Excerpt from Clueless in the Garden: How to get started

From Chapter I of Clueless in the Garden

You look out the window and there it is: Your bare, neglected, overgrown (circle the one that applies) yard yawns before you.
Visions of perennial borders, sun-ripened tomatoes, and fragrant flowering shrubs tempt you, but you know that anything you plant is doomed — you weren't around the day they passed out the green thumbs.
Even if you knew what to plant — and that's a big enough hurdle — you wouldn't know where, how, or when. And as for that weedy, compacted, tree-root-infested, muddy — or dusty — dirt you've got, won't any plant just turn up its toes anyway? Besides, isn't it a lot of work?

Well, yes, work is a four-letter word — but you can have a garden and a life too, and no, it's not too late to grow a green thumb.
Actually, as one of my favorite garden wits, the acerbic Henry Mitchell, once put it, "There are no green thumbs or black thumbs. There are only gardeners and non-gardeners. Gardeners are the ones who ruin after ruin get on with the high defiance of nature herself, creating, in the very face of her chaos and tornado, the bower of roses and the pride of irises."
So relax, take a deep breath; help has arrived. No, I'm not coming over to help you dig your flower beds — I've got my own garden, thank you very much —
but this book is the next best thing. Stay with it to
find out what you need to know.

But don't get too hung up on to-do lists. The main reason starter gardeners fail has less to do with being clueless than with the fact that they don't pay enough attention to their gardens.
Yes, you need to know the how, why, and when stuff — but even more important, you need to get outside. That way, you're more likely to notice if the seedlings are getting parched or something's been chewing your favorite shrub or that Vigorous New Perennial is overtaking everything in sight.
Noticing these things while there's still time to do something about them is one of the keys to success. And the more time you spend in the garden, the sooner you'll figure out what works for you and what doesn't.
No, this doesn't mean moving into the garden shed during the growing season. Just pay your garden a visit several times a week and really look at what's going on — what's growing well, what needs a nip and a tuck, and, oh, better pull out that weed right now before it goes to seed.
As for the work part, I call it "playing in the garden." Self-deception? I don't think so.
Gardening should be fun — it's really creative play. There's enormous pleasure to be had growing things and putting good-looking plants together — gardening is a bit like matchmaking, you know.
And what's wrong with losing a few pounds digging? I'd rather burn calories while getting a chance to smell the flowers and watch robins splash in the birdbath than on a dreary treadmill at the gym.

From Clueless in the Garden (Key Porter Books, 2003)
© Clueless in the Garden, Yvonne Cunnington, 2003

Clueless in the Garden - Table of Contents:
Chapter 1: Rolling Up Your Sleeves
How to Get Started
Tools of the Trade
Make Yourself Comfortable
Chapter 2: Climate Control: Gardening Where You Live
Come Sun, Come Wind, Come Rain
A Hardy Plant is Good to Find
Which Way Does the Sun Shine?
Is Your Soil on Acid? Soil pH
Before You Get Out Your Spade...
Chapter 3: Breaking Ground: Soil 101
Checking Out Your Soil
Making Your Bed
Black Magic: Making Compost for Your Garden
Much Ado About Mulching
To Fertilize or Not to Fertilize?
Chapter 4: Getting Your Feet Wet - Water-Wise Gardening
Giving Plants What They Need—Without Wasting Water
The Better Way: Soaker Hoses
First Things First: Watering Priorities
Why Plants Love Rainwater
Chapter 5: What's in a Name? Botanical Names in a Nutshell
Last Name First: Genus and Species
So, What’s a Cultivar?
Attention: Plant Crossing
Chapter 6: Bringing Home the Green - When and Where to Buy
How Ornamental Plants Are Sold
Home, James: Transporting Your Purchases
Buying by Mail Order or Online
Chapter 7: Home Turf - Lawns and Lawn Alternatives
Mow, Mow, Mow Your Lawn
Break the Deep Watering Rule
Give Your Lawn a Boost
Starting a Lawn from Scratch
Lawn Alternatives: A Case for Ground Covers
Another Kind of Ground Cover: A Prairie
Chapter 8: Color Your World - Planting a Flower Garden
Your Paint Box: The Plants
Arranging Flowers in Your Garden
Ready, Set, Plant
The Well-Groomed Flower Garden
Divide and Conquer
Flower Garden Tune-up
Chapter 9: Made for the Shade - When Your Garden Doesn't Get Much Sun
The Secrets of Shade Garden Soil
Planting Your Shady Garden
Light By Degrees
Leaves of Shade
Queen of the Shade: Heavenly Hosta
Coping with Dry Shade
Chapter 10: The Big Picture - Trees, Shrubs, and Vines
So Many Trees, So Little Space!
Choosing Compatible Trees and Shrubs
When to Plant Trees and Shrubs
Shopping Checklist
Ready, Set, Plant
Prescription for the Care and Feeding of New Trees and Shrubs
Pruning 101: A Clip in Time Saves Nine
Up, Up, and Away: Climbing Vines
Chapter 11: Taste Buds - Growing Good Stuff to Eat
KISS Your Veggie Patch
Veggie Garden Basics
Avoiding the Dreaded Zucchini Syndrome
Tips on Harvesting
You Say Tomato...
Want Your Own Asparagus Patch?
Spice Up Your Garden With Herbs
Chapter 12: Pot Luck - The Joys of Container Gardening
Choosing Containers: Au natural Is Best
Spice Up Your Planting
The Container Plant Hit List
No Soil?
Ready, Set, Plant
Keeping Them Growing
To Keep or Not to Keep?
Chapter 13: The Yuck Factor - Weeds, Pests, and Diseases
Weedy Matters
A Cure for What Bugs You
Remedies for Sick Plants
Oh Deer, Oh Deer
Chapter 14: To Everything There Is a Season - What to Do When
Early Spring
Mid to Late Spring
Early Summer Midsummer
Early Fall
Mid to Late Fall
Winter
Chapter 15: Mission Possible - From Ho-hum Yard to Glorious Garden
It Takes More Than Plants
Getting to Know Your Garden Patch
Hiring a Landscape Pro
Gardening Terms: Hort-Speak Demystified
Resources: More Help for the New Gardener

