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| THE CASUAL GARDENER, Shawna Coronado Perennial Planting Season is HERE!!! = = = = = = = = = = = = Dear Casual Gardener, I’m building a garden which will feature a tree, several bushes and perennials and want to know if I should plant it now or wait until the Spring? Signed, Perky Planter = = = = = = = = = = = = Dear Perky, NOW! Now is the time to get out and get physical - make some beauty for the community! While Spring is the traditional planting season, late Summer and early Fall is my favorite planting season and is the perfect time to plant perennials, bulbs, trees and shrubs! Late summer and early fall is also the best time to seed lawns. It’s an all-around great time for building and maintenance in the garden. If you wait too long you are risking your plants with Winters cold, so for safety’s sake, plant no later than early Fall. Right now I’m expanding the easement garden area behind my back fence – to allow for more community enjoyment of a butterfly and bird patch. It started out as a small project and has now turned into 66 feet of fun! Expecting a Fall mixed border or perennial garden to look “finished” in form is unrealistic. When Spring comes your garden will have endured a long Winter with strong root growth beneath the surface. This makes for a truly beautiful entry into Spring. The only negative is waiting until the next season to see if the garden turns out the way you expect. Before you dig holes in your prepared planting bed, place your trees, shrubs and perennials on top of the soil and arrange for eye-appeal. Remember these plants will grow significantly, particularly trees. Planning your bed based on this “future growth” can equate to more success. Plant the largest rooted items first – probably the tree. It will take much more space and will require the largest hole for its root system. Trees and shrubs are sold either in containers or 'B&B,' balled and burlapped. Plants sold in containers are planted in the container while young, therefore the entire root system of the plant remains intact. Balled and burlapped trees and shrubs have been dug out of the nursery ground and have suffered some amount of cutting of the root system. Either should survive as long as the root ball has been properly taken care of. According to Ellen Russell of DoItYourself.com, “In the past it was considered unnecessary to remove the burlap from a B&B tree, loosening the burlap will make it easier for the plant to grow. After the tree has been placed inside its prepared hole, cut away all strings and let the burlap drop. The burlap will rot over time, and it will be easier for the roots to spread when they have been freed from the wrapping.” Ellen also suggests that “Trees and shrubs should be planted up to their former planting depth (and this should be only slightly over the root ball). Use the soil mark on the trunk as a guide. Transplants should not have their trunks deeply covered with soil or mulch. To prepare a hole for planting, dig an area twice as wide as the ball, and one and a half times deeper than the height of the ball. In the soil dug from the planting hole, mix one part peat moss for every two parts of soil. This will help the plant retain moisture and keep the soil from compacting too much, allowing the tree’s roots to grow more easily.” The next step is to refill the hole around the root ball about two thirds full and water thoroughly until the soaking point. Finish filling hole with the soil/peat moss mixture and water again heavily. After you’ve planted the trees and shrubs in their proper spaces, it is now time to plant perennials. Most garden centers and nurseries have their perennials on sale right now, so it’s a great time to shop for some bargains. When selecting perennial types consider bulbs and where the bulbs should look the best as well. Choosing “partner perennials” will help your garden look good in every season. For example, Daffodils are very hardy bulbs which come back year after year. Choose a perennial which might hide the “wilting” leaf structure of the Daffodil after the Spring bloom. A daylily’s leaf looks very similar to the Daffodil leaf, therefore they are very good companions to plant side-by-side. My preferred planting technique is to dig a hole about 5” deep, place the bulbs firmly in the soil with the pointed end up in attractive groupings. Cover the bulbs with about two inches of soil. Place the daylily roots ON TOP of the bulb soil, continuing to fill up until the soil is level with the rest of the garden. Daffodils will be peeking out of the gorgeous green Daylily foliage in the Spring. Once you’ve got your bulb and perennial partners planted mulch heavily with compost, wood chip mulch or straw, water well and wait for Spring! Please send your gardening questions for Shawna Coronado, The Casual Gardener to dearshawna@thecasualgardener.com or The Casual Gardener, P.O. Box 358, Warrenville, IL 60555. www. thecasualgardener.com |
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