NORTHWEST COAST GARDENING

Techniques for Growing Landscape & Garden Plants in northern California, western Oregon, western Washington, and southwestern British Columbia

by Lynn Steiner

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA
www.creativepub.com

CONTENTS

THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO NORTHWEST COAST GARDENING

ABOUT THIS BOOK.
A GARDEN OF YOUR OWN.
THE BASICS
Talking the Talk
Zoning In.
Going Underground
Creating a New Garden
The Shady Side of Gardening.
Buying Plants
Staring Plants from Seeds.
Getting Plants in the Ground
Plants to Avoid
THE PLANNING STAGE.
Make It Your Own
Taking Stock
Establishing Structure.
Making the Most of Small Space.
Gardening Up Front
Going to Pots
FIT TO EAT.
Planning and Preparing Your Garden.
Deciding What to Grow
Planting Your Garden
Care of Your Vegetable Garden
Reaping the Rewards
Growing Culinary Herbs
JUST FOR FUN
Annuals
Perennials
Bulbs
Groundcovers
Ornamental Grasses
Annuals, Perennials, Bulbs, Groundcovers and Grasses for the Northwest Coast
CREATING STRUCTURE
Selecting Shrubs, Vines & Small Trees
Care of Shrubs
Hedges
Vines
Shrubs, Vines and Small Trees for the Northwest Coast
FRAMING AND SHADING
Choosing the Right Tree
Care of Trees
Trees for the Northwest Coast
TAKING CARE
Watering Your Garden
Controlling Weeds
Mulching
Fertilizing Your Plants
Composting
What Can Go Wrong
Cultural and Environmental Problems
Troubleshooting Guide
Diseases
Insects
Animal Pests
RESOURCES
INDEX

About this Book

Just like North America is made up of many different types of people, it is also made up of many different plant-growing regions. And just as you can often tell where a person comes from by the way they dress, speak, or act, you can often tell where a plant comes from by the way it looks and how it grows. This book is all about celebrating the region where you live and enjoying the unique gardening opportunities it has to offer.

You’ll find many benefits to be reaped from tending a home garden. Not only will you add beauty to your landscape and neighborhood, you will increase the value of your property and improve your quality of life.

Gardening allows you to mix relaxation with beneficial outdoor activity while providing an outlet to relieve stress. When you add vegetables and herbs to your garden, you will also reap the additional health benefits you get from growing your own food.

In addition to providing you with a place to relax and spend time with friends and family, your garden can also help preserve part of your region’s plant heritage. When populated with regional plants, your gardens will provide food and habitat for native fauna, especially beneficial insects and birds and butterflies. Native pollinating insects rely on regional plants for food and nectar, and gardens are becoming more and more important in this process as natural plant habitats are lost.

This book is intended for anyone who wants to take a more regional approach to his or her gardening. Maybe you’ve just purchased your first house and you are looking to spruce it up. Maybe you’re finally ready to make the commitment to growing your own food and want to know how to get started. Maybe you’re looking to install your first perennial border. Or maybe you’ve inherited an overgrown landscape and need to know how to get it back in shape.

Whether you garden a tiny city lot or a sprawling country estate, you’ll find this book is just what you need to get started and to sharpen your skills. The pages are packed with practical information and hundreds of step-by-step photos to take you through the basic techniques involved in all major aspects of gardening. The information is designed to help you become a responsible and sustainable gardener so you can complement your natural surroundings. Priority is put on choosing the right plant for the right place so you can reduce or eliminate your need for chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and watering, as well as on choosing plants that are beneficial to native pollinating insects and birds.

A Garden of Your Own

The Northwest Coast was once dominated by stately, shaded forests, ranging from the dense shade of redwoods and pines to the more open shade provided by oaks. The foothills of the Rocky Mountains give way to lowlands and then to miles and miles of flat, open shoreline. Scattered throughout was a mosaic of plant communities, including various wetlands, partially-shaded barrens and pine savannas, and open meadows. All of these habitats provide inspiration for gardeners in this area to celebrate their plant heritage and create special places of their own. Places where they feel comfortable, surrounded by plants reflecting their heritage and the people who have come before them.

Gardeners in the Northwest Coast area see a subtle, but noticeable, change of seasons. Each year, the welcome new growth of spring glides into lush summer gardens filled with a brash show of color. Fall brings a more diffused color palette one last gasp before the subtlety of winter returns. Gardening heightens our awareness of these seasons and allows us to experience them in all their glory in our own yards.

The subtropical climate of this region provides enough natural moisture, sunlight, and summer warmth to support many types of plants. But this region also

This region’s unique climate, geography, and natural features make it a special place to tend a plot of land.

Capitalize on the beauty of the Northwest Coast and use native plants to their best advantage. Many native plants make beautiful garden flowers.

provides many challenges for gardeners. Sudden temperature drops in winter and late spring frosts or early fall cold snaps can occur unexpectedly and be devastating. This region can also receive long dry spells and periods of torrential, unending rain, along with long stretches of sweltering temperatures. The high humidity often encourages disease problems, and the soil can be challenging to work with. All of these conditions can be stressful for plants. By acknowledging these challenges and choosing plants that tolerate, and even thrive, in these conditions, you will be on your way toward a successful garden.

This book will help you sort through the many plants available and choose the ones that are best suited to your landscape, your growing conditions, and your lifestyle. Plants included in this book were chosen based on their suitability for the climate of the Northwest Coast, their availability at local garden centers, and their low maintenance. Many of them are native plants that have evolved in the same growing conditions, and most are resistant to insect and disease problems and adapted to natural rainfall amounts. Many also provide important pollen and food sources for native insects and birds.

Mild winter temperatures allow gardeners in this region to grow a wide variety of tropical plants.

