Sue's Garden
photos by Susan Stanek
"The Economical Gardener" "I Confess, I love Annuals" "Garden Inventory"
"The Economical Gardener" by Susan Stanek
I'm an economical gardener because I cannot afford to
spend hundreds of dollars every growing season on mulch, plastic, and annuals. I
have a solution to these dilemmas that I've been practicing for many years, and
it seems to work for me. I am a perennial gardener. The benefits of a perennial
garden are many. I don't have to re-plant flowers, nor sew the seeds of, and I
even get away without the use of plastic and mulch. Perennials are easily
propagated, ground covers eliminate the need for mulch and weeding, and the
flowers bloom in succession through out the entire growing season.
One misconception that people have about a perennial garden is that it's green,
and that there isn't much going on in terms of color and flowers. A proper
garden, whether it is a perennial, or an annual garden, should always have
something blooming. Any time you come to my house I should have some flower, or
some feature of interest to see. Perennial plants have different blooming times
according to the plant type and species. For example, in spring bulbs like
hyacinth bloom, while in early summer iris and poppy bloom. Mid summer is when
the day lilies bloom, and fall is adorned with mums and ornamental grasses.
Annuals are useful for filling in spaces and add immediate color. Filling in
spaces with plants prevents weeds from taking over the flower bed. Instead of
using mulch I use ground covers to add interest and texture, but mainly they
keep my weeding job down, and my pocket book closed. Annual flowers can be used
to fill the spaces also, or at least until the ground covers expand and
perennial flowers mature. The concept here is that if there is bare ground,
nature will claim it. I know that if I don't plant a ground cover that a weed
like sheep sorrel or plantain will colonize the space. So I choose which plants
grow where, working with nature instead of against it.
Annual flowers are very beautiful and colorful. An annual plant knows that it
only has one year to live, thrive, and reproduce. That's why they put all of
their energy into producing flowers, and more importantly, seeds. Unfortunately,
often times by late summer most annuals loose their flowers, and have gone to
seed. Most annuals will die directly after casting their seeds, while others
wait for frost to kill them. Basil is my favorite annual. Even when I bring the
plant indoors for winter, it still dies after it flowers. I pinch off the
flowers to make it's growing season longer, but it still eventually dies. The
stems become woody, and leaf production slows. Once an annual has used every
stem for flowers, it will die. They have to. They spent all of their energy on
seed, and that is their idea of a successful life.
Perennials have a larger view on life. They find success in manufacturing seeds
and flowers, but also root production. Because of this many are able to be
divided. A mature daylily, or hosta can be divided and transplanted easily. This
means that the plant, when it becomes large, can have up to half of the root
ball sliced off. Dividing is an easy way to get new plants with out buying them.
When transplanting plants, the roots might have been torn or scathed from the
division process, and the plant is under stress thereof. That is why if there
are flowers they should be pinched off so that the energy of the plant goes into
the root instead of the bloom. This ensures survival. Don't worry about flowers,
worry about the roots. Plants are like icebergs in that you only see half of the
specimen. Look at a tree and understand that what you see is also just as big
below ground. By taking care of the roots you will be rewarded with many flowers
the next season.
My addiction I confess: I like annuals.
I do confess, I love annuals in the garden. I am
infatuated with color, and during the scheduled mid-summer drought annuals are
the only things that came through for me. They don't have to wait for the rains
to stimulate them. Plus, they're on sale in mid to late summer, and I was able
to cheaply brighten my yard with a variety of petunias. My geraniums winter
indoors, and now that they are outside they bloom their red tears among the
maple boughs while even the grass is brown.
I realized my addiction to floral color long ago when I came up with the concept
that as long as it is flowers, no color can clash, the more the better. The best
garden compliment I can give is to say, "That is ridiculous! Ridiculous color,
just absurd!"
My addiction has been rekindled upon the arrival of many new, mature potted
plants from Blackie's house. My deck and sitting area is now booming with
blooms. It is almost ridiculous.
Sue's perennial garden inventory, on one acre in Michigan
Ornamental Grasses: 7 species, 28 individuals.
Perennial Flowers: 38 species, including over 200 tulips, countless iris and
lilies.
Herbs: 23 species, including 7 types of mint.
Ferns: 4 species, 8 individuals.
Bushes (excluding 2 hedge rows): 7 species, including 5 rose, 7 lilacs, 14 rose
of sharon, 5 raspberry.
Vines and Ground Covers: 10 species, including 5 grape vines of two varieties.
Trees: 19 species, 10 full size individuals, 7 species of ornamental, 51
individual trees.
