Spring In the Garden
My favorite things in gardening are watering my plants, planting new plants, and exploring public landscapes. I enjoy watering my garden early in the day as the day begins, it helps me relax. I have a made-up corny watering song I sing, but I do not think you need to hear it, because even the dog rolls his eyes when I sing it.
Watering your Plants
When I started gardening, this was one of my biggest mistakes. You may be wondering how I could water my plants wrong. First, I know Mother Nature waters from the top of the plant, but you are not Mother Nature. Last year, an overabundance of rain caused many types of plants to have leaf spots or fungus. If you water your plants at the base, you will not contribute to the moisture in the foliage. Water gently or use a soaker hose and do not make holes in the soil below the plant.
The other mistake I made in watering was over watering. Whether it is a houseplant or a tomato plant, research how much water a plant needs. A succulents likes to dry a little between waterings. Tomatoes need their roots moist to keep from wilting and about an inch and a half of water a week either from Mother Nature or by irrigation. It is better to apply the water twice a week than all at once. My Bald Cypress like their knees (roots) in the creek, but very few plants like their roots sitting in water.
Attracting Hummingbirds and Pollinators
My part of helping wildlife in my garden is to have a pollinator garden area. Really, I just enjoy seeing the pollinators and wildlife in my yard. There are flowers that attract hummingbirds and pollinators and not deer. My pollinator garden area is set so I can mow around it and do not have to worry about it invading other parts of my yard.
One of my favorite flowers to plant is bee balm (Monarda didyma), which is a perennial. Depending on the bee balm variety it can bloom in brightly colored flowers of red, pink, purple, or white and bloom from June through the end of summer. In addition to the bee balm's use in attracting hummingbirds, it is also an edible herb. The flowers can be used as a garnish, flavor salads and it can be dried to make tea.
Zinnias (Zinnia elegans) is a favorite flower from my youth, and I still enjoy planting these annuals today. I was allowed to take the dime store packages and spread them in a designated area. I would check frequently to see if they sprouted. Zinnias come in a variety of flower colors, flower shape and height. Be sure not to place the tall varieties next to a walkway.
Salvia is a great perennial flower for pollinators and hummingbirds, but there are many types and colors. Many of the salvias do not grow as perennials in zone 7, so choose wisely the type, color and height and hardness for your situation. Wood Sage (Salvia x sylvestris) is a popular purple flower to put along a fence row, but it is a hybrid and blooms in May and June. Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii) is a dark pink and blooms from summer to early fall.
Exploring Gardens
The fun part of designing my yard, which is a work in progress, is visiting public gardens. Visiting public gardens and parks, at various times of the year, gives me ideas of what I may want to incorporate into my yard. The public parks are designed for low weed maintenance, which is a selling point in my landscaping design. The public gardens have great plant combinations and label their plants for easy identification. Take lots of photos of what you like and do not like for your designing file or to show your designer.
Design your yard is remarkably similar to interior designing. Consider who and their ages of those who will be using the yard in planning the landscape. Do you want different areas for different purposes? Do you need a play area, pollinator area, or a buffer from your neighbor? Do you want it to be a formal or whimsical garden, a cottage garden, edible garden, or a combination of several types?
There are five prime elements that should be incorporated into the design of a yard: mass, form, line, texture, and color. The main tools are mass, form, and line to organize the space. Texture and color are the supporting roles adding interest and richness.
Whether you are adding a few plants or making over your whole yard, you should have a plan that will work for your situation. Upfront I think I should tell you some of the costly mistakes of “I should not have done that.” When placing plants near a structure, do not place them too close that the roots cause foundation issues. It was costly for a friend of mine to have to rip out all the plants in front of her house because they were too close. Plants need room to grow when in groups and when next to a structure.
The main goal in your project should be to enjoy your environment. Do not stress over the landscape of your yard; it defeats the purpose of enjoying nature. The trends of why people are starting to garden more is for mental health to relieve stress and anxiety, to connect to nature and community, and to help with climate change in providing food and habit for wildlife.
Resources
University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture (UTIA) has YouTube videos on how to garden in Tennessee . There are a variety of topics, and you should check it out. UT Hort YouTube – Are Videos made by University of Tennessee UTHort - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/UTHorticulture and Plant Sleuth YouTube – University of Tennessee Plant ID Class - Andy Pulte Plant Sleuth - YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkkYYwKA12DMvna8ikLk7ZQ/featured
The UT Gardens, your local UT Extension office are all part of University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture. Bradley County Extension Office can help with questions about gardening. The Bradley County Master Gardeners are currently doing special events to help answer gardening questions. We do presentations at the Bradley County Library, Farmers Market and other locations. Follow us on Facebook or our website for times and locations. Bradley County Master Gardeners of Tennessee https://www.bradleycountymastergardeners.org/
