I see people in pictures with cactus gardens outside in my area. Are there any cactus that can stay outside for the winter in Minnesota? Question from Sandra of Cottage Grove, Minnesota
Answer: Yes! There are a couple of alpine cacti that exist at high altitudes along the Rocky Mountains that will survive in your winters. There are also other northerly prickly pears that you can grow. These will survive in your USDA Zone 4 garden, despite the harsh cold. Here are several good options to consider.
Cold-Hardy Cactus for Northern Gardens
Devil’s Tongue (Opuntia humifusa): This tough prickly pear cactus naturally exists from southern Ontario, Canada all the way down to Florida and is hardy to Zone 4. It has low, spreading clumps that produce yellow, gold, or orangish flowers in spring. In summer, attractive purple-red fruits appear. The pads appear to deflate and shrivel in the winter months, but this is natural. They will green up and reinflate in spring. This cactus is native to your state.
Brittle prickly pear (Opuntia fragilis, Zones 4-9): With populations extending to the far reaches of Canada and western mountain ranges, this is little prickly pear is very hardy–surviving in Zone 4 or colder. The very low, spreading plant is prickly and has pretty, pale yellow flowers in spring. Its little roundish pads are “brittle” and tend to break off and root as they fall. This one is also a Minnesota wildflower.
Hardy Hybrid Pricklypear (Opuntia hybrids): There are loads of beautiful prickly pear hybrids with spring flowers in shades of red, orange, magenta, pink, and yellow. The best source for these is the Cold Hardy Cactus nursery. Have a look and check out the many options for your zone.
These are just a few of the hardier cacti for your area. All have beautiful flowers that attract bees. One note is that you really need to prepare the ground when growing hardy cacti. They require very well-drained soils in raised rock gardens or beds. I suggest amending their soil with Black Gold Cactus Mix in addition to fine pebbles, sand, and some additional organic matter (Black Gold Garden Compost Blend works well).
There are certain design and planting features that will greatly reduce summer heat in a garden, and they go way beyond just providing shade. By tapping into the power of the air, water, stones, shade, and cooling plants, you can create a pleasing outdoor garden space that will help temper the high heat of summer.
Here are some of the best tools in the design toolbox for creating cool (and cooling) garden spaces.
Increased Airflow
Leave open spaces along garden edges to encourage airflow.
Keeping areas of your garden open, to facilitate airflow and catch prevailing winds, will not only cool your garden but dissuade flying insect pests, like mosquitoes. Allowing for some open spaces around your garden for welcome breezes is also pleasing to the senses. You can even plant a few fragrant plants, such as gardenias (Gardenia jasminoides), pots of sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima), jasmine tobacco (Nicotiana alata), and fragrant roses, upwind for the additional pleasure of natural aroma.
Cooling Walls
These outdoor standing planter walls offer airflow while also creating an herb-filled cooling enclosure for a patio.
If an enclosed garden is what you have (or want) then green walls and/or shaded stone walls don’t radiate heat. Trellised or clambering vines, like climbing roses, golden-flowered Carolina jessamine (Gelsemiumsempervirens), scarlet honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), or espaliered fruit trees, cool sun-drenched fences, or hardscaped walls because they don’t absorb and release heat. They also look lovely. (Click here to read more about great garden honeysuckles.)
Plantable green planter or pocket walls will also do the trick, and these can be filled with herbs and edibles for culinary gardeners. Water-permeable, felted wall pockets on a freestanding support make this very easy. Florafelt living wall systems are easy-care, quality options that help homeowners install plantable walls in no time. Tall, outdoor planter shelves or freestanding trellis walls are two other options. Both also facilitate airflow.
Shaded stone walls or patio stones are also greatly cooling because they hold the lower temperature of the night and emanate it during the day, which effectively reduces the temperature of any shaded patio.
Green Canopies
Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia) is a fast-growing vine for pergolas that turns brilliant red in fall.
Pergolas, arbors, or arbored tunnels covered with vines will stave off the summer heat because they don’t absorb heat, and they release cooling moisture into the air. Grapes (Vitis spp.) are one of the best vines for the job. Not only do they produce fruit, but they are long vining, tolerant of a wide array of weather conditions, and have very large leaves that provide good cover. Other good long-vined candidates include brewer’s hops (Humulus lupulus), if you make your own homebrew, as well as native Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) and Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus quinquefolia), which both turn brilliant hot colors in fall.
Large-Leaved Tropical Plants
This decked outdoor room has the benefits of a partially open border of large-leaved tropical plants and a shading umbrella.
