GARDENING : Weeding Whims From Impulse Shoppers
While working in a nursery, Phyllis Bernstein saw firsthand the problems and frustrations of gardeners who visited the store.
“It’s very common for someone to walk into a nursery, buy hundreds of dollars’ worth of plants and never pick up a book on basic gardening,” she said. “Then a few months later, they’re back.”
As a “passionate gardener” and horticulturist, Bernstein tried to help customers choose the best plants for their yards but was often stymied by their lack of knowledge. For instance, some plants require certain exposures to the sun, yet most people don’t know which direction their homes face. They were also not aware of soil conditions, which plants grow well together, and basic care needs of various flowers and trees.
“After folks have tried repeatedly to grow and garden . . . and failed, they just give up,” Bernstein explained. “That’s a shame, because a lovely garden can really give your spirits a boost. It’s the first thing you see when you arrive at your home, and it is often the first impression your neighbors have of you.”
After witnessing these problems, Bernstein started her own home-based business, Blooming Success, in Anaheim about a year ago. Essentially, she serves as a horticulture consultant, advising would-be gardeners of the best plants for their homes. She first meets with clients at their homes and has them fill out a questionnaire to better understand their lifestyles.
Questions include: Who does the gardening? How many hours a week do you work? Do you have small children? Are you allergic to bees or any scents? What are your favorite colors?
Clients are also asked to provide a “wish list” of their favorite plants and trees. While clients are answering these questions, Bernstein surveys the area to check for soil conditions, irrigation, sun exposure and other variables that could influence a plant’s potential for growth.
“With these two documents, I can determine how much time these people wish to devote to a garden, if there are any plants to be avoided because of allergies or because they attract bees or insects, and if there are any color preferences,” Bernstein said. “Also, if small children are present, their parents may want plants that have no thorns and are not poisonous.”
Most people try several times to establish gardens by “hit or miss” techniques, and they are frequently impulse buyers, according to Bernstein.
“It’s no coincidence that flowering plants are placed in the front of most nurseries,” she said. “People are attracted to the color and scent, giving little thought to how well it will grow in their own yards. Then once the flowers are planted, they die . . . then it’s back to starting all over again.”
Yet you can’t put the blame on the nurseries.
“They do try to help,” Bernstein added. “After all, if customers are buying $300 trees, you want them to be happy. However, once the tree is planted, then neglected or not cared for properly, people have a tendency to blame the nursery. With a little advance planning, they could have determined a better location or a different tree.”
Whenever possible, Bernstein recommends saving existing gardens, rather than ripping up an entire lawn or yard. Often, pruning or “opening up” a bush or tree can bring about dramatic results. Or if there is a favorite tree or flowers, she suggests that subsequent flowers that are added have compatible care needs. The key is to find plants that clients enjoy while ensuring that care-giving tasks are in harmony with their lifestyles.
“If you’re working 60 hours a week, you may not have much time to putter around in your yard,” Bernstein admitted. “Yet you can often find low-maintenance plants that are very attractive. People often look at a lovely yard and think they can’t get the same result. They get depressed and just give up. Unfortunately, many gardening books don’t address some of the problems that Orange County residents face: small yards, block-wall fences, lots of concrete. But sometimes, just moving a plant can help. Or adding some ferns in a corner can create a tranquil setting.
“For many, money is the bottom line. I think planning a garden is like planning a wedding. Initial plans may call for 500 guests and a sit-down dinner. Yet when the big day finally arrives, it’s 100 guests and cake and punch. You need to be practical.”
Just as interior designers utilize certain design principles, so should gardeners.
In Bernstein’s case, much of her small back yard consists of a concrete patio. So in addition to some flower beds, there are planters filled with blooming plants, dwarf fruit trees in pots and a Victorian-style rose arbor that she is building alongside her yard. Block walls are hidden by vines, trellises and bushes. A liquidambar tree had to be removed because its roots were cracking the pavement. In its place, there now stands an old-fashioned birdhouse atop a pole.
“Sometimes there are variables, like concrete slabs, that are out of your control, but you learn to work with what’s there,” she said. “You don’t have to be an extraordinary gardener to manage your own yard. You just need to do some creative problem-solving.”
Bernstein recommends developing a plan before visiting the local nursery.
“The plan curbs the tendency to buy impulsively or buy plants you can’t properly care for,” she said. “If you’re going to spend money, choose those plants that have the best chance of making it in your yard. Often, people buy a beautiful plant and then know they can’t care for it. They neglect it, and eventually it dies. Have a variety of choices in your plan, but try not to stray too far from your original selections.”
Bernstein also warns that most people have sentimental favorites--plants that remind them of childhood, vacations or special places and times. If you love roses but aren’t interested in their upkeep, look for the hardier varieties.
“Also look at some of your own personality characteristics,” she added. “Are you neat and methodical with everything in its place? Or are you easygoing with a more relaxed attitude? That can affect what kind of garden you plant.”
