Understanding cardinal directions in relation to your home and garden is one of the most basic gardening skills. The fundamental task of orienting your property will help you to plan a garden with the greatest chance of success. Above the equator, where almost all of our readers live, south-facing walls receive all day sun, and north-facing walls are shaded.
We all know that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. Orienting your own home is as simple as getting up to watch the sunrise. Face the horizon where the sun rises – this is east. Hold out your left hand – this is north. Hold out your right hand – this is south. And west is to your back. Now you can draw a simple map of your yard and draw a little compass with the cardinal directions to use as a reference for future landscaping projects.
So, if a plant needs full sun, it will probably need to be on the south side of your home as to not fall in the shade of your home. The plants placed along the north wall should be shade-loving plants because they will be in the shadow of your home for the entire day.
Bonus Trivia: “Cardinal” comes from the Latin Cardo with means “That on which something turns or depends” or “door hinge”. Anything described as “Cardinal” is very important, in fact, it is the most important thing of it’s kind. N,S,E, & W are the most important directions, Cardinals are the most important priests in Catholicism, and Cardinal Virtues are those which should be held above all others. Cardinal is a very important word.
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Drought can be one of the most disappointing things to happen to a gardener. You work all year long, growing beautiful plants, and your yard looks exactly how you want it to look. All of it can be taken away in just a few dry weeks in August. There are a few things you can do to give your garden the best chance of pulling through.
- When it starts to get dry cut back on the fertilizer or stop completely.
Your plants do not need to be trying to grow right now, they need to be focusing on survival. Fertilizer stimulates growth and moisture intake.
- Aerate your soil in the spring.
This will allow roots to access moisture and nutrients more readily, giving your plants a big jump on the drier months to come.
- Water longer but less frequently.
Water deep into the soil, train your roots to grow down to where the soil holds moisture. Shallow root systems will dry out very quickly.
- Water in the morning.
Water your garden before 9 am, earlier if you can manage. Later in the day your moisture is more likely to evaporate before your plants have a chance to soak it up.
If you live in an area that is prone to dry weather take a look at Wayside Gardens’ diverse line of drought tolerant plants. You may also want to check your local nursery for native plants that are more adept in your climate.
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Use Mulch and Ground Covers
Planting ground-covers and using mulch to fill in your fall beds will make it more difficult for unwanted weeds to establish themselves, helping you to naturally maintain your garden. The ground-cover both smothers potential weeds, blocking out the light,
and helps your current plants by holding in moisture and maintaining a
constant temperature.
You will be working in your garden to remove all of your weeds before planting anything this fall anyway, why not plant something to take up space to help keep them from coming back.
Clean Up the Summers Growth Before Planting for Fall
Removing all of the excess plant material before planting new crops is essential for the success of your fall bulbs, flowers, and vegetables. Annual weeds can be removed with a hoe or by hand. Perennial weeds must be completely dug out to prevent future growth.
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Summer is the time to enjoy your garden – everything is growing, blooming, and ripening to that a point where everything will be out of your hands, downhill to autumn and winter. Make it last as long as you can by trimming and deadheading your flowering shrubs, trees, and perennials in the summer to stimulate new growth and blooms, keeping your garden looking fresh right up to the first bite of frost.
Keeping hedges and shrubs trimmed promotes fuller growth and keeps your plants looking neat and healthy. Removing unsightly old growth allows the young new growth underneath to reap the full benifit of the sunlight. Removing spent blossoms from flowering plants throughout the summer allows the plant to focus on new growth a keep blooming. Don't be afraid to prune and trim throughout the summer — trimming is not only good for the plant, but keeps your garden looking nice and clean.
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After many years of being relegated to accent plantings, white-flowered plants are experiencing a resurgence of popularity. Using white not just as accent, but as a primary part of your gardening palate, can create a very strong impression.
In group plantings, white flowers create a pure, bright sea which can make any colored flowers you use absolutely jump out at you. White flowers also create amazing contrast with green foliage, especially very dark greens or even blacks and reds. White flowers are especially striking in spring. Try clematis or astilbe for bright white summer blooms. Hostas, though typically known for their foliage, often produce wonderfully bright silver or white blooms.
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Asters are full sun perennials that can provide a good bit of late-season color. The playful, daisy-like blooms in bright springy colors start popping up in late summer, keeping your garden bright right up to the first frost of winter. Asters are very easy to care for, making them a real asset in the garden.
Aster 'Alert' is a bright pink flowering New York Aster that blooms from summer to winter. It's resistant to deer, and super easy to care for. This plant blooms very densely, creating a low blanket of beautiful bright blooms.
Aster 'October Skies' is a medium-height Aster that will form a thick ground cover for your perennial sun garden. It gets it's name from the deep color of the blooms that resembles the New England sky. 'October Skies' blooms through the mid fall.
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