Goth Garden

Goth Garden Hudson Valley Seeds

This is an interesting, and certainly eye catching idea for a garden, the combination of black or deep red plants. But most of these are annuals, and this mix doesn't seem like it would make a pleasing look all combined together. Also, to have to start seeds and plant every year seems too much trouble.

How to Grow

Shallowly sow seeds indoors in individual pots, 1-2 per cell. For best results, start in late winter, 6-8 weeks before last frost. As the sprouts put on their first true leaves, you will be able to distinguish them from each other. Transplant outdoors after threat of frost is past, making sure to plant a good mix of seedlings for balanced bouquets. The tall plants may require some staking and support to remain upright and produce the best quality flowers. If started in winter for spring transplant, the full mix will bloom within the first year; any later and Dianthus 'Sooty' will bloom in the following year, with the rest of the mix blooming in year one.

Black Button Centaurea

also called cornflower or bachelor's button, 30–38" high

Annual

Black Knight Scabiosa

back of bed, 24-36" high

annual

Dianthus barbatus var 'Sooty'

Also called Sweet William

‘Sooty’ typically grows to 18” tall. It is primarily noted for its maroon-chocolate flowers (to 3/4”) and red stems. Flowers typically bloom from spring to early summer. Lance-shaped, medium green leaves mature to mahogany. Use this to fill in the sides and middle of bed.

tender perennial

Dracula Celosia

Specimen plant, grow three for the middle of the bed,

8 in - 16 inches high

annual

Nemophila Penny Black

Stunning purple to almost-black flowers with a frosted white edge and white undersides to petals. With a low-growing but spreading and trailing habit, Penny Black is perfect for ground cover 

annual

It's all starting to come together! 

Planted some Jacob Cline Scarlet Bee Balm. Nice and tall, they will stand a little taller than the shrubs. Got these from Gade Farms in Guilderland. The Jacob Cline are a little taller than others, so see if you can save seeds or get that same variety again.

Zucchini that survived the chipmunks! There are still more blossoms, so maybe I will actually get some this year!

 The trees come down!

It's take me four days, but the stump is out and part of the tree at the top of the slope is down. There is still a big root for that vine back in this brush. When I can get two days without rain expected, I'll put something on that to hopefully kill those roots.

The four Phlox Blue Flame are doing well and one has started to bloom! We have had rain almost every day, so they should be getting a good start

Next step here is to plant the Scarlet Bee Balm. Hopefully it gets well established and using tomato cages gives it enough support. 

Lavender Hedge

Number one- decide if you will expand the garden any more. If so, lay down cardboard in front of the fence, then in the spring, dig out the new fence line, dig out existing fence, add more posts. Then add more fence for the front and move gate.

Fall 2023- lay down cardboard and kill grass for 18" border across front of garden fence

Spring- 2024- move existing plants (4) in front of fence

    - continue to start Munstead lavender seeds, 24 in 2024, to create hedge

Drought Tolerant Herb Bed

Moving lavender plants out of this bed will free up some real estate for more herbs.

Rosemary- continue try to keep cuttings alive overwinter, otherwise buy two plants each year in spring.

Chives- Start from seed, three plants.

Lovage- Getting mixed messages online if these can tolerate dry soil. Move to the drought bed and try them out. Grows to 24" high, so plant at edge of bed. 

Thyme- Continue two plants from seed each year. 

Calendula- companion flower  

Border Hedge

Hyssop is a bushy plant with blue flowers.  Grows 24" tall, space 12-24" apart use in place of lavender as a fragrant border around the veggie garden. Smother grass with wood chip mulch and dig a nice big hole for each plant and amend with compost. Make a border by creating a "V" trench to keep lawn out. 

Pollinator Bed Summer 2023

July 2023

Lots of plants came up this spring! Now the wait to see how much is "weeds". I did hand plant some seedlings of anise hyssop and ___.

In this picture is two kinds of coreopsis. I have noticed small Partridge Pea because of the distinctive leaves.

Eastern Pollinator Mix

This 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.

Future Plans

• Continue the bed all the way across. 
• Mow very low and lay down tarp.  
• Broadcast more seeds in late fall 2023.
• 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, buy two more 4 ounce bags. Reseed the left side and also seed the newly cleared area. 

Lupinus perennis- native lupine- blue spring flowers

I really love these plants, esp. the blue color. And of course they are the host plant for the Karner Blue Butterfly, among many other butterfly species. I remember the field full of these that is now a new development.  They do not grow true to seed, so buy a few plants and take basal cuttings in the spring.

Rudbeckia hirta- native black eyed- Susan- flowers later, after the lupine are finished, so makes a good companion 

Fall Chores 2023

  

August

• This is a good time to order and plant spring flowering bulbs (Alium) for next year's early flower display. Plan for different flowering times to extend the season.
• Continue deadheading flowers which will allow plants to use energy reserves for a final flower display.
• Some perennial flowers and bulbs will start to go dormant this month. Marking their location with a stick or drawing out a map of your bed is helpful come spring so you don’t forget where things are.
• Remove old plants which have stopped producing to eliminate a shelter for insects and disease organisms.
• Every weed that produces seed means more trouble next year. Control weeds before they go to seed.

