Hugelkulture.

This time of year I see lots of leaf bags filled with sticks, branches and leaves waiting to be picked up by the trash guy. Instead of that why not try hugelkulture? Hugelkulture, pronounced Hoo-gul-culture, means hill culture or hill mound. It’s a very simple method of gardening which involves layering logs, branches, leaves, grass clippings, cardboard, and compost and then topping with soil before planting. It’s the ultimate no-dig gardening.

There are many benefits to hugelkuture. For one the decaying logs provide long-term nutrients to the soil. In addition, the logs produce heat as they decompose, basically creating a warmer microclimate,  which will allow you to garden longer into the season. Compaction is a problem that is avoided with hugelkulture because as the logs and branches break down they increase soil aeration. Decaying wood also acts like a sponge and means water is stored and released as needed. Less watering is a bonus as summers heat up and water bans are implemented. Because hugelkutlure creates a hill garden it is easier to harvest – no bending required. This is a benefit I am appreciating more and more as I get older!

I have a steep hill behind my garden that goes down to the street. In my own way I have been playing with hugelkulture (or at least trying to level things out). I threw some logs in at first then added branches, then various waste from client jobs (evergreen trimmings, pumpkins from fall, old plants, etc.) Threw in some grass clippings, chopped up leaves and then more plant waste. Once the area is level, I will add soil and plant.

If you try hugelkulture you will save so much money on leaf bags you can buy more plants!

Sweet gum.

I am not talking about Doublemint or Wrigleys but this sweet gum does have a juicy fruit! I am referring to Liquidamber styraciflua, common name American sweet gum. Its common name refers to the aromatic gum that oozes from wounds to the tree. I have always been intrigued by sweetgum as it has so many great attributes. Beautiful star-shaped deep green leaves turn shades of orange and yellow, even purple and red, in fall. The tree’s kaleidoscope of fall color reminds me of another fall favorite – Fothergilla. No wonder since they are both in the colorful witch hazel family. Sweetgum grows easily in full sun to part shade in moist, well-drained soil. And this is a tree that will be around for a while, living up to 150 years.

If there is fault to be found with this tree it could be the fruit, which is a round seed-filled spiky ball that drops in the fall. Many consider this messy and potentially painful (if the hard fruit is stepped on). In Michael Dirr’s entry for Sweetgum in his widely recognized Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs, it states “This lovely tree would be on every gardener’s wish list were it not for the woody, spiny, capsular, 1″ to 1 ½” diameter fruit, which abscise through fall and winter.” For this reason I have never used sweetgum but that is about to change. 

I recently redesigned a client’s entire front landscape. We started from scratch and removed everything that had become overgrown and unhealthy. The design vision was for a simpler color palette with clean lines. Next up are the entry gardens at the head of the driveway. It’s not a large area but I would like to make it simple and dramatic to hint at the property’s other gardens.  I am considering Liquidamber styraciflua ‘Slender Silhouette’. At only four feet wide this is a very narrow specimen which will work well in the location and, because it is so narrow, its fruit will drop in a smaller spot. Also, since it is at the end of a driveway, I’m not worried about people stepping on the spiky fruits. I think I will keep the tree’s underplanting simple. Since my client’s last name means “yellow”, maybe a carpet of Hakonechloa macra ‘All Gold’?

What do you think? Have you used ‘Slender Silhouette”?

Plants to Fall For

You may not know it but fall is the ideal time for planting. Why? A few good reasons. Soil temperatures cool much more slowly than air temperatures in the fall allowing for a long season of root establishment. In contrast, spring’s cool soil takes longer to warm so root development is slower. Fall’s cooler temps also mean much less stress on the plants and more energy for plants to take root. Natural moisture, typically more available in fall, means less need to water. All these reasons mean you should be making a beeline to your local nursery for a last planting “hurrah”. But what should you pick up once you get there?

If you could only plant three things this fall I would pick:

1. Seven Son Flower (Heptacodium miconiodes): This deciduous shrub gets between 15-20ft tall and about 10 feet wide. It is a multi-stemmed, fountain-shaped shrub although it can be trained to a single trunk tree. Heptacodium has fragrant clusters of white flowers in late summer although it is the more colorful small purplish-red drupes that develop in fall that steal the show. I am always a fan of shrubs with more than one season of interest and even in winter heptacodium’s tan, exfoliating bark shines. Heptacodium prefers full sun although mine is doing fine in part shade. I especially like this shrub because it provides late forage and nectar for my bees.
   

   Heptacodium (left) with Aralia (right) in my garden

2. Golden Japanese Spikenard (Aralia cordata ‘Sun King’): Aralia ‘Sun King’ was recently named Perennial Plant of the Year by the Perennial Plant Association and it’s no wonder. This easy-care deciduous shrub has so many things going for it, including a jazzy chartreuse color that will lighten up any shade garden. Aralia will get about 3ft by 3ft although I have some in my garden that must be especially happy because they are almost 4ft. The sputnik like flowers, born in September, are always a favorite of my bees. I am a big fan of chartreuse and have it sprinkled throughout the garden. Aralia plays off very nicely with my lamium ‘Aureum’. hakonechloa and spirea ‘Ogon’. The nice thing about Aralia is that it completely dies to the ground in the winter which makes it the perfect plant for areas that might get hit by snow load.
3. Geranium ‘Rozanne:’ If you are in the market for a long-blooming, low-maintenance, colorful perennial than ‘Rozanne’ is your gal. I confess that I use it in just about every garden I design. ‘Rozanne’ is a true performer that is always guaranteed to make me look good. This perennial geranium, not to be confused with the annual pelargonium, is one of the longest blooming perennials in the garden and will provide beautiful bright blue color from mid-spring to mid-fall. Geranium ‘Rozanne’ will do best in full sun to part-shade. I have not noticed that it is bothered by pests. ‘Rozanne’ does tend to sprawl; if this bothers you you can whack it back mid-summer and it will push out new blooms on more compact stems. 

Geranium ‘Rozanne’ in a recent garden design

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