Tried, Tested and True Perennials

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the newest varieties of perennials and new plant introductions on the market these days. Seeing first hand how many "new varieties" of perennials struggle to establish in the past, I have become 'buyer beware'!

Working part-time at a garden centre doesn't help. I've seen the lists for 2012 selections and yes, I am floored and can't wait to see the plants first hand.  I love the new flower colour selections, new dwarf sizes and foliar colours never seen before, yet I've seen many new varieties struggle and not perform the way the plant tags suggest. Perhaps I am jaded.  I just don't have the time to nurse certain plants to become true performers nor do I have thick pocket book to shell out that kind of money for new cultivars.

In the centre square I had Heucherella x ' Stop Light ' (6 years ago). It lasted for the first year, not a vigorous grower and it began to die late May as you can see. So frustrating. I gingerly transplanted what was left in to a pot to try and nurse it back to health, but it died. It's a lovely specimen, but not sturdy enough yet. My other Heucherella's and Heuchera's were great. : (

Now I classify myself as a waiter.  I wait to see new perennial varieties stand the test of time and waiting a year or two, when they eventually go down in price. No, maybe my selections won't follow the newest garden trends, but at least I won't be having to line up at the counter, with receipt in hand stating my perennials and or nursery stock just didn't make it two years later. My conciliation is I'll be saving some money in the long run.  I'll stick to the "tried, tested and true" among the bunch.

What are your thoughts?  Agree? or disagree?

Now to flip through the 2010 nursery catalog's. ; )

Starting Compost

I purchased this Dual Batch Tumbling Composter because of its rotational drum and two chambers. My only complaint: it took a bit of time to put together, as there's so many fiddly nuts and bolts and about 20 parts to fit together. Solid build though. Rotates smoothly and lots of air pockets for good aeration and water drainage. I'm happy with it.

The neat design to this composter is it's two chambers. That way, I have two batches to work with and hopefully can harvest my first batch in what the instructions say: 5-6 weeks. I can add less coarse bits to one side to start this spring and add regular compost to the other side. While one side newly composts the other side I can begin to use. That's the theory anyway...  It also has a great lid that is animal proof (hopefully) and it's off the ground. So critters if trying to get on it, will fall off because it rotates easily.

One of my hanging baskets

To start I added some soil from my winter containers. It's spent soil from last years annuals, and to initiate decomposition you need some soil. I also added just a skimming of soil from my garden (it has the microbes to help break down the refuse).

It's best to add materials in layers:

• a brown layer (leaves, soil)

• a wet (kitchen) layer 

• and a green layer in stages.

My brown layer was made up of leaves, some leftover fall annuals (cut up), some perennial die-back and clippings from my rose bush.

The wet layer was made up of coffee grounds, potato peelings...etc. (Never compost dairy, meat, bones and wood ashes).

My green layer was the clippings I cut last week for homemade mulch. 

I've yet to fill the entire left chamber. I added water to get all the soil and material inside slightly moist (not soggy).


I will fill it all up once my other containers have thawed out. They were still frozen. lol 

Now that temperatures are getting warmer and there's plenty of bright spring sunshine, warmth and moisture will begin the process.  Will keep you posted as to how long it will take to get workable compost!

Homemade Mulch

The warmth outside today got me out in the garden. What a beautiful day!

I've decided that I will no longer buy mulch in a bag (or bulk bin) for myself. Since I have a small garden, and ample resources at my disposal, I will use what I have to make my own mulch. My aim is to have a good litter layer over my soil. Hopefully this will minimize watering during the heat of the summer and will deter slugs this spring.

Resources at my disposal:

• evergreen boughs from my winter containers
• pine cones (Christmas decor extras) collected from various gardens where I work
• cuttings from my rose and ninebark bushes
• leaves not yet composted from last fall 

Necessary tools:

Too coarse to add to perennial beds

• sharp hand pruners (secateurs), loppers if necessary
• my garden bin
• time and elbow grease

For now, I've used my winter container material.  These pine and cedar boughs are not overly large, but since I have perennials, I need to break it down to incorporate it into the small space.  So, I've cut it into smaller bits.  Otherwise this size would work great under large evergreens, or in the back of a shrubbery bed. It didn't take long - just half and hour. It was a great way to enjoy the 10 degrees plus today. Spring is coming!
 

I will have more than enough for my hostas

Slugs attacked my hostas in the darker corners of my little garden, and with this pine and cedar mulch, I think I will be able to keep them at bay. (The pine needles and rough pine bits scratch slugs' skin, hopefully keeping them off my perennials.)  Once I see the Hostas peek out of the ground, I'll scatter about 2 inches of this around so once the leaves emerge, it won't be noticeable.

If you don't want to spread this mulch in the garden, cutting up your garden waste this way accelerates decomposition.  The smaller the bits, the quicker they will become compost. (Evergreen needles have a natural resin that takes longer to decompose, that's why it's a great resource for mulch. However, if you want to compost it quicker, cutting it up speeds up the process.) I used to add all my winter greens into my city yard waste bin, now the leftovers will go on my garden or in the compost bin.

Square Foot Gardening

If you are planning to grow your vegetables in raised beds, try this method: Square Foot Gardening.

I remember watching the PBS program, "Square Foot Gardening" when I was a kid. Learning heaps then.  Now, Mel Bartholomew has revised his book from the 80s, concentrating on companion planting, diversifying plant species, improving soil mixes for minimal watering and avoiding chemical usage (for pest or fertilizers).

Great idea for small spaces, for implementing a no-dig method, it minimizes weeding, and is easier on the back.