It is easy to be allured by the glamour of planting things that will burst with colorful blooms in your garden. Yet, what is a star without her backdrop? Ornamental Grasses provide texture, uniqueness, and beauty that will set off your favorite blooming flowers. Not only a dynamic element to your garden, Ornamental Grasses are extremely easy to grow, maintain, and will provide additional interest by evolving in seasons while the rest of your garden may be resting.

When most gardeners think of Ornamental Grasses, the word “plumes” come to mind. Grasses are a great addition to the garden because they produce full, green foliage all season and then wow in the summer to fall with their interesting, feathery plumes. We have quite a few grasses that will do just this. For white plumes, try the Hardy Pampas Grass Erianthus or Pampas Grass White Feather. Those looking for pink plumes should plant Pampas Grass Pink Feather, Purple Fountain Grass Rubrum, or Fountain Grass Karley Rose. Other grasses that boast unique plumes are Fountain Grass Hameln, Feather Reed Grass Karl Foerster, or Monkey Grass.

Ornamental Grasses not only work to fill in bare spots in the garden, but can even steal the show with brightly colored, unique foliage. The Variegated Purple Fountain Grass Fireworks is named for its burst of pink color, exploding from upright-growing foliage. This grass will not only add texture to the garden, but will impress with its beautiful show. Maiden Grass Gold Bars is another grass that brings interesting, unique foliage to the garden with its bi-color gold and green leaves.

One of the most appealing traits of Ornamental Grasses is their unique evolution throughout the seasons. In early spring they could bring striking foliage, then elegant plumes, followed by a different look when they prepare themselves for winter. A lovely example of this is the Japanese Forest Grass Nicholas; its foliage is a striking green in spring to summer, then in the fall the leaves change to orange/red for a completely different look. Another grass that evolves throughout the seasons is the Hardy Pampas Grass Erianthus. It boasts lovely, white plums and green foliage in mid-summer. Come fall, its leaves turn to a lovely bronze/red color.

Ornamental Grasses are a hidden gem in the garden; they provide a lovely, full backdrop to set off your garden beauties. Yet, their elegant plumes and unique foliage create their own show when the rest of your garden has retired for the winter. This spring, try planting an Ornamental Grass – you will be surprised at how such little work will provide great texture and dimension to your garden.

Building the Base

A natural slope is the best place for a rock garden, but if you do not have this naturally on your property you can build your rock garden on a raised bed. Your rock garden will need good drainage which is why you will want to choose one of these two options. You will want to remove all existing growth from the area and dig up the land using a shovel or rake. If possible, try to dig your garden up at least 6”. If you do not have the ability to do this, don’t worry!

Adding your Layers

The first layer of your rock garden should be comprised of small rocks or pebbles. These can
either be collected on your property or found and your local garden center. Next, you will want to spread a layer of sand over these rocks. The sand layer helps to keep everything in place. The last step is to spread a layer of good, nutrient-rich soil. You can use the soil you have left over from digging, but will want to amend it with some good organic plant fertilizer. This will give your new plants the best chance to grow.

Rockin’ Out

This is the fun part – Either use rocks found on your property or go to your local hardware store for big, landscaping rocks. This is where you can
really play around and get creative with your garden. Try arranging the rocks in several different ways and remember – there is no right or wrong! Remember to nestle them into the soil, instead of just placing them on top, to give your rock garden a more natural look.

Planting

You may want to wait a week or so before planting your flowers, to let your garden settle. There are quite a few low-maintenance perennial plants and wildflowers that will thrive, multiply, and provide long-lasting color in your rock garden. Wildflowers that will thrive in your
rock garden and can be sprinkled on bare soil are Eastern Red Columbine, Sweet Alyssum, Siberian Wallflower, and Baby Blue Eyes. Perennial Plants that will thrive amongst your rocks are Creeping Phlox, Dianthus, Geranium, Sedum, Daylilies, and Gaillardia. These perennials will not only provide a rainbow of gorgeous color to contrast with your rocks, but are low-maintenance and will multiply throughout the years.

Once your new rock garden is planted, sit back and be proud of the wonderful landscape you created with your own two hands! One of the greatest rewards of building a rock garden is the
low-maintenance required after the initial planting
and the stunning statement that it provides in your
outdoor space for years.

Happy Gardening!

Water. This may seem like an obvious step, but many gardeners (including myself) forget how imperative it is to water plants, especially in their first season. Plants that are more established in the garden require less water, but should still be monitored regularly if you are experiencing dry weather.

Fertilize. You will want to feed your plants once a year to make sure they are receiving the proper nutrients. Fertilizing will also promote larger, healthier blooms. We recommend using an organic fertilizer such as our Organic Flower Fertilizer or Bulb Fertilizer.

