrons.








I hope I've given you some inspiration as we look forward to spring! And if you look outside, and just can't visualize what you need, give a call and I would be happy to create a simple design for you!

Dig In! Gifts for the Gardener on Your Christmas List

Santa is making his list and checking it twice. And so are many of his helpers. Digging for that perfect gift for the gardener on their list. 

The good news is gardeners are easy to buy for! Why? We are always setting tools down, getting distracted and forgetting where we put them! The other reason, there is a ton of easy to find, inexpensive gifts that make us happy.

First off, tools are always appreciated, and even though some gardeners carry a personal preference of brands and style, they always can use an extra. So don't be discouraged, there are generic options that will please even the fussiest gardener. 

On the tool list:

  

Pruners are a must have. For small hands,  Fiskars petite bypass pruner are a reasonably priced option, costing around $20. Another popular pruner are ones make by Felco. The Anvil Pruner is a good choice for $45.( Both of these are available at Meijer, Walmart and other big box stores.)

To carry things around:

Wheel barrows, collapsible utility carts, as well as solid light weight carts are a must have in the yard or garden. Prices vary on brands but most collapsible carts start at $65. A more affordable, but less portable option, is the Suncast plastic garden cart starting at $27. at Walmart.

A handy little helper, I found this year was the rubber handled baskets. These can be found at local retailers, as well as at Dow Gardens Gift Store in Midland. Passes for entrance to the gardens are also available for purchase and a great idea that gives all season long! 

Gloves:

Gardeners always need gloves. My personal favorite this year are made by Atlas. They fit your hand snuggley and grip weeds easily. Since I wear a small, it posed a bit of a search, as they tend to be hard to find locally. But I tracked down a bundle of four pairs for  under $20. on Amazon.com

Still everyone can use gloves,and as you can see, at the Dow Gardens Gift Shop, there are a wide range available in styles and  colors to suite anyone. 

For the reader on your list, books on gardening are always welcome. Try something unusual such as gardening with fragrance, or a specific color or maybe, a subscription to a gardening magazine. 

Of course, gift cards to anywhere with a garden center are always appreciated! As are seeds, potting soil, 

a unusual vase, or pot, and even hand lotion. 

While many hard to find items are available online, lets not to forget to shop at local business for some unusual finds!

 

Fall Is Upon Us- Are you ready?

Crisp fall nights make for great sleeping weather, but fall is not officially here. Or not just yet! According to the calendar, fall is officially arrives at 10:49 a.m. Saturday, September 22. You can read more about fall's arrival on the Farmer's Almanac page.

Whats on your to-do list for fall?

Planting

Trees, bushes and perennials
Its a great time to plant trees and bushes - if you can find what you want. Checking out most of our local bores garden centers last week left me a bit disappointed, there is not much left. Trees and bushes can still be found, but the selection isn't the best. Still this is a great time to plant - if you find what you want.  Perennials are on major clearance, but most are the tried and true varieties. Specialties are long gone.

Mums
If you clipped your mums back in early July, you should be enjoying a show soon if not already. And if your looking to plant some, choose the hardy variety sold at local mom and pop nurseries. But if your looking for just porch decor, pick up a few of the cheap versions sold at box stores like Home Depot, Lowes and Meijers. These won't survive the winter, but they will do the job.

Bulbs
Fall bulb planting - for spring flowers - will be starting in October. Though September is a good time to tract down your favorites.

Visit Michigan Bulb Co.  for great selection and ideas. Find basics on bulb planting here.

Deals!
Is your garden art looking tired? Are you in need of some new gloves or fertilizer? Deep discounts can be found on hanging baskets, shepherd hooks, stepping stones and landscape mulch are in abundance.

Clean-Up
The time for falling leaves, dying plants and storing away those garden favorites will be here soon. Fall clean up will make spring gardening a breeze. Use your cool days to prune back dead plants, leaving seed heads for birds to munch on if you choose, and clean up leaves that might have been subject to mold or black spot.

Take Stock
Take a walk around your gardens on a cool autumn day, after your beds are cleaned up, but before you mulch. Write down what plants need replanting if you haven't done it already, look for voids that need filling, and favorites you want to get more varieties of.

 It all seems clear now, but after a long winter of dreaming... I don't know about you, but I tend to forget what I really need and look more for what dreamt of.