Native pollinating insects and birds rely on regional plants for food and nectar sources, and gardens become more and more important for this as more and more natural areas are lost.

It’s important to have fun in your garden. There are no hard-and-fast rules in gardening. Experiment to learn what works best for you and your lifestyle.

Colorful, showy annuals provide a long season of bloom in the Northwest Coast.

Winters can be long in parts of this region. But that doesn’t mean they have to be boring. Use evergreens, shrubs and trees with interesting bark and colorful, persistent fruits, perennials with showy seed heads, and ornamental grasses to make your landscape attractive year-round.

The long growing season provides ample opportunity for food gardeners to grow a wide array of vegetables and herbs.

Because your gardens will be filled with plants that are well-adapted to the climate, soil, and temperatures found here, they will be easy to maintain.

THE BASICS

GETTING OFF TO A STRONG START

Anyone can garden. It may only be a few containers on the deck of your high rise or it may be a large country estate with room for perennial borders, vegetables, and fruit trees. No matter what size your garden is, there are a few basic principles you need to understand to manage it successfully.

This chapter explains some of the basic terminology so you will be able to “talk the talk” when buying plants. You’ll get a thorough understanding of the limitations of your climate and your site and learn how to work with what you have. Then you’ll learn how to prepare your garden site before you move on to the excitement of choosing which plants to grow and where to grow them.

Once you have mastered the basics, you will be on your way to creating a beautiful garden that enhances your property as well as brings you joy as you tend to it. This border includes easy-to-grow plants such as astilbe, sedum, and cosmos.

“Vinca” is a common name for this showy garden annual (Catharanthus roseus), top, as well as for an unrelated perennial groundcover (Vinca minor), bottom, that can become invasive in certain situations. A good reason why you can’t always rely on common names.

‘Goldsturm’ is a common cultivar of black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida). It is good for gardeners to know cultivar names, since this is how many plants are labeled at garden centers.

TALKING THE TALK

One of the most confusing things for new gardeners is understanding the lingo. You may feel like you need to learn a whole new language before you can successfully shop for a plant! Here are a few terms that will be helpful to know as you walk the aisles of a garden center or peruse the pages of a seed catalog. You will also find more terminology defined in specific chapters throughout this book.

Common names are given to plants by the people who use them. Although they are fun and popular, they can be confusing because they often differ in different areas of the country and several plants may share the same common name.

A better name to learn is the botanical name, which consists of two parts: genus and species. This name is Latin, which can make for some interesting pronunciations, but each plant has only one correct botanical name and if you use this name, you can be assured of which plant you are getting.

The first part of the two-part botanical name is the genus. It indicates a group of plants with similar characteristics, usually flowering and fruiting parts.

It is followed by the species, which more specifically describes the individual plant. The genus name is capitalized and is followed by the lowercased species name. The two words are usually set in italics or underlined, as compared to the common name which is not.

A cultivar (“cultivated variety”) is a plant set apart because it has one or more traits that distinguish it from the species. It does not occur naturally but rather is maintained by cultivation. A cultivar name should be placed in single quotes and placed behind the species name or before the common name, but it is not always found this way. Sometimes it is used alone and sometimes it is used as a common, name. And sometimes it is indicated by a “cv.” in front of it.

A hybrid is a plant that originated from a cross between two species. It is set off by a small “x” before the species name. Hybrids are plants that have been manipulated to have the best qualities of each parent. You can have a cultivar of a hybrid.

Other names gardeners may run across include patent and trademark names. These are similar to common names but they are patented by the breeder and cannot be used for any other plants. These names are indicated by the symbols ™ or ® and they are not set in single quotes.

Annuals complete their life cycle in one growing season, usually starting out as seeds in spring and dying when a frost hits or they have set seeds and completed their “mission” on this earth. They may reseed, but generally annuals are replanted every year. Examples of annuals include petunias, marigolds, lettuces, and carrots.

Perennials live for more than one growing season, if all goes well, that is! These plants have root systems that survive winters. This term is generally used to describe herbaceous plants, but technically it applies to woody plants as well. Herbaceous perennials have a shorter blooming period than annuals, but they live from year to year. Examples of perennials include hostas, delphiniums, and daylilies, as well as asparagus and sage.

Biennials require two growing seasons to complete their life cycle. Typically they grow leaves the first year and then produce flowers the second season. Examples of biennials include foxglove, hollyhock, and sweet William. They are typically sold as second-year plants that will bloom the year you buy them and are often grouped with annuals.

Herbaceous plants are those that have soft, succulent, nonwoody stems. Annuals, perennials, bulbs, and grasses are herbaceous. They are in contrast to woody plants, which have bark or some other hard tissue that persists from year to year. Woody plants include trees, shrubs, and vines, which all grow in diameter from year to year.

Hardy is a relative term. It is generally used to describe plants that can withstand prolonged temperatures at or below freezing without being killed or severely damaged. But in northern areas, hardy can be used to describe plants that survive temperatures below zero or even colder.

Half-hardy plants can tolerate long periods of cold weather, but they may be damaged or killed by frost. They often die to the ground in a freeze but then grow back.

Tender plants are typically tropical plants that are grown as houseplants or annuals in northern climates. They cannot tolerate temperatures below freezing.

Plants can be evergreen or deciduous. Deciduous plants lose all their leaves at one point, usually in fall, and get a new set, usually in spring. Evergreen plants have leaves that stay green and grow throughout the year. They are typically thought of as needled conifers such as spruces and pines, but there are also “broad-leaved” evergreen plants such as rhododendrons. Some herbaceous plants also remain evergreen throughout the year. All evergreens have their leaves replaced, it’s just not all at once like deciduous plants so it is less noticeable.

