The weather in late summer and early autumn is perfect for establishing cool-season turfgrasses. |
In New England and other cold-winter climates, August and September are the best months to sow grass.
After the contractors left late last summer, our back yard was a mess of tire ruts, torn up sod and exposed soil. Not that we had a great lawn to start with. We inherited the bumpy, rocky, weedy lawn when we bought the house and had done nothing to improve it. I viewed the construction aftermath as an opportunity to improve our turf. The timing was perfect.
In New England and other cold-winter climates, August and September are the best months to sow grass for several reasons:
- Grass seed germinates and grows best when the soil is still warm, but the nights are cool
- Cool, damp fall weather means less watering
- Roots grow until the ground freezes in November and resume in early spring
- The lawn will be ready for foot traffic and regular mowing by May
- There is much less competition from weeds
We repaired the ruts and compaction by spreading an inch or two of compost over the area and rototilling it into the top few inches of soil. An energetic workout with a garden rake took care of the rocks, big weeds and clumps of old turf. A gentler raking smoothed the surface and prepared it for seeding. Choosing the right grass seed was more complicated than I expected because I found so many choices and the prices varied considerably. Some blends listed generic turf grass species like bluegrass and perennial ryegrass. Better mixes contained named varieties of two or more grass species, such as Abbey Kentucky bluegrass, Pennlawn creeping red fescue, and Buccaneer perennial ryegrass. These new grass varieties resist insects and disease, tolerate heavy foot traffic, need less water and fertilizer, grow more slowly and have a dark-green color, which means less work and a healthier lawn.
After all the work to prepare the soil, I decided to buy the best seed, even if it appeared to cost more. Surprise! The most expensive seed per pound actually turned out to be the least expensive per square foot of coverage, based on the recommended rate listed on the labels. After calculating the cost per square foot of coverage on competing packages, I found that we needed only ten pounds and $30 worth of the more expensive seed to cover our yard. The less-expensive generic seed called for twenty pounds to cover the same area for a cost of $40.
You get what you pay for with grass seed. A year later we can see that we made a good choice. The new lawn looks so much darker and more lush than the front yard that we may tackle that one next year. Maybe.
For information on organic lawn care, read our Guide to Natural Lawn Care and browse the pages at SafeLawns.org.
-Ann Whitman
Horticulturist, Gardener's Supply
Time-tested planting technique is visually attractive and extremely productive
In a The Three Sisters Garden, pole beans use the corn plants as a trellis. |
This Native American planting technique is the epitome of companion planting. The Three Sisters—corn, bean and squash—help each other in various ways. The corn provides support for the pole beans; the beans add nitrogen to the soil which helps the corn grow; and the squash covers the ground, keeping the soil moist and minimizing weed growth. And together, these three vegetables provide a nutritionally balanced meal!
Best of all, once you've planted a Three Sisters Garden, it practically takes care of itself. Here's how to do it:
Create one or more mounds of soil about a foot high and 18 to 20 inches across. Add a heaping cup of our organic All-Purpose Fertilizer and mix it into the top 6 inches of soil. Sow 5 or 6 corn seeds in a circle, about 1 inch deep and 6 inches apart.
Once the corn plants have reached a height of 5 or 6 inches, plant 4 to 6 pole bean seeds near the base of the stalks. Next, plant 4 to 6 squash seeds about 12 inches from where you planted the beans.
Water the seeds after planting, and keep the soil consistently moist for a week or two, while the seeds are germinating. As the beans begin to grow, they'll need some assistance grabbing the corn stalks. You can help by gently guiding the ends of the vines up onto the stalks. In mid-July, side dress each mound with another cup of All-Purpose Fertilizer.
Beans will be the first crop to harvest. Picking frequently encourages the plants to continue producing more beans. The corn will be ready to harvest next. Corn is wind pollinated, so for good pollination (and kernel formation), it's best to grow a stand of at least 20 stalks of the same variety. You can do this by planting five corn stalks on four Three Sisters mounds.
Traditionally, the Three Sisters Garden contains winter squash, such as Hubbard, butternut, acorn or 'Delicata'. But it's also possible to grow summer squash, if that's your preference. This is a time-tested planting technique that's also visually attractive and extremely productive. Whether you grow a Three Sisters
Garden for food or for curiosity, you’ll be glad you did!
-David Grist
Online Content Coordinator, Gardener's Supply
An abundance of zucchini isn't always welcome—especially when shared with the neighbors. But an abundance of passionfruit? Bring it on!
