Indholdsfortegnelse for July/August 2020 i Horticulture

Merriam-Webster defines pastime as “something that amuses and serves to make time pass agreeably.” If ever we needed a pastime, it has been this year, when the covid-19 pandemic required many of us to stay at home from March through May. (As I write this in late May, my home state of Massachusetts is just beginning phase one of reopening.) This spring we needed more than just a way to pass the time at home, though. We also needed to look for bright sides to a situation that was frightening and frustrating. Perhaps the ultimate bright side for home gardeners was the timing of the shutdown. What time in the gardening calendar passes more agreeably than spring? It’s the season of fresh growth, endless possibilities, pressing tasks and, of course,…

As with any plant, check with local extension agencies or other resources before selecting a species for your garden. Some cover crops can become weedy under the right growing conditions or if they aren’t managed properly. Hairy vetch (Vicia villosa) This nitrogen-fixing legume grows quickly, making it a good choice for suppressing weed-seed germination. Seeds sown in late summer will regrow the following spring, with rapid development that can then be turned into the soil before the spring vegetable garden is planted. This is best done a two or three weeks before crop-sowing time, because hairy vetch can hinder the growth of some other plants. Winter rye (Secale cereale) A hardy grain, winter rye is a popular choice for winter cover that will prevent soil erosion. The seeds can be…

My mother-in-law dreams of growing an English garden full of beautifully blooming roses, hydrangeas and primroses. Unfortunately, she lives in the high desert of Southern California, where the most common landscape plants include cacti and Joshua trees. Even worse? She hates cacti and Joshua trees. If you find yourself in a similar situation, you don’t have to give up your floral fancies and you don’t have to line your beds with prickly succulents. Instead, you only need to discover the many plants that can handle the extremes of a desert garden. CONSIDERATIONS Along with the obviously tough conditions of intense heat and lack of moisture, desert gardeners must also contend with challenges from the wind and soil. Thanks to factors such as nearby mountains, sprawling vistas and the natural flow…

To get to Thuya Garden you must first travel to the edge of the continent. Situated in Northeast Harbor, Maine, on the southern coast of Mount Desert Island and at the foot of Acadia National Park, this garden is a bit off the beaten path. Here the landscape is rugged and distinctly coastal, with notably brutal winters and short, delectable summers. The condensed growing timeline creates a delightful condition of overlapping blooms. Thuya Garden is particularly rich and densely floriferous, especially in the month of August. THE APPROACH The most elegant approach to Thuya Garden is by way of the winding and rusticated Asticou Terrace Trail. (Note: This path requires navigation over steep and irregular terrain. For those who prefer a shorter or easier trip, there is an accessible parking…

CAROLINA JESSAMINE GELSEMIUM SEMPERVIRENS The yellow-flowered vine known as Carolina jessamine or false jasmine is a quick-growing US native that offers fragrant blossoms. Clusters of one- to two-inch-long trumpet-shaped flowers appear from late winter to early spring. The evergreen foliage looks medium green in spring and summer, but it takes on a bronze or purplish cast in fall and winter. HABIT: Carolina jessamine is a woody vine that can climb by twining stems to 20 to 30 feet long. Without a support to climb, it will form a bushy three-foot-tall ground cover. ORIGINS: This vine is native to woods and thickets of the southern Mid-Atlantic states through the Southeast and into eastern Texas. It is the state flower of South Carolina. HOW TO GROW IT: Plant Carolina jessamine in full…

1. SWAMP MILKWEED Asclepias incarnata. This pink-flowered perennial is native to swamps and prairies across eastern North America. It’s a great choice for an area with poor drainage, as it will tolerate even the muckiest clay. It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies and hosts the caterpillars of monarch and queen butterflies. Full to part sun. USDA Zones 3–9. 2. COMMON BUTTONBUSH Cephalanthus occidentalis. This shrub grows 6 to 12 feet tall, sometimes forming a multistemmed small tree. It grows well in wet soil. Its ball-like white flowers, a favorite of viceroy butterflies, give way to button-like fruits; both make it highly ornamental. It’s native to swamps of eastern North America. Full sun to part shade; Zones 5–9. 3. YELLOW WAKEROBIN Trillium luteum. After it blooms in spring, this low-growing perennial dies…

MOST FOOD GARDENERS plant summer vegetables like cucumbers or bush beans after the risk of frost has passed in spring. In the case of bush beans, the plants begin to produce around two months from seeding, with the harvest continuing for about two weeks. To enjoy a much longer harvest season, I succession plant quick-growing summer vegetables like bush beans two to three times. Here are three crops that should be planted more than once: To enjoy a much longer harvest season, I succession plant quick-growing summer vegetables. As noted above, bush beans have a relatively short harvest window, and if you’re like me, you want to enjoy months of homegrown beans. Most varieties, like ‘Provider’, go from seed to harvest very quickly, in just 50 days. My first sowing…

ONE OF THE MOST maligned plants in the cultures of the world is our friend the dandelion. This guy is like the monsters from the movie Alien. It is about as tough, proving almost impossible to eradicate despite the best efforts of men, women and gophers. Taraxacum officinalis originally hailed from Europe. If you look closely you will notice that its leaves form a rosette lying against the ground that have a resemblance to lion’s teeth—thus the name dandelion, from the French dent-de-lion, or “teeth of the lion.” It’s believed that dandelions travelled to North America with the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower, who brought them for medicinal use. In the interim centuries in North America, the dandelion has earned a reputation as a weed. This horticultural nightmare has just about…

