Building up the soil is the single most important factor in increased vegetable yields. A rich, deep, organic soil encourages the growth of healthy, well rooted plants that are able to reach more nutrients and water.

The fastest way to get that deep layer of fertile soil is to make raised beds. Raised beds yield up to four times more than the same amount of space planted in rows. This is due not only to their loose, fertile soil but also to the effective spacing of the plants—with the walkways around the raised beds, you have more room to grow plants in the beds.

Happy Summer Days!

Raised beds are so much easier to maintain and harvest. Perhaps there is more work on the front end of the project, but that seems to be when we have the most energy. It will make the experience so much more enjoyable in the long run. I go by plenty of “used to be vegetable gardens that are now just weedy lawn because no one was inclined to build raised beds. Raised beds are ready for planting with very little effort each spring and can easily be planted with herbs and perennials.

Raised beds also make planting, maintenance, and harvesting so much easier because they reduce the amount of time we must spend on our knees. Anyone who gardens knows the amount of knee work is endless, so if there is a way to reduce that kind of work, it should be strongly encouraged.

While seeds are being started and plants are being purchased, it’s important to consider diversity in the garden. Flowers are essential to bring pollenaters to the garden. Flowers, purely for the sake of flowers offers another dimension to the garden. First and foremost, flowers provide the perfect, in fact the only, environment for bugs, butterflies, and birds to do their work. The pollen being passed from one flower to the other creates that juicy tomato or velvety pepper.

But the best reason to grow flowers is they are beautiful! Flowers fill the garden with sweet scent, color, texture, and movement. During a summer harvest, flowers bring something extra special into the home. This spring, as we start are seeds, be sure to include some flowers, just for the fun of it.

Teacup Gardener Waterfall 1

Teacup Gardener Waterfall 2

Teacup Gardener Waterfall 3

Teacup Gardener Waterfall 4

Columbine, also known by its scientific name, Aqilegias, is a lovely Spring perennial that is native to the state of Colorado. Its lovely flowers bloom between late in the spring and early summer. The plant prefers full sun but can do very well in light shade. Columbine flowers bloom in a multitude of colors including pink, white, blue, and yellow. Cross breeding the plant can even produce bi-colored flowers.

This perennial produces flowers that are known to bloom for several weeks. Compared to the lifespan of the flowers, the actual perennial itself is considered short lived, dying after only three years. However, this short lived plant produces large amounts of seed. This makes it easy to replant the perennial yourself. One could also let the Columbine replant itself. Columbines look fantastic when planted in rock gardens or along the front and under small flowering trees in large mixed shrub and perennial border gardens. The plant should grow well in fertile, well drained soil. If the perennial is planted in areas that are poorly drained, Columbines will likely receive too much water and die. Aside from the beauty of its bloom, Columbine flowers are full of sweet nectar. For this reason, the perennial flowers are known to attract hummingbirds. If your considering planting Columbines, expect to see plenty of hummingbirds in the early summer weeks.

Pink Dogwood in the Garden

The Flowering Dogwood was once described to me as the quintessential spring blooming tree. When you hear spring bloomers, the Flowering Dogwood should be the first thing to come to mind. Also known by its botanical name, Cornus florida, The Flowering Dogwood is native to eastern North America. They can be found naturally growing in locations such as our own Tennessee, Maine, Illinois, and Florida. The Flowering Dogwood is known to bloom in April and the flowers bloom in pinks, reds,  and whites. The tree has green leaves that fade to a nice Fall color effect of dark red.

When it matures, the Flowering Dogwood can sometimes grow to be even wider than it is tall. Developing Dogwoods will need to be cleaned of their dead wood and leaves as well. The tree grows healthiest and hardiest with plenty of sun, although they can do very well in the shade. Mulch at least two inches in depth should surround newly planted trees. Frequent watering is also important to newly planted Dogwoods. Since the Flowering Dogwoods are native to eastern United States, they do very well in our Tennessee climate.

The Yoshino Cherry grows to an average of about twenty to thirty feet in height, although they can grow larger. The Yoshino Cherry is largely used in landscapes because it doesn’t get too big. The tree looks especially lovely near a water feature, where the trees reflection can be admired and the falling flowers can be seen floating peacefully in the water. Yoshino Cherries will require some pruning early on. This will ensure that the tree develops a strong structure. The tree will grow best in moist soil that is well-drained. It will also grow uneven if it is not planted in full sun. We recommend planting  in full sun to allow the plant to grow to its full potential. I always remember the scene in Mulan when the father sits under the tree and compares his daughter to the flowers.

