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Getting into the spirit of spring is easy when you start planning your garden. All your winter blues melt away
once you start pouring through catalogs and books. I love to start this around February when winter is just a
stone’s throw away but a chill is still in the air.
Planning your garden doesn’t have to be hard. Whether you’ve got a large space or something relatively small, you
can plan with ease as long as you have the tools. You should have a couple of gardening books you really like and
get some ideas of how they incorporate 4 seasons of color. Once you have decided on the items you wish to use in
your plan, write them all down and research them. This is very important, look at soil recommendations, amount of
sun needed, zones, blooming time and maintaince, which is often overlooked.
You must decide what type of garden is right for you. Are you someone who has a lot of time and looks at gardening as
a hobby and relaxing or are you limited with your time because of a busy schedule, making it difficult to devote
less than the time needed to take care of some of the plants you love? Once you figure out this portion of it, the
rest is easy.
Finally sketch out a rough draft of what your area looks like and label the items you wish to incorporate. Jot down
helpful notes at the bottom of the sketch. Take pictures of your favorite plants at nurseries, cut them out of
magazines or save them from online sources onto your desktop along with helpful information. Once you get this
completed it’s time to order from your wish list. When you have the items in hand, whether you ordered them online
or went to your local nursery, grab your sketch and place out the plants accordingly.You may decide you have to
change a few things here and there. Make sure you take into account of how big these plants, shrubs, trees, etc will
get and space them apart according to full growth so that they have room to grow and develop a healthy root system.
Now all that’s left is to wait and reap the benefits of your labor. A true labor of love!
Below are some great plants that are fast growing and do well in zones 7 where the dog days of summer can be
scorchers and void of rain. Here a few that offer beautiful color, fast growth and linger well into fall.
Russian Sage
Poppies
Dianthus
Rudibeckia
Sedum
Crocusmia
 Example of a garden sketch
 Toad Lily Maybe you planted those little rhizomes thinking not much was going to happen only to have a huge clump that’s over grown the planned planting area. Whatever the case may be, Toad Lilly clumps are very easy to divide and transplant without much heartache or damage to the plants.
The best time to move these is in early spring when they are about 2-3 inches tall and the weather has somewhat stabilized. Though they flower late, these will be one of the very first plants to poke their heads out of the ground. Not unusual to have them coming up in mid February here in zone 7. It’s easier to move these once they have grown a bit as you can easily judge the size of the clump by where they are coming up.
Start by judging the size of the clump. Even if you miss judge, don’t worry. For those with weedblock cloth, these things grow right through it so you may need to move the cloth along with the clump. You will not be able to separate the cloth without destroying the clump. Whatever your situation is, these things are tough and while you may loose parts of it, it will not harm the main plant. Once you’ve determined the size of the clump, simply drive your spade straight down around it. They don’t go very deep, maybe 6 inches tops so go about that deep. Once you’ve gone around the entire clump, start undercutting it with the spade. Again, don’t worry about damaging roots because there aren’t many roots below the clump. If your spade has a strong handle, you can simply start lifting while undercutting, otherwise just undercut around the whole thing. Once you got the clump undercut, simply start lifting. The whole thing will come up in a single piece. You may loose a few fringe pieces but again, no big deal. Now that you have it out of the ground, you can divide if you please. Chances are, you probably will because the clump will be considerable. I had 3 clumps that were well over 2-3 feet around. To divide, you can simply place the spade at the top and drive it down to chop it in half or fourths. Now find a new spot and replant by simply digging a hole a little bigger than the clump or give some away. There will be plenty to give away if you want. You can also replant some of the fringe pieces if you want to salvage those as well. They will keep quite well in glass of water if you can’t replant right away or saving them to give away.
That’s all there is to it. You will probably have to repeat the process in 2 years as the clumps grow incredibly fast and get pretty big.
We normally identify grasses as green but sometimes we need something that will add texture, a little bit of architecture and break up the monotony of green in our garden. To accomplish this, consider introducing some of these great looking colorful grasses into your garden.
 All Gold Japanese Forest Grass First up we have the All Gold Japanese forest grass also known as Gold Hakone grass. This is probably one of the best looking most interesting grasses you can find. More importantly, unlike most grasses, this one can be grown in the shade. It will light up your shady spot like nothing else!
This grass is pretty easy to grow and will tolerate the heat here in the south provided you have it shaded during the hottest parts of the day. You also need to remember to water this regularly as it is not particularly drought tolerant though it will take some drought just fine. Some decent soil is also important. No need to go crazy if you have clay soil as I do. Just amend your clay with hummusy type soil. I use the Evergreen brand from Home Depot/Lowed, only $1.25 a bag and plants love it. Like all other grasses it can be transplanted and separated without much heartache though it will take some time to get to a good size before you can separate. Another great quality is that it stays relatively short, perhaps 2-3 feet tall.
One of the important things to keep in mind is that it grows somewhat slow so getting a good size clump to start will make a huge difference. This one is a relatively new introduction so it’s not over planted and is very unique.
 Flame Grass Next is Flame Grass, as the name suggests this one turns redish-orange as fall approaches. Blades start off a medium green and gradually turn red at the tips as summer progresses.
