10 Great Plants for Shade Gardening

shade garden

gardeners.com


This post by Kathy on Gardeners.com discusses 10 plants that work well in shady conditions. If you have a small garden area, some of these plants will work for you as well.

As Kathy says:

“The once-a-year perennial plant sale at our company’s Vermont garden center is a huge event. Shoppers line up well before the 8 a.m. start time, eager to get first shot at the selection. My job is usually to roam the aisles, answering questions. One of the most common questions always goes something like this: “My yard gets lots of shade. What perennials can I plant other than hostas?”

Once I’ve cautioned the person that they’ll be hard-pressed to find another plant as rugged and carefree as a hosta, I tell them about my top 10 easy-care, shade-tolerant perennials. Every one of them is a “good do-er” as my friend Sue would say.

If you have a shady area that could use a little visual excitement, I encourage you to give a couple of these plants a try. You’ll surely find a few that will give those stalwart hostas a run for the money.”

Click on the 10 Great Plants for Shade Gardening link below to see Kathy’s suggestions.

10 Great Plants for Shade Gardening


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25 Flowers for Container Gardens

container flower garden

balconycontainergardening.com

If you’re at  a loss on what flowers to grow on your balcony, patio, or other small garden space, check out this post. The introduction says it all:

“Flowers for the balcony garden come in almost every color and shape imaginable. Many flowers do well in small containers and bring splashes of color to balcony container gardens. The following 25 beautiful flowers are popular and easy plants to consider for your balcony container garden. Click on the flower’s name to learn more about its care.”

They then go into detail about 25 different flowers, including instructions on how to care for each flower. There’s a beautiful photo of each flower. Some of the flowers are:

  • Azaleas
  • Calla Lilies
  • Celosia (which is beautiful!)
  • Chamomile
  • Dianthus
  • Geraniums
  • + 19 More!

Click on the  25 Flowers for Container Gardens link below to see all 25 flowers that thrive in containers.

25 Flowers for Container Gardens


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Top 10 Fruit Trees for Small Spaces

Top 10 Fruit Trees for Small Gardens

birdsandblooms.com


Kirsten has a great post in Birds and Blooms about fruit trees that work well in small garden spaces. She writes:

You don’t need to own acres of orchards or live in the South to grow gorgeous fruit trees.

Sure, you can walk into the grocery store and toss a bag of nectarines or Honeycrisp apples into your shopping cart, but wouldn’t it be better if you could just walk out your back door?

We found a new book, Fruit Trees in Small Spaces by Colby Eierman. It’s all about fruit trees and how to grow them, care for them and—the most important part—how to reap the rewards. Best of all, these trees won’t take over your yard. The dwarf options are endless, and some will even flourish in containers.

We’ve suggested one variety for each type of fruit tree. But, as with any new plant you’re going to try, make sure the one you choose will work in your zone and growing conditions. And keep in mind that some fruit trees, like apples, require two plants for cross pollination and fruit formation. Stop by your favorite nursery or local extension office to find out which varieties will do best in your backyard.

Then she discusses 10 different fruit trees with specific varieties:

  • Grapefruit
  • Apples
  • Mandarin
  • Limes
  • Apricots
  • Pears
  • Quinces
  • Oranges
  • Plums
  • Nectarines

To read more, click on the Top 10 Fruit Trees for Small Spaces link below.

Top 10 Fruit Trees for Small Spaces


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Small Vegetable Garden Ideas

container veggies

gardeners.com

Ellen on Gardeners.com begins her post with a great example of what small-space gardening is like:

GROWING a small vegetable garden is like living in a small house: It’s not as easy as it looks. One of the keys to success is making good plant choices. Choose compact, productive plants that take up less space yet still provide plenty to harvest.

I learned this when I moved from a 10-acre farm to a small city plot. I had to rethink my vegetable garden. No longer could I grow anything that piqued my interest. I had to become much more selective.

She then describes some great plants for the small garden:

  • Basil
  • Chard
  • Eggplant
  • Edible Flowers!
  • + More!

She also includes some planting/sowing tips and helpful links.  Click on the Small Vegetable Garden Ideas link below to see Ellen’s posts and all nine plant ideas.

Small Vegetable Garden, Small Vegetable Garden Ideas


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11 Ideas to Steal for a Moonlight Garden

gardenista.com – Photograph by Matthew Williams.

From the Gardenista.com website:

“Moonlight gardens–planted with white and silvery flowers that glow after dark–became an early 20th century fad in both the US and Europe. After having a dream about a garden that shimmered in twilight, in the 1950s Vita Sackville-West created a white garden at Sissinghurst Castle that today remains England’s most visited garden.

And when archeologists stumbled recently upon the ruins of a lost garden at the Taj Mahal where night-blooming white flowers filled the air with perfume in the 17th century, the evidence helped solve a mystery dating to ancient Persia: What makes a moonlight garden?”

If you want the answer to this question, you’ll have to read the article and check out all of the great ideas included there.  What I like about the moonlight garden idea, is that you can do it on any scale. It would work on patio gardens, balcony gardens, urban gardens and as a smaller garden in your larger garden.

To read more, click on the 11 Ideas to Steal for a Moonlight Garden link below.

11 Ideas to Steal for a Moonlight Garden

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How to Grow Peppers in Containers

extension.psu.edu


From the Penn State Extension on growing peppers in containers:

“Peppers are probably the #3 container vegetable that interests gardeners after herbs and tomatoes. This fact sheet coupled with the advice in “Growing Great Container Vegetables #1: General Recommendations”, should get you on the path to success.

