Hasn’t this been an easy winter so far? Once we get November, December and January behind us, I always feel that I can say that spring is just around the corner. Although February can be quite “wintery”, March can often provide good days for early spring garden work. With a forecast for the mid-50’s and rain mid-week, the month isn’t starting out too badly!

I’ve been reading up on all of the 2012 plant introductions in garden magazines, browsing daily arrivals of gardening catalogs, and attending a weekly garden lecture to keep me in the gardening mindset. February is the month for spring flower and garden shows too – a great way to get a garden fix! Check my Events page for a listing of New England shows.

At this time next month, we’ll be saying, “in just a few more weeks” . . . . . I can’t wait, can you?

“To own a bit of ground, to scratch it with a hoe, to plant seeds and watch the renewal of life – this is the commonest delight of the race, the most satisfactory thing a man can do”
Charles Dudley Warner

BIRD GARDENS IN WINTER

As always, my bird viewing area on the north side of my house is one of my favorite winter garden spots! A lone robin and red-bellied woodpecker have taken up permanent residence in my crabapple trees snacking on the few remaining dried fruits! I’ve been putting out raisins as an extra treat for the robin and keep the suet feeders filled for the woodpecker.

Did you know that when birds puff up their feathers they are doing it to hold in their body heat? Our state bird, the chickadee, looks like a little fluff ball and is so comical to watch. These perky little birds are constantly at my feeders enjoying black oil sunflower and safflower seeds! They add such joy to my day.

INDOOR WINTER GARDENING

I’m enjoying all of my windowsill plants — my amaryllis bulbs have been brought up from the cellar, fed, and are showing new growth – several with buds already! Watching the daily changes in plant growth and blooms satisfies my connection to Nature during the winter months.

Fragrant Primroses — Did you ever notice that some primroses have a lovely sweet scent? Pick up and sniff a yellow primrose the next time you are shopping. They seem to have the most pronounced fragrance – very similar to freesias.

DEBBIE’S TOP FIVE — New Plant Introductions for 2012

I always look forward to reading about new and exciting plant introductions at this time of the year and watch for small easy-care shrubs that can be worked into the garden border. Here are five new compact shrubs that will be on my “can’t do without“ list!

‘Sapphire Surf’ Caryopteris x clandonensis – this dark blue flowered bluebeard will grow only 2’ tall x 3’ wide – a perfect addition to the garden border. Very low-maintenance and deer resistant.

‘Baton Rouge’ Cornus alba – a small red-twig dogwood providing four seasons of interest. Compact at 3’ – 4’ tall and wide. The vibrant red stems in winter are the real bonus!

‘Starburst’ Kalmia– maroon banded star shaped flowers with small leaves, this Mt. Laurel will slowly grow 5 – 6’ tall and wide.

‘Pancake’ Thuja – a low, mounding arborvitae with blue-green winter color growing about 2’ wide by 1’ tall.  A good evergreen plant for front of the border.

‘Sugar Baby’ Forsythia – this miniature forsythia grows only 1 ½ to 2 ½ ‘ tall and is covered with golden yellow blooms.

UPCOMING GARDENSCAPES LECTURES

I’ve been spending the last few Saturdays going to gardening lectures and I always run into friends and gardeners who I haven’t seen in awhile. I also pick up a new flowering plant in the greenhouse at Annie’s or Hadley Garden Center  – both places have several more Saturday workshops scheduled. It’s such a pleasant way to spend part of my Saturday. I hope to see you at one of my lectures between now and spring:

Saturday, Feb. 4 at Hadley Garden Center –1pm: Creating Easy-Care Gardens. Free.

Saturday, March 24 at Annie’s Garden & Gift Store — 10am: Creating a Garden For All The Senses (this is a new topic – first time presented). Free

Saturday, March 31 at the 16^th Annual Western Mass. Master Gardener’s Spring Gardening Symposium at Dean Technical High School in Holyoke – 8:45am to 3:30pm. I will be presenting 2 topics: Creating a Backyard Wildlife Habitat and Creating a Garden For All The Senses. Registration for workshops is required. Classes fill up fast so register early. Visit www.wmassmastergardeners.org.

For a more complete list of area garden-related lectures, workshops and annual flower and garden shows, please visit my Events & Workshops Page.

Until next month, have fun reading all of those gardening catalogs, start making your seed list, enjoy watching and feeding the birds, and create your own windowsill garden with beautiful primrose, mini-daffodils and other colorful spring plants available at our local nurseries. Spring is getting closer!

Happy February!

Debbie

I have also witnessed how much I have grown as a person by connecting with Nature on a regular basis. Both areas have made such a positive impact on my life that I want to share them with you.

So, for 2012, in addition to my garden design and coaching services, you will see an increased emphasis on ecological gardening. I will continue to teach how to build backyard wildlife habitats using native plants, and will show you how to create your own garden sanctuary and contemplative garden spaces. I‘ll be promoting the healing aspects of gardening and showing you how to grow better herbs, vegetables, and flowers for cutting and crafts. Not only will you be growing your own gardens better, but you’ll be growing yourself as well!

For those of you who attended and enjoyed my Garden Tour and Tea last year, I plan to hold one again in May or June and will be posting the date soon. As always, my gardens are open to anyone who would like to stop by for inspiration or education and I look forward to sharing my love of gardening with you in some way in 2012!

“Winter, a lingering season, is a time to gather golden moments, embark upon a sentimental journey, and enjoy every idle hour. ”  -  John Boswell

SIMPLE PLEASURES OF WINDOWSILL GARDENING

Gardening, for me, doesn’t end when I put my outdoor gardens to bed. My sunny plant window and south-facing windows in my home are filled with plants – many with colorful blooms and sweet fragrance.

Have you tried the new ‘Inbal’ paperwhites that bloom with a delicate fragrance? Many people are turned off by the strong, sweet fragrance of most paperwhites so these are a nice alternative. I grow mine in tall, narrow glass jars to keep the foliage from flopping.

