My friend Joseph, a scientist, sent me an interesting paper yesterday afternoon relating to the toxicity of foods and their mitigation via fermentation.
Lactic acid fermentation is the oldest and most widely used method to improve the safety and nutritional value of foods. It has been employed from the very beginning of agriculture and animal husbandry to preserve cereal, milk, fish, and meat products from bacterial contamination, prolong their shelf life, and enrich them with probiotic bacterial strains [6,7]. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are routinely used to produce traditional functional foods such as yogurt, cheese, sauerkraut, pickles, and fermented cereal meals and beverages [6–8]. Dozens of LAB strains have been evaluated as probiotics due to the production of metabolites with health benefits that are scientifically confirmed and well-documented [9–12]. However, Markowiak and Sli ´ zewska have underlined that one of ˙ the requirements for a particular strain to be evaluated as a probiotic should be its ability to inhibit the production of bacterial toxins, inactivate them, or facilitate their removal from the human body [13]. The probiotics exhibiting detoxifying properties contain unique, strain-related characteristics, and their selection deserves special attention. On the other hand, over the past decade, hundreds of scientific studies have highlighted the role of LAB in food detoxification [14–16]. Large-scale food production and increasing environmental pollution make the topic of natural food purification via microbial fermentation extremely important and relevant. Biological detoxification of food can be achieved with various LAB degrading, metabolizing, or adsorbing toxins and thus effectively neutralizing them. The present state-of-the-art review aims to summarize the available data and elucidate the current role of LAB in food detoxification. Due to their wide substrate spectrum and diverse enzyme pool [17–19], LAB can ferment almost any food of dubious quality and potentially detoxify it. The unique properties of LAB that make them the “panacea” for food detoxification are described below.
Takeaway: ferment your vegetables and grains if you want to remove toxins and break down anti-nutrients!
I prefer to top-dress my flower beds while my perennials are napping safely underground, but I often find myself doing this while the plants are up. That chore is made much easier with a 58-ounce cast-aluminum scoop. It’s small enough to maneuver among plants but holds enough compost, mulch, or—as shown here—composted wood chips to cover real estate quickly. Lastly, it leaves a hand free to hold plants aside while I’m applying the product.
—Jim McCaulley, Ringoes, New Jersey
Sunflower trellis for tomatillos
When it came time to install support for the outrageous growth of tomatillos in my greenhouse, I realized that those volunteer sunflowers I didn’t have the heart to pull had grown thick, sturdy stems. I wove quarter-inch rope between them and—voilà!—instant supports. I’ll strategically take advantage of that bonus next year, but I’ll be sure to choose varieties that don’t threaten my greenhouse’s 10-foot ceiling.
—Jenny Noble, Horsefly, British Columbia
Winning Tip: Storing terra-cotta pots for winter
There is limited space in my garage for storing terra-cotta pots. I’ve had the unfortunate experience of stacking them in the fall and then having to break one to get them apart in the spring. Now I take old bubble-wrap envelopes and place them between pots as padding. The pots are easy to separate, and this gives that bubble wrap a second life.
—Lori Walsh, Rockford, Illinois
Protect plants from an early spring freeze
We are always excited when spring comes around and dormant plants such as peonies and lilies leap from the ground. Then it happens—winter has the last laugh in the form of a below-freezing cold snap. To protect plants already sprouted, I invert a plastic container of the appropriate size over the tender foliage and weigh it down with a rock so that wind or critters can’t displace the container. The pots are easily removed the next morning when the risk of freezing has passed.
—Katherine Coker, McDonough, Georgia
Chicken-wire deer defense
The deer start browsing my perennials in the fall, and it gets worse as the winter progresses. My garden is too large to fence in, so I protect the most-abused plants with hoops of chicken wire. I use a 1-foot-wide roll of wire and cut hoops of different sizes to fit the plants. I anchor the ends of the hoops with 4-inch staples that prevent the hoops from being pushed out of place by passing animals. I remove the hoops in the spring when plant growth is strong and the deer have other things to eat.
—Barbara Burkhart, Apex, North Carolina
A better grip on your rake
Having an easy grip on a garden rake makes raking much easier. When your garden gloves don’t provide enough grip, wrap the handle of the rake with the grip tape used on tennis rackets or a similar kinesiology tape. It makes a huge difference.
—Peg McCann, St. Joseph, Michigan
Photos: courtesy of the contributors
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When you rely on foliage over flowers, a plant rarely experiences a “down period.” The following are all plants that play an important role in my garden’s composition.
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist, well-drained soil
Native range: Europe
In fall many plants are past their prime, but ‘Mrs. Pollock’ geranium remains radiant until a hard freeze. This is a season’s worth of color laid out in gradients—red to chartreuse, pink to spring green.
I love the blushes of color on this chartreuse hydrangea, with its purple, pink, yellow, green, and lavender edges.
6. Chinese Virginia creeper
Photo: courtesy of Curtis Steiner
Name:Parthenocissus henryana
Zones: 6–9
Size: Up to 30 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide
Conditions: Partial shade; well-drained soil
Native range: China
With its silver veins and brilliant fall color, this plant thrives on the east side of my fence. It is a perfect alternative to invasive vines because it won’t run rampant.
Native Range: Asia, North America, Europe, Australia
If I had to pick a favorite plant in my garden, this would be it, particularly during the time of year when its pubescent leaves are covered with fuzzy terra-cotta suede indumentum.
Give it a haircut on the coldest day of year, and in spring chartreuse blades will shoot from its suddenly red crown. By mid-spring you won’t be able to believe the magnificent bright fountain of foliage.
9. Korean fir
Photo: courtesy of Curtis Steiner
Name:Abies koreana
Zones: 5–7
Size: 15 to 30 feet tall and 6 to 12 feet wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; average, well-drained soil
Native range: Korea
The needled foliage sets the stage for perfectly formed, upright cones that start off a deep plum and become bluer and bluer and bigger and bigger as the season progresses.
Curtis Steiner is a professional artist and avid gardener from the Pacific Northwest.
I was painfully shy as a child, often taking refuge in the forested greenbelt adjacent to our suburban backyard. It was the early 1970s, before children were kept on a short tether, and I was allowed to wander so long as I was home before dark. I would explore paths and climb trees, collecting nature and memories as I went. The forest of my youth was mostly conifers, where an occasional mother tree would establish her dominance, reaching out with a great protective canopy underneath which little could grow. I would adopt the ground beneath and “park it out.” This meant removing debris and creating a garden of collected flowers and plants (sometimes with roots still intact), along with laying small circles of stones. I would sit in the mossy solitude on the forest floor with my back against the trunk, feeling safe in the dappled light. It was an idyllic refuge of my own creation, all done on a five-year-old’s salary.
I grew up to become a painter, a sculptor, and a curator. And with adulthood came the realization that a garden could be a work of art as well as a refuge—a stage where I could create a picture, a mood, and a story. Over the course of 20 years I’ve transformed my small urban lot into a living art installation. It is filled with an array of textures and forms, with visual jewels around every corner and the peaceful serenity that makes it a true oasis. (Doesn’t everyone want that from their garden?) And it has all taken shape under the canopy of a mother tree reminiscent of my youth.
Create a backdrop of green to foster complete immersion
The property I purchased two decades ago to create my living art installation is a strange cutout from the city around it: a narrow, L-shaped strip of land holding its breath between three normal-shaped lots. When I first found it, all that was there was a hobbled-together house (once a garage) under the canopy of a massive century-old cherry tree (Prunus cv., Zones 3–8). There was no garden, only hardscrabble earth between patches of beastly bamboo and blackberry. One can renovate a house and create a garden, but the magnificent scale of that tree took generations to realize. So I bought the tree.
A stage backed by a dark green curtain allows the plants to stand out. Granite pavers cover the surface-level cherry tree roots and give a flat area for various pots to perch. At the back, a cypress hedge expands along the property line, turning this area into a cozy garden room.
To filter out the surrounding world, to create privacy, and to provide a solid canvas upon which other plants could shine, a solid green backdrop was installed along many of the property lines. But due to the size of the massive tree’s canopy, the plants beneath needed to be shade loving and willing to put up with lots of root competition. Several years ago I planted a hedge of Leyland cypress (× Cuprocyparis leylandii, Zones 6–10) to provide privacy between my residence and the neighbor’s house to the north (photo above). It runs along from the trunk of the cherry tree to the western property line, turning the corner until it meets the end of my detached garage. Now about 10 feet high, it makes a wonderful green foil for an array of architectural containers and textured foliage as well as creating a comforting garden room. ‘Teddy Bear’ rhododendron (Rhododendron ‘Teddy Bear’, Zones 6b–8) is a broadleaf evergreen that offers a velvety backdrop elsewhere, while a grove of limbed-up lilacs (Syringa cv., Zones 3–7) with zigzag trunks contributes a mundane yet protective canopy in another area. These deliberate measures give the garden a protective womb quality that allows me and others to be mentally present within the garden.
When root competition is severe and plantable ground is at a premium, containers are the answer. The lack of ideal planting space starts at the front of this property, where an array of eye-catching containers surrounds the gravel path that marks the way to the main garden (below). In the back landscape, a patio expands out underneath the giant cherry tree. More vessels fill this area with rooted treasures of every imaginable color and texture. Given the extreme conditions, none of these plants would survive if they weren’t potted (above).
Tip: Use dry shade to your advantage
Several thuggish plants tend to behave better when starved for nutrients and resources like light and water. For example, butterbur can run rampant if given its preferred moist, rich soil. In my garden, however, it stays a fraction of its mature size and politely remains in check. I have chosen many robust plants, some of which would be absolute thugs in more favorable conditions but are subdued here due to the extreme root competition.
Forget the flowers—they’re not the point
My garden isn’t about blooms; it’s foliage-first. Therefore, I choose plants that exhibit bold textures, colors, and shapes. Relying on those traits, I position the plants in a variety of ways to create rhythms throughout the space, or to create complements and contrasts—much as you would with an artwork that aims to produce a certain mood. For example, I adore the color of ‘Wolf Eyes’ kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa ‘Wolf Eyes’, Zones 5–8). Its sharply variegated leaves allow it to be a focal point, especially when it is surrounded by plants with foliage of a contrasting color. You’ll also find drifts of Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra and cvs., Zones 5–9) along the pathways of the garden, and the texture it provides is exceptional. The repetition of this fine-bladed plant provides rhythm and movement to the art of the garden. For form, it’s hard to beat the imposing structure of butterbur (Petasites japonicus, Zones 5–9). Most of the plants I rely on sparkle regardless of the season.
Color, texture, and form—combined to perfection. Most gardeners know the three tenets of good design, but the array of contrasting hues, fine and bold foliage, and eye-catching silhouettes in this area is a master class in artistic gardening.Bold forms are essential in foliage-first designs. Large and impressive leaves stand out even more when surrounded by neighboring plants that echo the shape—but not the breadth—of the star. Here, butterbur takes center stage while a hosta helps it shine.
My garden is not completely devoid of flowers, however. I do have some seasonal stars that help to complement the surrounding foliage at specific times of the year, adding interest to an area that might otherwise be lacking. With its curled wax-paper-like party blossoms, ‘Jelena’ witch hazel (Hamamelis × intermedia ‘Jelena’, Zones 5–8) is the first in my garden to herald in the new year. Fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii, Zones 5–8) has delicate, airy blossoms that seem to float independently of the bush itself in spring. Martagon lilies (Lilium martagon, Zones 3–8) also dot the canvas at the peak of the season, their hues peeking out against the foliage mosaic beyond.
