Innehållsförteckning för November/December 2021 från Garden Gate

Angel’s trumpet Datura spp. and hybrids Arkansas amsonia Amsonia hubrichtii Astilbe Astilbe spp. and hybrids Bee balm Monarda spp. and hybrids Christmas fern Polystichum acrostichoides Daffodil Narcissus spp. and hybrids Hellebore Helleborus spp. and hybrids Larkspur Consolida spp. and hybrids Lavender Lavandula spp. and hybrids Leatherleaf sedge Carex buchananii Maiden grass Miscanthus sinensis Milkweed Asclepias spp. Monkshood Aconitum spp. and hybrids Mountain mint Pycnanthemum virginianum Ostrich fern Matteuccia struthiopteris Poppy Papaver spp. and hybrids Red-hot poker Kniphofia spp. and hybrids Sage Salvia spp. and hybrids Windflower Anenome coronaria Yarrow Achillea millefolium…

Many agaves form offsets, or “pups” that can be separated from the mother plants. When you see a little plant like this forming around the edge of a mature agave, carefully dig it out with a hand trowel, getting as many of the roots as possible. Snip the connection to the mother plant with pruners. Allow the pup to dry in a shady spot for a few days (to prevent moisture from causing rot) before replanting. Agaves also reproduce by seeds and by bulbils, or tiny living agaves that form on the bloom stalk. Separating pups, however, is the easiest way to get more plants.…

There’s a lot of variety in the agave genus. Large specimens can grow more than 10 feet tall, but there are small, dish-sized agaves as well. What’s more, there are even agaves with soft leaves and no spines at all. Leaves tend toward a blue-green color in hardier varieties and a gray-green color in warm-climate varieties. There are also variegated agaves with gold or white markings. With so many choices, you’re sure to find a unique specimen to add to your garden. James enjoys growing agaves in containers and watches out for the sharp spines when moving them indoors and out.…

Gardening is all about connections. Roots and soil, sun and photosynthesis, pollinators and flowers, gardens and gardeners – linked together, they create a beautiful landscape. It’s no surprise then that gardeners love to connect with each other, too. Whether it’s chatting over the fence, attending a class or joining an online community, we find all kinds of ways to share information. We recently surveyed our readers and social media friends about which tips, advice and slip-ups have been most helpful to them. Here’s what they said. Right Plant, Right Place Knowing that you have the sun plant in sun is just the beginning of growing great plants. Laurie Voigt of Ontario, Canada, has taken a couple of years to observe the movement of the sun, hours of light and shade,…

Weeping trees may need some pruning and shaping to maintain a cascading habit. The blue branches above are those that I would prune. Timing depends on the type of tree: Prune spring-flowering trees after they bloom and evergreens in late winter or early spring.…

A Foxglove Digitalispurpurea‘Camelot Rose’ Biennial; pink flower spikes emerge in the plant’s second year in late spring to early summer; full sun to part shade; 36 to 48 in. tall, 24 to 30 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 4 to 9 B Azalea Rhododendron‘Rosebud’ Shrub; pale pink buds open to double blooms in early spring; part shade; 2 to 4 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 5 to 8 C Peony Paeonia ‘Dancing Butterflies’ Perennial; large, single fragrant bright pink flowers in spring; full sun; 24 to 36 in. tall, 30 to 36 in. wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 3 to 9 D Lady’s mantle Alchemillamollis Perennial; yellow-green sprays of flowers bloom in late spring over attractive mounds of foliage; full sun to…

Laurice found that she could avoid the unpleasant difficulty of rescuing an animal trapped in her window well by providing an easy way out: Stack a variety of rectangular and square pavers to create a stairway that animals can climb up to escape.Laurice Markowski, MI Straw mulch substitute Mary-Jane Duford, BC After Mary-Jane was unable to get to the store early enough in the spring to purchase straw mulch for her strawberry patch, she had to make do with what she had on hand. She cut down her overwintered ‘Karl Foerster’ feather reed grass (which was a task that needed to be done at that time anyway) and used it as mulch around her strawberry plants. It kept the weeds down just as well as straw did! She never noticed…

