Van Bourgondien

A Practically Perfect Garden – Tips & Tricks

Sometimes, especially when gardening season is just getting launched, we can see in our mind's eye all the potential that our garden may have - if everything grows the way it should, if the weather is just right, if we can keep up with the weeds and deadheading and watering. Early garden season is a season of hope. In that mind's eye we have a potentially perfect garden.

Then, as time passes, we have little disasters, like a heavy storm that beats down the peonies - or a dry spell that parches the plants. Or too many weeds. Something that starts to make that perfect picture crumble a wee bit.

Luckily, gardeners as a breed are hopeful people. And luckily, as we gain experience we learn a lot of helpful hints and tips that make the potential all the more possible. And so every year we get a bit closer to that garden in our minds.

The biggest tip that I can pass on to you is to make friends with an experienced gardener. Not only will you share plants but planting stories. And you can share all your hard won expertise and benefit from that of your friend. Two heads are always better than one.

But in case you don't have an experienced gardener handy, I thought I'd pass on a few of the tips that I've treasured over the years in hopes that they will help your garden to move that much closer to perfection. Remember - a garden is only as good as its plants. Their health and care comes first. Design considerations are only secondary. So let's look at some plant care tips first.

The first is to mulch. Mulch is a friend to both plant and plantsperson. It helps to keep down the weeds and smother any incipient weed seeds. It also helps to hold moisture into the soil, which cuts down on your watering chores and keeps the plant from drying out too often if you can't water for some reason. Mulch breaks down and enriches the soil, so that it gets better and better every year. You can't beat that for a real garden workhorse.

One hint, though. If you are using bark mulch, it will rob the soil of some of its nitrogen content while it decomposes, so you may want to add some to the soil. The best forms of nitrogen are free - compost and manure.

Want instant compost? When you're done mowing, instead of bagging and discarding the grass clippings, toss them into the flower beds. Don't layer them too thickly or they will mat and create a water-impervious surface. Just scatter thinly, and then, when they are dry, lightly rake them into the soil. They will provide instant nutrition, as well as solving the problem of what to do with the lawn leavings. Waste not, want not.

Another way to cut down on the weeding is to plant closely. The desired garden plants will take up so much room there won't be room for weeds to push through - or at least not too many.

But beware of planting too closely. That makes more work in the end as you will constantly need to be digging and dividing. Remember that plants often take at least three years to reach their potential and so go into the ground a lot smaller than they will be eventually. It may seem impossible that the tiny daylily tuber in your hand with the two frail leaves sticking up will need more than a few inches of space - but wait a few years. The little peony you take out of the bag may look like it doesn't need much room, but in three years it can be a clump a yard wide. So pay attention to plant spacing.

Of course that means you will have a lot of bare spaces while you wait for new plants to mature. But that's easy to fix. Fill in with colorful annuals. They are inexpensive and often bloom all summer. And every year you will need fewer and fewer.

Cut down on your workload by arranging plants with similar needs together. Put all those that seem to want a lot of water nearest to your water source, and those that are drought tolerant farthest from that source. It's a lot easier than trying to remember to direct the hose to that one clump of moisture lovers while trying to avoid the plants that like it a bit dry.

And how can you tell if the soil is getting too dry for your plant's comfort? Stick your finger into the soil a couple of inches down. If it feels dry, it's time to water. As a general rule of thumb, plants tend to need an inch of water a week to do well. You can tell if your sprinkler has delivered an inch by setting a coffee can or other container in the path of the sprinkler and waiting until an inch of water has collected inside. But your plants will be better off if, instead of watering from overhead you use some form of soaker hose or drip irrigation. Overhead watering can cause water spots on some flowers, and, if done in hot sun can lead some plants to burn.

Water in the early morning on late evening, when the hot sun has retreated. The water won't burn off so fast, and so will be available to the plants for a longer time.

By the way - any plant that is planted against a wall will need extra water. Walls tend to absorb heat and then radiate it back at the plant, causing the soil to dry out more quickly.

Now - what about your garden design? First, I'll state the obvious. Plant the tallest stuff at the back of the border and the shortest in front. You want to be able to see everything.

If you're like me, you have tons and tons of spring bulbs, with foliage that is now yellowing and taking up room in the garden. In shady areas, you can hide that foliage with plants that emerge from the ground late but spread quickly to cover the bulb remains, like hostas and ferns. In sunnier areas, try daylilies. The foliage is similar to that of many bulbs, and somehow once the daylilies emerge you scarcely notice the remains of the daffodils.

Another good idea is to plant bulbs amidst lush groundcovers. Groundcovers are great unifiers. In fact, they are ideal for the new garden, which is full of plants waiting to reach their mature size. Those baby plants won't look nearly as lonely and isolated if surrounded by a sea of groundcover. Periwinkle minor spreads beautifully in sun or shade, and features lovely blue flowers in early summer. Or try Cote d'Azur pinks, which are covered in tiny, rosy flowers in June. They not only cover the ground beautifully but look spectacular spilling over the edges of your raised beds.

If you have a small garden, you can always plant your spring bulbs in containers and sink them into the ground. When their time is up, you only need to lift the pots and store them for next year, instantly freeing up garden space for later season perennials. This is also a good tip for southern gardeners who want to plant bulbs that require a chilling period. In containers, it's easy to refrigerate them until it's time to replant.

Speaking of bulbs in the beds, now is a great time to take pictures of your garden. This will give you a permanent record of where your spring bulbs are, and where you have gaps in your tulips and daffodil plantings. Mark those areas with little tags, or use a circle of string tied to golf tees to mark the bare areas. In the fall, refer to your photos and plant new bulbs to fill in the bare spots.

Plant in drifts. Unless a plant is truly large, it can get lost all too easily in a garden design unless you plant multiples of it. Plant in groups of three or five minimum in order to create impact. Some plants, like peonies, can make a splash on their own, but others, especially bulbs, look best planted in groups. And you get maximum bang if you plant drifts of plants of the same color. Five red lilies will show up better than one red, one white, one yellow, etc. But naturally you may want lilies (or phlox, or daffodils, or whatever) in more than one color - sp follow the same rule and get enough of each color to show up.

Don't be afraid to mix bulbs, perennials and annuals into a garden design. For that matter, include a few small shrubs (or large ones if your garden has sufficient size to accommodate them.) Shrubs give the garden a sense of structure. Even in winter when many of the perennials have gone dormant, you'll look out on something more than a flat surface. Tree peonies have an interesting sculptural shape even in winter when devoid of leaves Weigela Bristol Ruby is small enough to fit into even a fairly small garden design - especially the one we offer, that has been shaped into a standard - somewhat like a small tree. And don't forget hydrangeas. The flowers dry beautifully and are great for winter arrangements - or to add interest in the garden if they remain on the shrub. H. 'Annabelle is particularly good for providing dried flowers to tide you over in winter.

Winter interest can be as important to a great garden as summer flowers. Ornamental grasses are wonderful both as an easy way to add texture to the summer garden and as winter interest. Those with fine blades, such as Dwarf fountain grass or 'Morning Light' Maiden Grass hold up well even under winter snow. And the tiny pale blue 'Elijah Blue' Fescue holds its color all winter.

Taller grasses need to be cut down in spring, but it's easy of you first tie twine around the base of the grass and then cut just below it. You can haul all the dried blades to the compost heap in one tidy bundle.

Those are just a few hints and tips that help me to make my own garden look great without breaking my back. If you have any you'd like to share, drop me a line.