Tag: planting

Planning A Garden: Sketch A Picture of Your Yard

sketch of yard on paper
Sketch it Out

Whether you want to add a small perennial garden to your already established and well landscaped yard, or are re-doing an entire yard, planning a garden takes time and thought.  Sketching a picture of your yard will help you remember important features that disappear in the winter months.

One of the most important factors in planting is the amount of sun those plants will be getting. If you’ve just moved to a new place or simply haven’t been paying much attention to what goes on in your yard, then begin to take notice of when and where the sun hits in the areas you’d like to turn into gardens.

You’ll have to watch through out the day and the sun will change it’s path depending on the season, but summer is when the plants will do most of their growing so having a sun-loving plant in a spot that gets plenty of sun is important.

Once you know about the sun, then search for plants that will work to your advantage in the spots they will like best. Make a list of the plants you’d like to have and sketch out the section of the yard where you plan to do the work. This helps me to remember what I planned to do. Next Spring I can read my notes and continue on with my plans.

I also like to keep track of where I bought my plants. That way, if I really love the color of the flower I may be able to go back and buy another one just like it.

As you can see in my sketch above, I plan to add a few hydrangeas along the back front area of my yard. That spot gets a good amount of sun and although hydrangeas can live in shady conditions, they don’t flower as well if they don’t have some sun so I think that might be a good spot.

Who knows, by next Spring I may have changed my mind!

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Too Late To Garden?

A couple of daylilies (Hemerocallis) in spring...
Image via Wikipedia

It’s July already and I just moved out of my rental and into a new home! Yes, I am very excited. All the moving and unpacking has kept me away from the computer and more importantly, it’s kept me out of the yard. And this yard – my new yard – needs a lot of help. Not a flower is to be seen, and all the shrubs – ahh, small trees – are overgrown.

This house sat empty for about a year and apparently the previous owners weren’t very good at outdoor upkeep so I have my hands full.

Although I’d love to get to gardening, there is an issue with grading the land to get rainwater away from the house so I won’t do too much until that is taken care of.

It feels like I’ve spent this entire year buying a house. I started looking in March and then found this place in April, and just moved in July 11th. I’ve missed planting, weeding, picking flowers and all the summer fun of blueberry picking and mountain hiking. All my efforts have been towards home-ownership. It’s well worth it, but I have a feeling of not living among the world.

So, is it too late, when August is right around the corner, to think about gardening? No!!! In fact, I know that many plants need to be planted in Fall. It’s the second best time of year to plant (other than Spring).

Unfortunately, most of the great looking plants have been bought already, but the positive aspect would be finding bargains in the perennial section.  I was at Tenney Farms in Antrim the other day and picked up a couple of yellow (Stella d’oro) day-lilies, a white phlox, and red coneflower.  The hydrangeas have all been bought, of course, but I have other favorites and the Stella d’oro will bloom for such a long time.  I also love daylilies because they are easy to divide and one plant can become several over the years.

So it’s not too late to garden but planting hydrangeas might have to wait until next Spring.

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Planting a New Hydrangea Shrub This Spring

Endless Summer Hydrangea
Image by Chiot's Run via Flickr

You don’t need a green thumb to grow hydrangeas, so why not plan to plant a new shrub this Spring. With just a bit of knowledge, you can have a beautiful and long lasting addition to your landscape in the form of big gorgeous blooms.

Once you’ve made the decision to add a hydrangea to your yard, find out which type you’d like to grow and if it is right for your planting / climate zone. There are many varieties and flower types. Most are shrubs but some can be little trees, such as the Pee Gee, so know what you are buying. Decide where you will plant it by searching for a spot in the yard that is free of tree roots and has plenty of sun. Also remember that the plant you buy will grow to be around four Continue reading “Planting a New Hydrangea Shrub This Spring”