Landscape Two
When to Prune In general, when to prune your plants comes down to whether your plants bloom on old or new growth. Roses. Most roses in the garden are modern roses, which include hybrid teas, floribundas and newer shrub roses. They produce flowers on new growth formed in the same year. These roses should be pruned when they are dormant, just before the leaf buds begin to swell. In mild-winter climates, prune in mid- to late-winter, while colder zones should prune in spring after the threat of frost has passed.
The Benefit of Swales For a long time, buried drainage systems were considered the most effective way to move water in the landscape because of their speed and efficiency. In recent years, however, the best practices have changed, and now landscape architects and engineers favor “daylighting” the movement of water. That means bringing water movement up to the surface to expose it to sunlight — which is good for water quality — and to keep the movement of water visible in the landscape. We have also learned that moving water too quickly can lead to flooding downstream. There’s a balance that has to be achieved between moving stormwater runoff away from the home and across the landscape, and handling it in a way that allows the water to slowly infiltrate. Cities are looking at ways to decrease the runoff going into the sewer systems in response to these lessons learned.
When Drainage Should Go Underground Subdrainage is preferred when there is not enough ground to work with for shaping and grading a swale that can handle all of the stormwater runoff. Tight urban courtyards are an example of when a homeowner might opt for buried drainpipes to carry away roof runoff from a large home. Subdrainage is hidden, occurring in underground systems of concrete catch basins and PVC pipes. Subdrains have become less popular as swales have grown in popularity. Swales can be used in conjunction with drain inlets or buried drains when there is not a sufficient infiltration area. Drain inlets are also often used as backup drainage for rain gardens. The rain garden is designed to handle runoff from the majority of storms, but in the event of a major 100-year storm, the overflow water will have a place to go via a drain inlet that connects to the city system. The far corner of this yard by Arrow. Land + Structures has a drain inlet that connects to a larger pipe drainage system. Drain inlets can be used in small urban gardens that do not have space for swales or do not have adequate soil depth for infiltration. Sometimes there just is not enough space on the grou...
Perforated drains can be used as hidden drainage structures underground to collect and move water in poorly draining soils. Buried drains effectively pull moisture away from foundation walls and move water away from site walls and other structures. The Best Method for You You should choose the best option based on your site conditions and in consultation with a landscape architect. Ideally, the landscape architect will design a system that works best for the overall site. The cost of these systems depends on the amount of site grading and hard structures required for installation. Landscape contractors who regularly build swales and do major grading will most likely have a competitive price for doing this kind of work. I recommend getting several opinions before proceeding with the work. In considering your options, the size of your yard and the amount of runoff will be the biggest factors in determining the best method.
5. Leave Plants up for Winter Standing plants not only add beauty to a winter landscape, but they also serve a greater purpose for the ecosystem: providing homes to overwintering insects, spiders, amphibians, birds and more. Within many stems are slumbering bee larvae, and under leaf litter are butterfly and moth caterpillars — and even some winged adults. Standing plants also help gather snow, which can insulate their roots and add moisture to the garden during springtime melts. When spring arrives, cut down perennial flower stems and grasses to about 12 to 18 inches tall, which will leave future homes for spring and summer bees to nest. Whatever stems you do cut down can be used as mulch to spread over the bed, returning the nutrients your plants need to thrive to the garden.
Without food for the young, there would be no butterflies, moths or bees. Here, a monarch caterpillar enjoys milkweed (Asclepias sp.). 4. Pollinators Need More Than Just Flowers Without foliage to eat, many youngsters and future butterflies, moths, flies and beetles would starve. The same can be said about pollen, which a lot of native bee species use to feed their young. Shallow flowers like asters and sunflowers tend to attract a greater diversity of adult pollinators, but that doesn’t mean you should stick to that one form. Additionally, try to use straight species where you can. These are native plants that have not been crossed or bred with others to produce new leaf colors or new flower colors and shapes. When plants are altered, the chemical makeup of their leaves may change and be unable to support as many caterpillars.