Root competition from the giant cherry is a significant challenge, but I have adapted several strategies for dealing with it: I choose perennials that thrive in dry shade, use containers to maximize planting space in areas with heavily root-bound soil, and allow native mosses to take over in some spots. I’m a fastidious gardener. I preen and clean. Even the bare earth is swept clean. In a shade garden that’s regularly watered and rarely top-dressed, this encourages moss. Here in the Pacific Northwest the mid-green hue of common garden moss creates a web of wool easily rolled back or picked apart by birds and squirrels looking for insects, worms, or a fight (photo below). For years I’ve maintained this carpet because its color and texture add undeniable interest across the lowest layers of the garden canvas.
An expansive tree sets the tone. The mature cherry creates challenges for this garden, but it also fosters opportunity. Without it, the naturalistic ecosphere of mosses and ferns below would not be possible.
Paths and patios encourage lingering and an intimate garden experience
Within this tiny landscape are a small courtyard, a brick patio, two concrete pathways, and even a series of granite pavers laid atop the cherry tree roots to create an additional entertaining space. All of these hardscape elements play different roles in the garden: some are located in areas that are extensions from the house to the garden—such as an existing concrete pad that I turned into a patio (photo below). The sidewalk pathways and other hardscape elements are used to draw people deeper into the landscape—all while giving the illusion that they are journeying through a much larger space.
A balance of hardscape and plants is always a challenge in a small space. Patios and pathways were not thrown by the wayside in this tiny plot. They help define garden rooms, draw visitors from the house out into the garden, and give a spot for the eye to rest.Straight lines give order to the space. The paths and patios throughout this landscape are laid out along the horizon line, which allows visitors to identify clear points of entry, assembly, and exit.
All of the hardscape in this garden is laid out true to the horizon. When you stand with your back to the house, the main path (and surrounding garden) unfolds in front of you, until it disappears at a vanishing point in the distance. The same effect takes place when you stand at the front of the property and take in the view down the alley between the house and garage to the patio beyond (photo right). This orientation forms a foundation. A horizon line lets viewers know where they are in relation to the scene and adds to the dynamic, immersive character of this space.
Over the years, I have transformed the pocket of land beneath the cherry tree into a garden that I love; it’s a place of safety and retreat. Nothing is ever static in this space, and that makes it genuinely transformative for all who step inside it. It is constantly evolving, like a living sculpture. Creating this space was a challenge, but I am a gardener and artist, so of course I like a good puzzle.
Art as inspiration
What I love about a garden is that it is constantly changing. I am always pruning down and thinning out. The plants are always growing up, seeking light, dropping blossoms and leaves, changing their colors and forms. The art is never complete. But on occasion the garden inspires me to create a work of art, or a work of art inspires me to try a new planting in the garden. Here is a recent example.
Photo: courtesy of Curtis Steiner
Photo: courtesy of Curtis Steiner
The dark purple hue and elongated shape in the painting are reminiscent of Persian shield (Strobilanthes dyerianus, Zones 8–11).
A layer of light green mimics the arching Western sword fern.
Pale chartreuse curves around the green and draws inspiration from the Japanese forest grass.
Alternating outer layers of terra-cotta and peachy copper finish off the composition by echoing the Heuchera hues in the garden vignette.
Curtis Steiner is a professional artist and avid gardener from the Pacific Northwest.
Photos, except where noted: Danielle Sherry
Find more design inspiration from gardens where foliage is the star:
If you have a plant lover in your life, trust me when I say this is THE gift to win them over. Show them how much you understand their plant love with this cutie succulent valentines. And hey, if you want to make one all for yourself, no one is stopping you from being your own secret valentine!
This sweet and succulent valentines is just what Dr. Love ordered for the winter blues. It’s a thoughtful and unique way to brighten up someone’s day.
A colourful collection of succulent cuttings set in a heart-shaped candy box will surprise and delight your lucky loved one, and it’s also just the right size to root a collection of cuttings.
Make your own DIY succulent cutting propagation tray for Valentine’s Day, and these beauties will be ready to head out to the garden by the time the frost has passed.
Here’s how I made this adorable heart-shaped plant valentine using succulents.
Sedum, Sempervivum, Echeveria, Aeonium, Haworthia, and Crassula are all great succulents to include in your valentine.
The Perfect Plant Valentine
It wasn’t easy, but I gave up sugar years ago to help reduce the inflammation that was causing me to have Fibromyalgia flare-ups. By “gave up sugar,” I mean that I stopped eating all sugar, honey, maple syrup, and fruit.
When I say, “It wasn’t easy,” it wasn’t just the cravings that were hard. I missed the celebrations that come with eating sugar. Two years’ worth of birthdays without even a bite of cake. Christmas cookies, pumpkin pie, and even cranberry sauce were left off my party plates. Since I love to celebrate, it has taught me to look for other ways to treat myself.
It’s a good thing I’m a gardener because there is no end to the treats found at a garden center! It’s hard to think beyond candy for decadent Valentine’s Day goodies. Of course, there are flowers and cards. I won’t turn down either of those.
I love turning little succulent propagations into the perfect Valentine’s Day plants. Just in case you are looking for the perfect gift for me this February, let me show you the way to my heart with this succulent valentines.
A metal tin works best for this project since water will drain into it.
DIY Succulent Valentines
You might be surprised how easy this valentine is to make. Around Valentine’s Day, it’s pretty easy to find heart-shaped boxes. You can then head to the garden centre and get some small succulents or propagate your own to use as Valentine’s Day plants.
Materials
Make It!
If you don’t have cuttings available, purchase already small succulents or ones you can divide.
When shopping for succulents, look for ones that are growing pups or have multiple stems. You can divide them up and root them for summer projects.
Remove all of the candy from the box and give it away. I won’t judge you if you eat it yourself!
Don’t skip this step! Your plants need drainage to survive.
Use the bamboo skewer to poke a hole in each one of the candy cells to provide some drainage.
Fill the candy tray with cactus and succulent soil mix and water it to give the water time to absorb before planting.
You don’t need much soil to fill the heart.
If you have potted plants, remove them from the pots and shake the soil off the roots. If the roots are long, give them a trim.
See how many succulents you can get out of “one” plant!
Any fresh cuts will need a few days to dry before being stuck in soil.
If you have plant divisions, remove them from the parent plant. Remove a few of the lower leaves to get a good stem to set into the soil. Allow these to dry for a few days before planting.
Play around with shapes and sizes for the best effect.
Arrange the succulents in the tray by varying the colour, shape, and size of the plants. Use a paintbrush to dust excess soil off of the leaves.
Fill in the spaces around the plants with reindeer moss to give the arrangement a finished look.
You can use dried or fresh reindeer moss for this project.
Care Instructions
Your succulent valentines is a great way to root and grow new succulents until they are ready to move to larger pots. Rooting them in the house around Valentine’s Day will mean they will have strong roots by May, when they can be used for a variety of projects.
If you’re interested in the symbolism behind your gift, you will be happy to hear that succulents represent tenacity and endurance due to their ability to survive with little water. So if you want to represent your strong, enduring love, this is a good choice!
How do I care for a succulent?
While drought tolerant, succulents still need regular watering. Water your succulents when the soil has gone completely dry, watering until the soil is damp. Succulents prefer lots of sun, so place them on a sunny windowsill.
Ensure they’re potted in soil designed for succulents and cacti and in a pot with drainage holes.
What succulent has heart-shaped leaves?
There are a few succulents with heart-shaped leaves. A hoya heart is on large heart-shaped leaf. String of hearts is another popular one, with trailing often variegated heart-shaped leaves.
A good pair of loppers can make spring pruning a breeze. However, most loppers seem to make even a strong person feel pathetically weak if the branch is thicker than half an inch. Attempting to cut bigger branches with such inferior loppers, particularly branches in the Goldilocks size of 1 to 2 inches, can be difficult even with all the muscle in the world. The Corona extendable DualLINK bypass loppers allow you to adjust the length of each handle from 29 to 37 inches to gain more leverage from different angles, and the blade-and-hook end is nearly twice as large as those on other loppers I’ve used. I find that I can use these to easily slice through stems up to 2 inches in diameter.
Assemble plant supports in a snap with steel stake connectors
If you’ve ever tried to assemble a bamboo trellis for your peas or tomatoes, you know how challenging the task can be. In the past I’d cut dozens of strips of twine, which I’d pull from my pockets and then use in an attempt to tie the canes together. Inevitably the poles would end up as a pile of sticks before I could recruit some help. I now use these galvanized-steel stake connectors. Not only do they prevent me from having to hand-tie each cane, but their innovative design (which involves simply snapping them on a cane) results in a much stronger structure. Best of all, they are reusable from year to year.
Uproot unwanted plants painlessly with this tree puller
The Pullerbear is one of those odd but useful tools you never knew you needed. Do you have an infestation of invasive vines or trees that you can’t pull out of the ground? These must be extracted by their roots if you want to get rid of them permanently, and spring is a perfect time to do so before the landscape fills out. The Pullerbear is my go-to tool for removing any unwanted plant with a thick stem. The grip at the bottom of the tool attaches to the base of the stem, and then you push down to use leverage to extract the roots. The Pullerbear comes in seven different sizes that can handle stems from ¾ inch to 3 inches wide. This tool is easy to use and comes from a family-owned company. Plus, it has kind of the best name ever, right?
A plant-breeder friend of mine gifted these dibbles to a few of us who volunteered to plant hundreds of seedlings in his fields a few years ago. Sure, we snickered at the funny, weapon-like look, but we quickly learned why the C. S. Osborne planting dibble is the choice of many pros. If you’ve never found a use for a dibble, try planting flats of seedlings without one. It makes that repetitive task much easier. The design of this particular tool (a dibble with a handle) is brilliant, as it reduces blisters. I also use mine for planting water lilies in my pond and injecting aquatic-plant-fertilizer tablets into the pots. Plus, it’s ergonomic, made of rust-free aluminum, and will make you look like a villain in a superhero movie.
I’m a sucker for obscure tools, often finding new uses for something that professionals might only employ for one specific task. The lawn-leveling rake from Landzie makes flattening areas for planting with fresh soil or loam easy and efficient without having to use a landscape tractor. This tool is lightweight, with five steel bars that are 3 feet wide. With just a few swipes it will create a flat-as-a-pancake surface. It’s also great for spreading sand, soil, or other materials and is essential if you’re seeding a new lawn, planting a wildflower meadow, or preparing a new garden.
Say goodbye to unsightly leaves with these sharp hedge shears
If you know, you know. And if you don’t, the Okatsune precision hedge shears will change your life. A long-time favorite, these shears are still the preferred tool of professional gardeners, topiary enthusiasts, and, frankly, anyone who appreciates hedges with sharp, clean lines. Made in Japan from quality carbon steel and white oak, this 21-inch-long tool with 7-inch-long blades allows you to make precise cuts with ease. The Okatsune precision hedge shears separate amateurs from the actual pruning ninjas. Keep them well-oiled to avoid rust, and sharpen them using a stone, as you would with your best kitchen knives.
Tested by Matt Mattus, the author of Mastering the Art of Flower Gardening and Mastering the Art of Vegetable Gardening. Matt, who is also the Northeast regional reporter for FineGardening.com, lives and gardens in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Although pollinator populations are diminishing worldwide due to habitat loss, climate change, pesticides, and disease, gardeners can slow this decline through cultivating and maintaining safe environments where winged garden visitors can find sustenance and take shelter. Combining well-chosen trees, shrubs, perennials, and vines to create a varied habitat will attract and support a broad range of bird, mammal, and insect species. Incorporating a strategic array of ground covers into this mix is a great way to maximize the wildlife benefits your garden offers.
