Archive for how to gardening tips – Page 3

Attention Blueberry Lovers: It’s time to plan ahead!

Posted by Carol 
· March 20, 2013 

Attention Blueberry Lovers: It’s time to plan ahead!

If you’re like me, you can’t get enough blueberries. If you are thinking, “Hey! I could grow blueberries, they’re easy,” you’d be right!

Blueberry cluster Portland Landscape Design

Purchasing a large blueberry plant means you are buying time.

So now’s the time to take a minute to plan ahead for next season’s blueberry goodness.

Spartan blueberries are my absolute favorite for flavor. In the old days (10 years ago), when my client Diane in NE Portland,  ordered a Spartan blueberry, she got a little stick with roots on the end. She is a plucky gardener, but this was very discouraging, especially when someone stepped on the poor Spartan before it was big enough to defend itself.

Making the Tradeoff: Price Versus Instant Gratification

Buying a big plant is buying time. It’s easy to buy blueberry plants that are at least 30 inches tall and wide. Using Spartan blueberries as an example, you can spend about 40 percent more  for a one-or-two-year-old plant, but you’ll get that fruity deliciousness three years sooner.

Choosing the Right Variety

From March through July, Portland’s full-service nurseries offer plenty of nice, big plants and many varieties. Try these tips for the ultimate blueberry experience:

  • Don’t rush your choice. I can’t say enough about taking your time when selecting an edible. There are so many varieties to choose from, that it’s just plain smart to take your time. You are buying more than food, more than an  ornamental plant. You are buying memories as well as pleasure at the moment of harvest. My criteria for selecting a blueberry variety: totally delicious taste, convenient harvest time, plant sizes and shapes that are right for my garden, and gorgeous fall leaf color. Are you ready to pick out your favorite blueberry variety? If not, maybe this year will be about sampling berries at farmers markets and then buying your plant in the early fall.  What fun that will be!
  • Protect your plants. You won’t be the only one wanting blueberries. Birds and your dog will steal as much fruit as they can get away with. Be sure to leave lower branches for your dog to nibble on. If you use nets, check them often, or you will find little bird corpses tangled in the netting.
  • Think about the timing of the harvest. If you are always gone in July, select varieties that ripen in August.
  •  Buy companion varieties to maximize your crop. Remember to buy two
    different varieties that ripen at the same time. They flower at the same time, and the bumble bees can cross-pollinate the bushes to give you a better crop. Bumble bees vibrate the pollen off their feet and bodies from one flower to another and that is how they cross pollinate.  It’s primarily bumble bees that cross-pollinate blueberry plants.

    Dragon Fly visits blueberry plant in Lori's garden

    Dragonfly on green blueberry cluster-another great reason to shun pesticides in your garden. Photo from my client Lori Aveling.

    Don’t use pesticides on any plants because they harm and kill the bees.  Blueberry plants don’t have many pest problems.

  • Consider the newer evergreen varieties for the front yard. For example, ‘Sunshine Blue is a variety that local edibles expert Vern Nelson and I really like. ‘Sunshine Blue’ is evergreen, so the leaves stay on the bush year round and it’s small, say 3 by 3 feet. This way, you can have edibles in the front yard without going totally  “Urban Homestead”. (Portland has many new landscapes that are  completely given over to growing edibles. It’s an exciting, fun idea but not for everyone.)

Next time: More about blueberries, specifically a chart of never-fail varieties.

Categories : Easy Edibles, Garden Tips
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Five Ways to Avoid Gardening Grief: Take Care of Your Tools

Posted by Carol 
· February 27, 2013 

Gardening wouldn’t be gardening without (at least) a few essential tools. My Felco bypass pruners and my Corona 6-inch folding pruning saw are my go-to tools.  But it’s part of human nature to ignore tools until the worst possible moment, when you can’t find them, or they don’t perform as needed.

The good news: this type of gardening grief is 100% preventable. The not-so-good news: my best advice is to protect your tools from… well…you.

Give yourself a gift. Take a few moments and learn five easy ways to take care of your tools.

  1. Choose and care for tools with the long term in mind.    What is the “optimum tool?” Whatever makes gardening chores easier and doesn’t have to be replaced due to overuse. Caring for your tools will make you feel like you can do something your grandfather knew how to do. Making tools last a lifetime is a skill that you can learn.

    Photo of Rain or Shine tools

    Pick the right tools!

