Potager Kitchen Garden

Potager Plan

Three stage plan

*Because I know that it is too much work for one year!

Stage One- 

• two rectangular planting beds- raised beds Cinder Blocks 
  
  
  
• double height for Asparagus
• circular focal point
• fencing- use leftover porch balusters and hardware cloth
• put down newspaper and mulch to kill grass on paths
• install soaker hose 

Stage Two- Middle Beds

Stage Three- Herb Beds, Perimeter Fencing and pea gravel pathways

Companion Plantings

Tomatoes and Basil

Asparagus and Strawberries (needs ultra high netting)

Broccoli and Nasturtiums

Zucchini and Borage

English Lavender (hardy) and White Sage (Artemeisia)- requires sandy, well-drained soil and no extra watering (soaker hose)

Thyme and Rosemary-requires sandy, well-drained soil and no extra watering (soaker hose)

Focal Point

    Mint and Lamb's Ear planted in circle

    Four quadrants for visual interest

    Bird bath in center

    Solar powered fountain?

    

3 foot circle- made with 36 wall blocks, 18 each double rows, cost $90

Remove grass and pit down hardware cloth to prevent mint and Lamb's Ear spreading

 

Landscape Plan

 

Perennial Border Visible from back window and patio.

Cream, Green and Blush

Screen on South side for street noise and privacy

Continue Forsythia across the River Road side, getting rid of crummy trees in the front corner. It will match the rest and provide three seasons privacy. It will grow 8- 10' tall and 10- 12" wide. Plant close together to get thick hedge, 5' apart.  Approximate hedge length 36'- plants needed 8. Cut on the house side to make a kind of hedge. Plant shade tolerant perennials like Hosta to cover the bottom which can get patchy.

Autumn Blaze Maple
Red Sunset is a red maple cultivar with superior fall color and good branch structure. Winter buds, clusters of small winter spring flowers, leaf stems, twigs, and winged summer fruits are all reddish colored. The glossy green leaves persist on the tree turning orange-red to brilliant red in the fall. Red Sunset grows moderately fast, 45'-50' high with a 35'-40' spread. It adapts to a wide range of climates and soils, but requires acid soil and is salt-sensitive. It prefers a moist site and tolerates full sun to partial shade.
zones 4-8.

or

Summer Red Maple Tree Acer rubrum 'HOSR'

Hydrangea

Limelight hydrangea seems to be better suited to our climate.

House is 20' wide. Plant three hydrangea, centered on the center point of the house: 1. leave room for the walkway to the back door, 2. leave room on the other side for ___. 

Height 6'-8'

Spread 6'-8'

This unique panicle hydrangea revolutionized landscaping across North America. Huge, football-shaped flowers open in an elegant celadon green that looks fresh and clean in summer's heat. The blooms age to an array of pink, red, and burgundy which persists through frost for months of irresistible flowers. You can use 'Limelight' hydrangea just about any way you can imagine: as a showy flowering hedge, to screen off air conditioners, as an attention-getting specimen, in containers, flower gardens, or anywhere around your home. A long-time favorite of professional florists, it also makes an excellent cut flower, fresh or dried.

Top three reasons to grow 'Limelight' hydrangea:

- It's a time-tested classic that graces the yards of thousands of homes across North America

- Large flowers have a unique color that looks great with any style and color of house.

- Blooms every year, even in cold climates - winter doesn't faze it at all.

Dreaming of Spring

 

Over the winter break is the time I usually seem to dream of Spring. It is definitely cold and bleak right now. Cold, icy and snowy has been the weather for weeks here. 

So I've been thinking about what I want to do to the yard in the spring. It's difficult, because I really want to get some major changes, but I don't really have the money to do the big thing necessary first. I really should get all of the trees down before I do anything else. It's silly to plant perennial beds, when the next year they will be in the way of big trucks.

So here's the plan, get the TWO big trees in the backyard down and get the stump closest to the house ground down. I know that it will be a couple years before the big tree roots to decay and they I can put in a paver patio. But in the meantime, I can certainly put down some temporary rubber pavers and kill the grass and get a little place to sit.

Also, if I get both of the big trees taken care of, then I can start to put in some permanent things without worrying they will get rolled over.  I am hoping that they will take down most of the small trees and brush at the same time.

I am also hoping that I can get Dan to come out for an afternoon and get the branches on the front of the house that are leaning over the house. It really is just two, so maybe he'll come out with a couple chainsaws and rope and do it quick.... maybe....

Doing things in Order is Important!

2021

1. Trees- this will tear up the yard and driveway, so this should be first.

2. Driveway

3. Install Hydrangeas against house- in the remaining space left by driveway

2022

1. South side- Big tree, two smaller trees

2. Brush on South side- Clear way for Red Maples and arborvitae

3. Remove existing concrete sidewalk (front of house and along the west side) and steps on front porch

4. Then install paver patio- once tree roots have decomposed