Dioecious and monoecious are terms used to describe where a plant’s reproductive parts are found. Plants that have male and female flowers on separate plants are dioecious. Plants that have both flower types on the same plant are monoecious. This is mainly important if you are growing plants that you either want to produce fruits or you don’t want to produce fruits. If you want fruits on dioecious plants (i.e. hollies) you need to make sure you plant both male and female plants. If you don’t want fruits (i.e. gingko) you want to make sure you only plant a male species.

THE NAME GAME

These are all names for the same plant:

• Common names: Red maple, rock maple, scarlet maple, soft maple, swamp maple, water maple
• Species: Acer rubrum
• Cultivar: ‘Franksred’
• Trademark name: Red Sunset™

Red Sunset™ maple

“Variegated” is a term used to describe plants with leaves that are edged, spotted, or blotched with one or more colors, typically white or yellowish but also shades of red and purple. Yucca filamentosa ‘Color Guard’ is shown here.

ZONING IN

A very important aspect of successful gardening is understanding your climate and the limitations it puts on your gardening endeavors. The United States Department of Agriculture has developed a plant hardiness zone system that you should use as a starting point for plant selection. It is based on average minimum temperatures in an area. The lower the number of the hardiness zone, the more severe the winter climate.

Within your landscape you will most likely have “microclimates;” areas that are more protected or more exposed. For example, the area along a south-facing building may be protected enough to support plants rated one or even two hardiness zones warmer (higher number) than your overall ranking. And an open, exposed area on the north side of your house may be a zone colder (lower number).

If you will be growing tender annuals and vegetables, you will also want to be aware of your first and last frost dates, which in turn determine the length of your growing season. These dates will help you determine when to sow seeds and plant tender plants outside in spring as well as how late in the season you can plant perennials and woody plants. But don’t rely solely on the calendar. Frosts can come earlier in autumn or later in spring.

The area along the south side of a building often warms up quite a bit earlier in spring than other areas, so it is a good place to experiment with tender shrubs and other plants that might not normally be hardy in your area.

Identify your hardiness zone and use it as a starting point for your plant choices, but do not live and die by your hardiness zone. There are many factors that come into play when it comes to plant survival. Wind, humidity, rainfall amounts, and elevation—as well as age of planting and location in your yard—will affect a plant’s ability to survive.

FIRST AND LAST FROST DATES

Here are some average last and first frost dates for selected cities in the Northwest Coast. Use it as a basis to plan your seed starting and planting. Your state university extension service’s website is a good place to get more accurate information for your specific area. They usually have frost dates listed with information on vegetable planting.

CITY	LAST FROST DATE	FIRST FROST DATE
Los Angeles, CA	none	none
San Diego, CA	none	none
Sacramento, CA	January 31	December 4
Bakersfield, CA	January 25	December 11
San Francisco, CA	February 1	December 27
Redding, CA	February 14	December 18
Seattle, WA	April 6	October 26
Portland, OR	April 20	October 15
Eugene, OR	April 22	October 19
Vancouver, BC	May 10	September 28
Medford, OR	May 16	October 3

GOING UNDERGROUND

Nothing is as crucial to gardening success as having good soil. Unfortunately, a lot of people want to skip this less-glamorous step and move right on to the planting part. Fight the urge. The time and effort you put into making your soil the best it can be will really pay off in the long run in terms of healthier plants, more abundant harvests, and less overall maintenance.

SOIL TEXTURE

Soils typically have four components—sand, silt, clay, and organic matter. The proportions of these ingredients largely determine the soil texture, which in turn determines other soil properties such as fertility, porosity, and water retention. Heavier soils hold more moisture; sandy soils drain faster.

Sand and silt are the finest in size and a heavy clay soil has reduced pore spaces between the particles. These smaller spaces make it difficult for water, air, and plant roots to penetrate effectively.

Clay soils generally create the greatest problem for gardeners. They tend to stay cold and wet in spring, delaying planting and reducing seed germination. Heavy soils have poor drainage, which can lead to plants drowning due to lack of oxygen. Plants grown in poorly drained soils develop shallow roots and often the crowns will rot over winter. The best thing you can do to improve heavy soils is to add abundant organic matter. You can also use raised beds (see chapter 3).

A good place to start in understanding your soil is to have it tested by a soil-testing laboratory; check with your local university extension office for labs in your area. A soil test will provide you with information on existing soil texture, pH, and fertility, along with recommendations on what to add to improve it.

Organic matter, also known as humus, is decomposing plant or animal material. It is an important component of soils and must not be overlooked. Organic matter determines a soil’s capacity to produce nitrogen, supports the community of soil microorganisms crucial to plant life, and retains bacterial byproducts such as water and carbon dioxide. It also creates a moist, slightly acidic environment critical for the transfer of minerals from soil particles to plants.

Soil Fertility

Plants require fifteen or so nutrients for growth and survival. The big three—nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium—are required in substantial quantities and their presence is used to generally define soil fertility.

Nitrogen ensures normal vegetative growth and a healthy green color. Deficiencies result in stunted plants with a yellowish green color. Excess nitrogen causes rank vegetative growth, often at the expense of flowering and a healthy root system. Nitrogen leaches out of soil easily, and as plants grow and remove nitrogen, more needs to be added to the soil. Phosphorus, important to flowering, fruiting and root development, is more stable in soils than nitrogen and doesn’t have to be added unless soil tests indicate a deficiency. Potassium is essential for healthy development of roots and stems. It may need to be added to soils where plants are grown continuously.

Micronutrients necessary for healthy plants include magnesium, manganese, calcium, zinc, copper, iron, sulfur, cobalt, sodium, boron, and iodine. Since they are used in small quantities, most soils have enough for normal plant growth. Deficiencies do occur, however.

If your soil test indicates you are significantly lacking in any of these nutrients, you will want to amend your soil before planting. Your test results should tell you what to add to correct the deficiency.

