Time For Annuals: You Can’t Plant Flowers If You Haven’t Botany!

Now that the April showers have come through, it’s time for some May flowers. But, before we get ahead of ourselves, my rule of thumb is always plant annuals and tropicals after Mother’s Day, because that usually indicates the time that frost is no longer a threat. 

Shrubby daisybush | Osteospermum fruticosum
Adding this annual, which looks out of this world, will add some fun flare to your garden.

Hybrid fuschia | Fuchsia hybrida
Exotic types of hanging fuschia that will surely attract hummingbirds. 

Annuals are great because they provide color that can span from May to October, whereas perennials bloom on average, for about two to three weeks, and long-blooming perennials for six to ten weeks. The downside is that annuals need to be planted yearly. Most annuals reproduce from seed, which is the reason for the constant blooming. The plant will produce a bud, which opens into a flower, then after the bloom is finished, a seed pod will grow, then release seeds. However, when we use annuals in the garden and keep up with deadheading, the plant panics because it isn’t able to produce seed pods, so it keeps producing flowers, giving us season-long color.

Plant containers and baskets full of plants that will spill, fill and thrill! Basket planted with Petunia, Salvia, Calibrachoa, Aloe, Snake Plant, and Talinum.

Summer containers outside the patio add pops of color to a normally bare space. Containers are planted with Lantana, Angelonia, Geranium, Salvia and Coleus.

I love annuals because they give me a lot of creative freedom in the garden. It’s always fun to experiment with new color combinations and placement. I love rearranging and trying new things year after year, but we all know transplanting can be a pain. That’s why I leave bare spots for whatever annuals intrigue me that year. Annuals are essential for cut flower lovers. Think Sunflower, Amaranth, Celosia, Zinnia, and Delphinium. I love fresh bouquets, and supporting my local florist, but I love having flowers on hand, I mean, who doesn’t? Annuals are perfect for containers too. They add so much color and structure, creating strong points of interest in the garden and in places where there isn’t soil. I love jam-packing containers and watching all of the annuals weave and grow together. 

Brain Celosia | Celosia argentea
This fun annual resembles a brain and grows tall, filling space and adding color with unique shape.

Zinnia and 5 foot tall Celosia planted in a garden!

Annuals will also make your garden more attractive to pollinators and critters. There are plenty of flowers to attract hummingbirds. Red tubular flowers like Salvia, Fuschia, Calibrachoa, Cleome, and Lantana catch the attention of these fascinating birds. Bee-friendly annuals like Lavender, Petunia, Cosmo, Geranium, and Angelonia are great for those who beekeep or for those who want their garden on the pollinators' rounds.

Hybrid fuschia | Fuchsia hybrida

White and pink petunias cascade out of this summer container.

Annuals are essential for a garden with impact, structure, and interest. They provide season-spanning color, new opportunities and encourage pollinators. Use annuals in containers or bare spots. Plant some cut flowers for height or fresh bouquets. Try something new, and find something colorful and unique. Get your garden set for the season with the hundreds of annuals to choose from at your local garden centers and nurseries. Most importantly, have fun!

Avoid Excess Rainwater: Welcome to the Rainaissance!

As everyone knows, April showers bring May flowers, but they can also bring year-round problems. Excess rainwater runoff can create stagnant bodies of water in lawns and it can ruin beds by washing out mulch and even plants. Traditional lawn grasses have shallow roots with poor absorption qualities, leading to puddles and muddy messes. Mulch, however, is much better at absorbing water, but if there’s a downspout expelling water at a heavy rate, then well, there isn’t much mulch is going to do other than get washed away with the water. Sure, you can spend a pretty penny to install underground downspouts that connect to the sewer line, but there’s a much easier and more rewarding solution: rain gardens!

Rain garden, Allen Centennial Gardens on the campus of the University of Wisconsin. Photo by James Steakley.

Rain garden, Illick Hall, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY. Photo by DASonnenfeld.

Rain gardens are depressed beds designed to increase reabsorption by the soil. The goal is to reduce the quantity, pollutant load, and flow rate of runoff from compacted lawn areas, roofs, driveways, walkways, and downspouts. They’re great for reducing erosion and sedimentation of local streams and rivers. Usually, these gardens detain stormwater in a detention basin or pond-like bed, planted with appropriate plants. These gardens typically include wetland-specific plants like ferns, grasses, wildflowers, shrubs, and smaller trees. See some of your options below:

Arrowwood Viburnum. Photo by David J. Stang.

Shrubs and trees: Red Chokeberry, Buttonbush, Summersweet, Blueberry, Arrowwood Viburnum, Willows, and Red or Yellow Twig Dogwood.

Perennials: Milkweed, Turtlehead, Joe Pye Weed, Blue Flag and Virginia Iris, Cardinal Flower, and Culver Root. 

