Not even a hole dug by an animal (although there are some of those too).
Nope, I'm talking about the metaphorical hole - the blank space - that is left in a garden when annuals die or when perennials die back.
In this case, it's the annuals that have kicked the bucket.
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| Ah - a blank canvas! In mid-summer. How would you paint it? |
So what would you do??
I see five options:
1) Plant more annuals from seed (something like sunflowers or zinnias). I already have sunflowers and zinnias in my garden, so I'd be open to other suggestions of heat-loving, fast-flowering annuals.
2) Plant some annuals from a nursery - offers instant color, but to justify the investment, I'd want something with a good chance to reseeding for next year. Maybe cornflower (Centaurea cyanus)? Does it transplant well?
3) Plant some perennials (Ajuga, for example, or Golden Star a.k.a. Chrysogonum virginianum). I had been planning to plant these in autumn, but I have the hole(s) now. Do you think they would survive a mid-summer planting? Open to other perennial suggestions, especially those that are tough, can deal with clay soil and attract bees and/or butterflies.
4) Plant a shrub (Smoke Bush, maybe, or False Indigo a.k.a. Amorpha fruticosa). Same idea here - planning to plant in autumn, is it worth stressing them by planting in midsummer heat? Open to other bush suggestions, especially those that are tough, can deal with clay soil and attract bees and/or butterflies.
5) Do nothing until autumn. September is only ~6 weeks away. Live with the hole until then and just pull the inevitable weeds that will try to colonize the bare space.
So...what would you do if this was your windy sunny clay Tennessee garden?
Full sun? I'd be working to fill it in somehow simply so that you don't have a hole come next summer. I like the idea of shrubs or trees in my gardens then pack the rest close and tight so hopefully no holes. I've been doing the same-plugging those holes with tough plants. Amorpha grows well for you? I have a baby I started from seeds but don't have enough sun here. I hadn't seen it growing in any gardens and know it is generally a midwest plant so was just wondering.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment, Tina. The whole pictured above is representative of a few around in the garden - some get full sun, some get afternoon shade. I haven't tried growing Amorpha yet, but it sounds wonderful from online descriptions. Do you have any specific shrub or small tree suggestions? I already have some lovely crape myrtle (tough, long-blooming) but I'd like to add some diversity to the garden.
DeletePlant a heat tolerant shrub, maybe an evergreen?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment and the suggestion, Carolyn! Any particular shrubs that you think would work well here? (I know you garden in Utah, not the Southeast, but perhaps I'd still like to hear what you would plant if this was your garden hole...)
DeleteI have a similar issue with a giant spring blooming plant that goes dormant every summer so I'm making a garden screen to block it out. But your hole has a different cause so it needs a different solution. I would redesign the bed this fall to eliminate the big hole. Just ignore it for now while you make new planting plans.
ReplyDeleteWell, ignoring it for now would certainly be the least labor-intensive path! :)
DeleteI have some ideas for fall plantings, but I'd love to hear what you would plant in the fall if this were your garden hole...
Post a bigger picture that shows the area around it and let me know what the sun conditions are as well as type of soil and I'll gladly help. :o) Actually, post several pictures (distance shots) to help me get a feel for the whole area.
DeleteHow about some ornamental grasses? For something lower, try little bluestem or prairie dropseed. Other perennials and shrubs I would NOT plant in mid-summer, especially with the summer we've been having. You could try buying cleome plants, it is a pretty reliable reseeder.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestion, Jason! I'm not a huge fan of ornamental grasses. I know that's sort of sacrilegious to admit, but I'm trying to work on it ;-)
DeleteWell, I have an idea, but it won't be fun. How about excavate the hole into a wheelbarrow, but you might have to water it first to loosen it up. Buy a bag of compost and a bag of peat moss at your local garden center or big box store, mix it in well with the excavated dirt (maybe even a little organic fertilizer too, like Plant-tone), and put the soil back in the hole. Between now and fall weeds will pop up but they'll be easy to pull, then plants should go on sale at local nurseries. Then you'll have great soil and won't be limited to clay tolerant plants. Ever since I started loosening up my clay like this, plants have done so much better.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the idea, Julie. It's an interesting one, but I'm wary of using peat moss due to what I've read about it being a non-renewable (or very slowly renewable) material (http://www.naturallifemagazine.com/0712/asknlpeat.html)
DeleteTypically, I haven't amended my soil much to date. Though I did add compost throughout the beds this spring and plan/hope to add another layer (a few cubic yards) throughout the beds again this autumn. I don't dig it in much though, it's more of a topcoating approach. I've heard that if you provide a nice compost mix on top and a hospitable environment for earthworms, that eventually the worms will actually do a good amount of aerating and mixing for you.
(Of course, I'd probably need more worms in my yard for that to really happen, but I feel like we had more this year than last year, and that's a start...)
I've also heard that organic materials like compost do need to be added regularly, whereas other materials - like expanded shale - will persist and help with drainage indefinitely, so I have started mixing in some expanded shale in the beds when I plant too. It seems to help. http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/newsletters/hortupdate/hortupdate_archives/2003/nov03/Expdshale.html Of course, I guess there is mining involved in extracting and developing expanded shale too...
I know my ideas are very odd and orthodox, but I'm trying to find ways to do as low input and simple gardening as possible. So as near as I can tell, that will probably involve me sticking with clay (pun intended) for the foreseeable future!
I think I would fill it now with some zinnias or sunflowers.... enjoy the late blooms. Actually all your choices are good ones. I agree with those above-- see why there is a hole. I have a new landscape and there is (was) a spot where I kept losing plants. My best guess would be that is was a place where the painters cleaned their brushes or something ---- I dug out the soil and replaced it with a couple bags of garden soil. Now I have a trio of nice shrubs that are happy.
ReplyDelete