Tips to reduce watering:
- Mulch around plants with shredded bark mulch, aged compost mix or aged manure mix
- If you can't mulch large areas, spread a good layer of straw (not hay)
- Hoeing the ground around the plants brings moisture closer to the surface for the plants
- Plant perennials close together to shade the ground
- Use soaker hoses where needed instead of overhead watering
- When watering with a garden hose, water on the ground around the base of the plant and not the leaves on the plant
- Do any watering late evening or early morning
- Hold off any fertilize applications until the weather is cooler or it rains as plants will be less stressed
Check out Greenwood's plants that require less watering.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Shade Garden Plants Add Color to Woodland Areas
Spring really brightens up wooded areas with lots of colors just bursting out a big “Hello!” I think that is what sparks us to want to add color to shaded areas. The artist part of us comes out wanting to splash color into our surroundings and the fun part is that it doesn’t stop with spring just as Claude Monet did at his garden in Giverny. He even planted hiswoodland areas with colorful plants. Monet's pond garden as well was carefully planned by Monet himself. Over one hundred years old and his gardens still look as beautiful today as we can imagine that they did when he first painted them.
Here is a listing of plants from evergreen ground covers, to shade loving perennials, to spring flowering shrubs and spring flowering trees that will grow in shaded areas. Most will produce spring color while a few others will just add something special to the blend.
Strategically placing plants with color can give a whole new look to your woodlands or shaded areas. It's especially easy if you have a digital camera. You can take pictures of the areas you want to enhance with color or texture, print them out or just study them on the screen and you can visualize how you would like to see the woodlands as the seasons unfold.
Ground cover plants for shade:
Ajuga
Pachysandra
Vinca
Cotoneaster
(creeping) Moss
Shade loving perennials:
Ferns
Tiarella
Anemone
Aster
Astilbe
Dicentra
Helleborus
Heuchera
Hosta
Solomon's seal
Carex
Liriope
Flowering shrubs for shade:
Mountain laurels
Sambucus
Reblooming Azaleas
Rhododendrons
Bamboo
Carolina allspice
Red twig dogwood
Hydrangeas
Nandina
Holly
Flowering Trees for shade:
White flowering dogwood
Red bud
Serviceberry
Sourwood
Cedar
Hemlock
White pine
Sycamore
Green ash
Poplars
Don't try to do your entire project at one time. Working on it over several years allows you to see that you are on the right track for what you want as the outcome.
Visit Greenwood Nursery Mail Order Nursery for shade loving plants.
And don't forget about ways to move through your wooded area. Bark mulch walkways and stepping stones make great paths. Benches, whether wood, stone or metal, give excellent reasons to sit and enjoy from the inside out. Rocks of all sizes and even boulders look stately with moss growing over them and are right at home in wooded and shaded spaces.
I hope this has given you some ideas to build on to make your own woodland area as beautiful as a Monet painting.
By Cheryl D. Jones
 |
| Monet's Garden Photographed by Cheryl D Jones |
Here is a listing of plants from evergreen ground covers, to shade loving perennials, to spring flowering shrubs and spring flowering trees that will grow in shaded areas. Most will produce spring color while a few others will just add something special to the blend.
Strategically placing plants with color can give a whole new look to your woodlands or shaded areas. It's especially easy if you have a digital camera. You can take pictures of the areas you want to enhance with color or texture, print them out or just study them on the screen and you can visualize how you would like to see the woodlands as the seasons unfold.
Ground cover plants for shade:
Ajuga
Pachysandra
Vinca
Cotoneaster
(creeping) Moss
Shade loving perennials:
Ferns
Tiarella
Anemone
Aster
Astilbe
Dicentra
Helleborus
Heuchera
Hosta
Solomon's seal
Carex
Liriope
Flowering shrubs for shade:
Mountain laurels
Sambucus
Reblooming Azaleas
Rhododendrons
Bamboo
Carolina allspice
Red twig dogwood
Hydrangeas
Nandina
Holly
Flowering Trees for shade:
White flowering dogwood
Red bud
Serviceberry
Sourwood
Cedar
Hemlock
White pine
Sycamore
Green ash
Poplars
Don't try to do your entire project at one time. Working on it over several years allows you to see that you are on the right track for what you want as the outcome.