Swamp Milkweed. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

Ostrich Fern. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

Ferns and grasses: Ostrich Fern, Cinnamon Fern, Royal Fern, Palm Sedge, Tussock sedge, and Switchgrass. 

The plants mentioned above will take up the water that flows into the garden and release water vapor back into the atmosphere. Deep plant roots can create channels for stormwater to filter into the ground. Established root systems will enhance filtration, provide moisture redistribution, and help sustain microbial populations. Microbes break down pollutants and remove nitrogen. 

It’s important to carefully plan out every aspect of the proposed rain garden. Find appropriate areas within the landscape where the downspouts and paved surfaces drain into the garden. Consider using proper plants to allow the garden to function at its full potential. It’s also important to note that not all wet-tolerant plants will be happy being planted in deep water from the get-go, so if possible, establishing the plants within the rain garden and slowly introducing more and more water will ensure a happy grouping of plants. Try using as many native plants as possible to contribute habitats for native butterflies, birds, and beneficial insects.

Monarch butterfly on Joe Pye Weed. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

Bee collecting nectar from Buttonbush. Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

Rain gardens are an opportunity to control your rainwater runoff beautifully and beneficially. These gardens are an attractive and environmentally sensitive addition to any residential, commercial, or municipal property. Add a rain garden to your property and watch the benefits rain down on you and your landscape! 

Photos from Wikimedia Commons under Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

Spring Maintenance: Mulch To Do This Spring!

Wood chips are great for areas of high moisture as it helps absorb excess water while also regulating temperature, suppressing weeds, and feeding the soil - just like other mulch options. These goats love their area of wood chips!

Flower bed with black-dyed mulch applied for a more aesthetically pleasing look. Not only is it visually appealing, it also protects the soil from erosion, regulates temperature, retains moisture, and much more!

Mulching is the practice of coating the soil around trees and plants within a landscape with mulch or compost. Mulch is tree and vegetation debris that is ground into a pulp. Mulch comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. Compost is vegetation or kitchen scraps that have been left to decompose into one cohesive medium. Traditional compost is great for mixing into the soil, but leaf compost (also referred to as leaf mulch) is a great alternative to traditional mulch. So bottom line, you’ve got options. 

Mulching has a slew of benefits for both you and the plants. In my opinion, mulching completes the garden. It’s the icing on the cake. Adding the extra layer will suppress weed growth and create a clean, cohesive look to the garden. It also acts as a visible marker of garden beds to help limit damage to the vegetation by landscaping equipment. As far as the plants are concerned, mulch helps to retain moisture and insulate the soil from temperature extremes. The main benefit of mulching is the nutrients and soil quality. We need to keep up with mulching because it decomposes into the soil, improving the overall quality and adding nutrients and beneficial organisms. Even in the off-season, mulch helps to prevent soil erosion from heavy rain and harsh winters. 

Mulching is very straightforward. You need to add the mulching medium on top of the soil in the desired beds. Whether the perimeter of the bed is feathered out or kept within an edge, you want to make sure the coverage is consistent. We don’t want a mulch volcano. There shouldn’t be more than a 2” layer of mulch, and it shouldn’t peak at the center, for instance, around a tree trunk. Other than that, there aren’t many rules.

Mulch comes in all different shapes and sizes for each person’s different needs. If you’re taking the organic approach, leaf mulch, triple-ground root mulch, and pine bark nuggets are great options. Triple-ground root mulch is exactly what it sounds like, it’s simply roots with bits of soil and lumber that get grounded three times. Pine Bark mulch is nugget-shaped pieces of pine bark, available in regular or mini sizes. Pine bark nuggets have a wonderful aroma and beautiful appearance. If you’re going for a specific aesthetic, then black, brown, or red-dyed mulch could be the right fit. A lot of businesses will use colored mulch for their beds since their main focus is on aesthetics. For those worrying, there is no evidence that the dyes used in colored mulches are toxic to the plants. Some bagged mulches tend to be visibly dyed more than those at local mulch retailers. Although it isn’t super popular, wood chips are also an option. If you’re getting a tree chipped, hold on to the chips and use them to mulch, otherwise, there are local mulch retailers that offer it. Facebook Marketplace is always a good last resort for wood-related inquiries. 

Flower bed with pine bark mulch being enjoyed by two adventurous cats. Pine bark does not matt down as easily as other bark options and it is very rich in nutrients so your plants will thrive!

