Read 'Book Review: Natural Gardening in Small Spaces' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

An increasing number of gardeners are interested in making their gardens environmentally friendly but many assume that they need a lot of space. Not true. Noel Kingsbury’s book, Natural Gardening in Small Spaces, shows gardeners that they can create natural looking places that provide habitats for wildlife even in a small garden. The goal is to put together a sustainable ecosystem with aesthetic appeal which will take care of itself once established.

Kingsbury begins by explaining how plant communities work and how they relate to the gardener. The importance of microhabitats to biodiversity and the ways to achieve them are explored with suggestions for strategies that maximize the benefits. The needs of wildlife are reconciled with design considerations by a discussion of the role of complexity, coherence, legibility and mystery in organizing the garden space.

According to Kingsbury, an essential part of natural gardening is seeing wild plant communities and natural habitats as models for garden design. With this in mind he examines the various types of natural habitats that can provide inspiration for small space gardeners. Included are woodland, woodland edge, grassland, dry and exposed areas, wetland, and open borders. He points out the unique characteristics of each habitat and suggests suitable plants that will attract wildlife and be aesthetically pleasing. Kingsbury’s goal is “to encapsulate nature in a small space so as to allow us to experience something of the beauty, the vibrancy, and the complexity of nature.” Think of a lawn, for example, planted with strips of wild flowers, or a shade garden under a canopy of trees with mosses and ferns. If you can’t quite envision it, no problem, the book is full of photographs that illustrate the text.

And then there are the city gardeners who have little or no space, or so they may think. Kingsbury devotes a section to “natural gardening without a garden’ in which he considers such possibilities as roof gardens, vertical gardens, and containers. No need to give up hope if you live in an urban environment and have the will to enjoy nature. The author suggests that you can provide much needed housing for animals such as bats who are losing their homes as old buildings are being demolished.

A chapter on the practicalities of natural gardening followed by a plant directory conclude the work. The plant directory is organized by habitat so that you can choose the plants that best suit the type of garden you wish to create. Information is given on habit, flower color, season of interest, soil requirements, and hardiness.

Natural Gardening in Small Spaces is packed full of great ideas to get you started on a whole new approach to gardening. The author stresses the importance of taking inspiration from nature and his book is extremely helpful in doing just that. Starting with the concepts of microhabitats and biodiversity and ending with the plant directory, the book gives you the information you need to change the way you think and begin a new way of gardening.

To buy Natural Gardening in Small Spaces from Amazon.com click here.

Read 'Insects and Their Control: Common Asparagus Beetle ( Crioceris asparagi)' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

Brought to North America from Europe, the common asparagus beetle was first observed in the United States on Long Island in the mid 1800s. It spread rapidly and by the early 1900s was found in California. Now it can be found any place that asparagus is grown, including wild asparagus, if moisture is sufficient. Problems tend to be greater in cooler climates so the southern states and California have less problems than elsewhere. Common asparagus beetle feeds only on asparagus. Both larvae and beetles feed on the shoots and leaves, the adults beginning first as soon as the asparagus plants appear in the spring. The larvae deliver double damage by staining the plants with a black secretion.  A related species, the spotted asparagus beetle, also damages asparagus but is considered less of a problem.

Description: The adults are about ¼ inch long, bluish black with six cream colored spots on its back. The eggs are bullet shaped and blue-black, the larvae are plump, wrinkled and slug-like. The life cycle takes about 3-4 weeks beginning in spring so can repeat itself many times during a growing season. A few days after emerging from the soil and feeding the adult females lay eggs that hatch in 3 to 8 days. The larvae feed for 10 to 14 days and then enter the soil where they spin cocoons and pupate for 5 to 10 days, when they emerge to start the cycle again. In winter, adults hide in garden debris.

Control: Control efforts are directed at all phases of the life cycle. Beetles, larvae and eggs can be picked off plants and dumped in soapy water. The adult beetles are small and fast, and most active in the afternoon so morning is the best time to pick. Birds feed on the beetles especially before the foliage becomes dense, so encouraging them into the area can help limit beetle numbers. Larvae can be knocked off plants to the soil with a broom; they are usually not able to regain their position on a plant before roasting in the sun. Cleaning up garden debris in late fall removes overwintering adults. Many beneficial insects such as ladybird beetles, soldier bugs, flies, dragon flies, and wasps feed on or parasitize the various stages of the life cycle. Of these, the one that is most likely to give substantial control is the metallic green wasp, Tetractichus asparagi, that parasitizes the asparagus beetle eggs. There are insecticides that can be useful in severe cases but they are likely to kill beneficial insects, including honey bees, so should be used as a last resort.