September

• Plant garlic and additional Alium to the front slope. Consider planting garlic in the zucchini bed as a companion plant. There is plenty of free real estate in this bed. 
• Keep harvesting second plantings of the cool season vegetables including broccoli, and the other cole crops. 
• Allow plants to finish the summer growth cycle in a normal manner. Never encourage growth with heavy applications of fertilizer or excessive pruning. Plants will delay their dormancy process that has already begun in anticipation of winter in the months ahead. New growth can be injured by an early freeze.
• Fall is a good time for improving your garden soil. Add manure, compost, wood ash  and leaves to increase the organic matter content. Wood ashes contain phosphorous, potassium and calcium. They can be placed on vegetable gardens and flower beds as a top dressing that will feed into the soil all winter.
• Be sure to keep strawberry beds weed free. Every weed you pull now will help make weeding much easier next spring.
• Take cuttings from herbs to propagate inside: basil, mint, lavender and rosemary plant after the flower has finished blooming in late summer. 
• Move potted plants, thyme, lavender, salvia, etc... inside to overwinter.
• Clear the right sides of new wildflower bed, add compost and sow seeds. 

October

• Plant spring flowering bulbs. Once your daytime temperatures are in the 60’s or lower consistently, this is a good time to plant your tulips. 
• Drain the hoses and empty the bird baths before a hard frost.
• Cut and dry or freeze remaining herbs.
• Remove, chop, and compost asparagus tops after they have yellowed and died for the season. Wait until the ground has frozen to mulch.
• Cut strawberry foliage down to one inch. This can be done after the first couple of frosts, or when air temps reach 20°F (-6°C). Mulch strawberry and asparagus plants about 4 inches deep with straw.
• Mulch lavender plants about 3 inches deep with straw, chopped leaves or pine needles.
• Save seeds from favorite self-pollinating, non-hybrid flowers such as marigolds by allowing the flower heads to mature. Lay seeds on newspaper and turn them often to dry. Store the dry seeds in envelopes in a cool, dry, dark place.
• Comfrey cuttings make an excellent bio-activator in the compost bin. If you have a large amount of dried brown material—such as fall leaves—layering it with comfrey cuttings is an efficient way to balance out the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and jumpstart decomposition.
• Make a note of any particular productive or unsatisfactory varieties of vegetables that you planted this year. Such information can be very useful when planning next years' garden.
• Sow Scarlet Bee Balm in new front slope bed. Choose a spot free from weeds and easy to avoid the tarp covering the rest of the bed.
• Overwintering- bring in lavender (pots) and thyme and over winter in the basement.
• Propagate African Daisy and Rosemary by cuttings.

• Protect Hydrangea- May benefit from winter mulch in northern areas, mound shredded leaves or bark mulch around the base of the plant to about 12 inches or so. Put the mulch mound in place in late fall after the ground freezes, and uncover plants in spring when temperatures begin to stay above freezing. Easiest pruning is to simply remove any dead canes after the hydrangea sprouts in the spring. A slow-release fertilizer recommended for shrubs and trees may be applied once a year. Spread around the drip line of the branches, not the base. Lightly cover the fertilizer with soil to activate and water well.

• Sow New Jersey Tea in pots 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.

Planning Ahead for 2024

Notes for Next Year- June 18, 2023

Companion Planting in the Garden

It is definitely worth it to start marigold and borage seeds. This year I had little luck with direct sowing. The zucchini takes a while to come on, so having lots of borage in that bed defines it in the early summer.  Also, I like the look of the yellow marigold lining the tomato and strawberry beds.  Next year, start 50 marigold, they are so easy to grow and don't take much care so why not. The borage is also easy to grow and putting it along the fence helps keep it upright. Start at least 24 of these. 

The calendula seeds I direct sowed came up, but are going slowly.  Next year start 24 of them to put in the "wet" herb bed for color and as an aphid trap drop.

Front Slope Flowers

The second year of Dianthus Arctic fire came on nicely. The first year, it was just a clump, but it flowered in spring this year and looks good. Same with the Veronica. Year one, just green, this year nice showing. 

The African daisy grew nicely in the ground, and bloomed starting June 28.  Starting 50 of them made a nice swath across the middle of the new bed. Next year, start the same number again.  Since the middle of the bed is where the Phlox (white and blue) are going to go, the African Daisy are going to have to go somewhere else. Maybe in the spot at the top of the slope right in front of the Catmint?

The Pearl Yarrow actually come on nicely this year and bloomed at the end of June in most places. It grows a little lower than I thought, but seemed easy to start from seed, so is worth it to use gain next year. Maybe in the front of the bed? 

The low growing dianthus did not turn out as I hoped. First the Siberian Blue, is more of a fuchia. Since I have really given up on the "true blue" color scheme, the purple of the other flowers like Veronica is working,  but these are not really the color I wanted. Also, the white ones are not really doing anything since I put them in the ground. Maybe they will come on in the second year in the ground as many perennials do. But probably not worth it to start from seeds again.

Make a Choice!

Having three spiky flowers is too much. Choose one!

Salvia Blue Sage Mealycup Sage- Really blue, but as a salvia, it might not come back every year.

Veronica Royal Blue- I picked this because it was a truer blue.

Spike Speedwell Veronica Spicata- I like how this one shades into green at the top of the flower. Didn't do much the first year, second year looked great! Move the existing plants to the middle of the bed in the spring.

New Plants

Electric Blue Penstemon- start from seeds

Phlox dwarf blue flame and Phlox dwarf white- These will be the basis 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.

    Phlox Blue- 4 x $9

    Phlox White- 4 x $9

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.

    Hydrangea- 3 x $23 

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.

Spirea- 2 x $25 each