Mid-Century pollinator pad
One of our latest projects involved turning a messy, weedy area at the base of our client’s steep driveway into a contemporary pollinator garden. The style of the house is mid-century modern, so we kept our design very linear and planted in rows of material. We started with a tall Joe Pye weed (eupatorium maculatum) and fronted that with wild quinine (parthenium integrifolium). Next came a row of agastache and then in front coreopsis. Finally, we planted sedum ‘Fuldagut’ and allowed it to wander down the slope a bit.
Planting in blocks is best for pollinators since it makes plants easier to see and also helps them to conserve energy while foraging. A planting like this is also conserving energy for the homeowner since all these plants are low maintenance and, once established, will do well in hot, dry conditions. By designing with perennials, which die to the ground in winter, we will minimize any damage that could be done by the snowplow as it comes down the drive.
I am excited by the potential this garden has to help all kinds of pollinators. Before we had even started digging, while we were arranging plants, a few butterflies came by. That’s always a good sign!
Eeeewwwwwww.
As slimy as slugs are there are some pretty cool facts about them you might not know. Read on to ensure an exciting conversation at the dinner table tonight!
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One slug can have up to 90,000 grandchildren. (You want to knock Grandma and Grandpa out fast so get that slug deterrent down early. Now is a good time as hosta shoots are starting to poke out.)
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A slug’s blood is green!
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Slugs can live for up to 6 years.
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A slug has 27,000 teeth – more than a shark!
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Only 5% of slugs are above ground at any one time, meaning there are a lot more we DON’T see.
For more on slugs, as well as ways to prevent them and other pests, schedule my presentation, “Tips, Tricks and Trade Secrets.”
Your roots are showing.
Root washing is turning the traditional way of planting trees and shrubs on its head. The procedure involves taking a tree or shrub, either container grown or B&B, and gently washing the soil from the roots. Why? Removal of soil allows the roots to be clearly seen. As a result any girdling, or circling roots can be removed. Girdling roots happen when material is grown in a container or B&B for too long. Roots cannot grow outward so they begin to circle. Because of “root memory” they continue to do so even when transplanted. Girdling roots can end up strangling a tree. Removal of girdling roots will give any new transplant a better start. Trunk, or root, flare (which is where the first main roots attach to the trunk) is also more easily seen when soil is removed by root washing. Since many trees die because they are planted too deeply identifying the flare is crucial to success. Additionally by removing the medium around the root ball you allow the roots to adjust to their new home immediately without having to travel across the “interface” zone. This is the area between the root ball soil, which is typically clay, and the backfill soil. Roots do not easily pass from one type to the other.
This all seems to make sense to me and I confess I have always removed burlap when planting trees despite being told I shouldn’t.
A tough invasive to swallow.
Black swallow-wort (Cynanchum louiseae) is an invasive perennial vine that can grow up to 8 feet tall. If it has nothing to climb on it will tangle around itself creating thick ropes which makes its common name – “dog-strangling vine”- understandable. Black swallow-wort has opposite green leaves and small purple five-petaled flowers. It produces long green pods in late July like other plants in the milkweed family. Seeds from these pods are dispersed by the wind.
Black swallow-wort can grow in sun or shade and is allelopathic which means its roots release a compound that inhibits the growth of nearby plants. Black swallow-wort can also be harmful to Monarchs as they sometimes lay their eggs on the milkweed look-alike only to have the larvae starve once they hatch.
Black swallow-wort is difficult to control. If you plan to dig the plant up, make sure you get as much of the root crown and rhizomes as possible otherwise it will re-sprout. Bag the plants and dispose of properly as seed pods can still form even when out of the ground.
Watercolors.
I was so excited to find this sweet birdbath a few years ago and promptly placed it in my perennial garden. Unfortunately the birds did not seem to like it. Maybe its location – near a side door – was too busy for them. However, I loved the way it looked in the garden and was determined that it would not sit empty. After a trip to Chanticleer Garden I was inspired. My birdbath would no longer be a birdbath but a vessel to hold whatever was blooming in my garden at the time. I love this idea for so many reasons. As I walk by I notice details of flowers that I might otherwise have not. The slightest breeze shifts the composition, keeping things fresh. The arrangement is truly the captured garden, showing my whole garden in one small space. I change the flowers in my “watercolor” every few days to keep the welcome at my side door inviting.
If you have an unused vessel why not turn it into a “frame” for your own watercolor?
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