Continue reading »]]> It is time once again to plant the 4th floor rooftop garden. This year as in past year we will be using some annuals but we will also be incorporating a lot of perennials into the garden.

The idea is to cut down on the maintenance of this area but also provide an enjoyable area for the patients that use it. We will be starting this area this week and should be completed within 10 days weather permitting. Just to clarify the actual time spent on this area will be only one to two hours a day as the weather and time permits. I have budgeted about 30 man hours for the whole project. this time will include bring the plants upstairs as well as planting and cleanup time.

The picture above shows only about 1/3 the total planting area. Adding some more permanent planting like evergreen topiaries will also give it more visual interest year round. The overall height on these topiaries is about 7 feet so they should make a big impact right away. Along with the eight junipers at the right we will also be adding in 12 global boxwood topiaries to give more visual interest at both entrances to the garden.

These will be the fixed elements that we will build the colorful flowering plantings around as well.

Along with flowering plantings we will be using some perennials such as huchera and grasses to add texture to the garden.

The final garden should be a serene area that will sport burst of color while still giving a tranquil area to sit and enjoy. When completed I will post another update with some of the various containers. Do you have a rooftop of large container garden? Please leave a comment and let me hear from you.

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Source: thegogreenblog.com

What is so important about Earth Day?
Well it is important that it calls attention to our responsibility to our family, community, and all people world wide. We are only on this planet for such a short time but we are the stewards of the earth while we are here.

What will future generations do if we do not act responsible doing our turn. Whether you believe in a supreme being or not you were placed here for some reason. Laws and rules were enacted to help society as a whole function in an orderly fashion and to assure that things will run smoothly.

It is unfortunate that there is so much greed and corruption in the world and that there are those that have little or no regard for the wants or needs of their fellow human beings. As a member of this planet I can not force others to think as I do but I can set an example for others.

At the end of the day I must ultimately be able to live with myself and know that I have done things that will not only not harm others but to perpetuate the resources for future generations to enjoy all that I was able to enjoy while I spent my time here.

Continue reading »]]> I have been working on a perennial flower bed at my in-laws lake house. At one point in time there was a full bed of perennials at the front of the property and by the time the in-laws bought it it was already out of control.

Through the years several attempts were made to control the bed and get it back in shape but as with many things the priority on this project was pushed down the list for many more many more pressing issues. After the decision was made to sell the park model and build a permanent home well you can see what I mean.

Now that the home is completed and the rest of the yard and lakefront finished it was time to work on the perennial flower bed.There were a lot of perennial weeds and volunteer trees growing in the bed. The easy road would have been to tear it out and start from scratch but because of the fact the bed is close to 1000 square feet it would become a bit pricy before the project was finished.

Also there are many spring flowering bulbs and perennials that are still viable. But it also would require some caution to avoid destroying the existing plantings you can see from this photo that the Peonies are just starting to emerge. So I set about cleaning leaves and twigs out with a blower before getting to tromping around in the bed. After the covering of debris were gone I was able to see where the perennial plants were starting to emerge and carefully flagged everything that was to be saved.

The next step was to dig out all the volunteers and get rid of them and finally spray the bed with roundup to get rid of the weeds. Having flagged all the emerging perennials it was a good option and would make summer maintenance a lot easier this year. A second application of roundup was applied a week latter. After the weeds were turning yellow I cut them down to ground level.

At this point I re located several piles of rocks that had been tossed in there through the years as the lawn and landscape were being worked on. Instead of disposing of them I placed them along the front of the bed down near the street and it worked out real well as a ground covering. These recycled rocks not only add interest but will buffer the road salt from the plantings in the winter, and help drainage during a heavy rain storm.

A great use for materials that would go otherwise unused and the best part is the price was right. By using a little creativity you can add uniqueness with out impacting your budget.

This is the last phase of the bed renovation which involves a 4′ layer of hardwood mulch to the bed area. By mulching this area now weeds will be a minimal problem this summer.

Now that the perennials are all up and growing we will be able to create a design to fill in all the blank spaces and enhance the front perennial flower bed in the next couple of months and complete the project.

Because of the early spring this year this project was started the 2nd week of March and is complete to this point on the 15th of April. Spending only a few hours each Saturday we were able to get the project to this point and I anticipate all the planting will be complete by may 15th.

Planning a project out before hand can break it down into some simple tasks that might seem overwhelming if tackled all at one time.

Continue reading »]]> A fabulous spring flower palette made this a great Easter Sunday, well along with the great weather. It is almost magical how the spring flowering trees are all in bloom along with lilacs as the tulips other spring flowering bulbs are floating in beds below what a rainbow of color. With temps hovering near 70 degrees and bright sunshine it was a picture perfect day.

While Easter is a time of great religious significance and a time for families to get together it also represents the renewal of the earth each spring. Most years it is not as weather friendly as this year has started out to be. I must confess that while I had every intention of getting some chores done I sat down by the pond and watched as they birds were busy bathing and splashing about enjoying the great day. I saw several dragonflies out for early spring patrols over the water surface as well as the frogs happily sunning themselves.

It was one of the most peaceful and relaxing afternoons I have had in a long time. I spent the time just thinking about nothing just enjoying the beauty of the garden and it’s inhabitants and visitors.I think this is one of the main thing that attracted me to gardening in the first place. The beauty of your garden should always be able to let you just drift away from the everyday and find yourself completely care free.

Certainly it did with me until the neighbor came over to the fence and said “hey you gonna sleep the afternoon away?” I protest that I was just enjoying the great afternoon and enjoying the birds, the frogs and the soothing waterfall. The neighbor said “you were enjoying it alright I stopped by a while ago couldn’t even hear the water fall you were snoring I mean enjoying it so well!”

Continue reading »]]> Ornamental Grass culture and maintenance is relatively simple and will keep your landscape looking great. As you can see this picture shows some Ornamental Grass that needs to be cut back. Generally I leave the grass untouched all winter to add some visual interest and provide shelter for some of the over winter garden residents. The birds and squirrels like to hide when Hawks or Falcons are flying about looking for a winter meal or a stray cat wanders by.

While it appears to be a big job by looking at the photo it only takes s a couple of minutes with an electric hedge trimmer, simply run the hedge trimmer back and forth a couple of times and remove the dead growth. You should cut them down to 3″ to 4″ above the ground.

After trimming you can see that the new growth has already started even though it is very early March. Simply rake up the clippings and put them in the compost bed.

If you find that part of the inside of the grass is dying out or it is getting too large for the area it can be split and replanted at this time as well. This requires a little work but is very simple. Dig down all around the base of the plant and then lift it up and out of the hole and move it to a place you can work on it.

Recently I had an over abundance of Switch Grass which I needed to thin out.I could not use all of it right away

I took a sharp shovel and cut through the crown to form smaller clumps of the grasses and then simply potted them up so that they can be placed in new beds at a latter date. Just keep them well watered and a bit of fertilizer during the growing season and they wil grow and prosper until you are ready to use them.

This is the same technique you would use when splitting or moving most perennials. Just remember the best time is when the weather is cool and summer sun is not at it’s peak. Most important give it plenty of water as there are less roots right now to absorb it.I hope this was useful and that you are now ready to take care of your own Ornamental Grass Culture And Maintenance