January 29, 2016 at 1:45 p.m.
Dreaming of spring? Start planning your outdoor projects now
Dreaming of spring? Start planning your outdoor projects now
At the group's January meeting, the Master Gardners of the North shared a presentation by Melinda Myers called "Plant the Garden of Your Dreams." Tom Jerow, a Master Gardener himself, also presented some information and pictures of his outdoor living spaces as well as those of other gardeners. He also shared some planning tips and tricks to help others create their perfect outdoor scenes.
Planning from the Inside Out
When planning outdoor gardens and living spaces, Jerow said most people, including himself, think first and foremost about what people will see when they walk by or when they approach the house. They give little thought to what they will see, as the homeowner, when looking out their kitchen window.
While it's great to have an interesting view and things to see while we're sitting outside, he said, we also need to think about what we see from inside the house.
He then showed the group how he planned an outdoor area at his own home. Melinda Myers, who presented to the group via video, mentioned taking a picture of an outdoor space and having that picture blown up. From there she used tracing paper to trace the major features, such as trees or buildings, onto that part of the landscape. Then, she could add any plants, hardscapes, or other features to the landscape on the tracing paper.
If she changed her mind, she would simply make another tracing, and rework her plan. Jerow said he has used this technique, but uses more of a three-dimensional rendering. He put his tracing paper on the window where he would be looking out as he sat inside. He traced the main landscaping features and hardscapes (driveways, walking paths, etc.) onto the paper. Then he was free to add whatever plants and other features he could dream up to the picture he created. He said this process helps him to see things more as they would look in real life. He, too, could start over at any time by simply using a new piece of tracing paper. This technique would work for any outdoor space, he stated.
Jerow said January is a great time to take pictures of outdoor living spaces because it will show what features are in what locations, and what the area looks like when there are no plants visible.
Including things such as trestles and other garden features makes an outdoor area more attractive even in the cold of winter, he added.
"Things like this trestle, or the other ornamental pieces add something of interest," he said. "They give the eye something pleasing to land on."
Jerow also said many people fail to think about what their outdoor spaces will look like in the winter.
With a little planning, these spaces can be just as attractive in the winter as in the summer, he said.
Blooms are great, but textures and architecture last all season
When many people think of gardens, they default to what flowers they would like to plant and the color patterns they want.
Jerow discussed the brevity of blooms.
"What I really wanted was to have my orange poppies bloom with my Blue Irises," he said of his own garden. "I love blue and orange together and I really, really wanted that for this garden space, but, the reality is that poppies only bloom for like three days. That's all the time you get!"
His point was that blooms can be very fleeting and choosing colors to complement each other can be difficult if they bloom at different times. Many people also find it important to have flowers that bloom throughout the season.
Jerow noted that most seed catalogs do have ready-made plans that gardeners can use to create a garden that blooms from spring to fall.
"The plans are already put together," he said. "They are put together by professionals. The plans are great because they make it really easy. They tell you how many plants you need and how to space them."
"You want to think about what blooms at what time of the year," he added. "You want to make sure you have color throughout the whole season, but the reality is that blooming times can be fairly short. That's why paying attention to texture is so important."
Using plants whose leaves are different colors is important to the aesthetic appeal of an outdoor space throughout the whole season, he added.
Landscaping plants come in a variety of shades of green as well as reds, blues, yellows, and other colors. All of these things can add visual interest before blooms come and after they are gone. He also recommended using only native plants for outdoor living spaces so that gardeners do not accidentally introduce invasive species into the environment.
Planning your outdoor living space
Winter is a great time to think ahead to spring and what you would like for your outdoor living space.
Whether you take a picture of the space you want to freshen up or trace your yard on a piece of tracing paper from inside your window, either of these will give you a good starting point.
Checking out some of the pre-made garden plans online or in seed catalogs can give you great ideas, too, even if you don't follow the plan completely, he said. Adding architecture and lawn ornaments to garden areas is a great way to keep visual appeal throughout the year.
Ultimately, Jerow said not to be afraid to try things. Nothing has to be permanent.
If you find other ideas that you like better you can work them in or even change your plans.
Master Gardeners of the North
Anyone interested in learning more about how to plan their outdoor spaces is encouraged to attend a meeting of the Master Gardeners of the North.
Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. at the Oneida County Senior Center.
The group is also responsible for caring for the Community Garden on Thayer Street.
All of the vegetables from that garden go to the Rhinelander Area Food Pantry.
The group also encourages anyone who would like to help with the planning, planting, tending and picking of that garden to contact Jerow at (715) 369-6875 or to email him at [email protected].
Beckie Joki may be reached at [email protected].
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