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If Your Soil Is Mostly Clay, There Is Still Hope

August 16th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

It is not every time that we have the advanatage of working with ideal soil. Sometimes, we get the unfortunate disadvantage of working with soil that is made up of heavy clay particles. An overabundance of clay like this is far from the definition of the “ideal soil” to garden with.

The ideal soil is one that resembles moist bread crumbs that are rich, loose, yet a bit on the crumbly side. Working with heavy clay soil, on the other hand, is like working with thick fudge. It is cold, slippery and extremely dense.

When heavy clay soil is saturated with moisture, it can become virtually structureless. Consider quicksand as a perfect example of just how much of a lack of structure soil has that is mostly clay. Once a heavy rain session is over then the soil may even become hardened which deflects water and prevents important nutrients from reaching perennials and your other garden beauties.

Heavy clay soil is just that, heavy! This is true regardless if it is wet or dry. If you are digging out heavy clay soil areas, it will eventually begin to feel like you’re shoveling heavy metal balls. Far too many perennials can be prevented from blooming due to poor drainage that heavy clay soil can cause. Much of the water that is produced after a heavy rain can end up bunched in a puddle, which perennials do not take kindly to, and can perish.

Advantages of clayey soil
Although the outlook looks grim, there are a few advantages to working with clay soil when compared to lighter type soils. Clay is abundant with nutrients and it does retain water well which can complement certain gardening situations. And you can take advantage of this high nutrient-based clay soil by simply adding organic matter to the mix.

Organic matter can remedy the soil from its gardening unpleasantness and change it to a soil that requires less water, as well as less fertilizer than a sandy or silt soil would need.

What Works Best In Gardening When Dealing With Shaded Property

July 30th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

When it comes to successful gardening, you are the creator of your design, the master of your art. And it is up to you to determine the best plants which are compatible to your property’s layout, which will appeal to your sense of beauty. One of the first items on your checklist should be to qualify which plants are best planted in contrast to the shady areas of your garden.

If you are confused about what “levels” of shade you should be looking at to get a better idea, below are the three general differences:

1. Some areas may have shade that is considered “light”. If your property is light shaded then you probably have only a few trees that are lightly branched which allows your garden to receive 75% sunlight or more throughout the day.

2. The next level is considered “medium” shade. Some landscape grounds are surrounded by tall structures which may block the sunlight for the better part of the day. This type of shaded area may seem almost gloomy due to the deep shade that covers the area, which at the medium level is at least 50% or more of the day.

3. The darkest level of shade, but that still permits some sunlight, would be considered “dense” shade. Densely shaded areas have very little sunlight, less than 25% of the day. If your landscape is similar to this description and considered to be covered in dense shade, then chances are that you are probably surrounded by very tall buildings and fences, and possibly covered by canopy structures.

Which shade level is best to work with when cultivating perennials?
There is no “better” when it comes to the right shade for your needs. However, if you are concerned about cultivating a garden on your property that is considered to be densely shaded as described above, your best bet is to create a dynamic mulch design which is pleasing to the eye. You could even have a wooden deck built to enhance both the atmosphere and the look of your yard.

Medium shade gardens have a lot more options to work with in terms of choosing the right flowers which can thrive in this condition, such as woodland plants. But of course, it’s best to have the opportunity to work with limited shaded garden areas that have mostly sunlight available. This gives you the best of both worlds. Your garden will have just enough shade to protect those plants which need it from burning, and the perfect amount of sunlight to satisfy all of your flower’s needs.

Annuals For Your Garden

May 5th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Annuals are plants that experience their entire life cycle throughout one growing season. In other words, from the seed, to bloom, to setting seed - all happens in one “cycle”. It is nature’s way of safeguarding against poor growing conditions due to extreme cold weather or long drought seasons. Annuals are able to withstand these harsh conditions until the time is right and will germinate immediately when the opportunity presents itself.

Annuals are constantly in a state of seed production and do not utilize much energy on growth. Because of this, many annuals tend to die off once they set seed because the goal has been accomplished. You can basically “trick” the plant into producing new flowers simply by removing faded flowers before they have a chance to form seeds.

Even though all annuals go through their life cycle within a single year, there are different types which germinate during  different seasons.

Here are examples of a few different types of annuals that are available:
1. Hardy annuals: They call annuals that are able to withstand heavy frost “hardy”. Nurseries will typically offer hardy annuals after the spring time because you can plant them in your garden even though strong snows are likely to come. They will withstand the cold environment and bloom beautifully the first chance they have.

2. Half hardy annuals: The term “half hardy” is in reference to annuals that are only able to tolerate some cold and wet weather, as well as some light frost. However, they are not as durable and able to withstand heavy winter weather like full hardy annuals can.

3. Cool season annuals: Regardless if they are tender or hardy, cool season annuals are those plants that always prefer to be in the ground during the cold weather. Many types will germinate in the fall and then spend the entire winter as a small clump of leaves. Then during the spring, they will bloom the instant warm weather hits. Once the summer becomes abundant and high temperatures, the plants will succeed and die. Cool season annuals are best if planted during the fall.

4. Warm season annuals: These plants will germinate during late spring or early summer. Also, you must not rush them by trying to plant seeds or starting transplants too early, for they may rot or stunt. Most of the warm season annuals are extremely tender and will start to blacken at the first signs of cool weather. It’s best to plant these annuals in the spring or fall.

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