Add vertical interest to your patio with these easy-to-build shelves. Gather a few supplies from your local home improvement center, add a couple hours of work and you’ll have a unique way to display small containers and decor at eye level. MAKE THE SHELVES Cedar is a great choice for the wood because of its weather resistance. You can make the shelves any size, but I used two precut 3-foot boards for this one. Mark the holes for the rope to pass through in each corner with a pencil by measuring 2 ¾ inches from each end and 1 inch from the sides. Then drill the holes. The grommets in the far left inset (along with a bit of epoxy around its inside lip to keep them in place) provide…

Let’s be honest: Most perennials have a fleeting appeal. They bloom for a few weeks and then the flowers fade and the foliage is left to carry the show. That’s when perennials with variegated leaves and colorful foliage come to the rescue. They can keep things interesting in a garden for months. ADD SOME PIZAZZ Show off individual plants with distinctive or variegated leaves by placing them in front of a background of contrasting color. For instance, plants with yellow or creamy white variegation will really pop against a backdrop of near-black, deep purple or dark green foliage (like an evergreen hedge). And perennials with chartreuse foliage provide a satisfying splash of color all season long. But don’t go overboard: Grouping variegated plants can turn into a hodgepodge if not…

Cabbage head agave Agave parrasana Mescal pelon agave Agave pelona Mexican gold poppy Eschscholzia californica subsp. mexicana American agave Agave americana Blackfoot daisy Melampodium leucanthum Candelabrum agave Agave bracteosa Desert bluebells Phacelia campanularia Fox tail agave Agave attenuata Gray creeping germander Teucrium aroanium Havard’s agave Agave havardiana Mangave Agave x Manfreda Mesquite Prosopis glandulosa Mexican gold poppy Eschscholzia californica subsp. mexicana New Mexico agave Agave parryi subsp. neomexicana Old man of the Andes cactus Oreocereus celsianus Parry’s agave Agave parryi Prairie skullcap Scutellaria resinosa Stacked crassula Crassula perforata Texas ranger Leucophyllum frutescens Twin flower agave Agave geniniflora…

There are no quick fixes in gardening. Ellie Gilbert’s patient development of this 20-year-old Massachusetts garden is a testament to what investment in soil, careful observation and a lot of hard work can do. That’s why we chose her as the winner of the 2021 Garden Gate Reader Garden Award. Ellie designed gentle curving borders with a unified plant palette in this zone 6 garden and not only tamed a challenging slope but turned it into a canvas splashed with color and texture in every season. Let’s take a look! When Ellie and her husband, Ed, moved into their newly built home in 2001, the landscape was a completely blank slate. But they knew it wouldn’t always be so sparse. That’s why the first thing they did was build a…

Bird’s eye speedwell Veronica persica What it looks like Leggy stems grow into a low mound 4 to 12 in. tall and are topped by ⅓-in. blue-violet blooms in cool weather — late winter or spring, depending on the region. Bird’s eye speedwell prefers full sun to part shade and moist, rich soil, but it adapts pretty easily to less ideal conditions. It spreads by seed and the stems can root at the nodes, easily forming a large colony. Once flowering is done and temperatures rise, bird’s eye speedwell stems die back, leaving an empty brown spot. Where to find it Those bright flowers form an eye-catching pool of color in disturbed areas such as gardens, lawns and along roadsides. How to get rid of it If you like the…

Deer can turn a verdant landscape into an unattractive garden of chomped stems and damaged trees overnight. But before you resort to pungent chemicals and obtrusive fencing, consider strategic design choices that reroute deer from their favorite plants. By relying on plants that deer won’t eat and employing a few design techniques, it’s possible to prevent your garden from becoming a deer buffet. We turned to Ruth Rogers Clausen, co-author of Deer-Resistant Native Plants for the Northeast, to find out more about some of these successful strategies for anyone gardening in deer country. 1 PLANT IN DRIFTS Deer seem to mostly avoid native plants like the Arkansas amsonia here. Grow plants like this in large numbers. Don’t just buy one or two: Purchase enough that you can plant in drifts,…