Soil pH

Soil acidity and alkalinity are measured in terms of pH on a scale from 1 to 14. A 7 on the scale indicates the soil is neutral in pH. Lower than 7, the soil is increasingly acidic; higher than 7, it is increasingly alkaline. Soil pH is important because it affects the availability of nutrients necessary for plant growth. Most nutrients are most soluble at a pH between 6 and 7. That is why most plants grow best in “slightly acidic soil.”

Most plants tolerate a range of soil pH, but some survive only within a narrow window. It is important to know what these plants these are and to change the soil pH before planting them, if possible. It is possible to change soil pH after planting, but it’s not as easy. You can raise soil pH by adding agricultural lime, calcium, or wood ashes (in moderation). To get the desired slightly acidic soil many plants require, lower the soil pH by adding pine-needle or oak-leaf mulch, organic matter, ground oak leaves, or sulfur (in moderation). Here again, your soil test results will provide you with specific amounts of each to add.

Good garden soil that is loose, friable, and rich in organic matter is the foundation for successful gardening. Take the necessary time to get it right before planting.

Iron chlorosis, a yellowing of foliage between the leaf veins caused by lack of available iron in the soil, can be a problem in alkaline soils.

The Ribbon Test

One way to get a basic idea of your soil texture is to perform a simple ribbon test.

1. Take a handful of soil and dampen it with water until it is moldable, almost like moist putty.

2. Roll the soil into a ball, as if working with cookie dough.

3. Using your thumb and forefinger, gently press the soil until the ball begins to roll out of your closed hand. The ribbon will begin to form, and will eventually break under its own weight. If the soil crumbles and doesn’t form a ribbon at all, you have sandy soil.

4. If a ribbon more than one inch long forms before it breaks, you have silty soil.

5. If a ribbon 1–2 inches long forms before it breaks, you have clay soil.

6. If a ribbon greater than 2 inches forms before it breaks, you have very heavy and poorly drained soil. It will not be suitable for a garden without some major amendments.

It is difficult to add too much organic matter such as compost, especially if it is partly decomposed. A good goal is to add a layer to established gardens every spring.

Improving Your Soil

A big part of successful gardening is choosing plants that are well suited to your existing soil texture, pH, and moisture conditions. However, if your soil is deficient or has been drastically changed by construction or other factors, do all you can to improve it before planting.

Adding organic matter is the key to improving soil texture, fertility, and pH. Organic matter increases the aeration of clay soils and improves the moisture and nutrient retention of sandy soils. It adds valuable nutrients at a slow and steady pace, and it has a buffering effect on soil pH, helping to keep it in a desirable range.

The best source of organic matter for gardeners is compost. (For information on how to make compost, see chapter 7.) Other good sources of organic matter are composted manure and chopped straw and hay. Avoid using peat-based products as soil amendments. Not only are they expensive and not very effective, but the process of extracting peat from bogs is environmentally harmful to these natural habitats.

As with other amendments, the easiest time to add organic matter is before planting a bed. Loosen the soil with a spade or digging fork to a depth of at least 10 to 12 inches—more if possible. Spread a layer of compost or composted manure 2 to 4 inches deep over the entire bed. Use a fork to mix it thoroughly into your soil. If your soil is very heavy (high in clay), add 2 inches of sharp builder’s sand along with the compost or manure. Sand alone will only make matters worse, but when it is added with organic matter to heavy soil, it does help loosen the soil.

Creating a New Garden

Gardens fall into two basic categories: beds and borders. Freestanding island beds are intended to be viewed from all sides, so the tallest plants usually go in the middle and the smaller ones around the edges. However, don’t be afraid to plant some taller “see through” plants around the outside. Beds are often in some sort of relaxed circular shape, but they can be square or rectangular. They can also be attached to a patio or found along a driveway or sidewalk.

Borders are designed to be viewed mainly from one side. They can have straight or curved edges and they can even turn corners. They are most effective when they have some sort of backdrop to set the plants off. This can come in the form of a fence, wall, or a row of taller, darker plants. Borders can be made up of all the same class of plant (i.e. perennial border, shrub border) or they can be mixed borders, containing perennials, annuals, bulbs, grasses, shrubs, roses, and small trees. Some people even include vegetables and herbs in mixed borders. Because of the diversity of their plants, mixed borders tend to look better year-round than gardens made up of only one plant type.

Protecting Large Trees

Be careful when preparing a new garden under a large tree. Disturb the soil as little as possible because digging can damage the tree’s active surface roots. If you will be installing a garden right under a tree’s canopy, it is best to dig an individual planting hole for each plant and add organic matter to the hole as needed, rather than till or dig up the entire area.

These free-standing symmetrical garden beds in the front yard contribute to this home’s formal feel.

Creating a New Garden Bed

Chances are there is already something growing where you want to install your new garden. And chances are it’s not desirable vegetation. As tempting as it is, do not just jump right in and start planting, figuring it will be easy to just pull the weeds as you go. Proper site preparation is the key to success. Take the time to get rid of existing vegetation and improve the soil before you start putting plants in the ground. This preparation will pay significant dividends.

1. USE A GARDEN HOSE to outline your new garden.

   Use a sun-warmed garden hose to lay out your proposed garden, following the topography of the site. Most gardens look best with gentle curves rather than straight lines.

2. REMOVE EXISTING VEGETATION.

   There are several ways to get rid of existing vegetation. Which way you choose depends on how much time you have and how you feel about using herbicides.

   OPTION 1 The most natural way to create a new garden bed is to dig it up manually. Just be sure to get rid of all the existing plant roots. Even tiny pieces of tough perennial-weed roots can grow into big bad weeds in no time. A major disadvantage with this method is that you lose substantial amounts of topsoil. To avoid this, if you have the time, you can simply turn the sod over and allow it to decay on site. This will take at least one growing season.

