Ask The Plant Lady

Posts Tagged ‘Blooms’

by DianthusMoon

Adding Color with Flowering Shrubs and Trees

Flowering shrubs can add much needed color to our landscapes in both the spring and summer months with their glorious range of blooms. Careful shrub selections as well as proper site preparation are keys to the success of new shrubs or flowering trees in the landscape of your yard. Especially during spring, searching for new trees and shrubs can be overwhelming with so much new stock at the local nurseries. Whatever you choose, take the time to condition the soil and nurture your new plants as they adapt to their new home.

Before you bring your chosen trees and shrubs to your yard, you should analyze the soil, shade, and water drainage conditions in your landscape. This simple step can help you prevent expensive plant replacements later on. After you note the conditions of your yard, determine whether any changes should be made since it is easier to do this before you begin planting than it is to make changes later. Trees and shrubs will take on various appearances depending on the amount of sunlight they receive during the day. A typical plant in full sunshine will usually experience thicker denser growth, with branches full of foliage. Too much shade can cause some varieties of plants to develop a thinner stretched out look. Keep in mind what type of sunlight your tree or shrub of choice requires, your nursery professionals are usually happy to explain what type of sunlight intensity your plant will require.

To plant your shrub or tree start by digging a hole that is about as deep and roughly twice as wide as the root ball of your trees or shrubs. Then carefully remove the plant from the container it came in and loosen the roots very gently before placing the tree or shrub into the hole for planting. Last you should fill in the hole around the plant with a mixture of half compost and half soil. Make sure you do not suffocate the plant by adding too much mulch against the trunk of your shrub or tree. Natural mulch is typically an ideal material to spread around your new plants, and then you will want to water them well every-day for about 2 to 3 weeks after planting. Mulching will help to reduce weed growth, retain moisture in the soil, and will eventually break down to add valuable organic material to the soil. This process will also help your plant become better established.

Shrubs and trees are usually very low maintenance with proper site preparation, and they can last a lifetime once well-established in your yard. Planting your shrubs in the spring months can give them an entire growing season to establish themselves in the yard. However, you will need to nurture your new plants during the hot summer months. Extreme hot or dry weather conditions often stresses newly planted shrubs and trees, so keep an eye on them and water as needed.

Bulbs are the earliest blooming flowers in the garden blooming as early as February or early March. Bulbs can be used in the perennial garden where they can complement other early flowers. Planted in the lawn or beneath deciduous shade trees, bulbs can provide your property with spots of vibrant colors.

Though bulbs prefer sun they can grow beneath the canopy of deciduous trees. In the spring, before the leaves develop, the sun can filter though the tree’s branches. However, while they’ll grow best in the sun, those which are exposed to direct sun during the hottest part of the day are subject to shorter periods of bloom. Bulbs prefer organic well drained soil and will tend to rot if grown in poorly drained soils such as clay. To grow in poorly drained areas amend the soil down to 1 foot. Adding coarse textured organic mulch and compost to the soil will increase its drainage ability and add nutrients to the soil. Another solution is to plant them in raised beds created with well drained soil.

Bulbs, like perennials and annuals, should be deadheaded after they flower. Removing past blooms will prevent the bulbs from forming seed heads. This allows bulbs to put all of their energy into next year’s growth. Wait until the foliage turn brown before you cut the bulb back to the ground. Bulbs receive their energy through their foliage from the sun. This energy is stored below the ground in the bulbs until the following spring.

Wait until the weather is cooler in October and November to plant your bulbs. When you purchase them be sure they are firm rather than soft, bruised or moldy. If you don’t plant them right away be sure to store them in a cool dry place until you do. Generally, bulbs are planted at a depth 3 to 4 times the width of the bulb. Be sure to check when you buy for specific planting instructions. I like to plant bulbs in large massings for clusters of color. Cover the planted bulbs with about 2 or 3 inches of bark mulch to help the soil retain moisture and to reduce the growth of weeds in the garden.

Every few years some bulbs begin to get crowded and need dividing. Bulbs can be dug up after the foliage turns brown and can either be planted immediately or stored in a cool dry place until they’re planted in the fall.

Bulbs can usually be depended on to provide the garden with early spring color. Sometimes, however, bulbs fail to bloom profusely. This can be the result of too much moisture, too much shade or overcrowding. It can also be the result of removing the foliage of the bulbs too soon or improper planting techniques such as planting at the wrong depth.

Bulbs are among the easiest plants to care for in the garden. With some initial work you can provide your garden with early season color year after year. Spring flowering bulbs are a pleasant sight after a long winter and are the best sign of the wonderful things to come.

Having a beautiful garden is one of the surest ways to surround your home with a fundamental element of luxury. But if you want to have a gorgeous garden and you’re faced with a short growing season like we have in Calgary, you have to work a bit smarter than you do in say, California. With this in mind, here a few tips to help bring out the best in your yard.

The Quicker the Better

The growing season in Calgary is relatively short, amounting to about 170 frost free days a year. So whatever you plant, make sure it gets to the point quickly. Fast growing plants are the way to go if you want to be surrounded by greenery and flowers this summer.