This is another easy grower that will grow just fine in average soils and will take half day to all day sun though full sun is recommended, you probably want to put it in a spot that will be shaded into the hotter parts of the day. It will require regular waterings as it’s not very drought tolerant. Growth rate is average and will reach 3 to 4 foot at maturity but again, it’s nice to start with a good size specimen. Works great as either a single specimen or in mass. Particularly attractive when mixed with other plants and shrubs.
Flame grass is an excellent choice to add some color especially going into the fall as the reds and oranges really begin to show. This is another favorite colorful grass that is not particularly over planted here in the south like say Pampas grass. Very unique and great looking grass.
 Shanendoah Switch Grass Finally, we have the Shenandoah Switch Grass. This is another grass that gains color as the summer goes along. Similar to the Flame grass but with stronger hues of red and burgundy into the fall. Strong colors make this one particularly interesting as a specimen plant that will contrast nicely with red to purple color schemes in the garden.
Standing in at about 4 foot at maturity, Shenandoah Switch grass is one of the smaller switch grass varieties available so if you like switch grass but want something more compact then this one will work great. Unlike the previous two grasses, this one will tolerate a hot dry site with occasional waterings. It will also tolerate an average to clay alkaline soils. Full sun is best to get the most out of its color. Not a particularly fast grower but the colors make this one well worth the wait.
A great looking colorful grass that will stand on it’s own or mixed into a matching color scheme, the Shenandoah switch grass is both versatile and relatively easy to grow in just about any condition. This is another grass that is not seen very often if at all here in the south so again, you will score high uniqueness points by adding this to your garden.
 Sedum grass alternative Tired of mowing for 6 to 8 months out of the year? Want to be more Eco-friendly? I may have a solution for you. Alternative grasses. They really aren’t considered grasses by most of us - clover, sedum,creeping vines - but they make beautiful additions to our yards and at the same time, save us work, money and give us a yard that is one of a kind.
Why would you want to get rid of grass and plant clover, sedum or anything other than gleaming grass that glows it’s so green? Because these options require low watering and occasional mowing, if any. If you want to keep grass in your yard, there are plenty of low growing options. Some of these grow under 3″ per season. Bella Bluegrass is one of these - growing only 3-4″ tall. This grass stays green all year in the south…..no more brown grass! Bella is disease resistant and the deep roots reduce the amount of watering needed. Can you say, cheaper water bills?! Clover, sedum, creeping vines,double bird’s foot trefoil, any of these could be used alongside any low growing grass to create a truly unique lawn and garden. Pearl’s Premium Ultra is also a good low growth grass. It offers much the same as the Bella Bluegrass as it is disease resistant, stays green and grows at 1/4 the rate of Bluegrass. Pearl’s offers a sunny and a shady mix.
 Bella Bluegrass I’m not saying dig up your entire yard and plant a bunch of clover, although you could if you wanted to. I’m challenging you to think out of the box and create little havens in your yard. Start by sectioning off a 12×12 area that may be unsightly or difficult for gardening. Use a rototiller to break up the soil, while mixing in good, organic compost from your own garden or from your local store. Plant clover, Sedum, Purple New Zealand Bur or a mix of anything you choose. Use rocks, pavers or any sort of stone to create a sanctuary of relaxation. Once you get the hang of it and see just how little work you will have to do on a regular basis, you will want to incorporate this idea into bigger sections of your yard.
Still not convinced? Think of the money saved on watering, gas for your mower, chemicals used from fertilizers, not to mention the pollutants that come from gas powered mowers and the chemicals from fertilizers that get into our water systems wreaking havoc on the ecosystem. Short grasses and alternative grasses added to your yard will reduce your mowing time by more than 50%, add beauty and give you peace of mind knowing you are helping the environment. Once your yard is complete, then naturally your neighbors will follow your lead. Pretty soon, you’ve started a local movement. Make this a “must do” on your gardening list this year. You’ll be so grateful you did.
 Moss Roses Moss Roses are for me, a new idea in the garden. My husband and I live in a state of “extremes”. Extreme heat, extreme cold, excessive rain and snow, you get the picture. All of these excessive weather elements have made it hard for us to find what really works where we live - kind of a trial and error for us. In the summer we get some serious heat with little to no rain for weeks at a time.
I’ve found a plant that can handle that, and that’s the Moss Rose. It does well pretty much anywhere dry; rock gardens, paver walkways and paths, along driveways, strawberry pots, etc. Moss Roses don’t grow very tall, only 4-8 inches, spreading to about 2 feet, so they are best suited as a ground cover. You could put them in strawberry pots or regular pots along with taller plants and put them on your deck or patio. They offer vibrant colors of red, orange and yellow and a bright green foliage.
These plants are great for people that forget to water because it’s encouraged to let them dry out before the next
watering, which should be sparingly when you do water. In fact, they thrive in heat and drought. The only downside
is that they don’t return the next year - meaning, you can’t leave them in he ground if you are prone to cold winters in your area. You could however, take them out of the ground and put them in a good mix of soil and sand in front of a sunny window. Once the end of winter has arrived, plant outdoors in a sunny spot.Give these cheery little plants a try, they’re sure to be a favorite addition to your garden.
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