Like anything else, it’s good to be cautious of what you’re getting. It’s important to know what’s in your mulch or compost. While a lot of people are quick to buy bagged mulch from their local Home Depot or Lowes, I think it’s important to stay small and local. A lot of these small businesses are multigenerational companies that know their stuff and care about the product they provide. Bagged mulch, as appealing as it is, is sometimes made with construction debris, plastics, and whatever filler materials may be available. Since the mulch is so heavily dyed, the unwanted particles blend in seamlessly. The human eye may not notice, but the plants sure do. At Cultural Landscapes, we purchase mulch from our local mulch supplier. The mulch is consistent and fresh and we can see how they process it. Cut lumber and vegetation straight to the chipper, with no plastic or any other unwanted particles making their way in. 

With compost, it can be pretty easy to know if you’re using your own compost. They do sell leaf mulch in bags at certain retailers, but they aren’t cheap. Typically local townships have public leaf clean-ups, where they collect leaves in piles along the curb, then grind the leaves up. Usually, you can inquire with the township and purchase the leaf mulch. This is great and convenient, but more often than not, trash will end up in these piles and make its way into the compost/mulch. I try to keep the garden as organic as possible, but not everything’s a perfect guarantee, so just keep an eye out for the occasional piece of plastic. 

All and all, mulch has its place at the gardening table. It’s an essential part of spring clean-ups, preparing your garden for the seasons to follow and ensuring success. There are several ways to go about mulching your property, and with all of the options out there, there’s surely a type of mulch that’ll work perfectly with your garden.

Importance of Indoor Plants: Soothe Your Winter Blues

Work desk adorned with Golden pothos (Tongavine) cuttings and Guinea peanut (Pachira).

Golden pothos (Tongavine) plant thriving on a shelf in partial sun.

House plants can help bring nature indoors, even in times when nature goes dormant. With all of the cloudy weather and lack of green, winter at times can be pretty depressing. I’ve found that having an abundance of indoor plants has actually kept me smiling through the normal winter gloom. As much as I love snow, I love gardening more, so being able to continue using my green thumb keeps a smile on my face. I personally love house plants for their beautiful addition to my interior design.

Indoor plants enhance the overall appearance of almost any space. They become perfect embellishments for any maximalist interior designer, weaving through and growing in between existing accents. Even in a more minimalist, modern design, indoor plants can create a focal point and add to the clean aesthetic. I have rows of little terracotta pots lining my window sills, mimicking an interior window box of sorts in an area that would’ve traditionally been left bare. Plants in the bathroom can help to create a sense of serenity, and if done right, even give off a spa-like appearance. 

Blue Echeveria, a species of Echeveria. A small succulent with a bluish tint to its leaves. Succulents are a popular choice for houseplants because of their low maintenance, cost, and funky shapes. Full Sun and light watering every month or so.

Aside from the obvious aesthetic benefits, indoor plants take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen while simultaneously eliminating air pollutants. Certain plants like bromeliads, orchids and succulents are prone to release more oxygen at night, so it may help if you find yourself having a hard time catching some Zs, to place these plants in the bedroom. Since plants create oxygen, having plants inside will act as a natural air purifier, which in time will increase air quality and may help you recover from illness faster and even fend off a blocked nose. The Bamboo Palm, Ficus and Peace Lillies can help prevent allergies by eliminating compounds in the air released by synthetic fibers, hairsprays, household adhesives and those from chemical cleaning products. It’s even believed that indoor plants can work to improve the acoustics of your home.

Plants like ferns and air plants thrive in a moist and humid environment, so placing these plants in your bathroom, especially in the shower or bath will create effortless upkeep. In my apartment I have a stand-in shower with very clear glass, so I fastened some airplants to the glass using some suction cup claws to create some sense of privacy, while creating a unique space for these little plants to thrive. Although cut flowers aren’t technically indoor plants, I love to place bouquets of eucalyptus in the bathroom and even hang some from my shower head, which gives off the most calming aroma. 

Golden pothos, a species of Tongavines. A popular flowering house plant that also gets called “devil’s ivy” because it is hard to kill and can grow in the dark. Grows best in moist soil so keep it watered. Beware! This plant is toxic to dogs and cats if ingested!

Indoor plants have their place at work too, various studies have shown that they reduce stress, increase creativity and boost moods. Adding plants to your desk and even communal spaces at work will brighten up the area and provide all of their benefits to the whole company. Even for those who work near a lack of windows, plants like the Snake Plant, ZZ Plant and various types of Pothos and Philodendrons can survive in low-lighted environments. 

People who don’t have children or pets, very much like myself, can find a sense of purpose in caring for indoor plants. As we all know, even those with extensive outdoor gardens don’t have much to do during the off season, so house plants can be a real way to keep exercising the green thumb. Within the past year, I gave up my beautiful gardens at this farm house I was renting and moved into a small studio apartment downtown. I went from having perennial and vegetable gardens to not even one window box, so naturally I had to up my house plant count. I can confidently say that my 35+ collection of house plants has greatly benefitted my overall mood and heightened the aesthetic of my interior design. I love coming home in the winter to a happy little green space.