Whether grown in pots or the garden, invite a few very large-leaved tropical plants into your outdoor space. The best are rainforest plants that take up and release moisture in high amounts, which makes them perfect for hot patios or deck sides. Tender varieties for large pots or garden spaces are elephant ears (Colocasia esculenta), giant elephant ear (Alocasia spp.), and false banana (Enseteventricosum ‘Maurelii’). The hardy to semi-hardy Sichuan hardy banana (Musa basjoo, USDA Hardiness Zones 7-10), which can reach 20 feet, is an in-ground option that will live from year to year in southern zones. For potted specimens, choose a potting soil that holds extra water, such as Black Gold® Moisture Supreme Container Mix and Black Gold® Waterhold Cocoblend Potting Mix.
UV Blocking Patio Umbrellas
Obvious cooling features in the garden are umbrellas and canopies that provide cooling shade, but they are even more effective if they block UV rays. Those designed for UV protection are more reflective. Light-colored canopies also absorb less heat, which increases their cooling ability.
Airy Green Borders
Tall, airy borders of switchgrass allow breezes to pass and pair well with other tall garden plants like this sneezeweed (Helenium autumnale).
Some shrubs and tall, airy plants are less dense, allowing them to facilitate more airflow, while also providing pleasing garden borders. Low, airy shrubs, like the 4-foot Longwood Blue bluebeard (Caryopteris cladonensis ‘Longwood Blue’ (expect it to self-sow)) and Grand Cascade butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii ‘Grand Cascade’), with its 6-foot habit and large purple flowers that lure butterflies, are ideal.
Tall grassy garden borders are also pleasingly airy and attractive. Three excellent options include the plumy, 6-foot Cloud Nine switchgrass (Panicum virgatum ‘Cloud Nine) with its blue-green foliage, or the 5-foot ‘Northwind’ with its large seedheads and olive-green blades. The impressive 6-foot Windwalker® Big Bluestem is another beauty with linear clumps of blue-grey foliage, maroon floral plumes, and maroon fall foliage. It’s a real showstopper that flows in the breeze.
Effective Tree Cover
This garden design has multiple cooling features such as open, freestanding trellis walls, partial tree cover, and a pergola just waiting for ample ornamental vines.
High tree canopies make for breezier shaded spaces, but trees offer far more than just shade. They are also natural air conditioners because trees draw up water from the soil and release it from their leaves as fine mist. This process is called transpiration. Broad-leaved, deciduous trees with larger leaves transpire more for more cooling power. During a growing season, a leaf will transpire many times more water than its own weight. In fact, a large oak tree can transpire up to 40,000 gallons (151,000 liters) of water per year!
Water Features
Small fountains are soothing and cooling and have too much movement for mosquito development.
Moving water in the garden is pleasing to the senses and really cools garden spaces. Whether you install a small fountain, a bubbling pool, or a small fish pond, these serene features will improve your outdoor living space. One key consideration is to only install features with moving water or fish to avoid creating mosquito breeding ground.
Mosquito Control
This koi pond is a perfect water feature that won’t invite developing mosquitoes because it has a constant flow of moving water and fish to eat the larvae.
Some of the cooling options mentioned can invite mosquitoes due to increased moisture and shade cover. Here are some solutions that can really help.
If you add a water feature to your garden, remember that still or stagnant water creates the perfect mosquito breeding ground. Moving water does not. Fish ponds, however, are acceptable because fish consume mosquito larvae. You also need to beware of birdbaths–refreshing their water every few days will wash away any developing mosquitoes.
Full sun is not favored by mosquitoes, but shaded gardens invite them. Several non-chemical means of keeping mosquitoes away include the use of citronella candles and burning tikis. Newer options include electronic mosquito repellers, which create a 15-foot deet-free cloud of repellent across an area. Several plants also help to repel mosquitoes. Those for more shaded locations include lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), which emits a lemony scent and will grow in partial shade. The equally citrusy lemon verbena (Aloysia citriodora) will tolerate light shade. (Click here to discover more mosquito repelling plants.)
A mix of these garden design features will help naturally cool your favorite garden enclaves and outdoor spaces, even on the hottest days.
Popcorn cassia (Senna didymobotrya) is a tender garden plant for containers and gardens.
Gardeners are just beginning to learn about the benefits of adding bold, golden-flowered sennas to their gardens. These members of the pea family naturally fortify soils with nitrogen in addition to producing large clusters of brilliant gold flowers and lush foliage. They lend tropical good looks to landscapes and beds, and their flowers are also draw pollinating bees and butterflies. Some are even butterfly host plants.
Most sennas are long-blooming. Some are large, shrubby, and need space to grow. Others can be grown as tender perennials that stay small in summer, making them suitable for growing in flower borders or containers. Species exist worldwide, but quite a few are North American natives. Overall, sennas have the benefit of being very resilient and tolerant of high heat. Some are even desert plants perfect for xeriscaping.
Here are just a few attractive sennas to consider cultivating in your landscape or pollinator garden this season.