Lawns are green deserts for wildlife, and areas that are mulched with bark, pine needles, or gravel offer little habitat and no food for beneficial insects and other creatures. In the wild, bare soil hardly exists; it is always covered with plants. Then why do we leave so much exposed soil in our gardens? Most gardens offer many opportunities to layer ground covers beneath and between perennials, shrubs, and trees, adding beauty and multiseason interest. Look for nooks and crannies in pathways, along border edges, in walls, and along stairways where pockets of bare soil could be filled with ground covers. Trailers that drape over the edges of hardscaping and container plantings add fun, whimsy, and a sense of completeness to your designs. Add the right ground covers and the pollinators will thank you.
Choose the best ground covers for your garden
With thousands of ground covers to choose from, which ones will be best for your pollinators? One helpful strategy is to select ground covers that offer a succession of blooms from early spring until fall. While some pollinators are active through much of the growing season, others may live for just a few weeks. Including long-blooming varieties ensures that there will be a bounty of nectar and pollen from the time the snow melts in spring to when your garden freezes again the following winter. It is best to select plants that have flowers with a diverse array of sizes, shapes, and colors. Each pollinator species seeks out particular bloom sizes and shapes. For example, hummingbirds appreciate large, tubular flowers, while butterflies need smaller tubular flowers and a place to rest while feeding. Native bees of various sizes also need a range of flower types from which to feed. The greater the diversity of flower shapes, sizes, and colors, the more pollinators you will attract.
It is also ecologically beneficial to choose ground covers with a variety of foliage textures and with different growth habits, including rhizomatous, suckering, stoloniferous, spreading, and trailing. Covering the ground with diverse plantings will support insects that are food sources for songbirds, frogs, toads, snakes, and mammals. It will also encourage a richer biome of healthy soil bacteria and fungi that support overall plant health.
Including native plants is a guaranteed way to attract and support local pollinators that have co-evolved with these species and that seek out the protein and fats provided by pollen and the sugary nectar they need for energy. Native plants are also often the only larval hosts for native butterfly and moth species. However, since not all our natives have long bloom periods, and since our small gardens can’t compensate for the loss of natural habitat to urban and agricultural development, nonnative plants can be used to fill gaps in nectar and pollen supply. The following are some of the many fine ground covers that you can incorporate into garden designs to add beauty and provide the greatest pollinator benefits per square foot.
Spring Flowers Sustain Emerging Pollinators
Virginia strawberry spreads sweetly around taller plants
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; rich to average, well-drained soil
Native range: North America
Pollinator power: Attracts a variety of native bees and hoverflies; nectar source and larval host for dozens of butterfly and moth species
This tough, vigorous, easy-to-grow ground cover is also a powerhouse for pollinators. The white, five-petaled flowers provide nectar and pollen for early foragers from spring to early summer, and the small, tasty fruits that follow will delight chipmunks, squirrels, birds, and humans alike from early to midsummer. Use it under and around taller plants, as a lawn substitute, or as a slope stabilizer. In good conditions it will spread almost indefinitely. While the plants grow and spread quickly, it may take time for the rosettes to provide a closed cover. Virginia strawberry will tolerate occasional foot traffic and is deer- and rabbit-resistant. The plants appreciate evenly moist soil but will tolerate short periods of drought.
Rock soapwort is a small, fragrant powerhouse
Photo: millettephotomedia.com
Name:Saponaria ocymoides
Zones: 3–8
Size: 4 to 8 inches tall and 12 to 24 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun; average to dry, well-drained soil
Native range: Sunny slopes and rocky areas from Spain into the Alps
Pollinator power: Attracts bees, butterflies, and possibly hummingbirds
Here is an extremely hardy, old-fashioned perennial that forms compact carpets of vigorous, semi-evergreen foliage. In late spring and summer, the densely branched plants are topped with prolific clusters of small, fragrant flowers that can be bright pink to white, depending on the cultivar. Plant it in average to poor soil with good winter drainage; you will find that it is quite tolerant of drought. It is perfect for small to medium-size areas in rock gardens, between stepping stones, along pathways, on slopes, and atop walls. Rock soapwort is deer resistant and tolerates occasional foot traffic.
Roundleaf groundsel furnishes pollen, nectar, and spring cheer
Photo: millettephotomedia.com
Name:Packera obovata
Zones: 3–8
Size: 12 to 20 inches tall and 6 to 12 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; dry to wet soil
Native range: Eastern North America
Pollinator power: Attracts many species of native bees, hoverflies, and beetles; larval host to the northern metalmark butterfly
Roundleaf groundsel greets spring with cheerful yellow flowers that seem to float above mats of basal foliage. It is adaptable to a variety of sun and soil conditions, making it useful for repeated plantings that visually connect different areas of the garden. Its flexibility and quick growth rate make it an ideal candidate anywhere a tough, easy-to-grow, weed-suppressing ground cover is needed. It spreads by both stolons and rhizomes to form dense mats of rounded, semi-evergreen leaves that are 4 to 6 inches tall. The flat-topped clusters of golden yellow, daisylike flowers rise on nearly leafless stems that are 10 to 20 inches tall. Plant roundleaf groundsel en masse under trees and large shrubs, beside water features, along pathways, in borders, in woodlands, and on slopes for erosion control. It is deer resistant.
Peak-Season Flowers Offer a Fresh Bounty for Winged Visitors
‘Honey Coral’ trumpet honeysuckle tempts hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees
Size: 8 to 24 inches tall and 10 to 15 feet wide (without support)
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; rich, moist, well-drained soil
Native range: Eastern North America
Pollinator power: Attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees; larval host for several moth and butterfly species
Trumpet honeysuckle is a native vine beloved for its bright red but sometimes yellow flowers that bloom in mid to late spring and intermittently throughout summer. ‘Honey Coral’ is a valuable compact form of the species. Though this vigorous, twining vine can grow 10 to 15 feet tall or more if it is trellised, in the absence of vertical structures it can perform well as a large, rambling ground cover. Use it on slopes and banks or to cover open areas, uneven ground, and unsightly landscape features such as rocks or stumps. Its tube-shaped flowers are appealing to many pollinators, and its red berries are attractive to birds in autumn. ‘Honey Coral’ is tolerant of drought and resistant to deer and rabbits.
‘Poncha Pass Red’ sulphur buckwheat is colorful over a long season
Flowers.Photo: courtesy of High Country Gardens
Seed heads.Photo: courtesy of High Country Gardens
Name:Eriogonum umbellatum ‘Poncha Pass Red’
Zones: 3–8
Size: 4 to 6 inches tall and 12 to 15 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun; average to dry, well-drained soil
Native range: Western Canada and United States
Pollinator power: Attracts native bees, hoverflies, and hummingbirds; larval host for certain butterfly and moth species
‘Poncha Pass Red’ sulphur buckwheat is a tough dryland Persicaria relative with much to offer for water-wise and pollinator-friendly plantings. This long-lived subshrub is one of the best of the many buckwheat species for a dry, sunny garden. It forms mats or mounds of evergreen, gray-green to silver leaves topped with showy umbels of bright, sulfur-yellow flowers from late spring to early summer (left). In late summer as the seed heads develop, they take on fiery tones of orange and red (right). Buckwheats have evolved closely with many butterfly species, for which they are important nectar sources and often requisite larval hosts; some larvae can only feed on a single species. ‘Poncha Pass Red’ also attracts many other pollinators, and the seeds are valued by birds. This deer- and rabbit-resistant plant is useful for unirrigated areas, hellstrips, dry banks, and rock gardens.
Silverton® bluemat penstemon offers refreshing hues for a hot, sunny location
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; average to dry, well-drained soil
Native range: Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona
Pollinator power: Attracts native bees, wasps, butterflies, and moths
This cultivar is a strikingly pretty selection from the largest genus of flowering plants endemic to North America. From late spring into early summer, upright 12-inch spikes of tubular, lavender-blue to light-blue flowers cover its low, spreading mound of silvery foliage. Silverton® bluemat penstemon is well adapted to dry, sunny conditions and in cultivation can form carpets 24 to 36 inches wide if it is provided with sufficient moisture and very good drainage. This deer-resistant beauty will be right at home in rock gardens and xeriscapes, on dry slopes, and along the edges of borders, driveways, and pathways.
‘Atropurpureum’ white clover is colorful, charming, and not too aggressive
Photo: Joshua McCulloughPhoto: courtesy of Gary Lewis
Name:Trifolium repens ’Atropurpureum’
Zones: 4–9
Size: 2 to 4 inches tall and 3 to 12 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; average to moist, well-drained soil
Native range: Europe, Central Asia
Pollinator power: Attracts bees and butterflies
‘Atropurpureum’ white clover is a selection from the widespread turfgrass weed known for its nitrogen-fixing capability and globe-shaped flower heads. This less-vigorous cultivar is more compact and ornamental than the straight species, with burgundy leaflets edged in green that form spreading mats. Its numerous white flowers emerge in late spring and continue throughout summer, developing pink tones with age. It grows best in moist, well-drained soil but is tolerant of dryish, infertile soil. Try it between paving stones, along pathways and border edges, and as a lawn alternative.
Size: 8 to 12 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; average to evenly moist, well-drained, fertile soil
Native range: Europe, Asia
Pollinator power: Attracts bees and butterflies
This is one of the best geraniums to use as a ground cover, and it is especially impressive when planted in masses. Its trailing, textural mounds of lightly hairy, deeply dissected leaves develop red tones in fall. Great numbers of white, pink, or magenta flowers, often with darker veins, cover the plant from late spring often into early fall. Plant it along paths, at the front of borders, or in rock gardens to attract bees and butterflies over its impressively long season of bloom. Bloody geranium is easy to grow and readily adapts to a variety of soil types with sufficient drainage. It is also deer- and rabbit-resistant and quite tolerant of heat and humidity.
Lingonberry feeds birds, pollinators, and people
Photo: millettephotomedia.com
Name:Vaccinium vitis-idaea
Zones: 2–8
Size: 4 to 18 inches tall and 12 to 36 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; organically rich, acidic, evenly moist, well-drained soil
Native range: Northern Europe, Asia, North America
Pollinator power: Attracts native bees, hoverflies, and possibly moths
In the regions of Newfoundland and northern Europe where this tough, ecologically adaptable shrub is native, lingonberries are traditionally used in jams, jellies, and pies. The low-growing plants form dense, spreading colonies elegantly clad in small, glossy, evergreen foliage that is reddish when young. Clusters of waxy, bell-shaped, white to pink-tinged flowers feed pollinators from late spring to early summer, and the fruit will attract birds from late summer into fall. Lingonberry is deer resistant and grows best in climates with cooler summer weather.
Fall Blooms Provide a Final Boost of Nourishment
Dwarf calamint produces plentiful nectar through fall
Size: 12 to 18 inches tall and 12 to 24 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun; average to dry soil
Native range: Europe to the Caucasus
Pollinator power: Attracts bees, beetles, butterflies, and hummingbirds
Despite its ability to spread via underground rhizomes, dwarf calamint is much better behaved than other members of the mint family. It forms slowly spreading mounds of fragrant, delicately textured, oval leaves on thin stems. Topping off the show are tiny, tubular, nectar-filled, pale lilac or white flowers produced by the hundreds; these clouds of blooms attract pollinators (including native bees and honeybees) from late spring through fall. It is right at home along the edges of pathways and borders and works well as a ground cover for small to medium applications. This tough, pretty plant is tolerant of heat and drought and is resistant to deer and rabbits.
