Enough With the Spring Cleanups, Let's Get Planting!
You've been patient, I'll give you that. Either you've endured the many spring cleanup posts in April and May or ignored them (I'm fine with that). June is here and traditionally I spend the month putting in one garden after another. New and fresh perennials, shrubs and trees are in the garden centers now and temperatures are still reasonable for transplanting.
In this post, I weeded and edged two backyard garden beds for a property in Toronto's High Park North neighbourhood, near "The Junction" area. I originally did a spring cleanup in this backyard way back in April (feels like a lifetime ago) and since then the weeds, of course, have grown vigorously during a very warm May.
I was presented with this the other day when I arrived:
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In the Junction a New Backyard
Garden Installation Before |
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New Backyard Garden Installation
Before in Toronto's The Junction |
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High Park North Backyard
Garden Installation Before |
and on the other side of the backyard:
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New Backyard Perennial Garden
Installation Before in Toronto's The Junction |
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A Backyard Perennial Garden
Installation Before in High Park North |
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High Park North Backyard Perennial
Garden Installation Before |
The lawn is in poor shape but since I'm not involved with lawn care, the homeowner should get some quotes to have it re-sodded as I feel re-seeding won't be effective due to the many weeds in the turf.
More pressing for me was to deal with the weeds infesting the two beds. The biggest culprits were violets and creeping buttercup (Ranunculus repens) which were quickly taking over the beds. Hand digging them out, roots and all, was the most quickest and effective way to create "clean" beds ready for transplanting. And, yes, edging makes a difference appearance-wise, besides keeping the grass out of the beds.
On the shadier north-facing side, I chose plants like astilbes, hostas and bleeding hearts to accompany Buddha. The strange-looking stem is part of the old grape vine that was removed from the blue wall and roof. I left it alone as it looks decorative (i.e., I didn't want to deal with the root ball.)
You'll notice the beds could use more plants but let me explain: the client couldn't get all the perennials I suggested way back in April and I'm leaving room for the to grow. That "sleep, creep, leap" aphorism when it comes to perennials does apply if they are sited and cared for well during the first few seasons after transplanting.
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In the Junction a New
Backyard Garden Installation After |
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New Backyard Garden Installation
After in Toronto's The Junction neighbourhood |
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High Park North Backyard
Garden Installation After |
On the sunnier south-facing side, I planted purple coneflowers (Echinacea hybrid) and two variegated Feather Reed grasses (Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Overdam'):
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New Backyard Perennial Garden
Installation After in Toronto's The Junction |
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A Backyard Perennial Garden
Installation After in High Park North |
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High Park North Backyard
Perennial Garden Installation After |
"It's a start" as the saying goes. I advised the client to lay down more mulch and buy more perennials to fill up the south-facing bed especially.
Many more transplanting examples are on the way, along with "summer cleanups" because the weeds just keep on growing!