Sennas for Gardens
Popcorn cassia (Senna didymobotrya, USDA Hardiness Zones 9-11): This has become the most popular senna on the market. It is native to Africa where it grows as a large 6- to 8-foot shrub, but popcorn cassia works well as a tender perennial for containers and gardens. In the heat of summer, it bears nonstop candles of golden flowers that are dark in bud. Its flowers feed bees and butterflies, and it is also a host plant for various sulphur butterfly caterpillars. Cuttings can be taken in fall and overwintered for outdoor cultivation the following season.
Many sennas are host plants for various sulphur butterfly caterpillars, including the cloudless sulphur butterfly.
Feathery cassia (Senna artemisioides, USDA Hardiness Zone 8 to): With fine, silvery foliage and loads of fragrant golden flowers that bloom non-stop, this Australian desert plant grows best in arid to semi-arid regions, though it can also be grown as a container specimen, if provided very sharply drained soil, such as Black Gold Cactus Mix.
Feathery cassia (Senna artemisioides) is adapted to desert conditions.
Maryland senna (Senna marilandica, Zones 4-8): Native to open woods and dry roadsides across the eastern United States, this tall, tough perennial deserves more attention from American gardeners. It forms bushy clumps of compound leaves that may reach between 3 and 6 feet, depending on the selection. In July and August, it becomes topped with large clusters of flowers that may be pale yellow, golden yellow, or pale orange. These are especially attractive to bumblebees, and it is a host plant to sulphur butterflies. The flowers are followed by large, dark, pendulous seed pots. Plant it in spacious perennial borders where a large, impressive garden plant is needed.
Maryland senna (Senna marilandica) is a tall, very hardy North American species.
Silverleaf cassia (Senna phyllodinea, Zones 9-11): Another xeric species from Australia, silverleaf cassia is an exceptionally pretty bushy shrub with slender silver leaves. Its masses of golden flowers bloom from winter to spring. Grow it in southwestern gardens with rocky or sandy soils. It has the potential to be invasive, so plant it away from natural areas.
Golden Wonder Senna (Senna splendida, Zones 9-11): In warm-winter regions of the United States this South American tree senna produces large clusters of bright gold flowers from early fall to early winter. The trees can reach 16 feet and are semi-evergreen.
Golden Wonder Senna (Image by Alex Popovkin)
Cultivating Senna
Overall, sennas thrive in full sun. Dryland species require very well-drained soils, but all others will grow well in average fertile soil with moderate to good drainage. Amend the soil of in-ground plantings with plenty of Black Gold Garden Soil amendment, which has added fertilizer and rich organic matter. Container-grown popcorn cassia will thrive in large containers filled with Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix.
Plant any one of these golden beauties in your hot summer garden for resilient plantings sure to draw lots of pollinators to your flower beds and landscapes.
Chiles, ginger, lemongrass, curry leaf, and other traditional herbs and spices can be grown at home. (Citrus can even be grown at home.)
American gardeners can grow many Indian herbs and spices. Sure, the classic spice blends of India contain tropical ingredients (cardamom, star anise, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.) that most American gardeners cannot grow, but it does not end there. A long list of distinctly Indian culinary herbs and spices grow well in most areas of the United States.
You don’t need a greenhouse or conservatory for these essential Indian herbs (leafy aromatics for cooking) and spices (culinary seeds, fruits, roots, bark, and stems). All are easy-to-grow herbaceous annuals and tender perennials. Here are 10 options to consider for this year’s kitchen garden.
Annual Indian Herbs and Spices
Indian naan bread is often sprinkled with black cumin.Black cumin flower
Black Cumin (Nigella sativa, 6-12 inches): Unlike the common violet-blue garden flower love-in-a-mist (Nigella damescena), the flowers of black cumin have much more sharp, prominent pistils and anthers. Their large, bulbous, spiky seed pods are filled with loads of black seeds that have an oniony, peppery flavor. These are toasted and added to anything from garam masalas to breads and yogurt lassis. As with any nigella, black cumin self-sows prolifically. It is fast to bloom, set seed, and die, so plant it among other herbs that look good through summer. Sometimes black cumin will even flower and set seed for a second harvest in fall.
Coriander
Cilantro/Coriander (Coriandrum sativum, 18-24 inches): The flavorful leaves of cilantro add a fresh flavor to Indian dishes and are used in chutneys, meats, and vegetable dishes. Its heads of round seeds dry by summer for harvest and are ground to make the spice, coriander. Coriander has a complex, earthy flavor and is used as a main ingredient in garam masala spice mixes.
Cilantro is a cool-season plant that grows best in spring or fall. Its frilly white flowers set round seed heads that readily self-sow, so don’t be afraid to sprinkle some of its seeds on the ground after it has bolted.
