Category: Gardening & Landscaping

Designers are leaning towards tougher gardens that can tolerate hotter summers and less rain due to climate change.

This means that xeriscaping – a type of landscaping that focuses on drought-tolerant planting – will be moving further into the spotlight. 

Beauty and color needn’t be sacrificed. Matthew Childs (MSGD), for instance, comments on the use of long-flowering salvias, which are great for wildlife. Tina James (MSGD) is also a fan of these vibrant, colorful plants, and likes to blend them with ornamental grasses for a sense of movement.

Another planting pick set to come back into fashion is the rock rose, as predicted by Tommaso del Buono (MSGD). He explains how they can thrive in hot, dry conditions, and are low-maintenance, fast-growing and offer prolific blooms. They can grow over walls, in mixed borders, or in rockeries, he adds.

Prairie planting also works with this theme. For the Garden Media Group’s Garden Trends 2023 Report, Jeff Epping, the ‘Godfather of gravel’, suggests starting with grasses such as prairie dropseed, little bluestem, big bluestem, or switchgrass. Coneflower, rattlesnake master, prairie baby’s breath, smooth penstemon, cup plant, stiff coreopsis, asters, and goldenrods can then be layered for a beautiful, drought-tolerant tapestry.

It’s no surprise that the formal, water-guzzling, and high-maintenance lawn is still losing its popularity of the past. For 2023, landscaping with gravel is much more in vogue. Tomoko Kawauchi agrees with this prediction, and already includes gravel in all of her projects.

Don’t forget about trees. ‘Damage from heat and drought can stress them and make them more susceptible to disease and insect infestations,’ comments the Garden Media Group. 

Dan Herms, Ph. D., a scientist at Davey Tree, says we need to make informed decisions about which trees to plant for the changing climate. Trees are one solution to battle a warming planet, he adds. Luckily, there are lots of drought-tolerant trees to choose from.

Source: gardeningetc.com©

Photo: Daily Express

Understand the weather

Use thermometers and barometers to track the temperature and know when bad weather is approaching. Thermometers should be placed in an area without any direct sunlight for an accurate reading. A barometer is needed to gauge changes in atmospheric pressure, as rapid fluctuation is a sign of unstable weather. Another easy way to note atmospheric pressure is to pay attention to birds. If they’re flying low to the ground, barometric pressure is low. High-flying birds indicate higher barometric pressure. 

Keep wind out

Protect young or delicate plants from wind by hammering a few stakes in the ground surrounding them. Then, wrap a burlap barrier around the stakes to create a barrier that should deflect harsh winds. With young trees, wrap the trunks with burlap or commercial tree wrapping to prevent wind damage. These wrappings can be removed after the trees are more mature, or in about a year.

Prevent constant freezing and thawing

The constant freezing and thawing of plants can be as harmful as cold temperatures. Use mulch to limit damage by spreading three inches of mulch on the ground surrounding plants to help maintain a constant temperature. Then, cover with netting, chicken wire, or tree branches to protect from wind. But remember that once a plant has been damaged by frost, it most likely cannot be saved and the smartest move is to simply remove it from your garden. Keep soil healthy when it warms up by learning how to compost.

Remember the east-west line

When planning your garden, remember that the sun rises and sets to the south of the east-west line during wintertime. This will cast long shadows on the north side of your home, reducing sunlight and limiting the types of plants that will thrive in these areas. Additionally, winter light is more subdued to eastern exposures than areas facing south or west.

Shield small plants

If you know bad weather is around the corner and want to protect your small plants, cover them with a plastic bag, cardboard box, upside-down flowerpot, or even a plastic laundry basket to protect them. Whatever covering you choose, make sure to weigh it down with a stone or a brick. Or, drape a thick blanket or quilt over plants before nightfall to trap soil heat and protect plants from light frost. We’ll go ahead and add “blanket” to our list of must-have garden tools!

Consider plant hardiness

For plants that aren’t particularly hardy, plant on the side of the house placing south or southeast. The proximity to the house will protect the plant from severe winter winds and keep it warmer, and the plant will be given sun exposure in the mornings.

