by GardenLover | Aug 17, 2014 | Favorite Flora
Aster Symphyotrichum Purple Dome
By Debra Knapke
Autumn is the time of golden, scarlet, and maroon leaves and shortened days. It is the time for picking apples and harvesting vegetables. We watch our gardens slowly decline, and yet there is one perennial that says “Wait, my time is now!” Enter the asters, the late summer to fall-blooming plants so loved by bees and butterflies.
We often overlook the flowers of autumn as we fill out our gardens with spring and summer blooms. Many of us buy plants in April, May and June when the spring and summer flowering plants proudly show their colors. But we overlook the asters which are just emerging: green leaves and no flowers.
Asters are not difficult to grow. Here are a few cultivation and maintenance guidelines:
- Asters prefer full sun, 6+ hours of light; most tolerate part sun, four to five hours of light.
- Most asters are drought-tolerant if you keep the soil moist during the first year in the garden.
- Asters love compost, but excessive fertilization will cause them to grow quickly and ungainly; an aster lying on the ground is not attractive!
- The taller asters should be cut back by 1/3 in early to mid-June to promote stronger stems and to avoid the need for staking.
- Asters are best divided in the spring.
It’s not too late to add these late bloomers to your garden, but don’t wait too long. After late August, asters may not have enough time to grow their roots into the soil and acclimate to your garden before winter arrives. If you miss the planting window this year, buy the green, leafy aster next spring.
Here are some species that are native to most of the Midwest. Many of the cultivars listed have been selected for their compact habits and richly colored flowers.
Aster Symphyotrichum Purple Dome
- Aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) – has aromatic foliage; height 18-36”, width 12-18”; blooms Sept. to Oct.; sky blue to lavender-blue flowers; Look for: ‘October Skies’ (compact: ht. 18”); ‘Raydon’s Favorite’
- Blue wood aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium) – height 2-4’, width 2-3’; performs best in part sun, but tolerates sun to shady conditions, blooms Aug. to Sept.; small light blue flowers
- Heath aster (Symphyotrichum ericoides) – height 1-2’, width 12-18”; blooms Aug. to Oct.; white to light pink flowers; look for ‘Pink Cloud’ ‘Snow Flurry’: both are more compact selections
- New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae) – height 3-6’, width 2-3’; blooms Sept. to October; light lavender or pink to deep purple or pink flowers; if the soils dries out, this species will lose the lower leaves on their stems; look for: ‘Purple Dome’ (compact: 24-30” tall) ‘Vibrant Dome’ (compact: 18-24” tall) ‘September Ruby’
- Smooth aster (Symphyotrichum laeve) – height 2-4’, width 18-24”; blooms Sept. to Oct.; striking blue-violet flowers; look for: ‘Bluebird’
- White wood aster (Eurybia divaricata) – the exception: prefers part sun to full shade; height 12”, width 18-24”; bloom Aug. to Sept.; white flowers; ‘Eastern Star’ is a more compact selection
Side Note: The Aster Name
Not only do our native asters suffer because they lack early flowers, but they have been separated into new genera with difficult names. One of my horticulturist friends calls it the “aster disaster”. If a garden center has arranged the perennials by their botanical names, the asters will be spread across several locations on the nursery shelves. Fortunately, in most garden centers, asters still hold a place at the beginning of the alphabet instead of being scattered throughout the benches. For those who are interested the new botanical names are listed with the common names.
by GardenLover | Aug 11, 2014 | Favorite Flora
Dry Shade? Don’t Despair – Plants that thrive under shade trees
By Debra Knapke
Dry Shade – words that strike fear in amateur as well as seasoned gardeners. Some gardeners camouflage these areas with nicely fluffed, dark-colored mulch. Others opt for the dry stream bed “look” which is achieved by spreading river stone of various sizes in an artful, river-like pattern.
Even though dry shade is a challenging site, it can be enhanced by using good garden practices that work in any garden situation. It all comes down to amending the soil, choosing your plants wisely and watering them to get them established in their first year.
A dry streambed in Debra’s garden with Allegheny spurge on the right. Notice the large silver maple trunk in the upper right. Tree roots are much more efficient at taking up water and nutrients than shrubs and perennials.
You’ve heard it before: amend the soil. This means incorporating organic matter in the form of leaf, mushroom or homemade compost into the existing soil. In open garden areas, you can till in organic matter without a thought to damaging existing roots. Under trees, a different technique is needed. As you plant, amend the pockets of soil that are between the roots and then cover the whole area with two to three inches of compost or hardwood mulch.