Are you wondering if those old bulbs that you purchased last winter will grow? Plant them in fresh soil, fertilize them and set them on a sunny windowsill. What do you have to lose? I did the same with some old bulbs I found and now have sweet, fragrant hyacinth blooms and some grape hyacinths sending up fresh, new foliage.

The tender French lavender plants and flowering geraniums that I brought inside a few months ago are providing great color and fragrance. I also tried overwintering a tarragon and rosemary indoors and have been rewarded with fresh herbs for cooking.

Of course, I wouldn’t be without my favorite amaryllis bulbs that provide non-stop color all winter. I’ve enjoyed several of my bulbs for 10 years or more and have perfected the way to get them to come back each year.

Tending my houseplants allows me to get my fingers in the soil during the winter months and feel that I am nurturing living things while receiving the gifts of their beauty in return.

Primrose Alert! I spotted the first pots of primrose at the grocery store this morning and will be adding them to my plant collection as soon as I can clear some space!! Be sure to do a sniff test before buying. Many have a delightful fragrance!

THE WINTER GARDEN

On New Year’s Day, I was amazed to find blooms on my Pink Frost hellebore and my Mediterranean Pink heath out in my gardens. I’ve been continuing to pick parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme and I don’t ever remember a January 1^st when I could wander through my gardens and observe green shoots and healthy new growth!

I know the weather can change very quickly so I enjoyed adding chopped leaves to some of my tender perennials and savored the warm sun on my face while I contemplated adding a moon garden in the spring.

UPCOMING GARDENSCAPES LECTURES

I’m looking forward to sharing my gardening expertise with you at 3 different venues this winter:

Saturday, Feb. 4 at Hadley Garden Center –1pm: Creating Easy-Care Gardens. Free.

Saturday, March 24 at Annie’s Garden & Gift Store — 10am: Creating a Garden For All The Senses (this is a new topic – first time presented). Free

Saturday, March 31 at the 16^th Annual Western Mass. Master Gardener’s Spring Gardening Symposium at Dean Technical High School in Holyoke – 8:45am to 3:30pm. I will be presenting 2 topics: Creating a Backyard Wildlife Habitat and Creating a Garden For All The Senses. Registration for workshops is required. Classes fill up fast so register early. Visit www.wmassmastergardeners.org.

For a more complete list of area garden-related lectures, workshops and annual flower and garden shows, please visit my Events & Workshops Page.

Until next month, be sure to pot up some fragrant bulbs, give a primrose a home on your windowsill, remember to feed the birds, and cuddle up with a good gardening book and a hot cup of tea!

Happy 2012!

Debbie

As much as I love to garden, I also look forward to a few months of relaxation and time to enjoy other pursuits now that Gardenscapes is all tucked in for a long winter’s rest! Although I’m done a month later than normal due to the unseasonably warm weather, I’ve enjoyed having the extra time to do a thorough job of garden clean up and winter prep work this year. I now figure that spring will feel like it is arriving sooner in 2012! My favorite amaryllis bulbs are resting in the basement, and I’ve potted up and brought in many of my beautiful geraniums and herbs so I have a good sized indoor garden to tend to throughout the winter months! A gardener’s work is never really done . . .

Gardening Quote of the Month: Let us be grateful for people who make us happy. They are the charming gardeners who make our souls bloom. –Marcel Proust

5 MUST-DO HOLIDAY EVENTS
The next few weeks leading up to the end-of-the-year holidays will be filled with many forms of preparation. I, for one, plan to take time to think about what the season means to me and celebrate in small ways for the entire month beginning this weekend!

1. Christmas Tree Festival in Hadley – This Friday!
As soon as I’ve finished updating this blog post, I’ll be creating natural decorations for my themed tree donation for the Christmas Tree Festival to benefit Hadley’s volunteer fire department. Have you heard about this fun event? Twenty-five Hadley businesses are donating decorated trees to be auctioned on Friday between 5:30 and 8:30pm at the Most Holy Redeemer Parish Hall at 120 Russell Street (Rt. 9) in Hadley. The public will be able to view and bid on the trees (via silent auction) at this time. The Hadley Mother’s Club will be serving refreshments, Maple Valley Ice Cream will be scooping free ice cream, and Hampshire County 4-H will have a wreath sale. This is the perfect event to get into the holiday spirit while helping a good cause.

2. Yuletide at Storrowtown — West Springfield, MA , December 3 – 4. Tour Storrowtown’s 18th- and 19th-century buildings, seasonally decorated by area garden clubs and florists and enjoy musical performances, storytelling, old-fashioned craft demonstrations, ice sculpting, Sweet Shoppe, kids’ crafts, an old-fashioned Santa and much more. Caroling on the Gazebo at 4 p.m., both days. Holiday gifts, decorations and many unique items are available in the Gift Shop and Christmas Shop. Visit www.thebige.com/sv/programs/Calendar.asp for details.

Photo courtesy of flowersociety.org

Holly Days at Tower Hill Botanic Gardens in Boylston, MA (runs now through January 2): I love visiting Tower Hill in all seasons, but particularly between November and January for their Holly Days event. Not only can you wander through the special holiday exhibits – this year the theme is “Fashioned from Nature” and see hundreds of handmade natural ornaments with a glitz and glamour theme, but you can also have lunch at Twigs café and shop at Tower Hill’s great garden shop! Be sure to visit their website for details.

4. The 27th Festival of Trees at the Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield runs through January 2. This year’s theme is Under the Big Top and will feature more than one hundred dazzling holiday trees decked out in circus colors. For info visit www.berkshiremuseum.org. Since I was born in Pittsfield, I love to go back to my hometown and wander through the museum, reminiscing about many visits there as a child.

5. Winter Solstice Celebration. Wednesday, Dec. 21st @ 5:30pm at Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary in Easthampton. This year I plan to celebrate the Solstice by joining with others around a roaring bonfire while listening to readings and music. What a wonderful way to honor the change in seasons. This is a FREE event. For info, call 584-3009.