  2. Never leave your pruning tools out in the rain. If you work in the rain or on wet plants, be sure to dry the blades carefully before putting them away. Having a towel handy is great, but drying tools on your wool sweater is not smart. So, just dry them on something. Yes, this is common sense, but I have to make these little rules for myself so that I am not supremely unhappy with myself later.
  3. Never try to cut a branch that is too big for your blade. Whatever you prune should be easy to cut. You shouldn’t have to open the blades super-wide to do the deed. For example, a half-inch branch should be the maximum diameter for your Felco clippers. Before you say, “Well, that’s no good,” hold on! The whole idea is to prune things before they get huge. But if they did, no worries. There’s a tool for that, too. For example, a one-inch branch pushes your Felco bypass clippers to the limit. Yes, I know what I said several sentences ago. Pretend I said half-inch until you and your Felcos are very, very good friends. Anything bigger should be cut with your handy, easy-to-use folding hand saw. I understand: you have a pruning itch, and it must be scratched. Fine. But, to help yourself resist the urge to use the wrong tool for larger branches, keep this must-have piece of equipment handy while you are working.
  4. Get a pruning saw and bypass pruning shears (not clippers). A pair of Felco #2 or #6 pruning shears and a folding pruning saw are the gotta-have tools for  all gardeners. Corona brand tools are good too.  Otherwise, Felco pruners are the industry standard.   Ahh… the pruning saw. This minor miracle of gardening tools makes hard work so easy! Believe me, you will love having one. In February 2012, I saw a Corona pruning saw and a pole pruner offered as a package for less than $50.00 at Costco. The pruning saw helps you make a beautiful, clean cut without tearing up your plant’s bark. Better yet, you can do it easily and do it right the first time, without much physical effort. This is very nice for those of us with little or no muscle to speak of.
    The pole pruner which I use only rarely, cannot make clean, flush cuts as easily as the saw. It takes skill that many of us don’t have. However, you use the pole pruner when you must remove a branch that you cannot reach and don’t have a proper ladder. (Or, perhaps your family has said “Sorry, no more ladders, lady.” Man, some folks get pushy about little things like ladders when we get a bit older.)
  5. Learn how to keep your pruning tools sharp. Whether a pair of clippers or a handsaw is right for the job, remember: if you go after branches that are too big for your blade, you will permanently damage the tool. Learning how to sharpen and oil your tools will not deliver optimum performance if you have already messed them up with misuse.
    These tools take you back to the days when you bought replacement parts, not a whole tool. You can learn how to clean and sharpen your tools from your garden coach or go online to learn how. My Felco bypass pruners to see how a professional does it.  Although the guy in the video uses orange oil he gives you practical alternatives such as WD40. I found it easy to follow.
Categories : Garden Tips
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5 plants that are Dog Pee Proof (or nearly so)

Posted by Carol 
· July 7, 2012 

Favorite Dog Friendly Landscaping Plants for the NW

Burkwood's Osmanthus a dog friendly landscape plant

Burkwood Osmanthus (Osmanthus Burkwoodii)

Portland Landscape designer Carol Lindsay lists her 5 favorite dog friendly landscaping plants for landscapes with dogs, or gardens near city parks where there will be dogs marking their territory and yours as well.

Dog urine can damage your plants. New leaves will be more damaged than older leaves. While most boxwood leaves are damaged from dog pee, if the leaf is freshly unfurled (in the spring for instance), it is softer, and more susceptible to urine damage. If the leaf has hardened off (which happens in mid summer) there will be less damage. It is the nitrogen in urine and the acidic nature of the urine that burns the plants leaves.

1.  Burkwoods Osmanthus – Osmanthus Burkwoodii is a tough evergreen shrub that can be grown into a small tree  if desired. It takes sun or part sun, has fragrant flowers and can handle abuse, including dog pee.

2.  My personal favorite is Euonymus Japonica ‘Green Spires’, commonly known as the Japanese Spindle Tree although it should be called a shrub. Like the Osmanthus, the Japanese Spindle has a very hard leaf. The urine doesn’t permeate the leaf like it would on a softer evergreen leaf.

Japanese Spindle Tree dog friendly landscaping plant

Japanese Spindle Shrub – Green Spires

3.  Nandina, another favorite tough guy plant can be damaged by large volume dog pee but the stem with burned leaves can be removed and it will grow a new cane. There are many Nandina domestica doing well planted directly off a city sidewalk.

Sword Fern dog friendly landscaping plant.

Native Sword Fern (Polystichum Munitum)

4. The NW native sword fern can handle many different sun and soil situations. Most native plants are very tricky but our Sword Fern, Polystichum Munitum is one tough plant and can survive dog pee on its leaves.

Japanese Aralia dog friendly landscaping plant

Fatsia Japonica ‘Spiders Web’ – Japanese Aralia

5.   Fatsia Japonica – Japanese Aralia grows into a small evergreen tree or can be pruned to stay a shrub. I love to use this plant in my shady back yards with dogs. Protect it from your dogs for the first year with a temporary wire fence or put a big rock in front of it. Once established it will withstand plenty of dog pee and a fair amount of dog romping.

Tip – Hosing down a plant can lessen or eliminate the damage if done soon after the “application” of the dog pee. This is fine for your own back yard but not practical for plants along city sidewalks.

Consider volume.  A pal of mine, has a Walker Hound who is 4′ tall and drinks at least 2 gallons of water of day.  My dog Barley, weighs about 30 lbs and drinks a quart of water a day if it’s kinda hot. Is it obvious that the size of the dog and amount of urine is going to make a difference? Yes!  A plant that can handle near daily cocker spaniel pee will not do so with a large dog.