Based on our trials programs in 2008 thru 2010, there are some excellent varieties that are growing in availability in seed catalogs and garden centers to get you started in producing great peppers.

Unlike more standard garden varieties, you may have to hunt around for a greenhouse that grows these varieties or start the plants yourself. Look for varieties that are labeled “compact” or “for containers”. Larger garden varieties’, will simply get too tall for a container and require excessive support.

In general, hot peppers grow more compact thus largely work great in containers. In our trials, we looked for varieties that required little to no trellising.”

The post then goes on to provide specific advice about growing peppers in containers:

  • Pot size
  • Plant selection
  • Soil
  • Feeding
  • Insects
  • Harvesting

You’ll also find comments and photos for peppers that grow well in containers. Great article!

Click on the How to Grow Peppers in Containers link below to see the complete post.

How to Grow Peppers in Containers

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Your Guide to Growing Lettuce in Containers 

Growing Lettuce in Containers

countrysidenetwork.com

Rhonda introduces this post with:

“For years I struggled with how and when to grow lettuce. So, I decided to try growing lettuce in containers. For three years now, we’ve enjoyed more lettuce than I could have ever imagined.

Growing lettuce in containers makes it easy to weed, control disease and harvest seeds.”

Rhonda goes on to discuss:

  • Types of Lettuce
  • When to Plant Lettuce
  • Choosing a Container
  • How to Plant Lettuce in a Container
  • Lettuce Growing Tips
  • What is “Bolt” and How to Avoid It
  • Saving Lettuce Seeds

To read the complete post, click on the Your Guide to Growing Lettuce in Containers link below.

Your Guide to Growing Lettuce in Containers 


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Growing Tomatoes and Vegetables In Containers

bonnieplants.com


Julie provides 10 tips that will help you to  grow tomatoes in containers. Container gardening allows you to grow this veggie on patios, balconies, rooftops, and in gardens with poor soil.

As Julie says:

“Growing tomatoes in pots levels the home garden playing field, bringing a crop of homegrown ‘maters within reach for almost anyone, regardless of real estate. That’s because you can grow tomatoes in pots just about anywhere you have a sunny spot, whether it’s on a deck, driveway, balcony, rooftop, fire escape, or somewhere else. Just follow these 10 tips.”

Some of the things she discusses:

  • Picking a site
  • Picking the right pot
  • Picking the right tomato (she has a tool for this)
  • How to Plant
  • Best Soil
  • Watering
  • And more!

One neat trick – If you’re planting on  patio or balcony, you can use the railing as a trellis for your tomato plants!

Click on the Growing Tomatoes and Vegetables In Containers link below to see all of Julie’s tips.

Growing Tomatoes and Vegetables In Containers


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Garden Design Ideas for Small Spaces

themicrogardener.com

Anne has some great ideas for small space gardening. She begins her post with:

“Good design is essential for small space gardens. If you have limited room to grow as many of us do in urban areas, maximizing the area you can garden in and wise plant selection are top priorities. These space saving solutions may be just what you need …

There are many scenarios where garden space is minimal including rental properties; apartments and units with balconies; villas and townhouses with small courtyards; retirement homes; caravan parks; community garden allotments and many suburban blocks.”

She goes on to discuss:

  • Stacking Options
  • Narrow Niche Strategies
  • Steps and Ladders
  • Bags (I use these – they’re great!)
  • Succession Planting
  • Plant Choices
  • Great Suggestions and Tips
  • A video on Container Gardening

It’s an excellent and very helpful post for people who have a small area for gardening and are looking for ideas.

Click on the Garden Design Ideas for Small Spaces link below to see the complete post.

Garden Design Ideas for Small Spaces 


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Urban Farmer Transforms Community Into Thriving Local Food Haven

ecowatch.com – Photo credit: Keka Marzagao / Sustainable Flatbush

This is a great article by Melissa Denchak about Sheryll Durant, a one-woman gardening dynamo who has helped to transform the urban farming movement in New York. In the process, she has helped to not only introduce people to gardening, but to also give people a way to provide healthy veggies for their families.

Melissa begins her article with:

“Most people don’t move to New York City and become farmers. Sheryll Durrant certainly wasn’t planning to when she left Jamaica for Manhattan in 1989. She got her undergraduate degree in business from the City University of New York’s Baruch College and spent the next 20 years in marketing. Then, when the 2008 financial crisis hit, Durrant decided to leave her job and try something new: volunteering at a community garden in her Brooklyn neighborhood.It wasn’t exactly uncharted terrain for this farmer’s daughter. Growing up in Kingston, Durrant regularly helped her parents harvest homegrown fruits and vegetables. ‘But it didn’t dawn on me that that was what I wanted to do,” she said. Volunteering in the Brooklyn garden reminded her of her roots. “I would plant flowers or melons and that sense of putting your hand in the soil and becoming a part of that green space flooded back to me,’ she explained.

Fast-forward to today. Durrant is a leader in New York’s flourishing urban farming movement, which includes more than 600 community gardens under the city’s GreenThumb program, plus hundreds more run by other groups across the five boroughs. A food justice advocate with a certificate from Farm School NYC, she’s also a “master composter” and a community garden educator and she does outreach work for Farming Concrete, a data collection project that measures, among other things, how much urban farms and gardens produce.”

To read the rest of the article and to learn about urban gardening strategies, click on the Urban Farmer Transforms Community Into Thriving Local Food Haven link below.

Urban Farmer Transforms Community Into Thriving Local Food Haven


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