Vegetable peelings such as potato or carrot, grass clippings, apple cores, even egg shells can be put in a compost pile to be used as a soil amendment or top dressing. A soil amendment is turned into , or incorporated into the soil by hand or by tiller to improve the soil by adding nutrients and creating good aeration. This process improves root growth and helps plants pull up vital micro nutrients.

The compost pile needs to be turned regularly to maintain the proper beneficial aerobic respiration in order to reduce the natural process of anaerobic respiration in the decomposition process.  The easy way to accomplish this is to maintain two adjacent areas to move the topmost pile to the bottom weekly or at least monthly.  This will insure a healthy and quick composting of the vegetative matter as it degrades.

Composting also saves money for homeowners and small businesses because the volume of garbage that must be collected and put in a landfill is greatly reduced. Anything vegetative can go in the compost pile. Check out this short video on composting from Clean Air Gardening:

Nelly R Stevens Hollies Flanking the Front Door

The Nellie R. Steven’s holly is a large, evergreen shrub also considered a small tree that grows to be about twenty feet tall and fifteen feet wide. It is a hardy plant  that can thrive in most climates. Nellie R. Stevens are full of thick, dark-green foliage that maintains its dark coloring all year round. They require very little maintenance and are usually resistant to pest damage. A Nellie R. Stevens should be planted in areas where it will receive full sun or partial shade. They prefer acidic soil, but the Nellie R. Stevens are adaptable and can manage in most soils.

The Nellie R. Stevens will develop a dense conical shape that is difficult to see through. For this reason, the evergreen is often used in privacy green walls to block prying eyes from the neighbors into your gardens and to prevent you from doing the same. They also perform well as a low maintenance foundation planting for the house.  They look great planted solo or a grouped to create a dense privacy or as an evergreen architectural effect in the gardens.

Nellie R. Stevens is a holly that produces bright red berries later in the year from little white blossoms. The red berries on an evergreen cutting from this holly tree perfect decorations for the Christmas season. This holly will need to be watered regularly during its first eighteen months in the ground in order to ensure that it grows a strong root structure.  The Nelly R. Stevens holly will grow as much as three feet a year with irrigation and one foot without irrigation. 

We use these well performing large shrubs in almost all of our designs because it is a stellar player in the garden and it thrives in our mid-south climate.  Don’t get caught with your plants down.  Early Winter into the early spring is the best time to plant large shrubs and trees.  Enjoy.

In order to create a proper soil content it is important to amend the beds with a composted material and a refined pine mulch product known as soil conditioner.  These amendments are then tilled and mixed into the existing soils to create an ericaceous soil bed.  Soil that azaleas are planted in must always be moist. It is important to maintain the right amount of moisture. Too much water can easily water-log the roots, killing the plant. This could happen because of a lack of drainage in the area that the azalea was planted. A common solution  to this drainage issue is to have raised beds built to aid in the drainage. The azalea can die from lack of water just as easily. The soil must be damp to the touch at all times. If the soil feels dry to the touch, then your azalea may be at risk of dying from lack of water.

If these important steps are followed, azaleas will thrive in their new home.  Most other ornamental evergreen and/or flowering deciduous plants will also benefit from the soil amending process.  This is the way to create beautiful and healthy ornamental gardens for your pleasure.

These flowers usually only last for about a day. Luckily, the plant blooms new flowers for weeks in the middle of the summer. Every day, a whole new round of spotted, orange clusters bloom for the visitors to the gardens to enjoy. One of the most interesting thing about this perennial is that its season of bloom is not necessarily its most attractive time of the year. During the fall, the vibrant green leaves of the Blackberry lily change to a bright shade of yellow. Bright orange clusters are replaced by large seed pods exploding with black seeds. The contrast of the gorgeous, Autumn-colored leaves and the bursting, black seed pods is a striking sight. It can be so impressive that some gardeners prefer the fall wardrobe of the plant as opposed to the summer. The physical appearance of these seeds very closely resembles blackberries. This gives reason to the name “Blackberry” lily.