‘Autumn Bride’ heuchera keeps the blooms coming until frost
Size: 18 to 36 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; average to moist, well-drained soil
Native range: Southeastern United States
Pollinator power: Attracts bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds
With robust clumps of extra-large, lightly felted, maplelike foliage, ‘Autumn Bride’ makes an effective deer- and rabbit-resistant ground cover in mass plantings. It produces dense, showy, conical inflorescences of creamy white flowers from late summer until frost. This woodland native particularly appreciates organically rich, humusy soil with good drainage, and it takes heat and humidity in stride. Although it is quite drought tolerant, it will look best if it receives regular moisture throughout the growing season.
‘Avondale’ blue wood aster is charismatic and carefree
Photo: courtesy of Gary Lewis
Name:Symphyotrichum cordifolium ‘Avondale’
Zones: 3–9
Size: 2 to 3 feet tall and 18 to 24 inches wide
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; dry to moist, well-drained soil
Native range: Central and eastern North America
Pollinator power: Attracts bees and butterflies; a larval host plant for butterflies
If you’re looking for a plant that offers late-season color and beauty as well as nourishment for pollinators, check out this charming, floriferous selection. Blue wood aster is a shade-tolerant, rhizomatous native aster with toothed, heart-shaped basal leaves. Its prolific clouds of small, pale blue flowers have yellow and orange-red centers in late summer and fall and are visited by many pollinator species (including native bees and honeybees). When the flowers go by, birds and small mammals will eat the seeds. The deer-resistant stems are upright or arching in sun but sprawl and weave into a billowy, ground-covering carpet in shaded borders and woodlands.
Gary Lewis is the owner of Phoenix Perennials, a retail and mail-order nursery in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the author of The Complete Book of Ground Covers: 4000 Plants That Reduce Maintenance, Control Erosion, and Beautify the Landscape.
Sources
The following mail-order sellers offer many of the plants featured here:
Choosing a palette of plants that will sustain pollinators throughout the growing season is a great start. However, the way you plant and care for your selections can provide additional advantages for the pollinators you’re seeking to attract. Here are some ways to make the lower layers of your garden even more beneficial.
Layering wildlife-friendly plants adds ecological value, seasonal beauty, and charm to any space, large or small. Incorporating a strategic array of ground covers is a great way to maximize the wildlife benefits your garden offers.
Avoid double flowers
The extra petals in double flowers usually arise from tissue that would have been nectaries or reproductive structures in the straight species, so these show-offs offer very little in the way of pollen or nectar. Most double flowers are also sterile and produce no seeds.
Double flower.Photo: Carol Collins
Single flower.Photo: Michelle Gervais
Plant densely
Grouping pollinator-friendly plants together will help your winged friends find and gather food more efficiently. Whether you are planting multiples of a single species or a variety of different cultivars, try putting them together in one area rather than scattering them throughout the garden.
Leave your ground covers alone
Most native bees build their nests in the ground and depend on undisturbed spaces to make their homes. Ground covers can protect areas of your garden from disturbance, creating valuable habitat options for bees.
Be pesticide-free
Chemicals that kill harmful insects also kill the beneficial creatures you are trying to attract. But if you draw a diverse community of insects to your pesticide-free garden, the helpful ones will assist with controlling the pests.
Provide a water source
Many native pollinators have small home ranges. Not only do they need food and shelter, but they also need water. A small water feature, even just a bowl of clean water placed in the garden, will do the trick.
Don’t be too tidy
Allow some of the natural debris from trees and shrubs to infiltrate your ground covers, where it will biodegrade and create stable and diverse habitats. Rhizomatous and suckering ground covers are particularly good at receiving and incorporating organic material.
Be lazy in fall and winter
The stems and leaves of garden plants and fallen debris are often ideal places for insects to hibernate and lay their eggs, so resist the urge to do a big fall cleanup. Instead, neaten things up after spring temperatures reach about 50°F and most insects have emerged for the new season.
Gary Lewis is the owner of Phoenix Perennials, a retail and mail-order nursery in Vancouver, British Columbia, and the author of The Complete Book of Ground Covers: 4000 Plants That Reduce Maintenance, Control Erosion, and Beautify the Landscape.
February is a weird month—far enough away from the year-end holiday festivities for them to feel like a distant memory and yet, with the dreary days, also far from the exuberance of spring. On some level, this month can have all the excitement of a waiting room. So what can you do while waiting for warmer weather? You can carefully prune.
February is a good time to prune because plants and their pests are dormant. Plus, naked branches allow you to see the structure of the tree or shrub. The reasons to prune are trimming for size and shape; removing damaged and diseased branches; and promoting new growth and blooms.
Need more reasons? Pruning can help with overall plant health by opening up the canopy to let in more light and air, both within the tree and for the plants below. You can also prune to reclaim overgrown areas of your garden. Your arborist or tree service can help with this for larger trees. Safety first, especially when using chainsaws.
Trees including ashes, walnuts, beeches, and lindens. When in doubt, ask your arborist. Don’t prune if the temperature will dip below 25°F, as it can damage the tree.
Certain fruit trees, like apples, peaches, and pears, also can be pruned, but require more specific knowledge. There are generally accepted principles for pruning fruit trees, and they focus on strength to bear the weight of the fruit, producing a good harvest, keeping pests away, and ease of harvesting.
Ornamental flowering trees, such as cherries and plums, need to be checked for black knot. February is the perfect time to prune it out, making sure to cut the affected limbs at least four to six inches from the growth and sterilizing the pruning shears in between cuts. Diseased plant matter should be thrown in the trash and not composted.
Evergreens generally don’t need pruning, but you may want to do so for space and shape. Just don’t cut into the dead zone, the brown area near the center of the tree where the branches have no greener. Why? If you do, you’ll end up with a hole, as there won’t be any new growth from this area. If you have an arborvitae, yew, juniper, cypress, spruce, or hemlock that needs a trim, now’s the time to do it.
Some flowering shrubs and bushes that can be pruned in mid-winter are butterfly bush, clethra, rose of Sharon, rose, panicle hydrangea, and beautyberry, but make sure you do it before new growth appears. Some of them, like roses and butterfly bushes, can be pruned back hard. For the rest, check with your cooperative extension office.
What Not to Prune in February
Maple trees should not be pruned due to the sap running. Maple syrup season starts at the end of February and runs through April. Check with your arborist for the best time to prune.
Shrubs and bushes that flower in the spring before the end of June should not be pruned unless you are okay with losing the flowers, since the buds are located on old wood. Pruning in mid-winter can remove the dormant buds and there will be no spring flowers. Examples are lilacs, magnolias, azalea, dogwoods, quinces, mock orange, and weigela. You can prune these two weeks after they bloom if needed. (Like with most of life, there are exceptions to every rule. Certain cultivars of hydrangeas, lilacs, and azaleas, to name a few, form blooms on both old and new wood and will still bloom if pruned.)
Today we’re off to Gig Harbor, Washington, where Peggy Fox is escaping the winter blues by looking back at some favorite photos from last year in her garden.
Spring foliage ofPodophyllum pleianthum (Zones 6–8), variegated Convallaria (Zones 3–8), and flowers from a saxifrage (can’t remember which one) made a nice combination.
The weirdly cool but very smelly flowers of Podophyllum pleianthum
A simple but pleasing combination of chives (Allium schoenoprasum, Zones 4–8),Euphorbia(Zones 6–9), forget-me-nots (Myosotis sylvatica,Zones 3–8), and nigella (Nigella damascena, annual), withGeranium × magnificum (Zones 5–8) and stachys(Stachys byzantina, Zones 4–8) in the background.
Geranium × magnificum
Nigella is such a free seeder, but I love the drifts of blue.
Pink on pink from astrantia (Astrantia major, Zones 4–7) andFilipendula rubra (queen of the prairie, Zones 3–8)
A huge star jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides, Zones 8–10) turns our front entry into a fragrant, enclosed space to view the garden from.
My peachy David Austin rose is growing into the peaches. I lost the tag for this one and have been trying to identify it.
I love the red stems and blue berries of the large woodland perennialDiphylleia cymosa (Zones 6–9).
I love the combination of the foliage ofRhododendron pachysanthum (Zones 7–9) andHakonechloa‘All Gold’ (Zones 5–9).
The same area of the garden later in the season includes the bronze foliage and seed heads from rogersia (Rogersia podophylla, Zones 5–8), and sun shining through the purple-leaved grapevine (Vitis vinifera ‘Purpurea’, Zones 6–9) on the fence, turning it scarlet.
Fall color starts to show from potted geraniums (Pelargoniumhybrids, Zones 9–11 or as annuals), ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba, Zones 4–8) andTetrapanax(Zones 7–10), with Japanese maples (Acer palmatum, Zones 5–9) and conifers behind.
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
In her article, “Spring Planting Ideas,” Michelle Gervais beautifully illustrates the magical time that is the start spring: “Our winter-weary spirits lift as hints of green begin to appear. We notice even the smallest patches of snowdrops and crocuses as we drive by at 55 miles per hour. The first daffodil sighting is a thrill, and tulips are almost too colorful to bear. The pale chartreuse haze in the trees seems to change to lush, vibrant green overnight, and every new sprout brings delight. It’s the start of another exciting season, and the potential and possibilities for our gardens seem boundless.”
While spring is often a flurry of planting, planning and the many garden chores in-between, it’s always a treat to have some plants that will kick off the season with color while others are still waking up and waiting for warmer weather. If the spring plants in your garden tend to be few and far between, check out the expert-crafted spring combinations below.
In her article, “Spring Planting Ideas,” Michelle Gervais beautifully illustrates the magical time that is the start of spring: “Our winter-weary spirits lift as hints of green begin to appear. We notice even the smallest patches of snowdrops and crocuses as we drive by at 55 miles per hour. The first daffodil sighting is a thrill, and tulips are almost too colorful to bear. The pale chartreuse haze in the trees seems to change to lush, vibrant green overnight, and every new sprout brings delight. It’s the start of another exciting season, and the potential and possibilities for our gardens seem boundless.”
While spring is often a flurry of planting, planning and the many garden chores in-between, it’s always a treat to have some plants that will kick off the season with color while others are still waking up and waiting for warmer weather to show off their best. This spring planting plan was crafted by regional experts Scott Endres and Laura Mathews, and would be a spectacular addition to any Midwest garden.
Conditions: Full sun to full shade; moderately moist, well-drained soil
Native range: Hybrid
‘Ripple Effect’ opens the season with its uniquely oversized foliage, producing mounds of leaves that are each over 12 inches wide and are adorned with distinctive, wavy margins. It blooms in early spring, topping its beautiful deep green leaves with long-lasting, creamy white blossoms that blush pink as they mature. Like other bergenias, it works well as a mass planting, or you can site a smaller group in a location that will showcase its fantastic foliage throughout the growing season.
Conditions: Full to partial shade; moist to dry, well-drained soil
Native range: Southeastern Europe
Foliage-forward and easy to grow, this iris delivers sizable lavender blooms in early to mid-spring. The flowers stand on sturdy, upright stems and offer a sweet aroma in addition to their excellent color. The blooms are juxtaposed against the iris’s elegant, gold-streaked leaves, which offer a welcome glow of color all season. It is upright and architectural, characteristics that can be hard to find in other cold-hardy perennials. The elegant fans of foliage play well against plants with darker colors and finer textures. ‘Aurea Variegata’ sweet iris is adaptable to a variety of soil types, as long as the soil has good drainage, and established plants are somewhat drought tolerant.
Conditions: Full sun; rich, moderately moist, well-drained soil
Native range: Hybrid
In mid-spring, ‘Bartzella’ quickly steals the spotlight with a lush bounty of double yellow flowers featuring pops of bright rust-red at the centers. This is a sturdy Itoh peony, one of a group of intersectional hybrids named in honor of the first horticulturist to cross the two peony types. That produced plants with excellent winter hardiness and dense, sturdy forms that don’t require staking. If you love the romance of a lush garden peony but have gotten tired of seeing your plants lying flat after a spring rain, ‘Bartzella’ is perfect for you. The flowers have a lovely, fresh scent with a hint of spicy citrus.
