GARDENING & DESIGN TIPS FROM A GARDEN DESIGNER
I want to share a couple of design tricks and gardening tips that I think might be helpful for anyone who is thinking of making some changes to their yard soon. These are solutions to some common problems I see when working with clients in hilly, rainy, deer-filled Pittsburgh.
Plan with maintenance in mind. If you will have deep garden beds in any area (6-8’+ deep) keep garden access at the top of your mind. Plan for paths, stepping stones, or another way to access the depths of the beds so you don’t have to trample plants when it comes to weeding, mulching, or other maintenance. Strategically placed boulders are also helpful “perches” if a formal access path isn’t your style.
This slate path in my own garden was included to break up the very large (15’+ deep) bed. It also looks pretty too :)
Allow for a visual rest in the hardscaping. To avoid the look of a concrete jungle, I recommend including small beds or other planting spaces to incorporate an element of softness into the design. Too much hardscape (a giant patio that butts up right against the house, for example) can be overwhelming and can fee cold. Leave room for a small bed against the house so there is room for a break in the hardness.
The patio on the right is offset from the house, which allows for greenery to be placed next to the house. Images from Fine Gardening (left) and Joanne Kostecky HGTV (right)
Incorporate water flow issues into the design. Have a troublesome area where there is water runoff ruining lawns or garden beds? This is a common problem in hilly Pittsburgh, especially with the amount of rain we get. Consider adding a dry creek bed. These are easy to DIY if needed, and allow you to control the direction and speed of water flow. By digging a divot in the ground and filling it with gravel, you can manipulate just how quickly the water moves around the area. Incorporate larger rocks and water-loving plantings along the dry creek bed to make it feel like it belongs in the garden.
Dry creek bed in designer Jan Johnsen’s garden
Do a deer trial. Have consistent troublesome deer (or another animal) in the yard that seems to eat everything? Consult a deer-resistant list (like this one from Rutgers) BUT then do a trial run in your yard. Before committing hundreds of dollars on plants that you aren’t sure will make it, buy one or two of each type of plant and plant it in the proposed area. See which ones the deer like to munch on and which ones they tend to leave alone. This isn’t a foolproof solution, but if you are new to gardening and don’t want to waste a lot of money on deer food, this is an easy way to create a deer-resistant list for your own yard.
Remember to water your plants! The biggest mistake I see new gardeners make is they think the rain will do all of the watering work for them - WRONG! New plants, even “drought-tolerant” ones, need to be supplementally watered for the entire first year they are in the ground. My general rule of thumb for watering in Zone 6 Pittsburgh is to water 1st-year plantings 2-3x per week from April-October - a deep soaking rain can count as one watering, but a light sprinkle cannot! Since plants are not actively growing in the winter you can hold off a bit, but if there is no rain or snow for several weeks on end, you may need to water in the winter as well. Keep an extra eye on plants that are underneath the canopy of a tree or building - they might need even more supplemental water.