Protect early-blooming trees

Prevent damage to early-blooming trees by planting them on the north side of the house or on a north-facing slope. This will delay or lessen light exposure and provide safer, more gradual thawing. Plants that blossom early should also be obscured for direct morning sun, as a gradual thaw will minimize the damage done by frost. 

Create shade

Vines, shrubs, and trees that are found near walls can be protected from cold temperatures with a frost shade. Mount a piece of wood at the top of a fence or wall and use it to hang a piece of canvas or tarp. When temperatures drop, use it to cover plants. Raise the shade when it warms up, then lower it in the late afternoon to conserve heat for the chilly night ahead.

Go against your instincts

Run a sprinkler over delicate plants on cold nights. As the water freezes on the plants, it will give off heat and keep them warmer than the surrounding air. This trick is often used to protect fruit trees to protect crops from unruly weather.

Resist spreading salt

Though you may be tempted to sprinkle salt over walkways and driveways to prevent icy slips, remember that the runoff from spreading salt can damage plants. Instead, use wood ashes, sand, gravel, sawdust, or fertilizer to keep these areas safe.

For every problem area in your landscape, you’ll find perennials that not only survive but also thrive in the conditions available. Simply match the preferred growing conditions of each perennial to your site.

 Perennials offer possibilities for every growing situation. As you contemplate digging into perennial gardening, approach it from the standpoint of solving landscape problems. There’s a perennial that will thrive in every growing solution.

If you have a slope too steep for mowing, you can trade turf for perennial groundcover. Near downspouts and low spots in your yard where water gathers after downpours, moisture-loving perennials can transform an eyesore into a beauty spot.

Where lower rainfall dictates water restrictions, tap into the world of xeriscape plants, which grow and flower profusely with little moisture. Natural deposits of acidic soil can support lovely perennials that will make you grateful for the locally low pH. Stop fighting to grow grass beneath shade trees—plant shade-loving perennials instead!

You can even find perennials that serve as lawn stand-ins—tidy, ground-hugging plants that withstand foot traffic and stay green year-round. In municipalities where surface runoff adds charges to your water bill, incorporating a rain garden filled with moisture-loving perennials will dissipate roof, driveway, or patio runoff into the soil and can reduce your water fees. Use this list of perennials adapted to various growing conditions to draft solutions to your landscaping problems.

RICHARD HIRNEISEN

Perennials for Wet Soils

If your garden bed is down in a ditch or next to the downspout, you’re probably stuck with soggy soil that drowns plants. There are plenty of varieties that can withstand (and even thrive) in that much moisture.

• Lobelia or Cardinal Flower: Brilliant red or dark pink flowers in late summer to early fall
• Goatsbeard: Lacy, white flower plumes atop 3- to 5-foot-tall plants from early- to midsummer
• Joe Pye Weed: Large mauve blooms; up to 6 feet tall in late summer
• Rodgersia: Course texture; flower plumes in spring or summer
• Sweet Flag: Long-lasting swordlike foliage

Perennials for Shade

As much as we love hostas, we know it can be boring to fill in a shady corner of the yard with just one plant variety. Flowers like astilbe, bleeding heart, and phlox can also do well in shade and make excellent planting partners for hardy hosta.

• Astilbe: Long-lasting flower stalks in summer
• Barrenwort: Red, pink, white, purple, or bicolor blooms in early- to mid-spring
• Foamflower: White or light pink flowers in mid-spring
• Hardy Begonia: Heart-shape foliage; pink flowers in late summer
• Hosta: Grown for foliage; many cultivars See our favorites here.
• Hellebore or Lenten Rose: Coarse-textured foliage; blooms in late winter to early spring
• Lungwort: Early-spring flowers and variegated foliage
• Old-Fashioned Bleeding Heart: Heart-shape pink flowers in spring
• Woodland Phlox: Fragrant blue, purple, pink, or white flowers in late spring

Anemone ROB CARDILLO PHOTOGRAPHY

Perennials for Alkaline Soils

In certain areas of the country, soil’s acidic balance can be off-kilter, resulting in what we call alkaline soil. Alkaline soil doesn’t let much moisture in and has a weak soil structure that just can’t keep certain plants happy. You can still work with this type of soil without investing in pounds of soil amendments—just look for these plants.