Divide. It is essential, once your perennials grow large enough, to divide them and replant. You will notice them getting extremely dry in the center or starting to flop over – This is a good sign that they are ready for division. We recommend doing this either in the early spring or in the fall, once the plant has finished growing for the season. Once replanted, we recommend watering thoroughly
and adding fertilizer in to help the newly divided
plants acclimate to their new spot in the garden.

Deadhead/Weed. As your plants grow and bloom, it is important to remove fading blooms as soon as possible. This helps the plant to put energy into producing more blooms, and will also make your garden look better. We also recommend weeding throughout the season to make sure weeds do not take over or steal energy from your precious plants.

Move and Replace Plants. Even with proper care and love, nature will inevitably take a few of your plants. It is important to monitor which plants are doing well and which plants aren’t, and to try plants in different areas if they are not thriving. If plants die, try doing a soil test and determining the type of soil. Then, try replanting a different type of plant in the same area that will do well with your soil type.

Following these simple, quick steps will help your garden flourish both this season and next. What are some of your favorite care tips? Please feel free to leave a comment below.

Happy Gardening!

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Choosing Your Variety

We carry two types of Strawberries: Everbearing and June bearing. June Bearing varieties, such as the Strawberry Earliglow, produce delicious fruit in early spring for about 4-6 weeks. Everbearing varieties, such as Ozark Beauty and Quinault, produce smaller amounts of fruit in multiple, short spurts throughout the spring and summer. It is essential to choose the right type of Strawberry for your needs: If you are looking to make jam and cook with a large amount of strawberries, than the June Bearing variety makes more sense. If you are looking for smaller amounts all throughout the season to make strawberry shortcake or pies, then the Everbearing varieties would be best for you.

Planting and Care

Both Everbearing and June Bearing Strawberries should be planted in early spring, as soon as your soil can be worked. They should be planted in a sunny spot, about 6-8” deep and 18-24” apart, in well-draining, sandy soil. Be careful to keep the crowns just at the soil surface, do not plant too deep, or they might rot, or too shallow as they will heave. Water your plants as much as possible and use an organic fertilizer to feed your plants, if possible. In the first season, remove any flowers that are produced by the plant. This will help the plant produce more, tastier fruits in the next year. Make sure to keep your berry plants weed-free and protect them from severe winter cold by mulching with 3-4” of straw in late fall. Remove this layer of mulch in spring as temperatures warm.

Picking fresh, juicy strawberries directly from your garden in the spring and summer months is undoubtedly worth the care and attention strawberry plants require.

Happy Gardening!

Try mixing a variety of different types of plants together for a diverse, textured look in your small space. Spring bulbs boast bright, full blooms and do not take much space to grow. Try planting Begonias, Dahlias, Canna Lilies and Calla Lilies in your small garden or containers. In the same bed or container, add texture and greenery to offset your blooms by planting foliage plants such as compact Hostas, smaller ferns such as the Male fern, interesting Hens and Chicks, and shorter Ornamental Grass varieties such as Hameln, Aureola, and Nicholas. For long-lasting, dramatic color, plant perennial flowers in your containers or small garden to finish off your unique, vibrant look. Plant perennials that require little room to grow such as Gaillardia, Bellflower, Daylilies, Bee Balm, Sedum, and shorter (wonderfully fragrant) varieties of Lavender such as Munstead and Jean Davis.

Gardeners with smaller spaces to work with shouldn’t feel limited in what they can grow. It is as simple as choosing the right variety of plants and really getting creative with the pairings. For information on how to grow vegetables in containers, read our blog “Can You Contain It?” What interesting combinations have you planted in your small space garden? Feel free to leave a comment below!

Happy Gardening!

Once tulips have faded, “dead-head” them by clipping off the faded blooms so that they won’t go to seed. Daffodils do not require dead-heading and can be left as is. The main requirement for bulb flowers in the post-bloom period is to leave the leaves alone so the plant can put its energy into “recharging” its bulb for next spring’s performance.This “energy charge” is gained through photosynthesis as the plant uses the sun’s energy to turn basic elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium into food. This food is stored in the bulb’s “scales,” the white fleshy part of the bulb, for use next spring.

It is necessary to leave the green foliage exposed to the sun until it turns brown, or six weeks after the flower has finished blooming. Fight the urge to trim back or constrain the leaves during their die-back phase after blooming. Don’t bunch, tie, braid or cut bulb plant leaves during this period. Dealing with the fading foliage is basically one of those things that lovers of bulbs must deal with. The only management tip is camouflage.

Try planting bulbs with annual wildflowers or perennial plants, or planting them strategically nearby so that they help hide the declining bulb foliage as best as possible. As a planting strategy, plant clumps of bulbs instead of full beds. This way you will have a lovely spring show, and plenty of room to plant camouflaging companions.

Avoid fertilizing the annuals planted in the same bed until the bulbs have died back. Bulbs in spring, if fertilized at all, should only get a dose of fast-release nitrogen about six weeks before flowering (normally bulbs want low nitrogen mix, but in spring it is the green-encouraging nitrogen that is called for). Fertilizing bulbs too close to flowering time, when the bulbs can’t metabolize the food, only encourages fusarium disease and other nasty things that will harm your bulbs!

