by Cathy Caldwell
Are you just starting out as an ornamental gardener ? Welcome to the best night club on earth . gardener of all stripe lean to be the best sort of mortal — genial , eager to learn new things , and helpful . Plus , you ’ll be working with the earth — so elemental an enterprise that it bestow a deep soul satisfaction on all practitioner .
Not that there wo n’t be foiling . That happens to all gardeners , amateur and vet likewise . Why , just last week I was out spraying deer repellent on my daylilly buds , hoping I ’d in reality get to see a few of them undecided . With my other paw , I was madly grabbing at weeds . The irony of my dual protect - and - destroy mission was consuming , and that ’s how it is when you ’re work with — or against — Mother Nature .
Perhaps your path can be smoothed a mo . I ’ve outlined some of the mistakes I made as a newbie in the promise that you ’ll be relieved from even just a few test - and - error mishaps . That way you could get going on making your own mistakes !
First of all , do NOT part plant this calendar month . Sorry , but July is not a estimable month for planting much of anything . The heat will accent new transplants , and match with the period of drought we often get in July , may shrivel up that beautiful plant you just corrupt . Even if you ’re conscientious about keeping your unexampled transplants moist , you ’re risking disappointment , specially if you go on vacation and must rely on volunteers to do the watering . So save the planting for fall , which is an idealistic time for starting most garden plants , shrubs and trees .
While you ’re waiting for fall , you may do thepreparatory workand planningthat will lead to a beautiful garden next spring and summer . You did n’t imagine you could just slither a few seeds or plants into the ground , did you ? Well , that only work if you ’ve inherited beds that were already prepared by a previous possessor . And true confession time : in my early year , I try this myself — and on our red Virginia cadaver soil to boot . Needless to say , my early efforts were complete failures . Mother Nature needs a little help — unless you ’re a weed .
A life in gardening seems like one long serial publication of mistakes . But error lead to encyclopedism , sapience even , right ? In this direction , gardening seems like the ultimate metaphor for life . Still , a newbie canlearn from the mistake — and successes — of warhorse gardeners . And that ’s the way to go if you ’re just getting started — or even if you ’re experienced . All gardeners expand their fund of knowledge through learning from other gardeners . If you have a neighbor or friend with a garden you admire , ask for a personal “ tour ” and start asking question . Most nurseryman are happy to portion out their experiences . And you ’ll have your first gardening mentor .
Gardening mentorscan come in the human data formatting , but there are other type as well , such as garden tours and garden publications , as well as educational programme propose to the public .
“ Through the Garden Gate ” spell
manifestation Gardens
The unpaid worker of the Piedmont Master Gardeners recently created a aboriginal works garden near the amphitheater at the new Martha Jefferson Hospital . PMG also maintains a rose garden at the Senior Center . In addition , PMG has collaborated with other group , including the Master Naturalists , on a butterfly stroke garden at the Ivy Creek Natural Area . More info on these demonstration garden is available at the PMG website , PMG Demonstration Gardens .
Spring Garden Lecture Series
Every spring the Piedmont Master Gardeners propose a serial publication of four eventide lectures on a variety of garden topic . Watch the PMG website for the date of the lecture serial next give . Not only will you learn from experts , you ’ll come across other gardener . Who knows , possibly you ’ll contact a new garden mentor .
Virginia Tech/ Va. Cooperative Extension Publications
Check out the extensive list of research - based publications athttp://pubs.ext.vt.edu/. Look at theLawn and Gardencategory for entropy on everything from the best plant life for Virginia to how to compost . You ’ll finally require to do this . Really .
Gardening Magazines , Books and Catalogs
Those splashy pic in horticulture powder magazine and Word will not only exalt you , they ’ll increase your knowledge of plants and how to combine them . decorative gardening is a creative endeavor ; you’re able to touch off your own creativity by studying the combinations and intent you ’ll get hold in magazines and books . This is reliable for catalogs , too . In my early age , I kept copies of garden catalog at my bedside . I fall gone stumble over Romance names , but I slowly acquired a noesis base of operations — not only of flora gens but which require sun vs. nuance , which are gentle to grow vs. demanding , etc .
I ’m going to go out on a tree branch here and name names . Here is a inclination of catalogs to get you go :
Southern ExposureSeed Exchange , southernexposure.com(based here in Virginia )
Brent & Becky ’s Bulbs
Niche Gardens
White Flower Farm
J.L. Hudson
Sandy ’s Plants , ( a Virginia wholesaler of aboriginal plant that sells to individuals only at their greenhouse in Mechanicsville , Va. )
garden magazines worthy of your aid includeFine Gardening , Hortus , Garden Gate , andHorticulture .
Remember that many horticulture magazines and catalogs have a fiscal pastime in pushing NEW cultivars and variety . Be cognizant that sometimes that heavily - advertised freshly - developed plant becomes a garden ruffian , wipe out other flora in its zeal to take over . I urge Modern gardeners to stick with the tried - and - true garden classics and native .
A yoke Book that are recommended for begin gardeners areThe Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch ( Workman Publishing Co. 1988 ) andBeginner ’s Illustrated Guide to Gardening : technique to serve You Get Startedby Katie Elzer - Peters ( Cool Springs Press 2012 ) .
Nurseries
Yes , nursery and garden centers can be helpful , especially if the nursery has a staff with expertise to portion out . Keep in mind while you ’re slobber over a gorgeous blooming plant life or shrub that in all probability , it was turn in the artificial conditions of a grower ’s nursery . In your garden , it will in all probability bloom at a different meter . You ’ll learn more about what plants bloom when by drive around town and walking through neighborhoods .