Cumin seed
Cumin (Cuminum cyminum, 12-15 inches): Both the leaves and seeds of cumin are edible. This warm-season, drought-tolerant annual has feathery, aromatic leaves that can be eaten in salads. Its delicate Queen-Anne’s-lace blooms set seed followed by heads of cumin seeds that must be fully dry before collection. (Give the plants at least three months to produce seed.) Ground cumin is a common component of garam masala, lentil dishes, and the seeds can be used to flavor breads.
Fenugreek leaves and seed
Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum, 2-3 feet ) Used as an herb and spice, fenugreek is a member of the pea family that produces edible leaves and seeds. The leaves have a nutty, maple syrup taste and are added to curries, and the sprouts are added to salads. Its summer-blooming, yellow, pea-like flowers are followed by long pods filled with yellowish seeds. Once dried, they have a similar but stronger flavor and are used for pickling.
Mustard Seed (Brassica juncea): Any strong-tasting mustard green will yield yellow mustard seed. Gather the spring leaves for cooking and salads, and then let them bolt when the summer heat hits. The pretty golden flowers rise above the foliage and produce long seed capsules filled with round, golden mustard seeds. Harvest the seed after the plants have dried naturally.
Mustard flowers with seeds
Red Chili (Capsicum spp.) The hottest chilies in the world originate from India, so grow those that are dangerously hot with caution. Keep them away from young children and pets, and wear gloves when harvesting. One plant will produce a wealth of peppers for fresh eating or drying. Two Indian cultivars to try include ‘Dhanraj’ (2 to 3 feet, 5,000 SHU), which produces clusters of slender, upright peppers that turn from green to red, and ‘Bengal Naga’ (3 to 4 feet, 980,000 SHU), which has sweet, raging hot peppers that are broader, bumpy, and turn from green to orange-red.
Drying chiles
All of these annuals grow best in full sun, require moderate moisture, and prefer fertile soil with excellent drainage. If you plan to grow them in containers, try Black Gold Natural & Organic Potting Mix. It is OMRI Listed for organic gardening and will yield great results. Those planted in the herb garden will get a boost from Black Gold Garden Soil, which has added fertilizer for vigorous growth.
Some of the seed spices can be challenging to collect. I like to shake or pick apart the dried seed heads into a plastic bag. To further separate the seed from the chaff, use a fine sieve. (Click here to learn more about harvesting and drying edible seed.)
Tender Perennial Indian Herbs and Spices
Holy basil
Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum, 1-2 feet): There are several cultivated types of holy basil. The two most common are the sweet, green Ram Tulsi, and purple-leaved Krishna Tulsi, which has a distinctive peppery flavor. Holy basil leaves are used to make fragrant teas, soups, or desserts. It is also used for medicinal tinctures.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale, 2-4 feet): Ginger is one of the easiest spices to grow in pots, indoors or outdoors. It’s distinctive, flavorful roots can be harvested bit-by-bit from the pot and used fresh or dried and ground into a powder. It is a common ingredient for flavoring meats, soups, and vegetable dishes.
In temperate areas, ginger can be grown in pots and summered outdoors and overwintered indoors. Choose a large pot that can hold its bulky rhizomes and the height of its tall, upright leaves. The attractive plants bloom seasonally with upright clusters of pinkish red flowers. (Click here to learn more about how to cultivate ginger in pots.)
Turmeric
Turmeric (Curcuma longa, 3-4 feet): This close relative of ginger can be grown in pots just as you would grow ginger, except it requires more water. Its deep golden-orange roots are easily harvested. Just dig and remove a portion of the plant, leaving plenty to grow anew for continued harvest. They can be used fresh or dried to yield deep yellow turmeric powder, which lends curries their distinctive color. The pungent flavor of turmeric is reminiscent of bitter orange and ginger, and the fresh roots taste stronger.
Lemon Grass (Cymbopogon citratus, 3-4 feet): Lemon grass is commonly used in Southeast Asian food, but it is also popular in India. This tall, aromatic grass forms a huge, healthy clump in just one season when planted in a container or in the garden. The tender, citrusy leaf bases are easily harvested with pruning shears. (Watch the video below to learn how to harvest lemon grass properly.) Lemon grass can be used fresh to flavor to broth and meats or dried and ground into a powder to add to curries.
One benefit of lemon grass is that it grows beautifully in moist or wet soils. Potted specimens require very large containers and should be planted in a moisture-holding potting mix, such as Black Gold Waterhold Cocoblend Potting Mix, which is approved for organic gardening.
As with the annuals, all of these perennials grow well in full sun, though ginger and turmeric will withstand partial sun. All grow well in the summer heat.
A garden filled with these Indian herbs and spices will provide a fragrant, beautiful garden that will look good and let you create your own fresh Indian dishes. Many can also be harvested and preserved for winter use. (Click here to learn more about harvesting and storing herbs.)
