Stunning Foliage

As it turns out you don’t always have to spend a lot on new plants or replacements for your garden. I’ve found some really good deals on discounted plants at Lowe’s. On the discount shelf there are out of season or out of bloom plants that I can pay only .25 a piece for 4” pots to 75% off on larger plants. One of my favorite finds was 3 of my Maple trees that I got for $5 and are growing very well and providing shade in my yard 6 years later. Last fall I discovered a plant with silver foliage in 4” pots for .25 each. I bought 4 and planted them in the backyard. I found out later the plants are called silver sage. It has large fuzzy leaves and has started blooming this month with airy flowers on tall stalks. Some people don’t like the look of the flower stalks and cut them off. I’m going to wait and see if birds or butterflies are interested in the blooms. I planted my silver sage in a boarder right outside my screened porch when I can see it often.

Silver sage likes to be nice and dry. If the leaves stay wet for several days they will rot and need to be removed. The crowns will rot and die in wet soil. Rabbits and deer don’t care for them but slugs consider them one of their favorites.

April in the garden

Things to consider / do in the garden this month:

*Be prepared for cold snaps at night. Use row covers newspapers or sheets to protect seedlings.
*Start seeds indoor of warm season vegetables and flowers if you haven’t yet.
*Stake perennials before they get too tall.
*Finish pruning roses. Remove dead and diseased wood first.
*Check on cool season crops for harvesting. Sow seeds directly in the vegetable garden toward the end of the month.
*Begin transplanting warm season seedlings outdoors, at the end of April when the soil has warmed and night temperatures stay above 50 degrees F.
*Give your bulbs some food once they finish blooming and allow the foliage to remain until it begins to turn yellow
*Feed fruit and nut trees and bushes
*Keep ahead of the weeds
*Turn the compost
*Sharpen Tools
*Test and amend your soil if you haven’t already
*Prune flowering shrubs when they finish blooming.
*Plant and divide perennials and Dig up and divide spring flowering bulbs after the flowers have faded and the foliage as browned.
Take time to enjoy the flowering plants in your yard!

Groundcovers

The most widely planted groundcover in today’s landscape is turf grass. Most of the time it succeeds in providing a suitable cover. Yet, sometimes-unsuitable growing conditions like a large shade tree prevent its continued success or perhaps you just don’t want to cut and care for a lawn. Maybe it is time to consider some other types of groundcovers. They can provide solutions to a landscaping challenge or just add a bit of much needed texture and color.
Groundcover plants, provide dense soil cover, retard weed growth, and prevent soil erosion. Groundcovers range in height from an inch to four feet. You will find clumping or running varieties as well as evergreen or deciduous varieties. Groundcovers not only solve problems but also unify different components in the landscape. Non-spreading types of groundcovers can be used as hedging material, traffic barriers or just visual guides toward an entry. They soften hardscapes such as walks, steps, and driveways. Groundcovers also help to define space. A low groundcover can provide a transition between the lawn and taller plants used in beds.
In my yard I have several different groundcovers.

Ajuga reptans or Bugleweed or Carpetweed is Out by my pond. It is evergreen and liked partial shade, sandy, well drained soil but tolerates clay. It has Blue-violet or pink flowers in spring on 4 to 6 inch spikes; spreads by stolons.

Lysimachia nummularia Creeping Jenny I use between flagstones- watch where you plant this one! It is a vigorous spreading evergreen groundcover with rounded, golden yellow leaves. In summer, it produces many cup-shaped, bright yellow flowers. Grow in a moist, but well-drained soil, rich in organic matter. Full sun or partial shade, but color is best in full sun.

Mazus reptans is a mat-forming perennial with rosettes of lance-shaped toothed leaves is also among my flagstones. It spreads quickly through rooting stems. From late spring to mid-summer, it bears 2- to 5-flowered racemes of snapdragon-like purple-blue flowers with lower lips spotted with yellow and red. It Fills in quickly without being aggressive. Use between stepping-stones or to cover large patches of soil.

Mondo Grass (Ophiopogon japonicus), and Dwarf Mondo -An alternative to turf grass, mondo grass is a low maintenance turf that never needs to be mowed and remains colorful all-year long. It produces blue berries in summer. Mondo grass grows well in ordinary garden soil, requiring minimum attention once established. Plants thrive in filtered sun to full shade and prefer moist soil. The foliage is usually light green when plants are grown in filtered sun. Plants growing in the shade have dark green leaves.They are a perfect solution in areas where water conservation is necessary since they do not require a lot of watering and can easily withstand heat and drought.

Dwarf mondo is similar to traditional mondo however the leaves are more closely cropped and compact, reaching a height of only 2 to 4 inches (5-10 cm). This gives the groundcover more of a well-maintained look.

Bulbs in full bloom…

Bulbs in full bloom…can spring be far away? When the leaves of spring-flowering bulbs emerge, advice says to apply a complete fertilizer. Usually I never get around to this but this year made the effort! I always seem to remember after they bloom and that is the time you don’t want to Fertilize since they are going dormant. Also after the bulbs have finished blooming resist the urge to remove leaves or braid them. Let the leaves die naturally. The leaves are needed to harvest energy that is channeled to the bulb for next year’s flowers. I plant daylilies among the bulbs that help hide the yellowing leaves of the spring bulbs. When flowers of these bulbs fade, cut them off to prevent seeds from developing and taking energy from the bulb.

