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Mon, Feb 21, 11 at 10:29
| Okay.. I am going to ask this question once and for all... We all know what a gorgeous lush, full, flower garden looks like. Shrubs and plants are spilling over, full in the center, deep green in color, no ugly bare space between them - they look like they are on steroids, right ??
So, what is the secret ?? It can't simply be lots of plants ??
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Follow-Up Postings:
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| we don't do any digging used raised beds system and the main secret is mulch and heaps of it. len |
Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page
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| * Good soil structure * Good nutrition - all essential nutrients present and available (look to pH as well) in the adequacy to luxury range and in balanced ratios with the other essential nutrients * The right plant for the right spot
Al |
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| Apart from the advice above (personally, I think organic mulch that will break down and enrich your soil is the key). Learn about and respect different species' requirements. Prune/divide perennials properly and regularly, especially when the info seems somewhat brutal. To my aesthetics, lots of the same thing in 'drifts' looks better than a few dotted around the place. Luckily you've got all those cuttings and divisions! Sufficient water, at the roots, where plants need it. Compost is nearly always the answer. |
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- Posted by borderbarb (My Page) on Mon, Feb 21, 11 at 22:07
| ETERNAL VIGILENCE! Dead-heading, pruning for fullness and shape, right amount of water/sun. I think that daily 'tinkering', caressing, sweet-talking your own bit of heaven is the secret. |
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- Posted by jonhughes So.Oregon (jonehughes@hotmail.com) on Mon, Feb 21, 11 at 22:33
| Hi AL, (Tapla) Do you think the "potato bags" should use "container mix" or would potting mix/compost/soil be OK since they weep. |
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| jon is sooo hijacking this. the frog is cute btw. |
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| A good, healthy soil well endowed with organic matter that is evenly moist but well drained with a balanced available level of nutrients. |
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- Posted by lisascenic (My Page) on Sun, Feb 27, 11 at 22:42
| Time And hard work |
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- Posted by berryman135678 (My Page) on Tue, Mar 1, 11 at 13:28
| Tapla, I am impressed, How in the world did you teach your frog to do tricks....but seriously nice garden. |
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| Good soil, and feed it often. Feed the soil to feed your plants. Appropriate plants- choose plants known to adapt to your conditions (avoid plants which want acid soil if yours is alkaline, avoid water hog plants in a drought stricken climate, etc Plant in drifts Sometimes, overplanting does help. My beds are all overplanted. I stuff 'em in. Karen |
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- Posted by mistermower 5 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 7, 11 at 16:22
| Dont know if this is the kind of answer you are looking for but for mine, vegetable, every spring I take dried leaves fill trash can about 1/3 full with them, stick the weed wacker in the barrel and in about 10 minutes i have dried leaf confetti. Put that in my garden soil and in the spring the soil is great and helps it be a lush garden :) |
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| Karen, is that coneflower in back by fence Kim's Knees? If you have any extra seeds from your Double pink petite wonder coneflowers, I'd love to have some if you can spare them. Maybe we can make a trade in 2012? |
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- Posted by gardenz4evr z7 MD (My Page) on Mon, Oct 10, 11 at 13:18
| Karen, fantastic pics. I'm inspired! Also appreciate all the posts. Smitty |
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- Posted by berryman135678 (My Page) on Mon, Oct 10, 11 at 15:33
| COMPOST COMPOST COMPOST....my daughter planted her flowers in straight finished compost- black dirt and the plants are twice as lush and big as the neighbors who fuss all season with chemicles and fertilizers. I will have to take a pic tonight and post it. but in the meant time looks at these foxgloves and castors and there only half grown in these photos.
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| IALBTC |
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| Sometimes a "lush, green" garden is a magnet for insect pests and plant diseases because the plants growing there are not strong and healthy. Plants growing in a soil well endowed with organic matter that is evenly moist but well drained with balanced nutrient levels will grow strong and healthy plants better able to ward off plant disases and insect pests. |
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- Posted by squirejohn 4 (My Page) on Tue, Oct 11, 11 at 6:23
| Some perennials prefer dry, sandy, nutrient "deficient" soils. |
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- Posted by berryman135678 (My Page) on Tue, Oct 11, 11 at 19:35
Here ya go, sorry about the wood pile in the garden in the back ground, its that time of the year.  |
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| sorry pippi, i missed your post. the double cone is pink double delight. didn't save seeds and have already cut them back. early cleanup this year in preparation for carpal tunnel surgery yesterday. not allowed to use my right hand now for 2 weeks, so please excuse my typing. karen |
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