Low Maintenance Gardening
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LOW MAINTENANCE GARDENING FOR LOADS OF BEAUTY & HEALTH IN A NUTSHELL - DESIGN AND REDESIGN WITH MAINTENANCE AND ENJOYMENT IN MIND Utility-friendly Tree Planting Tips ๏ LESS IS MORE from We Energies ๏ MAKE IT EASY ๏ DO THE GROUNDWORK Trees growing too close to power lines ๏ CHOOSE WISELY can cause sparks, fires, power outages ๏ TREAT THEM RIGHT and shock hazards. To avoid these ๏ GARDEN WITH EASE problems, plant trees that won’t ๏ WARM UP, TAKE BREAKS AND BE SAFE interfere with power lines when fully grown. Small ornamental trees or LESS IS MORE shrubs that will not exceed 15 feet in height such as serviceberry, dogwood • Start small and expand as time, energy and desire allow and low-growing evergreens are best Fewer and smaller beds to plant around power lines. Trees Easy access to all parts of the garden bed and surrounding landscape such as maple, basswood, burr oak, • Fewer species - more of each white pine or spruce grow more than Low Maintenance Design Tips 40 feet high and should be planted Design with Maintenance in Mind more than 50 feet from any overhead • Simple combinations to double impact and create interest power lines. Plants flower at same time to double interest Plants flower at different times to extend bloom time And don’t forget to call 811 at least Make it edible and attractive - foodscaping three days before planting to check • Proper spacing the location of underground services. Shrub Plantings with Big Impact in a Short Time Use annuals and perennials as fillers as trees and shrubs grow Learn more utility-friendly planting You’ll need fewer annuals each year tips at we-energies.com. Eventually move perennials to new garden ‣ If jumping worms are not an issue MAKE IT EASY • Design for easy maintenance Gentle curves Easy to maintain area around the beds • Edge the bed Edging Garden Beds Use mulch-filled trench or purchase and install edging material Slows the invasion of grass and weeds into the garden Landscaping Around We Energies Contain mulch Utilities Easier mowing if designed properly • Mulch Plants and other landscaping features Best All Around Mulch can interfere with utility equipment Spread a thin layer of wood chips, bark, leaves or evergreen needles and cause safety risks. Remember to: Organic mulches: ‣ Provide weed control Maintain equipment visibility: Use ‣ Moderate soil temperatures techniques that camouflage rather ‣ Help reduce risk of erosion and compaction from heavy rains than hide utility equipment. Hearty ‣ Improve soil as they decompose grasses and/or flowers are preferred. DO NOT use weed barrier beneath organic mulches They provide aesthetic improvements ‣ Using Weed Barrier in the Landscape and grow back quickly should Stone mulches equipment access be necessary. ‣ Using Stone Mulch Around Trees and In the Garden Ensure easy access: When fencing is ‣ Used for aesthetic reasons - do not improve the soil used, choose a split-rail type, which ‣ Can increase soil temperature extremes can be easily dismantled when ‣ Can serve as ammunition equipment access is needed. Be sure ‣ Do use weed barrier beneath to prevent stone from working its way into the soil below fences are located more than 3 feet • Keep tools handy from transformer sides and no Bucket of tools by the door permanent fence post is located in Convert mailbox into hand tool storage front of transformer door. ‣ Convert Mailbox into an In-Garden Tool Storage Small, attractive shed for larger tools Keep proper clearance: When woody Make it easy to transport tools shrubs or bushes are used, place them ‣ Repurpose an old golf bag with wheels, a cart with wheels… more than 3 feet from transformer Clean and sharpen your tools sides and more than 10 feet from its ‣ Sharpen and Clean Your Shovel door. Keep future growth in mind for Helpful tools and accessories the size of shrubs or bushes. ‣ Longer handles extend your reach and help you retain good posture ‣ Handles with a larger grip and more cushion Learn more utility-friendly planting ‣ Ergonomic designs tips at we-energies.com. ✦ Keep your hand straighter to avoid fatigue and injury ✦ Allow you to work longer ‣ Ratchet pruners allow you to achieve the same result using less power ‣ Keep your tools sharp ✦ Exert less effort ✴ Results in less muscle fatigue ✦ Right Size Hand-Held Pruner for You ‣ Knee protection ✦ Garden kneeler (party bench) ✦ Knee pads DO THE GROUNDWORK - BUILD A SOLID FOUNDATION About Melinda • Starting a new bed or repairing one with issues Nationally known gardening expert, TV/ Most of us are dealing with disturbed sites (poor soil), so may need to do improvement radio host, author & columnist Melinda Healthy soil promotes healthy plant growth Myers has over 30 years of horticulture ‣ More detailed