• Anemone: Late-Summer or fall flowers
• Coralbells: Many cultivars with colorful foliage
• Creeping Baby’s Breath: White flowers in summer
• Geranium: Spring or summer flowers depending on species; foliage of many turns red in fall
• Pincushion Flower: Blue flowers on wiry stems summer to fall
• Dianthus or Pinks: White, pink, or red flowers in spring and summer; evergreen foliage in some areas

Baptisia SUSAN GILMORE

Perennials for Dry Soils

Typically, dry soils contain a lot of sand, which doesn’t hold moisture very well. You need especially hardy plants that don’t need consistent or large amounts of water. Try some of these.

• Blue Fescue: Ornamental grass with bluish-green foliage
• Catmint: Fragrant foliage and lavender-blue flowers in early summer
• Baptisia or False Indigo: Pealike blue flowers in late spring followed by attractive seedpods
• Liriope or Lilyturf: Dark green grass-like foliage
• Penstemon: Desert species have bright flower colors, upright shape
• Gaura: Airy white or pink flower stalks from midsummer to fall
• Yucca: Rounded clump of upright foliage

Mallow ED GOHLICH PHOTOGRAPHY INC

Perennials for Full Sun

While all plants need some amount of light to grow and thrive, some are more delicate than others and get scorched if they are placed in full sun. Some plants, however, do super well in hot and sunny spots in the garden.

• Coreopsis: Yellow flowers all summer
• Hollyhock: Summer flowers on tall spikes early to midsummer
• Campion or Maltese Cross: Silver foliage and scarlet flowers in early summer
• Centaurea or Mountain Bluet: Blue-violet flowers in mid-spring to early summer
• Poppy: Flowers with paperlike petals in late spring and early summer
• Peony: Large, fragrant flowers in late spring to early summer See some of our favorite varieties.
• Mallow: Shrublike with white, pink, or purple-pink flowers all summer

Perennials for Acidic Soils

Just like alkaline soils, acidic soil is a result of a lack of balance of nutrients in the soil. Instead of having too little acidic content, acidic soil has too much, which can be a result of organic matter, excessive rainfall, or too much fertilizer. But, you can still grow gorgeous flowers in acidic soil.

• Bear’s Breeches: Tall flower spikes in late spring to early summer and texture-rich foliage
• Cinnamon Fern: Reddish-brown fronds in center of plant
• Fringed Bleeding Heart: Finely cut foliage; flowers in summer
• Liatris or Gayfeather: Purple or white flower spikes in early- to midsummer
• Bergenia: Shiny evergreen foliage with pink blooms in early spring
• Japanese Iris: Showy flowers in late spring or summer
• Hellebore or Lenten Rose: Flowers in late summer

Yarrow TOM MCWILLIAM

Perennials for Clay Soils

You know if you have clay soil—you come out of landscaping projects with sticky boots and a sore back from shoveling the dense earth. Because it is so dense, clay soil can block plant’s roots from getting water, which chokes them out. Some plants actually do well with these conditions.

• Daylily: Adaptable grower for tough conditions; many colors available See our favorite varieties.
• False Sunflower or Heliopsis: Yellow, daisylike flowers native to the prairie
• Geranium: Many species with pink, purple, or white blooms for sun to part shade
• Monkshood: Late summer spikes of deep blue for shady sites
• Obedient Plant: Rapid spreader with pink or white candles of bloom
• Peony: Fragrant pink, red, white, or yellow late-spring blooms See some of our favorite varieties.
• Yarrow: Ferny foliage and drought-tolerant; golden-yellow, white, pink, red, or salmon-color blooms

Blanket Flower DAVID SPEER

Perennials for Sandy Soils

Sandy soil is high in sand content and doesn’t hold nutrients or water well. It’s also more lightweight and fine than other types of soil. If you have sandy soil, you don’t need to be limited to desert plants alone.

• Artemisia: Silvery foliage is the key feature of this perennial
• Blanket Flower: Long bloom season of orange-red daisies marked with yellow
• Baptisia or False Indigo: Shrubby plant with spikes of blue, yellow, white, orange-red blooms in spring
• Lavender Cotton: Herb with fine texture in silvery gray or green foliage
• Thyme: Groundcover with pinkish-purple blooms
• Yarrow: Adapted to full sun and dry soils with wide range of bloom colors
• Yucca: Succulent with spiky foliage and trusses of white bell-shape blooms

Hens-and-Chicks PETER KRUMHARDT

Perennials that are Salt-Tolerant

You may get a high salt content in your soil if you live by a coast, but you can also get areas of salty soil from winter deicing and plowing. If you can’t get the salt levels balanced, lean on these salt-tolerant garden plants.

