Vegetable Gardening- utilize whatever space you have

Most of us think of a vegetable garden as a large piece of land with veggies growing in neat rows.  But you can blend vegetables into your flower beds or have them in containers on your patio or balcony.  Cherry tomatoes do well in large containers as do pole beans, English cucumbers, peppers, strawberries, and many herbs.  (They may need a support and remember to water them regularly as they will dry out faster in a container.)   You can plant lettuce, radishes, beets, swiss chard or spinach, and tomatoes in with your flowering plants.  If you replant lettuce every couple of weeks throughout the summer, you’ll have a continual supply that tastes much better than the store bought variety, plus you’ll know there are no chemical residues on the produce. 

                                               large garden.....vs......flower/garden box

                                          

Photos:       http://www.guidinghome.com                   http://bonnieplants.com

Your Landscape - need some help?

As you anticipate the coming seasons in your yard, envision what you would like to see. It may be a deck or patio, a water feature, a play area, a flower or vegetable garden or some green lawn surrounded by beautiful shade trees.

It might be worth a few dollars to have a landscape designer come for a 2 hr consultation. This would give you some ideas of where to build those structures for present and future use, and to choose planting selections appropriate to your surroundings.

Or you may find you would like more detailed information and benefit from a full design. These are done to scale so you know precisely where to plant those shrubs and trees, where they can then grow undisturbed, while the rest of your landscape may change with your family’s needs.

Either way, it makes sense to get a professional opinion so you only spend the time and money once. 

Ornamental Grasses

Ornamental grasses add an interesting appeal to garden beds. They add contrasting color, unusual form, motion with wind, easy to maintain, and winter structure. Some have stiff blades, some are airy, some have unique seed heads, and most can be dried for flower arrangements.

There are two types of ornamental grasses, distinguished by how they grow. One is clumping or bunching, the other is spreading or runner.

The clumping type stays circular and in a neat habit, whereas the spreading type does just that. The type you chose depends on the amount of space you have, if you want it contained, and what appeal do you want to have (a focal point in the back of a bed, a sea of motion, or a filler plant for contrast).

Some can be perennial; others are annual, depending on your growing zone. Grasses don’t need a lot of care: water the young ones well until they are established, then only occasionally. In the early spring, cut back the fescues to half their height,  the feather reed grass needs to be cut back to 8-10”, and the blue oat grass needs to be raked with your  hands to remove old blades

Some of the more common ornamental grasses for zone 3 are listed below with their botanical name and general size.

Annual clumping

Pampas Grass (Coraderia selloana)                Height: 8-12’ Width: n/a (sharp leaves)

Wind Dancer (Eragrotis)                                Height: 2-3’    Width: 2-3’

Fountain Grass, Ornamental Millet (Pennisetum)  Height: 30-36” Width: 24”

Mexican Feather Grass (Stipa)                        Height: 1-1.5’  Width: 2’

Perennial clumping grasses

Feather Reed Grass (Calamagrostis)              Height: 5’    Width: 30”

Tufted Hair Grass (Deschampsia)                  Height: 3’     Width: 2’

Fescue (Festuca)                                             Height: 1’     Width: 1’

Blue Oat Grass (Helictotrichon)                     Height: 3’     Width: 30”

Maiden Grass (Miscanthus)                            Height:  4-5’ Width: 3-4’

Moor Grass (Molinia)                          Height: 2’      Width: 2’

Switch Grass (Panicum)                                 Height:  3’     Width: 2’

Perennial spreading grasses

Ribbon Grass (Phalaris)                                 Height: 3’     Width: invasive

Blue Lyme Grass (Elymus)                             Height: 2-3’ Width: invasive

Skinners Gold (Bromus)                                 Height:         Width: invasive

Bulbous Oat Grass (Arrhenatherum) (this spreads slowly) Height: 1.5’   Width: 1.5’ plus

Please be aware of where you plant the invasive varieties. 

Photo by: www.bobvila.com