Tips for Small/Urban Gardens

Because my garden is so small, I try to pick plants that will look nice for as long a season as possible in the limited space that is available.  Given that, I’ve decided to try out the “Endless Summer Hydrangea”, which is relatively new…or newly available at least. 

The endless summer is a breed of Hydrangea that is able to bloom on new growth (typical hydrangeas bloom only on the growth from the year before), making for more flowers over the course of the year.  In addition, the endless summer is resistant to powdery mildew, which can be a big problem in my area where the summers are quite humid.  The standard “Endless Summer” hydrangea will grow from 4 to 5 feet tall and flowers in pink, blue or shades in between depending on the soil chemistry.

Several varieties of “Endless Summer” are available, including Penny Mac, Oak Hill, Decatur Blue and Blushing Bride.  There is also a dwarf re-blooming variety called the “Mini Penny” which is what I am planning on trying out as a space saving measure.

The hydrangeas are distributed by McCorkle Nurseries; you can go to their website to find a distributer near you.  They are also carried at most Home Depot and Lowes Garden Centers, and will most likely be available in September and October, which is the proper time to plant them on the east coast.

The hydrangeas are hardy in zones 4-9 and prefer partial shade with moist (but not wet) soil.  Blooms will generally be pink in alkaline soil and blue in acidic soil.  Removal of spent flowers will encourage reblooming of the plant with this variety of hydrangea.

Here’s a great article about growing peonies by Leonard Perry that I found on the University of Vermont Website.  I think it provides a great summary of the information needed to grow peonies, so I’ve quoted the whole thing here:

One of the most outstanding perennial flowers that is grown in the garden is the peony. Even though this plant seems to have been grown forever, it still remains very popular today. Of course, there are reasons for this and even though there are those gardeners who do not use this plant in their gardens, they certainly should. There are few perennials that can offer beautiful flowers in the spring and provide good foliage throughout the summer.

The peony is a hardy perennial that, once it becomes established, will flower for many years with little care. They are extremely hardy and easily withstand the winter conditions in Vermont. Peonies are considered by many gardeners to be the backbone of any perennial border because they do produce good foliage and flowers. The plants have long supplied cut flowers for use in the home or on cemetery plots.

The plants are either planted as single specimens mixed among other plants or in clumps or masses. They may be planted in rows forming a background for smaller plants. There are basically two forms of peonies: Herbaceous (Paeonia officinalis), and Bush or Tree (Paeonia suffruticosa). The herbaceous type grows to a height of 2 to 4 feet and the tree form reaches a height of 4 to 6 (more…)

 

I’m finally settled down in a house where I plan to stay for several years, so this coming spring I will be attempting to grow some asparagus for the first time.  A few quick facts about asparagus:

• Asparagus can be grown in most parts of the United States
• They take about 3 years to begin yielding a crop
• Although they prefer full sun, they will tolerate partial shade

From what I can gather based on my research (haven’t tried it yet), here are the steps for planting asparagus: (more…)