Planting Strategy
I won't launch into a detailed and rambling essay on garden planning laden with confusing Latin names because:
It would be very boring; and Having no formal training in either gardening or Latin, I wouldn't know how to.
So ... not quite as the nursery ryhme says ...
Mary Mary quite contrary.
WHY does your garden grow?
That is, what do you want from your garden?
On my deck, I am looking to create an outdoor room for us to enjoy the summer weather. And we are in an urban area, so privacy is important. That means I need to have the plants elevated, hanging or climbing to create a living privacy screen. Since it is a deck and we do enjoy sub-zero temperatures, I need to use annual plants that fill in quickly or plan to bring them indoors during the cold months.
I like having birds and butterflies visit, so I used plants with vivid colours and lots of scent to attract them. My no-to-low maintenance policy means no pruning and nothing delicate or prone to bug infestation. Finally, we love to eat well at our house and seem to have a constant challenge finding fresh herbs. So there is a produce section in our own little Eden.
Getting High
To get the privacy, I need plants that grow tall or climb on something. Of course, there are the hanging baskets mentioned in the previous post. One thing I haven't mentioned yet is that you can grow perennials outdoors in containers and have them survive the winter months. We are in a very mild area for Ontario and enjoy the moderating effects of Lake Ontario, so our winters aren't as severe as, say, Barrie or Muskoka. So I'm counting on that being sufficiently mild to leave a few hardy plants outside this winter.
In the largest of the fibreglass planters, I added a wire frame trellis. I have planted a clematis (a fairly hardy perennial) and in only two weeks, it is already sending tendrils curling around the wire frame. I've used a cultivar called Crystal Fountain, a new variation from Japan. It will have lavender blue flowers with yellow/white centres. I chose this plant as it is compact and recommended for small spaces like patios or containers.
It has the added advantage of flowering twice each season, in May-June and again in August. Since this is it's first season, I won't see any blooms now, but will probably have something to show for my efforts at the end of the summer. Clematis like to be in full sun, but should have their roots shaded so I have added some brilliant red Sunny Impatiens around the base of the clematis, serving two purposes: keeping the roots of the clematis cool and shaded; and adding colour to fill in what would be a fairly stark looking space. The Sunny Impatiens, of course, is an annual and will come out in the fall cleanup. I will let you know if/how we survive the winter.
The other two fibreglass planters are home to canna lillies. These are bulbs that will grow 4 to 5 feet tall and have brilliant scarlet blooms. The bulbs will have to be lifted in the winter and stored indoors, just as they would in any garden in this climate. Again, to add some interest to the planters, I have added colourful trailing annuals and foliage at the base of the canna.
The deck already had some basic wooden trellises afixed to one privacy screen. A perfect place to show off some climbing annuals. I have always loved Morning Glory, but often have trouble finding a suitable spot, as it can be very aggressive and invasive.
I think I have the perfect place for it this year. I started the Morning Glory from seed. To speed germination, place the seeds in a wet paper towel overnight. In just 24 hours the seeds will be starting to sprout. I planted them in small decorative pottery planters and added a couple of petunias to each pot for some colour at the base. The Morning Glory seeds have settled in and are already 6-8 inches tall and reaching out for the trellis. Within a month, the trellises will be covered in lush green vines and brilliant blue blooms. Cost of this effect, a grand total of $1.49 for a package of seeds.
More strategy coming in the next post.
So ... not quite as the nursery ryhme says ...
Mary Mary quite contrary.
WHY does your garden grow?
That is, what do you want from your garden?
On my deck, I am looking to create an outdoor room for us to enjoy the summer weather. And we are in an urban area, so privacy is important. That means I need to have the plants elevated, hanging or climbing to create a living privacy screen. Since it is a deck and we do enjoy sub-zero temperatures, I need to use annual plants that fill in quickly or plan to bring them indoors during the cold months.I like having birds and butterflies visit, so I used plants with vivid colours and lots of scent to attract them. My no-to-low maintenance policy means no pruning and nothing delicate or prone to bug infestation. Finally, we love to eat well at our house and seem to have a constant challenge finding fresh herbs. So there is a produce section in our own little Eden.
Getting High
To get the privacy, I need plants that grow tall or climb on something. Of course, there are the hanging baskets mentioned in the previous post. One thing I haven't mentioned yet is that you can grow perennials outdoors in containers and have them survive the winter months. We are in a very mild area for Ontario and enjoy the moderating effects of Lake Ontario, so our winters aren't as severe as, say, Barrie or Muskoka. So I'm counting on that being sufficiently mild to leave a few hardy plants outside this winter.
In the largest of the fibreglass planters, I added a wire frame trellis. I have planted a clematis (a fairly hardy perennial) and in only two weeks, it is already sending tendrils curling around the wire frame. I've used a cultivar called Crystal Fountain, a new variation from Japan. It will have lavender blue flowers with yellow/white centres. I chose this plant as it is compact and recommended for small spaces like patios or containers.
It has the added advantage of flowering twice each season, in May-June and again in August. Since this is it's first season, I won't see any blooms now, but will probably have something to show for my efforts at the end of the summer. Clematis like to be in full sun, but should have their roots shaded so I have added some brilliant red Sunny Impatiens around the base of the clematis, serving two purposes: keeping the roots of the clematis cool and shaded; and adding colour to fill in what would be a fairly stark looking space. The Sunny Impatiens, of course, is an annual and will come out in the fall cleanup. I will let you know if/how we survive the winter.The other two fibreglass planters are home to canna lillies. These are bulbs that will grow 4 to 5 feet tall and have brilliant scarlet blooms. The bulbs will have to be lifted in the winter and stored indoors, just as they would in any garden in this climate. Again, to add some interest to the planters, I have added colourful trailing annuals and foliage at the base of the canna.The deck already had some basic wooden trellises afixed to one privacy screen. A perfect place to show off some climbing annuals. I have always loved Morning Glory, but often have trouble finding a suitable spot, as it can be very aggressive and invasive.
I think I have the perfect place for it this year. I started the Morning Glory from seed. To speed germination, place the seeds in a wet paper towel overnight. In just 24 hours the seeds will be starting to sprout. I planted them in small decorative pottery planters and added a couple of petunias to each pot for some colour at the base. The Morning Glory seeds have settled in and are already 6-8 inches tall and reaching out for the trellis. Within a month, the trellises will be covered in lush green vines and brilliant blue blooms. Cost of this effect, a grand total of $1.49 for a package of seeds.More strategy coming in the next post.
Labels: gardens
posted by Anne at 10:00 PM
1 Comments:
Beautiful flowers on your deck. Thanks for sharing.
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