Spring Cleaning your Garden

Spring cleaning your garden is not a chore, it is fun! 

You know that soon the tulips, the narcissus, the hyacinths and most bulbs will come out and bloom. The leaves on the trees will come out. It is a very exciting time in the garden. Enough dreaming and let’s do a “To Do” list.

The driveway whether gravel or slate covered needs a serious weeding. Make sure the roots of the weeds come out to prevent them from growing back while you are not looking. Actually, the whole garden needs weeding, the driveway, the paths, the lawn, the borders and flower beds. Don’t forget the dry walls if you have any and all the cracks in concrete that might be in your garden. You can count the time you just spent in your garden as part of your daily exercise.

Cut off dead branches, they are unsightly and nothing will grow from them. Check and reattach climbers. If you have steps, make sure they are well in place thus preventing any accident later in the garden when people are walking or running around.

Rake the lawn to remove any old leaves, twigs and whatever doesn’t belong there.

Check on the Gardenista App if your plants needs special pruning or fertilizing for the spring!

By now, your garden looks pretty clean and is ready for the fun of creating new spaces or remodeling existing ones. 

A job well done You are ready for the summer!

Gardening Tools

As the snow is melting from our lawns for those of us who live in harsh winter climate it is time to think of our gardening tools. Those of you who live in a more clement area you also have, at some point, to look at your gardening tools. Some have to be cleaned, some need to be replaced and some you need to buy. Here are suggestions for the beginner and the more proficient Gardenista. Each tool helps you accomplish a specific task. Chose these tools according to your height and strength.

A good gardening tool, a basic, should last a lifetime; it is worth the investment.

- The most important of all, for me, is the secateurs. You will keep it for life, correctly used it is safe and it will do wonders for you. Cutting dead flowers is what will guaranty you a whole season of flowering. Always take your secateurs with you when you go wander your garden. It is the best and my favorite gardening tool.  It is essential for Indoor, terrace or outdoor gardening.

- The spade is also an essential gardening tool. You need it for digging, planting and moving soil. It should be sturdy and not too heavy to manipulate.

- The fork is used to move lighter type of soil, dead leaves and compost. While working in borders you will need a hand fork for digging up small plants and weeding. While we are talking about weeding, I cannot stress enough the importance of weeding. There is no handsome garden if there are weeds even just a few.

- The rake is a good gardening tool to level borders and flowerbeds. A large plastic one is useful to rake the leaves off the lawn. (see Lawn rake below).

- The long handled cultivator helps separating clods of soil.

- The watering can for small garden or terraces should not be too big; it would be too heavy to carry around once filled with water. An adaptable spout is always quite useful. I suggest buying a small watering can for children; they usually love helping in the garden especially in the watering task. For larger gardens a hose is essential.

- A wheel barrow will come very handy to cary things like leaves or dirt or your tools around the garden. They can be pricy.

The terrace Gardenista needs these tools in a small size. It is also useful to have them if you have a bigger garden to dig out small plants, rake a small area or any other small job.

These gardening tools do not take into account a certain number of jobs such as: taking care of the lawn, pruning shrubs and cutting hedges. If you do these jobs yourself you need a different set of tools. You need to give it some thoughts.

Lawn mowers

A mechanical or electrical mower is all you will need to keep a small lawn tidy. Power cylinder mowers and rotary mowers need practice. If you think you and your lawn deserve one, get the supplier to give you a “lesson” on your lawn. Tractor mowers are for bigger lawns.

Lawn shears is a good gardening tool. Check the handle height for edging and the horizontal blades for trimming.

Long handle shears are used to cut high or thick branches. They also trim hedges.

The lawn rake, different from the regular rake is used to remove dead leaves from the lawn. It comes in metal or plastic. I prefer plastic as it is easier to clean it.

The edging knife is a must to shape or reshape the corners of the lawn.

Although it’s not a tool, the MOST important thing a Gardenista has to buy first is a good pair of gardening gloves. You might buy a second pair as you will most certainly have some family or friends who will want to help you from time to time.

And of course you need your Iphone to check Gardenista, the App!

Happy Gardening!