Miniature vegetables and fruits, such as tomato ‘Patio Choice Yellow’ are truly patio perfect. (Image by AAS Winners)
Why grow small vegetables? Because they are cute, great for children, and delicious garden novelties fit for small-space yards, patios, or balconies. Many are perfect for crudités, snacking, and look impressive in their diminutive cuteness.
Tiny vegetables do not always grow on compact plants, so I have chosen those that are small all around. Grow these, and you will have the most darling vegetable garden on the block!
Miniature Vegetables
Baby Beets
True baby beets, like ‘Babybeat’, remain small and develop quickly.
There are two ways to achieve baby beets: Harvest standard beets when young or grow true baby beets that remain small. Itty bitty beets are very sweet and tasty and grow to a harvestable size fast. Of these, try ‘Babybeat’. Its dark-red beets are tiny, almost perfectly round, smooth-skinned, and look great in salads. They are also ready to harvest in just 40 days. Don’t discard the tops, which can be sauteed or added to salads.
Tiny Carrots
The crisp, thin-skinned ‘Thumbelina’ is an award-winning mini carrot. (Image by AAS)
True baby carrots are either perfectly round or small and cylindrical. They are often Nantes types, which means they are blunt-tipped, thin-skinned, and very sweet. All tiny carrots are good candidates for container gardens or gardens with shallow soils. The best for looks and flavor include the perfectly round and sweet ‘Parisian’ (55 days), the 1992 AAS-Winning ‘Thumbelina’ (60 days), and the round, blunt-tipped ‘Atlas’ (70 days), which hardly lives up to its grandiose name. The crisp, sweet, classic baby carrot ‘Adelaide’ (50 days), is my personal favorite for looks and flavor.
Of all the tiny cucumbers, I like ”Green Fingers’, which is a beit-alpha-type cucumber that bears super crisp 3- to 5-inch cucumbers on 4- to 6-foot plants. Trellising is recommended for its productive, disease resistant vines. For homemade pickles, try the highly disease resistant ‘H-19 Little Leaf’ (58 days), which has 3-4-inch cucumbers borne on short vines with smaller-than-average leaves that make for easy harvest. For a unique, short-vine, mini cucumber try ‘Miniature White’ (50 days). The white-fruited cucumber has small, pickling-sized fruits on bushy plants that are perfect for containers.
Little Lettuce
Little-gem-type romaine lettuce, like ‘Tintin’, takes up little space and has small, crisp heads.
Baby romaine lettuce, commonly referred to as little gem romaine, is the most satisfying to grow because it’s all crisp, sweet, heart. All are fast-growing, generally reaching harvestable size in 55 days. Reliable varieties to try include the bright green and crisp ‘Green ‘Dragoon’, the purple-headed ‘Truchas’, and my favorite, the super sweet and dense ‘Tintin’. I harvest mine as whole heads when they are full, dense, and 4- to 5-inches high.
The short-vined ‘Sleeping Beauty’ muskmelon produces 1.5-pound fruits that are turban-shaped and have sweet orange flesh. Each vine bears as many as 6 fruits in just 85 days. For a unique watermelon of tiny proportions try ‘Golden Midget’ (70 days). The compact vines produce 2- to 3-pound fruits that turn gold on the exterior when they are ripe and have salmon-pink flesh. The little watermelons are sweet and produce fruit earlier than most watermelons.
Mini Bells (75 days) is a bell pepper mix that has red, yellow, and orange fruits that are just a couple of inches high. They are perfect for stuffing, and grow on 18- to 24-inch plants. Yum Yum mix (55 days) is another equally colorful and tasty mini-sweet-pepper mix with more elongated fruits reaching 2.5-inches long. These hybrid peppers are disease resistant and very fast to produce. The tiny, red ‘Sweetie Pie’ (65 days) bell pepper is a 2017 All-America Selections (AAS) Winner that produces loads of peppers on heat- and drought-tolerant plants.
Small Squash
‘Honey Baby’ butternut squash has super sweet, small fruits that grow on very short vines. (Image by AAS)
Baby squashes typically grow on bushes fit for containers and small gardens and include both summer and winter types. Tiny, rounded zucchinis are the product of ‘Poquito’ (40 days), a spineless, bush variety that is very fast growing. The butternut squash ‘Honeybaby’ (90 days) has very little fruits that are only a few inches long but big on sweetness. This 2017 AAS Winner grows on 2-3-foot vines that produce squash faster than full-sized varieties.
Tom Thumb Tomatoes
The cherry tomato ‘Terenzo’ is a cascading dwarf that’s just right for hanging baskets. (Image by AAS)
The 2017 AAS Winner ‘Patio Choice Yellow’ (45 days) is an exceptional mini cherry tomato with mild, golden fruits and plants that only reach 18 inches. Despite its small size, it can produce as many as 100 tomatoes on one plant. Those that prefer red tomatoes can try the cherry tomato ‘Terenzo’ (56 days), a 2011 AAS Winner that is perfect for hanging baskets due to its slightly cascading habit. Its sweet tomatoes are plentiful.