From Clueless in the Garden (Key Porter Books, 2003)
© Clueless in the Garden, Yvonne Cunnington, 2003

CLUELESS IN THE GARDEN Buy Online

Easter Lilies, and the Number One Gardening Question Right Now?

Everybody asks about Easter lilies! Can they go outside; can I plant them in my garden? And to this I reply, "Why not?" Like other bulbs, there are two options if you plant your leftover Easter lily bulbs - either they will live and flower for many years (it is perfectly hardy into zone 4) or they will immediately die. If you don't plant the bulb, it will definitely die. So you have nothing to lose by planting.

Once the Easter lily bloom has faded in the house, cut the stem back as far as you can. Grow the plant in a sunny windowsill, keeping it moist (not sopping) and feed weekly with houseplant food. After all danger of frost has passed wherever you live, you can plant it outdoors. Planting outdoors is as easy as digging a hole and planting so that the top of the bulb will be three inches below the surface.

Add a shovel of compost and a shovel of peat moss to the planting hole and ensure the soil is well loosened. Remember it is necessary to dig a large enough hole to spread the lily roots out and to ensure it is at least eighteen inches from another plant. Place the bulb in the bottom of the planting hole and backfill the soil up to the neck of the bulb – do not cover the green leaves. Covering the green leaves at this time could rot them.

Wait until the leaves have turned yellow and faded before totally filling in the hole. After you've planted the bulb, water it thoroughly. Carefully water and turn the area into a mud hole so no air spaces are left around the bulb. The original foliage may die back immediately after planting. If this happens, cut the foliage right back to the bulb and then backfill the hole. Do not be surprised to see a new set of leaves emerge from the hole. Water thoroughly after back filling.

The key to success with growing Easter lilies is to give the tops full sun but to shade the roots. Hot tops and cold feet would describe this growing condition. Also, excellent drainage is essential for bulb success. Poor drainage or clay soils will rot the bulb over winter because of excessive moisture.

Remember the normal time for the lily to bloom is mid-summer. The first planting year you may see a bloom in mid-summer but the likelihood is that the bulb will wait for next year to bloom again. Your job is to grow the bulb. Do not cut off leaves until they are well faded and quite yellow. Do not pin them up so other plants can grow next to the lily. You want those leaves to stretch out and absorb as much sunlight as possible because they are feeding the bulb and making next year's flower bud.

And next year's Easter lily bulb is what you're looking for, and the one after that, and the one after that too.

copyright Doug Green 2005
Want to ask Doug Green a gardening question? www.aksme@simplegiftsfarm.com

Xeriscaping: Water Wise Landscaping

If it were better understood, xeriscaping would be practiced more often than it already is.

This type of landscaping can be very beautiful and generally requires less water, fertilizer, maintenance, and pest control than traditional landscaping.

And, of course, using less of these will save you time and money.

The principles of xeriscaping deal mostly with slope, plants, plant groups, watering methods, and soil. Shape and other aspects of design can be dealt with by traditional principles of landscape design.