Many species of Rudbeckia, shown here with other flowering plants, provide alternating bloom times to ensure constant flowers for wildlife. 3. Try to Have Blooms All Season Long You’re more likely to help pollinators and other insects if you always have flowers blooming — plus it looks good. When choosing plants, plan to have at least one plant blooming from spring to fall, with a bit of overlap. Large parts of the U.S. share the same native plants, but you’ll need to be careful when researching bloom times, as a specific plant will bloom earlier in the south than in the north. Local landscape designers, cooperative extension offices and native plant nurseries can help, and some native plant societies and garden clubs even have handy bloom-time charts, so reach out to ask if these are available.
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a fairly adaptable native plant. 1. Native Plants Are Less Maintenance When They’re in the Right Place You’ll hear a lot about natives being easy to take care of, but you sometimes won’t hear about matching the plants to the right soil, light and drainage conditions. You wouldn’t put a water-loving plant on a hillside that has sandy soil, would you? Knowing the site for your proposed garden is key — everything from where the light is spring to fall, to how rainwater flows or collects, to doing a soil test on your growing medium. Then you need to research plants. Make sure to use Latin names since many plants share common names. What do respected institutions say about where and how the plant grows? Is it competitive or a behaved clumper? How does it spread?
WHEN TO PRUNE: Flowering trees. Early blooming trees, such as dogwood, should be pruned in summer, once the flowers have faded. These trees, which bloom in spring into early summer, produce their blooms on growth from the previous year. Trees that bloom in summer develop flowers on new growth that has occurred in the same year, and they can be pruned in late fall through early spring.
WHEN TO PRUNE: Deciduous trees. Prune trees that lose their leaves when they are leafless and dormant. This will be in winter or spring, depending on where you live, before the trees begin to leaf out. Pruning when trees are stripped of their leaves allows you to see their branch structure more clearly, making it easier to determine where to prune and enabling the pruning cuts to heal more quickly with the flush of spring growth. The tree is also best able to replace branches lost to pruning in spring, when the tree’s resources are dedicated to growth.
WHEN TO PRUNE: Lilac shrubs bloom in spring and early summer and should be pruned after the blooms have faded. Flowering shrubs. Generally, shrubs that bloom in early spring to early summer flower on old wood and should be pruned in summer, once their flowers have faded. Shrubs that flower in summer to early fall are best pruned in late winter to early spring. See how and when to prune flowering shrubs
WHEN TO PRUNE: Hydrangeas. These flowering shrubs are divided into two different groups, which determines if they should be pruned in summer or late winter to early spring. Hydrangeas that produce blooms on old growth should be pruned back in late summer, after they finish flowering in late spring to early summer. Bigleaf (Hydrangea macrophylla) and oakleaf hydrangeas (H. quercifolia) bloom on old wood. Hydrangeas that bloom on new growth should be pruned in late winter or early spring. These hydrangeas bloom in midsummer into fall and include panicled (H. paniculata) and wild hydrangeas (H. arborescens).
TRIMMING AND PRUNING: Pell adds that how you trim makes a big difference in plant health. “You can’t just shear a shrub densely and not expect a poor outcome,” he says. “If you have hedges to shear, you must go back in with a hand pruner and open up the plant to allow airflow through the plant.” This can help prevent fungal diseases and certain insects from taking up residence in overly dense plants. Scott recommends the following care schedule: “In spring and summer, you can pinch new growth to encourage more dense, full plants. Early in winter — because new growth starts early in the year in our [Southern California] climate — cut back anything growing too densely. Although you will not need to prune heavily, prune to remove dead leaves and branches or to correct the shape.”
