Tag: garden design

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The Advantages of Fall Planting

Most of us think of spring as prime planting time – the days are longer, the sun is brighter and the garden beckons! I always look forward to digging in the dirt those first warm days, but my “to do” list in spring can sometimes be overwhelming. By tackling some of my garden chores in the fall, I’ll have far less to do and more time to enjoy myself in May!

Photo courtesy of Photozzz on Pixabay

Benefit from the Season

The pleasant days of autumn are perfect for working outdoors as gardeners and plants alike no longer become stressed from the heat! As fall progresses, the days turn comfortably cooler and rainfall becomes more consistent. This means that newly planted perennials or shrubs have time to set down roots before severe cold sets in. It also means that you won’t be a slave to watering your new plants like you are in spring and summer. One good soaking upon planting in the fall should suffice as long as there’s some weekly rainfall predicted. By the time spring rolls around again, your plants will already be off to a good start and better able to withstand the hot and dry conditions that come with summer.

Photo courtesy of Andreas Gollner on Pixabay

Spread The Love

If you have some perennials that are overcrowded and perhaps not producing as many flowers, then fall is a great time to dig them up, divide them and replant in new areas. Doing so not only encourages the plants to make healthy new growth for next year, it also provides a great way to expand your garden space without having to buy more plants. If you don’t have room to spread multiple plants around, give the divisions to a neighbor or family member who also loves to garden. They’ll enjoy your beautiful blooming gifts for years to come!

Execute A Garden Plan

Why not plan and plant a new perennial garden this fall? For the best results, make sure to plant in soil that’s been well amended with compost. Your plants will grow that much faster when spring arrives and require less coddling on your part when the weather turns hot.

Peonies, Alliums, Lady’s Mantle, White Candles and Hardy Geraniums in June

Not sure about a design? It’s always fun to combine several plants that bloom at the same time. White Daffodils, Forget-Me-Nots and Old-Fashioned Bleeding Heart are charming together in early May while the romantic blooms of Peonies, Iris and Lady’s Mantle put on a glorious show in June. For a long-lasting summer garden you might try Russian Sage, Purple Coneflowers and Black-Eyed Susans. As the growing season slows, Sedums, Asters, Montauk Daisies and Perennial Grasses pick up the slack well into fall.

Photo courtesy of Matthias Bockel on Pixabay

Add Bulbs to Your Garden

There is no sight more welcome in spring than those first blooming bulbs! If you want to add some early color to your garden and be delightfully surprised by their appearance at winter’s end, then bulbs are the way to go. Planted in the cool days of fall, bulbs quickly set down roots and then patiently wait for spring. The variety of shapes, sizes and colors available is seemingly endless and with a little creative planning, you can have non-stop blooms all season long. For more tips on planting bulbs, see my earlier post, The Wonderful World of Bulbs.

Early Spring Perennial Planters with Heuchera, Candytuft, Violas, Solomon’s Seal and Japanese Painted Fern

Get a Jump on Spring Planters

Do you love to place colorful planters around the house and garden? Many of us routinely do this in late spring or early summer, but why not start some planters now for early spring? Place early-emerging hardy perennials like Heuchera, Candytuft, Basket of Gold, Creeping Jenny, Violas or Solomon’s Seal in a generous planter and then tuck in some early bulbs for a stunning April through May show. I overwinter perennial planters in my unheated garage and move them outside again when signs of life appear in spring. After the early bulbs bloom and start to die back, the perennials quickly fill out and hide any fading foliage. Later, when the weather turns warm, I can add some colorful summer annuals to keep the show going.

Photo courtesy of Pexels on Pixabay

Pot up Bulbs for Indoors

Whether planted individually or layered in pots, bulbs make wonderful indoor winter displays. The colors and sweet fragrance of potted bulbs placed around the house in dreary February will lift your spirits like nothing else! Fall is the perfect time to pot up bulbs since a cold period of 12 to 15 weeks is required to “force” these bulbs to bloom early. Once brought into the warmth of our homes, they’ll respond with quick growth and blooms!

For tips on how to pot up bulbs, check out this link: https://www.longfield-gardens.com/article/How-To-Grow-Spring-Bulbs-In-Containers.

