Indholdsfortegnelse for May/June 2023 i Garden Gate

There’s a time between the cool-season spring bulbs and heat-loving summer annuals when many perennials explode into bloom. It’s a joy to be in the garden: The temperature is warm but not hot, there’s been enough rain but it’s not muddy, and you’re still ahead of the weeds. The three plantings here hit their peak at that sweet spot between spring and summer. Want to keep these beauties looking great through the summer? Spread a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch, such as shredded bark, wood chips, straw or even compost, around the plants before they get too big. This will help them stay hydrated and smother weed seedlings that would become competition in the garden. You’ll thank yourself later when you have fewer weeds to deal with and you…

Hollyhock Alcea rosea A mainstay of traditional cottage gardens, the hollyhock calls to mind storybook illustrations. These plants may be biennials or short-lived perennials, but they reseed to repeat their June-through-August bloom for many years. WHERE IT WORKS BEST Hollyhocks grow tall, typically reaching 5 to 8 feet — in fact, they were often used to screen outhouses prior to indoor plumbing. Today, they shine in mixed flower beds, where their shape contrasts with low, mounding annuals and perennials. They can still be planted to hide structures like fences and sheds, and now you can also find shorter cultivars for containers. HOW TO GROW IT Hollyhocks need full sun and good drainage. Staking is necessary only in a windy site. As biennials, they grow leaves in year one, flower in…

It doesn’t matter if you prefer the sweet crunch of a bell pepper or the fiery heat of a habanero; you’ll find growing your own peppers is easy and rewarding. Both sweet and hot peppers grow on plants that are productive, but also beautiful with glossy fruits in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. There are two main types of peppers: sweet and hot. Sweet peppers have little to no heat and a flavor that runs from mild to fruity. The immature fruits of most varieties of sweet peppers are green and ripen to rich hues of red, orange, yellow, purple, white and even chocolate brown. Large bell pepper plants produce 5 to 10 fruits each, while mini fruiting varieties typically yield several dozen peppers per plant. Hot peppers,…

Need privacy on your porch? Move in a hedge of container-grown evergreens to shield the view. Patio too sunny? Add a touch of shade with a kousa dogwood in a pot. Want more color in a shady spot? Try a burgundyfoliaged Japanese maple in a teal pot like the one at left. The great thing about trees grown in containers is that they are relatively mobile, so you can place them wherever you want. Container-grown trees provide height in spots where you can’t plant in the ground and add drama and permanence where you might normally just grow annuals. But there are a few tips and techniques that can help you keep them growing healthy for years. Although you can plant almost any tree in a container, you’ll have the…

Keep Plants Growing GardenGateMagazine.com/articles/how-to/water-feed/ Compost Basics Learn how to make this garden treasure — and how to make the most of it! Organic Garden Products Looking for an organic fertilizer, soil amendment or insecticide? Here are 6 products you should know about. 10 Plants to Attract Hummingbirds Make your garden a hummingbird haven when you grow a few of these 10 nectar-rich plants. GardenGateMagazine.com/articles/flowers-plants/ WEB EXTRAS Scan the QR codes throughout the issue to access expanded articles, helpful how-to videos, & more garden ideas online. Or visit: GGMagExtra.com U.S. Botanic Gardens to Visit Looking for spots to visit this year? Check out these 11 must-see botanic gardens. GardenGateMagazine.com/articles/design-ideas/ JOIN OUR GARDEN GROUP ON FACEBOOK! Commiserate and celebrate with like-minded gardeners from all over the world in our Facebook group! Join…