Conditions: Full sun; moderately moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil
Native range: Western North America
The stars of spring don’t often include evergreens, but ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’ lodgepole pine more than fits the bill. Early in the season it erupts with an abundance of new, golden yellow needles that are on par with any other spring color display. Its small, fuchsia cones appear early, adding to the spring spectacle. Compact and showy, this is a perfect option for small spaces. As the season progresses, the bright foliage darkens to a rich green that is an excellent backdrop to other plants. Like all the plants in this sunny spring combo, ‘Taylor’s Sunburst’ is sturdy, easy to grow, and deer resistant.
Scott Endres and Laura Mathews are designers and horticulturists at Tangletown Gardens, a retail garden center, landscape design firm, and regenerative agriculture farm based in Minneapolis.
View the full collection of regional planting plans and see the rest of issue 216.
Using the right kind of soil for your spider plant is important to keep it happy and healthy. While they’re not too fussy, they do prefer a nutrient-rich mix that drains well.
In this post, I’m going to explain all you need to know about spider plant soil. I’ll also share my simple recipe and step-by-step instructions for making your own mix.
Plus you’ll learn how to choose the best type to use, the properties that make it suitable, and how to properly store the leftovers for later.
Spider plant soil
The Best Soil For Spider Plants
The best soil for spider plants is a loamy, nutrient-rich, lightweight, quick-draining medium that provides good aeration and has a neutral to mildly acidic pH level.
I recommend buying a high-quality general purpose potting mix, or using my simple recipe below to make your own.
How To Choose The Right Soil
To make sure that the soil you choose is perfect for your spider plant (also known as Chlorophytum comosum, or airplane plants), check the packaging for the following properties:
Well-draining – The label should say something like “fast draining” or “well draining”. This will allow excess water to flow readily from the pot, and prevent the medium from becoming overly wet or soggy.
Loamy and nutrient-rich – To keep your plant healthy and vibrant, look for rich, fertile soil. Avoid mixes that contain chemical fertilizers, and look for one made from natural or organic ingredients instead.
Moisture retentive – Although your Chlorophytum comosum won’t do well in very wet soil, it doesn’t like to be completely dry out either. Choose a mix containing ingredients that naturally retain moisture, such as peat moss and pine bark.
Porous mix – Spider plants love porous soil because it is loose and aerated. This means that water will pass through it easily, preventing it from retaining too much, and keeping the moisture level just right.
Mildly acidic – Airplane plants prefer neutral to mildly acidic mix ranging between 6.1 – 7.5 on a probe meter. If it is too alkaline the tips of the leaves may turn brown and begin to die back. You can add acidic fertilizer granules if it’s too alkaline, or garden lime to neutralize it.
You could use a general purpose potting medium for your spider plant, or try making your own. It’s easy to do and gives you full control over the ingredients. Below is my recipe and tips for mixing it.
Recipe
Ingredients for my spider plant soil recipe
Supplies Needed
Ingredients
You only need 4 ingredients to make your own homemade spider plant soil mix using my recipe. Below I’ll tell you the purpose of each one, and give you substitutions incase you can’t find them.
Peat moss – Improves water retention, aeration, and drainage while also providing nutrients. You can use coco coir instead, if you prefer. In that case, add some acidic granules.
Pine bark – Provides additional nutrients as it breaks down, prevents compaction, and helps to improve drainage.
Coarse sand – Helps to ensure that the mix drains quickly. You can substitute turface or poultry grit. Some people like to use crushed granite or aquarium rock instead.
Perlite – Adds drainage and aeration and also prevents compaction. If you can’t find it where you live, then you can use pumice instead, which is very similar.
Tips For Mixing Your Homemade Spider Plant Soil
Moisten the peat moss if it’s dry, then pour all of the ingredients into a table-top potting tray or bucket.
Stir everything together with a hand trowel or shovel. Make sure all of the ingredients are thoroughly mixed together before using.
Mixing potting soil for spider plants
Storing The Leftovers
You can use your DIY spider plant potting soil right away or store the leftovers for later. To keep it safe, use a 5-gallon bucket with a tight-fitting lid. This creates an airtight environment that will protect it from bugs and pathogens.
Store the bucket in a cool, dry location and label it clearly, as it can be very difficult to tell homemade mediums apart once they’re mixed.
Closeup of spider plant soil in a pot
FAQs
Can I use cactus soil for my spider plant?
While you could use cactus mix for your spider plant, I don’t recommend it. Cactus soil is gritty and doesn’t retain moisture well, so you would need to water a lot more often. It also lacks the nutrient-rich materials that Chlorophytum comosum needs.
Can you use African violet soil for spider plants?
Yes, African violet soil is a good choice for spider plants. The texture and pH level are ideal, plus it provides the perfect balance of nutrients.
Is it OK to use regular potting soil for my spider plant?
Yes, you can use regular potting soil for your spider plant. Just make sure to buy a high quality brand that’s made for indoor plants, otherwise it may be too heavy.
If you want to learn all there is to know about maintaining healthy indoor plants, then you need my Houseplant Care eBook. It will show you everything you need to know about how to keep every plant in your home thriving. Download your copy now!
More About Spider Plants
More About Potting Soils
Share your tips for the best spider plant soil or your favorite recipe in the comments section below.
Printable Step By Step Instructions
How To Make Spider Plant Potting Soil
Learn to make your own spider plant soil with my detailed instructions. You’ll discover the tools and ingredients you’ll need, how to measure and mix them, and how to safely store the leftovers for future use.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Active Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Difficulty Easy
Instructions
Pre-moisten –If the peat moss is dry, moisten it until it is slightly damp to the touch. Don’t overdo it – it should not be soggy or dripping with water.
Measure the ingredients – Measure the peat moss, pine bark, coarse sand, and perlite using a container of your choice. This could be a scoop, measuring cup, bucket, or large spoon. For consistency, be sure to use the same container for each ingredient.
Mix thoroughly – Combine all of the ingredients in a bucket or potting tray and stir with a hand trowel or shovel. Make sure that all the ingredients are mixed thoroughly.
Use or store –Use as much of your homemade mix as you need right away, then transfer any leftovers to a bucket or container with an airtight lid. Label it clearly then store it in a cool, dry location.
Notes
I recommend wearing a dust mask when mixing your own potting soil to avoid breathing in any harmful particles.
Be sure to pre-moisten the peat moss before measuring your parts, as it tends to expand when you add water.
It’s very important to store any leftover soil in a container with an airtight lid, otherwise bugs and pathogens can get in.
Don’t forget to label the container clearly, as it can be hard to tell homemade potting mixes apart.
Whether you have a postage stamp-sized lot, a patio, or an apartment balcony, you can still enjoy growing vegetables and fruits for the table as well as ornamental blooms for your flower arrangements.
Starting from seed and using repurposed containers can keep costs down, and using vertical growing arrangements and choosing dwarf varieties optimizes square footage.
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This article focuses on how to make the most of a small outdoor growing space, providing inspiration and advice on implementation.
Here’s what’s in store:
Let’s get this garden growing!
Design Preparation
Before you can start planning what you want to grow, you first need to determine the sun exposure of your intended garden space.
For northern or western exposures, you’ll need to choose species like coleus, ferns, and hostas, that can thrive in low light for most of the day.
If you live in an apartment, consult the manager to determine crucial factors like balcony weight capacity and whether or not you can leave pots outdoors year-round.
Cultivating flora in communal settings requires extra care and consideration.
When you’re gardening on a balcony, take steps to prevent dirt, debris, water, and pest treatments from spilling onto the residents below.
Once you know the exposure and any rules you must follow, measure your growing space and do your best to draw it on graph paper.
With a visual representation in hand, think about your vision for the space.
Does it include seating? A walkway? Do you want to fill it with herbs and vegetables, or flowers? Will it be informal and sprawling or neat and orderly?
Successful small space gardening requires growers to turn their dreams into reality by taking a mathematical approach, paying strict attention to the mature dimensions noted on seed packets and plant tags.
Did you know that one zucchini plant can take up 16 square feet of soil? Or that you can harvest 16 to 18 carrots out of every square foot of growing space?
Choosing compact cultivars of your favorite species can help you conserve space.
Once you decide what you’d like to grow, you can make scale models of plants and outdoor accessories on paper before heading to the garden center.
Small Space Gardening Styles
Options for growers with small plots or in apartment settings include beds and borders, containers, square-foot gardening, and vertical planters. Let’s discuss each of these methods.
Beds and Borders
Don’t let a small patch of ground fool you. Provided you observe mature dimensions and don’t overplant, you may be able to grow a few decent sized brassicas, like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower.
Surround them with marigolds for a decorative and functional pest deterrent.
If your space is limited to a narrow strip around a patio, consider sowing annual herbs like basil, chives, cilantro, and oregano for a handy kitchen garden.
Measure the space you have available and choose compact cultivars where possible. Or you could grow perennial flowers in the ground and use pots for your herbs and vegetables.
Containers
One of the easiest ways to establish a garden quickly is container gardening.
If your region freezes, select weatherproof pots if you intend to store them outdoors during the off-season.
When selecting vessels, you’ll find many options, including clay, concrete, fiberglass, plastic, resin, stone, and terra cotta.
Concrete and stone withstand freezing, but their weight may be problematic for balcony dwellers.
Fiberglass, plastic, and resin may crack in freezing temperatures, but are lightweight and excellent choices where weight is a consideration.
Unless you are growing your plants in the shade, it’s best to avoid metal because it can become very hot. And wood products should be well-sealed to inhibit rotting.
As a rule of thumb, a container should be two to four inches wider than the plant you wish to grow, with a depth that’s half the plant’s height. There should always be one or more drainage holes in the bottom.
Recycling household items is a time and money saver, but avoid containers that once held toxic chemicals and those with flaking or otherwise deteriorating surfaces, especially if you are growing edible crops.
Items that are easy to repurpose include: bird baths, cinder blocks, mailboxes, rain boots, tea kettles, tires, tool boxes, and watering cans. Be sure to drill a hole in the bottom of any eclectic vessel you use to facilitate drainage.
A convenient way to grow lettuce, kale, spinach, or other greens is in a raised salad box.
Set one or more drawers from a dresser on a table or other platform, fill them with soil, and you’ll enjoy not having to bend down when you tend your plants.
You could even repurpose an old wheeled item, like a cart, wagon, or wheelbarrow.
Not only are these fun ways to display a beautiful arrangement of colorful flowers, they are also movable vessels.
Once you decide what you’d like to grow, you can use the mature dimensions of the plants to determine the container sizes you’ll need. Use your graph paper to decide how to group the pots in your space.
For example, if you have a long, narrow balcony, you may want to line your pots up on the floor along the railing. Alternatively, if your apartment permits, you may install trough planters directly on the railing.
Rail-mounted planters and window boxes offer gardeners the opportunity to showcase trailing flora, like ivy, petunias, and sweet potato vines, while creating a living privacy screen.
Another option is a rolling planter to take advantage of the sun as it moves across your patio, giving your veggies every available ray, or to move an overheated snapdragon out of the afternoon sun to encourage it to last just a little bit longer.
When planting, use a good quality, all-purpose, moisture-retentive potting soil for flowers and vegetables, or select one specifically formulated for the plants you wish to grow. For example, if you wish to grow succulents, choose a cacti and succulent medium.
If you are grouping multiple plants in a single container, ensure that they all have the same cultural requirements for soil, sun, and water.
