Front Slope Phase Three 2024

What the Heck Are You Doing?

The plan for this is finally coming clearer to me and the directions I am going doesn't make sense for the site.  The cottage garden plants do not do well on a slope like this without a large grouping of plants to support them. I don't even like the cottage garden look any way. I have realized that I should use plants that form large clumps, planted together to make a grouping of colors. Descriptions like "tidy," and "mounding" are what I are looking for. I also discovered the term herbaceous border. Maybe that is what I really want for this area.

Plants to Keep 

So what do I want? I am looking for a more formal look, with larger clumps or groups of the same flower. The main color flowers should be white, but with a couple pops of blue like the hydrangea.

See how these perform, and consider keeping. I am looking for tidy, mound forming plants. 

*No need to have really tall plants in the back. It's a slope, dummy! Plus the taller plants will not do well with the winds at the top without supports. Get rid of cosmos. Delphinium would do fine on the East side of the porch. 

Hydrangea Blue Jangles

Catmint- Walkers Low

Spirea Blue Kazoo

Spirea Blue Mist

Stachys Lamb's Ears

Dianthus white

Spiked Speedwell (Veronica)

Phlox dwarf blue flame

Phlox dwarf white

Yarrow Achillea ptarmica- Pearl yarrow

Hydrangea- Blue Jangles- This is the showpiece of the bed. I hope I can keep it alive and flowering, and also add the correct amount of acid to keep them bright blue. It might need more water and less sun that this spot has. Buy a few plants each year, or ask for Mother's Day gifts. 

Plant Balloon Flower in the meantime while waiting for more hydrangea. This could turn out to be a reliable perennial. Comes up late in spring and doesn't bloom well until the second year, so give this one another chance. Also, Balloon Flower probably needs more fertilizer than I gave it. 

Spirea Blue Kazoo-Bluestone Perennials- Dwarf variety with cool blue foliage, rich red fall color and white flower clusters. A neat mounded plant, easy to grow. Put at the very top of the border behind the Blue mist as it is a little taller. Order two of these for Mother's Day.

Blue Mist Spirea- Bluestone Perennials- Misty clusters of rich purple blue flowers envelop the glossy, dark green foliage. Once established, this drought tolerant plant is virtually maintenance free. Caryopteris Beyond Midnight™ has a dense mounding habit. Long blooming. 2- 21/2 high.

Catmint- Walkers Low (add Walkers Deep Blue)- Trim in summer to keep from flopping over. After the first bloom, trim as much as half the plant's height if needed. These tough perennials will grow right back. Three plants now,  maybe add three more to make a nice clump. Move these to the middle of the bed and the Veronica behind, try to divide existing catmint in 2024 to fill in that section of the bed. Maybe buy plants of Walkers Deep Blue if money allows.

Stachys Lamb's Ears- Love the fuzzy leaves, good in dry spot and encourage it to spread. Divide in spring 2023 and make a border in the front of the bed with it. Just keep dividing this and spreading it across each year. Will be a good plant to give away as well.

Dianthus white and Dianthus blue- These will be the border to the grass on the left side of the border, especially the white. Low growing, should like dry conditions. Another key plant to the mass plantings and big groups of color. Avoid planting in rows, even though it is on the border.

Spiked Speedwell, Veronica- Great deep blue color, came up well the second year. Move to the back of the slope, and divide in the spring.

Phlox dwarf blue flame and Phlox dwarf white- These will be the backbone of the front of the border. You can only buy them in plants, so get four of each when finances allow. Hopefully this can be divided in three years.

Yarrow Pearl Achillea ptarmica - Cute little cottontail yarrow. Plant around hydrangea to soften the edges and integrate with the rest of the bed.

*Zinnia- Plant this year where the Phlox will go next year. Nice enough pant, just not showy or big enough for the front border. 

Cottage Garden plants to move

cornflower, yarrow, nigella, Russian Sage, African Daisy, Salvia Farincea, and Globe Thistle

Russian Sage- Blue Steel-  It's a little tall, so I'll see if it can mostly stay upright. It gives a nice all over "blue" color.  Interplant it with the white Yarrow for a little more interest. 