Summer 2012 recap: Rain Rejuvenates Gardens for late August Color!

What a strange gardening season this year has provided thus far. Here in Michigan we started out with an unusually warm March. So warm in fact our flowers, flowering trees and fruits got an entire month of an early start!

But then we hit a set back. In April, tender growth got bit by frost. Leaving many stunted until late May. It wasn't until early June that the plants made a positive comeback. Except the fruit trees. Cherries and apples trees lost their blossoms, and most didn't recover. (Expect prices to be high on these Michigan fruits this season.)

Still it was the heat that did in many gardens in this summer. The almost 100 degree days and weeks in July, without rain proved to exhaust any hope of having a beautiful garden; or for this year anyhow. For myself, since I have limited water resources, I lost a half dozen perennials, and many hostas burned up in July.

Still after keeping up my clients gardens, I would come home and made my way around my own garden. Cleaning up foliage that had dried up. Deadheading entire plants. Just hoping for some kind of reasonable look. But I admit, it was a sad sight.

But Mother Nature (ie: GOD) never ceases to amaze me. In early August we received six inches of rain in three days! It took another week or so, but I started to see hope. What an awesome site to see plants heal and rejuvenate themselves! Today in the garden I saw Stella d'ora daylillies blooming again, though on short stalks, my baby's breath began flowering again, and even the balloon flowers are creating new blossoms! The one plant I have not see come back as strong as I would have thought, is my lavender. My normal tried and true drought resistant plant only bloomed once so far. But there is hope.

Still just two weeks ago, I was dreading putting the garden to bed early in September... and now? I think we may be able to squeeze another month out of enjoying blooms in our gardens.

Thanks Mother Nature for keeping us on our toes!

How to keep a fall-ish garden looking fresh:

• Deadhead
• Clean if fresh. Prune off dried or dead foliage or leaves munched on by the critters.
• Plant. Mums and asters add color for late fall color.( Note: Most sold at box stores may not make it as a true  perennial,  though most sold at local nurseries will over winter in Michigan.)
• Have patience. With this crazy season, who knows what fall will bring. 

Rejuvenate Your Plants: Deadheading Prolongs Flowering

Now that your flowers are off and blooming, you'll want to keep up the show going forever! Of course, while realistically that's nearly possible, you can keep repeat blooms going for much of the summer. 


Many perennials bloom the entire season but only if you deadhead them. What is deadheading? Basically you prune back the dead flower/seed heads after the plant has flowered, to promote additional flowering.


A few repeat blooming perennials that benefit from deadheading
 include:

• Blanket Flower
• Veronica
• Speedwell
• Lavender
• Bellflower
• Yarrow
• Tickseed
• Coneflower
• Pincushion Flower
• Endless Summer Hydrangea
• May Night Salvia
• Rozanne Geranium
• Dianthus

Two well known some-what self- pruning perennials are:
Stella D'Ora Daylillies
Knock-Out Roses
These two plants, while can be deadheaded, will continue to bloom without pruning. I have learned if you have the time, pruning the Knock-Out roses every now and again during the growing season tidys up the bush and encourages growth. To prune, find dead flower, go to next three leaf start - and prune at that point. 


An easy way to clean up or deadhead blooms that can be pruned all at once, is using hedge trimmers. I know it seems a bit overkill, but I love using my Ryobi cordless hedge trimmers to prune back ground covers that have bloomed. They are also great to use with Veronica, dianthus pinks, lavender (once I pick some to dry), or pruning back foliage on mums. (Note: Trimming back the foliage on your garden mums in mid June will promote more plant growth and to assure beautiful fall blooms.) 


Of course, you can also keep your annuals blooming longer by deadheading them, too. For annuals, dead heading or pinching back the plants stems, keeps them from becoming straggly looking over the summer months. 


Now that the full blown flower season is among us... keep pruning, watering, fertilizing and enjoying! 


Happy Blooming! 

Divide and Conquer- Fill the Empty spaces in your Garden!

Hardy Geranium

If you were to visit my yard, you would find my garden’s are filled with many of the same loyal plants. When I refer to loyal, I’m talking about plants that can withstand harsh winds, winters, lack of watering, a cat and dogs that like to dig, and other forces of nature. Basically, once I find plants that live well in m my soil, and conditions - well, I just want more of the same.