WINTER WILDLIFE GARDENS
The suet feeders are hung, cases of suet are stored and ready to put out, and I’ve stocked up on black oil sunflower seeds, safflower seed, and cracked corn. I have new platform feeders for the ground-feeding birds, my birdbath heater installed, and my tree stand is ready for my outdoor bird area tree. I enjoy covering this tree with tiny white lights and viewing it from the comfort of my home each night. This tree has become an annual gift I give to me and my wildlife friends. Not only do I enjoy the lights each night, but it gives the birds and bunnies one more area for shelter from the wind, snow and predators. Have you thought about how you can support wildlife in your backyard through the cold winter months?

It’s been another great year in the garden and I send you my very best wishes for a happy & healthy holiday season!

Debbie
P.S. Do you know someone on your gift list who might enjoy a Gardenscapes Gift Certificate? They are available in any denomination beginning at $50.00 for one hour of garden coaching or garden design. The certificate is printed in color on holiday paper and comes in a pretty envelope with a holiday seal to close it with.

As I spend the final days putting my gardens to bed, I am thankful for unseasonably warm weather and the blessings of butterflies, bees and grasshoppers still buzzing around me as I work!

I was also quite surprised to find a bright yellow primrose blooming on Sunday as I cut back surrounding hosta leaves.

My goal is to have all plants cut back, bulbs planted, pots stored, dahlias and cannas buried in peat moss, veggie garden cleaned up, and my pond winterized by Thanksgiving (3 weeks later than I normally do my fall cleanup!). For those of you who know how much area I have to cover, it’s a big task, but the fresh air and exercise exhilarates me and I am now looking forward to a few months rest for my weary body.
Here are 5 final tips for those of you who are putting the finishing touches on your garden cleanups –
1. As you can see in the photo above, I don’t cut my plants close to the ground, because I want foliage and stems to catch leaves to provide some insulation throughout the cold, winter months.

2. Remember to support the birds and wildlife on your property. I leave coneflower seed heads, some grasses and other plants standing to provide food and shelter for wildlife. Don’t be too tidy.

3. Be diligent about cutting back diseased foliage and remove it from your property. Don’t put it in the compost pile! Any foliage that shows signs of mildew, black spot, rust, or other questionable problems needs to be disposed of.

4. Remove as many visible weeds as you can to get a head-start for next spring.

5. If you’ve been making compost all season, now is a good time to top-dress your gardens and work it into the top few inches of soil.

Wishing all of you a safe, healthy and Happy Thanksgiving and blessings from the garden.

Who would ever expect that I’d be writing about the effects of a major snow storm on our Zone 5 gardens at the end of October? Since we’ve already experienced an earthquake, tornadoes and a hurricane this year, why not? We can add it to our long list of strange weather events for 2011!

Upon initial inspection of the damage on Sunday morning, I found several trees and shrubs with branches laden with heavy wet snow, pinned to the ground. I thought for sure my ‘Cherokee Princess’ dogwood was a goner. I wrote it off as a storm casualty and was thinking about the replacement I would buy next spring. After a day of sunshine, however, I’m happy to report that all branches are back to their regular outstretched positions. As with other storms this year, I’ve been astonished at how flexible many plants can be. To have the ability to bend and sway under such harsh conditions, but not to break, is a lesson in flexibility that we can all learn from.

Despite the damage I witnessed all around me, and going through a 24-hour period with no power or heat, I found many things to be grateful for. The sunny, blue skies provided welcome heat, gas kept us in hot water and the ability to cook, cell phones let us communicate with the outside world, and the roof over my head let me practice my nesting techniques with a good book, numerous cups of tea, and yummy zucchini bread I had stored in the freezer!

5 REASONS NOT TO PROCRASTINATE WITH FALL CLEANUPS

Shame on me! I for one should know better! I got caught this year, enjoying the fact that a frost had not arrived earlier in the month – telling myself I had more time. Now I’m hoping for enough warm temperatures to melt the snow this week so I can do the work in my gardens I should have done 2 weeks ago! I will use this lesson as a learning experience and share with you my 5 new garden resolutions for fall.

1. Do major fall garden cleanup in mid-October.
“Typically” our first frost occurs around Columbus Day. However, what has been typical about any of our weather for the past few years? From now on, I am not going to be swayed by the actual weather and will let the calendar guide me.

2. Don’t put off bulb purchases.
Although I buy many of my unique bulbs by catalog, I like to support local nurseries and garden stores by purchasing bulbs from them. Bulbs for fall planting are offered earlier every year, it seems (kind of like seeing Christmas merchandise arrive in the stores right after Labor Day!). As soon as I see bulbs in the stores next year, I’m shopping early for the best selection. The same tactic applies to planting them. I have buckets of bulbs to plant, still! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will accommodate my tardiness this year.

3. Take cuttings of favorite garden plants early.
I love to make bouquets of my favorite coleus plants, waiting for them to root in vases of water. Once the roots form, I pot them up and enjoy these wonderful plants throughout the house all winter. I simply pinch back any stems that become leggy to keep the plants compact. Next spring, I will share cuttings with friends and have my favorite plants to put out in the garden again. It’s hard to pick them once they are buried in snow!

4. Give sale shrubs and perennials time to establish roots.
When people ask me “how late can plants be put in the ground at this time of the year”?, I always reply – “give them several weeks before a good hard frost to give them time for good root development”. Did I follow my own advice? Of course not! I won’t tell you how many plants I have sitting out in my gardens still in pots ready to go into the snow-covered ground! You’ve heard the famous saying “the shoemaker’s children go barefoot” – that’s me!