Photo from Wikipedia

Read 'Plant Profile: Sand Myrtle (Leiophyllum buxifolium)' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

Sand myrtle is a small wide-spreading evergreen shrub native to the East coast of North America from New Jersey to Georgia. It has a rounded habit, fine texture, and tiny, oval, dark green boxwood-like leaves that turn bronze in fall. Small white to pink flowers emerge in terminal clusters from rose-colored buds in the spring. In the wild the shrubs are usually one to two feet tall and four to five feet wide but dwarf cultivars are available. Sand myrtle is an excellent rock garden plant or used as a ground cover in a shady area. It likes partial shade or morning sun and moist, well-drained acid soil rich in organic matter. It is hard to establish, does not like drought or heat but has no serious pest or disease problems.

Type: Flowering evergreen shrub

Outstanding Features: Foliage, flowers

Form:Upright, mounded

Growth Rate: Slow

Bloom: Large clusters of small white to pink flowers are borne in terminal corymbs from rose-colored buds in spring.

Size: 1.5-3′ H x 3-5′ W

Light: Morning sun; partial shade

Soil:Organically rich, moist, well-drained, acidic

Hardiness:Zones 6-10

Care: Low maintence; do not allow to dry out

Pests and Diseases:None of importance

Propagation:Seed, root cuttings, layering, stem cuttings in summer

Outstanding Selection: ‘Nana’ (pink flowers, 2″ tall and 12″ wide).

Read 'Five Late Spring to Early Summer Pink Blooming Perennials for the Rock Garden' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

There are many shades of pink and all can enhance a rock garden. Pair pastel pink with white for a soft look, hot pink with medium blue to suggest playfulness, or dark pink with burgundy to give depth. Think about salmon pink with moss green, or medium pink with purple. Notice how well many shades of pink go with silver gray or medium to dark green leaves. Pink is a great color for the rock garden and fortunately there are many plants with pink flowers that are suitable.

Here are five spring blooming rock garden plants with pink flowers. Use them help create a mood for spring in your rock garden, a container, or along a border.

Cheddar Pink (Dianthus gratianopolitanus)
Cheddar makes one think of cheese and this pink is actually associated with the region of England where cheddar pinks are native. Their compact tufts of narrow gray-green leaves bear fragrant flowers 1” across in various shades of pink for several weeks in late spring to early summer if not allowed to go to seed. Cheddar pinks stand up to the heat and humidity of the South. ‘Fire Witch’ is a popular cultivar.

Size: 4-6” H x 12-18” W
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Average, well-drained, alkaline
Hardiness: Zones 3-9

Gray-leaf Cranesbill (Geranium cinereum)
Saucer-shaped pink flowers 1” across and lined with purple veining are borne in late spring to early summer on low spreading plants. The cultivar ‘Ballerina’ is only 4-6” high and has 2” flowers that are lilac pink with a dark center and purple veining. The flowers are sterile and so the plant is long blooming.

Size: 6-12” H x 12” W
Light: Full sun to partial shade; partial shade in the South
Soil: Average, well-drained, gritty; tolerates lime
Hardiness: Zones 5-7

Lewisia cotyledon
Considered by rock garden enthusiasts as a plant, lewisia has showy flowers in pastel pinks, yellow, apricot, salmon-orange, and rose. The flowers are borne in multi-branched clusters above rosettes of long, bright green leaves. The plants are evergreen, have fleshy leaves, and are susceptible to root rot if the crown is not kept dry.

Size: 12” H x 8” W
Light: Part shade
Soil: Rich with high content of leaf mold, gritty, well-drained, free of lime
Hardiness: Zones 5-8

Rock Jasmine (Androsace sarmentosa)
A native of the Himalayas and western China, rock jasmine is evergreen bearing rosettes of small leaves with silver hair. The plants spread by runners and form an open mat that bears clusters of small light pink flowers.

