Take a Short Garden Jaunt

One of the best things I ever did as a new gardener learning about plants and garden design was touring local public gardens and parks as well as gardens in my own neighborhood. Not only did I get to know some pretty remarkable gardeners who were more than happy to share their garden knowledge with me, I was able to see how a garden and its plants changed day-to-day. 

When you are new to gardening, and truth be told even for the seasoned gardener, it is not always easy to know how a plant will behave in the garden and work with the rest of the landscape. Plant tags are priceless and it behooves gardeners to read everything garden related- books, magazines and blogs. But the best way to learn is hands on and personally observing plants and gardens through the seasons.  That is why I am such a proponent of visiting local gardens as often as possible and always with a camera in hand.

In Take a Short Garden Jaunt: Find Inspiration Close to Home, I will share with you what we can learn from the gardens within walking distance of my house and on occasion, within an hours’ drive. We will tour gardens in my Cincinnati neighborhood including the incredible gardens of Ault Park. You say your garden is not in my garden zone? No worries, a lot of what we will learn translates to all gardens from the Northwoods of Wisconsin to sunny Florida. In the end, I hope you learn a lot and start your own very short garden jaunts around your neighborhood.

The Annual Garden- Unless you are at a home and garden show where plants are installed shoulder to shoulder, a freshly planted  annual garden can look a bit lack luster. Yes, the tag say the plant reaches 24” but are they sure? It is so tempting to overplant a garden, especially an annual garden. Luckily I have a few fabulous annual gardens in my park to study. These gardens have taught me how to use unusual annuals AKA think outside the box, work with texture and foliage – something we often forget when working with flower rich annuals and how to plant according to how the garden will look in a few weeks’ time.

My friend and adopt-a-plot gardener Bennett has the artist’s touch. He uses unusual plants and found objects to create a charming little garden tucked within the yew border of his plot. The first year everyone was in awe of his garden; one he made from scratch (he didn’t inherit any plants when he took over the plot). What I really love about his garden is it is freshly planted each spring. It is the perfect study of how lush a garden can become in one season.
If you have a small garden space and you would love to create a new garden each year, an annual garden is perfect for you! Spend time studying annuals in the early spring and into summer so when you go to select your plants for the new garden season, you will know how the plants will look a few weeks and a few months down the road. Pictured below: Freshly planted this spring, Bennett’s garden looks sparse. Don’t be fooled, these plants will easily fill in the garden space in no time.

The Greater Cincinnati Master Gardener Association adopted a double plot last year. Mary Jo and Pam tirelessly plan, research and tend this generous garden space at the park. Last year their garden was very heavy in annuals. The bare space they took over was transformed in to a lush, flower haven which caught the eye of those passing by as well as hummingbirds, butterflies and curious gardeners. This year a few perennials have been added to the mix, but for the most part, it is annuals that rule this garden design. Pictured below: The annuals in the GCMGA bed are coleus, pentas, hibiscus, salvia, physocarpus, petunia and begonia.

All Images by Jennifer Koester