Kym Pokorny shares 'Going Dry' suggestions

Last week, in The Oregonian's HGNW (Homes & Gardens of the Northwest) section, garden writer Kym Pokorney referenced Joy Creek Nursery co-owner Maurice Horn and other garden experts in her article "Going Dry: The right plants and practices can tame the garden's thirst." The piece, about drought-tolerant plants, can be accessed on the OregonLive.com website.

Pokorny mentioned several related, upcoming Joy Creek classes in the article:

• The new Western garden, Paul Bonine, co-owner, Xera Plants, Sunday, July 29

• Gardening in dry shade, Richie Steffen, coordinator of horticulture for the Elisabeth C. Miller Botanical Garden and a committee member of Great Plant Picks, Sunday, Aug. 26

• Ground covers for dry shade or hot sun, Ramona Wulzen, Sunday, Sept. 2

• Low-water gardening, Maurice Horn, co-owner, Joy Creek Nursery, Sunday, Sept. 23

For more garden-related news and information, be sure to check out Kym Pokorny's blog Dig in with Kym

(Note: The graphic shown in this blog entry is courtesy of The Oregonian and may be downloaded in PDF form at the OregonLive.com link above.)

© 2007 Joy Creek Nursery

Planting Summer Containers

By Nadine Black

This is not your usual "how to" article. I am going to give you some factual information, but this is really about getting your imagination going.

When you close your eyes and imagine a container for your summer garden, what do you see? When I ask myself this question, my answer seems to be a regurgitation of what I've just seen in the latest magazine I've looked at. I want to break away from that habit. How about you?

OK, where do we start? I think, with the purpose of the pot. It is to enhance and excite my outdoor living space for the summer. What size do I want? Will it rest on a pedestal? Do I want bright colors? Is it for sun or shade? How do I water it? Do I want to put plants in to extend the interest beyond the summer. Yes, this is a pop quiz! I always make my customers consider their answers to these questions before the fun starts. You'd be amazed how much time and money you can save by doing a little "homework."

I'm going to do two pots in detail and then make some suggestions for others. The first pot is a large (40 inch) terra cotta pot. It will be placed in partial shade. The pot will be seen occasionally during the winter since it will be difficult to move. This means some of the plants must be perennial and have some winter interest.

The most important thing, however, is that it be "smashing" during the summer. The anchor plant in this pot will be Acer japonica 'Orangeola' which has orange tipped new growth and sunset orange fall color. It is also a slow growing dwarf and will live in this pot for a long time. Next is Fuchsia 'Thalia' (above) with its fire-cracker orange blooms that continue all summer. The foliage on this plant is bronze/burgundy.

In two places, I am planting five Heuchera 'Marmalade' (at left) whose foliage echoes the orange tints of the maple. This plant is evergreen, so it will have some presence during the winter. Now, for the "smashing" part. To me, great impact means lots of contrast. In this case, I mean color contrast. The relatively "blendy" color combination I've described so far will become enlivened with the addition of citron yellow Coleus and bright pink 'Pink Madness' petunias. Finally, right at the base of the maple, I'm planting a blood-red Rex-type Begonia.

The second pot will be a hanging basket for sun. I'll begin with Verbena 'Homestead Purple' which loves heat and blooms all summer. Be sure to groom it regularly to keep the flowers coming. Fuchsia 'Lena' (at right) with its purple and white flowers, echoes the verbena. (You may think fuchsias are shade plants but they do fine in sun in the Pacific Northwest as long as adequate water is provided.) In order to provide some texture variation, I'm adding Ajuga 'Catlin's Giant.' This ground-cover has a wide burgundy leaf and sports purple-blue flower spikes. For added interest, I'm going to slip in a dwarf conifer called Cryptomeria japonica 'Compacta.' This evergreen has gray green summer foliage that turns a copper color in winter.

So, to review, create contrast either with texture or color or both; try plant groups you don't normally associate with containers, i.e., house plants, dwarf trees, conifers and shrubs; go tropical or Mediterranean (you know you've wanted to!) - bananas, palms, cannas, echiverias, and agaves lend an air of mystery and the feeling of being in a different place.

Here are some practical considerations. If you are using perennials and plan to make the container permanent, mix compost into your potting soil. Potting soil is sterile and provides no nutrition to the plants. Use a balanced slow release fertilizer for basic needs and a bloom booster for consistent color. In order to be sure the smaller pots or hanging pots don't dry out, mix a moisture-holding polymer such as Soil Moist into your soil before planting. Finally, enjoy your containers from the planning to the final product.

Nadine Black tried on many hats in our industry - from private gardener to wholesale plant sales - before she discovered that her real passion was helping retail customers create gardens. At Joy Creek Nursery, she has found a new set of hats, managing retail sales, conducting on-site garden consultations, and teaching workshops. In addition, she has acquired the Lifetime Certified Oregon Nursery Professional certificate from the Oregon Association of Nurseries.