   OPTION 2 You can also smother the existing vegetation with about 6 inches of organic mulch such as straw, shredded bark, or compost. Mow closely in spring, cover with a thick layer of newspaper (ten sheets or so) and the organic mulch, and let it stand all summer. Replenish the mulch in fall, and by the next spring your garden should be ready for planting. This method works best on lawn areas rather than areas with lots of deep-rooted perennial weeds.

Option 3: Spray with herbicide

If you don’t have a year to prepare the soil or the manual method doesn’t appeal to you, you can use a nonselective glyphosate-based herbicide such as Roundup, which kills tops and roots of herbaceous plants. If you follow directions exactly, aim carefully, and use only when necessary, these products should kill unwanted plants without causing undue harm to the environment. Allow at least 2 weeks for all the vegetation to die after spraying. Tough perennial weeds may require a second application.

Option 2: Smother vegetation

Option 3: Spray with herbicide

3 TURN IN SOIL AMENDMENTS to a depth of 6 to 10 inches.

Once the existing vegetation is dead or removed, turn the soil by hand or with a tiller, and add soil amendments. Do not use a tiller without killing all existing vegetation first—it may look like you’ve created a bare planting area, but all you’ve done is ground the roots into smaller pieces that will sprout into more plants than you started with. Even after multiple tillings spaced weeks apart, you’ll be haunted by these root pieces.

4 EDGE THE GARDEN.

Install edging to keep lawn grasses from invading your garden. The best option is to install a barrier of some type. When it comes to barriers, it’s worth paying more for a quality material. Metal edging buried 4 inches or more into the soil effectively keeps turf from sneaking in. If you go with black plastic edging, use contractor grade to avoid having to replace it in a few years.

5 COVER THE NEW GARDEN WITH MULCH.

Mulching your new garden will not only help keep the weeds from settling in, it will also help maintain soil moisture and prevent the soil from washing away until you can get the plants established. Cover the entire prepared garden bed with 2 to 3 inches of an organic mulch such as shredded bark, pine bark nuggets, cocoa bean hulls, and shredded leaves. Avoid using grass clippings; they tend to mat down and become smelly. For information on how much mulch to buy, see chapter 7.

THE SHADY SIDE OF GARDENING

Sunlight is one of the basic requirements for plant survival, but some plants require less than others. Obviously your gardening life will be easier if you choose plants that will thrive in the available sunlight. If possible, observe your proposed garden site at various times of the growing season to determine your available sunlight and then choose plants appropriate for the amount of light your garden gets. Keep in mind that if your garden is large, you may have multiple sunlight levels within the space.

In most cases, shade levels are out of the gardener’s control. However, corrective actions like removing a few large tree limbs can bring a heavily shaded area into partial shade, thereby greatly expanding your plant choices. You can also plant shade trees that will eventually increase the amount of shade you have if you wish to plant shade-loving plants in the future.

To some gardeners, shade is a place where grass won’t grow and flower choices are limited to impatiens and hostas. Not true! Unless you are growing food crops (vegetables, herbs, fruits), shade is not always a bad thing. First of all, where would you rather be on a hot, sunny summer afternoon? Pulling weeds in a sunny border or taking respite under the canopy of large shade trees? And lower light levels mean fewer weeds—another definite advantage to shade gardening. Best of all, a shade garden or a planting of groundcovers means you can give up the impossible struggle to grow lawn in shady areas.

Dappled shade is produced under open-canopied trees, where there is a moving pattern of sunlight and shade throughout most of the day. Many shade- and sun-loving plants will do fine in this type of light.

The degrees of sunlight and shade change with the growing season. “Full sun” is found in areas with no overhead obstructions where plants will receive six hours or more of direct sun. “Light shade” areas receive bright to full sun for all but a few hours each day. There may be a partial canopy of trees overhead, but they do not shade the area for very long. Areas with bright light or sun for about half the day are called “partial shade” or “medium shade.” Most shade plants will do fine in light or partial shade, especially if the sun is morning sun. “Full shade” (also called “dense shade”) areas are shaded for most of the day, often under a full canopy of trees, and are suitable for only the most shade-tolerant plants.

Although shade gardens can be formal, the natural growth habits of most shade plants lend them to a more informal setting. Rather than concentrate on individual plants, think in terms of large groupings, allowing flowers and groundcovers to spread and to form natural drifts whenever possible.

DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR A SHADE GARDEN

• When it comes to laying out a shade garden, simplicity, rather than ostentation, is the key. Textures, shapes, and shades of green play important roles—usually more important than flowers.
• Create points of interest to contrast with the sea of summer green by using embellishments such as sculptures, bird baths, or containers of shade-tolerant annuals.
• Take a cue from nature and design your shade garden in layers, with trees as the ceiling, shrubs and small trees creating walls of structure, and groundcovers and perennials forming the carpet.

Woody plants are available for sale as bare-root, container-grown, or balled-and-burlapped specimens. Bare-root plants (left) are the most economical, but they must be planted during the dormant season, before growth begins. Container-grown plants (center) can be planted anytime during the growing season, as long as you can provide ample water. Balled-and-burlapped specimens (right) are the most expensive way to go, but they are usually larger in size and will fill out a garden quicker.

BUYING PLANTS

Selecting plants for your garden is definitely one of the most fun aspects of gardening. But you should also be practical in your approach. It’s a little like furnishing a house: some plants will serve a function and some will be more for accent, but they should all tie together so the end result is a well-designed, functioning “room.”

