Sedum Autumn Joy - a Great Choice

Sedum Autumn Joy: my favorite plant for the second part of the garden year.  It’s a plant as dependable and adaptable as one could wish.  They are blooming from August into November - opening pink and then maturing to a copper tone.  The Sedums are very popular with bees, as they are one of the longest-blooming flowers in your garden.

They are water-wise plants and grow best in lean soil that’s on the dry side and has poor fertility. So better don't fertilize them.  All sedum plants, including ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum, crave sunshine. 

Varieties Galore:

Sedum Kamtschaticum
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: to 4 inches tall
Zones: 3-9

Sedum 'Purple Emperor'
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: to 15 inches tall
Zones: 3-7

Sedum 'Frosty Morn'
This sedum has great foliage and beautiful pink flowers in late summer.
Name: Sedum 'Frosty Morn'
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: to 12 inches tall
Zones: 3-9

Sedum-Frosty
Growing Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: to 15 inches tall
Zones: 3-7



Sedum prefers moderately fertile soil in full sun but doesn’t mind less water. They grow up to two feet tall and wide and show succulent-like stems and leaves.  Sedums are very easy to propagate, just cut stem pieces in early summer.  Divide mature Sedum plants every three years in early spring before it grows two inches high. 

Read more:

https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/flowers-and-plants/sedum-autumn-joy

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Never Water Again

If you are living in the South-West of the US, you know the dilemma: To be a good citizen and water-wise and at the same time having a beautiful garden is not easy.  But there are gorgeous plants that can help you to achieve just that.

Visiting once the San Francisco Bay area (especially the Ruth Bancroft Garden) and Monterey - and everything in between - I fell in love with Ice Plant aka Blue Chalk Fingers aka Senecio Mandraliscae. There are few, if any, plants this silver-blue! 

The Succulents and More blog reports: “This spreading succulent from South Africa produces stems that crawl along the ground and eventually form fairly dense mats. It’s VERY drought-tolerant but grows more quickly with regular irrigation. Senecio Mandraliscae is perfect for larger areas, and like many other succulents, and is extremely easy to propagate. Simply stick a cutting in well-draining (sandy) soil and it will begin to root within a week." 

The Ice Plant / Chalk Finger makes a marvelous ground cover and fits well together with a group of Agave "Blue Glow".

Help to Fight the Drought - Become Water-wise:
Small adjustments can have a big impact. Get nearly 100+ water-saving tips in these articles

http://wateruseitwisely.com/site-map/

http://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/

http://wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/landscape-care/principles-of-xeriscape-design/low-water-use-plants/

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The Greatest Garden Hose Ever - NEW PRICE

Only USD39.99 for a 100ft Expanding Garden Hose

Last month I helped a friend during her month-long trip to Europe to keep the garden in shape - which meant to water it almost daily during this heat wave...  I expected to haul heavy garden hoses through her extensive property.  But no: She had a wonderful lightweight garden hose that looked like crinkled fabric and expanded from one end of the garden, around the house, and all the way to the other side of the property fence. 

She showed me how to use this amazing garden hose: 

• First, you roll the hose completely from the holder
• Only then, you open the faucet
• Once the water runs through the hose, it expands to its full length

It works like a charm! The hose is so light and so easy to use, it's suddenly a total pleasure to water the garden, and so much faster. No twisting and kinking and forth and back running, like it used to be with the old, heavy garden hoses. 

I wrote this article two summers ago, and now the prices

for this wonderful garden device dropped to less than half:

Order here:

• Expands 3 times its length when water pressure is on
• Contracts to its original length when pressure is off
• Weights 5 times less than traditional garden hose
• Self-drains itself when not in use
• Never tangles, twists or kinks
• Easy to store in very small places

Check out their whole collection of great watering tools with free shipping!

★LIGHTWEIGHT WILL NOT TWIST TANGLE OR KINK. This hose does everything the other hoses claim only better. Don't waste your hard earned money on products that work for a couple days or weeks then fall apart.

★SOLID BRASS ENDS. No more leaks around the plastic fittings. We designed the mold to give you the best brass fittings available today. Don't be fooled by imitations.