• Armeria or Sea Thrift: Compact plant with grassy foliage and pink or white blooms
• Blanket Flower: Bicolor daisylike blooms on mounded plants
• Butterfly Weed: Brilliant orange blooms highly attractive to butterflies
• Candytuft: White blooms in spring on mounded evergreen foliage
• Daylily: Tough plant for almost any situation except deep shade See some of our favorite varieties.
• Hens-and-Chicks: Succulent with rosettes of green, pink, or purple foliage
• Dianthus or Pinks: Carnation relative with grassy blue-green foliage and fragrant pink, white, or red blooms

Ornamental allium PETER KRUMHARDT

Perennials that are Deer-Resistant

Deer are beautiful backyard visitors, but nothing is more frustrating than having them eat the flowers and vegetables you’ve worked so hard to grow all season. If you’re methodical about the plants you choose, they’ll leave your garden alone.

• Astilbe: Shade- and moisture-lover with feathery plumes of blooms
• Barrenwort: Shade-tolerant groundcover with delicate-looking blooms
• Lobelia or Cardinal Flower: Moisture-loving plant with spikes of brilliant red or dark pink blooms
• Foxglove: Clustered spikes of pink bells
• Hellebore or Lenten Rose: Late-winter bloomer in shades of pink, white, green, or purple
• Ornamental Allium: Perennial bulb with blooms or purple or white
• Russian Sage: Silvery-gray foliage and purple blooms in summer

Lupine ANDY LYONS CAMERAWORKS, LTD

Perennials for Cool Climates

Some plants love the hot and humid air of Southern states, while others do just fine in the more temperate Northern states. You can find colorful flowers in the North that you’ll appreciate having in your garden.

• Delphinium: Long spikes of blue, purple, pink, or white flowers
• Globeflower: Yellow springtime blooms with feathery centers
• Japanese Primrose: Moisture-loving plant with globes of pink, purple, or white blooms in spring
• Lady’s Mantle: Chartreuse blooms over blue-green foliage
• Lupine: Upright spikes of pealike blooms in many shades
• Monkshood: Fall bloomer for shade
• Poppy: Crepelike blooms in spring in shades of orange, red, pink, or white

Related: Cold-Climate Shade Garden Plan

Daylily ALISE O’BRIEN PHOTOGRAPHY

Perennials for Hot Climates

Explore the world of tropical plants that love the humidity. The sun won’t burn these hot climate plants—they just can’t get enough of the heat.

• Blackberry Lily: Orange blooms turn into black seed clusters.
• Blanket Flower: Adaptable daisy for tough sites.
• Daylily: Trumpet-shape blooms in a wide range of colors. See some of our favorite varieties.
• Hardy Begonia: Glossy green foliage with pink blooms.
• Mexican Sage: Deep purple blooms on silvery plants.
• Muhlygrass: Feathery foliage and white or pinkish blooms.
• Threadleaf Coreopsis: Finely dissected foliage with small yellow daisylike blooms.

Source: bhg.com/gardening

For healthier plants and even more blooms

Taking cuttings is a good way to keep your plants going from year to year. It’s so easy to do and if you become good at it is a great way of adding more of your favorite plants to fill out your collection. The good news is lots of beautiful flowers like fuchsias, pelargoniums and hydrangeas are all easy wins when it comes to taking cuttings successfully. 

 We’ve chosen eight of the best plants to take cuttings from right now. As soon as you’ve snipped your cuttings, put them in a polythene bag to conserve moisture and stop them drying out too fast. Then get your cuttings potted as soon as you can by following our easy guide on what to do next.

1. FUCHSIA

2. SALVIA

3. BUTTERFLY BUSH (BUDDLEIA)

4. PELARGONIUM (GERANIUM)

5. HYDRANGEA

6. BEARDTONGUE (PENSTEMON)

7. VERBENA

8. JAPANESE ANEMONE

DO I NEED TO USE ROOTING HORMONE?

