One of the biggest time savers for care of your shrubs, trees and perennials is to save their information.
photo credit: chrysti harrison

Just because you know the shrub is a Barberry “Rose Glow” does not mean your family does. If you have someone help you in your yard or sell the house later, all the information you know about this shrub may not be known by who ever is tending your plants and the plant may suffer or die from improper care.

Its wise and only takes a few minutes at the time you buy the plant to save a plant tag or research the plant to know its growing zone and other care its will need to grow and thrive.

Information you will need:

• Climate needs
• Watering
• Shade or sun requirements
• Soil needs
• How much fertilizer
• Insect problem
• Disease problems
• Height and width
• Pruning needs
• Is it invasive?Is it poisonous?
  

When I buy a plant I check all these areas and make notes. If I know someone locally who has the shrub or tree I ask if they have any problems.
photo credit: shioshvili

I have just bought 28 shrubs and want to move 4 shrubs that I already have. I would also like to pick up a few more varieties of shrubs and replace some fruit trees that died this year. (My summer was very hard of shrubs and trees.)

I have researched the new varieties I have bought and will go out and get any nutrients I need and mulch for the new plants.

I also have perennials to divide and peonies to divide and move.  So it will be a busy fall. But I will make sure I have all the information on the new plants for future reference.

The following sites have been beneficial for me to identify shrubs, trees and perennials.

Shrubs for your home

Tree Guide

Trees

Perennials

Technorati Tags: caring for your yard, perennials, plant care, shrubs, trees

Fall is the time to look for plants, trees and shrubs.

At this time of year you can save money on plants that nurseries and garden center so not want to over-winter. The plants have usually been picked over so make sure that the plant is healthy and have not suffered neglect.
photo credit: Putneypics

If the plant looks healthy and meets your yards requirements, take it home and plant  as soon as possible.

With shrubs and trees I plant the plants as quickly as possible so that the roots will have a chance to start to grow before late fall and early winter set in. I usually plant them the same day as I bring them home.

I make sure the plants are deep watered each week until frost starts to hit my area (I am a zone 5 so that late October or early November). To deep water properly I use a one-gallon milk jug and poke a hole in the side with a nail. This will let the water slowly soak into the root system where it is needed.

When winter sets in I mulch around the shrub or tree with about 4 inches of mulch. It’s important to make sure the mulch does not touch the tree or shrub trunk. The trunk will breath better if the mulch does not touch. And mulch helps to protect the new roots that have started to grow.

At this time you may also want to decide whether to stake your new plants or use a canvas cover for wind protection.

I recently bought shrubs on sale at a store that didn’t want to over winter them. They were only $2 a piece for shrubs that were 3 to 4 foot tall and usually sold for $20 to $40.
photo credit: cliff1066

But before I bought them I wrote down the shrub name and came home and looked them up on the Internet. I wanted to know how tall they were, how much upkeep they needed and what their growing requirements were. The next day I went back and purchased shrubs. They were $1 a piece at that time.

I looked the shrubs over and selected the hardiest. My selections included, Barberry “Rose Glow”, two varieties of highbush cranberries, and juniper “Gold Cone.” There is still one shrub that I need to identify the variety. I know it’s an old-fashioned shrub variety but I haven’t narrowed the variety down by the name on the plant tag.

These bushes will be used in the front yard in new garden areas and in the side of the backyard. The smaller varieties will go in the front yard and the larger cranberry bushes will go in the side backyard.

There is still time to plant trees and this is the best time to divide perennials. If you have a friend or neighbor you can trade perennial plants with you will be able to save a lot of money and increase your perennial varieties.
photo credit: prudencebrown121

These free plants will add color to your yard for years to come.

Technorati Tags: dividing perennials, frugal gardening, save money on shrubs, save money on trees

This year I am suffering from way too much rain but I remember years when we had drought. Over the last few years I have set up many of my garden areas and landscaping to conserve on watering.
photo credit: dlisbona

When the garden season begins you never know what Mother Nature has planned so my motto is “be prepared!”

Setting your garden up for drought conditions can be done by using mulch or planting in containers so that they can be moved into shade or closer to water. You can also landscape your yard and gardens for drought by using perennials, using plants and trees that require less water, or by planting re-seeding annuals, herbs and native plants.

I also water in the morning, use deep watering methods and rain barrels for catching rain. You will find a few more ideas at my sister site Backyard Oasis,  How to choose drought resistant plants.

One idea I have used for many years is watering by milk jug (or a small plastic pop bottle for containers)

Fill the cleaned empty milk or plastic pop bottle with hot water. This will clean the bottle and also help remove the label.
I let my bottles and jugs sit overnight to make sure they are clean.

Use a sharp nail to make a hole or two in the milk jug. You can also use a cordless drill with a tiny bit to make the holes. Just remember the larger the holes are on the bottom the faster your water will run out.

Hint: if you use jugs with holes and without, mark the jug. It’s not fun to fill a jug and have the water run out and into your shoes while placing it in the yard.

Place the jug by the plant that needs water. Using this method you get a slow watering what will soak in the ground near the plant where it’s needed,

Pop bottles

I tent to use small pop bottles in containers. Cut off the bottom of the pop bottle. Remove the cap and place the bottle in the center of a container. I submerge the bottle halfway into the soil. This will act as a funnel and take water directly to the roots. This works well for vegetable plants that require a lot of water. And as the plant grows the bottle is hidden from site.

Tips:

If you have a fish tank or pond you can use that water to water your plants and then top off what water is removed. You will help clean the tank or pond and have nutrient rich water for your plants.

When not using the milk jugs you can run a string through the handles and store them by hanging them on a wall out of the way

Here are two sites for ideas on hardy plants. I enjoy Hibiscus plants and Best Flower gardening has an excellent article, Hibiscus-a-must-have-perennial.

Home and Garden Online has a nice write-up on native plants, Native Plants: flower-garden-guide. Native plants add so much to your garden landscape.

Whether you have too much rain or too little with planning and preparation you can still have a beautiful yard and successful garden. It just may be a bit more challenging!

Technorati Tags: backyard garden, Creative Organic Gardening, garden planning, native plants