Visit Greenwood Nursery Mail Order Nursery for shade loving plants.
And don't forget about ways to move through your wooded area. Bark mulch walkways and stepping stones make great paths. Benches, whether wood, stone or metal, give excellent reasons to sit and enjoy from the inside out. Rocks of all sizes and even boulders look stately with moss growing over them and are right at home in wooded and shaded spaces.
I hope this has given you some ideas to build on to make your own woodland area as beautiful as a Monet painting.
By Cheryl D. Jones
Tips for Strawberries and Strawberry Plants
Just the thought of strawberries brings to mind summer, shortcake, jelly and chocolate. Bite into a strawberry and it explodes in your mouth making your tongue tingle with delight. With the red heart shape of the strawberry, no wonder it’s the symbol for Venus, the goddess of love. Maybe that’s why strawberries go so perfectly with chocolate and champagne.
A member of the rose family, it is documented that strawberries have been enjoyed as a domesticated fruit as early as the 1400’s. Now, we know the nutritional value of strawberries. They contain amino acids and beta-carotene as well as A, C, E, K, B-complex vitamins. An excellent source of calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, copper and zinc, strawberries are high in sugar so should be eaten in moderation.
Some of my favorite ways to enjoy the fruits of strawberry plants are serving on waffles (Yummy!), in a spinach salad with walnuts, in a cucumber & strawberry salad, or served with only a splash of balsamic vinegar. Harvest strawberries in early summer and freeze to preserve them for future use.
Tips for strawberries:
Do not wash berries until ready to eat
Remove caps after washing
Store in colander (or vented container) in refrigerator for air circulation
Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before serving
To whiten teeth – mash one strawberry and mix with baking soda, brush on teeth and leave on for 5 minutes then rinse
Links:
Planting and Growing info for strawberry plants
Freezing information and recipes
Greenwood Nursery will begin shipping strawberry plants in mid November. Recommended zones are lower 6, 7, 8 and 9. Mid zone 6 and north will schedule to ship in spring.
Choose from our All Star Strawberries, Cardinal Strawberries, Ozark Beauty Strawberries and Sweet Charlie Strawberries.
A member of the rose family, it is documented that strawberries have been enjoyed as a domesticated fruit as early as the 1400’s. Now, we know the nutritional value of strawberries. They contain amino acids and beta-carotene as well as A, C, E, K, B-complex vitamins. An excellent source of calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, copper and zinc, strawberries are high in sugar so should be eaten in moderation.
Some of my favorite ways to enjoy the fruits of strawberry plants are serving on waffles (Yummy!), in a spinach salad with walnuts, in a cucumber & strawberry salad, or served with only a splash of balsamic vinegar. Harvest strawberries in early summer and freeze to preserve them for future use.
Tips for strawberries:
Do not wash berries until ready to eat
Remove caps after washing
Store in colander (or vented container) in refrigerator for air circulation
Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before serving
To whiten teeth – mash one strawberry and mix with baking soda, brush on teeth and leave on for 5 minutes then rinse
Links:
Planting and Growing info for strawberry plants
Freezing information and recipes
Greenwood Nursery will begin shipping strawberry plants in mid November. Recommended zones are lower 6, 7, 8 and 9. Mid zone 6 and north will schedule to ship in spring.
Choose from our All Star Strawberries, Cardinal Strawberries, Ozark Beauty Strawberries and Sweet Charlie Strawberries.
Garden Maintenance to Start Your Garden Started
Follow these easy spring garden maintenance tips and you will be enjoying your yard. Even after one weekend of spring garden cleaning you can have leaves raked, trees and shrubs pruned and ground ready for planting new plants. A little spring garden maintenance means less yard work in summer.
