Gardening – Rivas Design & Landscaping

Fall for Bulbs

The end of summer is an unlikely time to be thinking about spring but a little bit of planning can bring springtime joys.

Fall is the time to get your spring bulbs ordered and installed. Don't be intimidated by the planting of them either. I like to dig a hole 6" deep, do a cluster of 10 or 12 bulbs in the hole, bury them and call it a day. The splashes of color in the spring make a statement. You can also plant them in neat rows or groupings if you are trying to cover a larger area.

Try to avoid planting them so far apart that they appear to be accidental. Make it intentional and go overboard. They have such a short life that you want them to get all the attention they deserve!

How is Your Garden Growing?

Maintain Your Garden in 3 Easy Steps

Watering:

Never let your plants drown or drought. Slightly moist soil is your best bet. If the ground is saturated, the plants will rot at the roots. Not enough water will cause desiccation. In the heat of summer, especially, keep an eye on the plants. The curling and drooping of branches and leaves is an urgent indicator: Water!

Watering in the morning or in the evening ensures that the most amount of moisture is reaching the plant and not just evaporating.

Weeding:

For better or worse, you need to manually pull out most weeds. Wear waterproof gloves and consider a comfortable sitting pad for extensive weeding. The trick to pulling weeds is to get the root out as well. Weeds will slide out of the soil easier when the soil is wet—and when the weeds are young. Pull the weed from its base (close to the soil line); if you miss the root, try using a fork to gently pry the plant out of the ground, roots and all.

If your weeds regrow, then you have a persistent root that you need to dig out. Use a spade or digging fork to dig up persistent weeds by the roots. Remove as many root pieces as you can. While weeding, hold the trowel vertically (like a child holding a crayon) to eliminate strain on your wrist.

Pruning:

By pinching and pruning, plants can focus their energy on making food instead of foliage. Pinching off extra flowers will help, too: Fewer flowers (along with fewer leaves) means more plant attention on developing bigger, better veggies, bringing forth that quality harvest you’ve been dreaming of.

In addition to increasing fruit size and quantity, pinching and pruning can help train plants to grow where you need them to, like up trellises, stakes, and other supports, keeping your garden looking well-maintained. This can also help keep your plants healthy, as removing excess foliage encourages good airflow through the plant, as well as makes it easier to spot pests or diseases before they become a serious problem.

Don’t be a Sucker

Suckers are those extra growths that occur from the bottom of the tree, usually unwanted and unsightly. They sap away at the growth of the tree and require trimming to keep them in check.

Certain plants are more prone to developing unattractive suckers and are, therefore, higher in maintenance.

Here are a few of the usual suspects:

Cherry
Magnolia
Crapemyrtle
Anything grafted

If you notice that a multi-stemmed tree has spindly and clustered growths coming from the base, it is time to get the pruners out.

Cut them off as close to the ground/base as possible. If you leave too much stem, they will continue to be a nuisance.

They can be cut off at any time, but dormancy (winter) and full growth (summer) are the best times for removal. Cutting too close to the fall allows for new growth to begin again before there is time to harden off. This could endanger the plant itself.

Are they detrimental to the health of the tree/plant?

No. Though they utilize energy that could go into flower or leaf production, the biggest reason for removal is aesthetic.

Not So Evergreen

"Let us love winter, for it is the spring of genius." -Pietro Aretino

The winter chill can do a number on your favorite yard friends. It is important to distinguish what is "normal" wintertime attire and what is "damage." Evergreen trees and shrubs tend to take a beating with the cold--more so than deciduous (plants that lose all their leaves in winter) ones. Some hold up relatively well while others always seem to take on a rather questionable appearance.

Normal Evergreen Behavior

Coppery coloring
Reddish coloring
Spotty coloring
Some leaf loss
Some breakage from winter storms

Abnormal Evergreen Behavior

Breaking of branches
Leaves or needles falling off, leaving barrenness
Brittle branches

August Checklist

The hot temperatures of August can turn even the hardiest of gardens into a wasteland. This is the time to make sure you are continuing watering and other garden maintenance. However, watering can be a Catch 22: you don't want to drown your garden, yet you don't want it to go through a drought either. So keep these tips as a Rule of (Green) Thumb:

Watering Tips

Slightly moist soil is your best bet. If the ground is saturated, the plants will rot at the roots. Not enough water will cause desiccation. In the heat of summer, especially, keep an eye on the plants. The curling and drooping of branches and leaves is an urgent indicator: Water!
Watering in the morning or in the evening ensures that the most amount of moisture is reaching the plant and not just evaporating.
Check your sprinklers for adequate water supply. Dry or wilting plants indicate water stress.
Water more frequently the plants in pots. Potted plants tend to dry out much faster than those in the ground.
Clean beds of debris to prevent critters nesting.
Deadhead your perennials and annuals.
Ensure adequate mulch coverage to retain moisture.
Check for water flow and sitting water around the house.
Schedule your Fall Project Consultation!