Passionate Margarita |
I got a box in the mail the other day. It was from my friend Drew, who lives on a barrier island off the southwest coast of Florida. He sent a couple dozen passionfruit, fresh off the vines that grow in his yard. If you've never seen a passionfruit, you might not be impressed. The fruit looks kind of like a big egg that's gone bad: speckled, blackened and wrinkled. But, when you cut inside, the treasure is revealed: a thick, bright-yellow liquid that holds a cluster of black seeds. But the big deal is the fragrance. It smells like, well, passion.
Drew had been trying to keep up with the harvest. "I've been making mousse, sorbet, martinis, cakes and sauces. The vines are taking over my house, growing in the lattice on the deck, and even as ground cover," he says. Fortunately, he got the idea to send a few to friends up north. Should I send him a box of zucchini? Instead, I think I'll send him a recipe for the cocktail my partner and I made.
Golden Daiquiri
The Golden Daiquiri |
(makes 2 cocktails)
2 ripe passionfruit
5 oz. white rum
4 teaspoons simple syrup
2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Cut the passionfruit in half and scoop the pulp into a small bowl. Add simple syrup, rum and lime juice. Do not even think of using anything but fresh lime juice.
Push the whole mixture through a coarse sieve and pour into a shaker with ice.
Shake until cold; pour into a wine glasses with several cubes of ice. Garnish with a few seeds from the passionfruit. Although somewhat unorthodox, the wine glass concentrates the aroma of the passionfruit.
Passionate Margaritas
Each passionfruit contains a small mass of fragrant pulp and seeds. |
(makes 2 cocktails)
2 ripe passionfruit
4 oz. tequila
2 oz. Cointreau
2 tablespoons lime juice
Cut the passionfruit in half and scoop the pulp into a small bowl. Add simple syrup, rum and lime juice.
Push the whole mixture through a coarse sieve and pour into a shaker with ice.
Shake until cold; pour into chilled cocktail glasses. Garnish with a few of the seeds from the passionfruit.
-David Grist, Online Content Coordinator
Rozanne makes the cut: long-blooming, fast-growing and blue-flowered. What's not to like?
The Rozanne geranium |
It's always fascinating to see the new perennials that get showcased in catalogs each year. Recently, I saw a daylily with frosty white foliage that has green stripes; it's called Secured Borders. (Who comes up with these names?) And it seems every time you turn around, there's a new coneflower or heuchera.
I often find these new cultivars look good on the bench at the nursery, but bring them home, and... not so much. A few years ago, I was smitten by a new variety of heuchera called Obsidian. Its purple-black leaves were gorgeous. But, after three seasons in the ground, the plant is actually smaller than the potted plant I bought. I've tried several of the new coneflowers, too. But the colors are disappointing and the hardiness is variable.
When I design gardens for clients, I rarely try the new cultivars. Instead, I stick to a relatively short list of "reliables" that can take the conditions we have up here in Vermont. Once in a while, I find a new perennial to add to list of reliables. The most recent entry is a perennial geranium called Rozanne.
Rozanne makes a good companion to an orange chrysanthemum variety called Bolero. |
It has lovely violet-blue flowers and a lax habit, making it a fine groundcover. And unlike Johnson's Blue, which seems to grow upright and then flop, Rozanne sprawls gracefully. If it gets out of hand, you can trim it or redirect the stems. What's more, it has handsome, patterned foliage, grows quickly and is long-blooming—in my garden and my clients'.
The Perennial Plant Association has taken note of this plant; it's Perennial Plant of the Year for 2008. Plants that make the list must be suitable for a wide range of climatic conditions, low-maintenance and pest- and disease-resistant.
So, here's to Rozanne, a newcomer that makes my list of old reliables. How does it fare in your garden?
-David Grist, Online Content Coordinator
Freeze fresh locally-grown sweet corn for summer-succulent meals all winter.
Freeze fresh locally-grown sweet corn for summer-succulent meals all winter. |
Several dairy farms in town become sweet corn entrepreneurs for five or six weeks in late summer. Canopy-covered picnic tables on the front lawn of their farmhouse serves as a roadside stand for a couple of the farmers. The fanciest corn stand is a permanent, but backless structure with a wood-plank counter at the curve of a horseshoe driveway. Plywood signs featuring folk art paintings of husked corn announce the start of the eagerly awaited season. The farmers' kids harvest the corn each morning, stacking it like cord wood on the tables for the evening commuters.