Bernstein said “tight” gardeners like neat, orderly flower beds and grab hedge-trimmers at the first appearance of an errant branch. Tight gardeners may prefer begonias (they bloom in neat, round clumps) and dwarf wheelers that resemble small mounds of leaves.
“Loose” gardeners, on the other hand, tend to enjoy vines and plants that mingle with one another. Give them the honeysuckle and bougainvillea.
“All too often I hear people complaining that they just don’t have a green thumb,” said Bernstein, extending her own into the air. “I just say, ‘Neither do I. Mine is the same color as yours.’ All you need is a plan that’s consistent with your likes, your lifestyle and your environment. It’s not as difficult as you think.”
NOVEMBER GARDENING SPECIFICS . . .
This is the ideal month for planting cool-weather plants that thrive in the shade, giving you flower color November through April.
Try Primula obconica and Primula malicoides . Cyclamen are actually grown from a tuber and love cold weather. They can be saved and grown again quite successfully the following year. Cineraria come in fantastic colors so vibrant they can be seen from very far away.
For window boxes in shady areas add some glacier ivy, the green and white foliage will give you the illusion of flower color. Add primrose, cyclamen or a showy reiger begonia or dogwood azalea (found in the florist department at your local nursery).
For backbone plants that provide greenery year-round, plant these shade lovers: calla lilies, mother ferns, liriope gigantea, camellias and azaleas.
Source: Cristin Fusano, Sherman Library and Gardens
. . . AND GENERAL NOVEMBER CARE TIPS
There is still time to plant bulbs for a brilliant display of spring flowers. Consider planting some in pots for portable splashes of color, or try growing bulbs indoors that can be “forced” into bloom earlier than they will outside. The two easiest bulbs to force are paper white narcissus and the amaryllis. Almost everyone knows about the paper whites, but few people take advantage of the amaryllis. Here’s how:
* Choose the largest and firmest bulb you can find. Pick a container that has a drain hole and a saucer available. The container needs to be large enough for one bulb to have about an inch or so of room around it. Then soak the bulb in water overnight.
* Use a little gravel, charcoal or other material in the bottom of the container so it will drain, but not allow the water to gush out. Add a couple of inches of soil and place the bulb, roots down, in the pot. The neck and shoulder (or the pointed top of the bulb) should just be over the top of the pot.
* Fill the pot with a little more soil, firmly packing it but leaving the top exposed. Next, add water now until the soil is moist but not soaked. Place in a cool but sunny spot. Water sparingly until the first sprout appears. In several weeks, your bulbs will be in full bloom.
Fall spraying is a must for a beautiful garden and is particularly effective now in combatting peach leaf curl. A second application should be made in late winter, just as the buds begin to swell. Check with a nursery for the best product for your particular situation. Roses should be given special attention and sprays should be applied as necessary to keep the flowers and foliage presentable.
This year, most lawns have been severely affected by the drought. Automatic sprinklers do not solve the problem if we ignore weather changes. Even parks with sufficient water allotments this year found many lawns drying out due to the heat.
Check your watering system and see that you only water a couple of times a week instead of daily. If you get a quick run-off, then check with your local garden center to find the best way to combat this. Sometimes it can mean watering a few minutes at a time, allowing the water to soak in between intervals.
If your lawn has become dormant for the winter, reseeding with winter rye has long been a popular solution. Use 10 pounds of seed for every 1,000 square feet, and top it off with steer manure.
As we become more and more environmentally conscious, old-fashioned pest-control remedies are again becoming popular. Beer has proved an effective, chemical-free method of killing snails and slugs. A jar lid or pie pan sunk into the ground and filled with beer does the trick.
Used kitty litter can deter squirrels, rabbits and gophers. Another effective remedy is sprinkling black or red pepper around the plants to give the invading animals’ noses a fit.
Since warm temperatures are lingering, there is a possibility of late outbreaks of aphids, whiteflies and leaf-hoppers. These pests can cause early defoliation of some plants. Remember to collect and destroy infected foliage of plants bothered by pests. This means bagging them for discard. Do not add them to the compost pile. Rake debris under trees and shrubs. When you’re done spraying and cleaning, bed down your shrubs and annuals with a thick layer of mulch. Spread snail and slug bait around.
Every gardener appreciates perennials--plants that grow from year to year increasing in size and beauty. Planted this month, they will establish themselves over the fall to bloom in season. They will continue blooming for many years to come with little further attention from you other than cutting off old flowers. Try planting favorites such as the delphinium, primrose, coral bells and columbine.
New bare-root roses will be out in another month, so start preparing now. If this is your first try at roses, select a sunny spot with enough room for several bushes. The impact of beautiful roses is even more dramatic when planted in mass. If you already have roses, you might want to remove old rose bushes that are worn out. Generous spacing between the plants will aid air circulation. Proper spacing depends on the growth habit and climate. Prepare the soil by working in liberal amounts of organic matter and fertilizer.
Source: California Assn. of Nurserymen