Download our Summer Checklist!

Growing for Pollinators

Gardening: The Original Self-Help Movement

"If you have a garden and a library, then you have everything you need." -Cicero

I admit I am an avid reader of all things, and a consumer of endless self-improvement books, business books, and the like. They come in all shapes and sizes, differing perspectives, some faith-based, others not so much; some are applicable, others not so much. Each one has played its part in my journey and, if worthy of repeat visits, has a place on my bookshelf.

In the past few years, I have taken to become a "gardener", not just a landscaper. During one of my many "rescue attempt" sessions (i.e I didn't weed anything for a week and now I have to spend hours trying to undo my laziness) It dawned on me that if one were to spend more time gardening and less time "planning to succeed", all the lessons contained in a collection of personal improvement courses (including the number one self-help book, the Bible) could be grasped.

For example, think how easy it would be to understand the concept, " You reap what you sow" when you plant a carrot seed and, VOILA! a carrot grows. Not a turnip or a clump of lettuce, a carrot. Try planting a cucumber seed with the hope that it will become a sunflower. What disappointment! It is a mere cucumber. Yet, every day, we go about planting seeds, some good and some bad, and we lament that they have not become what we expected. If we plant the seed of order and contentment, that is what we receive. If we plant the seed of gossip, resentment, the contention that is what we receive in return.

It could also be said that if you fail to sow, you will have nothing to reap. I am a planner. I plan everything out as best I can beforehand to avoid as much pain as possible. It's what makes me a good landscape designer but not the greatest gardener. In order to be a great gardener, some planning is in order, but the most important thing you can do to be a successful gardener is to PLANT SOMETHING SO YOU CAN GROW SOMETHING! Thinking about it, charting it out, buying organic and non-GMO seeds, preparing the soil to perfection are all great and necessary. However, if you never actually plant the seed, it will all be for naught.

So if you really want to make the self-improvement journey, set your highlighted book aside for the spring and get out there and:

Grow something and in the process, grow yourself.

Late Spring Frost

This spring has definitely been different, so it should be no surprise that we would have a late Spring frost. Some hardy plants can handle light frosts, others can handle the dips below freezing. Few, however, can remain intact when the temps drop much below 32 degrees.

I recommend covering young plants as best you can, and if you have potted plants, bring them inside, or even under a covered patio or garage.

Here are some materials you could use to cover:

Old sheets, drop cloths, tarps, burlap, or newspapers.
Cardboard boxes, open them on one end, turn them upside down and place them over your flowers. Tape any cracks to keep out the cold air.
Empty pots, buckets, milk jugs with the top cut off, or other containers made of wood, plastic or clay to cover your plants (just be sure they’re tall enough to fit over plants without crushing them.
Pre-made row covers (from a gardening store)

Remember:

Place covers over your plants before the temperatures hit freezing. If you’re using plastic covers, wait until twilight to avoid the sun cooking your plants through the plastic.
If your cover is lightweight enough to blow away in the wind, weigh it down with rocks or bricks.
Remove cardboard or fabric covers as soon as the weather warms up.
Remove plastic covers as soon as the sun rises.

No Water Required

With summer fast approaching with its scorching heat, irrigation will become the foremost thought of most gardeners. For those of you on a private well, be cheered to know that your plants should respond well to your watering attempts. Us city dwellers on city water have to deal with chemicals and lack of good stuff to keep our green friends happy.

I find that rainwater produces the lushest and most abundant onset of new growth. Watch your plants after a good soaking and you can almost hear them singing! Well-water comes in a pretty close second. And although this city water perks things up, the plants seem to unfurl almost reluctantly.

If the area you live in is particularly hot and dry, (or you allow it to become that way frequently) try sempervivums and sedums (AKA Hens n Chicks). With the new green roof phenomena re-circulating, the sedums are becoming the new garden darling. They are hardy, don't require a lot of water, and are near impossible to kill (for those of you "black thumb gardeners" out there!).

So grab a mix of these guys to keep your water bill low and your green thumb intact.

What not to prune in March

I find this time of year to be one where it is easy to get pruner-happy. While most things can survive a poorly timed pruning, there are a few that will make you skip a year of beauty if you cut at the wrong time.

What can be cut now?

old perennial growth
dry branches and leaves
old grass growth
some fruit trees, vines--depending on whether they bloom on year-old wood
old flower heads

What to avoid cutting now?

Rhododendrons and azaleas: the buds were set in the fall and should only be pruned immediately after they bloom
Forsythia -- wait until done blooming
Hydrangea macrophylla (mop head hydrangea) -- except to remove old flowers. Wait until new growth comes on before pruning out dead

If in doubt, wait.

Category: Gardening

Fall for Bulbs

Planning for Spring Joy

Think:

tulips

daffodils (deer proof)

iris

crocus

allium (deer proof)