Garden gold – try it!

Elephant Ears. There are many kinds. Some, like “Taro”, are black or deep purple.  This one you can’ over-water. They have leaves two feet long and wide. They are best grown in a large pot. When the sun shines on them from behind, they are particularly beautiful. Others are deep green and shiny with white veins. They are easy to grown in full sun or part shade.

Another very large plant is Castor Bean; but it is poisonous. It has beans that may be appealing to a child.

There is ornamental rhubarb called “Ace of Hearts” out now in the catalogs. I waited too long to send in my order and it was sold out. So order early! Anything new usually goes fast. I use Miscanthus Grass in the background and then in front of that “Ace of Hearts” and one on either side of the Rhubarb.

I have five Tropicana Canna’s in a row if you have the room, it is an eye-catching display. The best part is that they last all season. The rhubarb may have to be cut back but it will recover fast. Dig a three-foot hole for this one and fill with compost and manure. It is very hardy and will last a long time.

Amaranthus is extremely colorful. Elephant Ears are not hardy here. When the frost knocks them down, dig them up and store them in sawdust or peat in a cool place for the Winter

Another exotic is Brugmansia. It has plenty of huge trumpet shaped flowers almost ten inches long. My shrub has bloomed three times this year and has had over a hundred flowers each time. Again, this is not hardy here. I cut it way back and put it in the cellar for the Winter — stop watering also. It has come through fine for the past three years. In the Spring, take it outside when there is no danger of frost. Water and liquid fertilizer will soon start it off again. This shrub will flood the yard with perfume but only at night. It is pollinated by a moth. It is worth growing just for this beautiful aroma alone. It is easy to take cuttings and give them to your neighbors and gardening friends. Try this one. It is truly a fine shrub.

Don’t be afraid to try something new. The enjoyment comes in trying to grow exotic plants. When you succeed, the excitement is there no matter what your age.

Some gardens don’t need flowers to be interesting. There is no end to the color green — it is a color. Pointed leaves of variegated plants such as “Phormium”, New Zealand Flax, broad leaves of Rhubarb, tall leaves of Iris, the feathery foliage of Bronze Fennel. It is all about “texture.”

Grasses make a good background for gardens like this. “Canna” is another old-fashioned plant that has been re-born. It comes in a myriad of colored leaves –texture– low plants like Ajuga, Algerian Ivy –colors– another old-timer that has re-invented itself. Plenty of color and very distinctive foliage with no flowers. Even in the garden pool there can be a texture. Juncus with its corkscrew foliage or Horsetail, another plant that grows in water. Marginal such as Jack-In-The-pulpit (either the native ones or the really exotic like “Arisaema” which is cobra-like, eye-catching, and easy to grow).

Just looking and waiting to see the results is worth all the effort. To quote Thomas Jefferson, “I am an old man, but a young gardener”. Looking through catalogs, drawing up plans for next year’s gardens — the rewards are endless. Ken Druse has a new book out (that you can borrow from the Taunton Public Library) called “Making More Plants”. It contains all that you could possibly want to know about plants. But the excitement and enthusiasm comes from you. It is a life-long passion you will never regret — I never have!!

Brick, paving brick that is, makes a fine path. Just laid in sand they will last forever. They also make a great mowing strip (that saves a lot of trimming!)

Around my pools, I use bluestone. That is why I have square or rectangular fish pools. It’s difficult to put down around round pools! Another use is as a checkerboard in the lawn or under a pergola (arbor). Just cut out a piece of sod and lay In the bluestone. I used one foot squares under my pergola. Let your imagination take over in the Fall and early Winter, when there’s more time. There is much satisfaction from being creative and it will be uniquely your own. Anybody can do it; but only you can feel the joy of creative gardening. The rewards are worth it. Visit gardens and note how important hardscaping can be.

All of these materials are easily obtainable locally

You can garden organically without using any chemicals. Just compost and manures will do it.

I also add fresh manure to the compost pile in the Fall. I do turn it now and then or drive a rod into it to aerate the pile. The new tubs that they sell that rotate will make compost in half the time. Either way, you never have enough!

Chemical fertilizers do the same thing. The plants can’t tell the difference. But the soil needs humus to maintain its filth and productivity so a combination of compost. dried manure, peat moss, or chemical fertilizers will give you a healthy and productive garden.

It is almost time to prune ornamental grasses. They should be cut down as low as you can to allow the new grass to come up. You can also bum it down.

Clematis can also be pruned now. Make sure you know which one you have. It makes a difference in the pruning. Some bloom on old wood – some on new wood.

Rosa Rugosa can be cut back by one third. Don’t remove mulch yet till warmer weather.

Check Dahlias to. make sure they are not drying out. If they are, you can moisten them with a spray bottle (but ever so slightly – they can get moldy if too damp).

About this time, J start my Elephant Ears with new soil and compost. It takes about two and a half months in the greenhouse to get large enough to put outside (and then only when the weather is really warm).

For Bonsai that were outside all Winter, now is the time to repot and root prune them.

While things are slow, it is a good time to get equipment ready – sharpen blades, new spark plugs, change oil and filters.

