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- Winter Evergreens from Jung Garden Center
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Ornamental Grasses
16 NovWhat looks good in the garden in November? Grasses!
This is the 2nd week of November and the zinnias are long-gone; the last of the hosta leaves have been raked away; most of the perennials have died back and gone dormant for the winter; and the last of the lily bulbs’ stalks have been cut back. But the grasses in my garden are still growing strong. Such show-offs. The fancy plumes on the top are poking through, making them actually look better than ever.
I personally overlooked grasses my first 5 years of gardening. I did not garden at all with grasses in my first two gardens. I first noticed and loved purple fountain grass. It is an annual grass that my mother-in-law grew in her pots in RI, and I tried that one first. It taught me the benefits of having an ornamental grass in the garden. I love that particular grass and still grow it in my pots every summer, but it is no different than an annual because it is not hardy in my zone 5 garden. Another annual grass I couldn’t live without in my pots each summer is King Tut grass. This one was hard for me to find this past summer so I am trying to overwinter it inside this year as a house plant; will let you know in a future blog if that is successful.
I have successfully grown several varieties of grasses in my garden for years. One of my favorites and a must-have for every garden is zebra grass. I prefer the taller version.
Another grass I have successfully grown and would recommend is Variegatus Miscanthus, or Japanese Silver Grass. This one can be a thug. On the bright side, it will look full and established within just a few years. It can then be divided for other parts of your garden or to share with friends.
My newest favorite grass is Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass. It is like learning a new word. I now see it everywhere and after asking about it, have planted several.
Another grass I have grown for winter interest in the view from my kitchen window is a pampas-like grass; it is very tall and the plumes move in the winter wind. This variety is called Japanese switch grass. I also have a friend who grows it as a hedge in the very back of their yard, and it provides nice privacy from the bike path.
There are even grasses that will grow in shade. I have not grown the shade-loving ornamental Japenese forest grass myself, but see it again and again in gardening magazines and I just love it. Another shade grass is Aureola Hakone Grass; it can be found at Jung Garden Center.
Why should you grow an ornamental grass in your garden?
- You won’t find a lower-maintenance plant.
- They make a great hedge for privacy or to create a dividing border.
- They are easy to grow.
- All sorts of varieties are out there: shade or sun, poor soil, tall or wide or short.
- They are long-lasting and will look good for 3 solid seasons.
Grasses should not be overlooked as key tools in landscaping. Not only can they provide a very nice hedge for privacy, but they also make a nice statement at the end of a garden bed, like a punctuation mark. They also do a great job filling space and suppressing weeds.
Not a whole lot looks great in my yard right now, and the past week has been unusually warm for a typical November Wisconsin day. So it has been fun hanging out on my outdoor couch with my kids, surrounded by the beauty of the tall grasses, and watching the plumes blow back and forth in the wind.
Stretching Your Garden Dollar
7 OctStretching Your Garden Dollar . . .
Four things you can do now to stretch your garden dollar are divide mature perennials; take cuttings to root before the first killing frost, which looks like this Sunday; bring outdoor plants inside for the winter before the first killing frost; and collect seeds.
Dividing Perennials
This is a great time to divide your more mature perennials. I have divided my peonies and still need to divide my large hostas. I am really looking forward to having more substance in my garden by doing this. I am also excited because dividing this fall will give my garden a more cohesive look with repetition. I am also planning to divide monarda (bee balm), Autumn Joy and some of my Strawberry and Cream Lilies from White Flower Farm.
Rooting
I love trying new varieties of coleus and plan to take several pieces to root inside over the winter. I also am taking stalks of basil, rosemary, wandering Jew, tradescantia (purple heart), Persian shield, and black and green sweet potato vine to root over the winter. I love, love, love propagation. This is one of my favorite aspects of gardening: creating more. It is so fun to give my Grandma a piece of something and to get pieces of plants from friends to try.
Bringing the Outdoors In
Another way to stretch your garden dollar is to bring in your favorite hanging basket or potted annual. I also take at least one cutting off it to root, for insurance. Geraniums, begonias, coleus, tradescantia and Persian shield all overwinter well as houseplants and root very easily.
Collecting Seeds
My kids and I have fun doing this every year. It is fun at every stage. A really good friend taught me how to do this during a play date at her house. Our kids were 2 or 3, and she handed me an envelope and a pair of scissors and we started cutting seeds from her garden. It is really easy! My daughter and I then went home and did our garden. This is such a fun family activity, and it is so joyful to now do it with my almost-11-year-old, 7-year-old, and yes, my youngest, who is not allowed to use scissors yet but who gets the concept of pulling those dried pods.