© 2007 Joy Creek Nursery

Photo: Joy Creek Photo Archive © all rights reserved

Joy Creek's Five Plantsfor the More Experienced

Along with writer Kym Pokorny's recent Nursery Destinations: Joy Creek piece in The Oregonian was a series of sidebars. The one titled Joy Creek's Five Plants for the More Experienced listed the following plant suggestions for gardeners:

1. Lobelia tupa, an unusual lobelia with spiky, tropical-looking felted foliage. Purple-tinged stems soar to 6 feet and are crowned with a spike of warm red flowers.

2. Hydrangea serrata 'Miyama Yae-murasaki,' a Japanese lacecap hydrangea with fully double sterile florets that seem to float above the hill of fertile florets. Blooms start out pink or lavender but turn red along with foliage by late summer.

3. Clematis recta 'Purpurea,' purple-foliaged herbaceous clematis with sweetly scented white flowers. Cut back after first bloom for a repeat of fresh purple foliage and bloom. Needs a bit of support from companion shrubs or a single stake and some garden twine.

4. Zauschneria 'Bowman's Hybrid,' an upright form with silver-gray foliage and bright orange flowers. "Brings in color late in the season," Smith says. A tough plant that will adapt to heavier garden soils.

5. Brunnera macrophylla 'Jack Frost,' the best shade plant there is. "Everything a forget-me-not ought to be," says Smith.

Image: Sidebar from The Oregonian

© 2007 Joy Creek Nursery

Joy Creek's Five Easy Plants

Along with writer Kym Pokorny's recent Nursery Destinations: Joy Creek piece in The Oregonian was a series of sidebars. The one titled Joy Creek's Five Easy Plants listed the following plant suggestions for gardeners:

1. Echinacea purpurea, in all its forms. The only way to kill this plant is perhaps give it too much water. (The Joy Creek website lists 'Magnus,' 'Ruby Star,' and 'White Swan.')

2. Sarcococca ruscifolia, glossy evergreen with super-fragrant white flowers. "People have the belief that from the end of October to March nothing is going on in the garden," says Mike Smith. This plant, blooming in February, proves that's not true.

3. Helleborus x hybridus, a perennial with the power to wow in winter. (Numerous options are listed on the Joy Creek website)

4. Clematis 'Polish Spirit,' a large clematis with red-purple flowers that increases rapidly and is very generous of bloom from June to October. Give it some room.

5. Fuchsia 'Old Fashioned,' a hardy fuchsia with carmine sepals and lavender corollas. Once established, it needs water only three to four times a year and "blooms its silly head off," says Maurice Horn.

Image: Sidebar from The Oregonian

© 2007 Joy Creek Nursery

Renovating tired lawns with gravel

Last week, in the Homes & Gardens of the Northwest section of The Oregonian, writer Kym Pokorny featured Joy Creek Nursery in the article Nursery Destinations: Joy Creek. In another article in the same issue, Advice for a Rock-Solid Lawn, Pokorny also highlighted the nursery's use of gravel on a lawn to open the soil and allow roots to grown deeper.

The recipe for doing so was included as a sidebar to the feature. Here it is:

BASIC RECIPE

Best done in April-May or September-October

1. Mow grass short.

2. Spread one inch of 1/4-10 crushed gravel (don't use anything smaller, as it compacts and turns into concrete) over the entire surface. Work into grass and level it out.

3. Spread 1 inch of compost mulch over entire surface, working into grass and leveling. Usually a fair amount of gravel will show through.

4. Top-seed lawn and rake into mulch.

5. Top-fertilize with an organic fertilizer.

6. Water. Repeat watering as needed to keep surface moist until grass seed sprouts.

7. Mow when needed in approximately two to four weeks.

NOTES

The basic recipe can be applied once or twice a year to correct the surface of the lawn.

The recipe can be changed to less than or more than an inch, depending on how rough the surface of the lawn.

The deeper the gravel and mulch, the more grass seed you'll need to replace existing grass that can't grow through the thicker gravel layers.

You can kill the lawn completely before the basic recipe is applied. This works especially well to kill off undesirable vegetation.

If you decide you need to kill, till 6-8 inches deep. Then add 2 inches 1/4-10 and 2 inches of compost. Rake out, roll lightly to compress air out of soil (this is the only time you'll need a roller). Seed and top-dress with chopped grass straw (available at Hobbs & Hopkins Ltd., 503-239-7518).

At Joy Creek, we use Pro-Time grass seed, also available at Hobbs & Hopkins.

Source: Joy Creek Nursery

Image: Article from The Oregonian

© 2007 Joy Creek Nursery

Nursery Destinations: Joy Creek

Today, in the Homes & Gardens of the Northwest section of The Oregonian, writer Kym Pokorny featured Joy Creek Nursery in the article Two gardeners in search of perennials found their niche. The piece features a history of the nursery operation, a listing of some our upcoming classes, and some great photos of our plant offerings. Plant images featured include Ribes x gordonianum, Pulstilla vulgaris and Clematis 'Constance.'

Pokorny also included items about Joy Creek's Five Easy Plants, Five Plants for the More Experienced, and a listing of some of our 28 past plant introductions. Watch future Joy Creek Times entries for more information about those article sections - and our recipe for renovating tired lawns with gravel that she covered in another article in the weekly gardening section.

For more great gardening reading check out Pokorny's blog, Dig in with Kym.

Image: Article from The Oregonian

© 2007 Joy Creek Nursery