Size: 2-8” H x 18” W
Light: Full sun; tolerates some shade
Soil: Lean, well-drained gritty
Hardiness: Zones 5-8

Dwarf Flower of Jove (Lychnis flos-jovis minor)
Clusters of clear pink flowers are borne above rosettes of felted, wooly, silver-gray leaves that form a mat. The plant resembles rose campion but is more compact. Plants tend to reseed which ensure a supply of plants from year to year.

Size: 8” H x 6” W
Light: Full sun to partial shade
Soil: Average, well-drained
Hardiness: Zones 4-8

Like most rock garden plants all of these are low growing and need well-drained soil but they vary in their other requirements. Some need more light than others; cheddar pinks need alkaline soil, while crainsbill tolerates it and Lewsia must have lime free soil. If their needs are met they will probably do well. Lewisia is probably the most demanding of this group, while cheddar pinks the least.

Read 'Plant Profile: Hollyhock ‘Queeny Purple’ (Alcea rosea ‘Queeny Purple’)' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

If you have a small garden or are tired of staking hollyhocks, consider ‘Queeny Purple’, a dwarf hollyhock standing only 36” high. ‘Queeny Purple’ has large purple-magenta flowers with fringed petals surrounding a fluffy center and flowers over a long bloom time beginning in summer. Plants are deer and rabbit resistant but attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Unfortunately, like other hollyhocks, ‘Queeny Purple’ is susceptible to rust. ‘Queeny Purple’ is a biennial but blooms the first year. It will produce seed but the seeds are unlikely to look like ‘Queeny Purple’ and must be replanted every year. This is an excellent choice for containers as well as beds and borders.

Type: Biennial; blooms the first year

Bloom: Large purple magenta flowers

Foliage: Attractive, coarse, dark green leaves

Size: 24-26” H x 24-36” W

Light: Full sun

Soil: Rich, moist, well-drained

Hardiness: Zones 3-8

Care: Avoid windy sites or plan to stake plants.

Pests and Diseases: Rust-Apply a systemic fungicide every two weeks beginning in mid-May to prevent an outbreak. Once an infection has developed remove all infected leaves immediately and spray plants with contact fungicide to kill spores that carry the disease from leaf to leaf.

Propagation: Seed but a hybrid and will not come true.

Companion plants: Roses, bellflower, larkspur.

Read 'Book Review: Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

McGee’s and Stuckey’s book, Bountiful Container, is about growing edibles including vegetables, fruits, herbs, or flowers. Whether you live in an apartment, townhouse, or condominium and have limited space or you just prefer to have pots of edibles near your cooking or eating area, this book will help you grow a large variety of foods in containers. With a few exceptions, everything that can be grown in a traditional garden can be grown in a container and this book will tell you how.

The book is divided into three sections. The first deals with helping you chose the plants for your containers. As the authors point out, the choice of plants depends on a balance between what you want to grow and what is possible, given the space available, environmental conditions, and aesthetic requirements. Tips are given for adjusting and enhancing the physical environment, suggests for unique and gourmet varieties are provided, and edibles that are “not worth the trouble” are listed. The planting of successive crops is explained with examples, and ways to make the container garden beautiful are presented.

Section two entitled “Down to Earth Basics” describes how to make and maintain a container garden. Hardware such as various kinds of containers, trellises, and tools, software including seeds and soil are discussed as well as fertilizing, watering and, pest and disease control. Tips are included for saving seed, make your own containers, and timing the planting of seeds with night time temperatures.

The heart of the book is the third section with is an encyclopedia of edible plants. Detailed information is given for selecting, planting, maintaining, and harvesting various vegetables, fruits, herbs, and edible flowers. You can learn the differences between dozens of kinds of salad greens, how to grow your own no calorie sweetener, stevia, and the importance of rootstock in the selection a dwarf apple tree. Numerous insets give additional information such as ideas for theme gardens (“Pretty in Pink”, “Romeo and Juliet”, ‘The Cheshire Cat”), recipes (Hungarian pepper salsa, green garlic soup, Mardi Gras salad), and craft projects (grapevine wreath, topiary, crystallized flowers). Even if you never grow nasturtiums you will be entertained by the stories of how they got their name.