Rooting powders contain synthetic hormones that mimic the natural hormones found in plants. This can boost growth and speed up the development of your cutting. They also include chemicals that lessen the risk of your cuttings becoming diseased, which should increase your success rate.

Many gardeners think rooting powders are unnecessary, but it can be a good thing to use if you’re taking cuttings of more difficult plants. Fill a container with water and put some rooting hormone into a second container. Dip the end of the cutting into the water then into the rooting hormone and tap off any excess powder before planting your cutting.

Now is a good time to take cuttings too. In late summer and early fall hormone levels in plants are high so the cuttings will root and grow well. You’re out in the yard anyway on a tidying mission, so it’s perfect timing to start snipping from plants that do well for you, and that you would like more of to fill out your flower bed ideas next year.

Source: By Sarah Wilson for homesandgardens©

Cordyline Hot Pepper Plant, also known as Cordyline fruticosa ‘Hot Pepper,’ is a popular ornamental plant that belongs to the Asparagaceae family. The plant is named for its attractive and vibrant red foliage, which resembles the fiery color of hot peppers.

Botanical Name: Cordyline fruticosa ‘Hot Pepper’ USDA Zones: 9-11

One of the most amazing Cordyline Hot Pepper Plant Landscaping Uses is getting a pair of square planters and turning them into cordyline container gardens with beautiful blooms.

Or, A little bit of Cordyline and white gravel are all you need for the perfect tropical garden bed to spruce up the landscape.

Tropical Cordyline Landscape

Also, adding Cordylines to vibrant green foliage is a wonderful way to change the landscape with minimal effort.

Source: (balconygardenweb.com)

When to cut back your ornamental grass is governed by the type of grass and your personal preference. You can do the job in the fall after the foliage dies, or leave it in place through the winter and cut it back in the spring.

Some ornamental grasses will remain attractive through the better part of the winter.

And at a time when the rest of the landscape is rather dreary, long grasses swaying in the breeze can add some visual interest. Plus, their seed heads can provide food for wildlife.

Before Getting Started

Ornamental grasses are grouped into three categories: warm season, cool season, and evergreen. Some evergreen “grasses,” including seges and carex, aren’t really in the grass family, and these don’t need pruning (though they can be divided if they get unruly). But how do you know which type of ornamental grass you have, and when to prune it?

Cool season grasses grow primarily in spring before the temperatures exceed 75 degrees Fahrenheit, and in fall when temperatures cool. These grasses keep their color throughout the heat of summer without much growth. Cool season grasses should be cut back in very early spring. As soon as the snow clears, cut the grass back by two-thirds, leaving one-third in place. Pruning too drastically can harm the plant. Some examples of cool season grasses include fescues, blue oat grass (Helictotrichon), tufted air grass (Deschampsia), and autumn moor grass (Sesleria).

Warm-season grasses begin growing in mid to late spring, or even early summer. They thrive when the temperatures rise, with major growth and flowering occurring during summer’s heat. Warm-season grasses turn brown in winter. If you prefer a tidy garden, or if your ornamental grass is a variety that doesn’t look great dormant, cut back these grasses in fall. However, many grasses add terrific winter interest in the landscape, adding movement and texture when much of the garden is asleep. If you want to keep some interest in your garden throughout the winter, cut back these grasses in mid to late spring.

When you prune these warm-season grasses, cut them severely, right down to the ground. Some common warm-season grasses include northern sea oats (Chasmanthium), Japanese silver grass (Miscanthus sp.), hardy pampas grass (Erianthus), perennial fountain grass (Pennisetum), switchgrass (Panicum), and prairie cordgrass (Spartina).

For the tools you’ll need and how to do it, copy and paste the link below.

How and When to Cut Back Ornamental Grasses (thespruce.com)

WARNING

If you live in a region where wildfires are endemic, use ornamental grasses with caution. Rather than allowing the dead grasses to remain for their ornamental appeal, it’s best to remove the foliage promptly at the end of the growing season. Few plants burn more fiercely than a large clump of dried grasses. When planting ornamental grasses, keep them well away from your home and other structures. In some regions, authorities now caution against planting ornamental grasses at all—as well as any other plants likely to burn easily.