A Weekend of Gardens

Two events on the docket for our gardening friends this weekend!  Spread the word and come and see us in the vendor area at, "A Garden Extravaganza" 6th Annual Garden Conference in Marquette, MI June 15th, 2013 from 8 AM to 3:30 PM.  This event takes place at the University Center on the campus of Norther Michigan University.  Workshop topics include gardening for sustainability, how to attract birds and bees, bog gardening, container gardening, and much more. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $60.00.  This includes full access to vendor area, seminars, and workshops as well as lunch. See conference brochure: http://www.mqtbeautification.org/index.html

Jeff Epping, director of horticulture at the Olbrich Botanical Gardens, will be the keynote speaker for the conference. Jeff Epping has been Director of Horticulture at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison Wisconsin since 1994. Epping and his staff have practiced and preached sustainable gardening for years, which is reflected in their environmentally friendly cultural practices and innovative award winning garden designs. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin Madison, Epping holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Ornamental Horticulture. He worked at the Chicago Botanic Garden before joining the staff at Olbrich and has visited, studied and photographed gardens throughout the US, UK, France and Thailand. Epping regularly lectures and teaches on landscape plants and designs for northern gardens. Many of his photos have been seen in regional journals, nationally recognized gardening books and professional horticultural publications

Also this weekend we will be having our annual Up Scapes Nursery Sale and Open House on Sunday June 16th from noon to 7:00 PM.  Join us for plants, snacks, and great garden conversation.  We would be happy to help you with designing a new bed, troubleshooting plant problems, and sharing some of our favorite new varieties. You can find us at E4021 East Louds Spur Road in Chatham MI.  Look for "plant sale" signs! http://uplandscapes.com/

Michigan Natives

Collection of MI and Midwest native varieties presented at the TLC Garden Walk 

Native plants offer undeniable benefits to a home landscape.  Native plants are predisposed to do well in their native environment. They are often deer resistant, drought tolerant, and easy to maintain.  Properly placed, taking consideration to soil type, light and moisture needs, these native varieties can be self-sustaining.  In addition. . .they can be absolutely stunning. Native plants do not require supplemental watering once established nor do they need fertilization.  They are winter hearty and provide food and habitat required by native birds and butterflies.  They improve your landscape biodiversity and are an important step to improving the vitality and biological health of the upper peninsula. 

There are some limits to the wonders of native planting.  Some varieties of natives are so dependent on a specific location that transplanting is not an option. Other stunning varieties of native wild flowers, although tempered by other plants in the wild, can be highly invasive in the home garden with it's rich soil, consistent irrigation, and lack of competition.  Size can also be limiting, especially when the cute transplanted tamarack  or bushy white pine becomes a tree.  Sourcing can also be limiting as few garden centers market native varieties.

Even with these limitations, it is well worth your time and effort to try to incorporate the native into your garden.     

Some of our Favorites: (not all are native specifically to the UP, but qualify as midwest natives)  

(Carex pennsylvanica - Common Oak Sedge)

Early Spring (April 13th 2012) Staghorn Sumac in background

(Rudbeckia) 

Shrubs

Comptonia peregrina - Sweet Fern 
Pinus Strobus - Dwarf White Pine 

Physocarpus opulifolius - Nine Bark (dwarf varieties are also available)

Cornus sericea - Red Twigged Dogwood 

Rhus typhina - Staghorn Sumac 

Hypericum - St John's Wort 

Perennials (S for sun SH for shade)

Allium Cernuum - Nodding Wild Onion (S)

Coreopsis (S)

Echinachea (S) - Purple Cone Flower 

Liatris - Blue Star (S)

Lobelia Cardinalis - Cardinal Flower (S)

Penstemon - Beard Tongue (S)

Tradescantia Ohienisis - Common Spiderwort (S)

Aster Divaricatus - White Wood Aster (SH)

Carex Pensylvanica (SH)

Polemonium Reptans - Jacobs Ladder (SH)

Sedum Turnatum - Woodland stonecrop sedum (SH)

Asclepias tuberosa - Butterfly Weed (S)

Asclepias Syriaca - Common Milkweed (S) (be careful to stick to only one asclepias variety in your garden.  More than one will cause issues with pollination and asclepias will take over!)

Baptisia - Wild Indigo (S)
Chelone glabra - Turtle head (SH)

Eupatorium purpureum - Joe Pye Weed (S) 

Opunita humifusa - Eastern Prickly Pear (Cacti for the north woods!) (S)

Rudbeckia hirta - Black Eyed Susan (S)
Solidago - Goldenrod (S-SH depending on variety)

Above is the list of plants we have had success with in the UP and northern Wisconsin regions.  Please do your research for your specific situation.  Plants will only thrive if given what they want.  It easier and ultimately more successful to find the perfect plant for a spot rather than amend the spot for the plant.  

Where to find them:

Up Scapes Nursery - Call us for availability on native shrubs and perennials 906-439-5387

Alger County Conservation District 

Rock River Perennial Gardens 

Going Crazy for Carex

Michael and I tend to discuss plants a lot. It just comes with the territory of working in the industry and being self-admitting plant geeks.  Although we have our individual favorites, a recently trending plant we can both agree on would be sedges.  Carex comprises a huge genus of over 15000 species of grassy plants in the family Cyeraceae commonly known as sedges.  Sedges are generally low growing, mounded form grasses characterized by triangular stems and panicles of flowerheads.  There are many native varieties of sedges which have brought them to the forefront of design plans with the most recent push for sustainability. (Stay posted for discussions on sustainable design - a popular but also smart trend in landscape design)  

Sedges can be spiky and thick 

carex oshimensis 

Or hairlike and fine

carex pennsylvania 

  

They thrive in both sun and shade, making them a great option any place you would plant hosta. They are low maintenance, drought tolerant, deer resistant. 

