Ajuga reptans

This is a mat-forming plant, offering wonderful dense ground cover with nice color. The dark green leaves with highlights of purple to bronze form a nice background to the blue/purple spike flowers, which bloom in spring. From the same family as the wild bugle, this plant is very versatile and is suitable for ground cover in the shade beneath trees or shrubs, as well as being part of a flower border fully exposed to the sun.

Ajuga reptans groundcover

Ornamental Grass

I use all types and varieties of ornamental grass in my projects, but am particularly fond of Little Bunny, a wonderful plant. 
This is a small grass growing to around a foot tall with a spread of between one and two feet. The light, airy flower plumes appear between August and October and are whitish green in color. This grass variety requires very little maintenance, has few, if any, pest issues and is highly adaptable, being used in rock gardens, borders and a wide variety of other landscape features.  

Ornamental grass in front of custom stone bench

Pieris japonica

I like this plant for its shape, but also for its growth habit. The Pieris japonica is always interesting at a number of different times between fall and summer. The flower buds develop in late fall, covering much of the plant until early spring, when the bell shaped flowers bloom, open hanging down. The beautiful cascading flowers, which can be white, pink or red, are followed by an explosive growth of colorful new red foliage, then as the new evergreen leaves mature, they turn a bright dark green. The pieris japonica can grow as high as ten feet, unless it is pruned regularly.

Pieris japonica

Soil Preparation and Amendments for the 10$ Hole

Soil prep is one of the most important things that can be done when planting. This will help with moisture retention, nutrient retention and root development of all plants.

When you excavate for a new plant, no matter what size plant, mix with the native soil your amendments.

Amendments are peat moss, compost, sand (preferrably sharp sand), top soil, fertilizer and even moisture absorb crystals.

Amendment amounts per plant on average (adjust according to size of root ball): ~ approximately 3-5 pounds of spagnum peat moss ~2-3 heaping shovelfulls of compost, top soil and sharp sand (not beach sand) ~ approximately 2 cups of fertilizer.

Add a little more sand, if you have clay soil.

Add 3/4ths of the fertilizer to the amended soil and reserve the final 1/4th to sprinkle over the top of the root ball.

Do NOT put amended soil over the top of the rootball. Rather, apply a layer of mulch on the top of the rootball. This will prevent suffocation if the plant was planted too deep. 

With the excavated soil in a pile next to the planting hole, mix your amendments into the pile. After mixing, backfill your plants, compacting the soil around the root ball of the plant with your hands, end of the shovel, pry bar knob end, or even a 2×4 scrape. Compacting the soil around the root ball is very important to remove air pockets. Also, fill the hole with water to help settle the new soil.

Also important before planting, I cut slits in the burlap of large balled & burlaped trees and shrubs. For smaller balled & burlaped plants, I completely remove the burlap. Attending the burlap speeds the plants ability to spread roots and grow in its new spot. Girdling of the trunk can occur if the ropes are left on.

Ten Dollar Hole for a Two Dollar Plant

Spend ten dollars on a hole for a two dollar plant. Spend money for the proper soil amendments when planting new plants. The proper soil preparation is costly at first but will pay for itself over time.

Make sure the plants have the correct moisture level at planting time. Water them when dry before planting. Watering the plant after you have back filled may not guarantee the proper water exchange to the plant.

Make sure the soil ball of the plant is well moist throughout the first year after planting to help ensure the root system will grow and expand into the existing soil, giving the plant a more secure future to thrive.    

If you are going out of town after you have planted, make sure you have someone come and water — even if it will rain. And make sure they water enough. Keeping your new plants and trees properly watered their first year is well worth the time and ensures a good start for your investment. Plants and trees have different watering requirements, make sure you ask the nursery or your landscaper. Knowing how much will also prevent overwatering.

Ajuga Reptans

Don’t Use Weed Barrier Under Mulch

Do not use weed barrier under mulch.

Only use weed barrier under gravels and decorative stone.

Mulches decompose and add welcome nutrients to the soil. If you put a weed barrier down first then the composting of the mulch cannot mediate into the soil.