5. Don’t put off fall pond care.
For those of you who have water gardens or garden ponds, this is absolutely one area that must be attended to before freezing temperatures occur! If you are overwintering fish in your pond, you need to get your heaters in the water and apply your fall pond care solutions early. I hadn’t moved my small fish from my upper pond yet and was trying to keep a hole in the ice with a birdbath heater yesterday!! Thankfully, it worked

AN UPDATE FROM THE VEGGIE PATCH

I think I’ve picked my final harvest. Early Saturday morning, with snow approaching, I picked a lovely bowl of fresh raspberries and about four dozen sweet peppers – ever wary of the increasing damp coldness in the air. If the cold weather hasn’t adversely affected my raspberry bushes, there is still the promise of many more berries waiting to ripen.
Friday I was able to dig up all of my dahlia tubers and let them dry on a tarp in the warm sun – (they’re still sitting in the garage in a wheelbarrow!) and all of my containers got either emptied and stored, or moved inside so they wouldn’t get covered with snow and possibly crack in the cold overnight temperatures.

As much as I’ve enjoyed this area of my gardens, I’m ready to come inside for a few months of non-gardening activity. There are plenty of months ahead to dream of next year’s vegetable, cut flower, and herb selection, but for now, I plan to enjoy the bounty stored in my freezer and put my feet up (after the fall cleanup, that is!)

BACKYARD WILDLIFE ACTIVITY

During the past few weeks, I’ve witnessed a change in bird activity in the sanctuary. A migrating yellow rumped warbler spent nearly two weeks foraging crabapples right outside my window. The white crowned and white throated sparrows have returned, flocks of starlings attacked the fruit on my trees, and the snowbirds (juncos) are back.

I’ve switched out some of my summer feeders for suet stations and have noted an increase in woodpecker activity. My ceramic birdbaths are stored away in favor of large, heavy-duty plastic plant pot saucers. I began putting whole shelled peanuts out for the blue jays and squirrels, and I’m buying larger bags of black oil sunflower seeds and cracked corn to stock up for the cold weather ahead. My binoculars and nature journal are positioned next to my favorite viewing chair, faced toward the window, looking out into my bird sanctuary. It’s a time of year I always look forward to.

PARTING TIP FOR NOVEMBER
Be sure to put aside (in a warm spot) a few pails of loose soil (or buy a few bags of topsoil) to use later in the month. You’ll want to hill up your roses, butterfly bushes, clematis and other tender plants for winter protection. Be sure to contact me if you need some tips on how to do this important end-of-the-season garden task.

Be sure to check Cheryl Wilson’s weekly gardening column on Friday evenings in the Daily Hampshire Gazette to keep track of area happenings.

Note: All of my monthly garden blogs are archived here on my site. To read step-by-step advice on what to do in the garden each month, check here.

Since I was a little girl, I’ve always found magic in the changing colors of Autumn. Now that I’m an adult, I understand that air temperature, rainfall amounts, food storage and duration of sunlight play their roles in the changing colors. The little girl in me prefers to believe that Mother Nature waves her magic wand while I’m sleeping to cause the beautiful colors to occur!

This is the time of year when I am happy for the plant choices I’ve made over the years. Fall color in the garden is an important design element to remember. The leaves of Korean spice viburnum and ‘Pee Wee’ hydrangea turn rich shades of burgundy, arching blades of grasses add soft texture, and the stars of my gardens right now are sedum, asters, Japanese anemones and tricyrtis (toad lily)!

Does your garden have enough color and interest to make you smile during the final weeks of the gardening season? If not, think about ways you might incorporate the right plants to provide a final burst of color in October!

5 WAYS TO PLANT NOW FOR SPRING COLOR

Thinking ahead to Spring may seem like an odd thing to be doing as we are beginning to put our gardens to bed for the season. I always take advantage of the following five ideas at this time of year to ensure even more spring color and interest to look forward to when my gardens wake up after a long winter.

1. Shop the End-of-Season Sales.
It’s hard to bypass the words “Sale” or “Buy 2, Get 1 Free”. This is a great time to shop for marked down perennials, shrubs and trees and the perfect time to plant while the ground is cool and the roots can develop before cold weather sets in. Look carefully at what you are buying and be sure the plants aren’t showing too much stress from sitting in pots all seasons.

2. Plant Spring Bulbs
I cannot resist the wonderful dwarf varieties of bulbs that bloom in spring like the ‘Baby Moon’ narcissus, ‘Pinocchio’ Greigii tulips, and ‘Pixie’ iris reticulata. Seeing the welcome blue flowers of scilla, muscari and bluebells herald the arrival of another garden season. I much prefer these diminutive plants because the foliage is easier to hide among the emerging perennials and is easier to let be to gather strength for the following season’s bloom.

3. Divide Your Own Plants.
Once you plant a garden, you have an endless supply of plant material to create new areas with, share with friends, or give away to plant sales in the Spring. My gardens are perfect examples of how I have divided plants to create new planting areas. Now is the perfect time to divide day lilies and iris. Do this soon to allow enough time for the divisions to acclimate to their new locations.

4. Transplant or Move Existing Plants.
It is said that a garden is never finished and I can attest to that! Every fall I evaluate my gardens and begin the process of moving plants to give some of my beds a new look for Spring. If you aren’t happy with the arrangement of one of your garden areas, or you just want to add new life to a bed, don’t hesitate to move some of your plants around.

5. Participate in Plant Swaps.
I have many friends who make visiting plant swaps a regular event and have found some real treasures that way. You can benefit from good, hardy plants that you know grow well in our zone when you swap plants with someone in your growing area.

AN UPDATE FROM THE VEGGIE PATCH

This spot in my gardens has brought me so much pleasure this year. Although the harvest is winding down, I’m still enjoying delicious sweet peppers (red, orange and green), tender eggplant, sweet raspberries and a few renegade tomatoes. Herbs are still great for cutting and I was able to snack on a few sweet alpine strawberries before the chipmunk discovered them.

The amazing color in the “veggie patch” now comes from the changing foliage of blueberry bushes (in foreground of photo), and HUGE asters and mums that I rescued from last year’s pots. I planted them in the garden, not knowing if they would survive. Needless to say they came back big time! I’m still picking dahlias, roses and sunflowers from the plants that reside alongside the veggies. I’m also using this area for a holding garden for plants I’m propagating for next year’s plant sales. Be sure to watch my event page for notice of my Spring Garden Tea and Tour – a very popular event this past May.