African Daisy- Cool blue centers, but is an annual. Grow this year to see if it is worth it to start from seed every year. Needs fertilizer monthly while blooming. Try to propagate by cuttings. This is also the best way to overwinter the plant outside of its hardiness zones. Mix this in with Globe Thistle, plants will support each other and the white and blue will look good together.

Globe Thistle- Cool looking, blue, but may be too tall. Mix with African Daisy

Add in 2024

• Stemless Gentian- ground cover blue and white, front of border
• Caryopetris Beyond Midnight (Spirea Blue Mist)- if this does well this year (blooms late summer, 2023- second year) then get another from Blue Stone perennials (2 1/2 feet tall, may die back to the ground in winter) 

• Spirea Blue Kazoo- Bluestone Perennials- Cool blue foliage provides a perfect backdrop for sparkling white flower clusters. Hints of burgundy in the newly opening foliage foreshadow the rich red fall color. A neat mounded plant, easy to grow. Outstanding tucked into your existing border or plant in mass for a showy low-growing hedge.

Expand the Right Side- Keep it Simple! 

In the spring of 2023, clear the right side of the bank, both of the larger trees and the weeds. Cover with the grey tarp for the summer. Buy New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus) seeds or plants New Jersey Tea if funds allow. Plant in a rectangle around the edges of the slope, at the top, bottom and sides of the border. 

Seeds need a winter or cold period to germinate. Sow these seeds outdoors in pots from November through mid-February. In late fall through to mid-winter bring water to a boil and pour over seed, soak for 24 hours. Fill plastic pots with a slightly moistened, sterile, soil-less growing mix. Plant seed 3 mm (1/8 inch) deep in pots and label the pots. Place them outdoors in an area where they will experience the snow and cold of winter. The seed will germinate in the pots in spring as the weather warms up. Be sure to water the pots regularly in spring and once the plants are 5 cm (2 inches) tall, transplant them into your garden. This species is challenging to grow, and a great species for more experienced seed-sowers. Deer and rabbits do like this shrub, especially when it is young so protect new transplants in the early years. 

Fill the middle with Scarlet Bee Balm.  Purchased Jacob Cline from Gade's Farm. It is the taller species (3'-4'). It should be planted 18" apart. Need 16 plants to fill in the 4' by 4' area inside the New Jersey Tea. Divide in spring or fall every 3-4 years.

 Wildflowers and Pollinator Beds

Plan for Summer 2023

• Continue the bed all the way across. Broadcast more seeds in late fall 2023.
• Lay down tarp in the spring. 
• Put up some sort of sticks to warn the mowing crew.

I covered the area in cardboard and a tarp for the summer. In late fall of 2022, I cleared the area and broadcast Eastern Pollinator mix from Hudson Valley Seeds. If it works out and the flowers come up nicely, buy two more 4 ounce bags. Reseed the left side and also seed the newly cleared area. 

Wildflowers by River Road

• Eastern Wildflower Mix- Hudson Valley Seeds
• Wildflower Mix Seedville USA- Free Seeds
• Common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)- Hudson Valley Seeds
• Milkweed- Northern - Syriaca- Live Monarch
• Leftover seeds: cornflower, coreopsis yellow, dianthus Arctic Fire- use these up because they will probably not last another year and you don't really want them anywhere else.

Eastern Pollinator mix- Annual and perennial mix contains Partridge Pea, Purple Coneflower, Coreopsis, Indian Blanket, Wild Sunflower, Perennial Lupine, Butterfly Milkweed, Wild Indigo, Spiderwort, Eastern Columbine, Lemon Mint, New England Asters, Showy Tick Trefoil, Black-Eyed Susan, Lavender Hyssop, New England Asters, Plains Coreopsis, Spotted Bee Balm, and Gray Golden Rod.

Materials for Garden 2023

 

 Materials for Garden 2023                                          

☐ More Perlite- to amend herb beds?