Arm yourself with a rake, weed eater or heavy shears, a tool belt, apron with pockets, basket, or pail, filled with clippers, gardening scissors, gardening gloves, old cloths, trash bags and, if available, a small garden saw. Start on one side of your property or garden and work across the yard and then clockwise around your house and other out buildings beginning with the front/main entrance. The point is to be able to go over all areas of your landscape so that you don't miss plants.
Always begin an area by tackling the larger growing plants, whether trees or shrubs. First cut or saw out all branches that are dead, broken, touching or crossing. Then, if necessary, trim for shape. From the larger trees and shrubs, move onto smaller growing plants, such as ornamental grasses (which you will be cutting to the ground with either the weed eater or heavy shears), roses, evergreen herbs, perennials, ground covers, etc. Remember, if you haven't pulled out the annuals that were planted last year, it is time to remove them now.
Once all plants have been pruned, shaped and otherwise cleaned up in an area, rake the clippings into the trash bag and move onto the next. By cleaning up an area completely, if you have to stop that day before finishing, you can begin with a new area the next time and you don't have to back track. I find it easier to make sandwiches the night before to lunch on so I don't have to completely stop my gardening. This way I am only taking a break and don't lose focus on what I'm doing.
Arm yourself with a rake, weed eater or heavy shears, a tool belt, apron with pockets, basket, or pail, filled with clippers, gardening scissors, gardening gloves, old cloths, trash bags and, if available, a small garden saw. Start on one side of your property or garden and work across the yard and then clockwise around your house and other out buildings beginning with the front/main entrance. The point is to be able to go over all areas of your landscape so that you don't miss plants.
Always begin an area by tackling the larger growing plants, whether trees or shrubs. First cut or saw out all branches that are dead, broken, touching or crossing. Then, if necessary, trim for shape. From the larger trees and shrubs, move onto smaller growing plants, such as ornamental grasses (which you will be cutting to the ground with either the weed eater or heavy shears), roses, evergreen herbs, perennials, ground covers, etc. Remember, if you haven't pulled out the annuals that were planted last year, it is time to remove them now.
Once all plants have been pruned, shaped and otherwise cleaned up in an area, rake the clippings into the trash bag and move onto the next. By cleaning up an area completely, if you have to stop that day before finishing, you can begin with a new area the next time and you don't have to back track. I find it easier to make sandwiches the night before to lunch on so I don't have to completely stop my gardening. This way I am only taking a break and don't lose focus on what I'm doing.
How to Use Lavender
How to Dry Lavender:
Cut flowers in morning – after dew evaporates yet before heat of day
(Rubber) band together in bunches of about a dozen or so stems
Hang upside down in a warm dimly lit space with adequate ventilation
Dry for one to weeks – until stalks are completely dried
Once dried – dislodge the buds by rolling them back/forth in a towel or newspaper
Store buds in an air tight container
Use your Hidcote and Munstead lavender plant blooms in late spring and summer dishes. Fresh blooms should be submerged into water for a minute to release any dirt or insects hanging on. Dry the fresh lavender by wrapping them in a towel and lightly squeezing them. Lavender mixes beautifully with herbs such as rosemary, thyme and oregano.
Use fresh or dried lavender in the following dishes:
Chicken (especially roasted chicken – my favorite!)
Tuna or other strong flavored fish
Salads (fresh lavender preferably)
Stews
Custards
Sorbets
Chocolate
Jelly
Sweets – cookies and cakes
Heavy sauces (usually made with alcohol reductions/heavy creams)
Breads
Lavender honey - heat clean fresh blooms (no chemicals used) in regular or other flavored honey on low until lightly simmering. Strain flowers or leave in honey. Cool and enjoy.
Plant your own lavender plants for culinary and crafts.