First Winter Young plants can be more vulnerable to damage during their first winter. Pell recommends using the plant’s own natural mechanisms for winter protection. “Leaving leaves on plants [rather than cutting back perennials in fall] or shredded in the garden can greatly help your plants overwinter,” he says. Fallen leaves, he adds, tend to be the perfect mulch for plants. You can leave them where they fall under a shrub, or shred leaves with a lawn mower and spread them on perennial beds to help insulate plant crowns or bulbs below the soil. Wheatley-Miller adds that she may advise clients to spray evergreens with Wilt Pruf, a biodegradable antidessicant, to prevent the leaves from drying out in windy or exposed sites. For extra protection, sometimes she advises clients to cover plants with burlap or beds with straw. She also recommends being mindful of ice falling from roofs, which can damage foundation plants.
Perennial plants don’t generally require special care in the first year after planting, apart from consistent watering while they get established and staking for any top-heavy flower spikes, if necessary. In the years to come, you’ll need to divide clumps of perennials or replace those that are more short-lived. Scott recommends staying on top of deadheading flowers early in the season to signal the plants to keep producing blooms. Later on in the season, you may choose to leave the spent flowers to form seeds — providing food for birds and late-season interest through decorative seed heads and seedpods. In fall, you may choose to cut perennials back to about 6 inches tall or leave them to naturally die back. Pell recommends skipping the fall cutback and leaving dried ornamental grasses long to provide interest through winter. “It’s a beautiful effect when they’re dusted with snow,” he adds.
Trees In general, it’s best to plant trees when they’re dormant and the weather is cool. Depending on your climate, this window is in fall, winter (for mild climates) and early spring. After planting, young trees need consistent deep watering for the first few months. Watering. Pell recommends hand-watering young trees weekly until you get through the first summer, then tapering off watering in late fall. “After the first year, I wouldn’t irrigate unless you hit a significant drought or are in an arid region,” he says. You can also use an automated watering system, but it needs to be set for a longer time than for other garden areas to provide a good soak for the tree. He says it’s often easier to “just run a hose and saturate the entire root ball.”
All the landscape experts we interviewed agree that you should follow correct spacing guidelines for individual plants, but to help prevent weed growth, you should avoid leaving excessive gaps. Choosing fuller plants and those that form mats can also help to suppress weeds. “Plant close enough to avoid huge, empty spaces,” Wheatley-Miller says. In this New York garden, for example, a mix of perennials and mat-forming ground covers leaves little room for weed growth. Pell agrees with this strategy. “I look for plants and plant combinations that can become dense enough to reduce weeding. [This] can make the garden read as very healthy and luxurious,” he says.
Weeding Newly planted gardens can be more susceptible to weed spikes for a few reasons. First, gaps left between plants that have been properly spaced, combined with frequent irrigation, makes for a cultivation area for weeds. Second, if you’ve dug into ground that has been compacted or hasn’t been turned over in some time, you might have unearthed weed seeds that were lying dormant. Landscape architect June Scott of June Scott Design in Pasadena, California, recommends staying on top of weeds from day one. “Be vigilant in pulling weeds, especially when your plants are young, as weeds compete for both water and nutrients in the soil,” she says. She advises hand-weeding rather than using herbicides, which can damage surrounding plants, harm beneficial soil organisms and run off into waterways. To prevent weeds from popping up again and again, make sure you get the roots. “There are some weeds that will take aggressive digging to ensure the entire root mass is removed,” Pell says. “Bindweed is one of the main culprits.”
Little bluestem glows in the late summer sun, creating an attractive and environmentally friendly front yard.
Chinese pistache. Come fall a Chinese pistache (Pistacia chinensis) can pretty much stop you in your tracks. The foot-long leaves are lined with narrow leaflets that turn bright orange and red, even in desert climates. You'll also have plenty of time to enjoy the color, as the leaves usually hang on for some time after they change. Chinese pistache is a slow grower that's a good choice for smaller spaces in zones 6 though 9. It's fairly drought tolerant but can also handle regular watering if put in a lawn.