In July , some nurseries will have plants on cut-rate sale , and this can be an chance to acquire plant you require at deal cost . But proceed with cautiousness , or you could end up with a morbid plant life . This happened to me . One cheap but ailing rhododendron spread disease to an entire layer of rhodies . A untrue economy if ever there was one ! So probe sale plants carefully for signs of disease . An end - of - season sale once worked out quite well for me . I had a plan for a fresh bottom and distinguish most of the plants I necessitate in the sale section of a reputable nursery . I impart the plant in their green goddess in a semi - shaded spot for the repose of the summertime . With no vacation planned , I was able to keep them well - watered until fall , and they were in full shape at the right prison term for transplantation to their new home .
Make it modest but Beautiful
Start minuscule . Your objective is to have a small garden so lovely that it brings you and others joy every time you travel by it . You ’ll be buoyed by your success and feel confident enough to go on with bigger projects . Spend some time and thought on choose the best site for your starter garden ( choose a situation where it will be see often ) — and also on choosing the right plants for that spot ( sun vs. shade ) — and in designing the layer ( when it comes to shape , consider the curve ) .
Do NOT buy one of everything at the garden core . Believe me , I get it on how tempting that is . But most plants are more appealing in drifts and pile . How you arrange your group is part of the originative process , but check that your combination include different heights , textures and plant wont ( soft mounding plants make a delightful contrast to spiky , tall plant ) . Even if you ’re mostly after flowers , the “ bones ” of your garden will be shrubs or small trees . Please do NOT prove to pick flora whose blooms are the same coloration as your theater . You do n’t want your bloom to “ disappear ” into the bulwark ; counterpoint colors are much more pleasing .
Take a look at the design principles inPlanning the Flower Border , a Va. Cooperative Extension publishing . Oh , about that word “ border ” — it ’s the term gardeners use for the long beds that are sited along a borderline of some sort — the neighbor ’s property line of credit or the front of your house ( also called introduction plantings ) or the stone wall that marks the boundary of a terrace hillside .
better Your grunge
I ’ve get under one’s skin this listed last , but it ’s the most important element . Soil is what it ’s all about , the foundation upon which your garden depends . If you ’re working with grave clay soil — and most of us are here in central Virginia — do some soil homework NOW , so you ’ll be ready for engraft in declivity .
Some plants are quite fussy about soil , but you ’ll want to avoid those , at least in the beginning . But almost all desirable garden plants need soil that has the fundamental nutrient they demand to flourish and a open enough body structure to permit the passsage of air , water and root . Most clay land miss these essentials , at least to some extent . In fact , Henry Clay soil may look and behave like concrete on a hot , dry summertime Clarence Day . That ’s why you ’ll need to work in amendments , which are materials like compost . Compost is basically just decayed organic matter , often a combination of plant life matter , sometimes include manure . If you ’re wise to , you ’ll add a top stratum of compost to your garden once a twelvemonth . Nothing could make your plants felicitous !
When I was just starting out , I tried to scrimp onsoil amendments . The prices of compost , whether bag or delivered , seemed really high . But whatever money I might have keep was more than outweighed by the money drop off on plants that did n’t make it . These days I do pay for delivered compost as well as mulch , but there are indeed some ways to save , including :
— Make use of theautumn leavesyou rake up in the twilight . you’re able to mow them to develop them into pocket-sized pieces and use them as mulch , or stack them up in a umbrageous stain and have them rot for a while , deform them into free dirt amendments . When you work them into your garden layer , they ’ll not only add nutrient , they ’ll improve the structure and drainage of your stain , all of which are primal elements to healthy plant .
– If your neighbour are bag leaves for collection , ask if you’re able to have them . More gratuitous dirt amendments and mulch !
— If there ’s tree work going on in your neighborhood , you might acquire some freewood micro chip , which you may apply for mulch . I was capable to do this after that big crank storm a few yr ago . I hailed the driver of a truckload of wood chips , who was captivated to unlade them in my yard because it saved him clock time and dumping fees . The micro chip were not quite quick to be in effect mulch until after a time of year or two of decay , but clip change by reversal them into a Brobdingnagian and wonderful mulch agglomerate that I am still using .
By the elbow room , mulchis organic matter , though not as decay ascompost , and it ’s spread on the surface of the soil beneath plants to economise moisture and preclude widow’s weeds . Most cosmetic gardeners use wood chips or leaves as mulch , which then slow rot and adds nutrients just as compost does . In fact , one easy manner to improve your filth — assuming it ’s passably unspoiled soil to start with — is by adding a layer of mulch every spring . Over time , the decomposing mulch will work some magic on your dirt .
— Ask your neighbors how they acquire compost or mulch . They may even desire to “ go in on ” a bringing of mulch or compost and partake in the cost . Or , as happened to me , your gardening friend or neighbor may tell you about a farmer that provides them with compost or manure at a right price .
If your new bed will be in an area that ’s currently lawn , you need not employ herbicide to clear it . Instead , read about “ lasagna gardening ” — which involve stratum of newspaper , cardboard , and pile of leaves or other constitutive matter . These thick layers of bio - degradable materials will kill the grass — and weed — and you ’ll have a web site that has more nutrient and better dirt structure than before . you’re able to make holes through the layer where you insert the plants . Did I say earlier that you ca n’t justinsertthe plants ? Well , with lasagna horticulture , you’re able to ! Read all about it inLasagna Gardening : A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens : No dig , No Tilling , No Weeding , No Kidding!by Patricia Lanza ( 1998 ) . I found this script in the Jefferson Madison Regional Library .
If you ’re Modern to horticulture — or just new to this domain — we ’d love to hear from you . lease us lie with about your experience and your questions and your pauperism . We ’d like to help . Write to us here at The Garden Shed,garden-shed@piedmontmastergardeners.organd experience free to call the Master Gardener Help Desk : 434- 872 - 4580 .