• Hot Color, Dry Garden by Nan Sterman • The Drought-defying California Garden: 230 Native Plants for a Lush, Low-Water Landscape by Greg Rubin and Lucy Warren • The Hot Garden: Landscape Design for the Desert Southwest by Scott Calhoun • Desert Landscaping by the University of Arizona; see https://desertlandscaping.arizona.edu • Low Water-Use Landscape Plants for the Southwest by New Mexico State University; see https://aces.nmsu.edu/pes/lowwaterplants/index.html…

ELEPHANT EARS (Colocasia and Alocasia) are tropical plants grown for their stunning, often enormous leaves, which can be lime green, variegated or nearly black. These summer-loving plants grow from a bulb planted in the spring. They take well to growing in pots, provided the gardener follows a few guidelines. Alocasia grow more upright than colocasia, with very large leaves that can stand nearly vertical. It can transition to a houseplant in regions where it won’t survive the winter outdoors, and it will remain in green growth all year. If size prevents this, the bulb can be stored dormant. Meanwhile the relatively smaller leaves of colocasia varieties require that dormant period; these plants will die back in the fall and rest over the winter. Where they aren’t hardy, they can be…

IF YOU LOVE HISTORY PARADISE ON THE HUDSON By Caroline Seebohm Timber Press, 2020 This book tells the story of Untermyer Garden, once the estate of activist and attorney Samuel Untermyer (1858–1940), who fought for transparency in business and banking, women’s suffrage and other causes. In 1899 he purchased a Hudson River mansion and soon set about crafting its landscape into an ornate, stunning, expansive garden that combined elements from cultures around the world. The inherently competitive lawyer insisted his garden be “the finest in the world,” yet he also harbored a true passion for plants. After his death the property was broken up and fell into decline, but around 2010 a group led by architect Stephen Byrns, with Wave Hill alum Marco Polo Stufano, set about rescuing what they…

EACH TIME you come home with a new plant and give it a good home in your ground you perform an act of faith for a better future. When you move a struggling perennial from here to there, likewise. In your basement late in winter, you plant tomato seeds with eager anticipation of many delicious fruits hot from the vine in July. Even as we enter into our fall cleanup, gardeners work with confidence in the promise of next year’s season of beauty and abundance. Such expectations for new and better are a part of every gardening decision. They’re part of every gardening motion. As much as gardens provide bounty, they also yield hope, and we need hope for our spirits as much as we need nutrition for the body.…

Find success with these tips from Dr. Carl Whitcomb: • Crapemyrtle are adaptable, but they grow and flower best in full sun. Although they tolerate shade, any decrease in light intensity and duration will decrease growth and flowering, while reducing the flower’s color intensity, too. • They like hot temperatures. They can be hardy as far north as USDA Zone 5, but they need a spot there with reflected light and heat. In Zones 5 and 6 they behave like a hardy perennial. • Remove mulch when the planting area is free of frost; this will make the soil warm up faster, to the crapemyrtle’s liking. • Delay planting new crapemyrtle until the soil has warmed—Dr. Whitcomb recommends planting them in June, July or August. • His introductions have a…

Most people with small gardens want the same thing: a beautiful, dynamic garden that looks good yet also marks the passing of the seasons with flowers and fall color. What they don’t want is a garden overwhelmed with plants too big for the space. One sees it all the time—the holly that was so petite at the garden center has now taken over an entire postage-stamp garden. Or one spends all their spare time trimming back overlarge azaleas and viburnums to the point that they become shapeless blobs. Finding plants that can scale into small spaces can be a challenge. More often than not, the solution lies not with popular nursery shrubs, but with a combination of evergreen and reblooming perennials, well-behaved varieties of ninebark and deutzia and finally, a…

ICELAND IS KNOWN for many things, including northern lights, steaming geysers (from the Icelandic geysir), sturdy five-gaited horses and abundant geothermal springs. It is not known for agriculture on a scale recognizable to most of the rest of the world. At only 1.2 percent (according to the World Bank), arable land on this island bordering on the Arctic Circle is rare, and the time available to cultivate it is short. But I had heard that the Icelandic people are resourceful, coming up with ways to use the natural resources that they do have to grow tomatoes, a few other vegetables, flowers and even some bananas. It was no great surprise to my gardening friends that I was drawn to visit the Fridheimar tomato farm, the same way that a hiker…

Incorporate curves into your landscape to encourage exploration and create a visually dynamic space. Include seating so that you can enjoy your beautiful creation. Place benches in all of your favorite spots so you can admire different views. Place seating in shade for when you need to cool down and in sun for warming up. Add a water feature for an experience that speaks to more than one sense. Listen to the sound, contemplate the course of the water or feel the cool mist. Add height to the garden with trees or ornamental grasses and tall flowers. Vertical plants and features help carry the eye through the space. Consider some formality. Formal gardens are visually arresting and sophisticated. Think in elegant lines and shapes when crafting plant combinations. Add decorative…