As Beautiful as the Day is Long

Fortunately, Calgary gardens have a distinct advantage when it comes to the growing season. Though there may not be many days for growing, those days are long. In the summer, the sun shines from 5 am to 10 pm with dusk stretching as far as midnight. In fact, at the height of summer, it never really gets dark for long. While we’re on the topic, Calgary is actually one of the sunniest places in the county with an annual average of 2400 hours of brilliant sunshine.

Everything’s Coming up Roses

It’s easy to have a rose garden if you stick to wild roses. Hardy and abundant, the prairie rose makes a great border that blooms early and provides colour all season with very little help from you.

Rock On

Rock gardens are a go in Calgary. Use local rocks for the best effect – they look better and cost you nothing. Did I also mention they look better? Fortunately, most of the plants that grow in a traditional alpine rock garden will also do nicely in Calgary. Visit the Reader Rock Garden for a supreme example of how beautiful this type of garden can be.

Turn Your Face to the Sun

Before you plant a thing in the ground, turn your attention to the sky. Figuring out where the sun is going to hit your little patch of paradise and from which direction, should be the first thing you consider when planning your garden. A north facing yard will call for shade tolerant plants, while a south or southwest facing yard will soak up the rays. If you want vegetables, plant them in the sunny spot. You’ll also want to look for elevations and slopes when you are making your site selection while avoiding depressions and low areas that allow water to pool.

Everyone Knows it’s Windy

The first thing you need to know about the prairies is that they’re flat. For gardeners, this means that unless you intervene, there will always be days when there’s nothing to stop the wind from whipping itself into a frenzy and making your garden shiver with wind chill. Nothing that is, unless you create a windbreak, which you definitely should do. Windbreaks stop the wind from lowering the temperature on the property which is good for the garden, good for your house and good for you. Fences are the quickest way to enjoy the benefits of a windbreak and open fences (picket style) will always do better than solid fences which just seem to make the wind angrier.

Satisfy Thy Soul in Drought

Though you can stand outside everyday watering your lawn to make it green, hopefully you have better things to do with your time. Besides, it’s always wise to accept things for what they are and Calgary’s climate is dry. Choose drought tolerant grasses and ground cover. Save money on your water bill. Be at peace.

A Snowball’s Chance

Your garden, your yard and your view don’t only exist from frost to frost. Give your garden and your family the full benefit of the seasons by making this space a fun and beautiful place all year round. Plant trees and bushes that will not only survive the winter but will add colour and interest. There’s nothing nicer than red berries contrasted with white snow in February. Evergreens and conifers are another classic choice. Pay attention to shapes and silhouettes when you are planning your winter garden. There’s also nothing more deliciously defiant than hanging out in the hot tub when the thermometer has dipped well below zero. Saunas, out door fireplaces and heated spas all make the cold months a bit warmer and open up a whole world of possibilities when it comes to winter parties. If you have children (or even if you don’t) you might also want to consider allowing space for a backyard rink. Forget the tarps and the flooding if you want to go this route. There are some great portable skating rinks on the market right now that just need to be unrolled and filled up for a season of ice skating fun times.

And finally, if you’re really serious about turning the yard around your Calgary home into an abundant wonderland, there are some great books that deal specifically with gardens in our climate zone and plants that do well here. The Calgary Horticultural Society is also a fantastic resource for local green thumbs.

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Image taken on 2010-05-15 18:35:10 by Chris Devers.

Daylilies are quite possibly the perfect plant. It is easy to see why they have become one of the most popular flowering perennials.  They are very hardy and quite easy to grow.  They can grow in different soil, sunlight, and water conditions, are rarely bothered by pests, and are generally disease resistant.  What’s more, daylilies come in many different colors, sizes and types — there are over 40,000 different registered varieties and hundred of new varieties are added to the registry each year.

Every garden, whether big or small, can include daylilies in the landscape plan and design. The can be planted singly as specimen plants and are also excellent when planted in masses, or in mixed border arrangements.  They work well to deter erosion and can help establish banks or in areas where erosion is a problem.  When interspersed with other plants, daylilies can help to cover the yellowing foliage of the other plants and early spring bulbs such as daffodils and tulips.

Because there is such a vast selection of types, sizes, and colors, gardeners have many options for using daylilies in the landscape.  And, with their different blooming periods and re-blooming characteristics, with some planning, you can have blooming daylilies in your garden from spring through fall.

When planning your garden design using daylilies, keep the following tips in mind:

Planting in groups of the same variety will give the greatest impact on the landscape design. Brightly colored varieties will make a greater visual statement from a distance. There are many re-blooming daylily varieties available.  By selecting re-blooming types of daylilies, you can extend your season of color. Incorporate varieties of different heights.  By selecting plants of different heights, you can use them in the front, middle, and back of the bed. For more variety, combine different types of daylily blooms. Plant unusual varieties as specimen plants. Some varieties are particularly fragrant.  Be sure to plant those close to a walk-way or where their fragrance will be most appreciated. Mix with other types of plants.  The companion plants can help to accentuate the daylily flowers and foliage and can also be used to provide additional color during the times that daylilies are not blooming.

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