BACKYARD WILDLIFE ACTIVITY

As I was walking by a potted mum yesterday I reached out to pick up what I thought was a weed. Luckily, I looked closer before grabbing onto what turned out to be a walkingstick (see photo). I’m always amazed to come across unusual insects in my garden. A favorite is a praying mantis that I find at least once a year. It’s also not unusual to see a half dozen large Black-and-yellow Argiope spiders hanging on to their telltale webs with zigzag cross-strands. No, I don’t run for cover or grab the spray can. These insects are welcome visitors to my gardens!

I seem to have a bumper crop of crab apples, holly berries and Mt. ash berries this year, much to the delight of mockingbirds, starlings and other birds that are snacking on the berries. I hope they will leave some for the cedar waxwings that I hope will grace my backyard bird sanctuary again this year.


UPCOMING GARDENSCAPES EVENTS – also see our Recommended Events Page

Wednesday, October 12: Florence Congregational Church, Florence, MA – at 7:00pm. I will be giving my talk on “Creating Easy-Care Gardens”. This event is free and open to the public.

Join me and learn to design gardens and foundation plantings with low-maintenance in mind. I’ll be sharing valuable tips on how to select, place and plant my favorite easy-care perennials and shrubs. You’ll go home with fresh ideas and maintenance secrets to make your gardening easier. Handouts will be provided.

Saturday, October 22: Annie’s Garden & Gift Store, Amherst, MA – at 10:00am. “Answers to Big Questions About Your Garden”. This event is free and open to the public.

Throughout my more than 30 years of gardening, I have been asked some of the same garden questions over and over again. So, I’ve created a talk featuring these popular questions. I will share my answers and gardening experiences along with informative handouts at this talk in Annie’s wonderful greenhouse among the plants.

PARTING TIP FOR OCTOBER
Now is a good time to evaluate how your garden performed throughout the season. Which plants performed well, and which ones did not? Make good notes while things are still fresh in your mind so you can avoid the same mistakes next year and buy more of what worked well!

Be sure to check Cheryl Wilson’s weekly gardening column on Friday evenings in the Daily Hampshire Gazette to keep track of area happenings.

Note: All of my monthly garden blogs are archived here on my site. To read step-by-step advice on what to do in the garden each month, check here.

Buckets of dahlias rescued before Hurricane Irene descends.

I’m happy to report that although we had steady, hard rain and heavy winds, nothing was damaged beyond repair. I continue to be amazed at how resilient plants can be under such stressful conditions! It was so nice to be rewarded with perfect weather for five days following the storm. What a roller coaster of weather we’ve had this hardy Zone 5 garden!

MY TOP 5 SHRUBS FOR THE GARDEN BORDER

Many of you have heard my talk on “Creating Easy-Care Gardens”. One of the major changes I’ve been making in my gardens here in Hadley is to replace high-maintenance perennials with small to medium-sized shrubs that require very little care. Four of the five shrubs on this list have resided successfully in my gardens for the past few years while the Boomerang lilac is a new addition. I hope you’ll give some of these a try in your own gardens.

1. ’Pee Wee’ Oakleaf Hydrangea
We’re all familiar with the ever-popular mop head and lace cap varieties that bloom in the summer. This fairly new, dwarf variety of oakleaf hydrangea is at the top of my list for small shrubs that make a 4-season statement in the garden. The small size (4’ tall by 3’wide) is perfect for any garden or border.

The deeply lobed oak-like leaf keeps its dark green color from spring through late summer and provides the perfect backdrop for nearby plants. The showy bright white flower sepals really stand out in the garden. When nights begin to turn cooler, the leaves begin to take on hues of bronze and maroon that eventually turn a beautiful burgundy. The flower panicles will turn a pleasing dark beige and persist on the plant all winter. It’s a winner in my gardens! .

2. ’Fine Wine’ Weigela
I’ve been using this wonderful burgundy-leafed shrub in many of my designs for customers and everyone loves it. With tubular pink blooms in the spring (very popular with hummingbirds!), the colorful foliage provides a wonderful contrast to other plants in the garden. The shrub grows no taller than 2-feet and the foliage has kept its shiny appearance all summer with very little damage from insects. An even smaller weigela with dark purple foliage and pink flowers is ‘Midnight Wine’. This miniature weigela grows only 10 to 12” tall and is very easy to fit into small flower beds and borders.

3. ‘Cool Splash’ Diervilla.
I’m always looking for a small shrub with variegated leaves to work into my borders. This compact bush honeysuckle can be grown in sun or part shade and has dark green centers surrounded by creamy white to yellow margins and has trumpet-like yellow flowers in late spring to early summer. It grows between 2 to 3 tall and wide and can easily be worked into the front or mid border for contrast.

4. ‘Bloomerang Purple’ Reblooming Lilac.
Finally, a smaller lilac that can be worked into the border that provides color and fragrance in the spring and then again in mid-summer. My first year plant has spent the garden season in a beautiful cobalt blue pot in the middle of my garden. In the next few weeks, I will plant it in a permanent spot in my border where I can enjoy this compact (4 to 5’) lilac for years to come.

5. ’Magic Carpet’ Spirea.
Combining green, burgundy and gold foliage is a signature design element that I use here at Gardenscapes and in many of my designs. Even when my flowers aren’t providing color or interest in the gardens, the foliage on many of my shrubs is. The bright gold leaves and small pink flowers of ‘Magic Carpet’ add a splash of color where I need a “punch” in my borders. Beginning in early spring, this neat and compact shrub (18” tall x 2’ wide) really makes a statement in full sun right up until a hard frost in October.

