South Eastern Connecticut Landscaping

As temperatures here in the Midwest begin to eek into the low ’60s, it’s easy to forget that Mother Nature still has a few tricks up her sleeve to ruin your attempts at gardening. Temps during the day may be nice and warm, but when the sun sets, the dreaded frost may come out to hurt or kill your plants.

Don’t worry. It’s easy to be distracted by the warm temperatures during the day. It’s intoxicating. We’ve spent the last three months afraid to leave the house for fear of something freezing off, and now the sun is shining and you actually see some buds on the trees.

It’s perfectly fine to start your garden, as long as you remember to cover your plants up at night. This time of year, temperatures between the day and night can vary by 30 degrees or more. Your plants just newly sprouted from the ground can freeze if they are left uncovered.

You think that you can just cover them with a thin layer of plastic and shave your cotton sheets they wear, tear and dirt. The problem with plastic is that it doesn’t do much for the moisture aspect. It might keep them from direct frosting, but the plastic doesn’t breath, and all that cold condensation just sticks to it.

You are going to have to sacrifice the sheets and quilts, because they will actually keep them warm and absorb the night moisture. They are also breathable. It’s the same reason why you like wearing cotton in the summer.

Mother Nature doesn’t mean to hurt your plants. It’s not some grandiose plan to ruin your gardening aspirations. It’s just how the world works. When you live in areas that have all four seasons, there is bound to be an overlap. You can either wait until the frost is no longer an issue to start your garden, i.e. around the end of April, or cover up your plants. It’s your choice.

Image Source: flickr.com/photos/hisgett/5217836747

Related posts:

1. Plan Ahead: Keeping Plants Safe During Sudden Frost
2. Get Started Gardening
3. Tips to Creating a Fall Vegetable Garden

Related Posts:

• FAQS
• assessing the lawn: 4 months later
• Preparing the Vegetable Garden in Spring

Posted by mgervais

Speaking of sweeps (see Friday’s post), here’s another inspired sweep of plants from Freeland and Sabrina Tanner in their garden in Napa, California. This time it’s a border of lamb’s ears Stachys…

Related Posts:

• Take the time to see…
• The Conservatory Rain Forest: Chocolate Lovers’ Lane
• today’s interesting ones

The plants are gradually beginning to come to life here in my garden. Yesterday’s post highlighted a few of March’s blooms, today here are a few more flower photos!

The hyacinths are blooming all over. So far I haven’t been able to detect their sweet scent on the wind, but maybe I haven’t been outside enough lately. If it would stop raining for a little while I might remedy that!

More hyacinths are in the birdbath garden. These were transplant divisions from another garden spot in the fall. The hyacinths in this garden may take two or three years to reach the size of the one in the previous picture.

More daffodils! What can beat looking at the bright yellow of daffodils when the clouds have taken away the sun?

And here’s another gratuitous look at some purple crocuses. They sure like showing off!

Related Posts:

• FAQS
• Vegetable Garden Layout with Raised Beds for 2011
• Spring / Fall Clean Ups

I just posted a new update to the garden shed blog page. So far things are looking good! The garden shed is enabling my plants to get a head start on the growing season. Hydrangeas and viburnums are leafing out. Go take a quick look at the plants in my garden shed!

Related Posts:

• Vegetable Garden Layout with Raised Beds for 2011
• Spring / Fall Clean Ups

It’s been a very, very long time since I mentioned anything new with the garden shed. Today I went out and took a look around at my overwintered plants, watered a few things, and saw some good signs that most of my plants made it through the winter – at least so far!

Related Posts:

• today’s interesting ones
• FAQS
• Take the time to see…

Posted by mgervais

Here’s another combo in our series from NYC’s Conservatory Garden in Central Park. I love the subtlety of this combo, and also how different all of the plants are. First you’ve got a couple of…

Related Posts:

• Take the time to see…

Posted by mgervais

I think I could spend hours playing with water on lotus leaves. I’m too young to have memories of playing with drops of mercury, but I imagine the effect is similar, right? I went online to see what…

Related Posts:

• DIY Lawn Striper Kit For Less Then $15
• FAQS
• Lawn Care

When I started putting together our first garden areas in our blank slate of a yard I always second guessed myself. Every planting was met with the oncoming thought “is this going to work like I want it to?” or “does this look right?” Ideas flow freely from my mind all the time and I always try to imagine what they will turn out like when everything is finished but there have always been those nagging thoughts. After several years of gardening I still have those thoughts that eat away at my confidence each time I do something new in the garden. Sometimes I’ll stare at a plant that I just bought and place it in 4-5 different locations before settling on a final spot for the plant. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wondered what my neighbors think of my garden. I’m always my own worst critic.

