GARDEN DESIGN

This past weekend I went to a Master Gardener Symposium in Concord, NH. It was excellent, as they usually are.
The Key Note Speaker, Julie Moir Messervy, showed slides and spoke about her interpretation of Garden Design. She had beautiful photographs of magnificent gardens she had designed and helped to construct. Especially at this time of year, this is the sort of thing that gets every gardener's "juices" running. I'm no exception!
She had six steps she used in creating these gardens.

1. Lay of the Land-This is essentially your "site analysis". This is where you find out what it is you need to address as either opportunities or areas needing change.
2. Big Moves-Here is where you organize your spaces and pull your vision together for the final product.
3. Comfort Zones-These would be where you surround your home with lovliness; where you make your home welcoming to visitors; the area generating privacy from the neighbors; and places to be used for outdoor activities.
4. Making it Flow-You want to be sure that there are gateways, paths, landings and seating areas that all "feed" into each other creating "flow".
5. Placing the Pieces-Your garden needs focal points, whether they are plants or assorted pieces of art.
   
6. Sensory Pleasures-Try to organize a "home outside" by bringing beauty and harmony to it through the use of water, lighting, the earth itself or just the good feeling of being outdoors in the fresh air.

It certainly was the stuff of dreams, but my meager pocketbook will have to apply some of these lessons to the abilities of my "homegrown" gardeners!

GARDEN CHORES FOR MARCH

MARCH

Be sure to fertilize that poinsettia.

Check your stored bulbs to be sure they're not being eaten by
mice.

Also, remove forced bulbs from cold storage. Put them in a cool place until they begin to sprout, then bring them into the place you want to have them bloom.

This is a good time to buy summer blooming bulbs.

Start seeds inside.

Begonias can be started in peat moss.

If you haven't done so yet, start planning a new garden!

This is a good time to send in a soil sample for testing...if you can get to it!

If you have a lawn, this is a good time to send the mower in for
a tune-up.

Fruit trees should be pruned of dead and diseased branches. Check
a reference book and give them a general pruning as well.

It is time for Dormant Pruning. This is the process whereby you prune the trees while they are in a dormant (non-growing) state.

Keep your pruning shears away from spring blooming trees and shrubs, except to
snip a few for inside forcing! (Although you should certainly remove dead and diseased branches.) Some good forcing candidates are: cherry, apple, dogwood and forsythia. Just remember that whatever you cut off now will not be blooming in a few months!

Talk about pruning shears...sharpen them before using.

If any of your plants are frost-heaved, gently push them back into the ground.

Any questions about March?