What are some helpful tips that you have for caring for fall bulbs? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Happy Gardening!

Hydroseeding – This machine is great for larger meadow plantings and is very effective for sloped areas as well. Although there are many types to choose from, they all include a large mixing tank to combine your wildflower mix with the “tackifier”/spreading agent. The combination is then pressure pumped through a hose and spread onto the area. This is a very cost effective way to quickly sow a larger area. Another benefit of using this method is the tackifier usually holds moisture, allowing for quick germination of the wildflower seed. Be aware that if the wildflower mix you are spreading includes any large seed such as Nasturtium, it may cause a problem by clogging the nozzle because of its large size.

Seed Drill – These machines can also be very effective when it comes to sowing large areas. They are unique in the fact they “drill” the seed directly into the soil, with limited disturbance to the soil. I do recommend preparing/roto-tilling the area prior to drilling because if you do not, your seedling won’t have a fair chance of competing with existing growth in the soil. One drawback to using this equipment is if your mix contains a lot of smaller sized seed such as Papaver (Poppies), or Linaria (Snapdragon), it can be difficult to control the depth on these smaller seed varieties. Planting them too deep can hinder germination. Smaller seeds like this can sometimes be left out to later be hand broadcasted on the surface.

3-Point Hitch Spreader – This is probably the most popular and most cost effective method if you don’t have access to the above two machines. This spreader can be attached to most tractors or utility vehicles. Most “Rent-All” places will also have one if you only need it for a one-time application. You add your seed and sand mix, combine the two together and it then allows you to “broadcast” the seed evenly using a spinning motion. It can be adjusted to different settings to ensure a nice, evenly sown meadow at different RPM’s. Just remember to calibrate the setting for spreading at the smallest setting possible to start. You don’t want to broadcast too fast/thick. This may take a little “trial/error” to find the proper setting but, with a little patience, you should be able to dial it in.

All three of these applications are very cost effective ways to install a wildflower meadow, with beautiful results for years to come. If you have any further questions about any of sowing methods don’t hesitate to contact me with you questions at mike@americanmeadows.com or toll-free at 1-877-309-7333 – ext. 12.

Wishing you a prosperous spring season!

The Seed Man

What many gardeners don’t realize is that there are quite a few different varieties of Hostas to choose from, each offering its own unique, dramatic statement in the garden. Hosta So Sweet has medium green leaves edged in white and its snow white flowers are wonderfully fragrant. Hosta June has pale green, heart-shaped leaves with blue green edges and gorgeous lavender flowers. Compact varieties for small space gardens or to tuck in between existing plants are Hosta Halcyon, which has gorgeous blue leaves and lavender flowers, or Lakeside Cupcake, which has contrasting blue-green and yellow leaves. Patriot is one of the more famous Hostas, with dramatically contrasting leaves of bright green and white with lavender flowers. For a larger, bolder Hosta try planting Frances Williams, which can grow up to 4’ wide and boasts blueish-green leaves edged in creamy yellow.

Plant several different varieties of Hostas together to create a diverse, textured look in your shady garden. They will not only provide a show with their gorgeous foliage, but will create added interest later on in the season with lovely blooms. What is your favorite Hosta? Feel free to leave a comment below.

Happy Gardening!

As the air temperatures begin to warm, we’ve prepared an area for a wildflower planting, spread our seed and anticipate quick germination and flowers shortly after. Or you may have planted in the fall for early spring color.

But as certain as spring arrives, so do the calls during April/early May months from customers wondering why their seeds aren’t doing anything. Or if they have                                                                            germinated, there has been minimal growth.

Through over 20 years of advising wildflower enthusiasts, I have created this analogy that seems to resonate with both the novice and avid gardeners alike.

“Go jump in Lake Michigan in April.”

My delivery is usually a bit softer than that, but the idea is simple. Like a large body of water, ground temperatures take a long time to warm. We all get garden fever after that first 80 degree day, but it’s often weeks before the ground is warm enough for germination. Like a large body of water, ground temperatures take much longer to warm that most people realize. With cool ground temperatures it can take a little longer during these early spring weeks for germination to occur.

Ideally we would like ground temperatures to be at about 55 degrees for optimal germination to occur. Certainly we can’t forget the role proper moisture and high quality wildflower seeds also play a role in the success of your planting. With these optimal conditions your wildflower seed should germinate in 7-10 days, if not sooner! Here’s a great link to help with determining ground temperatures in your area; http://www.greencastonline.com/tools/SoilTempMaps.aspx

Certainly if you’re one of those people who sowed earlier and your seeds haven’t shown signs of life don’t panic. With a little help from Mother Nature and the gradual warming of the ground temperatures your seeds should begin germinating and you’ll be on your way to a meadow of beautiful wildflowers!

Happy Gardening!