AN UPDATE FROM THE VEGGIE PATCH

My tomatoes and peppers are still supplying me with delicious produce. I’ve put up many containers of marinara sauce, roasted tomato soup, spiced tomato jam, and ratatouille to enjoy in the middle of winter. I’ve chopped up sweet bell peppers for the freezer to pull out and add to soups and chili, and have stuffed my larger peppers several times this summer. Just yesterday I harvested about two dozen acorn squash to store for the months ahead and my cantaloupe patch has provided non-stop sweet and juicy melons that are better than any I have tasted. The pole and bush beans are done and lima beans are slow to form the fat beans inside the shells that appear on each bush. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a good harvest in the next week or two.

Each time I visit the garden, I pick a handful of ripe, red raspberries that are such a delicious snack. I can’t wait for my bushes to mature so I can pick enough to top my yogurt or cereal in the morning and freeze several containers for mid-winter baking.

As you can see from the photo, my veggie garden is filled with flowers and herbs too. What a joy! I highly recommend building raised beds and using stone dust for your paths. It has made the maintenance in this large garden so much easier!

BACKYARD BIRD ACTIVITY

There is so much bird activity in the gardens right now. My favorite perky goldfinches are busy harvesting the seeds of my sunflowers and coneflowers and they are such a delight to watch. The tall sunflowers really took a beating from Irene’s winds last week but I managed to tie the bent branches to my fences and the finches are still flocking to them even though they are no longer standing upright. This has been a great year for dragonflies and the bees have certainly been abundant – particularly on my sedum plants. I have a bumper crop of crabapples and mountain ash berries this year and I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a flock of cedar waxwings to stop by for a meal.

UPCOMING GARDENSCAPES LECTURE

Wednesday, October 12: Florence Congregational Church, Florence, MA – at 7:00pm. I will be giving my talk on “Creating Easy-Care Gardens”. This event is free and open to the public.

Join me and learn to design gardens and foundation plantings with low-maintenance in mind. I’ll be sharing valuable tips on how to select, place and plant my favorite easy-care perennials and shrubs. You’ll go home with fresh ideas and maintenance secrets to make your gardening easier. Handouts will be provided.

Be sure to check Cheryl Wilson’s weekly gardening column on Friday evenings in the Daily Hampshire Gazette to keep track of area happenings.

Note: All of my monthly garden blogs are archived here on my site. To read step-by-step advice on what to do in the garden each month, check here.

Mid to late summer in the garden can be such a rewarding time. The gardens are abuzz with plenty of winged activity as butterflies flutter from plant to plant, bees are busy pollinating, hummingbirds gather nectar, and all forms of wasps, katydids, grasshoppers and other insects seem to be everywhere. If you have planned correctly, your gardens should still be filled with blooms to attract these winged wonders.

Have you seen this hummingbird moth visiting your flowers?

As my earlier day lilies begin to fade, late season varieties and the ever-blooming types, such as Happy Returns, take center stage with a supporting cast of gorgeous hydrangeas, fragrant phlox, bee balm, stalwart black-eyed Susans, sunny coreopsis varieties, purple coneflowers, Russian sage and roses.

My shade gardens are my haven from the hot summer sun and are filled with lush ferns of all textures including my favorite Japanese painted ferns and maidenhairs. I have hosta of all sizes and colors, supported with a solid structure of astilbe, epimedium, and hellebore foliage, and accents of burgundy heuchera leaves. For bright spots of color, I’ve tucked in colorful pink impatiens and bright begonias. These are the places in the garden where I seek refuge from the hot summer sun and happily spend hours pulling weeds and tending to my plants.

The heat and drought have brought back memories of last summer’s extreme weather and I begin and end most days, hose and watering can in hand, keeping my plants well-watered.

Although many parts of my gardens are looking stressed from the weather, they are still a source of wonder and joy for me. Witnessing the daily changes and enjoying nature sitings are the best part of my August days.

MY TOP 5 SUMMER SPRUCE-UPS

Plants in the August garden can begin to look quite bedraggled if not tended to on a regular basis. Here are my tips for shearing, shaping, snipping and replacing to give your garden a face-lift.

1. Off with their heads!
Deadheading the spent blooms of plants can be quite time-consuming although very necessary to keep the garden looking tidy and to encourage continuous blooms on many perennials. One of the easiest ways I’ve found to deadhead plants with numerous small blossoms is to use hedge trimmers. You can remove the dead flowers and shape the plant at the same time. This technique works great for dianthus, catmint, coreopsis, and lavender.

2. Shape up your shrubs!
I find that at this time of the summer, many of my shrubs have wayward branches that take away from the pleasing shapes that many are known for in the landscape. Once the summer blooms have gone by, it is a good time to shape shrubs such as spirea (a good candidate for hedge shears), ninebark, shrubby dogwoods, and potentillas.

3. Create new focal points.
Are you looking for ways to plug “holes” in your garden where not much is happening? You will find that many of the local nurseries have cleared away the tired spring and summer plants and are now offering large pots of annuals, early mums and asters, bright and cheerful Gerber daisies, and dazzling dahlias for color to take your garden right up to frost.

4. Update tired containers.
Keeping up with watering is difficult enough in the garden without having to worry about all of those individual containers. In the past few weeks, I’ve transplanted many of my pot plants into the garden, created groupings of containers near a water source to make watering easier, and have replaced combination plantings with larger, individual perennials and shrubs rather than continuing to use an assortment of individual plants. This is a good time to take advantage of sale shrubs and perennials that can reside in a pot until you transplant them into their eventual home in the garden border. Just be sure to be diligent about watering them.

5. A clean edge works wonders.
When the garden border is looking a little worse for wear, there is nothing like cutting a clean edge along the entire border to provide definition and give it a tidy look. Whether you use mulch or not, giving your garden border a good, defined edge will provide a face-lift that involves some time and energy, but will be so noticeable when you stand back to admire your labor. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

THE VEGGIE PATCH HAS BECOME MY FAVORITE DESTINATION IN THE GARDEN!

The bounty I am harvesting from my vegetable garden never ceases to amaze me. When putting my bean seeds in the ground on Father’s Day, I had no idea of the treat the outcome would provide. Yesterday I filled a colander full of the most beautiful haricot vert green beans, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, basil, my first ears of corn, the last of the peas, golden beets, and assorted edible flowers. I stayed inside all day, enjoying the air conditioning, and made ratatouille to serve on cheesy home-made polenta, roasted beets for a salad, and created an entire vegetable meal using everything I had picked earlier in the day.