Although corn-on-the-cob is available nearly all year round in some supermarkets, the starchy flavor and chewy texture of that shipped-from-afar vegetable barely resemble the sweet, tender, buttery kernels of freshly picked corn. Within 24 hours of picking, most corn varieties have transformed at least half of their sugar to starch. Even the new super-sweet varieties eventually succumb to the natural process. The only way to attain perfectly succulent corn is to cook the ears the same day, and, some say, the same hour, as they are picked.
I prefer to steam husked corn-on-the-cob for about 10 minutes over boiling water in a large covered pot. My family usually eats only four ears of the dozen I pick up on the way home from work. That leaves eight ears for the freezer. I buy these extra cobs throughout the season to space out the work and make freezing corn fast and easy.
Preparing corn for freezing only requires a sharp knife, a cutting board, and freezer bags. I hold the cooked ears vertically on the cutting board and slice off two to three rows of kernels at a time. Eight ears yields about 4 cups, which fits perfectly into a quart-sized freezer bag. For 10 minutes work I’ve got enough sweet, juicy corn for another two meals or a creamy pot of corn chowder in the dead of winter.
Some savvy customers pay a bargain price to fill their freezers by signing up for the leftover ears that farmers don’t sell by the end of the day. That’s a great way to stock up if you’ve got a free evening or two at the peak of the corn season.
For more on growing, harvesting, and storing corn visit the National Gardening Association. For recipes, try What’s Cooking America, Do It Yourself, and Cooks.com.
-Ann Whitman, Horticulturist
Gardener uses plants instead of paint to create a green portrait.
The photo at right was sent to us by one of our customers in Virginia. Maureen and her husband purchased a Living Wall Panel
from our web site and used it to create the best version of a “green man”
that we’ve ever seen! Here’s her story:
“My husband and I always scan through the Gardener's Supply catalog when we receive it," said Maureen. "This past spring, we saw the Living Wall Panel and thought it could be used to make a nice "point of interest" on some lattice work in the back yard. We imagined filling it with ivies and other low-maintenance, drought-resistant plants. When our big spring order arrived (we had ordered a number of other items), my husband took a look at all of the cells and said, ‘Wouldn't this be cute if we actually made it alive – like a person?’
I didn't give it much thought at the time, as the spring planting season was upon us in full swing! My husband, however, took the living wall with him to our local nursery (English Country Gardens in Manassas, Va.). He told the ladies there that he wished to create something unique for me for Mother's Day, and that he'd like to make a ‘living’ face. So, according to my husband, the next hour was spent with the nursery ladies ‘trying out’ a variety of plant options. Most of the plants they selected were from the Stepables line of groundcover plants, as they are relatively small in size and fit easily into the individual cells. My husband gathered up these plants, added a small cactus that he picked up at the local Southern States, and brought them all home to put together. He planted rye grass in places where he believed whiskers should grow.
The finished product was given to me on Mother's Day morning, when I returned from a weekend trip with my sisters. Instead of hanging it in the backyard, where it would not be readily visible, my husband hung my gift on a portion of a wooden fence at the side of our home, where it marks the true beginning of our magnificent gardens! About two or three days later, I was passing by, looked up, and told my husband that our "boy's" name was Ira. As you can imagine, Ira was, and remains, the biggest point of interest in all of our gardens. Comments have ranged from, "Good Lord!," to "Unbelievable," to "You have WAY too much time on your hands!" Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if many of these comment-makers create their own Ira next spring!”
Maureen was kind enough to send along the plant list (below), should you be interested in creating your own “green man”. We recommend using our Drought-Resistant Container Mix, though Maureen’s husband used our Self-Watering Container Mix and it is working just fine. Maureen sprays Ira monthly with diluted liquid fertilizer (we’d recommend All Purpose Plant Health Care) and she trims him up as needed to maintain his dapper appearance.
- Nose: miniature barrel cactus
- Mouth, eyebrows, ear tufts: Scotch moss (Sangina)
- Whiskers: rye grass (Maureen says he needs to be shaved occasionally)
- Beard: creeping jenny (Lysimachia)
- Eyes: thrift (Armeria)
- Skin: Corsican sandwort (Arenaria)
- Hair: miniature golden sweet flag (Acorus)
-Kathy LaLiberte
Director of Gardening, Gardener's Supply
How to create a backyard attraction for neighborhood birds.