Choosing a Rose is a love affair

I can’t think of any plant, flower or shrub that will look so comfortably at ease in a border as the rose. It is simply a question of choosing the right variety for your climate, the right location in you garden. It is important to give your roses the essential planting and cultivation requirements from the start.

The roses are the most versatile of plants; good mixers with annuals, perennials and shrubs. It is a fallacy to think that a rose packed border will make a greater impact than a few selected roses – 3 or 4- grouped within your flower bed. Each rose has to be enjoyed for its individual qualities. Roses are not afraid of competition; they strive in it as long as you don’t over do it.

Fashions evolve even for roses. They used to be grouped in solitary confinement in flower beds; nowadays the aim is to plant a few selected perennials which simply heighten the rose impact.

We hear people with small children say they don’t want roses in their garden as they are worried of children being hurt on thorns. Roses without thorns exist.

Here are a few advices for a successful rose bed:

Planting: Plant early March where the soil has thawed, in other regions plant a couple of weeks after the snow has melted and the soil is soft enough.

Upon arrival of your rose, if you cannot plant the rose immediately lay it in the shade and cover the roots with damp soil. When you are ready to plant, 1- Soak the roots in a bucket of water. 2- Dig a whole twice the diameter of the roots. 3- Pour water generously in the whole. 4-Position the rose in the whole and spread the roots. 5- Fill in the whole with soil up to 3” from the level of the ground. 6- Water often until the plant has settled.

Feeding: Use mulch in the spring or rose fertilizer that you can buy in nurseries.

Pruning: In regions with a mild weather prune in February. Wait until the rose has started growing in cold regions. Leave 2 or 3 buds when pruning climbers.

Dead heading: Cutting the dead roses is the key to having a healthy plant and many repeat roses.

There are hundreds of roses, shrubs, climbers, ramblers, bushes. There are fragrant roses,   roses without thorns, long stem roses. There are roses for every season of the year, even winter ones. Roses for any situation in your garden, sun, shade, windy spots (roses usually don’t like wind). You find roses of all colors, all sizes. The choice is infinite.

We are not going to recommend any one rose. You have to fall in love with one or several roses in a catalogue or nursery. That will be the right choice providing it is suitable for your region and the location where you want to plant it.  

Enjoy your roses!

TROPICAL GARDEN

You are creating a garden in zone 9 or 10; we might call it an exotic garden. At least for the rest of us who have to contend with several weeks or even months of snow. You have a winner on your hands with a choice of plants that do not ask for a green thumb if it exists. Every thing grows easily with a minimum upkeep. Furthermore you have flowers all year round in a tropical garden.

Don’t be afraid to let colors clash, after all if they’re in the nature there is a reason for it.

It’s part of the fun and the beauty of an exotic garden.

• A Yucca emerging from a ground cover of Tradescantia or Mertansia maritima is a real eye catcher. The Mertansia maritima is a perennial herbaceous plant with bell-shaped blue flowers, it is also called Oyster Plant.

• A Buddleia or even a group of Buddleia can fill an empty corner or adorn your lawn. They are called Butterfly Bushes for a reason, they do attract butterflies. Dead heading is the key to having flowers for months.

Young Palm tree

• A zone 9 garden is the natural setting for Palm trees; you will choose the variety depending on the size of your garden. The height of the palm tree should not be bigger than the length or width of your tropical garden. Plant Geraniums and Petunias under the palm tree it will soften the look of the trunk.

• An orange tree is a winner. It is pretty to look at, the flowers have a delicious scent and of course, they produce fruits. A driveway or a path edged by orange or other citrus trees makes a statement. Choose the height of the trees to fit the location. Dwarf Orange trees in containers fit perfectly in a patio. You might put the container in a wicker basket it gives and elegant look to your containers.

• Leaf Acalypha Wilkensiana is a low growing 3’x4’ very colorful bush. It is a semi tropical plant. The leaves are green pink, burgundy and red. Prune regularly. Also called Mardi Gras, plant it in the lawn or a place where you want to attract attention.

• To hide an unsightly item your saviors are the climbers, of course: Parrot's Bill or Clianthus Puniceus are a good choice, they can grow up to 6’ to 16’ depending on the variety.Cobaea, Mexican vine with lavender or purple flowers in spring and summer is very decorative and will grow up to 10’ to 25’. Jasmines are climbers or clambering gloriously scented shrubs White, pink or blue they are in the making of many perfumes.