Each plant is different so some seeds are easier to locate than others. Morning glories get little green balls that turn brown; and when you break open the shell, there are several hard black seeds. Cleome seeds come from those whisker-like pods that hang off the flower. Cosmos and zinnia seeds come from the center of the flower head. Cosmos seeds are thinner and longer, and they get hard and crunchy. The zinnia seeds are a bit smaller and softer, and they have a roundness to them. Old-fashioned vining petunia seeds are as small as sand, and they come from the little brown cone. (I see I need to post pictures of what each seed looks like.) Tithonia or Mexican sunflower seedpods hurt your hands and are very prickly, so I like to pull those off with gloves that are used for working with roses. Then I put them in a Ziploc and break them up within the Ziploc. Sunflowers seeds look just like what you eat.
Seeds are best collected when they are dry and almost ready to drop naturally onto the ground. After I collect the seeds, I like to let them dry out a bit more, but I have had good luck putting them right into envelopes. My kids love to decorate the envelopes, and the seed packets make great gifts for grandparents and teachers and all your gardening friends.
Fall… three tasks for a great looking spring garden
13 SepA productive fall in the garden is the key to an outstanding looking garden in the spring.
Propagation
Fall is the best time for propagation here in Wisconsin. Dividing can be challenging because it is hard to dig into a good looking garden knowing it won’t look so good after a division is made. But who cares in the fall! With winter right around the corner, everything will die back and then come up fresh and new in the spring. Fall is also a great time to divide because the earth is warm and the nights are cool. This make a perfect environment for those perennials to establish healthy roots.
Also making it easy to be productive in the fall is the fact that you can see where everything is. When I have divided and planted in the spring, I often chose the same spots for planting and accidentally plant a division where something was already planted. The spot was already taken, but it was too early in the spring/summer growing season to notice it. In the fall, everything is up and established so it is clear-cut where the voids are in the garden, where the empty spots are that need filling. You also have the advantage of knowing what worked well. It’s still fresh in your mind, and you can duplicate successes.
Bulbs
Planting bulbs in the fall is a sure way to have a great-looking garden next season. Bulbs are a great investment for your garden and worth the wait. If you plant only one bulb, the globemaster allium is a must-have. They are my absolute favorite, as deer, bunnies, chipmunks, squirrels and mice will leave them alone because, being an allium, they are part of the onion family. Allium globemasters get very large and tall and are sturdy enough so you can avoid staking. They also last an unusually long time in the garden.
My second-favorite bulb to plant in the fall is the lily bulb, which I have talked about in previous posts. I love the strawberry-and-cream lilies from White Flower Farm and also the casa blanca lilies and stargazer lilies, which are both wonderfully fragrant. The bunnies will love to gobble on your lilies, so I recommend topping the soil with organic oyster shells. This helps deter animals from digging up and eating your bulbs as they are sharp, and they also will help amend your soil by adding nutrients as they decompose.
Weeding
Another productive fall chore that will create a great looking spring garden is weeding. It’s one of those tasks you’ve been avoiding since you were busy with all the planting this summer! Not only will it look better, but if you don’t allow the weeds to go to seed in the fall, next season your garden will have fewer weeds. I like the saying, “1 year of seeding is 7 years of weeding.” Unfortunately it can be true. Again, this chore, too, is so much better in the fall as everything is up and established and the weeds really stand out this time of year. You can tell by now if something is a weed or that new perennial your neighbor gave you to try. If you don’t have time to weed, another approach is to simply cut the “flower” head off. Then it will not seed your garden.
Tip of the Day – July is not too late to plant seeds
9 JulIf your summer is flying by and you haven’t gotten to everything on your to do list, it is not too late to plant seeds. July is actually an optimal time as the ground is warm and the daytime and nightime temperatures are warm so your seeds will germinate faster and your plants will grow very well.
Starting from seeds can be a very successful way to plant in one’s garden. Some seeds to try this time of year are basil, old-fashioned vining petunias, nasturiums and radishes. I learned that radishes will produce within 20 days from seed, so you will be able to eat your radishes by the end of July. I plant seeds continually throughout the summer until the middle of August and have had success with this.
Planting seeds in stages is a great way to keep your garden looking fresh.
Easter Lilies
5 Apr
Easter Lilies have hit the stores with very low prices. You can get this flowering potted bulb for as low as $5.99. Enjoy it for several weeks inside now. Then this spring you can plant it outside in your garden and it will re-bloom next summer. This is a great addition to your home and garden as it has a wonderful fragrance and staying power, not to mention it is beautiful.