Pots dry out quicker than garden soil, so monitor them daily during the growing season and water them as needed per seed packet and plant tag instructions.
Created by American gardener Mel Bartholomew, square foot gardening is a crop planting system that uses only 20 percent of the standard gardening space for the same plants, by sowing in square-foot increments instead of rows.
It’s a raised bed, no-till system that requires minimal water and maintenance, and inhibits weeds through continuous planting.
Bartholomew’s method makes it possible for gardeners with even the smallest spaces to sustain their families with fresh produce.
Making your own raised bed isn’t difficult. You’ll be surprised by how many vegetables and flowers fit in a few square feet, especially when you choose compact varieties. Use bricks, cinder blocks, or wood to build a bed – then fill it with soil.
Square foot gardening is perfect for growers who want to harvest their own bush beans, leaf lettuce, peppers, tomatoes, and other vegetables with a more vertical than horizontal growth habit.
Use your graph paper design to determine the number of square feet you have available for cultivation.
If you barely have room for a chair on an apartment balcony, vertical planting may be your best option.
With this method, plants are stacked vertically instead of spreading horizontally, requiring very little ground space and affording a substantial crop yield.
This vertical planter from Outland Living requires only six square feet of ground space to supply 10 linear feet of growing area in four food-grade bins.
From herbs and microgreens to strawberries and tomatoes, vertical gardening is a high-yield space saver. Choose compact varieties for best results.
Use your design as a guide to how much floorspace you can devote to vertical planters.
In addition to freestanding apparatus, you can also use existing fences and walls for vertical growing that require little to no floor space.
A cheap and whimsical way to add style to an outdoor space or wide window ledge is to use old rain boots and shoes as planters for colorful flowers. The quirkier the better.
Mount them on a wall or fence, or line them up in rows on a shelf. Why not try this idea with your kids?
You can also buy or recycle a canvas shoe organizer.
Install a strip of wood on your wall, attach hooks or nails, and suspend the organizer. Fill the pockets with soil for a handy herb garden right outside your door.
Don’t forget to check with your apartment manager, if applicable, before installing a permanent fixture!
With a plan in place, it’s time to assemble the necessary tools as well as your containers and suitable potting soil, if using. Sanitize all pots with a solution made from nine parts water to one part bleach. Rinse well and air dry.
If you’re growing in the ground, work the soil to a crumbly consistency to a depth of eight to 10 inches before planting.
Enrich it as needed with organic matter like well-rotted compost, which is especially beneficial for vegetable growing.
You can conduct a soil test through your local agricultural extension to determine the pH and nutrient level of your soil, and amend accordingly. Even small gardens can yield abundant harvests under optimal conditions.
If you purchase nursery starts, note their depth in the original containers and replicate it when transplanting them into your pots or garden beds.
Alternatively, seeds generally offer the most cost effective way to begin. If your region has a short growing season, consider starting seeds indoors to get a jumpstart on blooming and fruiting.
Once the seedlings have two sets of true leaves and all danger of frost has passed, acclimate them to the outdoors for a few hours a day. After a week, keep them outside for the growing season.
No Space Too Small
Have we inspired you to get started with small-space gardening?
I’ve seen old sinks, toilets, and wash tubs repurposed as planters and a friend’s daisies grow out of a floppy old work boot her dad once wore.
Remember, just because a space is small doesn’t mean it lacks the potential to be green, colorful, and/or productive.
When a colleague of mine moved into an apartment with a small patio, she went into the neighboring woods and collected several buckets of stones.
After obtaining the manager’s permission, she installed a strip of plastic landscaping border to contain the stones along the patio perimeter. Then she set an assortment of thrift shop containers on the stones and filled them with cheerful blooms.
With a vision, structural solutions, soil, seeds, plants, and creative containers, you can soon have a little garden space to call your own.
How does your small-space garden grow? Tell us about it in the comments below.
I’ve tried to like eating kale but I just don’t, so I don’t grow it. We recently watched an episode of Evil Food Supply on YouTube. They went into detail about the human body doesn’t absorb nutrients from vegetables well and how many vegetables, including cruciferous vegetables, contain anti-nutrients. The take away from their report was eat more meat – especially grass fed red meat – eggs and dairy, as the human body can readily absorb nutrients from those sources. Admittedly, I will still be growing a garden this year and don’t plan to give up eating vegetables but I must admit the more I look into it… the more I begin to see vegetables in a new light.
I believe this is the video she mentioned:
I watched it last night – it was an interesting presentation with some good points.
A friend of mine writes:
After reading something (posted by a friend) about oxalic acid, I dropped all leafy greens except cabbage and lettuce. That was also my last kidney stone. I miss Spinach and collards, but not enough to take that risk again.
I love berries and other fruits, particularly bananas, blueberries and watermelons. For vegetables, we mostly eat roots and brassicas, with some mustard and turnip greens. Spinach has been off the “edible” list for years, and we quit growing salad greens back in 2015 or so. I will throw wild greens in with scrambled eggs, though. And onions and garlic are always good.
We have gone carnivore before. Rachel managed gestational diabetes during a pregnancy without taking Metformin or insulin, simply by eating an almost zero-carb diet comprised of meat, eggs and cheese. One doctor was horrified and wanted her to eat a lot of carbs (a shocking amount, actually) while taking pharmaceuticals instead; however, the near-carnivore diet kept her blood sugar levels under control without medical intervention and the baby was good and strong.
Neither of us have ever dealt with kidney stones. We’re also able to maintain our weight easily, as we don’t eat much starch and almost no processed food.
Really, though – the biggest jump most people have to make isn’t the jump to zero vegetables or zero carbs or anything that extreme. It’s the jump from eating life-destroying “convenience foods’ and sucking down sugary drinks to eating foods that take longer to prepare and are much closer to nature.
So quit McDonald’s long before quitting salad.
Our normal diet is home-grown pork, farm eggs, some greens and roots from the garden, potatoes and daikons and cabbages (mostly fermented in sauerkraut) in spring, watermelons in summer, raw milk, butter, cheese, home-rendered lard, chicken and some rice and beans on Fridays. It’s not perfect, and it could be better, but we do alright.
If you don’t have the space to raise animals, grow lots of roots and fruits and get whatever meat and eggs you can manage.
And don’t freak out too much. As I said yesterday, the body can run on a lot of things.
I worked construction one summer as a teenager. The guys would eat Hardees biscuits and drink Mountain Dew and work all day in the sun. I don’t know how they didn’t keel over. I did the same thing and felt lousy – and they were older than me and had eaten that way for years. And some of them drank and smoked, too. The body really is resilient.
Just work towards eating the best you can and pay attention to the signals your gut and energy levels reveal to you.
As a final note, it’s been almost one month since I quit drinking alcohol as an experiment, and one month and six days since I quit smoking. That definitely has helped my energy levels. I wasn’t taking my own advice and “paying attention” to my body’s signals but now I have, and it’s a good thing since the spring season is packed with important work that needs to be done.
In the first column of my series on creating a garden from scratch, I posed some starting points to think about before you make any radical changes to your space. In this second installment, I’m diving deeper and covering the key design decisions you need to consider for a strong foundation—both literal and metaphorical.
Here are the six elements that go into a beautiful foundation for your garden.
Above: My English garden in midsummer. When I arrived this area was a lavender walk with some climbing roses. The lavenders were tired and needed replacing so I decided to remove the whole border and start again, keeping only the climbing rose at the far end of the border. We widened the border to create depth and I planted two long copper beech hedges at the back of the border (buying very young bareroot plants to keep costs down. I then planted ornamental pear trees every two metres which introduces spring blossom and valuable upright structure and presence. Underneath is a succession of perennials and bulbs, mostly in blue and apricot; tulips and alliums are followed by hardy geraniums, nepeta, foxgloves, baptisa, penstemons, ornamental grasses, hydrangeas and salvias. Self-seeders are enthusiastically encouraged.
1. A Limited Materials Palette
Above: Putting in the hardscaping is the first job in most gardens. As it’s permanent, it’s also the most important to get right. I’ve used self-binding gravel for almost all the paths and terraces in my garden; it’s very easy to lay, essentially just spreading it out over a stable sub-base and then compressing it down. But the soft golden colour also blends beautifully into the garden so that it almost disappears. My one regret is having it close to buildings because tiny pieces of the gravel always migrate indoors.
One of the biggest investments of time and money in a new garden is the hardscaping, so it pays to take the time to ensure that any paths, terraces, steps, and other paved or graveled areas are exactly where you want them, feel appropriate to your home and garden style, and will stand the test of time. When planning these areas, be generous, because over time plants will normally encroach into hardscaped areas and soften the edges.
Hardscaping needs to feel in proportion to the house and garden—and look visually appropriate (e.g., a traditional brick path will always look right next to a period building with similar brickwork). To keep these spaces cohesive and harmonious, restrict your materials palette; using a wide variety of finishes can be jarring to the eye. Some materials, including gravel or self-binding gravels, can work with almost any style of architecture.
Just as you would with paints for the interior of your home, get samples of the hardscaping materials you’re considering and live with them for a while. Or plan a field trip or two to see similar materials in a real garden setting. If you’re starting with a true blank canvas, you can mark out areas with a line marker (use hosepipe to create sinuous curved lines) so that you can walk through areas and make sure they feel right.
Whichever surface material you choose, a solid, stable base—usually compressed crushed materials and sand—is key to ensure that the surface can cope with daily wear and weather. It’s possible to do most landscaping projects with basic DIY skills, but just like home projects a perfect finish by a professional is often hard to replicate.
2. Good ‘Bones’
Above: A clipped hedge, shaped shrubs, topiary and a specimen tree can all help to create the bones of a garden that have a permanent, year-round presence. When I bought my house, I had very little gardening experience but I knew that any green structure was potentially useful so I nurtured the hedges, many of which had been eaten down to stubs by horses. We allowed them to recover and grow before clipping many of them into cloud-pruned shapes. I added a few specimen trees including a multi-stem jacquemontii birch tree, pictured here. On the right hand side of this picture a self-seeded hawthorn was left to grow, providing a froth of white blossom in spring.
We purchased our unbuilt home in 2021 in a new subdivision in Roseville, California. We started with a blank canvas and, using the pool as a focal point, created a series of outdoor rooms with our favorite plant species. After nearly a quarter of a century, this is what it looks like today. I am now retired and have a wonderful gardener to do the heavy lifting and keep it looking fresh at the different seasons throughout the year
Views of the lush garden across the pool
Tulips along the front walkway in full spring bloom
Callas (Zantedeschiaaethiopica, Zones 7–10) are standing tall by the koi pond. These beautiful flowers can grow in regular garden soil or in shallow water or bog conditions.
Waterlilies (Nymphaea hybrids, Zones 5–10) are showing off in the water garden.
Autumn leaves provide a contrast to evergreen ground covers.
‘First Prize’ and ‘Teasing Georgia’ in the rose garden
Have a garden you’d like to share?
Have photos to share? We’d love to see your garden, a particular collection of plants you love, or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit!
To submit, send 5-10 photos to [email protected] along with some information about the plants in the pictures and where you took the photos. We’d love to hear where you are located, how long you’ve been gardening, successes you are proud of, failures you learned from, hopes for the future, favorite plants, or funny stories from your garden.
In the low desert of Arizona, creating a fruitful food forest all year round is possible with the right knowledge and plant selection. Imagine stepping into your backyard to find a variety of ready-to-pick fruits each season. This guide will help you learn what to plant for year-round fruit tree harvests in Arizona.
Figs
Ideally, a food forest provides an abundance of fresh produce, with the possibility of picking fruit every day of the year. Here’s how to achieve a year-round fruit tree harvest in climates with milder winters, such as the low desert of Arizona.