By taking advantage of fine autumn weather and handling some projects now, you’ll be rewarded with early-blooming planters and perennials that are vigorous and eager to grow come spring!

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Garden Design with Deer in Mind

In spite of a damp and dismal early New England spring, work in the new garden space continues as I wait for warmer sunny weather to come along.

A work in progress! The mulched area in the foreground of the new garden will soon include tomatoes, zucchini, mini pumpkins and pole beans (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

On the north side of our property is a sunny, dry and rocky slope that my husband and I have been slowly improving with shrubs and perennials while still leaving room for a vegetable patch closer to our house. Native ferns and lowbush blueberries grow here along with some clumping grasses and small trees. We’ve had to take some of these plants out to make room for the summer kitchen garden but have left many in place to control erosion while also providing some food and shelter for the birds.  Our biggest challenge with this project has been finding plants for the upper slope that will not only tolerate poor soil and dry conditions but also discourage deer from taking a closer look at the lusher garden below.

Daylilies are surrounded by deer-resistant Lamb’s Ears, Phlox, Nepeta, Yarrow, Rudbeckia, and Lady’s Mantle (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

As far as garden design goes, I must confess that I’m pretty much winging it and experimenting to see what works. This is a fairly large area which would require a professional landscaping crew to tackle clearing it out and planting in one season. It’s certainly more work than my husband and I can handle at one time, so instead, we are slowly improving and expanding a little more each year. The bottom of the slope nearest our house and enclosed by a rock wall has good soil; it’s the rocky and dry ground higher up that we will continue to work on, adding more tough plants as we go.

Yucca “Color Guard” makes a bold statement and will hold up under tough conditions (Photo courtesy Nature Hills Nursery)

When choosing plants, I have to consider the deer, rabbits, and voles who regularly visit our green snack bar. Although the smaller creatures can be a real nuisance, it’s the deer that do the most damage. Tall fencing is really the only way to keep them out but it’s not easy to fence in a sloped area and leave it aesthetically pleasing. For the present, I’m incorporating plants that deer usually pass by and placing them in a barrier of sorts around the plants they prefer such as Daylilies and Hosta. I also find that deer repellant sprays and shaved “Irish Spring” soap help to offend their delicate nostrils although the trick in being successful with these products is to be religiously consistent in their use over the entire growing season.

Bloomerang “Pink Perfume” Lilac will add beauty and fragrance to the garden (Photo courtesy Spring Meadow Nursery)

I already have many deer-resistant plants in my gardens including Nepeta, Lady’s Mantle, Yarrow, Rudbeckia, Echinacea, Peonies, Phlox, Lamb’s Ears, and Sedum. Over the past year, I’ve been dividing and adding these to the lower level of the new garden space. Some new varieties we’re adding this year to the upper slope area are several different lavenders and “Color Guard” yucca, all of which will also tolerate the dry, rocky site and require little care. Hardy grasses will also work well here, quickly filling in any large gaps.

Hardy grass “Twilight Zone” complements nearby flowers (Photo courtesy Waltersgardens.com)

The garden soil closest to the house is rich with years of leaf mold and added compost. In this area which is visible from the kitchen, we’ve recently planted two fragrant “Bloomerang” reblooming lilacs along with a “Little Lime” hydrangea and “Gold Flame” honeysuckle. Only time will tell how these new shrubs will hold up to the deer but then all gardening requires a good deal of faith!

“Gold Flame” Honeysuckle shares a trellis with sugar snap peas and will soon cover the structure, hiding the compost area behind it (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

No open garden is ever completely deer-proof because if deer are hungry enough they’ll eat just about anything that isn’t fenced in. However, by incorporating plants and shrubs that are less appetizing to them, we stand a better chance against damage caused by browsing. An easy online search will provide suitable plant lists for your neck of the woods but, in general, deer dislike fragrant plants and those with fuzzy texture such as lavender or Lamb’s Ears.

Deer will leave fragrant lavender alone (Photo by Nancy Marie Allen)

What plants have you had success with in dry and difficult locations and which are the most deer-resistant in your garden? I’d love to hear from you and wish all of you success with your own gardening challenges!


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