everydaygardeners

Measuring Summer’s Success

Written on August 15, 2011 at 1:00 am , by everydaygardeners

The following is a guest blog post from Helen Yoest–owner of Gardening With Confidence where she is a garden designer, garden writer, and field editor for Better Homes and Gardens, Country Gardens, Traditional Home, and many other magazines.

A tomato, ripened on the vine, still warm from the sun, then sinking my teeth deep into the meat of the mighty ‘mater, pegs my pleasure meter. I can think of nothing better to measure summer’s success. But, did I grow tomatoes in my garden? Nope; not then, but I do now.

It wasn’t my idea to have a vegetable garden; it was my kids’. I was perfectly happy with beautiful flowers and foliage to keep me amused. But then, late one summer, my 8-year-old son, Aster, wondered why we didn’t grow tomatoes. I didn’t have a good reason, but I answered, “I thought you liked going to the Farmer’s Market each week?” His reply was “I do, but I wonder what it would be like to grow my own.” So we did.

We made short work of figuring out where to put our vegetable garden. Co-planting in our packed, wildlife habitat was an option; however, I was more keen on commandeering some turf. We found a small, 20- by 20-foot piece of yard, that seemed like the perfect location — in full sun and right in front of our driveway.

Despite my son’s need for instant gratification, I was able to curb his enthusiasm to wait until the next growing season for planting. In the meantime, we covered the new garden space with 4 inches of composted leaf mulch, allowing the earthworms do the hard work for us, while we planned our future garden.

We also thought we needed to name our garden, so it was dubbed the Le Petite Potager. At the time, I wasn’t sure if the name related to the size of the garden or the size of my kids; either way the name seemed to fit. (Full disclosure, only 2 of my 3 kids thought this garden was a good idea. The teenage was the holdout.)

We weren’t serious vegetables gardeners, not like those admirable ones in search for the most coveted heirloom varieties, we just wanted a few home-grown tomatoes, big and red; cucumbers, long and straight, and yellow bell peppers. We also added hot peppers in hopes to interest my husband in our new gardening foray.  Our thinking was if he was interested, he might share in the care.

The next summer, we were swimming in success.

Lily’s cucumber crop was measured in feet beyond her body length, with arms stretched forward.

Aster’s tomato crop was measured in the number of tomato sandwiches he could eat in one sitting; Lara Rose’s (the teenager) success was measured in how little time her nose was parted from her book.

My success was measured in perfecting the most delicious fried green tomatoes, with the least amount of effort. We each also relished in the taste only a vine ripened, red, homegrown tomatoes could provide.

Oh and yes, my kids successfully lured their father into the garden, who declared himself the one in charge of adding kitchen compost to Le Petite Potager and taking credit for the number of earthworms present, which he boosts as the reason for the garden’s overall success. Ah, Cest le Vie, it’s a good thing the kid’s and I have other measures of the garden’s success.

Attention Grabbers in the Summer Garden

Written on July 11, 2011 at 8:28 am , by everydaygardeners

The following is a guest blog post from Chris Tidrick a gardener, writer and photographer.

Although we’re only a short way into the summer calendar, I have a good idea which plants are going to be the highlights in my gardens. Summer perennials are lush with foliage and starting to bloom, while the annuals planted in containers and garden beds no longer resemble those tiny plants I purchased in flats just a few weeks ago. There’s so much competing for attention in the summer landscape, it often takes the unique plant or combination of plants to truly grab our attention.

This year, a handful of new plants and a couple of garden veterans are stealing the show in my garden.

Solenostemon ‘Twist and Twirl’

I grow a lot of coleus (Solenostemon), but the one variety that stands out is ‘Twist and Twirl’. True to its name, its burgundy, yellow, and green, deeply lobed foliage appears to dance up the main stem. More upright and narrow than most coleus, ‘Twist and Twirl’ makes an excellent choice for a vertical element in containers. I have found that it combines best with other burgundy and green coleus, as the bright yellow isn’t the most complementary color with other hues.

Heuchera ‘Cherry Cola’

Heuchera has taken garden centers by storm in the past few years, but I have to admit that I still waver when asked my opinion on this diverse group of foliage perennials. Perhaps I haven’t given them the proper growing conditions, but most Heuchera I’ve planted seem to simply survive rather than flourish in my garden. I’d slowly been giving up on them, until planted H. ‘Cherry Cola’, a cultivar whose new growth emerges a deep cherry red and slowly fades to a darker brown-red as it ages. When backlit, the plant appears to have glowing embers under the foliage. The foliage color, combined with an above average vigor, definitely places ‘Cherry Cola’ on the short list of attention grabbers this summer.