The main fundamentals of xeriscape are:

• PLANNING AND DESIGN
• CREATE PRACTICAL TURF AREAS - manageable sizes, shapes, and the right grasses.
• SELECT LOW WATER REQUIRING PLANTS - select native or addaptive plants and group plants of similar water needs together.
• USE SOIL AMENDMENTS - like compost, manure, leaf mold, etc.
• USE MULCHES - to reduce evaporation & to keep the soil cool.
• IRRIGATE EFFICIENTLY - with properly designed sprinkelr systems.
• MAINTAIN THE LANDSCAPE PROPERLY

There are two approaches to xeriscape. One is to "adjust" your existing landscape to be more water wise. The other is to design and construct an entirely new water wise landscape.

The basics of transforming an existing landscape to water wisdom are really very simple. We'll look at xeriscaping basics and principles here and for design considerations, you can go to Xeriscape Design Ideas.

A common misconception is that xeriscaping is strictly rocks and cactus. While this may be one way of doing it, there are a lot of other attractive planting options that you can use.

Plant selection. Besides the native plants already adapted to your area, there are many colorful drought tolerant plants native to other climates such as Southern Europe, North Africa, Western Asia, South Africa, and Australia that will thrive in your garden.

A reasonable knowledge of plants is an essential key to a successful water-wise garden or any landscape design.

You can discover a lot of helpful information about native plants and their properties from: xeriscaping and native plant directory.
However, if you're serious about creating your water-wise landscape, you should have a good plant encyclopedia in your gardening library.

-Steve Boulden
In less than five years, S&S Designed Landscaping,LLC has grown to be one of the top and most sought after landscape companies in the area.

Landscape Design Basics

Every good garden design owes its effectiveness to certain basic design principles. These rules apply to all levels of gardens, from a simple garden border to an elaborate classical design. Remember, in any well-designed garden no one feature, plant or structure is completely dominate. Instead, all features work together to establish a sense of unity.

A. Repetition: Repeat certain plants, textures or colors.

B. Simplicity: This is the result of constraint. It keeps your design from being cluttered and unfocused.

C. Unity: A unified design ensures that the garden reads as one whole design rather than a hodgepodge of separate elements.

D. Scale: Scale refers to the balance between sizes of various elements, which includes the house, walkways, paths, fences, garden beds and plantings. No one element or feature should overpower all of the others.

-Gizmo Creations
The staff of Gizmo Creations LLC has been involved in landscape design for over 20 years. They have a licensed landscape architect on staff who studied landscape architecture at Iowa State University (Ames, Iowa).

City Joins Flower Show Effort

With barely a month to go before the doors open, organizers announced price reductions and a new partnership designed to invigorate the 2006 Portland Flower Show.

With advance ticket prices dropped from $15 to $10 and a new affiliation with the city of Portland — which will help create the largest single exhibit in the show’s history — the seventh flower show at the Portland Company Complex looks to bounce back from the early March blizzard of 2005. This year’s flower show is scheduled for March 9-12, with an awards ceremony preview on Wednesday, March 8 at 6 p.m.

“The emphasis is on creating a great show for a price that everyone can enjoy,” said Jan Love, the show coordinator. “People will see a lot of changes for the better this year, with several new exhibitors and vendors who will add vitality and interest.”

As the cornerstone exhibit for the show, which came to the Portland waterfront for the first time in 1997, the city of Portland’s Parks and Recreation Department will work with the Friends of Deering Oaks and Robin’s Nest Water Gardens to re-create aspects of the Deering Oaks pond and gardens at the flower show. The original antique duck house, constructed in the 1800s, will be brought indoors to house ducks and geese for all four days of the flower show.

“We thought this was a great way for the city to be involved in a show that benefits us all,” said Jeff Tarling, the Portland city arborist. “There will be volunteer opportunities, a chance to learn the history of the park and a sense of camaraderie that goes into this experience. We’re really excited about being involved.”

Another coup for this show was enticing Ted Carter, the renown landscape designer from Hollis, to exhibit at the show for the first time in many years. Carter plans the show’s second largest exhibit; he has historically been a multiple award-winner at shows in both Portland and Boston.

For a change of pace from previous years, the flower show will also showcase a tropical fruit expert as its keynote speaker. Chris Rollins, from the United States Tropical Fruit & Spice Park in Homestead, Fla, will talk about the journey fruit makes from the tree to the local supermarket. Samples of many of his unusual fruits will be available for tasting.

Chris is a dynamic personality who people up here will really enjoy. We met him two years ago during taping of our television show; he’s also been on with David Letterman and hosted his own radio show, so he knows how to have a good time.

I am still the coordinator for the speaker series for this flower show, even though PPP is no longer running the show. The slate of experts is widely varied this year, with topics covering everything mulch and lawns, to orchids and irises.

Ticket prices have been reduced across the board, with $9 advance tickets for seniors and $25 for admission to the awards preview night. Tickets at the door will be $12. Advance tickets are on sale at Hannaford Supermarkets and several local garden centers. Visit www.portlandcompany.com for more information, or call 207-775-4403.

-Paul Tukey - February 6, 2006