Try to keep a list of garden jobs on a card to do during March, and hang it where you don't lose it so you'll be sure to get the jobs done when time and weather permits in the East.
The bed south of our sun porch is a problem; it is in the heavy shade of a shellbark hickory, also shaded by a huge honeysuckle. It is not only shaded, but it's dry. I find that even with watering it is rather hard to keep primroses alive in this spot so I am going to use it as a place to try out some of the named varieties of lily turf that I got last fall. I have 'Majestic,' 'Lilac Beauty,' 'Monroi White,' and Silver Ribbon. These are all varieties of liriope. They can take shade, rather dry growing conditions, and also the birds. The planting is just under the hanging bird feeder and the birds, especially sparrows, going after the food they throw out, are rough on tender plants like primroses.
The last of this month is usually, mild enough in Ohio to take the shading off my cold frames so the sun can start warming them up. If you live very much north of Columbus or St; Louis you have to put this off. By the last of February the roses should be blooming in my front yard as well as in a lot of other places around the grounds. The Christmas rose seed that I sowed in the cold frame last November should be starting to germinate.
Taking Pictures
Digital pictures are a good means of checking on your garden, both to see how it grows and changes from year to year as well as to show up places that need attention. To be honest I design and plant my place with pictures in mind. I have decided that next year I would like to have a nice shot down along a path, or across a certain part of the yard.
Consequently I make all of my plantings with this in mind. For instance last fall I had a lot of seedling cardinal flowers coming up in the cold frames and growing beds and I massed a bunch of them in front of the arborvitae hedge back of the pool. That should give me a gorgeous shot next July.
And in a couple of other places around the yard I put in a number of foxglove seedlings. That will give me a nice picture in June. Early last fall I planted all of one side of the path beside the garage with primroses. I have never taken a picture of that part of my yard because I was never proud of it. I hope next spring I will be.
One resolution I made last year, but am having a hard struggle to keep, is never to use a pencil on any plant labels. A Sharpie pen with a fine point is easy to read and will be as permanent as the label itself. Unless you are a memory specialist like Dale Carnegie you are going to find it necessary to label each and every plant including patio ground cover, cutting, seed, and what have you, as soon as you plant it. All too few of us have the time to make a record in our notebooks of each patio ground cover as we plant it" its name, where it came from, where it was planted.
Try making a plot of your yard and giving each bed a number or letter. Then you can have on a separate sheet an enlarged plan of this bed. Once you get this done it doesn't take too long to jot down a planting plan.
The bed south of our sun porch is a problem; it is in the heavy shade of a shellbark hickory, also shaded by a huge honeysuckle. It is not only shaded, but it's dry. I find that even with watering it is rather hard to keep primroses alive in this spot so I am going to use it as a place to try out some of the named varieties of lily turf that I got last fall. I have 'Majestic,' 'Lilac Beauty,' 'Monroi White,' and Silver Ribbon. These are all varieties of liriope. They can take shade, rather dry growing conditions, and also the birds. The planting is just under the hanging bird feeder and the birds, especially sparrows, going after the food they throw out, are rough on tender plants like primroses.
The last of this month is usually, mild enough in Ohio to take the shading off my cold frames so the sun can start warming them up. If you live very much north of Columbus or St; Louis you have to put this off. By the last of February the roses should be blooming in my front yard as well as in a lot of other places around the grounds. The Christmas rose seed that I sowed in the cold frame last November should be starting to germinate.
Taking Pictures
Digital pictures are a good means of checking on your garden, both to see how it grows and changes from year to year as well as to show up places that need attention. To be honest I design and plant my place with pictures in mind. I have decided that next year I would like to have a nice shot down along a path, or across a certain part of the yard.
Consequently I make all of my plantings with this in mind. For instance last fall I had a lot of seedling cardinal flowers coming up in the cold frames and growing beds and I massed a bunch of them in front of the arborvitae hedge back of the pool. That should give me a gorgeous shot next July.
And in a couple of other places around the yard I put in a number of foxglove seedlings. That will give me a nice picture in June. Early last fall I planted all of one side of the path beside the garage with primroses. I have never taken a picture of that part of my yard because I was never proud of it. I hope next spring I will be.
One resolution I made last year, but am having a hard struggle to keep, is never to use a pencil on any plant labels. A Sharpie pen with a fine point is easy to read and will be as permanent as the label itself. Unless you are a memory specialist like Dale Carnegie you are going to find it necessary to label each and every plant including patio ground cover, cutting, seed, and what have you, as soon as you plant it. All too few of us have the time to make a record in our notebooks of each patio ground cover as we plant it" its name, where it came from, where it was planted.
Try making a plot of your yard and giving each bed a number or letter. Then you can have on a separate sheet an enlarged plan of this bed. Once you get this done it doesn't take too long to jot down a planting plan.
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