But I’ve learned a little something over the years. It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter. There isn’t anything in the garden that can’t be changed or fixed to fit another idea or plan. Any “mistake” can be rectified. Every plant planted in the wrong location can be moved or replaced at any time! I can’t tell you how many plants I’ve moved over the years. I moved a willow tree three times, a maple at least twice and many perennials have migrated to different locations. I guess that’s another reason why I like to propagate the plants – so I can just plant a new one where I want it!

My vegetable garden is another example. I’ve changed it’s design every year. It started off as an “L” shape then moved to more standard potager feel and hopefully will become something even better as it changes. Maybe change isn’t the right word but rather “evolves.” A garden evolves and grows – constantly.

I’m finding that as I garden more the idea of something being “right” or “wrong” in the garden just isn’t true. “Right” and “wrong” are matters of personal taste and what looks right to one person might be just plain wrong to another. It’s up to the gardener. If you happen to be a new gardener who has had similar thoughts don’t worry so much. Whether it’s wrong or right, it’s all up to you, the gardener!

Related Posts:

• FAQS
• Spring / Fall Clean Ups

When I started putting together our first garden areas in our blank slate of a yard I always second guessed myself. Every planting was met with the oncoming thought “is this going to work like I want it to?” or “does this look right?” Ideas flow freely from my mind all the time and I always try to imagine what they will turn out like when everything is finished but there have always been those nagging thoughts. After several years of gardening I still have those thoughts that eat away at my confidence each time I do something new in the garden. Sometimes I’ll stare at a plant that I just bought and place it in 4-5 different locations before settling on a final spot for the plant. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wondered what my neighbors think of my garden. I’m always my own worst critic.

But I’ve learned a little something over the years. It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter. There isn’t anything in the garden that can’t be changed or fixed to fit another idea or plan. Any “mistake” can be rectified. Every plant planted in the wrong location can be moved or replaced at any time! I can’t tell you how many plants I’ve moved over the years. I moved a willow tree three times, a maple at least twice and many perennials have migrated to different locations. I guess that’s another reason why I like to propagate the plants – so I can just plant a new one where I want it!

My vegetable garden is another example. I’ve changed it’s design every year. It started off as an “L” shape then moved to more standard potager feel and hopefully will become something even better as it changes. Maybe change isn’t the right word but rather “evolves.” A garden evolves and grows – constantly.

I’m finding that as I garden more the idea of something being “right” or “wrong” in the garden just isn’t true. “Right” and “wrong” are matters of personal taste and what looks right to one person might be just plain wrong to another. It’s up to the gardener. If you happen to be a new gardener who has had similar thoughts don’t worry so much. Whether it’s wrong or right, it’s all up to you, the gardener!

Related Posts:

• FAQS
• Spring / Fall Clean Ups

When I started putting together our first garden areas in our blank slate of a yard I always second guessed myself. Every planting was met with the oncoming thought “is this going to work like I want it to?” or “does this look right?” Ideas flow freely from my mind all the time and I always try to imagine what they will turn out like when everything is finished but there have always been those nagging thoughts. After several years of gardening I still have those thoughts that eat away at my confidence each time I do something new in the garden. Sometimes I’ll stare at a plant that I just bought and place it in 4-5 different locations before settling on a final spot for the plant. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wondered what my neighbors think of my garden. I’m always my own worst critic.

But I’ve learned a little something over the years. It doesn’t matter. It really doesn’t matter. There isn’t anything in the garden that can’t be changed or fixed to fit another idea or plan. Any “mistake” can be rectified. Every plant planted in the wrong location can be moved or replaced at any time! I can’t tell you how many plants I’ve moved over the years. I moved a willow tree three times, a maple at least twice and many perennials have migrated to different locations. I guess that’s another reason why I like to propagate the plants – so I can just plant a new one where I want it!

My vegetable garden is another example. I’ve changed it’s design every year. It started off as an “L” shape then moved to more standard potager feel and hopefully will become something even better as it changes. Maybe change isn’t the right word but rather “evolves.” A garden evolves and grows – constantly.

I’m finding that as I garden more the idea of something being “right” or “wrong” in the garden just isn’t true. “Right” and “wrong” are matters of personal taste and what looks right to one person might be just plain wrong to another. It’s up to the gardener. If you happen to be a new gardener who has had similar thoughts don’t worry so much. Whether it’s wrong or right, it’s all up to you, the gardener!

Related Posts:

• FAQS
• Spring / Fall Clean Ups