Today I planted and arranged fall flowers at my house.  While rushing to get that chore done so I could move on to the next, it hit me.  Maybe some of you folks could use some tips on this.

How can I work underneath a wide plant and keep my sanity?

Right?  It can be a real nuisance “getting down in there”.  In this instance it’s a mum, one of the popular fall flowers.

The idea is simple.  Carefully tie up and bundle the branches so you can see what you’re doing.  Frankly, this trick applies to working underneath and around many types of plants.

Remember to mark the nicest side (face) of the mum before tying it up.  A little piece of string works great for this.

I’m using a piece of Arbor Tie to tie up the mum.  It’s wider than string and very soft.  For delicate plants (like a mum), something like this works great.  I’ve also rolled up a piece of burlap and tied that around the plant.  You get the idea.

How to keep top-heavy fall flowers from falling over.

Frequently we arrange fall flowers just in their nursery pots above ground.  These seasonal arrangements can get very creative by arranging the plants at different heights and positions.  How often, though, do you see them tipped over?

Here’s a simple fix.  Use 3 bamboo garden stakes per mum to “stake” them in place.

Push each bamboo stake through a drainage hole up from the bottom.  Angle the stake in a bit so you stay in the “meat” of the root ball.

Let them stick out the bottom 1/2″ or so and set the plant where you like it.  Push each stake down into the ground and/or hay bale.  Prune off the excess bamboo on top.

Seasonal arrangements, like with fall flowers, add something special for that time of year.  But like everything else in the landscape, there’s a practical and functional side.

Mums and other fall flowers must be kept moist.  By planting them in either the ground or larger planters you slow down the moisture loss.

For those you arrange above ground the bamboo staking method ensures they stay put.  Just be aware that these plants will require more frequent waterings.

For those in the trade, you don’t want to be spending more time than you have to on these seasonal arrangements.  But, like always, the results are important.  Use these tricks to make things easier on you.  Plus, you’ll get fewer call backs, more happy customers and possibly the greatest compliment of all…referrals.

There are so many creative ideas out there for seasonal displays.  If you’re into it, feel free to share any techniques or styles you may use in the comments.

Let’s take a look at this corner foundation planting to see how its variety of elements will give interest no matter what time of  year it is.First, I’d like to mention that this designer shows nice continuity in this garden by working with groupings of like plants.  If you do anything when composing a garden, try to think in terms of “brush strokes” with the plants. This one design principle will help get you on your way to a well-composed garden.

Dimensional Interest

Don’t let the phrase scare you.  What I’m talking about is taking some of the “flat” away.  Imagine for a minute the space from the belgian block curb to the building as “flat” (well, pitched slightly for drainage, right?).  How much less interesting would it be?  By incorporating several boulders and extra soil this foundation planting takes on a whole new and interesting dimension. Now please don’t go out there and put boulders in every garden you do.  Boulder placement and usage is another topic unto itself, but just see how it can add to a garden whether it’s summer or winter.

Textural Interest

Textures can be categorized as: fine, medium and coarse.  Often you can combine two if a texture falls between the two terms, e.g. medium-coarse.  Texture is certainly a design characteristic to consider.  The contribution  plants offer for texture is huge.  This foundation planting is showing some nice variety with texture, however I would have looked to add something a bit “coarser” for even more contrast. Perhaps an interesting variety of hosta.

Color Interest

Naturally we all first think of flower color as the way to get color into the garden.  But there’s color in other elements and features as well.  Here in the northeast where our flowering seasons are relatively short, you really have to consider other ways to get color into the landscape.

• Leaf  color can not only give variety of color, but it’s color that will last (as long as the leaves are on the plant).  Evergreens will give foliage color all year.  In fact, it will vary as the newer foliage comes out and matures each year.
• Stem and bark color is an absolute consideration especially with deciduous plants.  Think of a leafless birch or Red Twig dogwood…just beautiful!
• Boulders, gravel and stone are natural elements that offer many hues and colors.
• Decorative features and structures that are man-made can, in most instances, be done in any color you wish. Think of the beautiful planters, urns, statuary, arbors, trellises…

Always keep in mind that every beautiful garden has evolved over time and will continue to evolve.  And it’s not just the changes that occur through the growth and maturing of the plantings, but it’s also the changes and enhancements that you bring.  This is one of the great truths about the landscape.

This is Hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’ and perhaps many of you are already  familiar with it.  When it first came out in production ‘E.S.’ had limited availability, and this scarcity probably just added to the hype.  Production has caught up with demand and most garden centers now carry it.

So What Makes Hydrangea ‘Endless Summer’ So Great?

Its got a number of characteristics that give it this recognition in the gardening / landscape community.

Bigleaf Hydrangeas have always filled a wonderful niche in the composition of gardens with seasonal interest.  There aren’t many woody shrubs that give such a show of color during the summer.

‘Endless Summer’ is a variety of Bigleaf Hydrangea that improves on a number of the shortcomings of the standard plant.  The most notable being its ability to bloom on the new growth of the season.  (The standard Bigleaf Hydrangea would bloom on last year’s stems, and then only if the winter did not kill the buds.)  Plus, if you remove the spent blooms on ‘Endless Summer’, odds are good you’ll get repeat bloom.  This means you could have blooms from June until frost.  Amazing!