Flower pots can be washed in a solution of bleach (ratio of 9 to 1). This will kill any carry-over diseases.

When Spring finally comes (and it will come), we will be ready. A busy time but worth it all when everything is growing and blooming. Happy gardening!

Grasses make a good back ground for gardens like this. “Canna” is another “old-fashioned” plant that has been reborn. It comes in a myriad of colored leaves – texture – low plants like Ajuga, Algerian lvy – colors – another old-timer that has re-invented itself. Plenty of color and very distinctive foliage – again, no flowers – but plenty of color! Even in the garden pool there can be a texture – Junkus with its corkscrew foliage or Horsetail, another plant that grows in water.  Marginal such as Jack-In-the-Pulpit (either the native ones or the really erotic like “Arisaema” which is cobra-like, eye-catching, and easy to grow.

Just looking and waiting to see the results is worth all the effort.

To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, “I am an old man, but a young gardener. “

Looking through catalogs, drawing up plans for next year’s gardens — the rewards are endless

Ken Druse has a new book (that you can find at the Taunton Public Library) called “Making More Plants”,  it contains all (and more) then you want to know about plants.

But the excitement and enthusiasm comes from you.   It is a life­ long passion you will never regret — I never have!

In Raynham on Center Street near school- a bow house, it has a fence and small garden with select flowers – always cheerful and done with loving care. That is news! Bailey’s Park, on Somerset Ave., not a show place but is kept neat and it is a good place just to sit and look over the pond. That’s what a garden should be. Not like an estate garden with lots of gardeners, but a place where people care enough to put in something beautiful for maybe the enjoyment of others. Is that news??

Further up on left Center Street Raynham a beautiful front garden well tended and lots of thoughtful knowledge bestowed on it. It is as noticeable in summer as well as winter. Again, is that news? Look at all the good gardens we have in Taunton, they need not be huge; maybe only one window box – well done – but they can lift your spirits and make you feel good. I get inspired and plan my garden in the winter. Somehow it doesn’t always come out the way I dream – but that doesn’t matter – it is the dreams and plans that matter. The smallest garden can bring a lot of pleasure – and if – someone else admires it and gets pleasure from it that is good. That is news! Good news! And last but not least our own Taunton Green. It is always beautiful Summer, Winter, Spring or Fall. Thanks to our Park Department it is always a showplace and a cheerful inspiration to us all.

Grasses and seed plants can be left up as they provide food for the birds. After all, the garden is to be shared–to a point If you mulch too soon, you can make a home for Mickey Mouse. Wait until the ground has frozen. The idea is to keep the soil frozen — not warm. This will prevent heaving roots out of the ground. November is a good month to fertilize the lawn. I use an’ organic lawn food. It works for me and there is more time in the Fall.

Mulch your leaves along with your kitchen waste (no meat or fats). Add a handful of blood meal to help replace nitrogen during composting. Even if you just pile it up, nature will do the rest eventually. Add it to the garden and you will really see a huge difference. Leave ornamental grass until Spring. I find it more beautiful in Winter.

With evergreens mixed in your perennial beds, a garden in Winter can be almost as nice as it is in Summer. Now is the time to think about Spring. Catalogs start coming and you can plan for a new garden that will be bigger and better than ever. Keep a

journal and when you read something you like to do write it down. Read up on the plants you want. A plant encyclopedia is a must. Learn the Latin names. You must have some knowledge of them in order to get the plant you want.

All maples (acer) are not the same. The encyclopedia will tell you all you need to know to make an intelligent decision.

Garden magazines give you a lot of good ideas for your next year’s garden. Write them down with pictures and sources. Try some of the exotic ones that are different and a challenge. This is what gardening is all about.

Recently, I was given some potted azaleas (Girard strain – very hardy). This is mid-December but the ground is not frozen. I dug a hole, amended the soil with peat moss, and planted them. Azaleas (and rhodys) should not be planted too deep. Leave an Inch of the root ball out of the ground. The earth freezes from the top down so It Is quite warm still.   In the Spring it thaws from the top down. That is one of the reasons hardwood cuttings are burled topside down. It gives roots more time to form. After planting the azaleas and watering them as well, I mulched them very heavily with chopped up leaves. It should keep the soil war long enough for roots to start up. It Is worth trying because, left in the pot, they would probably die. It is fun to try to stretch he seasons.

Birds benefit from perennial plant seeds left untouched      _

In January, when the ground has frozen solid, you can use old Christmas trees to put on flower beds. The purpose is to keep the ground frozen – not warm. This helps eliminate frost heaving to expose roots

February Is a good time to cut down old stalks and dispose of them. Never put peony stalks In a compost pile – they harbor botrytis.

Pick out all the catalogs you want – then go back and pick out what you can afford I Now’s the time to plan next Spring’s garden. A Winter garden can be as attractive as a Summer garden. Grasses, evergreens, and landscaping all make for a great Winter garden. Remember, It only has to please YOU!

The out of the blue, or should I say the good earth? There is, a lone flower that has picked it’s own best spot. And it grows just for me. Serendipity!