Many of the plants recommended for dry shade plants are tolerant of a wide range of garden situations. In loamy, evenly moist soils, many of these same plants can become aggressive; so, consider yourself forewarned. The below list is a sampling of plants. Don’t hesitate to ask for suggestions from personnel at your favorite garden
centers.
Shrubs
- Spicebush (Lindera) – native; edible berries
- Chokeberries (Aronia) – native; edible berries
- Oregon grapeholly (Berberis) – semi-evergreen
Herbaceous plants (perennials)
- Allegheny spurge (Pachysandra) – groundcover; initially a slow-grower, then takes off in third to fourth year
- Barrenworts (Epimedium) – flowers early in spring; beautiful leaves the rest of the season
- Bugleweed (Ajuga) – groundcover; look for the larger bronzy cultivar ‘Catlin’s Giant’ and the diminutive, maroon-leaved ‘Chocolate Chip’
- Hardy cyclamen (Cyclamen) – a tuber; slow to establish, but worth the wait; beautiful leaves in the winter; dormant in the summer
- Wood Ferns (Dryopteris) – once established are relatively drought tolerant
- Hellebores (Helleborus) – great winter effect; long bloom time; hardy self-seeder
- Crested iris (Iris) – native plant; slow spreader, but very cute!
- Jack-in-the-Pulpit (Arisaema) – native plant; a conversation starter in the spring garden
- Lilyturf (Liriope) – a vigorous and tenacious grass-look-alike groundcover
- Lily-of- the-Valley (Convallaria) – groundcover, fragrant flowers
- Robb’s euphorbia (Euphorbia) – another assertive and tenacious groundcover
A note on “establishing” your plants in their first year in your garden: A garden rule is that newly planted gardens should receive about one inch of water per week. A rain gauge can help keep track of the rain amounts in your yard. If Mother Nature sends less rain, get out your garden hose. Water your garden in the early morning as you drink your coffee or tea. And, it is better to water two to three times a week, deeply, rather than every day with a light sprinkle.
by GardenLover | Aug 6, 2014 | Catch Us
This summer’s been a busy one for Heartland Gardening bloggers. Congratulations to Debra — named the honorary president of the Herb Society of America for 2014-16! She just returned from the Perennial Plant Symposium in Cincinnati where she saw a lot of new perennials and brought a new perennial sage home to plant in the garden.
This month, Michael and Teresa have been hawking the 2014 Parade of Homes with articles in the BIA Planbook and Columbus Monthly Home & Gardens. This year’s tour in Delaware County was an impressive one with several million-dollar homes.
The three bloggers also participated in the Cultivate 2014, a leading horticulture industry trade show at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The trio attended insider sessions and scouted the trade show for gardening ideas to share here. Michael and Debra represented Garden Writers Association (GWA) on the trade show floor, and Teresa served on a social media panel with other GWA members.
The bloggers also are busy in their backyards trialing new plants, products and techniques to share with readers. Teresa’s delighted to achieve success in growing heirloom tomatoes and find her heirloom Kiss Me Over the Garden Gate has self-sown from last year’s purchased plant. Debra has been entranced with the blooms of two day lilies from Walter’s Gardens: ‘Midnight Raider’ and ‘Mighty Chestnut’. ‘Lava Lamp’ Heuchera has been a winner, too, with its dusky burgundy leaves. With her latest lavender – ‘Platinum Blonde’ – a trial from Creek Hill Nursery, she can now say she has three beautiful “blondes” in the garden. Michael’s enjoying “the generally cool, moist (sometimes soggy) weather pattern that has persisted since May, instead of the typical dry to drought we normally have.” He’s thankful lawns are April green and flowers are lingering for weeks. “Is this my part of the Midwest or a dream?,” he says.
In the August issue of Country Living published by electric cooperatives in Ohio and West Virginia, Michael has an article focusing on how hospitals are using healing gardens to help patients. Teresa’s been producing magazine stories for 2015. Check out her latest stories in the current issues of Country Gardens (“50 years and Counting”), Ohio Gardener (“Annual Attraction”) and Columbus Monthly Home & Garden (“Within the Garden Walls”).
Finally, our blog is being featured this summer in the Columbus Dispatch Real Estate section (print and online versions). Check out recent posts on dry shade gardening and fall veggies.
by GardenLover | Aug 3, 2014 | Good eats, Special Topic
By Michael Leach
If you want fresh vegetables for Thanksgiving and perhaps New Year’s Day, start planting.