Most annuals and vegetables are sold in cell packs of six to nine plants. Perennials are usually sold in individual pots, which can range in size from 4 inches up to 2 gallons or more. Obviously the larger the container, the larger the root system and the quicker you will get to your desired effect. Many times a perennial in a larger container can be divided into several smaller plants, providing you with more plants for your dollar.

If you can afford it, potted plants are the best way to go with perennials and woody plants. Container plants become established quickly and give you a better looking garden sooner. Your best success will come from plants with a well-established root system. For perennials and ornamental grasses, go with a container size of at least 4 inches; larger if your budget allows. Shrubs and trees should obviously be in containers proportionate to their size.

If cost is a concern or if you are planting a lot of one species such as a hedge or a groundcover, consider using bare-root plants or plugs if you can find them. Plugs are small, cone-shaped pots, usually about 2 inches in diameter and about 5 inches long. They are often sold in six- or nine-packs like annuals. Plugs usually establish themselves rather quickly and do just as well as container plants in the long run. Shrubs and even some trees are available bare-root (without soil) in spring.

STARTING PLANTS FROM SEEDS

Starting your own seeds opens the door to a wide range of species you won’t find at local nurseries. It can also save you money. Instead of buying three small pots of your favorite annual, you can buy a pack of seeds for about one-third of the price and get more plants than you can find room for. If properly stored in cool, dry conditions (the refrigerator works fine), many seeds will last 2 years or even more, stretching your investment even farther.

Seeds that germinate and grow quickly can be sown directly outdoors. But many annuals and vegetables require a longer period of time to reach flowering or fruiting and need to be started indoors. Indoor seed starting is a rewarding endeavor, but it does require some specific equipment and space.

Adequate light is crucial to success. Winter sun is usually not strong enough to produce healthy seedlings. You’ll need to provide artificial light in the form of an inexpensive shop-light fixture holding two 40-watt fluorescent tubes. Suspend the fixture over a bench or table, making sure you can raise and lower the lights as needed as the plants grow.

You’ll also need containers, seed-starting medium, and, of course, seeds. Seeds should be ordered or purchased in late winter. Some seeds need to be sown by mid-January to have garden-sized blooming plants by mid-May. On the other hand, seeds sown too early result in leggy (tall and weak-stemmed) plants that don’t transplant well. Your seed packet will list how many weeks to start the seeds before your last frost date.

ORDERING BY MAIL

Mail-order shopping is convenient and provides you with a larger selection of plants. Here are some tips for success:

• Order from a reputable nursery that has a refund or replacement process.
• With perennial plants, order from a nursery with the same climate as you have.
• Order early for a better selection.
• Specify a shipping date so plants don’t arrive before you are ready to plant them.
• Unpack plants as soon as they arrive and examine them carefully for any problems.
• Plant as soon as possible after receiving plants. This exception is bare-root plants, which should be soaked in a bucket of water at least an hour before planting.

Make sure any plant you bring home from the nursery has a plant tag in it. This tag provides valuable information you will need for planting. Some gardeners also like to place the tag near their newly planted plant so they can differentiate it from weeds.

STARTING SEEDS INDOORS

1. TILL CONTAINERS to within about a half inch of the top with soilless mix and place in a tray of water to saturate the soil. You want to be sure to use a purchased lightweight, soilless mix that is sterilized and free of disease organisms rather than garden soil, which is usually too heavy, poorly drained, and can contain harmful fungi or bacteria.

2. CAREFULLY SOW THE SEEDS on the surface and cover with the appropriate amount of medium.

3. Seal it to maintain humidity. Place the containers in a warm spot out of direct sunlight. The top of a refrigerator or freezer works well. Check daily for germination. You may need to open the bag for a little while to prevent excessive moisture buildup, which can lead to damping off.

REMOVE THE PLASTIC BAG when the seedlings first start showing up and place the container under fluorescent lights, leaving about 1 inch between the tops of the plants and the light. Adjust the light as needed to keep it 1 to 3 inches above the seedlings as they grow.

5 WHEN SEEDLINGS HAVE ONE OR TWO SETS OF LEAVES, use a small, pointed scissors to thin out excess seedlings. Avoid pulling the unwanted seedlings because it can uproot nearby seedlings.

6 TRANSPLANT SEEDLINGS into individual pots when they have two sets of leaves, gently prying seedlings out of the soil and separating the roots, if necessary. Place pots back under lights.

GETTING PLANTS IN THE GROUND

In most areas of the country, the best time to put plants in the ground is spring. This gives them ample time to become established before they have to endure their first winter in the ground. Container-grown summer- and fall-blooming flowers and most woody plants can be planted in spring or fall—actually all season long if you are diligent about watering when needed. You may also need to provide shelter from the sun for a few weeks.

Before putting plants in the ground, place container plants in your prepared garden to see the big picture. You may find that you didn’t quite buy enough plants to cover your allotted gardening area, in which case you may want to space them farther apart. You may find that you have too many of some plants and need to divide them into other areas of your garden. Some plants have extensive root systems and don’t like to be moved once they are established. Careful thought should be given to placing these plants since they don’t respond well to transplanting. And always consider the mature height and spread size of trees or shrubs when planting and make sure they won’t grow too close to a building, sidewalk, other plants, or up into overhead wires. The new planting may look a bit sparse at first, but it is better than having to uproot mature plants that have overgrown their spots.

Potted plants need to be carefully removed from their containers. If grown in a loose soilless mix, shake off the excess and plant them like bare-root plants. If roots are circling, disentangle them to encourage outward growth. If the root ball is dense, use a sharp knife to cut through some of the roots. Cutting may sound harsh, but the roots must be free to move into the surrounding soil.

Make sure the plants are well-watered in their containers right up until the time they go into the ground. Try to avoid stepping in your garden as much as possible when planting. Start planting in the middle and work outwards. Pull away the mulch and dig a planting hole as deep as the plant’s nursery container.