Growing Miniature Edibles
All of these edibles require full sun and regular irrigation for best plant growth and yields. Before planting, fortify containers or beds with amendments, such as Black Gold® Garden Compost Blend and Black Gold® Earthworm Castings Blend, to provide needed organic matter and fertility. At planting time, be sure to feed with an organic fertilizer formulated for vegetable growing.
“I live in Kitsap County, Washington (state); is it too late to prune my roses?” Question from Jennifer of Silverdale, Washington
Answer: It’s not too late! Many gardeners advocate pruning roses when they are dormant, usually in late winter, but you can prune them at any time. Whether you have a shrub rose, climber, or hybrid tea, you can make strategic cuts throughout the growing season.
I recommend using very sharp bypass secateurs (pruners) or loppers. The best cross at the cutting junction like scissors. Just be sure to clean your pruning tools between roses to avoid spreading any potential diseases from rose to rose. I recommend cleaning them in a 10% bleach solution with a drop of washing liquid.
Please watch the video below created by Mike Darcy of Portland, Oregon. It highlights rose pruning in your area.
Garden stone is a longterm cover that must be applied correctly from the start.
Mulches define a garden’s character. Organic options give landscapes different looks, and all break down to help feed the soil. Others have more permanency. Either way, organic and decorative garden top dressings add beauty and distinction to plantings. Some take outdoor spaces to new visual heights, while others are simply functional in their weed-covering ability. Either way, gardeners have lots of options from which to choose.
Organic Mulches
These are the mulches that most gardeners rely on. Of course, shredded bark mulch is the standard that’s most available at nurseries and garden centers, but there is more to organic mulch than popular bark and shredded-wood options.
Pine Straw
Pine straw protects beds and looks clean and attractive.
This attractive mulch typically comes in bales and consists of the dried needles of the southeastern longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), a favorite in the logging industry. Its textural needles create an attractive reddish-brown mat that almost looks grassy when blanketing the ground among beds with small trees, shrubs, and perennials. It also resists washing away, making it suitable for sloped beds. As is breaks down, it slightly acidifies the soil, making it a good mulch for acid-loving rhododendrons, azaleas, and camellias. It effectively crowds out weeds and holds soil moisture, if applied at a depth of 2-3-inches.
Though not readily available for purchase, white pine straw (Pinus strobus) is softer and finer than that of longleaf pine. Gardeners with white pines should consider collecting the needles for garden mulch. They hold water well, stop weeds, and are equally suited to acid-loving plantings.
Cocoa Shell Mulch
This sweet, chocolaty smelling mulch is a byproduct of the chocolate industry. It creates a good cover for small bed spaces and containers and breaks down slowly. Apply it at a depth of 2 inches (deeper applications may mold along the soil surface). One caveat of this mulch is that dogs may try to consume it, so keep it away from gardens where dogs may venture.
Compost
A combination of compost and thick straw keeps vegetable gardens fertile and tidy.
If your garden soil needs extra organic matter quickly, this is the mulch you need. Compost looks neat and tidy, and if applied at a depth of 3 inches, it will effectively crowd out weed seeds. One downside is that it breaks down quickly and needs to be applied in both spring and fall, but your garden plants will thank you. If you don’t compost your own leaves and vegetable scraps at home, try Black Gold® Garden Compost Blend. It’s OMRI Listed for organic gardening.
Leaf Mulch
Shredded leaves from last year’s landscape make an attractive mulch that is essentially free if you have lots of trees in your yard. They hold water, are excellent at stopping weeds, and break down fairly quickly to add needed organic matter to soils. To create this mulch, gather your fall leaves, and shred them with a leaf blower/shredder. Pile the leaves and let them overwinter. By spring, they will be partially composted and ready to apply to beds and borders.
Shredded leaf mulch is ideal for naturalistic and woodland gardens.
Straw, Hay, or Glass Clippings
Vegetable gardens deserve an application of sweet-smelling straw or hay to keep weeds down and retain moisture. Lining vegetable garden walkways with either will allow gardeners to harvest on wet days without getting their feet muddy. The difference between straw and hay is that hay is relatively seed-free and more desirable, while straw is derived from cereal crops, like wheat or oats, and always contains a little seed that will germinate in summer. Straw bales are easier to come by at nurseries or home and garden stores. Just pulls up any seedlings as they arise in the garden. Grass clippings are a free option that does the same job as hay or straw, just be sure to cut grass that is seed free.
Inorganic Mulches and Decorative Covers
Most inorganic options have a higher level of permanency because they are heavier, more time intensive to apply, and harder to remove. Gardeners must have a real dedication to stone, glass, or lava rock options when applying them to planting spaces.