information on soils is available in my Getting Started Growing Vegetable & experience and has written over 20 Flower Gardens webinar gardening books, including Can’t Miss ✦ Password: v+r3+V89 Small Space Gardening, the Midwest ‣ Soil Preparation Gardener's Handbook, and Jackson and Non chemical options Perkins’ Beautiful Roses Made Easy. She ‣ Till two times per month for two seasons hosts the nationally-syndicated ‣ Solarize with clear plastic for 6 to 8 weeks during the hottest part of the season “Melinda’s Garden Moment” program ✦ Cook (Solarize) Away Weeds and Soil Pests and Diseases airing on over 115 TV and radio stations ‣ Cardboard/newspaper and mulch throughout the U.S. Melinda also hosts ✦ Convert Lawn to Gardens the internationally distributed Great ‣ Amending soil with organic matter Courses “How to Grow Anything” DVD ‣ Creating soil and raised beds series, including the latest Food Gardening for Everyone DVD set. She is a ✦ Lasagna columnist and contributing editor for ✦ Hugelkultur gardens Birds & Blooms magazine, writes the ✦ Greiten method twice monthly “Gardeners’ Questions” Topdressing existing gardens newspaper column and a nationally- ‣ Spread compost over soil surface distributed gardening column. She ✦ Reviving a Flower Garden appears regularly as a guest expert ‣ Vertical mulching on national and local television and radio ✦ Perennial Garden Renovations shows. ✦ Use auger bit to aerate soil ✦ Incorporate compost throughout the garden bed Visit Melinda’s website, melindamyers.com CHOOSE WISELY - RIGHT PLANT, RIGHT PLACE, RIGHT PURPOSE UPCOMING WEBINARS • Right Plant for the Location th Suited to the growing conditions February 25 ‣ Heat ‣ Light Planning Your Rain ‣ Cold ‣ Wind Garden ‣ Soil ‣ Salt th ✦ Grow healthier plants with less effort and fewer problems February 27 Hardy Creating a Private Space: ‣ Plant Hardiness Zones Design Strategies for Pest resistant plants Screening, Privacy and ‣ No need to plant problems that create more work More Right size rd ‣ Less pruning needed, generating less yard waste March 3 Low maintenance plants 10 Ways to Spice Up Your ‣ No or minimal deadheading needed Garden with Summer- ‣ Not aggressive (doesn’t reseed / non-spreading) Blooming Bulbs ✦ Minimal weeding and dividing needed to keep in bounds ✦ Aggressive plants are bullies in the garden - crowding out neighboring plants, but do not escape into native habitats ‣ Non-invasive plants ✦ Invasive plants leave the garden, moving into native habitats (woods, wetlands, prairies…), crowding out native plants that birds, wildlife and pollinators depend on for food and shelter Native plants when possible ‣ Select those suited to space and growing conditions Fragrance for a bit of aromatherapy ‣ Include near, or in, outdoor areas where you can enjoy ‣ Entryways to welcome you home and greet visitors ‣ A few plants to consider: ✦ Carol Mackie Daphne ✦ Sweet Emotion Abelia ✦ Phlox ✦ Koreanspice Viburnum ✦ Clethra ✦ Lavender ✴ Sugar n’ Spice ✦ Heptacodium ✦ Nicotiana ✴ Spice Island ✦ Witchhazel ✦ Petunia ✦ Fothergilla ✦ Alyssum ✦ Milkweed ✦ Lilac ✦ Peony ✦ American Wisteria ✦ Mockorange ✦ Heliotrope ✦ Sweet Summer Love Clematis Nutritious Vegetables ‣ In a container or elevated garden when space is limited and for convenience ‣ Mix vegetables in ornamental plantings ‣ Dedicated food garden if space allows ‣ Match vegetables to preferred growing conditions ✦ Full sun (preferably 8 hours or more) ✴ Edible parts are the flowers (broccoli) or fruit (tomatoes, peppers, melons…) ✦ Part sun tolerant (4-6 hours) ✴ Root crops (radishes, beets…) ✦ Shade tolerant (4 hours sun) ✴ Leafy crops (lettuce, spinach…) ✦ Soil ✴ Moist, well-drained soils ✦ Fertilize ✴ Low N, slow-release in spring before planting ✴ Midsummer if needed Sign up for my FREE Newsletter! Get the chance to win a seasonal prize! ‣ Harvest ✦ Greatest productivity ✦ Aesthetics ‣ A few nutritious vegetables to consider: ✦ Spinach ✦ Beets (roots and greens) ✦ Onions ✦ Kale ✦ Carrots ✦ Alfalfa Sprouts (microgreens) ✦ Broccoli ✦ Fermented Vegetables ✦ Bell Peppers ✦ Peas ✦ Tomatoes ✦ Cauliflower ✦ Sweet Potatoes ✦ Garlic ✦ Seaweed Nutritious Fruits ‣ Compact varieties available for small spaces and containers ‣ Most need full sun and moist, well-drained soils ‣ Avoid over fertilization that can impact flowering and fruiting ‣ Growing Fruit in Small Spaces ‣ A few of the more nutritious fruits to consider: ✦ Blueberries ✦ Oranges ✴ Bushel and Berry compact varieties ✦ Apples ✦ Pomegranate Seeds ✴ Most need 2 varieties for pollination ✦ Raspberries ✴ Urban and North Pole for small spaces and containers ✴ Raspberry Shortcake for smaller spaces Attract Birds and Pollinators ‣ Plant food and shelter ✦ Add a little water and/or puddle and wait ✦ Nectar plants for butterflies and hummingbirds ✦ Food for caterpillars