Helenium ‘Mardi Gras’

From Rudbeckia to Leucanthemum and many genus in between, the choices for summer-flowering, daisy-type flowers seem endless. One plant that is often overlooked is Helenium, or Helen’s flower. A number of cultivars are available, ranging from yellow to orange to red. In my garden, ‘Mardi Gras’ is the cultivar of choice. Standing 30-36 inches tall, it is covered in yellow-orange blooms from June through September.

Salvia ‘Black and Blue’

I’ve also been enamored this summer by ‘Black and Blue’, an annual salvia (S. gauranitica). The true blue petals of ‘Black and Blue’, which resemble Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) in form if not color, emerge from a nearly black calyx attached to the stem. In full bloom, the flowers of ‘Black and Blue’ appear to be tiny pennants run up along a ship’s mast. The foliage is green and indistinct, but forms a solid base below these outstanding flowers.

Achillea ‘Strawberry Seduction’

I’ve never been that attracted to yarrow (Achillea), with its weedy foliage and tendency to fade in the summer heat and overwinter poorly during our Midwestern winters. But as I was browsing a clearance table at a garden center last fall, the name ‘Strawberry Seduction’ and a two dollar price tag convinced me to give it a try. So far, it’s been worth far more in my garden. Planted at the base of a large ‘Jackmanii’ clematis, my small clump of  ’Strawberry Seduction’ manages to catch my eye every time I walk through the garden.

Hemerocallis ‘Kwanso’

Any discussion of the attention grabbers in the early summer garden has to include Hemerocallis. I grow nearly 30 different varieties of daylilies in my garden. While my collection focuses heavily on red culivars, including  ’Angel Fire’, ‘Ivory Edges’, and ‘Christmas Carol’, there is one I wouldn’t do without: H. ‘Kwanso’. A close, yet cultivated, relative of the much disparaged “ditch lily” H. fulva, ‘Kwanso’ commands attention with its double-petaled orange flowers and vigorous (almost aggressive) growth habit. While many of my other Hemerocallis specimens may get overlooked at first glance, ‘Kwanso’ in full bloom is undeniably a starring member of my garden.

Clematis ‘Rouge Cardinal’

While I’d be remiss to ignore ‘Jackmanii’ clematis that forms the focal point of my front border,  ’Jackmanii’ is so well known that it seems redundant to give it more attention. Besides, another clematis in my garden may actually be outperforming ‘Jackmanii’ this year. ‘Rouge Cardinal’ is finally coming into its own after growing on the corner of my home for several years, is covered with dark red-purple, velvet-textured blooms from June through July. After the petals fade, the seed heads that remain are beautiful in their own right.

Calibrachoa Cabaret ‘Hot Pink and Pelargonium ‘Happy Thought’

Often plants form an attention-grabbing combination in the garden. In this container that grows near the end of our driveway, Calibrachoa Cabaret ‘Hot Pink’ and Pelargonium ‘Happy Thought’ (zonal geranium) combine to form a trailing base below a dark pink tropical Hibiscus. The yellow variegation in the Pelargonium foliage offsets the orange-red flowers and forms a clear transition between the solid green foliage of the Calibrachoa and Hibiscus.

Lobelia ‘Crystal Palace’ and Impatiens Tempo ‘Cancun Mix’

Sometimes breaking the rules of gardening can lead to a unique plant combination. While putting my containers together, I had three leftover plants: Lobelia ‘Crystal Palace’, Impatiens Tempo ‘Cancun’ and a small division of a variegated Hosta. While the light needs of these plants are on opposite ends of the spectrum, I decided to push the growing conditions for all the plants involved because I loved the combination of the blue and salmon, with a slight interruption of the yellow variegation in the Hosta.

Those are just a few of the attention grabbers growing in my garden. Please feel free to use the comment feature to share those plants and plant combinations that are starring in your summer garden. Please join me at my blog, From the Soil, on Facebook, or on Twitter.

Polar Joy to the World!

Written on April 15, 2010 at 6:00 am , by everydaygardeners

Cold-climate rose fans, take heart. Bailey Nurseries has a welcome surprise for you: an ever-blooming tree rose that can stand up to harsh winters in Zones 4 and 5.

First Editions Polar Joy is the newest innovation to come from Bailey’s award-winning rose breeding program and was developed specifically for Northern gardeners. “We’ve tested these roses through three Minnesota winters and they perform beautifully year after year,” says Pat Bailey, VP of sales and marketing for Bailey. “They’re as easy to grow as any other tree or shrub.”

Polar Joy offers soft pink blossoms all summer long atop a 3–6-foot stems. It can be used as a vertical accent among low-growing companions, and it is adaptable to being planted in the ground or in a container.

