Garden Tips

Moonlit Gardens

Although gardeners often dream of sun-splashed borders filled with stately perennials, many are discovering that their daisies, daylilies, and daffodils are working overtime, bringing the garden to light…at night! Welcome to the world of the garden after dark.

With busy families finding fewer daylight hours to enjoy their gardens, it makes perfect sense to create a moonlight retreat in which family and friends can gather after hours. Spending balmy evenings out-of-doors is a wonderful luxury after the chill of winter…and during the scorching days of summer, the relative cool of the nighttime garden will come as a welcome respite. For the romantic at heart, few things are more enchanting than a midnight stroll through flowers kissed by moonlight.

How do you begin to create such a paradise? The secret is to select white and pale-colored plants that shimmer in the night. You’ll find that many of your favorite flowers, which you thought only bloomed in blue or hot pink, have been hybridized for white color or a very pale interpretation of their darker counterparts. Annuals like petunias, impatiens, and snapdragons all have white cousins, along with perennials, such as echinacea (coneflower) and campanula. You may also be surprised to learn at what time of day many flowers open. While some, like daylilies, as the name suggests, actually close at nightfall, others, such as evening primrose and moonflower, with its lemony scent, come alive right along with the peepers and crickets.

Just like any other garden, the moonlit garden should be filled with plants of different heights and habits, shapes and textures. Plants with variegated or white-edged foliage like euonymus, ivy, and hosta, add contrast to the garden and will sparkle in the dim light just like the flowers. Shrubs like spirea provide a backdrop for lower-growing plants like cosmos and artemisia, while a well-placed trellis or fence can lend support to lacy curtains of clematis and passionflower. A bench beneath an arbor brimming with white wisteria and climbing roses or a garden swing flanked by fragrant lilac or mock orange is an intoxicating spot to while away an evening. You’ll find that the strong fragrance will not only attract hopeless romantics, but also the “butterflies of the night,” moths, which will flit and flutter throughout the moonlit garden feeding on sweet nectar. Special touches complete the scene: A serpentine path lined with phlox, baby’s breath, and lilies, will invite a leisurely stroll, and a rustic lantern will allow you to enjoy your garden even on those nights when the moon is hidden by clouds.

A warm summer’s night, a trickle of water from a nearby fountain, and some soothing music from a speaker hidden beneath a shrub–the stage is set for spending a relaxing evening with friends and family in the magical land of the midnight garden.

1. Planting and spacing: Plant transplants closely so they fill in quickly. Usually, the tag will say to plant 8 to 12 inches apart, so pick 8 inches for a great show of flowers more quickly. I actually take a ruler into the garden, or measure off the spacing with my trowel. If the plants are a bit pot-bound (roots circling around), cut an X into the bottom with a knife or use your fingers to tease them apart so they make better contact with soil.

2. Watering: Annuals need water to thrive. Water them deeply two to three times a week after planting. The moist soil will encourage good growth. For the best show of color all summer, don’t let up on the watering.

3. Feed your plants: Once a week, feed your plants with a balanced all-purpose 20-20-20 fertilizer that you mix with water. You’ll find traditional or organic fertilizers – either will do the job. One good organic is fish emulsion, which I like to mix together with a kelp-based fertilizer. Your annuals will grow even better if you mix some compost or manure into your soil before you plant.

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1. Planting and spacing: Perennials can be planted throughout the year, but perform best when planted in the spring and fall. Careful attention should be paid to the mature height and spread of each plant. Refer to the care and culture tag on each plant, or ask one of our staff for more information.

2. Watering: Perennials need water to establish them when first planted. Water them deeply two to three times a week after planting. The moist soil will encourage good growth. For the best show of color all summer, don’t let up on the watering. After the second or third season they should survive on the strength of seasonal precipitation. Mulching your perennials will help with moisture retention and reduce weeding. Take care not to bury the crowns as that might lead to rot.

3. Feed your plants: You can feed your newly planted perennials as you would an annual. You should feed weekly with a water soluble fertilizer, or add a time-release fertilizer when planting. You’ll find traditional or organic fertilizers – either will do the job. One good organic is fish emulsion, and your perennials will grow even better if you top dress with compost.

Finally, perennials can be divided seasonally. While some varieties have long tap roots, most are clump forming like Hosta, Daylily and most Daisy types such as Echinacea and Rudbeckia. The best time for taking divisions would be early spring and fall. Water in well and treat as you would a new plant.

Proper selection and placement of perennial plants can result in a sequence of blooms that can stretch from early spring to late fall. Make plans now to visit the garden center for best selection, plus the right advice to make the most of your selections.

 

 

 

Follow these steps for planting success

1. Dig the hole and prepare the soil.

Dig the hole about 1½ times the diameter of the root ball but slightly (10-20%) shallower than the height of the root ball. Prepare a mix of 30% Black Forest or Bumper Crop soil conditioner to 70% existing soil to be used for backfilling around the root ball. You can ask us for fertilizer recommendation for plants being planted.

2. Planting

Container Grown Plants:
Remove the container and loosen all exposed roots. If the root system is very tight , using a sharp knife or spade, make four ½” deep cuts down the side of the root ball and cut an “X” across the bottom of the root ball and loosen as many roots as possible. Center the plant in the hole and fill with the amended soil mixture, firmly tamping soil around the roots. Plant 10-20% higher than existing soil line.

Balled and burlap plants:
Center the plant in the hole. If the root ball is tied with nylon twine it should be removed, otherwise the twine, burlap and wire basket can remain in place, the burlap and twine will decompose in a few months and the wire will deteriorate over a period of years and will not interfere with the roots. Fill the hole with amended soil mixture, tamping firmly. Do not cover top of root ball with soil. Plant 10-20% higher than existing soil line. Add 2” of mulch.

REMEMBER: TOO DEEP IS DEADLY!

3. Watering

Trees: All trees should receive a slow trickle of water for 1-2 hours once a week. During prolonged periods of heat and drought, when temperatures are 80˚ or above, watering twice a week will be necessary.

Shrubs: Should be watered the same as trees, except 20 minutes at a time. The same applies for dry conditions.
Please keep in mind the instructions above are just a guide. Conditions vary from site to site, and over watering is just as harmful as under watering. If you think your plants are showing signs of stress, then there is a good chance you should change the amount you are watering. Don’t wait until it is too late to call Carousel Gardens with any questions that you have regarding watering and care of your plants.

REMEMBER: LESS FREQUENT, THOROUGH WATERINGS ARE BETTER THAN FREQUENT FAST WATERINGS.

Adapted from The Farmer’s Almanac

Divide late-summer or autumn-flowering perennials. If necessary, go after phlox and artemisia with a sharp spade or even an ax. If delphiniums need to be divided, remove and replant the new little plants growing around the outside of the clump. Discard the hard old heart.

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