It is such a wonder to me to plant a seed or young plant in the ground and have edible food a month or two later. To witness the process of seed to first leaf, to flower bud,and on to baby vegetable or fruit then to mature, ready-to eat produce is my new garden fascination. I’m already making my list of what I will plant in next year’s garden!

AREA EVENTS

There is always a gardening-related event going on in our area, whether it be a local lecture, tour, farmer’s market or local garden venue to visit. Take advantage of all that our wonderful area has to offer, including a visit to our many local public gardens.

As always, Sherry Wilson’s weekly column in the Daily Hampshire Gazette is a great resource to keep current on local garden-related events.

Note: All of my monthly garden blogs are archived here on my site. To read step-by-step advice on what to do in the garden each month, check here.

It’s time for heavenly blue hydrangeas!

As the summer temperatures soar, my Zone 5 gardens in July take on the softer, more pastel colors of pinks, yellows and blues and they are so welcome to me in the heat and brilliant sunshine.

The dominant plants now are my day lilies, yarrow, tansy, lavender, delphinium, hydrangeas and roses.
Bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and songbirds fly, flutter and buzz from bloom to bloom. The garden is alive with activity.

After the almost endless rains of June, my weeds are really thriving and it becomes a daily battle to recapture the garden from them. However, it is just a joy to be out among all the blooms and I marvel at what Nature offers us as reward for the work we put in.

How does your garden grow this month and what wonders of Nature do you see along the garden path?

MY TOP 5 GARDENING CHALLENGES FOR JULY

I always think of July as a time that I can scale back a bit on the frenzy of garden work – the planting, fertilizing, creating containers, getting the garden ready for visitors and all the work we associate with Springtime are behind me. Summer is my time for enjoying the gardens.

A gardener’s work is never done. Summer brings different concerns and problems that are unique to this time of the garden season.

Resident woodchuck defends his territory.

2. Watering.
In New England, we seem to go from one extreme to the other. We’ve endured long periods of rain and clouds when I was worried that my plants would drown. Now, we have the opposite extreme. I can’t seem to give them enough water. Every garden situation is different but I can tell your from experience that watering very early in the morning or early in the evening is best for the plants (and the gardener!). Find yourself a good hose spray wand attachment and direct it at the ground below your plants. For many reasons, it is best not to get the foliage wet or to water when the hot sun is shining.

3. Deadheading.
I may be in the minority of gardeners who truly enjoys the entire process of gardening — even the tediousness of deadheading. I enjoy getting “up close and personal” with my plants because it keeps me ahead of pest and disease problems. I find wandering through the gardens several times a week with a 5-gallon bucket and a nice pair of garden shears very relaxing. Many of you may not realize that deadheading or even shearing many of your perennials will keep them reblooming throughout the garden season. This is a good topic to study up on. A favorite book that covers this information plant by plant is written by Tracy DiSabato-Aust, aka “the Queen of Deadheading” , in her book– The Well-Tended Perennial Garden.

4. Bugs are Everywhere!
Gardening and bugs go hand in hand. The good news is that there are many good bugs or beneficial insects that will go after the bad bugs. During the past few years I’ve begun to pay more attention to this topic and have begun planting certain plants to attract good bugs that will naturally take care of the bad bugs for us. Some of these good bugs are parasitic wasps, ladybeetles, lacewings, and assassin bugs. Five of the best plants for attracting the good bugs are sweet alyssum, fennel, ornamental grasses, pussy willow and golden marguerites. Try your hand at this perfect all-natural pest control.

5. Staking.
Yes, sometimes it’s difficult to keep tall or bushy plants standing upright. I have quite a collection of bamboo poles, frames, string, chicken wire enclosures, trellising systems, tomato cages and assorted flower stakes that each have a place in the garden for this chore. The good news is that there seems to be the right “tool” for every situation. Our local nurseries have a great selection as do Gardener’s Supply Company and Kinsman Company. You can find their complete catalogs on-line.

I’M HOOKED ON GROWING MY OWN VEGGIES!

For years I’ve been growing my own tomatoes, peppers and herbs but this year, I’ve taken veggie gardening more seriously. My raised bed garden is home to lettuce, peas, corn, 13 different kinds of tomatoes (I’m not sure who is going to eat all of these!), peppers, cucumbers, cantaloupe, broccoli, eggplant, beets, green, yellow and lima beans, rhubarb, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. I also plant assorted herbs, edible and cut flowers as fillers and color.

We’re in the process of enclosing the entire garden with fencing and chicken wire to keep the critters on the outside. I’ll let you know if this works!! I’ve been enjoying rhubarb, a few strawberries, lettuce, tender pea pods and the first blueberries of the season. There is nothing like walking out into the backyard to pick your own fresh food!

AREA EVENTS

Now that the majority of plant sales and garden tours are behind us, we can venture out to many of the wonderful local Farmers Markets. Most of our towns and cities have a market at various times of the week. Amherst has been holding their Saturday morning market for 38 years! Become familiar with your local farmers markets. They give us the perfect opportunity to get to know some of our wonderful local farmers, bakers and craftspeople. Here are just a few of the most popular Farmers Markets in our area:

• Amherst, MA: Every Saturday in downtown from 7:30am to 1:30pm

• Northampton, MA: Tuesdays, behind Thornes Marketplace

• Greenfield, MA: Saturday morning, 8am to 12:30pm on the town common. In its 36th year!

• Florence, MA: Wednesday afternoon from 2 to 6pm in the Florence Civic Center parking lot.

OTHER AREA GARDENING EVENTS

Many area garden venues offer lectures, workshops and events.

See our Recommended Gardening Events page for a listing of upcoming happenings for gardeners.

