Stop murder in the landscape

With proper planting a perennial garden will provide years of enjoyment with much less care than annual plantings. When placing new plants in the border, be sure to consider mature height. In designing a perennial border we recommend selecting plants from every height class to achieve a pleasing progression of size from the front to the back area. “In his garden every man may be his own artist with-out apology or explanation,” Louise Beebe Wilder wrote in the classic book Color In My Garden. In gardening you always get a second chance every spring.Time spent on bed preparation initially will pay off in the end. Turn the soil, remove all weeds, and add plenty of organic matter. If gardening on clay, the best solution is a raised bed. In winter, clay soil merely act as a bathtub with no drain. If planning a rock garden, add small gravel for drainage. On new plantings, it is best to incorporate a slow release fertilizer. On established plantings, feed just prior to growth in early spring.When you have removed your Blossom Farm plant from its pot, check the roots. If they are tight and circling round, it will be necessary to score the roots lightly around the rootball and loosen up the roots gently with your hand.After planting, keep plants well watered until they begin to root into the soil usually about 4 weeks. Be sure to water thoroughly to saturate the soil surrounding the crown. Applying 2” of composted bark to your garden will help suppress weeds and keep roots cool. Avoid putting mulch directly around the crowns. Many people will purchase plants and wonder why they die. Most perennials must have good drainage. Experiment, observe try again. Over-watering or under-watering is often the key to the problem or sticking them in a hard ground to be ignored. Before watering get down and stick your finger in the soil to check the soil moisture. If possible do not water in the evening, as doing so invites disease pathogens into your garden.Removing spent blossoms, will prolong bloom time, and remove old foliage as plants die down in the late fall to reduce the spread of any disease pathogens.Fall, is it safe for planting? The soil temperatures and night-time air temperatures are much warmer than in spring, and the plants respond by really “taking off” and forming new root growth. Then in the following spring fall plants will begin growing sooner and even outperform plants just planted in spring.