☐ Poultry Grit- two bags from Tractor Supply to "amend" herb bed and new lavender bed

☐ Nine (9) bags of compost from Schenectady County Recycling- 3 bags for $8 = $24

☐ Re-Paint both tomato trellis- exterior paint

☐ Soil acidifier for hydrangea

☐ Six (6) Additional green 6' stakes for tall flowers- Delphinium

☐ Garden twine

☐ Two additional metal fence posts for long sides of wire garden fencing Home Depot

☐ Large Chip Mulch for front slope

☐ Order a chip drop for garden paths

☐ Another long hose (50') to water the front slope and the wildflower beds

☐ More deer netting for hydrangea and New jersey tea

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 Seed Starting 2023

Stop looking for more plants! You are starting nine new flowers from seed this year, not to mention adding new plants). That is plenty. Also, more different plants will not make that slope look how you want. Grow more of the same and repeat throughout the bed.

Materials: 

• 1 half bag potting soil, 2 full bags (25 qts) Moisture Potting soil for winter sowing

• 4 half bags Seed Starting Mix

• 2 Full size seed starting trays

• Need 2 half size trays

Seed Trays

Six- 1020 Bottom trays

One- Small cells 50 (5x10) 
Four- Medium cells tray 36 (4x9)  
One- Large block seed tray 32

One- Deep pots-3 1/2 x 3 1/2"- 18

Four- Half trays (16)

One- Epic Four Cell deep- 32 (4x8)

One- Epic 6 cell- 72 (6x12)

    $9.99 per 4 pack at Gade Farms

Plan

Shelf One- Small cells (50) 1a. half tray (16)= 66
Shelf Two- Medium cells tray (36)  2a. half tray (16)= 52
Shelf Three- Medium cells tray (36)  3a. half tray (16)= 52
Shelf Four- Large block seed tray (32) 4a. half tray (16)= 48
Shelf Five- Deep pots-3 1/2 x 3 1/2"= 18 
                Total: Max 210 seeds starts

Seedlings in Bins- Upstairs

• Four seed starting shelves, plus top shelf with less light (clip ons).
• You can fit 16 seedlings in cups per bin, two clear bins per shelf, 32 seedlings per shelf
• Total maximum 160 seedlings on five shelves (including top) 

Seedlings in Bins- Downstairs

• Four seed starting shelves, NO top shelf (ceiling)
• You can fit 16 seedlings in cups per bin, THREE clear bins per shelf, 48 seedlings per shelf
• Work Bench can hold four extra large bins (ones you use for hardening off)= 64 seedlings 
• Total maximum 256 seedlings on four shelves and workbench

Total Seedlings = 416 

Batch One- March 6- Delphinium (Feb 13), Anise Hyssop, and Lavender, Pearl Yarrow= 40 

Batch Two- March 20- African Daisy, Broccoli, Cornflower, Dianthus Siberian Blue, English Thyme, Rose Campion, Yarrow and Milkweed= 154 (194)

• Before starting more on April 3, pot up the good seedlings and move down to basement. Keep one heat mat on, wrap those two shelves in cardboard and reflective insulation to keep heat in. 

Batch Three- April 3- Basil, Cosmos, Lovage, Marigold, Nasturtium, Globe Thistle, Salvia Blue Sage, Tomato and Zinnia= 110 (304)

 

Delphiniums- Start 10-16 weeks before last frost, also winter sowing. Place seeds sandwiched between sheets of moist paper towel in a bag or food container in fridge for 36 hours starting Feb 6. Start the seeds on Feb 13 in the 2" cells (24), in a large bin, heat mat and grow light in office until March 6 when shelves go into kitchen. Keep a lid on to keep cats out! Place on top shelf of seed starting shelves. Mark with red tape!

Batch Two Planting Plan

The half pans are working well on the shelves, and the medium cells (16 per) that I bought in bulk fit in there perfectly. My only worry with those is there are only small slits in the corners, no hole in the bottom. I think this might make it harder to water from the bottom and to get the seedlings out when potting up. Maybe for the next batch I'll drill a hole in the center of each one.