Gardening on the Mind
With the arrival of warmer weather last week, homeowners’ thoughts are turning to their gardens. Unfortunately, it may be too late to plant those perennials, according to this post from last year. It’s the perfect time to plant annuals however. We’ve been having trouble the last couple of years finding the right plants for the…
With the arrival of warmer weather last week, homeowners’ thoughts are turning to their gardens. Unfortunately, it may be too late to plant those perennials, according to this post from last year. It’s the perfect time to plant annuals however. We’ve been having trouble the last couple of years finding the right plants for the shady side of our garden. The smoke bush we planted last year, for example, did not exactly thrive in its original position, so we moved it to a sunnier spot last weekend. And good suggestions? If you’re looking for inspiration, check out these photos from last year’s garden tour.
I was wondering if anyone can recommend a place/person who can help us dig up some concrete in our garden (we’ll probably do the gardening ourselves). We recently renovated our place & our garden is the last place that needs lots of help! Any help/info is greatly appreciated.
7:07, just wondering what to ask for when I call 311 to get an EMF/lead shield. I’d never actually thought about this until I saw your post but I also have a convergence of phone lines in my backyard.
Many thanks!
Gosh, 12:13, don’t you read the papers? I got one of those city-disbursed lead-and-plastic shields (EMFOut! ™) fixed outside my back window where the telephone/cable wires are attached. My handyman only charged me $395 to do the work, and, while it makes the kitchen a little darker, my wife and kids rest easy now. Call 311 asap.
Those yards could really use some trees.
I never used to like hostas but now I love blue hostas. Hydrangea is my favorite shrub (and flower) ever, snails be darned. You can totally do nice things with a shaded or semi-shaded yard.
On planting perennials, I have been planting some last week and this week and intend to plant a couple more before the end of May!
“That’s bull about it being to late for perennials. You can plant perennials well into June. Just make sure they’re watered and use some mulch. jeez!
In fact most nurseries haven’t even gotten a lot of their perennials in stock yet because it’s too EARLY for some of them.”
So true, 10:42! I have about 20 plants waiting to be shipped from a mail order nursery–they’re all perennials for my new (rented) backyard, and the nursery only ships them when planting conditions are ideal for your zone. No need to start a panic, Mr. B.
And I definitely recommend hostas for your shaded areas. Spider plants are also lovely and very easy to grow (and can tolerate the poorest soil imaginable).
We like to do everything ourselves but don’t really know what thrives where . . . So we had a landscape architect that a friend recommended come and give us a consultation.
It was a great experience and wasn’t too expensive. He was here for about two hours and then followed up with a planting plan with specific info on each plant. It was really helpful and we’re in the process of putting everything in now. I definitely feel comfortable recommending him.
His email is david@futuregreenstudio.com
I had a question; see all those wires in the backyards? At first I thought they were power lines of some sort, until my broker told me they are actually phone lines. Are there any dangers with all those wires in the backyard? I just closed on a house which seems to have a junction of tons of those low lines in one corner…
Begonias are nice in semi-shade. There were great ones at the g.a.p. farmer’s mkt Saturday.
Dianthus and alyssum also tolerate semi-shade well. Lowes in Gowanus has both right now. They also have some hybrid “ground cover” roses that supposedly thrive in semi-shade – I am trying those for the first time this year.
For full shade – I have some grape hydrangeas that have done surprisingly well under a rosebush with a large overhang. I think they get < 1 hour day of sun. Hydrangeas look great but attract snails. Yuck.