By Jamie Colen, Garden Director
Site
The most important single step of any well designed garden will be the aspect of the site in relation to the needs of the plants that you want to grow. A southern sloping area of your yard will be best for a full sun garden, as it warms faster and more evenly. Sun loving plants not only need plenty of light, but prefer to be in well drained soil – avoid planting in areas that are frequently soggy. Soil quality is also very important in relation to where you site your garden – wet areas tend to be acidic and not conducive to the uptake of nitrogen that flowering plants need. Even though you will need to amend the soil with manures and neutral pH compost, you will want to have a good base in which to start. Shade loving plants not only prefer lower light, but more importantly, prefer to grow and will flourish in evenly moist soil. REMEMBER, just because a site is in the shade, does not mean it will be kind to shade loving plants. For instance, trees provide shade, but large trees respirate hundreds of gallons of water per day and will leave areas beneath them bone dry very quickly. Keep in mind the nutrient requirements are also different for shade plants, as they require less rich soil than full sun plants.
Design
A well designed perennial garden will have blooms all season long, so know when certain plants will bloom and how long that bloom cycle typically lasts. The plant that just finished blooming should be close to another that is nearing its bloom cycle – this is called succession. Plan on how the bloom colors will compliment each other, but keep in mind for the great majority of the growing season, you will be seeing the foliage of plants that will not yet be in bloom or have passed, so contrast or compliment the color of this foliage to show off those characteristics. Taller plants should go in back from your viewing area – or in the middle of a garden that will be viewed on all sides, shorter trailing or creeping plants should be nearer the edge. Varied form, structure and growth habit of each plant will also play into the overall design of your garden – tall, billowy, spiked, upright, weeping and striated foliage will have a dramatic effect in your design. Think of how the sunlight and shadows will work in the morning or evening to show off these factors, and plan accordingly. Remember, you can always move plants after a season or two – BUT the best time to move or separate plants is in the Fall, either in cooler weather and after the plant has completed its bloom cycle.
Care
Perennials have only one bloom cycle during the season, as opposed to high energy plants like annuals or rose bushes that bloom throughout the season. If you try to grow both in one bed, you will not have great success with either. Perennials need rich soil, but go through less nutrients due to their single bloom cycle per season than plants like annuals that bloom all season. Too much nitrogen can burn or will cause lush green growth but with a limited number of blooms for most perennials. Concurrently; roses or annuals with the higher nutrient needs within the perennial garden will not produce the desired vibrancy or may not have a strong repeat bloom cycle. Keep your garden weed free by using a three or four pronged long handle cultivator and aerate the soil around the plants weekly, as this will aid in water absorption, keeps weeds from taking hold and the soil will warm faster. Add as much organic ingredients to your soil as possible like dehydrated cow manure, compost or other organic compounds with neutral Ph. (between 6.3-6.8) Nitrogen and many other micronutrients will become available to the plant as the soil gets within this neutral pH range. Avoid the use of bark mulch on flowering plants as it is very acidic and will quickly change the chemical make up of your soil. As the acidity goes up, the pH levels go down and this will eventually halt the uptake of nitrogen, the most mobile and important nutrient. Bark mulch also contains fungus spores and insect eggs and promotes compaction because the soil beneath is not aerated and that will not allow water to absorb into the soil efficiently. A word to the wise: ‘composted’ manure is very different from ‘dehydrated’ cow manure! Composted manure can contain up to 85% bark mulch!! As always, read labels very carefully!
Water
Water only when the first inch or so of the surface of the soil is dry – usually once a week if we do not get regular rainfall. If you are just establishing a garden, you may need to watch the moisture level carefully until plants get over the transplant shock. Over watering causes far more problems that under watering! This is especially true on lawns, and many of our gardens are within our grassy yards. Frequent watering promotes shallow root systems and can cause fungus and viral problems. Regular, deep watering during dry periods is encouraged because is encourages deep root growth and will protect the plant in periods of drought. Luckily, here in the temperate area of the northeastern United States, we receive plenty of rainfall to keep an established perennial garden healthy.
Fertilizing
Soil is living and teaming with hundreds of thousands of forms of life such as microbes, bacteria, fungi. insects and earthworms that actually do the job of making soil! Be aware that anything you add to your soil can either help or hinder this soil life. The addition of organic compounds will feed and increase these life forms and help unlock nutrients already in the soil. There is a massive difference between synthesized chemical fertilizers and organic fertilizers. Synthesized fertilizer components can burn plants, harm beneficial soil organisms and actually break down the chemical bonds of soil particles and cause erosion and they also do not contain a full spectrum of macro and micronutrients. Many popular commercial foliar fertilizers fall into this category and these do nothing to improve soil structure! Organic fertilizers are derived mostly from animal manures, seaweed, shellfish and other such sources and contain a wide range of nutrients all of which are in a form readily available to plants. Most New England soils are on the acidic side and will always do with a seasonal application of dolomitic limestone. Low soil pH can cause many problems that mimic low nutrient levels in the soil – and no matter how much fertilizer is applied into a low pH situation, little change will occur. This is because when pH drops below 6.2 or so, nitrogen, the most movable and important soil nutrient is unable to be used by plants. Invest in a pH meter and look to adjust your soil to be between 6.5-6.8 with applications of lime. It is highly recommended to have your soil analyzed by your local cooperation extension service in order to obtain a baseline. When soil pH is correct and you see signs of stress such as yellowing leaves that begin at the bottom, this is usually a sign of a nutrient deficiency, typically nitrogen. Topdressing the soil with three inches of dehydrated cow manure or compost every spring is always a good idea as it will add a good amount of nutrients and organic matter. Follow these easy steps and you will find nature will work for you! Feed the soil so the soil may feed the plants!