Indholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2023 i Garden Gate

Plants Pollinators Love If you’re trying to make your garden more pollinator friendly, knowing which plants to grow is key. Sam Hoadley, manager of horticultural research at Mt. Cuba Center in Delaware, leads a team of researchers who conduct plant trials on native plant species and their cultivars and hybrids. Each 3- to 5-year trial evaluates the performance and ornamental value of a plant and measures its attractiveness to pollinators. Based on these tests, he has shared some of the best plants you can grow to help birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects. START WITH THE SPECIES It’s true that native plants often attract lots of pollinators. But two cultivars, ‘Jeana’ garden phlox and ‘Jacob Cline’ bee balm, were head and shoulders above the other plants in their respective…

FRONT AND CENTER In this north-facing front yard, the shady foundation planting dresses up the house, a 60-foot-long border runs along the sidewalk and another accompanies guests up the front walk. SUCCULENT SHOWSTOPPER This charming living roof succulent display adds height and color contrast to the front border. Its 14x10-inch roof has a 2-inch lip that holds just enough potting mix for this collection of shallow-rooted succulents. When he built it, Jan drilled holes in each corner to allow drainage. The weight of the planted box keeps it in place on the 4x4 post. This makes it easier to lift and move indoors every winter. Even with winter protection, Jan finds that after a few years, the plants tend to look tired. When that happens, he freshens up the exterior…

Q What’s the best time to feed spring-blooming bulbs, such as tulips (Tulipa hybrids) and daffodils (Narcissus hybrids)? Pat Veach, PA A It takes time for the fertilizer to percolate through the soil to where it can be taken up by the roots, so feed your established bulbs two times per year: in fall and spring. Follow label directions as to the amount per square foot, and apply a granular fertilizer with a higher middle number similar to 10-15-10. Or apply a fertilizer labeled specifically for bulbs. Along with it, spread 1 cup of bone meal per 20 square feet. Lightly scratch everything into the soil. If the season is dry, soak the area after applying fertilizer to help it on its way down through the soil. Q How do…

Is it just me, or do tomatoes have a secret supernatural ability to notice when you’ve gone on vacation? They seem to sense the moment you are unable to check on them daily and go completely bonkers and take over your entire backyard. BACK TO REALITY My family takes a twoish week summer vacation every year. Over the years, we’ve criss crossed the country, logging hundreds of hours of driving while eating sandwiches out of a cooler. And as soon as our tired tires hit the end of our driveway, we can see that we are in big trouble. Again. It’s as if a couple of pesky kids snuck into our yard, started a game of Garden Jumanji that quickly spiraled out of control, and now there are man-eating, killer…

How to Plant a Bulb Lawn Grow a carpet of spring flower bulbs in your lawn that will feed early pollinators and create a beautiful display of color every year! Youtube.com/gardengatemagazine WEB EXTRAS Scan the QR codes throughout the issue to access expanded articles, how-to videos, & more smart garden tips online. Or visit GGMagExtra.com How to Grow Mums There’s no quicker way to add color in fall. If you’ve been growing mums only as annuals, here are some techniques to keep these beautiful perennials coming back every year. GardenGateMagazine.com/articles/flowers-plants/ Fall Garden To-Do’s GardenGateMagazine.com/articles/how-to/ Fall Garden Checklist Here’s what to do now for your best garden next year. How to Save Tender Bulbs for Next Season Find everything you need to know to save tender bulbs, corms, and tubers to…

Gardening is so rewarding, but it does come with some challenges. Sometimes greedy deer make a buffet of your borders or swarms of Japanese beetles chew up plants. Or bad soil and juglone-producing walnut trees can inhibit plant growth. If you struggle with any of these problems, we’ve rounded up some plants that tolerate them and still thrive so you can enjoy the garden you’ve been dreaming about. Tall sedum Hylotelephium hybrids When you want all-season interest without any holes chewed or edges munched by Japanese beetles, tall sedum is a great choice. This tough perennial can take heat and drought, is super cold hardy, and the only maintenance it needs is to have the dead stems cut back in early spring. Most tall sedums have rust-red blooms that age…

People, plants, animals, insects—we all belong to a giant web of life. Permaculture, or “permanent agriculture,” is an all-encompassing way of thinking about how to promote the natural interaction between all of these players. And it’s been practiced for thousands of years. But in the late 20th century, environmentalist David Holmgren distilled these concepts into 12 principles that you see represented on this page. These ideas center around three ethics: caring for the earth, caring for people and fair shares (meaning every living being gets a piece of the pie). You’re probably already practicing permaculture on some level in your own garden, but if you’d like to incorporate a few of these principles into your plantings or design, here are four easy ways to start. Marisa practices permaculture in her…

BALANCE THE BORDER The 15-foot-tall multistemmed blackhaw viburnum in the back corner provides a colorful anchor. Three 7-foot-tall panicle hydrangeas smooth the transition to the lower-growing perennials in front. WELCOME BIRDS AND BUTTERFLIES Fall is a great time to think about pollinators — especially birds and butterflies that need extra energy to migrate or prepare for a long winter. Birds of all types will gobble up the viburnum berries and coneflower seeds, and passing hummingbirds will take special notice of the tubular salvia blooms. Asters, goldenrod and dahlias are a sure bet for the butterflies and other insects. CUT FLOWERS UNTIL FROST The perennials and grasses in this border are planted in sweeps so you can cut plenty for your seasonal vases without worrying about stripping the garden bare. And…

Call for winged help Rebecca Sweet, CA If you have a heavy insect pest infestation taking over your garden, you might want to harness all the resources available. Oak tree worms devoured Rebecca’s garden every spring so she worked to bring more insect-eating birds into her garden. The lure: peanuts. Birds who eat oak tree worms, such as nuthatches, woodpeckers and sparrows, also feast on peanuts. When Rebecca placed a peanut feeder under her oak tree, she saw that these birds ate from the feeder and also fed on the oak worms as they hatched from within the oak bark, preventing the worms from reaching the garden. A smart storage hack Anna Ellenberger, PA When Anna buys multipacks of plants, the garden center puts them in plastic trays with gridded…

Could your garden use a little artwork? Try growing a living sculpture. With its interesting branch structure and lacy leaves that take on beautiful fall color, ‘Viridis’ Japanese maple makes quite the statement. And it’s one of the more cold-hardy Japanese maples, so even gardeners in zone 5 can grow it reliably year after year. HOW TO GROW ‘VIRIDIS’ Japanese maples are often grown as understory trees in part shade and even grow well near walnuts. But typically, the more sun they get, the brighter the fall color, especially for green-leafed varieties. In zones 5 and 6, you can grow ‘Viridis’ in full sun all day, but in zones 7 and warmer, plant it in a spot that’s shaded in the hottest part of the day or the foliage may…

Creative energy abounds in this zone 8 Oregon garden. With an abundance of nature’s beauty and manmade structures and art, it’s easy to be inspired by the hard work that’s gone into making this backyard retreat where Meredith and Donald Hilderbrand designed and built the home and gardens. The property is nestled into a forest of Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) so there’s a blur between what’s native and cultivated. Follow the paths and you’ll come upon cozy nooks as well as open lawn for parties and play. On the following pages, we’ll explore how you can make your outdoor areas just as welcoming. The patio Surrounded by plants and trees, the patio is one of the main outdoor areas the Hilderbrands use. With close proximity to the house, it’s convenient…