Bountiful Container is a good book for a gardener’s library. In addition to be a good read, it contains all the information needed to get started growing edibles in containers. The easy to do directions make it a good source for even the novice gardener but the depth of knowledge makes it valuable for the more experienced one too. Some readers may find the lack of color illustrations a drawback but the amount of information peppered with tidbits to tickle the imagination more than make up for it. If you are looking for containers that primarily appeal to the eye, you might want to consult other books for design ideas but if you are looking for solid basic information this book will fill the bill.

Stories, myths, folklore, and history add a human touch.

To buy Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers from Amazon.com click here.

Read 'Weeds and Their Control: Poison Ivy (Toxicodendron radicans)' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

Poison ivy is a perennial native to eastern, and mid-western United States and is found in all U.S. states east of the Rocky Mountains.  It grows well in shaded areas and is especially common along the edges of fields and woods but can also grow in the full sun of open fields.  It is not fussy about soil moisture and even grows in areas that are prone to seasonal flooding.  The plant sap contains urushiol which can cause inflammation, blistering, and itching skin in about 70% of the population.  On the other hand, poison ivy is an important browse species and provides berries in fall, winter and early spring for a large number of birds.

Description: Poison ivy can be a trailing or climbing vine as well as a shrub. No matter where it grows the vine can be recognized by its leaves. In early spring when the leaves first appear they are reddish, turning to shiny green as they mature, and bright yellow or red in the fall. Each leaf is actually composed of three oval leaflets with pointed tips, carried on their own stem. The little rhyme, “Leaves of three, let it be” is a good aid in distinguishing poison ivy from other benign look-alike vines but will not distinguish it from poison oak which also has three leaves. The stems of poison ivy grow up to twenty feet long and become woody with age. They can root if they come in contact with the soil and can climb other plants and structures such as fences attaching themselves by means of a mass of adventitious roots. The rhyme “Raggy rope, don’t be a dope” is a good way to remember to avoid touching such an object when encountered in a woods. When the vine is mature, about three years old, it may produce clusters of pale green flowers in the leaf axils. Gray to white berries follow. The root system is fibrous.

Control: Given the harm that poison ivy can do to the skin, every effort should be made to eliminate it in garden areas where contact with it is likely. Pets, clothing, and tools that have contact with the vine can carry urushiol from the vine to a person so even a small patch can cause trouble. When dealing with poison ivy always wear gloves, long pants, and a long sleeve shirt and wash them well after contact with the plant. Cut small plants as close to the root as possible and leave them to dry; sever mature vines on trees from there root system. Never burn poison ivy as the smoke will contain urushiol that can cause severe lung damage. In late spring or early summer when poison ivy is growing vigorously herbicides containing glyphosate can be used effectively to eliminate the weed.

Read 'Plant Profile: Slender Deutzia (Deutzia gracilis)' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

Slender deutzia is a low, broad, deciduous shrub native to Japan and popular in many parts of the world. In spring it produces a lavish display of small white flowers that last a couple of weeks. The flowers are lightly fragrant, bell shaped and borne in three inch long loose clusters. The plant grows to five feet tall and forms a mound with arching branches. It is fine textured with simple, bright to dark green leaves that measure one to three inches long and half inch wide. The shrub is very easy to transplant and grow, tolerating a wide range of growing conditions. It is attractive grouped in shrub borders where its plain appearance when not in bloom can blend in with other shrubs and is also useful as an informal hedge or in an open woodland setting. Plants tend to develop dead wood and become unattractive with age but yearly pruning after flowering will correct the problem. Severe pruning will rejuvenate a plant. Tolerant of drought and pollution.

Type: Deciduous flowering shrub

Outstanding Feature: Spring flowers

Form: Low, broad, mound with arching branches

Growth Rate: Slow to medium

Bloom: White, lightly fragrant flowers are borne in loose racemes in late spring.

Size: 2-5’ H x 2-5’ W

Light: Full sun to partial shade with best flowering in full sun.

Soil: Prefers fertile, medium-moist, well-drained soil but tolerates less, including clay.

Hardiness: Zones 5-8

Care: Prune after flowering to remove dead wood.

Pests and Diseases: None of significance but plants are susceptible to aphids, leaf spot, and leaf minor.