They are amazing in mass

Carex elata
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can be used as an accent

Carex elata 

or in a mixed bed with other perennials and shrubs 

COPYRIGHT:©judywhite / Garden Photos.com

Try this striking carex/hosta combo 

carex oshimensis and hosta "patriot"

 Or how about this?

 20% carex munkingumensis, 40% geranium, 40% Allium Anglumosum "summer beauty" 

Not all sedges are zone tolerant, but with 15000 species, there are enough to choose from that will thrive in the UP.

Here is a list of our favorites:

carex oshimensis - Varigated Japanese Sedge zone 5, so avoid or plant only in protected areas in zone 4 or lower. (variegated varieties of almost all plants are generally less hearty than their solid color counterparts so plant with care!) 

carex pensylvania - Common Oak Sedge zone 4 hearty 

carex vulpinoidea - Fox Sedge zone 3 hearty and native

carex munkingumensis - Palm Sedge zone 2 hearty and a midwest native.  

Although sedges are not readily available at most nursery centers, their popularity is on the rise along with many other ornamental grass varieties. We will be bringing in several sedge varieties this spring to Up Scapes' design center nursery so call for availability 906-439-five three eight seven!  Unlike most grasses, sedges are at home in the shade and the sun which give them wide appeal for shade gardeners looking for added texture. So join us in going crazy for carex!   

Curb Appeal in Hiding

From the moment I stepped into this charming renovated cabin, I was in love with the natural colors, cozy feel to the rooms, the warm kitchen, and the gorgeous woodland views out of each and every window. As I walked through the owner's impressive raised bed vegetable gardens and viewed their other perennial beds I knew that this project would not only be great fun, but also require the same level of design consideration I give my own personal gardens.  This homeowner had a knack for plant combinations and an eye for design which was evident from the care put into their house and other gardens.  Still, there was the issue of the front of the house.  

This home is set almost a mile off a main road on a private drive.  Although privacy is one thing, this large spruce entirely obscures the curb appeal, blocking the view from inside and out.  The couple also wanted to create distinction to the front door and install a path leading from the garage to the house.  

Nope, fooled you. This isn't the front door. . .

 Front entry 

After several meetings a preliminary sketch and a complete formal design. . .

Courtney's initial design

We began by trimming up the large but lovely blue spruce that blocked the front view of the house and hid the front door. We are always hesitant to cut down healthy trees.  The clients loved the tree and once it was not blocking the view of the house, it worked well in the space. 

A new crushed limestone path from the garage clearly defines the front entry 

This garden is a shade loving delight proving that shade does not need to be boring and 

colorless. The earliest blossoms will be of the Amelanchier "Service Berry" followed by rhododendron and azalea. Pulminaria (lung wort) with its distinctive spotted leaves will flower in May followed by a burst of early summer color of mini stella daylily. Other daylily will soon catch up as well as a Lobelia Cardinalis, Astilbe, and Ligularia "Little Rocket". Hosta and shade tolerant grasses and sedges (Carex Morrowii) fill in with texture and shape rounding of this sun challenged spot.

Also included in the plan was a lovely new flagstone stoop that replaced a weathered wood step, eliminated a spring mud issue and defined the front door.  

The Cat's Meow: Working with Nepetas

Nepetas (common name Catmint) are zone hearty, drought tolerant, disease resistant, and easy to grow. Nepetas are vigorous but won't take over and work equally well in formal design and farm garden. 

Nepeta Cataria is the true catnip which drives house cats ecstatic.  It is one of the less showy varieties for garden design.  

Nepeta Racemosa "Walker's Low" is a stunner and by far my favorite Nepeta.  Named for an garden in Ireland, not for a low growing habit, this perennial grows to an impressive three feet by three feet.  Zone three hearty, as long as Walkers Low receives adequate sunlight, it will thrive.  When cut back this Nepeta will bloom all season long attracting bees and butterfly as well as neighbor's compliments.  I have found this plant to be an great substitute for Lavender which can be more fussy to soil conditions and cold, especially away from the lakes.  Walker's Low was 2007's perennial of the year.  You simply can't go wrong.   

Nepeta Racemosa"Walkers Low" 

To duplicate: Nepeta "Walkers Low", Leucanthemum x Superbum "Becky", Salvia "May Night"

This entire bed would be low maintenance, drought tolerant, and for the most part deer tolerant.  (They do not like the intense fragrance of "Walker's Low") 

Calamintha Nepeta ssp "Nepeta" As you can see by the name, this is not a nepeta, but in the Calamintha or mint family.  If you are running for your round-up, stop!  This gorgeous variety is not invasive or extremely aggressive which makes it an excellent choice for almost any garden.  I absolutely love this fragrant, long blooming mint.  White flowers appear in early June and last until frost.  Honeybees make an outstanding appearance and on cool nights the flower turns a light lavender.     

Planting suggestion: 50% Calamintha Nepeta ssp Nepeta, 40% Rudbeckia "Little Suzy" or "Goldsturm", 10% Calamagrotis x acutiflora "Feather Reed Grass" 

Again, this mix is drought tolerant and essentially maintenance free once established.