A Peek at Crystal's Yard

Crystal's Favorite Garden

Yesterday I visited with Crystal, who lives in the Aspen Grove area in Evanston.  In the last six years since moving there, she has worked hard to develop her perennial flower beds.  Though her beautiful spring and early summer-blooming perennials get a lot of attention from winter-weary motorists passing by, there are some mid-summer bloomers at their peak right now, and they are nothing to scoff at.  I'm going to highlight just a few of them:

Shasta Daisies

Shasta Daisy (perennial) - You might think this is a pretty plain, everyday sort of flower, but it can be stunning in a perennial garden.  I think they look great next to purple flowers, such as salvia or delphinium.  They can be a great staple for your cut flower arrangements, and kids love to pick bouquets to decorate the table.  Crystal says they have been very reliable and survived the winters just fine.  She recommends keeping them thinned out every few years since they spread.  They are a great plant to share with friends.

Delphinium with Yellow Lilies

Delphinium (perennial) - Crystal has quite a few delphiniums growing in different parts of her yard.  She loves them because they give beautiful color later in the season and because they are tall and add a new dimension to the garden.

Bachelor Buttons

Bachelor Buttons (annual) - These are actually an annual flower, but since they re-seed so readily, they do well in perennial beds.  They come in shades of pink, white blue and purple.  Crystal likes them because they fill in the garden, especially in places other things won't grow.

Daylily - 'Daring Deception'

Daylily (perennial) - Daylilies are really fun because they come in so many colors.  Crystal is trying out a new variety this year called 'Daring Deception.'  She likes these flowers because of their later blooming time and because they are really hardy.  They are also quite drought tolerant, but she recommends watering them a little more often than some of your other drought tolerant plants.  Otherwise they are very low maintenance.  You just have to cut down a few dead flower stalks.

Yarrow

Yarrow (perennial) - If you have a weed problem with the wild white yarrow you might be cringing right now.  But don't tune this out.  Yarrows are not all created equal.  Yes, the wild white type is a weed, and the pastel varieties re-seed easily and can become weedy.  But many are very content to stick where you plant them.  As the clumps enlarge, you can share with friends, but they never become a nuisance.  Paprika Yarrow (red) and the yellow types are like this.  Crystal has a yellow variety which she really likes because of the color changes in the flowers as they age.  They go from yellow to an almost red color.  She also likes them because they are very drought tolerant.

If you'd like us to highlight some of your gardening successes in word and picture, contact us with this secure online contact form.

by Sara

Recycle Your Grass Clippings

Most of the time there is no need to put your grass clippings in the garbage can.  I can think of several ways to recycle them, which will keep them out of the landfill and help replenish nutrients in your soil.

The best and easiest thing to do is use a mulching lawn mower.  The clippings are cut up small enough that you don't need to bag them.  You just leave them on the lawn and they add nutrients back to the soil as they break down.  I use a mulching mower, and the only time I ever even notice the clippings is if I am mowing extremely tall grass. 

If you don't have a mulching mower, consider several options besides the garbage can.  Grass clippings are great in a compost pile.  When they are green they count as part of your "greens" in the mix, and if they've dried up and turned brown they count as "browns."  Makes sense, doesn't it.  It is a good idea to mix them up with the other compost materials or add them in thin layers since they tend to become matted and mess up the air circulation needed for good composting.

It's this matting tendency of cut grass that gives you another option.  You can use them for mulch.  They don't make a particularly attractive mulch, but you can use them in your backyard or vegetable garden.  Consider lining your garden paths with them to keep down the weeds.  Or mulch around vegetables such as peppers or tomatoes.  Remember that as the grass dries, it takes up less space.  So make your mulch layer rather thick, or it might just blow away when it dries instead of becoming a nice dense mulch.

I killed all the grass in my back yard several years ago so I could develop it with a patio, gardens, shrub beds, paths, etc.  But I haven't accomplished these goals as quickly as I wanted to, so the weeds are starting to take over.  In desperation the other day I decided that even though I'm not ready to develop certain areas of my yard yet, I can at least carry out a plan to minimize the weeds.  I'm putting down a thick layer of newspapers first and topping it with 6-8 inches of grass clippings.  Both newspapers and grass will decompose in time, adding nutrients and organic matter to the soil.  But in the meantime they will greatly minimize the weeds.  This will save me (and my kids) lots of time in the long run, and help assure that my neighbors still like me!

If you don't have a mulching mower, you don't want to compost, and you can't find anything in your yard that needs mulching, what do you do with your grass clippings?  Give them to a friend, of course.  And I am happy to be your friend.  I have huge areas to cover, so I'll need lots of grass donations.  I am happy to come pick up your bagged clippings.  Use this secure online form to let me know you have grass to donate.  Clippings with a few weed seeds are fine, but if there are lots of seeds, or you've recently sprayed with chemicals, then I won't be able to use them.  Thanks.

by Sara