Propagation: Softwood cuttings in summer

Outstanding Selection: ‘Nikko’ – 2’ H x 5’ W; leaves turn burgundy in fall; useful as a ground cover.

Read 'Five Summer Blooming Perennials with Yellow Flowers for the Rock Garden' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

Yellow flowers are bright and perky. They stand out in the garden and can easily be seen. They also go with many other colors and so are easy to use in the garden. Yellow is a warm color and can contrast well with cool colors like blue. It can produce a tropical look with pinks and greens or add to the heat of red. Whatever colors you have in your garden, there is a yellow to enhance the look.

Here are five perennials that bloom in the summer with yellow flowers.

Woolly Yarrow (Achillea tomentosa)
In early spring flat heads of yellow flowers are held on 6’ stems above a low mat of gray fern-like foliage with a wooly texture. Cultivars are available with golden-yellow, pale yellow or lemon yellow flowers.

Size: 6-12” H x 18”
Light: Full sun
Soil: Average, well-drained
Hardiness: Zones 3-7

Rockrose (Helianthemum nummularium)
The 1-2” wide flowers are produced in loose 4-12 clusters on a low-growing evergreen subshrub that tumbles over rocks with abandon. The leaves are 1-2” long and gray-green. Many cultivars are available differing in color, bloom size, and number of petals. ‘Wisley Primrose’ is a particular attractive one with light yellow flowers

Size: 1-2’H x 2’ W
Light: Full sun (part shade in South)
Soil: Average, well-drained
Hardiness: Zones 5-7

Trailing St. John’s-wort (Hypericum cerastoides)
There are over 200 species of St. John’s-wort and this is one of the best for the rock garden. With its trailing habit it looks terrific spilling over a wall or clamoring over rock. It forms an evergreen mat of silvery gray-green foliage brightened by intense yellow flowers in mid-summer. As a vigorous grower it makes a good ground cover but may be overwhelming in a small garden.

Size: 6”H x 18” W
Light: Full sun
Soil: Average, moist, well-drained
Hardiness: Zones 6-8

Alpine Poppy (Papaver alpinum)
The 1” wide saucer-shaped flowers with silky petals open 4-6” above a tuft of 2-6” gray-green leaves on hairy stalks. Similar in appearance to the Iceland poppy only smaller, the plant is short lived but readily reseeds itself. Flowers may be yellow, white, or light orange.

Size: 8-10” H x 8” W
Light: Full sun
Soil: Average, well-drained
Hardiness: Zones 4-7

Alpine Goldenrod (Solidago cutleri)
A native or northeastern US, alpine goldenrod forms clumps of large leaves with clusters of bright yellow flowers borne on short stems from summer into fall. The cultivar ‘Goldrush’ is superior to the species with a more compact form and 12” height.

Size: 4-14” H x 12” W
Light: Full sun
Soil: Average (tolerates lean), well-drained
Hardiness: Zones 4-7

All of these plants need well drained soil but St. John’s-wort does not tolerate drought well and should be watered in hot dry periods. All of this also appreciate full sun, although rockrose profits from some shade in the South. None of these are going to do well in the South, however, but St. John’s-sort is likely to fare better than the others.

Read 'Plant profile: Warminster Broom (Cytisus x praecox)' at http://www.KarensGardenTips.com.

This deciduous shrub provides year round interest in the garden. Pale yellow pea-like flowers are fragrant and cover the bushes for a showy display in late spring to early summer. The evergreen stems bear small sparse leaves and provide medium fine texture and winter interest. Warminster broom grows quickly to five feet tall and has arching shoots that add a graceful appearance. It tolerates drought, air pollution and dry, infertile, poor soil so can be used in difficult areas such as slopes and banks as well as in borders and beds.

Type: Deciduous flowering shrub

Outstanding Features: Floral display; evergreen stems

Form: Upright with arching branches.

Growth Rate: Rapid

Bloom: Pale yellow fragrant flowers in late spring to early summer

Size: 5-6’ H x 5” W

Light: Full sun to partial sun

Soil: Poor, well-drained, slightly acidic

Hardiness: Zones 6-8

Care: Pinch growing tips of young plants to encourage bushiness; remove flowering stems after bloom to open up the plant and encourage new growth from below.

Pests and Diseases: Generally pest and disease free

Propagation: Cuttings in late summer.