Agaves are living sculptures. In the ground or in a container, their strong shapes and strapping leaves add instant drama to any setting. Never mind that they’re a cinch to care for. If you’ve been intimidated by those menacing spines you see in the photo at left, come take a closer look. “There is no genus of plants that has given me more gardening joy than agaves,” says Scott Calhoun, an Arizona-based garden designer and author of Cool Plants for Hot Climates. With more than 200 recognized species, it is a diverse genus with many garden uses. Depending on the species, individual plants can range from just 3 inches to over 12 feet high and wide. CENTURY PLANT Commonly called century plants, agaves are evergreen succulents famous for their drought…

Mangaves are all the rage in garden centers these days. This hybrid between the genera Manfreda and Agave combine the best of both worlds: the faster growth rate and the interesting patterns of manfreda, and the habit and refinement of agave. Most mangave varieties are winter hardy to zones 9 to 10. However, there are select varieties, such as ‘Falling Waters’ and Bad Hair Day’, that can overwinter in zone 7. Outside of these zones, mangaves, like agaves, are best grown in containers so that they can be overwintered indoors.…

1 Weeping blue atlas cedar Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’ This evergreen likes to grow horizontally, so it can be easily draped over a fence or wall. Or train it upright, winding the trunk in a sculptural spiral or a serpentine fashion. Natural weeper; evergreen with tight, blue-green clusters of needles close to the stems; full sun; 15 to 25 ft. tall and wide; cold hardy in USDA zones 6 to 9 2 Weeping beech Fagus sylvatica Green-leaved ‘Pendula’ is an ideal tall specimen tree. ‘Purple Fountain’ sports rich purple foliage on its shorter 25-foot-tall frame. In early spring, prune crossing or rubbing branches. Natural weeper; deciduous, glossy leaves with gold fall color; full sun; 20 to 50 ft. tall, 15 to 30 ft. wide; cold hardy…

Barberry Berberis thunbergii Bigleaf hydrangea Hydrangea macrophylla Columbine Aquilegia spp. and hybrids Coral bells Heuchera hybrid Forget-me-not Myosotis sylvatica Foxglove Digitalis purpurea Garden phlox Phlox paniculata Honeysuckle Lonicera periclymenum Koreanspice viburnum Viburnum carlesii Lady’s mantle Alchemilla mollis Perennial geranium Geranium x cantabrigiense Salvia Salvia x sylvestris Astilbe Astilbe spp. and hybrids Azalea Rhododendron hybrids Creeping juniper Juniperus horizontalis Daylily Hemerocallis hybrids European white birch Betula pendula Hosta Hosta hybrids Hydrangea Hydrangea spp. and hybrids Moss phlox Phlox subulata Perennial geranium Geranium x cantabrigiense Shasta daisy Leucanthemum x superbum Tall sedum Hylotelephium spectabile Threadleaf coreopsis Coreopsis verticillata…

Celtic Pride Siberian cypress is so versatile you’ll want to plant it everywhere for its low-maintenance good looks year-round. This evergreen is surprisingly soft to the touch, and almost ferny in appearance. No stiff stems here—just arching branches that spread out in a flowing fresh green carpet along the ground, perfect for the front of borders like the inset photo at right. Let it drape over retaining walls and the sides of containers to soften their edges. Combine it with sharp-looking, upright grasses and large-leaved perennials for an interesting contrast in textures. CONTAINER HARDY Cold hardy to zone 2, Celtic Pride Siberian cypress grows great where deep freezes might harm the roots of other plants. In my zone 5 garden, I’ve been growing this ferny-foliaged evergreen in containers where it…