![]() Water deeply after watering the soil should be wet four to six inches down. Place shorter plants toward the front of the bed and select taller plants forward to increase variation in height.Īdd annuals and bulbs for accent and color. Remember to plan for the mature size of the plants and leave adequate room for growth.Ĭonsider foliage size, shape and texture in addition to bloom time and color.Ĭombine plants with various forms, texture and color. Plant crowns at soil level or one inch higher than soil level.Īdd two inches of mulch to planting bed, taking care not to mulch plant crowns or stems. If roots are wound around the edges of the pot, tease them out and open the root ball up before planting. Plants should have white tipped roots and pots should have a good amount of roots, but not be pot-bound. Till amendments into the soil.Īfter soil has rested, planting can begin. Till the area eight to ten inches deep, going first one direction, then the other.Īdd four to six inches of organic matter, such as soil conditioner or compost, as well as any amendments and limestone suggested in soil test. Removal of turf is particularly important grasses such as quack grass will reliably return if not removed correctly. This can be accomplished with an herbicide or by digging up plants by hand or machine. Our Extension Service can offer the soil testing service. Most perennials prefer a pH from 5.5 to 6.5. Repeat a few groupings of the same varieties throughout the bed to create a cohesive look. Plants should be grouped in quantities of three, five, or seven, with taller plants in back and shorter plants in front. Research plants, looking for information, such mature height and width, growth rate, and cultural requirements. ![]() Include plants to be used as well as focal points and features. Use graph paper to lay out planting design to scale. Will you be responsible for the gardening or will you be hiring someone? Garden bed preparation is as important as picking the plants themselves.ĭevelop a site plan. Phlox subulata is creeping phlox (aka: moss phlox) and another great choice.īefore I look up every plant for you – I want to be certain we focus the garden bed itself. You’ll find that Elfin can handle some light foot traffic, as well. Catmint ( Nepeta) another excellent mint choice is native to Europe and has naturalized in North America.Įlfin, creeping and wooly thyme are excellent choices for ground covers. Spearmint, Peppermint and Chocolate mint are superior winter survivors, however, orange mint and other more delicate mint varieties are harder to winter over. I also find that some mints do much better than others. If you were referring to Ajuga reptans, or Bugleweed, then yes, it should over winter as it’s a zone 3 grower. I’m hoping that was a typographical error and that you meant, Bugleweed. You could always test a small planting, if you don’t mind losing it to the winter, should it lose the battle. Scotch Moss is a zone 4 grower – right on the edge of your plants comfort zone. I leave my pot of Rosemary out all summer and bring it in for the winter, but it’s never in the perennial bed. Lemongrass is classed as a zone 9, strictly a tropical plant, but you might opt for Lemon Balm instead. Mondo grass and Corsican Mint are not going to make it through the winter in Vermont as they are classed for zone 6. Some of the plants you’ve listed are not plants you’ll be able to purchase easily, like the wood violet or the alpine strawberries. I really appreciate your enthusiasm for someone professing a lack of gardening knowledge. Thanks for reaching out and for the photos. On my list for wildflowers (again, okay for cats and not for mosquitos): lemon grass, catmint, rosemary, basil, bee balm, mint, sage, buglewood. On my list (both cat safe and mosquito deterring) for ground cover: white sedum, sweet woodruff, wood violets, alpine strawberry, elfin thyme, woolly thyme, creeping thyme, creeping phlox, mondo grass, scotch moss, moss phlox, corsican mint. NOTE: I AM NOT A GARDNER and have NOT A CLUE as to what I'm doing. Our back yard is northern and we just removed 45 trees that were way to close to our house (we milled them for use next year!). Wester area gets good sun most of the day but shady a lot of trees. In my research I found plenty of options but I'm not sure what is "native" to Southern VT. We also own two cats so we need it safe for them. Doing so is giving us the opportunity to remove the grass and instead install native wildflowers, ground cover, and plantings. Hi - I'm in zone 4b (West Dover, VT) and we had to re-grade our property due to standing water/drainage issues.
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