Summer borders get a whole new look when you grow the big trumpet-shaped, and often brightly colored, blooms of Asiatic lilies. Sitting on tall upright stems, they’re a sure way to grab attention early to midsummer. They bloom earlier than other groups of lilies and multiply faster too. Though each bulb produces just one stem, there are two to four buds on each one (or more depending on the variety), creating a flower show that can last up to a month. Besides being beautiful, Asiatic lilies are cold hardy and grow happily in the same spot for years. Grow bold-colored Asiatic lilies, such as ‘Forever Susan’ or ‘Heart Strings’, next to the patio to set a tropical and energetic mood that’s perfect for entertaining. Or try soft-toned ‘Easy Vanilla’ to…

garden design This is the time of year that containers are top of mind for every gardener. Half the fun of planting them is trying out new combinations or swapping plants out for new looks each season. The other half is seeing what other gardeners have come up with—a little inspiration can really get the creative juices flowing. Last year we put out a call to readers asking them to send in their best container designs so we can share them with everyone here. The response was amazing—our readers really know how to put together beautiful containers! Thanks to everyone who sent in an entry, and congratulations to our winners on the following pages. The Grand Prize winner and two Runners Up received some beautiful containers from Gardener’s Supply Co.…

Q When I planted alliums several years ago, I set the bulbs at the recommended depth. Now they’re poking through the surface. What should I do? Kristi Boone, MI A If all kinds of bulbs in your garden are rising to the surface, it’s probably the winter freeze-thaw cycle. The bulb is pushed up and possibly even out of the soil by frost heave. Apply mulch in winter over the area to help prevent heaving. Only these alliums (Allium atropurpureum) affected? It’s pretty normal. If your bulbs have been planted for years, as clumps multiply, young bulbs often rise to the surface. Simply relocate the extras. Alliums are related to onions, which prefer sharp drainage. If they’re in heavy, wet soil, they can naturally adjust their depth to what they…

PROBLEM #1 Your garden has no edge Crisp edges can elevate the garden bed from just-flower-filled to floriferous and refined. Plus, proper edging keeps weeds and lawn from sneaking into the bed and makes mowing the lawn easier. If your garden beds are high-maintenance or a little untidy, get edgy with any of these three simple edging ideas you can do yourself. ← TRENCHED EDGING Use a shovel or a half-moon edging tool to dig straight down 4 to 5 inches. Redistribute the soil toward the center of the bed, creating a slope. Add a couple inches of mulch to keep soil in place. You can easily expand or change the shape of your bed, but you’ll need to routinely recut the edge to keep it functioning. ← BRICK OR…

Blue is such a versatile garden color: For example, dark blues tend to recede into the background, adding the illusion of space in a small garden. Its serene, calming vibe is perfect for a garden where you want to relax. Or plant blue flowers with complementary colors like orange or yellow to create energy and excitement. Pair blue and white for sharp, cool contrast. And you can add blue flowers to pastel plantings so they become more vibrant. In addition to all the visual reasons to use blue in your garden, one of the best perks is that pollinators love them. Bees are especially attracted to blue, and many butterflies and hummingbirds like blue blossoms almost as much as their traditional red favorites. And fortunately, there’s a blue flower for…

Astilbe is one of those go-to perennials that brings so much to the garden. Its distinctive blooms range from bright and bold to soothing pastels, and they last for weeks—even months when you have the right combination of astilbes. Flower plumes come in different shapes, from stiffly upright, like the pink blooms at right, to loose and drapey. In addition, the ferny pest- and disease-free foliage provides great texture for your shade garden, and deer and rabbits usually give it a pass. Astilbe can even grow in full sun if you have a spot with plenty of moisture. Though there are 25 species, just a few of them are the primary source for most of the hybrids you find at the garden center: Japanese astilbe is an early summer bloomer.…

What it looks like The most distinctive identifying factor of this North American native annual is the flower: In late summer the tall stems are topped with loose panicles that at first glance look like buds that never open. Look more closely and you’ll see the tiny tubular flowers are held inside this tight ¾-inch-long bract. After the flowers are pollinated, the seedhead reveals tiny brown seeds attached to tufts of soft white hairs that are dispersed by the wind. Brittle, unbranched stems reach 2 to 8 feet tall. Sharply lobed leaves are alternate and can grow up to 8 inches long and 3 inches wide. Crush a leaf and it gives off a bitter scent, which protects this weed from foraging animals. Where to find it Pilewort is adaptable…