‘Endless Summer’ is a mop-head type hydrangea.  As with other Bigleaf varieties, its flower color is affected by the soil’s PH.  In alkaline soils the flowers will be pink, and in acidic soils the flowers will be blue.  FYI: you can move soils from alkaline to more acidic by adding aluminum sulphate to the soil.  ‘E.S.’ Hydrangea will do quite well in partial shade.  In full sun they can droop a bit at the hottest time of the day, especially if they’re a little dry.

Give yourself a treat (if you haven’t already) and find a spot in your garden for ‘Endless Summer’.

Arriving at a new job-site the other day we came across this patch of spring bulbs.  They were crocus poking up through the Japanese Juniper ground-cover.  What an interesting use of crocus.  They’re certainly not one of the formal-use type spring bulbs.  Crocus are more informal and typically used in naturalized settings.

My guess is this quirky but beautiful scene wasn’t planned, but just happened.  I’m thinking the juniper was planted at a time of year when the crocus were below ground and not visible (who knew?).

During my schooling I remember an instructor who suggested filling a bucket with spring bulbs such as crocus and daffodils and broadcasting them around by hand.  Then plant them wherever they lie.  Yes, he was a little nutty, but he made a valid point.  With bulbs such as these try to think creatively and in an uncontrived manner just as nature would display her colors and plants.

The other important point here is if you intend to do bulb planting for spring color, mark it on your calendar for the fall.  This is when the garden centers bring in their selections.

Things To Know About Spring Bulbs

Why plant spring bulbs in the fall you ask?  2 reasons: 1) so the bulbs have time to develop a root system before winter and 2) to satisfy the cold requirements of the bulbs to flower in the spring.

Let the soil temperatures cool from the summer heat before planting.  Rule is 60 degrees or below.  You don’t have to go sticking a meat thermometer in the ground.  Soil that is “cool to the touch” works just fine.  Here in northern New Jersey we start planting spring bulbs in October.

If you have to store the bulbs for awhile before planting, choose a spot that is cool and out of direct sunlight.

Drainage, like with so many other plants, is key.  Make sure it’s not a low lying area or one with heavy, constantly wet soil.

Here’s a great “bulb” site by VanBloem Gardens with additional information and a planting-depth chart for reference.

Bulb Planting Methods

On our landscape projects we’ll install bulbs in either of two ways:

1. Excavate the bulb planting area.  The soil is removed and lowered to the recommended planting depth for that bulb type.  Loosen the base soil a bit to help drainage.  You can also amend the soil with peat and compost at this time if needed.  Also, mix in a slow release fertilizer.
2. Drill individual holes with a bulb auger.  We use a heavy duty electric drill with a 1/2″ chuck.  This is a great method for quickly and efficiently planting bulbs.

Sometimes we’re all a little “burnt out” for gardening work come fall.  You just have to think about the great show of color in the spring after a long winter and that usually motivates this one last chore.

For those in the trade, it seems like every homeowner loves the idea.  If you ask, they’ll likely go ahead with the work.  Plus, it gets your project looking extra special first thing in the spring.

I took these pictures of homes I happen to pass in my travels. I can’t say whether these fall arrangements were done by a business or simply by the homeowner, but I will tell you that it’s not difficult to put something like this together.

Color choice(s) is the one thing to focus on.  It really comes down to likes and dislikes with color because today flower color arrangements can be anything you like.

Keep It Simple

Now that you have an idea of color preferences for the mums, what else might you need?  Don’t over complicate things.  Think mums, possibly decorative kale, pumpkins & gourds, corn stalks and hay bales.  That’s all you’ll need in a autumn arrangement.

Make sure you include the hay bales. They not only add another element to the design, but enable you to set things at different heights and this really adds depth and interest.

How Much Of Everything?

Each one of these items takes up space. Unlike in a living landscape, you don’t have to consider growth.  In fact, notice in the pictures how the elements are all touching. This is purely decorative and temporary.

Look at the space or area where the autumn arrangement is to go.  If there’s a building or structure involved, try to nestle around it.  Get some height in the arrangement next to the structure for starters (think corn stalks and hay bales).

Now imagine the space each of these elements (pumpkins, flowers & kale) take up.  Let’s say each averages 18″ or so.  A group of 3 would fill a space roughly 30″ by 30″. If you think in terms of groups of 3, you should arrive at total number of elements in a given area.  Now divide that total number of elements into pumpkins, flowers & kale.

Yes, you can be that casual about it because if you follow a “rough count” formula like this, you can always make it work.  All these elements are “movable”. Play around with them until it “just feels right“.

I hope you enjoy these shots and if you find yourself grumbling over the autumn leaves that just blew in on top of your recently cleaned driveway, breathe deep the crisp air, marvel at the warm, rich colors and be glad it’s not snow. I bet you’re wondering what positive points I might be making about winter, well I have at least a couple of months to think of “one”:).