It is for that very reason that I don’t often have a empty place in my garden. You see one of my greatest thrills in gardening comes from realizing just how many plants I can divide into even more!

There are a few “rules” for division. Don’t move a plant when its flowering. Or about to flower. And spring and fall is the best time to conquer this task. Though I have been known to move a plant in the heat of summer if I get the urge.

Sure there are a few plants that simply do not like to touched. Plants are kind of like people in this respect. Some are easy going and can be moved from place to place. Then there are a few have temperamental moods. For these, yes, leave them where you plant them - if possible. I mean really, why deal with the drama? And of course, there are the stubborn ones, like large grasses, that take a bit of elbow grease to get them where they need to go.

Here are a few plants to move/separate /divide easily include:

• Hosta
• Daylily
• Daisy
• Black Eyed Susan
• Sedum
• Phlox
• Grasses
• Veronica
• Iris
• Oriental Lilies
• Lamb’s ear
• Hardy Geranium
• And many more! 

Peonies

Clematis

Plants that prefer not to be moved (see notations):

• Peonies  (If you do move, be sure to bury the rizomes just below the surface. Then expect to wait a couple of years for blooms.)
• Lavender (Small plants that have sprouted from the edges of this plant, can be dug and replanted.)
• Hydrangea
• Roses
• Clematis (Due to a remodel project, I had to move two this year- so far so good.)

The premise for dividing or separting a plant is basically the same. Dig a large area around the plant and lift it carefully out of the ground. Then begin making more!

Try these simple steps for division:

• For plants with tubers like daylilies, shake the dirt off the tubers and gently pull them apart. It is not unusual to have more than 10 to 15 plants from a large clump. 
• For hostas, use the same method, except you will find think roots instead of tubers. 
• For Iris and Peonies, you will find risomes, which are a bit tougher to break apart.
• For grasses, dig the entire clump out and use a sharp axe or shovel to cut the clump in to pieces. 
• For Veronica, garden plox, daily, Lamb’s ear, Black eyed susan’s dig up small plants from the edges and replant. 

Now find a empty place in your garden with the same type of conditions, sun, shade, etc…that the parent plant had. Dig a small hole, put in your new plants- and water daily for a couple of weeks!

I know this seems pretty simple. And it really is. Will you loose some plants? Sure. But gardening is filled with trial and error.

And if you have some extra plants when your through, just share the extras with your friends! And spread the love of gardening!

Attract Hummingbirds to Your Garden

The last day of April, finally marks the perfect time for us northerners to get those hummingbird feeders dusted off, cleaned out and ready for the graceful birds to sip their favorite sweet drink from. For the rest of you, well, I hope your feeders are already hanging out and attracting our feathered friends! 

Whatever suits your style, or budget, there is a hummingbird feeder available for your garden.

Styles vary from the simple plastic models to handcrafted blown glass. Check out this link for a wide variety to choose from.

The hummingbird feeding liquid, that is used in hummingbird feeders to attract hummingbirds, is a simple sugar and water solution. It is made up of a ratio of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water. This ratio will produce a hummingbird feeding liquid that will closely resemble the nectar found in flowers. Premade hummingbird mixtures are also available at most stores and online. For more info about keeping feeders clean and detailed info on hummingbirds visit this link.


If your garden is planted to attract hummingbirds, your already one step ahead of the game. If not, why not add some plants this spring? I've listed a few of the most popular plants that attract the delicate birds, but this link gives a more indepth look at northern hummingbird gardening.

Plants and bushes to attract and feed hummingbirds include:

Trees and Shrubs

• Azalea
• Butterfly Bush (Buddleia)
• Lantana
• Weigela

Vines

• Coral Honeysuckle
• Cypress Vine
• Morning Glory
• Trumpet Creeper

Flowers

Some may be annuals or perennials depending on zone.

Perennials

• Bee Balm (Monarda)
• Canna
• Cardinal Flower
• Columbine
• Coral Bells
• Four O'Clocks
• Foxglove
• Hosta
• Lupine
• Penstemon
• Yucca

Annuals

• Beard Tongue (and other penstemons)
• Fuchsia
• Impatiens
• Petunia
• Various Salvia species

So as your out and about looking for those special plants and objects for your garden, don't forget your feathered friends. Keep in mind as summer heat approaches, it's not just attracting and feeding the birds, its also about hydrating them. Look for water features like, bird baths, fountains and small ponds.