As always, Sherry Wilson’s weekly column in the Daily Hampshire Gazette is a great resource to keep current on local garden-related events such as garden tours in Williamsburg and Pittsfield this month.

Note: All of my monthly garden blogs are archived here on my site. To read step-by-step advice on what to do in the garden each month, check here.

Peonies are on parade!

June is my favorite time in the garden, and rightfully so. My gardens are so alive with color and activity. During the past two weeks there has been a river of purple winding through the garden with brilliant Siberian and bearded iris, catmint, salvia and clematis.

As the peonies unfold their luscious pink, white or red petals, they add their be>autiful fragrance to the mix. Amsonia, lady’s mantle, heuchera and astilbe all add to the wonderful palette.

As my gardens mature, there is barely a spot of brown earth between plants — a time that most gardeners strive for. As I wander along the paths, I marvel at the colors, textures and fragrance and am so thankful for the simple pleasures that gardening gives me.

May you all find time to stop and smell the flowers this month!


MY TOP 5 JUNE GARDENING TIPS

June is a time for enjoying the gardens.

Although garden chores are always needed, I think of June as a time for maintaining with pinching, pruning, staking and deadheading the chores I do daily. It gives us the perfect opportunity to get up-close and personal with our plants.

As you wander through your gardens, here are a few helpful hints –

1. Although we are out of danger as far as frosts are concerned (one would hope!), we now have the worry of severe thunderstorms and damaging hail affecting our gardens, particularly of late. If I know a strong storm is coming through my area, I put my special garden ornaments, hanging plants and more delicate containers (those that can be moved) under protective cover. Hail and high winds can wreak havoc on a garden. I still consult the local weather on a daily basis and watch for severe weather threats so that I can be prepared before they strike. (Go to www.weather.com and type in your zip code for storm warnings.)
2. I am happy to report that although my rhododendrons showed a lot of winter damage, many of the brown leaves have fallen off and new growth is evident — a good reason not to be too hasty with the pruning shears early in the garden season. This is now a good time to do any pruning of spring-flowering shrubs after all of the flowers have gone by. If you still see winter die-back or your spring-flowering shrubs could use a good shaping or “down-sizing” now is the time to do this chore.
3. I spent yesterday down in Stonington, CT at a wonderful “Gardens by the Sea” garden tour of nine lovely gardens — many with ocean views. I was happy to see many of my “easy-care gardening” principles in practice. Containers using perennials as focal point plants and many featuring succulents (less watering!); drifts of easy care plants used in borders such as catmint, lady’s mantle, sedum, Knock-out roses, and wonderful shade plantings of hellebores, hostas, ferns and epimedium; and small shrubs featured in many garden borders to supplement perennials. Many gardens featured edible plants worked in along the edges. Garden tours are so inspiring and I hope you’ll have time to go on a few garden tours in our area. (See my Event page for a list).
4. It’s been a battle to stay ahead of critters who are enjoying my vegetable garden. As I went out to plant my tomatoes, peppers and other vegies earlier last week, I found a bunny snacking (or devouring, depending on one’s perspective) my sugar snap peas! The day after planting my vegie transplants, I noticed that the woodchuck had chomped on the tops of my broccoli, eggplant, cucumbers and cantaloupe transplants! Even the netting I put around my blueberries wasn’t keeping the birds out. So, I put another layer of netting on the berries, secured to the ground with landscape clips; bought a product called “Liquid Fence” (an natural product) to spray on the soil around some of my vegies, and will do my best to try to outwit the critters. I’m planting marigolds and chives throughout the garden to discourage bugs and bunnies. I’ll report back to you next month on how it’s going!
5. Keeping blooms upright with the rain and wind we’ve been experiencing can be quite a challenge. Daily walks through the garden have me shaking rain out of bent-over peony blooms, staking up fallen iris stems, putting frames around catmint and amsonia that lie almost flat on the ground some mornings, and reattaching clematis stems to their supports. I keep a supply of twine, bamboo stakes, plant frames and scissors in a garden cart that I travel around the garden with to do my repairs. A gardener’s work is never done . . .

ENJOYING NATURE IN THE GARDEN

Although I complain about critters feasting on my veggies and flowers, I can’t help but enjoy the sight of a bunny munching on clover in the lawn, fat bumblebees covered with pollen as they fly from flower to flower, hummingbirds buzzing overhead as I weed, and watching all the baby bird activity as their parents feverishly keep them fed and offer flying lessons. All of this activity in Nature never ceases to amaze me!

My philosophy with my Backyard Wildlife Habitat that I’ve created on my property is, “if you build it, they will come” — including the cute and the bothersome. We must learn to live in harmony with all of Nature and thankfully there are ways to deal with the problems naturally as we rejoice in the wonders. It’s all about creating a balance.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS — GARDEN TOURS THIS MONTH!!
This is the time of the month when local gardeners open their gardens to visitors and provide lots of inspiration to those who spend a few hours traveling between gardens to enjoy the wide variety of styles and plantings. As always, Sherry Wilson’s weekly column in the Daily Hampshire Gazette is a great resource to read about some of the highlights of the local tours:

June 11, 2011: Forbes Library Garden Tour (Northampton)
June 25: Amherst Historical Society Garden Tour (Amherst and Hadley)
June 25/26: Franklin County Land Trust Garden Tours (Heath and Charlemont)
June 26: Granby Garden Stroll (Granby)

Looking forward to July: More garden tours — Williamsburg, Pittsfield, and others.

OTHER AREA GARDENING EVENTS
Many area garden venues offer lectures, workshops and events.
See our Recommended Gardening Events page for a listing of upcoming happenings for gardeners.

Gardenscapes Events

Friends enjoying tea on the deck - Spring Garden Tour and Tea 2011

It was a wonderful time with lots of visiting among friends, and helpful exchanges of information among gardeners. I plan to make this an annual event. Please feel free to come and visit the gardens throughout the summer. There is always something beautiful in bloom!

Note: all of my monthly garden blogs are archived here on my site. To read step-by-step advice on what to do in the garden each month, check here.