Most of the vegetables typically planted in spring are equally adept at producing in fall and sometimes into winter, if weather is mild. They prefer cool growing conditions, not the tropical, summer warmth that prompts tomatoes and peppers to flourish. (I’ve found peas are more prolific in fall because temps keep ebbing rather than rising.)
Don’t forget, growing your own food is trendy. Cold weather harvests will keep you stylishly ahead of the mere zucchini growers on the block.
Besides being nutritious, the bodacious foliage of kale, collards and chard play well with asters, mums and other fall flowers. ‘Bright Lights’ Swiss chard even sports colorful stems.
For best chances of success in having fresh veggies in the Thanksgiving cornucopia, keep the following in mind:
* Look at seed packets for the maturity date (time from sowing to harvest) and subtract from the first frost date, usually about mid-October in central Ohio. The longer the time to maturity, the sooner you need to sow for best chances of success. You may want to add a week or two to that maturity date to allow for slower growth due to lower temps and shorter days.
* Don’t worry about frosts or even some freezing for cold-tolerant kale, collards and Brussels sprouts. The flavor improves after a few frosts.
* Check garden centers for small broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage plants. Direct sowing seeds of these plants probably won’t beat the clock.
* Prep the soil before planting. Spread an inch or two of compost or other organic amendments. Scatter organic or other fertilizer at package-given rates. Till all this into the top two or three inches of soil.
* Use floating row cover after sowing seeds. This lightweight agricultural fabric keeps bugs off plants, yet it’s so lightweight, seedlings easily push it up as they grow.
I leave it on all winter for wind protection. Despite the infamous polar vortex, I harvested a few greens for bragging rights on St. Patrick’s Day. In mild winters, some greens can be picked almost every week.
* Plant only what you like to eat and enough to meet your family’s needs. If there is excess, donate it to the Mid-Ohio Food Bank or a local soup kitchen.
by GardenLover | Jul 20, 2014 | Garden profile
By Michael Leach
Many Americans are mixed up when it comes to their home landscapes.
Too often we put all the emphasis on an attractive border across the front and give scant (if any) attention to the patio. Little wonder the back 40 is rarely used.
Ideally, house and garden ought to be of one piece, with windows framing views and doors opening into al fresco “rooms” as appealing in their natural way as those under the roof. Our landscapes should be a part of – not walled off from – our interiors.
Thomas Jefferson can inspire us in domestic design. He was ahead of his time in creating Monticello, the elegant, hilltop mansion that invited the outside in. It’s been about 20 years since I last visited, but some impressions remain fresh.
Where others of his day and ours put all the emphasis on decorating interiors to wow visitors and make themselves feel good, Jefferson looked beyond the walls literally. 
For instance, the tea room on the west side of the house probably cost a king’s ransom in the amount of glass used. Those windows were a luxury, yes, but the mountain view to the west is spectacular. No doubt sunlight pouring in during winter was almost as welcome as the scenery.
Few homes boast such vast, magnificent vistas, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have something lovely to look upon outside a window or patio doors. A variety of landscape elements, from fountains and bird baths, to specimen plants and sculpture, can be framed by a window. This is especially important for windows we frequently gaze through, such as the one over the kitchen sink.
The greenhouse that opens off his study is an early version of a three-season room. Nothing wrong with copying this, except you probably should plan on heat to make it a four-season room. Walls of glass that protect tropical plants and offer views of a pleasing natural scene beyond will tempt you out of the house year around. Sunny winter days spent in such confines make that long, difficult season much easier to bear.
This I know to be true. At my house, a tiny enclosed porch with large windows faces south. Napping there on a winter afternoon is a delight. The garden beyond was planted to become a living landscape mural with visual appeal in all seasons.
He welcomed natural light and imported the concept of skylights, a new architectural device he saw in France. The soft, diffuse natural light flatters everything it touches and cuts lighting costs, whether it be candles or electric bulbs.
An avid gardener, he apparently put most effort into the back 40, rather than a front garden. The capacious parlor opens onto a covered terrace (technically the West Portico). This glorious porch overlooks the curving, flowery walk that rings the west lawn at the rear of the house. (This is the side depicted on the nickel.)
One can imagine string quartets playing Mozart and guests in silky finery gliding from inside to outside, laughter and music mingling with the fragrance of flowers on a summer breeze.
Your backyard may never equal this, but creating appealing outdoor space will enhance your life each day your are at home.
For more, please visit Monticello’s website.
Photos included with permission and copyright of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation at Monticello.