Cut flowers in morning – after dew evaporates yet before heat of day
(Rubber) band together in bunches of about a dozen or so stems
Hang upside down in a warm dimly lit space with adequate ventilation
Dry for one to weeks – until stalks are completely dried
Once dried – dislodge the buds by rolling them back/forth in a towel or newspaper
Store buds in an air tight container
Use your Hidcote and Munstead lavender plant blooms in late spring and summer dishes. Fresh blooms should be submerged into water for a minute to release any dirt or insects hanging on. Dry the fresh lavender by wrapping them in a towel and lightly squeezing them. Lavender mixes beautifully with herbs such as rosemary, thyme and oregano.
Use fresh or dried lavender in the following dishes:
Chicken (especially roasted chicken – my favorite!)
Tuna or other strong flavored fish
Salads (fresh lavender preferably)
Stews
Custards
Sorbets
Chocolate
Jelly
Sweets – cookies and cakes
Heavy sauces (usually made with alcohol reductions/heavy creams)
Breads
Lavender honey - heat clean fresh blooms (no chemicals used) in regular or other flavored honey on low until lightly simmering. Strain flowers or leave in honey. Cool and enjoy.
Plant your own lavender plants for culinary and crafts.
Plant Shrub Roses to Complete Your Spring Garden Planting
Shrub roses are plants that can turn any average garden into wonder of color all summer long. You will find yourself lost in this colorful world when you approach the entrance of your garden and walk underneath a flowering archway with rose bushes growing freely. In bloom, rose shrubs are enchanting and most have a fragrance that brings on tranquility. As you walk through you will see the different rose colors; yellows, like a gorgeous setting sun; pinks settled among the green foliage brightly lit with grandeur; more of the deep reds that bring solidarity to the mind. The scents among these roses are as different as the colors that emit them. This becomes a small paradise where you feel compelled to sit among these creatures of beauty.
This picture may read like a dream, but it is truly obtainable for your own home. And it is not difficult to gather the right rose plants to bring out that small bit of heaven to your landscape.
Your first step is to scope out a few select spots around your garden or lawn area where you can plant the roses. Then, choose the roses that best fit your landscape. For example, if you have a small yard, choose The Fairy Rose or Red or Apricot Drift Roses as they are small growing.
The most popular shrub roses are:
Red Drift Rose
The Fairy Rose
Apricot Drift Rose
Knockout Sunny Rose
Double Red Knockout Rose
Rugosa Rose red
Rosa White Out
Double Pink Knockout Rose
Hansen Hedge Rose
After choosing the right one, or ones, order your new flowering shrubs, plant and sit back as they take center stage for a beautiful transition into the garden itself. Aside from light pruning, your beautiful new roses will be something that you can enjoy and take pride in for years to come, as they turn your average garden into a masterpiece of color. The compliments that you receive will make you proud to call this garden your own.
Be sure to check out Greenwoodnursery.com to see our rose bushes selection.
This picture may read like a dream, but it is truly obtainable for your own home. And it is not difficult to gather the right rose plants to bring out that small bit of heaven to your landscape.
Your first step is to scope out a few select spots around your garden or lawn area where you can plant the roses. Then, choose the roses that best fit your landscape. For example, if you have a small yard, choose The Fairy Rose or Red or Apricot Drift Roses as they are small growing.
The most popular shrub roses are:
Red Drift Rose
The Fairy Rose
Apricot Drift Rose
Knockout Sunny Rose
Double Red Knockout Rose
Rugosa Rose red
Rosa White Out
Double Pink Knockout Rose
Hansen Hedge Rose
After choosing the right one, or ones, order your new flowering shrubs, plant and sit back as they take center stage for a beautiful transition into the garden itself. Aside from light pruning, your beautiful new roses will be something that you can enjoy and take pride in for years to come, as they turn your average garden into a masterpiece of color. The compliments that you receive will make you proud to call this garden your own.
Be sure to check out Greenwoodnursery.com to see our rose bushes selection.
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