Peaches
Food Forest Benefits
A food forest is more than just a garden; it’s a thriving ecosystem that offers a sustainable approach to agriculture. Unlike traditional orchards, food forests layer plants in a way that maximizes space and encourages symbiotic relationships. From the canopy to the herbaceous layer, every square inch is designed for productivity and health.
Citrus
The benefits of growing a food forest are immense – increased biodiversity, improved soil fertility, and a daily supply of fresh produce from your backyard. This blog post explains how to start a food forest.
Choosing the Right Perennial Fruit Trees to Plant for Year-Round Harvests
Anna apples
Understanding Chill Hours:
To begin, select fruit trees suitable for your climate. An important consideration is ‘chill hours.’ Chill hours are the cumulative number of hours that temperatures remain between 32-45°F (0-7°C) during a tree’s dormant winter period. This chilling period is critical for many fruit trees, as it influences blossom and fruit development.
In the low desert areas of Arizona, where winters are mild, making the right choice based on chill hours can make or break your harvest. Aim for trees requiring no more than 400 chill hours, but to play it safe, I often go for those in the 250 to 300 range. If you live in the low desert of Arizona, this fruit planting guide lists several options that grow well.
You can find chill hours information through your local agricultural extension office or online chill hours calculators specific to your region.
Wonderful pomegranates
Once you’ve got those numbers, pick fruit tree varieties that match your chill hours. Buy trees from local, reputable growers. The growers often have years of experience and can point you toward the trees that will do best in your backyard.
Understanding USDA Hardiness Zones
Bananas
When deciding what to plant for year-round fruit tree harvests, knowing your USDA Hardiness Zone is key—it is a guide to knowing which trees will survive winter temperatures in your area. For instance, if you’re in a zone with mild winters like Zone 9 or 10, you’re in luck for growing a citrus grove. Learn more about how to grow citrus in this blog post.
Food Forest Design for Year-Round Harvests
Similar to designing a raised bed garden, strategic planning is essential for designing your food forest for year-round productivity. Aim to plant trees that fruit at different times, ensuring a continuous yield. Knowing when each plant produces fruit helps you plan and enjoy your garden. Learn how to plant fruit trees in this blog post.
Pomegranates
Harvest Times for Various Perennial Fruit Trees in the Low Desert of Arizona
Lemons
Winter Fruits for an Arizona Food Forest (January – March Harvests)
Possum Purple Passion Fruit (also fruits at the end of summer)
Fwang Tung Carambola (also fruits at the end of summer)
Kumquats (through March)
Mandarins & Tangerines (November – January)
Eureka Lemon
Lisbon Lemon
Bearss Lime
Most Sweet Oranges (December – February)
Pomegranates
These are general timeframes, and microclimate conditions may influence actual harvest times.
Maintenance and Care of Perennial Fruit Trees
Caring for your food forest requires knowledge of pruning, soil management, and natural pest control.
Feeding fruit trees with compost
Enjoy the Process of Creating Your Food Forest
When you create a food forest and plan for a never-ending harvest, remember that the journey can be as fulfilling as the fruits of your labor. Whether you love gardening or are interested in permaculture, a food forest represents nature’s resilience and abundance.
Guavas
Note:
This article was specifically crafted for those living in mild winter climates like the low desert of Arizona, focusing on plants that thrive there. For tailored advice for different climates, adjusting your plant choices accordingly would be essential.
Peaches
Reliable Sources for Your Food Forest Journey
Anna apples
When venturing into the creation of a food forest, it’s crucial to arm yourself with knowledge from trustworthy sources. Here are a few to consider:
Native Plant Societies: Join your local chapter to learn which indigenous plants can be incorporated into your food forest while supporting local ecology.
Local Nurseries and Growers: Local growers know plants in your area better than anyone. Their insight is indispensable for choosing the right trees.
“Gaia’s Garden“ by Toby Hemenway – This book changed how I think about gardening harmoniously with nature.
Having fresh flowers on my kitchen table and nightstand isn’t an indulgence for me, it’s a necessity. Even if it’s just a little posy of dandelions, chicory, and some burdock leaves, enjoying a little nature inside my home makes my day.
I’ve taken my little cut flower hobby from bedside wildflowers to creating elegant arrangements for friends’ weddings.
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Like many hobbies, it has taken on a life of its own, and has expanded from a few flowers for cutting in my mixed beds to an entire dedicated cut flower garden full of dahlias, roses, and gomphrena.
I’m guessing that since you’re reading this guide, you have a similar passion for cut flowers.
You don’t need a huge area to have enough options to decorate your house.
With some vertical growing, a little succession planting, and the right species, you can squeeze quite a few flowers into a small area.
Or you can embrace the hobby and go all in with a huge area so you can grow flowers to your heart’s content.
Here’s what we’re going to chat about in the coming guide:
How to Start a Cutting Garden
You don’t need a single dedicated spot to grow flowers for cutting. You could have a big dahlia plant next to a camellia or a Japanese maple; or a vegetable garden with a border of baby’s breath plus some yarrow and sweet peas sprinkled into the mix.
In this guide, we are going to focus on a dedicated cut flower garden rather than talking about a mixed bed.
A dedicated cutting garden allows you to plan carefully and provide the unique care that cut flower species need.
There’s one other point we need to clarify before we get into the details. A “cut flower” is a bloom grown for the purpose of removing it from the plant to use in arrangements.
These typically have long stems and large blossoms, but not always. A posy, for instance, might include something like statice (Limonium sinuatum), which are tiny.
Certain species work better as cut flowers, while others require you to choose a specific cultivar. For example, a Knock Out rose doesn’t make a good cut flower, but a hybrid tea like ‘Princess Charlene de Monaco’ is perfection.
Before we can start the fun part of picking flowers, we need to figure out what we’re working with.
Define the Area
Before you can start choosing flowers and planting, you need to figure out what your growing area looks like.
First define the area where you want to situate your cut flower garden. You want a spot with as much sunshine as you can manage. Very few flowers do well in anything less than full sun.
Once you have identified a suitable location, demarcate the edges of the bed or area.
You can do this with string or even a hose, whatever works to help you see the specific section you’ll be working with. Then watch it over the course of a day or two to see exactly how much sun the area receives.
Sometimes we think a spot is in full sun, only to discover that it’s shaded by a tall tree for several hours of the day.
Check hourly over the course of a day to make sure that it’s in the sun. Once you’re sure the area you have selected receives enough light, you can decide how you want to fill the space.
Since you’ll be going in and removing blossoms frequently, it’s best to plant in narrow beds that are easily accessible. If you have a 20-foot by 20-foot area, you might want to divide it into five four-feet-wide sections, so you’re never reaching more than two feet to grab a flower.
Now for the fun part – deciding which plants you want to grow and how many of each.
Choosing Flowers
Before you pick the exact cultivar you want, it helps to narrow down the broad categories. Flowers can be tender or hardy annuals, biennials, or perennials.
Do you want to grow new species each year? Go with annuals.
Do you want plants that will flower all summer long? Annuals, again.
Prefer plants that will return on their own each year? Choose perennials.
Then, decide if you want mainly “cut and come again” types, which means you can take a flower or stem, and the plant will produce a new one to replace it in the same growing season – like marigolds.
Or do you want something that is big and showy but only produces once, like sunflowers?
After you figure all that out, the most important factor is to narrow down the species that will grow in your Zone.
Think about what kind of shapes and colors you want in your arrangements. There’s no point in growing bright pink ranunculus if you hate pink and you prefer minimalist shapes.
Arrangements typically have focal flowers and some filler flowers or foliage.
Also consider the time of year when your chosen plants will bloom. If you have dreams of a bouquet combining daffodils and sunflowers, you’re going to be in trouble because they bloom at very different times of year.
As you’re deciding what species you’d like to grow, consider your space and whether you want to add vines, shrubs, herbaceous plants, or flowering trees.
If you have a small space, climbing vines, narrow shrubs, or herbaceous species might work best. If you have a very large space, the addition of a flowering tree could be awesome and provide lots of material to work with.
You’ll have to do some math, here. If a plant needs one square foot of space, then you will need ten square feet for ten plants.
If you intend to do some succession planting, you can double up on space. Some spring-blooming poppies could be replaced with fall mums after they fade, for example.
Here are some excellent cut flower options to try:
Species to Select
Any flowering plant that you want to include in a bouquet is the perfect plant for your cut flower garden. If you want something unexpected like vinca, go for it. If you want a posy of dandelions and chicory, you do you.
There’s no reason to choose the more common cut flower species if you don’t want to except for convention.
But having said that, common species are beloved for good reasons – they tend to last for an extended period in the vase, produce long stems, and have showy flowers or leaves.
If you want add a little height to your arrangements, species with tall flower spikes like gladiolus (Gladiolus spp.), mignonette (Reseda odorata), snapdragon, and speedwell (Veronica) will fit the bill.
One of my favorites is the foxglove cultivar D. purpurea ‘Camelot Cream.’
The spotted peachy-colored flowers pair well with almost everything, whether you want a peaceful white, cream, and peach arrangement or a bright pink, purple, and cream display.
Big, full, double tulips like ‘Lorenzo’ can make a stunning display all on their own and look gorgeous when paired with species like lilacs and ranunculus.
Long-flowering annuals like bells of Ireland, dianthus, honeywort (Cerinthe spp.), larkspur, love-in-a-mist (Nigella damascena), orach (Atriplex hortensis), and some snapdragons will provide ongoing color.
I adore honeywort. It’s not as well known as some popular species but it’s one of my favorites for cutting.
This year, I snipped them for over a month during the summer and then pulled the plants after they went to seed. I also used the edible blooms in cocktails and salads.
The seeds that had fallen from the plants started a second round without any help from me, and I had plenty of foliage to fill fall bouquets.
Even as the frost has killed back some of the more tender species in my cutting garden, honeywort is still out there going strong.
If you’d like to try purple honeywort in your Zone 7 to 11 garden, you can find seeds available in a variety of packet sizes at Eden Brothers.
If you want, let the seeds fall and you, too, can have a second round in the fall.
Peony, penstemon (Penstemon spp.), ranunculus (Ranunculus spp.), and speedwell are some fantastic perennial choices. Poppies can be annuals or perennials.
I grew ‘Champagne’ ranunculus this year in my cut flower garden, and they drew compliments from everyone who saw the large, fragrant blossoms in hues of butterscotch, coral, honey, peach, and pink.
By summer, some of the showiest plants are coming into their full glory. Dahlia, lily, delphinium, phlox, rose, snapdragon, and yarrow are all looking their best.
Annuals like celosia, cosmos, globe amaranth (Gomphrena), marigold (Tagetes), and zinnia are also looking incredible.
There’s nothing wrong with a classic French marigold (T. patula), but some of the newer cultivars are available in unusual colors and the large flowers make for striking cut options.
‘Strawberry Blonde,’ for example, produces beautiful pastel pink, salmon, rose, and yellow blooms.
Bring home 50 seeds or 12 live plants from Burpee.
Geraniums, both scented and garden, are double-duty options, providing foliage and flowers for your arrangements. Both are perennials, but most people grow them as annuals.
Cosmos are the cut flower workhorse. They bloom repeatedly, and each plant produces an abundance of flowers.
Available in a large variety of colors, from nearly black to perfectly white, they grow quickly from seed and will even self-sow if you let them.
I like to use ‘Chocolate’ as a dark focal point among lighter flowers. If you’d like to do the same, purchase two, four, or ten bulbs from Eden Brothers.