Oaks. With more than 500 oak species, finding an oak for your landscape is pretty much guaranteed. Finding one with fall color, however, means narrowing down your options. Fortunately, the ones that do well are also readily available and grow well in zones 3 or 4 through zone 8. The large (up to 75 feet tall) and fast-growing bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) has long, lobed leaves that turn red and yellow in fall. The equally tall red oak (Q. rubra) is relatively fast growing and can spread out to 50 feet. It needs both good soil and moisture, but it has the bonus of doing well in lawns and having roots that are long enough to let you put in a garden beneath it. Expect yellow-orange leaves that will turn to a pleasant shade of brown in the spring.
Maples. Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) is the showstopper of the maple family, but even if you don't live where it does well (though it's surprisingly durable), pretty much every maple you encounter will provide incredible fall color. And you're in luck — there are maples from as small as 3 feet to as tall as 100 feet that do well in a range of climate conditions, from the colder zones 3 and 4 to the warmer zones 8 and 9. In addition to Japanese maple, favorites include bigleaf maple (A. macrophyllum), paperback maple (A. griseum), Rocky Mountain maple (A. glabrum), red maple (A. rubrum) and sugar maple (A. saccharum).
4. Think About Fall Foliage Differently Does your landscape lack colorful autumn foliage? This is the perfect time to plant new trees and shrubs, as cooler temperatures and increased rain will help them take root and become established with less transplant shock. For shrubs with attractive fall color, chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) and viburnum species are solid choices. Native trees to plant include serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), elm (Ulmus spp.) and sweetgum (Liquidambar spp.). Many native perennial flowers and grasses, including bluestar (Amsonia spp.), blazing star (Liatris spp.), American senna (Senna hebecarpa) and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), feature attractive fall color.
2. Cluster Plants in Groups of Three or Five Repeating plants throughout the landscape also lends a subtle cohesiveness for the eye to follow. Groups of flowers are appealing to both humans and pollinators, with massing making the flowers easier for pollinators flying above to see. Aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) is a neat little shrub-like perennial native to the East Coast that looks nice dotted throughout beds and borders. For more vertical interest and early-fall blooms that are dark purple to magenta, try ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata). For a lower-growing plant that does well in wetter conditions, look to blue mistflower (Conoclinium coelestinum).
1. Plant Late-Summer and Fall Bloomers to Support Pollinators Lots of insects are at their highest population numbers in fall, and many have just emerged to complete their life cycle, migrate or even hibernate. When designing a fall garden to support pollinators, your first goal is to get the flowers pollinators thrive on. You can’t go wrong with asters and goldenrods, two fall staples visited by pollinators, as well as sunflowers. Consider how these plants reproduce and spread before planting them in your garden. For example, Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) has a tendency to spread and take over in the home landscape, but there are many other more well-behaved goldenrod species. Asters tend to spread by seed, especially in open spots in garden beds, so create thicker plantings where seedlings will have a harder time sprouting, if that is something you are concerned about. While plants started this year won’t bloom this fall, now is the perfect time to put them in the ground for next year.
I don’t know about you, but I live for fall — with its cool mornings, crisp air and quiet evenings. Plus, at least one-third of my plants bloom after August, and the trees, shrubs, grasses and perennial flowers bring a rainbow of colors to the garden until early November, long after summer flowers have faded. There’s always so much going on in a fall garden, from changing colors and plants’ going dormant to wildlife’s preparing for winter. Here are some design strategies you can use to create beauty and function for humans and animals this fall, and every year after.
A casual path of Wisconsin limestone steppingstones branches off from the main path and takes a more wandering route past a bench tucked into the greenery. Though close to the edge of the neighbor’s lawn, the plantings create a woodsy feel. The secluded spot fulfilled Melanie’s wish for a contemplative spot. “The bench’s placement is close enough to everything else to be of good use but hidden enough to be a private space,” Algozzini says.
Walkway in the bed
Hostas in a corner. Need the shade
nice
Rocks in the beds
flowers
Need to remember to add benches
Nice
Narrow passage with a meandering path. Vegetation is nice.
The large pot
Flat rocks grasses southwest plants fence trees and bushes
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