Jonathan Pedersen, marketing manager for Bailey, says upright plants such as Polar Joy are a sign of things to come. “As landscape space in a typical homeowner’s yard decreases, you’re going to see more and more vertical plants coming to market,” he says.

Saving Heirloom Apples

Written on April 6, 2010 at 2:18 pm , by everydaygardeners

It’s ironic, but heirloom apples are becoming endangered at the very same time they’re regaining popularity.

That’s why the RAFT alliance (an acronym for Renewing America’s Food Traditions) has christened 2010 as “Year of the Heirloom Apple.” Their hope is to earmark at least 90 endangered apple varieties in each region for recovery so they can once again be grown in orchards and backyards.

How severly have heirloom apples declined in America the past century? RAFT provides these telling statistics:

• Of the 15,000 to 16,000 apple varieties named, grown and eaten in North American, only about 3,000 remain accessible through nurseries.

• Roughly nine out of ten apple varieties historically grown in the U.S. are at risk of falling out of cultivation and falling off our tables.

•  One variety, Red Delicious, now comprises 41 percent of the entire American apple crop.

• Eleven common varieties comprise 90 percent of all apples sold in chain grocery stores.

• Much of the apple juice, puree and sauce consumed in the U.S. are now produced in other countries.

•  As the overall number of apple trees in cultivation declines to a fourth of what it was a century ago, the number of apple varieties considered threatened or endangered has peaked at 94 percent.

A key component of RAFT’s apple initiative is release of The Forgotten Fruits Manual & Manifesto – APPLES, a brochure that builds upon the collective knowledge of more than a dozen of America’s most experienced heirloom apple experts. The brochure is now available as a free download here.

To find out ways you can support and celebrate the Year of the Heirloom Apple, click here.

Make Your Own Faux Copper Obelisk

Written on March 31, 2010 at 4:42 pm , by everydaygardeners

The current issue of Garden Ideas & Outdoor Living includes an obelisk made out of PVC pipe. Yes, PVC pipe.

While the version in the magazine is painted lavender, we also made one with a faux copper finish (see below). Here are the steps project creator Mark Chervenka suggests for re-creating the effect.

1) Wet sand assembled obelisk with 220 grit wet/dry sandpaper. A perfectly smooth surface is critical to the realism of this effect.

2) Apply primer listed for use on PVC. Lightly wet sand dried primer with same 220 paper.

3) Apply two coats of a shiny gold-toned bronze acrylic metallic paint to entire surface; follow instructions for appropriate drying time. Wet sand between coats and after second coat with 220 paper.

4) The weathered patina is created with three different colors of matte finish acrylic craft paint: deep blue-green, pale blue and pale green. Prepare a glaze of 1part water to 1 part paint for each color. Set aside.

5) Working in small sections, wipe on deep blue-green color first with a clean, dampened cotton rag or sea sponge, making sure color density varies across surface. Immediately saturate a second rag or sponge with water only and squeeze it randomly over the recently applied paint allowing drops of water to create drips and streaks in fresh paint. Move on to next section and repeat technique for pale blue then pale green. Allow to dry 8 hours between each color; do not sand between coats of patina colors.

6) The powdery corrosion found on old copper is created with a mixture of equal parts water and white craft glue (PVA). Apply mixture sparingly to some joints and random spots on pipes. Immediately sprinkle whiting (ground white chalk available at paint stores) over mixture. Lightly whisk whiting with small paintbrush or pounce with dry cotton rag. Let mixture dry 36 hours.

7) Protect entire completed faux finish with at least two coats of matte finish UV resistant clear sealer.

Tough Name, Even Tougher Plant

Written on March 22, 2010 at 1:17 pm , by everydaygardeners

Ladies and Gents, introducing ‘Rainbow’ Leucothoe. Also known as drooping Leucothoe, drooping fetterbush, or just plain “that pretty plant over there.”

The photo to the left was taken last fall, before the Leucothoe was buried under snow for 3 or 4 months. The photo below was taken yesterday. Not much difference, other than camera lighting!

‘Rainbow’ Leucothoe is a shade-tolerant shrub for moist conditions (although mine is doing fine in a bed of normal moisture). It’s also said to be deer-resistant. I don’t have deer, but I do have plenty of rabbits, and they didn’t touch this plant. It’s normally a green and white variegated plant, but it assumes this pretty burgundy color in fall and keeps assuming right till spring.

It’s hardy from Zones 5-9, and grows 3 to 5 feet tall with a drooping habit. That’s why I planted mine at the top of a stone wall, so it can hang down. For more on this plant (and to see what it looks like in summer), click here.