Give your newly planted garden a good soaking right after installation, regardless of the soil moisture levels. You may also want to stick the plant tags next to the plants to help you remember what you planted and differentiate them from weeds.

Your new transplants will require plenty of sprinkling in their first growing season if rainfall is inadequate. Keep soil adequately moist until new perennial plants have a full year of growth. One to two inches of water every three days for the first month is a good measure. If autumn is dry, continue watering until the first hard frost. Once fully established—after three to four years—most woody plants and herbaceous perennials should only require supplemental watering during dry spells.

If you’ve prepared your soil properly and amended it as needed, newly planted gardens don’t need fertilizer. You run the risk of burning the roots and you will also encourage weeds. And there is a very good chance a granular fertilizer will wash away before the tiny plant roots have a chance to take it up.

PLANTS TO AVOID

A walk through the nursery or a look through a nursery catalog may leave you feeling overwhelmed by the list of plants you can include in your gardens. Here are a few tips on how to whittle the list down and avoid planting things that will only cause you more grief down the road.

Avoid including prolific seeders and/or aggressive spreaders, especially in small gardens. While these traits may be appealing when you are just starting out and want to cover a lot of ground quickly, these plants can turn into weeds you’ll fight for years to come. It’s better to cover bare ground with mulch and add plants as you can afford to or as your existing plants become large enough to divide.

If you really want to raise more aggressive plants, there are some maintenance techniques you can use to keep these plants under control. With a little education you can learn the seedling stages of these plants and be ready to weed some of them out or transplant them as soon as they reach a suitable size. You may also want to deadhead (cut off the mature blossoms) some of the more prolific seeders before they get a chance to set seed. Aggressive plants can be kept in check by digging out some of the encroaching stems and roots each spring or by planting them in large nursery containers sunk into the ground.

Most importantly, avoid any invasive plants that can escape to nearby areas and become pests by crowding out native species, destroying their indigent ecosystems. After land clearing, the invasion of exotic plants is the second greatest threat to our natural areas. This list of potentially invasive exotic plants includes such familiar landscape plants as bugleweed (Ajuga reptans), baby’s breath (Gypsophila paniculata), spotted deadnettle (Lamium maculatum), Amur maple (Acer ginnala), Norway maple (Acer platanoides), tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), barberries (Berberis species), Siberian peashrub (Caragana arborescens), burning bush (Euonymus alatus), common privet (Ligustrum vulgare), and European mountain ash (Sorbus aucuparia). For an up-to-date list of invasive plants in your region, refer to the Invasive Plant Atlas of the Unites States at www.invasiveplantatlas.org.

Even though they are pretty, some landscape plants such as purple loosestrife can escape from gardens and establish themselves in natural habitats, causing great harm to native plants and animals.

THE PLANNING STAGE

CREATING YOUR IDEAL GARDEN

For most new gardeners, it is best to start small with an eye on the future. In this chapter you’ll learn how to prioritize your needs and how to make the best of your existing site conditions. You’ll get some ideas on how to personalize your garden as well as make it attractive and welcoming to anyone else who may visit it.

Start by asking yourself a few questions. Do you want a colorful garden full of flowers? Is growing your own food a priority? Are you looking for a place to relax and enjoy the outdoors? Are you interested in making gardening a hobby, or do you want the lowest possible maintenance? There is no such thing as a no-maintenance garden, but there are many things you can do to greatly reduce the amount of time you have to spend tending your garden.

Are you ready to take the plunge into an exciting new hobby with a goal of planting an exquisite garden filled with year-round beauty? Or do you prefer gardening with minimal care? Whichever it is, gardening is a versatile endeavor and there is a practice of gardening to fit the demands of everyone.

No matter where you live, you can surround yourself with a beautiful garden. Giving a little thought to what you want before you start choosing plants will help bring you down the path to success.

MAKE IT YOUR OWN

Before you get too far along in your planning process, give some thought to a style for your garden. Are you looking for a neat, trim, formal garden or do you prefer a more relaxed, natural-looking garden? Is it important to you that your garden blends into the rest of the neighborhood or do you want to create a spot solely for your own enjoyment? As tempting as it is to go out and start buying plants that appeal to you, the results will be much more pleasing if you think about the overall character of your garden beforehand.

Garden design is a series of choices. Start by understanding your site and what you have to work with and knowing the basic intention of the garden, and work from there to create your own little piece of paradise. Remember that gardening is not just about the end result. It’s also about the process, which should be enjoyable as well as provide you with fresh air and exercise.

Get ideas from magazines, books, and websites, as well as from public gardens in your area and gardens down the street. Keep in mind the style of your house, but don’t be afraid. Any style will work if done correctly and the right plants are chosen. More important is to keep plants in scale with the home, especially trees. Smaller homes call for smaller plants and larger homes need larger plants to balance them.

Give regional consideration to your garden style. It is usually best to stick with plants and a style that is suitable for your area. Not only will it look better, it will also be easier to maintain. A sure way to give your garden a true sense of place and make it look like it belongs in your area is to use plants that are native to your region.

USING NATIVE PLANTS

Native plants are those species that grew naturally in an area before the greatest influx of European settlement, about the mid-1800s in most areas of North America. Native plants tend to lend themselves to less formal gardens, but many of them can also be used in formal settings as well.

There are many benefits to using native plants. For many gardeners, the initial attraction comes from native plants’ reputation of being lower maintenance than a manicured lawn and exotic shrubs. For the most part this is true provided native plants are given landscape situations that match their cultural requirements. Because they have evolved and adapted to their surroundings, native plants tend to be tolerant of tough conditions such as drought and poor soil and are better adapted to local climatic conditions and better able to resist any negative effects of insects and diseases.

