Transcript Yardening 101 - Frederick County Master Gardeners

YARDENING 101
Your First Garden- Dream Garden
By Claire LeFebvre
Frederick County Master Gardener
The University of Maryland Extension programs are
open to any person and will not discriminate against
anyone because of race, age, sex, color, sexual
orientation, physical or mental disability, religion,
ancestry, national origin, marital status, genetic
information, political affiliation, and gender identity or
expression.
YARDENING 101
Beginning “Yardening” for the
Hopeful but Clueless Gardener
We can help you turn your
dreams of a pleasant low,
maintenance landscape into
reality with a step-by-step
approach to assessing what
you have and then planning for
what you want. Learn about
grass, flowers, trees, and
shrubs appropriate for our
area.
Brookside Gardens: 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton Regional Park, Wheaton, MD
20902 (301)949-8230.This marvelous 50 acre public garden includes an azalea
garden, a rose garden, a yew garden, a formal garden, a fragrance garden, a
Japanese style garden, a trial garden, two conservatories and a visitor center.
Check the web site to see what's in bloom this month.
McCrillis Gardens and Gallery: 6910 Greentree Road, Bethesda, MD 20817 (301)3651657.This lovely 5 acre shade garden features more than 750 azaleas planted among
ornamental trees and shrubs. Bulbs, groundcovers and shade-loving perennials
extend the season. The Garden is managed by Brookside Gardens,
Schifferstadt Architectural Museum Gardens: 110 Rosemont Avenue, Baker
Park, Frederick, MD 20701 (301) 663-3885.This 1756 German colonial house is
surrounded by grounds that include a young apple orchard, flower beds, and a
fenced four-square garden. The raised beds feature herbs and include 18th century
varieties of vegetables and small fruits.
Surreybrooke: 8537 Hollow Road, Middletown, MD 21769-8522 (301)371-7466.This
15 acre nursery farm includes 3 acres of gardens open to the public.
Set the Style
• Take A Cue From The House
• House Style – Start Here
• Biggest Structure
• Match House With Garden Style
• English Tudor – cottage garden
• Farm House - rustic garden
• Colonial Saltbox or Cape Cod –
formal parterre garden
• Decide What You Like and What
Looks Good
Look At Line And Balance
• Do You Like:
• straight lines; geometric forms, welldefined corners
• curving lines; no sharp angles
• Do You Like:
• Symmetrical Balance – two or more
elements match exactly
• Asymmetrical Balance – items
relate to each other but not
identically
LOOK AT LINE AND
BALANCE
Formal Style:
• Specimen plants
• Limited colors and plants
• Hardscaping surfaces
Informal Style:
• Leave room for plantings
• Plantings flow together
• Hardscaping less significant
• Structures weather naturally
Combination Style:
• Straight well- defined garden
edges but plants weave together
What’s Your Maintenance Style?
Time and Effort Spent:
• Do you mow? Ride or Push
• Tight curves – trim by hand
• Formal shrubs – pruning
• Large flower beds – watering
and weeding
• Rigid edging – expensive but
easier to maintain compared to
trenching
Keep Your Options Open
Decide on Details
Edging
• Steel – keeps stone in place
• Stone – natural looking
• Trenched – economical, 4-6 inch
deep and wide filled in with mulch
Mulch
• Bark – organic keeps weeds down
and soil moist.
• Straw – best for vegetable garden
• Stone – paths and utility areas
Decide on Details Continued
Making neat trench edge:
• a clean, smooth line provides a finished look and a
• sense of clarity to an area
Step 1: Create an edge
Lay a hose or rope to mark the line
Method 1
Method 2
Decide on Details Continued
Making neat trench edge:
Step 2: Remove the turf
Refine edge line with a spade to 4 – 6 inches
Create an edge at a 90 degree angle
Decide on Details Continued
Sample Edges: Brick mowing strip
Decide on Details Continued
Sample Edges: plastic strip edging
Color Choices
Color Locations
• Front yard – bold colors
stimulate and energize
Color Choices
Color Locations
• Back yard – calming colors
when close up and hot
colors for distance (orange,
yellow, red). That is
Hemerocallis krakatoa lava
in the distance.
Color Choices
Color Locations
• Patio in the evening – low
light flowers (pink, blue,
pale yellow, white). Pale
yellow daylilies, pink/blue
and white hydrangeas.
Color Choices
Color Locations
• Long-lasting color – colorful
leaves
Strobilanthes; Persian Shield.
calocasia, coleus, creeping
jenny and scotch moss
(sagina)
plectranthus, dusty miller, and
barbed wire plant
Color Choices
Color Locations
• Long-lasting color – colorful
leaves
The Final Plan
Short
List of plant options
Divide the plant list into heights and bloom time
Medium
Tall
Height:
Bloom Time:
Spring
• Early
• Mid
• Late
Summer
• Early
• Mid
• Late
Fall
Height:
Bloom Time:
Spring
• Early
• Mid
• Late
Summer
• Early
• Mid
• Late
Fall
Height:
Bloom Time:
Spring
• Early
• Mid
• Late
Summer
• Early
• Mid
• Late
Fall
Plant List For A Backyard Hideaway
List the largest plants and their placement first.
Fill in around the largest plants with the medium and smaller plants.