• Ixora Bush is also a winner; some varieties are scented. Ixora Coccinea has smaller leaves and flowers; it is ideal for a hedge. The flowers are red or orange; it grows up to 5’.

Ixora buds

• The Crown of Thorns should be kept at the back of a flower bed where small children don’t go. The thorny leaves are headed by clusters of red/orange flowers (grows to 3’).

• A Tropical garden calls for a Hibiscus and a Bougainvillea they are so easy to grow and their colors are a real feast.  


• The Clematis, every one’s favorite, should not be in full sun. About 200 varieties of clematis are on the market for you to choose.

Canna

• Cannas make an impressive statement at the back of a flower bed. Don’t hesitate to plant “grasses”: Miscanthus or Zebra Grass. They fill in nicely a forgotten spot and they do not ask much upkeep.

We could list so many beauties for your tropical or exotic garden, it would be too long to list them.

Enjoy your Tropical garden it will be a beauty. 

Plants for Butterflies

It is cold outside, let’s think of pretty gardens and particularly butterflies in our gardens.

Encourage butterflies into your garden by growing the food they enjoy. You then have a double bonus, lovely flowers throughout the seasons and the joy of spotting the ”Painted Lady”, “Peacock Butterfly” “Red Admiral”,  “Anise Swallowtail”, “ Black Swallowtail”,  “ Cloudless Sulfur (children love them)”, “Cabbage White Butterflies”, Monarch” to name just a few.

You will notice that red, purple and yellow flowers attract butterflies more than other colors. Butterflies usually find easier to sip the nectar from flat open blooms. Fallen fruits, apples pears, plums, even fermented are a butterfly delight.

Plants attracting butterflies:

Spring flowers: Alyssum, Aubretia, Erysimum (Wallflowers), Matthiola, Primula (Primrose), Viola (Violets Pansies).

Early summer flowers: Arabis (Rock Cress, Wall Cress), Armeria, Dianthus (Carnation), Iberis, Lunaria, Myosotis (Forget-me-not), Scabiosa (Pincushion).

Late summer flowers: Buddleia ( Butterfly Bush), Hyssopus, Lavandula (Lavender), Lonicera (Honeysuckle), Nepeta (Catnip), Verbena

Autumn flowers: Aster, Sedum, Solidago (Goldenrod).

 Make a note in your Gardenista App to plant these butterfly delights in due time.

November: Taking care of Roses

November: Let’s deal with planting roses in November, pruning roses in November and the winter protection. Every job done is an investment.

Planting roses in November

Roses are surprisingly hardy, more so if planted in the right place. A wrong place to grow roses being in the shade, in a windy area of the garden or in a damp soil.

Gertrude Stein, the celebrated American writer, said: A rose is a rose is a rose. Maybe but you have to be a little choosy if you want to get the best out of your roses.

Yes, you can plant roses now, here are a few:

Rosa Alba: White Rose – does well in zone 5

Rosa Canina : Dog Rose – with single layer of white or pink petals. Zone 3

Rosa Centifolia: popular in America since colonial times, 100 petals – Zone 4 and 5

Rosa Chinensis: native of China – Zone 7

Rosa Gallica: the French Rose – Zone 5

Rosa Rugosa: stands sea side climate – Zone 2

Pruning roses in November

 As the days get shorter we still have buds which sadly won’t make it till next summer. It is time to take the secateurs and cut off these rose buds.

Don’t go secateurs itchy and go for heavy pruning. Cut off 1/3 of the height of the branches. Your rose will grow very healthy in the spring.

Whether climbing against a house or a tree, remove the branches that carried flowers and check the ties.

Protecting roses in November

Stake around roses that might be exposed to the winter wind, the stakes should be 20” taller than the rose. Drape burlap around the stakes forming a screen for your roses.

In cold climates, pile up dirt around the base of your roses. The roots will be protected.

Enter any new plant for your garden in your iPhone in your Gardenista App. Also

you might want to make a note in your Gardenista App of flowers to plant in due time to have flowering plants in November next year.