Read more about Dog Friendly Landscapes.

Carol Lindsay loves to create fast and affordable landscape designs that consider the whole family and that includes the dog of course.

carol@design-in-a-day.com

 
Categories : Dog and Cat Friendly Gardens, Garden Tips
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Hydrangea Love

Posted by Carol 
· May 1, 2012 

Designers mom with favorite hydrangea

My Mom with Oliver, the Hydrangea

Hydrangea Love

There are several lessons in this story for you, O gentle reader………..how to successfully transplant a shrub or tree in July heat……, how to prevent hot weather damage to your plants when we have intense hot weather right on top of weeks of cool rain, (more critical if you agreed to have your garden on a fundraiser tour).  This will also work to restore plants in a container that you forgot to water???? ……………..these helpful lessons all fit into this story.

The story:  My mom and dad planted and named the two hydrangea by the back patio, Mary and Oliver.  Mary was beautiful no matter what but Oliver had troubles.  Every year in early summer, Oliver’s flowers would get crisped.  If they had planted Oliver a few feet closer to the covered patio there would be no problem and no story.   They planted Mary in the afternoon shade of the patio but Oliver got the early afternoon sun in June and July. He was just not a super sun tolerant kind of guy.

He could handle the sun better once the leaves and petals had hardened off in July but in early June, while the leaves and petals were full of spring, freshly unfurled, a 100 degree day or two would toast all the new flowers on the plant.  So Oliver’s flowers would scorch and my parents would then over water Oliver trying to get some water back into his petals. They did not understand that once petals are scorched they stay that way. Oliver’s new flowers were fine but now the plant’s leaves looked terrible. Over watering caused the leaves to wilt and yellow. Oliver was a mess.  I offered to come over and protect Oliver from them. The human Mary and Oliver had long since gone on so these were not really plants to my parents, but symbols of their dear friends.

Protecting plants from heat stress in Portland Area Landscape Design

The Sheet Trick

So how did I do this?  The Sheet Trick!  My first solution was to water once a week and the second solution was to protect Oliver from intense sun.  My solution was time consuming mostly because I lived in NW Portland and my parents lived in Gladstone.  If I was expecting intense sun,  I would drive over, get out some binder clips, drape a white sheet over Oliver to cover all his leaves and flowers and then clip the sheet onto various large stems so it could not blow off.

Because the leaves were covered (this is science folks!) they held in the water rather than letting it go, this is called transpiration. Transpiration is part of the plants photosynthesis process with the sun.  See Wikipedia on photosynthesis.  Since the flower petals and leaves kept their water, they stayed cool enough and did not scorch. I would not leave the sheet on for more three days at a time so I didn’t have to go over there every single day, just when I knew it was going to be hot.

Hydrangea PistachioWhat’s important for you gentle reader is that this sheet trick is handy beyond belief for all kinds of things.  Number 1  best tip ever for transplanting a shrub in the summer…….keep it covered for 3 days and I mean immediately or even during the digging of the plant if you are feeling compulsive.  Use it to protect flowering plants if we have intense heat while the flower petals are still new and soft. Use this trick if you have had an irrigation boo boo and your plants in one area didn’t get any water and  have wilted.  Presto, sprinkle the leaves with water gently, water the plant and cover for a few days……..your plant will have a better chance of recovery.

Every generation loves hydrangeas, my parents loved theirs, I love them although confess I have none of my own down here on the floating river house, my step daughters would love to have them…..maybe I can fix that this year.  They also look mighty fine with ornamental grasses so not just for an old fashioned garden but could be used in more modern gardens if placed thoughtfully.

Categories : Dramatic Flowers, Garden Tips, Spring Gardening, Summer Garden Tips
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6 Tips to Prep Your Garden for Winter

Posted by Carol 
· December 2, 2011 
  1. Winterize your irrigation system. This may mean flushing out an older system, or just draining your drip system.

    Hen and Chicks

    Remember: no mulch over your Hen and Chicks

  2. Bait for slugs all through fall and early winter.
  3. Don’t bait for slugs if you live in the woods, you will kill all the big native slugs who don’t even eat Hostas, or your garden plants. Instead don’t plant things the little gray french slugs like. It is easy to do, just ask your designer or give me a call to schedule a garden coaching session.
  4. Schedule your winter mulch application for last week of November through mid-December. If you can’t stand being out in December’s cold—do it now.
  5. Hire a blowing service such as Bark Blowers. Did you know they will blow the good Mighty Microbe Mulch instead of bark dust for you if you know to ask them. Email me for contact info.
  6. Did you mulch? Great, now go back out and un bury all the crowns of your plants, especially if you blew in the mulch. Some gardeners cover plants with black nursery pots to try to avoid having the crowns buried. A buried crown often means a rotted plant come spring.
Categories : Fall Gardening, Garden Tips, Winter Gardening
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