The less tangible but possibly more important—side of using native plants, is the connection you make with nature. Gardening with natives instills an understanding of our natural world its cycles, changes, and history. By observing native plants throughout the year, a gardener gains insight into seasonal rhythms and life cycles. You will see an increase in birds, butterflies, and pollinating insects, making your garden a livelier place.

To find out what plants were native in your area, check out your state’s Department of Natural Resources website, which often includes a list of native plants or links where you can find them. Your Agricultural Extension office can be helpful as well.

Native plants and natural gardens tend to be more informal and loosely structured, but they can also work fine in smaller, more formal settings with the right plant selection and planting techniques.

TAKING STOCK

Even if you’re the type of person who doesn’t like to plan everything on paper, you should have some organized approach to your garden. Start with a rough sketch of your property. Identify everything that is on the site, including your home and garage, existing trees and shrubs, driveways, sidewalks, outbuildings, doors, windows, faucets, downspouts, air conditioners, and existing plants and gardens. Pay special attention to overhead wires that can get in the way of trees. And keep in mind city maintenance of roads and sidewalks, especially if they will be salted in winter.

Give thought to where the natural traffic patterns are or will be. No matter how beautiful it is, if a garden is placed where the kids’ shortcut to the playground is, it will be doomed. And make sure you know where your property lines are. You don’t want to invest hundreds of dollars in a large shade tree only to find you planted it on your neighbor’s property. Locate above and below-ground utilities. Here again, you don’t

• GROUND COVER WITH MULCH
• WILD GRASS
• GAZEBO
• LOW EVERGREEN SHRUBS
• RAILROAD TIES
• STONE RETAINING WALL
• SHRUBS
• PLAYSET
• PEA GRAVEL
• EVERGREEN HEDGE
• STONE WALK
• BASKETBALL HOOP
• CONCRETE SLAB
• WINDOWS
• DECK
• COMPOST BIN
• DOOR
• WINDOW
• DOOR
• WINDOWS
• DOORS
• FENCE WITH ARBOR TOP GATE
• EVERGREEN TREES
• GROUND COVER AND ROCK
• STONE WALK
• ANNUALS
• PERENNIALS

You may want to develop a site map, sort of a “bird’s eye view” of your property to help you get a better perspective of what you have to work with. Start by focusing on the broad picture, and then narrow things down into specific areas, or “rooms,” in your landscape. Think about the purpose of each room and how best to garden it so you can achieve your goals.

want to invest in a large tree or shrub that’s going to grow into telephone or electric wires only to have to be pruned drastically or even cut down in its prime. And don’t forget to look beyond your own property. Most city and suburban gardeners inherit views from their neighbors, and they aren’t always pretty and require some sort of screening. All of these things will help you decide where to place your gardens and what type of gardens you should plant.

STARTING FROM SCRATCH

If you are building a new home, you have the luxury of starting with a clean slate. You can decide where you want your large shade trees and just how much lawn you need. Instead of getting rid of lawn to create a garden, you can simply edge your garden areas and cover them with mulch until you can get around to planting.

Unfortunately, budget constrictions are often a major consideration and all too often the landscape gets put low on the priority list after house details are met. Try to at least give some thought to what you would like to see on your property so you have a working plan that you can develop as time and finances allow. And as tempting as it is, try to avoid planting fast-growing, weak-wooded trees that will often outgrow their space and become a storm hazard after a few years. It is much better to invest in fewer, slower-growing trees that will last several lifetimes and not become major maintenance issues.

Basic landscaping at a new home with transplanted shrubs and rosebuds.

UPDATING AN EXISTING GARDEN

Many people move into an established landscape and have to work within certain parameters already established by the previous homeowner, such as large shade trees, hedges, patios, and fences. If you share their taste and have similar needs, you can pick up where they left off. If you have different goals, you’ll need to decide what to keep and what to eventually change.

Trees and shrubs can be valuable assets or formidable obstacles. If they are quality, healthy specimens, you’ll probably want to do what you can to incorporate them into your garden plans. However, if they are fast-growing, weak-wooded species, it may be better to have them removed before they get any bigger or come crashing down on your home in a wind storm.

The best gardens look as if they belong on the site and evolved there naturally. Keep this in mind as you look at the overall size of your property and the contours of the land. Think of your garden as part of an outdoor room and keep the purpose of that room in mind. Use trees and shrubs to provide structure and “walls” and groundcovers and paving materials for the “flooring.” Fill in with showy perennials and annuals and accent the setting with benches, birdbaths, and other adornments.

DEALING WITH ROAD SALT

Road salt damages plants by interfering with water uptake, which can leads to browning and even death of some plants. If your soil is heavy and your garden is near a road that is salted in winter, you will want to look for plants that can tolerate the conditions. It may also be a good idea to stick with herbaceous plants that go dormant in winter rather than shrubs which are more easily damaged. If your soil is sandy and drains well, the road salt should flush through your soil before your plants start growing in spring.

New homes seldom offer rich, blossoming gardens, prompting contractors to install basic shrubbery and plant life. Here, transplanted shrubs sit on a bed of surrounding mulch, while rosebuds add a splash of color to an expansive lawn and lot. This lawn is ideal for front yard customization with duel rows of garden beds, or the beginning of what will someday be a beautiful wooded lot.

Herbaceous plants are usually a welcome sight, unless they are an aggressive or invasive species. Here again, it’s better to remove these problem plants completely before you start any new gardens. If possible, remove these undesirable plants by gently digging them out and covering the bare areas with mulch or planting inexpensive annual plants. Allow nearby plants to fill in, or begin incorporating perennials, grasses, and bulbs that match what you want from your garden. If you have a large area covered with “bad” plants, you’ll want to consider one of the techniques for removing existing vegetation described in chapter 1 in the section on creating a new garden.