Landscape Gravel, Pebbles, or Stones
Stone and pebble are best for succulent gardens, rock gardens, or shrub borders.
Stones create a more permanent landscape mulch that is typically applied atop a layer landscape fabric and edged with metal or cut-stone edging. If applied correctly, decorative stones are low-maintenance and look clean. They come in a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes from large, rounded river rock to edgy crushed stone or pea gravel. River rock is favored for large landscape applications while pea gravel is a good choice for succulent garden beds or walkways. Before choosing stone for your landscape, be sure it’s truly what you want because it is both costly and labor intensive to apply and remove.
Decorative Container Gravel
Decorative pebbles in tan and white enhance the look of this succulent terrarium. (Image by Jessie Keith)
There are many decorative gravels for use in succulent containers, terrariums, and intricate potted plantings like fairy gardens. These fine gravels and come in many colors to enhance potted gardens.
Glass Mulch
Large chunks of tumbled glass, fine frosted sea glass, or colorful glass gems have a variety of uses in landscape or container gardens. Large tumbled glass mulch in oceanic colors is an elegant choice for seaside gardens, rock gardens, or western plantings. A base of light-colored mulch cloth will keep the colors vibrant while helping to manage weeds. Terrariums or succulent containers benefit from the sleek look of sea glass or glass gems.
Tumbled, decorative glass can add an unusual, crystalline look to landscapes and containers.
Crushed Shells
Oceanside gardens are often decorated with a base of natural shells, crushed or whole. Their bright looks are just at home along the waterside, and they are free if simply collected on the beach over a period of time. They look especially pretty arranged in grassy or succulent containers.
Lava Rock
Landscape rock comes in all sizes, colors, and textures.
The benefit of lava rock is that it is lightweight and holds water. This porous, volcanic rock typically comes in natural shades of rust-red, brown, gray, or black. (Keep in mind that black lava rock heats up and is not recommended for hot climates.) The neutral-colored brown, gray, and black options are easier for designers to work with because they don’t stand out. Red lava rock can look almost garish without the right plantings, so be careful when choosing it. Its looks can be softened by billowy shrubs, blue-gray plants, and white or gray decorative boulders.
Landscape Fabric and Plastic
This winter squash is protected by plastic landscape fabric.
These are functional ground coverings for vegetable and fruit growing. They protect the ground from weeds, hold in moisture, and keep fruits on the ground clean. Holes are punched in the fabric or plastic for plants to grow through. These “mulches” are not pretty but they do the job.
Mulch to Avoid
Colored Mulch
Colored mulch is rarely attractive in home landscapes because it’s visually overpowering. The mulch, not the plantings, takes center stage. Some even consider it tacky. It looks better suited to a parking lot landscape than a home landscape.
Fresh Bark Mulch
Never cover your beds with fresh bark mulch. If the mulch still smells of a fresh tree, it is not ready for the landscape. Why? Because freshly cut mulch binds soil nitrogen and is actually detrimental to plants. Let fresh mulch compost and break down for a while before using it.
Shredded Rubber Mulch
Shredded rubber mulch often comes from old tires.
Some will tell you that this is the best mulch for playgrounds, but shredded rubber mulch is never a good thing for the environment. It gets hot, smells as it heats up, never breaks down, and works its way into the soil to remain an annoyance forever.
Choose a garden cover that best supports your garden and personal aesthetic. May sure it blends well with your plantings and helps your plantings grow and look their best.
“I like to grow tomatoes on my steps in Brooklyn, NY. I believe I can do better and get a better product by having guidance.” Question from Chante or Brooklyn, New York
Answer: The plant in your photo looks quite healthy! As long as you have a spot with at least 8 hours of sunlight, you can grow great tomatoes. Here are five steps to growing strong, vigorous tomatoes in containers:
Plant in large containers. Tomatoes develop vast root systems and require a lot of fertilizer and water for good growth, so planting them in large containers is smart. Big pots hold more water and ensure roots will spread for better overall growth and higher tomato yields. (Be sure to provide extra water on hot summer days.)
Choose a really good potting soil that is OMRI Listed for organic gardening. I suggest Black Gold Waterhold Cocoblend Potting Mix for urban tomato growing. It holds extra water, which is a good thing in harsh urban areas.
Provide fertilizer formulated for tomatoes. Tomatoes will grow and produce best if provided a quality tomato fertilizer at the start of the season.
Cage your tomatoes. Even more compact potted tomatoes grow better and are easier to harvest if caged.
For an easy tutorial, I also recommend you watch our video below about growing tomatoes in containers.
Golden jade has remarkable sunset-hued leaves. (Image thanks to Mountain Crest Gardens)
A mature, well-formed jade (Crassula ovata) is an arboreal treasure of a house plant worthy of indoor garden ardor. Its thick, trunk-like stems ascend to a rounded top with glistening clusters of fleshy, jade-colored leaves. In winter, happy plants will do double duty by producing a wealth of starry white flowers. But, succulent connoisseurs know there are other remarkable crassulas that take everyday jades to a whole new level!