★INDESTRUCTIBLE DOUBLE LAYER LATEX CORE. We talked to our engineers after hearing about all the other hoses leaking and came up with a product that will hold water at pressures that are out of this world.

★12 Month Warranty for Manufacturing

Watering Your Garden:

Never water your yard in the heat of the day. First, you waste a lot of water due to evaporation and second it CAN burn your grass or plant leaves. Best time to water is from 5am until no later than about 8am.

You are doing fine to water two or three times a week, soaking the soil thoroughly. Those people who water every single day and over-water are creating lawns that develop short shallow roots and are susceptible to dying in the winter if there is a bad freeze. 

In the summer their grass requires MORE water as the roots are not digging down deep looking for a water source either nor are they able to retain the moisture being that close to the surface. The deeper the roots the better your grass will survive a long hot and dry summer and a freezing cold winter. 

In flower beds, Mulch is your best friend to help retain water/moisture in those areas and keep them from drying out.

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How to Care for Azaleas and Rhododendrons

Rhododendrons are a gardeners delight - and so are Azaleas.  Both thrive in acidic, well-drained soil with lots of organic matter.  But what to do when your is clay or loam?

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The American Rhododendron Society gives lots of valuable tips:

"Before planting test the drainage, dig a hole about 10 to 12 inches deep and fill it with water. Then after it drains, fill it with water again and see how long it takes to drain.  If the hole drains within an hour you have good drainage.  If the water has not drained out of the hole within one hour, the soil is poorly drained and you must correct the drainage problem before planting.  Planting in raised beds is the best solution in heavy soils." 
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Soil pH Value:
"Rhododendrons and Azaleas will let you know if the pH is not correct.  If the leaves turn yellow between green veins then you most likely have a pH problem.  Materials commonly used to lower soil pH are wettable sulfur or ferrous sulfate.  Do not use aluminum sulfate to acidify the soil; it is toxic to rhododendron and azalea roots.  Avoid planting azaleas near concrete sidewalks, driveways or foundations that may leach out lime which raises the pH."
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Soil Mix:  
"About half of the planting medium should be organic material.  Combinations of sphagnum peat moss, pine or fir bark fines, compost, and aged, chopped leaves should be worked into the soil to a depth of about 12".  Oak leaves are excellent."  Read more tips at their website.
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The South Shore of Nova Scotia, Canada, is blessed with a mild climate, perfect for Rhododendrons.  No wonder that there is such an abundance of Rhododendron in all colors in every garden and here, the Rhododendrons are not just small shrubs, but huge ones, almost tree-like.  See images of gardens on the South Shore at a former blog post.

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Enchanting Shade Gardens

Shade gardens can be as lovely and even more interesting than sunny flower beds.  One of the advantages of deciduous shade trees for example is that many lovely flowers which require spring sun but summer shade will grow beneath them: Anemones, Trout Lilies, Shooting Stars, Trilliums, Bleeding Hearts, Foam Flowers, Primulas, Salomon's Seal, Goats Beard, Azaleas and Rhododendrons.  A great benefit is that flowers grown in shade last longer and maintain their colour intensity better than those grown in full sun, such as Heucheras or Hostas. 
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Another tips for very dark and dry shade areas: Get bright, light colored, large planters to place your flowers in, and if there is a fence or dark wall behind, decorate it with lots of mirrors or a white trellis.

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Nutritious Soil and Sufficient Water.
No matter where you garden - in shade or sun - your plants will only thrive when you feed them well with the right soil, compost and regularly watering, especially near or beneath trees and large shrubs. Trees take up all the moisture (even prevent rain to reach the soil) and nutrients, so there is nothing left for your attractive flowers if you don't soak the soil every other day. 

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What to Plant in Shade Areas?
Often there is not only light shade, but almost dark areas underneath a group of trees. Choose the lightest colors you can find in flowers and leaves, such as yellow or light copper Heucheras, white Bleeding Hearts, white or pink Astilbes, orange Azaleas, white, yellow or light pink Rhododendrons or the classic, white-blooming Hydrangeas.
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Find a long list of plants for for different types of shade for gardening zones 3 - 7 at Canadian Gardening  or at a former post of this Garden-Dream blog, including images of shade-loving plants.

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