« Brooklyn Gets 5 Nods in TONY's Eat Out Awards Last Week's Biggest Sales »
April 21, 2008
Gardening on the Mind
With the arrival of warmer weather last week, homeowners' thoughts are turning to their gardens. Unfortunately, it may be too late to plant those perennials, according to this post from last year. It's the perfect time to plant annuals however. We've been having trouble the last couple of years finding the right plants for the shady side of our garden. The smoke bush we planted last year, for example, did not exactly thrive in its original position, so we moved it to a sunnier spot last weekend. And good suggestions? If you're looking for inspiration, check out these photos from last year's garden tour.
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.brownstoner.com/mte/mt-tb.cgi/4598
Comments
That's bull about it being to late for perennials. You can plant perennials well into June. Just make sure they're watered and use some mulch. jeez!
In fact most nurseries haven't even gotten a lot of their perennials in stock yet because it's too EARLY for some of them.
Annuals should be OK for planting now but some of them (impatiens etc.) are finicky about cold so you might want to wait until May.
Posted by: guest at April 21, 2008 10:42 AM
Agree, of course it's not to late for perennials; I buy all mine at the BBG plant sale in early May! (and then leave them in the pots for a year.) Shade is tough. I've got boxwood doing ok in semi-shade, and ferns, and astilbes. BBG Handbook series has several excellent back issues on shade gardening.
Posted by: Brenda from Flatbush at April 21, 2008 10:53 AM
You can actually plant perennials at any point in the summer, as long as you water them. Late March is actually a little early for perennials. Although ok for shrubs, trees and grass seed.
If all your plants died, it's probably because you need to work on your soil. That is the MOST important thing for a good garden. If you have a good mix of compost, peat moss and top soil your garden will need much less watering and things will grow like crazy. But you must make sure to water quite a bit for the first weeks after planting.
re: shade. Good plants for shade are: There is a kind of hydrangea from Korea with blue flowers that is GORGEOUS and likes pretty deep shade (Hydrangea macrophylla Blue Billow - you can get it at White Flower Farm.com), and grows really fast. Bergenia are nice in shade (make sure you plant at least 5-7 together at the front of your bed) so are dianthus (bleeding heart) and astilbe. Astilbe should also be planted in groups of odd numbers 3-5-7 because they look much better that way than one sad little plant.
Posted by: guest at April 21, 2008 10:59 AM
Shade plants: hostas, siberian iris, hydragea, ferns, columbine, periwinkle. There are some wonderful mail order plant shops if you are willing to wait a season. I like White Flower Farms or if you want lots of plants cheap 4seasons. I buy from the nursery and fill in with mail order plants.
Posted by: guest at April 21, 2008 11:07 AM
So I have a paved back yard, and potted plants. After many years of rampaging pets and children I determined that nice flowerbeds just don't work for me. Pavement does. (this also covers the vagueries of neighbors adding fences, cutting trees or otherwise changing the light conditions in the yard. I can move stuff around as need be - also, this is a good solution when you aren't sure of your year round light conditions).
It's pretty nice, bricks with sand in between, some bamboo in a trench and various large pots. Right now, though, little tiny plants are pushing thru the cracks. Some of them are volunteers I pull up and jam into dirt somewhere to keep, but mostly I want to kill them effectively. I also have some moss I don't want to murder, so Roundup is probably not the best idea.
Anybody got any other suggestions? If I don't get them now, it looks like a jungle by August.
Posted by: guest at April 21, 2008 11:09 AM
Begonias are nice in semi-shade. There were great ones at the g.a.p. farmer's mkt Saturday.
Dianthus and alyssum also tolerate semi-shade well. Lowes in Gowanus has both right now. They also have some hybrid "ground cover" roses that supposedly thrive in semi-shade - I am trying those for the first time this year.
For full shade - I have some grape hydrangeas that have done surprisingly well under a rosebush with a large overhang. I think they get < 1 hour day of sun.
Hydrangeas look great but attract snails. Yuck.
Posted by: geekspice at April 21, 2008 12:10 PM
Begonias are nice in semi-shade. There were great ones at the g.a.p. farmer's mkt Saturday.
Dianthus and alyssum also tolerate semi-shade well. Lowes in Gowanus has both right now. They also have some hybrid "ground cover" roses that supposedly thrive in semi-shade - I am trying those for the first time this year.
For full shade - I have some grape hydrangeas that have done surprisingly well under a rosebush with a large overhang. I think they get < 1 hour day of sun.
Hydrangeas look great but attract snails. Yuck.
Posted by: geekspice at April 21, 2008 12:11 PM
I had a question; see all those wires in the backyards? At first I thought they were power lines of some sort, until my broker told me they are actually phone lines. Are there any dangers with all those wires in the backyard? I just closed on a house which seems to have a junction of tons of those low lines in one corner...
Posted by: guest at April 21, 2008 12:13 PM
We like to do everything ourselves but don't really know what thrives where . . . So we had a landscape architect that a friend recommended come and give us a consultation.
It was a great experience and wasn't too expensive. He was here for about two hours and then followed up with a planting plan with specific info on each plant. It was really helpful and we're in the process of putting everything in now. I definitely feel comfortable recommending him.
His email is david@futuregreenstudio.com
Posted by: Buddha at April 21, 2008 1:33 PM
"That's bull about it being to late for perennials. You can plant perennials well into June. Just make sure they're watered and use some mulch. jeez!
In fact most nurseries haven't even gotten a lot of their perennials in stock yet because it's too EARLY for some of them."
So true, 10:42! I have about 20 plants waiting to be shipped from a mail order nursery--they're all perennials for my new (rented) backyard, and the nursery only ships them when planting conditions are ideal for your zone. No need to start a panic, Mr. B.
And I definitely recommend hostas for your shaded areas. Spider plants are also lovely and very easy to grow (and can tolerate the poorest soil imaginable).
Posted by: guest at April 21, 2008 2:15 PM
I never used to like hostas but now I love blue hostas. Hydrangea is my favorite shrub (and flower) ever, snails be darned. You can totally do nice things with a shaded or semi-shaded yard.
On planting perennials, I have been planting some last week and this week and intend to plant a couple more before the end of May!
Posted by: guest at April 21, 2008 2:55 PM
Those yards could really use some trees.
Posted by: guest at April 21, 2008 3:52 PM
Gosh, 12:13, don't you read the papers? I got one of those city-disbursed lead-and-plastic shields (EMFOut! (tm)) fixed outside my back window where the telephone/cable wires are attached. My handyman only charged me $395 to do the work, and, while it makes the kitchen a little darker, my wife and kids rest easy now. Call 311 asap.
Posted by: cmu at April 21, 2008 7:07 PM
7:07, just wondering what to ask for when I call 311 to get an EMF/lead shield. I'd never actually thought about this until I saw your post but I also have a convergence of phone lines in my backyard.
Many thanks!
Posted by: guest at April 23, 2008 1:36 PM
I was wondering if anyone can recommend a place/person who can help us dig up some concrete in our garden (we'll probably do the gardening ourselves). We recently renovated our place & our garden is the last place that needs lots of help! Any help/info is greatly appreciated.
Posted by: guest at May 5, 2008 10:09 AM
Post a comment
Please be patient while your comment is published. It may take a moment.