Growing Jades
Excess summer heat and sun can cause stress, resulting in orange-brown tinged foliage.
All jades are tough—a testament to their droughty African origins. They grow best in filtered or partial sunlight, and during the winter months, they require low water to mimic the dry winters of their home country. Plant them in pots of porous soil with moderate organic matter and excellent drainage. Black Gold Cactus Mix is the perfect medium for jades to dig their roots into.
In the summer, bring jades outdoors to bask in the natural heat and filtered sunlight. (If you live in USDA Hardiness Zones 9-11, you can grow them outdoors year round). Give them moderate water, and be sure to allow the soil to become quite dry between watering. Avoid placing them in full hot sun, because this can cause sunscald and heat stress, resulting in orange-brown-tinged foliage.
Before bringing them back inside in fall, check them from scale insects and mealybugs. Washing and spraying the stems and leaves with insecticidal soap will help. It’s also good to remove and replace the top inch of potting medium to remove any pests that may be harboring there.
Remarkable Jades
Golden jade
Golden Jade(Crassula ovata ‘Hummel’s Sunset’): You can’t miss golden jade, with its leaves in sunset shades of green, red, yellow, and orange. It reaches two to three feet high when mature, and its leaves are most colorful when placed in bright filtered sunlight. Golden jade is relatively slow growing and has white winter flowers.
Gollum jade
Gollum Jade (Crassula ovata ‘Gollum’): As the name suggests, the leaves of ‘Gollum’ jade look like creepy, tubular, suction-cup fingers of green with red edges. The plants age to a sturdy four feet tall and always receive comments from passersby. If you love jades, you have to grow this one!
Ripple jade (Image thanks to Mountain Crest Gardens)
Ripple Jade (Crassula arborescens subsp. undulatifolia): This more compact jade reaches just one foot high and has undulating leaves of bright blue-green. It will grow quickly if placed in bright light and bears starry white winter flowers.
Silver dollar jade
Silver Dollar Jade (Crassula arborescens): The extra-large, silvery leaves of this jade plant are edged in red. Mature specimens reach a bushy two feet high and wide, making them just the right size for potted indoor specimens. Their starry, pink and white winter flowers play off the brightly colored leaf edges.
Tricolor jade (Image thanks to Cologne University)
Tricolor Jade (Crassula ovata ‘Tricolor’): Bright variegated leaves of green, yellow, and ivory are the star of this unique jade plant. It reaches over one foot high and bears white flowers in winter. Like most variegated plants, it is slower growing than standard Crassula ovata.
Sources
When in full flower, jade plants look extra pretty.
Mountain Crest Gardens has a wonderful array of jades for online purchase, and their plants always arrive at your door fresh and healthy. You can also check quality garden centers or plant nurseries in your area that carry interesting selections of succulents.
Give your connoisseur jades good care, and they will be with you for a long time. Specimens have been known to live for as many as 100 years! They are true house plant investments.
“Getting ready to move to an 8-acre farm in Kansas. The spot we picked for the garden is about 2 acres. It’s all sunny. My question is that about 20% is kinda shady and is always wet. Is there anything that can be planted there? Want something that can grow in the damp soil and kinda shady. It gets sun but not like the rest of where we want to plant our garden. Think there might be a natural spring running underground. That’s the only spot on the land that has sun. Mature Pecan trees planted throughout the property. Don’t want to get rid of the trees. Need help with suggestions on what to plant in the wet area if anything. Thank you for your advice in advance.” Question from Carrie in Belton, Missouri
Answer: I will give you two lists of planting options for your spring-fed growing area: (1) edibles and (2) flowers adapted to wet growing areas.
Edibles for Wet Soils
A non-invasive tender edible that grows well in the wet ground and partial sun is taro (Colocasia esculenta); start it at the beginning of the warm season and harvest it before frost. Perennial herbs for wet soils include peppermint (Mentha x piperita) and native wild mint (Mentha arvensis); both are fragrant and delicious. Fruits that grow well in moist to wet soils include Canadian elderberries (Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis) and common serviceberry (Amelanchier arborea). There are also several Asian vegetables that thrive in wet soils, like water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) and butterbur (Petasites japonicus), but these are very invasive in the US, so I don’t recommend growing them.
Flowers for Wet Soils
Cardinal flower is one of many perennials for wet soils. (Image by Jessie Keith)
Beautiful flowers that thrive in wet soils and partial sun include cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), swamp sunflower (Helianthus salicifolius), and crimson-eyed rose-mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos). These are just a few to consider for your 2-acre spot. Click here to read more about Perennial Flowers for Wet Places.
