Hosta Heaven

Once in a while I come across a client who doesn't need a whole lot of help with their yard - I get to enjoy what they have done.  One of my clients in particular is a master gardener and I am always in awe every time I stop by.  He has basically all shade in his yard and has put together some great combinations of hosta.  I know "hosta" sounds boring to some people, but I'd say they are anything but...  There are thousands of different varieties of hosta - all shades of green, beautiful variegated ones, and different textured leaves.  Believe it or not, some hosta get 6 feet wide while others only reach 3 inches.  They are about the lowest maintenance, toughest perennial you can get. Hosta tend to burn out in the sun, but there are some varieties that do tolerate it pretty well.  Below are some photos of hosta combos that I love (from my client's beautiful garden).

 He also has allium popping up in his hosta beds which looked amazing.  These photos were taken after the allium was done blooming, but if you look close you can still see the brown flower stems in the background.

Below is one of my everyday hosta favs, Frances Williams Hosta.  I love the chartreuse and blue/green variegation and also the puckered texture.

Here's a fun one: Strip Tease Hosta

You know you've come across a hosta lover when they have a miniature hosta collection. I'm not certain on all the varieties of these little guys, but I do know the larger one in the middle is Blue Mouse Ears and smallest one in this collection is Pandora's Box.

Pandora's Box up close.  I had to stick my hand in there so you can tell how very small and cute it is (Not my hand, the hosta).

You really don't need a ton of color to make a garden interesting.  The different shades of green and size/texture combos of hosta are subtle but stunning.  Don't you think?

Drainage Issues

Drainage isn't really a glamorous topic to write about, but still deserves attention because of how important it is.  Without a doubt, when the snow melts and the rains come we get calls from people who are in need of grading around their home because their basements are wet.  Proper grading around the home to improve drainage is not always going to solve basement water issues, but it's a good start - especially if it's obvious the pitch is toward the home instead of sloping away from the home.  In some cases the siding of a home is so close to the ground that you can't add soil around the foundation without covering some siding.  You don't want to do this though because if the siding is buried at all by soil, it will stay wet from moisture in the ground and can get moldy and then lead to even bigger problems.  In this situation, you'd have to excavate soil a few feet away from the home to create a slight swale for the water to drain away.  Also, if you have shallow window wells, then excavating to make a swale along the home instead of building up soil next to the home would be the best solution.  The picture below is a good candidate for a swale because those window wells are not very high.

Sometimes taller window wells need to be installed if you are building up soil next to the foundation.  I'll talk to people who have lived in a home for years and never had water problems until recently.  Most often it seems the ground just settles over time and becomes too low to allow for proper drainage.  It's probably a good idea to check the level of your soil around the foundation even if you don't get water in the basement.   Being proactive could prevent a potential disaster!

So that's the basics of foundation grading.  Be happy if you have a dry basement! :)

Winter Aconite

The first flower of spring!  It's so exciting to see the Winter Aconite blooming in the woods behind my house again! After a long cold winter, the pretty yellow flowers are so welcomed!  This year they started blooming on March 17th.  Winter Aconite is in the Buttercup family and is native to Europe but has naturalized in woodland areas of the U.S.  I've read it can be difficult to start in the landscape, but for best results start from seed.  I'm pretty sure this patch is a wild one.  I love it!

 This picture is from a couple days earlier - just as they were popping up.

Square Foot Gardening

Here we go! First blog entry of my life! It's a big day. 
Spring is in the air here in southeast Wisconsin - the snow is melting... and my cat is trying harder and harder to get outside.  If you haven't already been thinking or planning for improvements in your yard, now is a great time to start!
I NEED to pass along information about square foot gardening because it may change your life.  Some of you may already be familiar with this method of gardening, but I was only introduced to it last year when my mom decided to do square foot gardening for vegetables.  Growing up, we always had a huge row garden - at least a big one for a city lot in St. Paul, MN.  Since I've been out of the house, the garden has been reduced in size, mainly because the soil seemed to get worse and worse even though we added homemade compost every year.  Our soil drained poorly and I think there must have been a pH problem, but we never tested that.  When my mother heard of square foot gardening, she new that was the answer for her!  I've recently read Mel Bartholomew's book called All New Square Foot Gardening and I recommend you read it too if you have or want a vegetable garden at home.  And no, I'm not getting paid to tell you this - I just think its great!

Benefits and basics of Square Foot Gardening:

• SFGs are above ground gardens.  None of your existing soil should be used.  The soil for a SFG is a special mix of 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 vermiculite.  Homemade compost is preferred, but if you don't have it you should buy compost in bags, but you need to make sure you get 5 different kinds (mushroom compost, duck doo, etc.). You need a variety.  Since the soil for SFGs is a special mix, there will be NO WEEDS!!! That's amazing to me. Also, no need to fertilize because the compost gives the plants all the nutrients they need.  And... less watering!  The vermiculite acts like a sponge, keeping the soil moist but still allowing water to drain properly.
• Mel (the author of the book) suggests gardens to be constructed of non-treated wood and usually 4'x4' and only 6" deep.  If you want to grow carrots or potatoes, make your depth 1'.  Landscape fabric under the garden keeps weeds from growing up into it.
• All SFGs MUST have a grid over the top to mark out each square foot.  Wood laths work well for this.  Mel says a Square Foot Garden is not a Square Foot Garden without a grid!
• You will be suprised by how much can grow in a SFG!  Each square gets 1, 4, 9 or 16 plants depending on the mature size of the plant.  Mel has charts in his book that show what size each vegetable will get and how many to plant in each square.
• Another great thing about SFGs is its easy to have multiple crops in a growing season, providing a longer harvest.  Certain cooler temp vegetables like lettuce and radish can be planted early in spring or in fall and be rotated out in the summer months for a warm loving veggie.
• Have a SFG close to the house for easy access.
• One awesome thing I learned by reading Mel's book is that vining vegetables or fruits can be grown vertically - even squash and watermelon!  If grown up on a support (connected to the north side of a SFG) the plant adjusts and forms stronger stems to support its large fruit or vegetable! This  saves space, keeps the fruit away from insects, keeps them from rotting on the ground, and improves air circulation around the plants.

Here are some photos of my mom's Square Foot Gardens:

She decided to make her's 3'x5' and 1' deep.  The chicken wire kept the neighborhood bunnies and cats out (didn't keep the neighbors out though).

These two gardens produced more than our large row garden did and it was about 75 - 80% larger than these two SFGs put together!  I wish I had a picture of these gardens fully grown.  It was amazing how big and healthy everything became!

Check out the website for Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening:

http://www.squarefootgardening.org/

and read his book All New Square Foot Gardening !   Please let me know if you have done Square Foot Gardening.  I'd love to hear about it!