For a bit of greenery, cut branches from aspen (Populus tremuloides), beech (Fagus), ninebark (Physocarpus), or any other tree you like.
The foliage tends to look its greenest and fullest during the summer, so deciduous tree branches make a marvelous backdrop to highlight summer bloomers.
Fall is the time when seed pods can take centerstage.
Amaranth (Amaranthus spp.), cress (Lepidium sativum), flax (Linum usitatissimum), millet, and scabiosa (Scabiosa spp.) can all add something special to your arrangements.
The white flowers of Scabiosa ‘Paper Moon’ give way to cream seed heads with maroon stripes that, unlike live flowers, will last for weeks in an arrangement. Grab 50 seeds at Burpee.
Don’t forget winter. Many people give up on creating arrangements in the winter, but just because your main cutting garden is sleeping, you still have options.
In addition to the traditional gathering of evergreen branches, there are more winter flowering species than you might realize.
I use my camellias as a privacy fence on the north side of my cutting bed and I cut the blossoms throughout winter to use in arrangements with a background of privet and long sprigs of beautyberries.
If you’ve never used hellebores in an arrangement, you’re missing out. The short stems make them perfect for lining the center of a table without making it impossible to converse over them with your dinner guests.
American beautyberry is one of my favorites to include in my winter flower arrangements.
The shrubs couldn’t be easier to grow, but those berries would be worth it even if it were a challenge. The clusters of glossy purple fruits seem to glow from within.
If you have clay earth, work in a lot of well-rotted compost to loosen it up and enrich the soil. If you have sandy soil, do the same.
Well-rotted compost is your friend. In fact, even if you have the holy grail of loamy, well-draining soil, it can’t hurt to work in a little well-rotted compost.
If you intend to use landscaping fabric to suppress weeds or raise the soil temperature prior to planting, now is the time to set it in place.
I only know a few people who look forward to spending their Saturdays weeding their garden beds.
Plus, weeds can spread disease and compete for water and nutrients, stunting the growth of your plants.
Pick up a four-by-50-foot piece of Weed Barrier Pro mat at Gardener’s Supply Company. You’ll spend a lot less time worrying about the number of weeds in your cutting garden, I promise.
With everything prepped and ready to go, it’s time to put your plants in the ground. Timing depends on the species.
Some bulbs and shrubs are best planted in the fall, others should be started indoors during winter, or put out in the spring.
Your tender perennials and annuals like dahlias, marigolds, bachelor’s buttons, dianthus, and gladiolus should go out in spring. Be sure to check the requirements of each species you decide to grow.
Once you’ve set your plants in the ground, the work isn’t done – you still need to maintain them.
Maintenance
Each season comes with its own tasks in the cutting garden.
Spring
Spring is always a busy time. You should prep the garden area as soon as you can work the soil.
That includes weeding, testing the soil and amending it according to the results, and topping with mulch if you use it.
If applicable, divide tubers, bulbs, and rhizomes of plants like irises and dahlias.
Put supports like trellises and stakes in place in advance of planting to avoid disturbance to the roots.
Sow seeds and transplant seedlings of species that should be planted in the spring. Fertilize species that require it.
While choosing the right plants is the biggest factor in the length and availability of blooms, there is a bit more you can do to extend the season.
The first is to stagger, stagger, stagger. For any annuals, succession plant your flowers.
Perennials will bloom when they bloom, but you can deadhead and add a bit of fertilizer to encourage more flowers.
Summer
Summer is the time when most of the prep is over, and you can focus on keeping the ship sailing smoothly.
Your biggest job is going to monitor the water situation. As the heat rises, the soil dries out faster.
You should also be staking or otherwise supporting any plants that tend to get top-heavy.
As things really take off, you may need to pinch some plants to encourage dense growth, prune those that require it, and deadhead plants as the flowers fade if you don’t cut them.
Keep on top of weeds, and watch for pests and disease. Add fertilizer for plants that require feeding during the summer.
Finally, start your planning and get shopping for those fall and winter species.
Fall
The veggie garden might be explosively productive, but the cut flower garden tends to be winding down in fall.
Clean up your beds, dig up dahlias if you live in a cold region, and get ready to overwinter your tender perennials. Do a last application of fertilizer before the cold weather sets in.
Now is the time to sow seeds and plant bulbs that need to go in the ground before winter.
You should also prune your perennial shrubs and trees, and test and amend soil once again.
Winter
Winter is the time to take a break and slow down a bit.
It’s not all kicking your legs up and reading by the fire, though. Clean your tools and equipment and sharpen any that require it.
You might also need to prune a few shrubs and trees to prevent them from shading your flower garden.
Sit down with a cup of tea and plan next year’s cutting garden. Think about what went well this year, what didn’t, and if there are new flowers you’d like to try. Then, order the seeds, tubers, bulbs, and bare roots.
Towards the end of the season, start seeds indoors for those plants that need a long growing season.
Enjoy the Floral Bounty
Whether you are piling every horizontal surface in your home with vases full of flowers or enjoying a single hellebore blossom in a bud vase in the dead of winter, a cut flower garden pays huge dividends by dressing up the home and boosting your mood.
What species are you considering? How will you arrange them? Share your big plans in the comments section below.
“While no single food can make or break your health, kale is a standout pick to put on your plate. As part of an overall healthy pattern of eating, research has linked the cruciferous veggie and/or its nutrients to a number of potential health benefits:
Reduced disease risk: Kale is rich in antioxidants that help protect cells from oxidative stress and DNA damage, two processes that can increase one’s risk of developing heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Another potential benefit: High consumption of brassica vegetables—a family that includes broccoli and cauliflower alongside kale—was correlated with a decreased incidence of some cancers in a landmark research review published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Blood pressure regulation: Eating foods that contain potassium, calcium, and magnesium may improve blood pressure levels, studies have shown. While more investigation is needed to pinpoint the effects of kale specifically, many health experts advise eating a diet high in those minerals to help reduce the risk of hypertension.
Vision protection: Leafy greens such as kale are rich in lutein and zeaxanthin, two nutrients linked to a lower risk of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts, according to a 2013 review in Nutrients. The duo also helps protect ocular tissues from sun damage. And once consumed, kale’s motherlode of beta-carotene converts to vitamin A, which plays a key role in corneal health.
Better bone health: Kale is a potent source of bone-building vitamin K—2 cups of leafy goodness deliver 293% of your daily recommended intake of this underconsumed nutrient. One large-scale study of women found that adequate vitamin K intake was associated with a reduced risk of hip fracture. And not to be overlooked: 2 cups of kale also contain 6% of the recommended daily value of calcium, another nutrient needed for strong bones.”
“Seven out of eight US kale samples recently tested for toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” contained high levels of the compounds.
The testing looked at conventional and organic kale bought at grocery stores across the country, and comes after Food and Drug Administration analyses conducted between 2019 and 2021 found no PFAS contamination.
The findings “stunned” researchers who expected to find low levels of the chemicals, said Robert Verkerk, founder of the Alliance for Natural Health non-profit, which produced the paper.
‘Forever chemicals’ exposure can lead to low birth weight and obesity in later life
“It’s pretty scary and there’s no easy solution,” he said, adding that the findings highlight the need for the FDA to implement a more robust PFAS testing program for the nation’s food supply.
PFAS are a class of about 15,000 compounds typically used to make products across dozens of industries resistant to water, stains and heat. They are called “forever chemicals” because they do not naturally break down, and are linked to cancer, kidney disease, liver conditions, immune disorders, birth defects and other serious health problems.
The report comes amid growing calls for stronger action around PFAS-contaminated food, which is considered to be the most significant exposure route to the chemicals. In recent months, independent research has found PFAS in protein powders, juice drinks and other food products.
Studies have previously found PFAS in vegetables in fields where sewage sludge was laid as an alternative to fertilizer, and the FDA claimed it had “no indication” of a health threat in PFAS it found in vegetables grown in 2018 near a North Carolina PFAS manufacturing plant.
The new paper found levels as high as 250 parts per trillion (ppt), though no limits for PFAS in food exist in the US. However, the Environmental Protection Agency has found that virtually no amount of exposure to some PFAS compounds in drinking water is safe.
The kale was sent to an EPA-certified lab and tested with the same method used by the FDA. Bagged and loose kale was bought at Stop & Shop, Whole Foods, Weis and Publix food markets. Among the brands that showed PFAS contamination were Nature’s Promise Organic, GreenWise, By Nature and Palmetto Gardens. Only loose kale from Baker Farms did not contain the chemicals.
Organic kale had higher levels of PFAS, which Verkerk said was “a bit of a shock finding”. He added that the group tested kale because it “wanted to look at an archetypal healthy vegetable” that was high in protein, which PFAS compounds bind to. The source of the contamination is unclear, but Verkerk said he suspected tainted water was probably to blame, though it was also possible the kale was grown in fields where sludge was spread.”
Kale is High in Oxalates
Yet behind the potential for contamination with chemicals and heavy metals – which you could avoid if you grew kale yourself – there is a further risk to kale consumption:
“Oxalates are also found in a majority of plants, but they are the most abundant in leafy plants, such as spinach, chard, and kale. Oxalic acid is the component within oxalates that seems to have the most detrimental anti nutrient effects.
Oxalic acid has a strong affinity to bind to nutrients, such as sodium, potassium, and calcium making them difficult for the body to absorb and utilize. Oxalic acid bound to these minerals forms an oxalate salt which can often crystalize and build up within the kidneys, leading to the formation of kidney stones. Outside of the kidneys, the structure of oxalates is very thin and sharp. (24 )
Due to oxalates, and other plant chemicals, nutrients contained in plants are much less bioavailable. For example, 100 grams of raw spinach contains 15% or the RDI of iron, and 34% of the RDI of calcium. However, The absorption of iron in spinach is about 12%, and the absorption of calcium is about 5% (25, 26).
When oxalates do not bind to minerals, their concentration begins to build up in the bloodstream, and deposit in bodily tissues, most commonly the kidney. Over 80% of kidney stones are a result of calcium oxalate buildup in the kidney.
Oxalates also can deposit in the brain, eyes, muscles and joints. Due to the sharp needle-like structure of oxalates, oxalate crystals can physically damage tissue, and damage the composition of the cell (27).
Many of the oxalates you consume will bind to calcium within the digestive system. Those that don’t, however, travel to the kidneys, where they can contribute to the development of kidney stones. In fact, it’s estimated that at least 8 out of 10 kidney stones consist of oxalates (28).”
This is a real danger that is often overlooked. Kidney stones are appearing in the population at an absolutely epidemic level right now – do we really want to risk getting them?
We don’t eat spinach, rhubarb, or other high-oxalate foods if we can help it. I can often taste the oxalates on when I eat certain vegetables, and cease immediately. Raw beets, raw or cooked spinach, boiled Colocasia esculenta leaves (the raw ones will really tear you up, but even cooking isn’t enough for me), raw Malabar spinach, and raw amaranth all bother me, so I avoid them.
I quit growing kale some years ago, just because I don’t really like it – though I wouldn’t be above growing a patch to feed to the chickens.
Yet if you do grow it, there may be good ways to avoid the oxalates:
Okay, I laughed.
Final Thoughts on Kale
My two cents, for whatever it’s worth: Kale probably isn’t a demon or an angel. I trust studies about as much as I trust anything else coming from the mainstream media. If it’s been a human food for ages, it’s probably fine in moderation. The human body can run on plenty of different fuels. I just wouldn’t live on green smoothies, and if I dealt with kidney stones, I would eat a super-low oxalate diet. Also, one of the best uses for vegetables is to feed them to animals, and then eat the resulting milk, eggs or meat produced, as those are the best foods in the world.
So – what do you think about kale? Let me know in the comments.