Sweetbay Magnolia Magnolia virginiana. Tree
10-30 ‘ tall Flowers: Apr-May, pink to white. Fruit:
Sep-Oct, red berry. Fall color: Semi-evergreen Light:
full, partial, shade. Fragrant (1)
Maryland Native substitute for Fullmoon Maple.
Thimbleweed, Anemone virginiana Perennial 1-5’
tall. Flowers: May-Aug, whitish. Full to partial sun
Maryland Native for Japanese anemone
Plant List For A Backyard Hideaway (continued)
Witch hazel Hamamelis virginiana.
Shrub. 15-30’ tall. Flowers: Sep-Dec, yellow.
Fruit: Oct-Nov, tan brown, capsule. Fall color:
yellow. Sun – partial to shade. Leaves may
persist through winter (6)
Maryland Native substitute for Arborvitae
Nodding Onion Allium cernuum
Herbaceous Perennial 05-2.5’ Flowers: JunAug, pink, rose, white Fruit: capsule (5)
Maryland Native substitute for Hosta
Plant List For A Backyard Hideaway (continued)
• Rhododendron ‘Nova Zembla’ 6.5-10’
tall. Flowers: May-Aug. white, pink. Fruit: AugMar, brown, capsule. Fall color: yellow,
orange, to purple. Light: Full to partial sun.
Evergreen. (3)
• Bugbane Acetaea simplex. Perennial.
4-5’ tall. Flowers: Aug-Sep
• white bottlebrush. Light: partial to full shade.
(9)
• Astilbe ‘Sprite’ perennial 12-18” tall.
Flower: Jun. Pink. Light: Partial to full shade (21)
Plant List For A Backyard Hideaway (continued)
Black snakeroot Cimicifuga
racemosa Perennial 2.5-5’ Flowers: JunSep, white Fruit: pod. Light: partial to full
shade (1) Maryland Native substitute for
Bear’s Breeches
Smooth hydrangea Hydrangea
arborescens Shrub 3-6’ tall Flowers: JunAug, white Fruit: Oct-Jan, brown, capsule
Fall color: yellow (1) Maryland Native
substitute for Oakleaf Hydrangea
Plant List For A Backyard Hideaway (continued)
Jewelweed Impatiens capensis 1.55’ Flowers: May-Oct, orange, yellow,
white Fruit: capsule Light: Partial to full
shade. (105) Maryland Native substitute
for Impatiens ‘Tutti Frutti Mix’
Plant List For A Backyard Hideaway (continued)
Height: 10-30’
Bloom Time: Spring
Early
Mid - Magnolia
Late
Summer
Early
Mid
Late
Fall – witch hazel
Height: 6-10’
Bloom Time: Spring
Early
Mid – Rhododendron,
Hydrangea
Late
Summer
Early
Mid
Late
Fall
Height: 1-5’
Bloom Time: Spring
Early
Mid
Late
Summer
Early - Astilbe
Mid – Thimbleweed, Allium
Snakeroot, Jewelweed
Late - Bugbane
Fall
Why Use Native Plants
• Naturally occur in the region
• Adapted to local soils and
climate conditions
• Generally require less
watering and fertilizing
• Often more resistant to
insects and diseases – less
pesticides
• Wildlife evolved with them
and provide food, cover and
rearing young
• Landscape a habitat type;
woods, wetland, meadow
• Choose plants appropriate to
site and habitat
Information On Plant Tags
Plant Names and Types:
Common name and scientific
plant name based on the
Integrated Taxonomic
Information System that is
universally accepted
Height and/or Spread: this may
vary depending on conditions;
moisture, sunlight. For a slow
growing tree, height may be
measured at 10 years.
Information On Plant Tags
Bloom period, flower color, seasonal
interests:
Blooming times shift - weather
conditions.
Flower’s throat color may not have
enough room on tag.
Light and dark variations of color may
be condensed e.g. lavender, page
purple, fuchsia as purple.
Fall leaf color indicates color of leaves
or stems such as grasses. Color
variations can be grouped same as
flower color.
INFORMATION ON PLANT TAGS
Fruit: provided when conspicuous fruits
or seeds are present.
Achene – dry flat seed, clematis
Berry - fleshy fruit produced that range
from single to aggregates and small to
large
Capsule – types and sizes of fruits with
two or more compartments containing
seeds
Pomes or drupes - outer flesh surrounds
a shell (the pit or stone)
INFORMATION ON PLANT
Growth Conditions:
TAGS
Light – plant requirement
Full = 6 hours
Partial = 3-6 hours
(morning sun is preferred over a
western afternoon sun)
Shade = less than 3 hours
Moisture – plant requirement
Dry = water does not
remain after a rain (slope,
windy location, full sun)
Moist – soil is damp
Wet – soil is saturated for
most of the growing
season
PLANTS WITH PURPOSE
Guide includes habitat
description and plant list broken
down to include ground, shrub
and tree layers.
Frederick County is zone 6a – 7a
Piedmont Plateau with rolling
hills.
Some native plants are common
throughout the Chesapeake Bay
Watershed, while others are
adapted to conditions found
only in one or two of its
provinces.
RESOURCES
GardenGateMagazine.com
The Secret to Stunning
Gardens in Sun or Shade
2012
U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Native Plants for
Wildlife Habitat and
Conservation
Landscaping
Chesapeake Bay
Watershed 2012
Creative
Homeowner Home
Landscaping MidAtlantic Region by
Roger Holmes and
Rita Buchanan 1998