Now Flowering - March 2011

Now blooming in my yard Iris hollandica a bulb that flowers in mid to late spring for 2-3 weeks. Plants are about 20 inches tall. Planting depth: 5 inches deep. Climatic zone 8 with mulch, Zones 9 to 10 without mulch. Requires full sunlight and keep moist during growing season.

Also blooming Tulips: Tulips are classified with perennials but often need to be treated as annuals. You can dig up your tulips once the foliage has died & store them in a cool dry area for replanting in the fall. But I just buy new ones in the fall. I’ve not had good luck storing them. Tulips need well-drained soil. To improve drainage add sand and compost to your soil. Tulips enjoy full sun. If you are planting other bedding plants amongst tulips; it is a good idea to plant them before the bulbs, so as not to damage the bulbs with the trowel later.

Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum 'Burgundy':I love this shrub! The striking color of the flowers of this evergreen member of the witchhazel family has drawn attention to this species. Height and Width:'Burgundy' is reported to have reached a height of 14 feet. Habit: Evergreen or semi-evergreen (depending on U.S.D.A. hardiness zone),robust, vase-shaped to rounded shrub to small tree. Foliage: 'Burgundy': new leaves red-purple, older foliage dark reddish purple to dark olive green. Foliage of 'Burgundy' may exhibit an orange red coloration in hardiness zones where it is not completely evergreen. Flowers are a shocking pink. Culture: Prefers, moist but well-drained acid soils with high organic matter. Hardiness: U.S.D.A. Zones 7b-9

Composting

It felt a lot like spring today at 76 degrees. Seemed like a good day to turn the compost.
I started this compost pile with a layer of browns, and then add a layer of greens, some old potting soil, and sprinkled in some blood meal. Mixed it well and add water as was necessary to moisten. I’m patient or lazy and use a Slow Compost Recipe: Slow composting is the least labor-and time-consuming way to compost. This method can take from six months or more produce compost, but usually don’t have to wait that long. I turn the pile occasionally to mix the materials together to prevent the materials from clumping together.
I use Organic trimmings from the yard, such as fallen leaves, pine needles, grass clippings, flowers and the remains of garden plants. I use Kitchen scraps, such as fruit and vegetable peels and trimmings, crushed eggshells, tea bags, and coffee grounds and filters when I can keep my husband from throwing them away.
It may seem like a lot of work but here are some reasons to try composting:
1. – Save the countryside (smaller landfill sites)
2. – Makes Healthy soil (rebuilds topsoil and microbial ecologies)
3. – Saves Money (use less commercial soil additives)
4. - Regenerates Nature (healthier plants and animals)
5. - Cleans air (Puts antioxidants into the atmosphere)

Great Backyard Bird Count

I'm getting ready for The 2011 GBBC will take place Friday, February 18, through Monday, February 21. I've downloaded my Regional checklist; filled my feeders and birdbaths, have my binoculars and bird books handy.

If you don’t know The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages and abilities in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. You don’t have to be an expert to participate; beginning bird watchers to experts are welcome. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds. For more information http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/whycount.html

Photo 1 is a Pine Warbler and Photo 2 is a Bluebird

Bulbs: a sign of spring

While walking back from taking scraps to the compost I noticed that a hyacinth bloom was starting to break the surface of the soil. Can spring be far behind? I noticed daffodil and some Iris leaves earlier last month. I walked around a little more and also saw tulips I’d planted in the fall poking out of the soil.
· Time to make plans to order/purchase summer-flowering bulbs for new beds or as additions to existing plantings.
· The best fertilizer for bulbs is a soil that is rich in organic matter.
· Spring bulbs whose shoots have emerged should be fertilized with a complete fertilizer as 10-10-10. If you used a slow release fertilizer in the fall it isn’t necessary to fertilize now.

What signs of spring have you seen in your yard?

Garden Checklist for February

Spring is not far off here in the Lowcountry and time to go over the garden checklist for February.

· Get my soil sample to Clemson Extension for my soil test!
· Time to buy pre-emergent herbicide for my established lawn and have it ready to apply when temperatures reach 65°-70° for 4-5 consecutive days.
· Fertilize ornamental trees, azalea, and camellias if needed.
· See if any of my perennial flowers (asters, coreopsis, daylilies, Shasta daisies) need to be divided or transplanted.
· Ready my raised bed and herb bed for planting lettuce and radishes this month: this includes weeding and adding compost.
· Prune summer flowering ornamentals just before spring growth mid-February through mid-March. Some in my yard include: Beautyberry, Crape myrtle, Roses, Osmanthus, Chaste Tree, Gardenia, & Glossy Abelia.)
.Set up second composter for kitchen scraps and yard clippings & leaves
.check for/pull winter weeds in flowerbeds

What’s growing in January?

What’s growing in January? It has been unusually cold this winter and I was surprised to see I still had a few vegetables and herbs in my garden. As you can see by the photo I still have some red leaf and Oakleaf lettuce, Lemon Balm (far left), garlic chives and rosemary in my small kitchen garden. This garden is in a very protected spot. Parsley and spinach are still growing in my raised bed but the lettuce did not survive. I really think I’ll try a cold frame for next fall/winter. I like having lettuce just a few steps away when I need it instead of driving to the store for fresh lettuce. What is a cold frame? It is a protected plant bed that has no artificial heat added. A cold frame has a transparent roofed enclosure, is built low to the ground, and used to protect plants from cold weather. It can extend the growing season weeks or months. I also found this anole sunbathing, not sure if he was growing but soaking up some heat at least!