Colonial Williamsburg Gardens

I took photos of the beautiful gardens at the building they call The Governor’s Palace at Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia. Lord Dunmore lived there as the Royal Governor of Virginia from 1771 to 1776. Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry lived there also while Governor of Virginia. It is from this residence that Lord Dunmore led his war against the Shawnee Indians.

Wrought Iron Fencing Along a Williamsburg Street

Spring Chores and Mulch

Get ready for planting season.

Soon the weather will break and that’s when you want to inspect your plantings for winter damage. During the visual inspection look closly at the plant’s stems / branches you will see the damage cuased by freezing, this will have a diferent color than the healthy stems. Using your pruners clip the damaged stem approximately 1/2 inch below the damaged stem. If you are not sure how much to prune off it is always better to be conservative on what / how much to prune, remember to always be mindful of the plant’s shape. Prune any damage you may find including damage from rabbits or mice.

Fertilize all your plants with a good balanced fertilizer. One of the best fertilizers you can buy is “osmacote”.

Prepare the beds for new mulch or by “tilling” up your existing mulch using a garden hook. You don’t have to add new mulch every year, if you do add mulch make sure the depth of the mulch does not exceed 4″. Too much mulch can be very damaging to your landscape.

Excess mulch can suffocate your plants and also create a hard pan — not allowing water to flow through the mulch to plants. Mulch is added to the beds to give plants a moisture retention and warm the soil. Good quality mulch can also add nutrients to the soil as it decomposes. I prefer to use Pine Bark mulch. I like this mulch for the rich color and more consistent size. It also adds some acidity to the soil.

Pine bark mulch costs around $40.00 per cubic yard. 

My second choice of mulch is shredded hardwood bark mulch. The only thing I have found with this mulch is it can become hard packed more easily then Pine Bark mulch. Hardwood mulch costs around $35.00 per cubic yard.

These mulches should be easily found at the local landscape supplier. One cubic yard of mulch will cover approximately 150 – 200 square feet @ 2 1/2 – 3″ thick.

You should expect to pay $35.00 – $45.00 per cubic yard to have it installed by a landscape professional.

One of My Favorite Trees

Japanese Stewartia

Common name: Japanese Stewartia

Latin Name: Stewartia pseudocamellia

Size: 20′ tall and 15-18′ wide, moderate grower

Stewartia is an uncommon ornamental decidous tree that compliments any garden. Its shape is narrow, more columnar; although it is not a true columnar. It flowers in late summer when most other flowering trees are done.

The single, five-petaled flowers are about the size of a sand dollar and white with yellow centers. But not known for a fragrance.

The flower of Stewartia

The bark of the Stewartia has a reddish-gray camouflage look, some describe it as a lightning bolt pattern. The bark exfoliates when the branches are approximately 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Ask your landscaper to plant a 2 to 3 inch caliper tree and it should be exfoliating.

Stewartia is climatically tempermental though. It grows in Zones 5 to 7, potentially 4 but here in Zone 5 the tree will need winter protection. This protection can be accomplished by its placement in the landscape garden. I tend to plant them on the Eastern side of a house or building, away from winter prevailing winds and the closer winter sun. The closeness and angle of the sun and the resulting snow glare can sunburn the Stewartia. Another option is a burlap wrap for winter.

I did plant Stewartia on the western side of one of my clients’ homes, but the houses are built closer together there and the other large trees planted nearby created a wind buffer.

Stone Bench Adds Perspective to the Garden

copyright 2008 Mark Kelly

I built this bench this summer for a residence in Detroit. The top block is salt & pepper granite — one piece that I hand picked out of pieces sold as step units.

The legs are two seperate pieces, each chiseled to shape and then epoxied together.

The top is epoxied to the legs. I used landscape block adhesive for the expoxy.

Each leg rests on a 10″ deep compacted base of 21AA gravel footings, with sand between the gravel and legs for leveling.

The bench was placed inside a 6′ x 5′ landscape garden bed. It is mulch that you can see beneath the bench.

The price of a custom built bench depends on the material, the size and the location of its placement.

My benches run from 500$ to 1500$.