This water feature uses a pump to recirculate the water. The water is stored in a basin that sits just below ground level. The basin has a perforated top that supports the gravel and the blue pot. The pump pushes water through a tube that goes into the blue pot. Water overflows onto the gravel and percolates back into the basin. To see how it comes together, take a look at my Flickr slideshow, also shown at the end of this post. |
Four years ago, I built a small water feature in our back yard. It was a blue ceramic pot that overflowed onto a bed of gravel that concealed a reservoir. It was nice, but the scale wasn't quite right. It didn't seem to have enough space around it. The surrounding plants engulfed it; the lawn threatened to grow right up to the pot. Plus, the whole thing was jury-rigged and fragile. When I built a new patio last fall, I decided it was time to remodel the water feature, making it more sturdy and integrating it with the patio. Plus, I had a client who wanted a similar feature for her yard, so I was looking for a more professional solution.
For my client, I used the same system to create a bubbling birdbath with a ceramic saucer as the basin. Instead of a large pot, her water feature is a shallow, bird-friendly pool that overflows from a pedestal. |
Turns out that there are many kits that make it easy to create water features. The Poppy Fountain is one of the simplest; for something larger, consider the Flexible Pond Kit. It comes with everything you need to make a little backyard oasis.
My project took the better part of an afternoon, and you can see it come together on a Flickr slideshow, below. Just click on the photo to get the captions. After a week or two, I've seen very little bird activity at my fountain. My client hasn't seen much either. We're hoping that it just takes a little time for the birds to get used to things. Plus, we haven't had a day without rain for so long, the birds aren't looking for any baths.
-David Grist, Online Content Coordinator
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Compact trees are better suited to withstand stormy weather.
Japanese maples add grace and stunning beauty to small landscapes without endangering property. |
Seeing scenes of storm damage from around the country this summer made me realize how destructive large trees can be when they come crashing down on houses, cars, and utility wires. When homeowners originally planted the oaks, maples, poplars, magnolias, and evergreens, they didn’t foresee the damage that these majestic trees could wreak decades later.
Smaller trees make better neighbors. Their branches don't reach up into the power lines or fall against them in the wind. If they topple over, they don’t go through the roof or crush the car.
Nurseries and garden centers offer more small tree varieties than ever before. Many of these are more resilient against diseases and pests than older varieties, too, which makes them longer lived and easier to care for. The best ones for any particular climate and soil will vary considerably, but knowledgeable nursery staff will make good, locally appropriate suggestions.
Here are a few of my favorite small trees.
Serviceberry (Amelanchier species), also known as Juneberry or Saskatoon, has smooth silvery bark similar to beech and blooms early in the spring before the shiny dark green leaves emerge. Fall color is usually yellow to brilliant red-orange. This U.S. native has edible berries that birds adore and the graceful branching pattern makes it appealing even in winter. The variety Autumn Brilliance grows up to 25 feet tall. Most varieties grow in USDA Zones 3 through 8.
Flowering crabapples (Malus varieties) come in hundreds of shapes, sizes and colors, making the choice of which one to buy the biggest challenge. To narrow the selection, I look for disease-resistance first. For low-maintenance and appealing, season-long appearance, crabapple trees should be resistant to apple scab, leaf spot, rust and powdery mildew. Next, I choose the flower and fruit color and size. Flowers come in hues of pink, red and white. Fruits vary from ¼ to 2 inches in diameter and may be red, yellow or orange. Even the foliage color varies through shades of green and burgundy. The trees themselves have different growth habits and forms: narrow and upright, broadly horizontal, egg-shaped or cascading/weeping. Visit some of these web sites to help you choose:
Maples (Acer species) that remain petite compared to their larger cousins have become popular as street trees, and for good reason. The Amur maple (Acer ginnala) has stunning red fall foliage and some varieties have ornamental seeds, as well. Other good small maples include hedge maple, Tartarian maple (Acer tartaricum), and paperbark maple (Acer griseum).
Dozens more excellent small landscape trees exist and the internet has many useful pages devoted to finding and choosing them. Electric utility companies have a vested interest in this subject and have published some particularly good resources. Minnesota Power has a guidebook developed by the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum on its site, which includes an extensive list and information sheets on trees and large shrubs that are recommended for planting near power lines. University of Tennessee Extension Service offers "Trees to Plant Under Power Lines" and the City of Philadelphia has a recommended street tree list.
Be prepared for stormy weather by planting safe small trees!
-Ann Whitman, Horticulturist
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