Christine Schaub blog

Creating Backyard Privacy with Natural Beauty

8/28/2024

Poet Robert Frost was onto something in 1914 when he wrote: “Good fences make good neighbours.”

Sage advice.

I started the “good neighbor” trend between neighbors to the Northeast and Northwest by planting trios of Green Giant arborvitae/thuja to naturally “box in” my backyard. These dense, fluffy, fast-growing trees make magnificent privacy fences year round, shading the deck in brutal, southern-summer heat and looking postcard perfect with dustings of Christmas snow.

When one neighbor installed a garish orange-red wooden fence several years ago, I was beyond thankful the Green Giants would block that view in a single growing year. With a mature height of 50-60 feet and spread of 12-20 feet, these deer-resistant beauties “fluff out” in a way that makes the backyard feel like a secret garden, whilst providing wild-life hiding places. They are truly magical.

Buy the largest starter you can afford, then plant in a well-spaced row or alternate in V-shapes for a thicker hedge. With visible growth of 3 or more feet/year, you’ll want to companion-plant trees at quite a distance or wait to install until your arborvitae’s mature growth is achieved.

Walking in a Winter Wonder-garden

12/12/2023

Do's and Don't's of creating a winter garden

With frosty nights killing off fall blooms, it’s time to consider your winter garden. Winter…what? Yes! You can enjoy an amazing garden in winter, as long as you focus on these five elements:

Evergreens. Whether planted in the ground or glazed pots, perennials with vibrant green needles or leaves have their moments in a stark winter landscape. Consider conifers for statement hedges, and dwarf shrubs—like a mugo pine—for decks or patios. And…you can decorate them for the holidays!
Winter berries. Thrill to pops of color with trees—think hollies—and shrubs with persistent fruit in reds, oranges, purples, and pinks. Consider winterberry, beautyberry, checkerberry/boxberry, euonymus, viburnum, laurels, firethorn—the list is long! Bonus: The birds will thank you for the seasonal treats.
Winter-blooming perennials. Just when you think you’ll never survive another trek through frozen slush, out pop the delightful blooms of camellias, hellebores, and Persian violets. Your heart lifts! And if you’ve never seen a snowdrop or winter iris push its way through sleet, you need to!
Iron sculptures. Ice- or snow-covered metal takes on dramatic flair in winter. Consider powder-coated obelisks, cloches, and rustic flowers strategically placed to reflect both the sun and moon.
Statues. Made of durable concrete or stone, Romanesque figures steal the show when the foliage drops. Whether dusted with snow or ice, statues look regal and old-world…and completely unbothered by the weather.

While you’re planning winter garden beauty, avoid overdoing some things, including:

Too much cutting back. You can leave ornamental grasses, dried hydrangea blooms, rose hips, and sedums for winter interest—especially for dustings of snow and ice. When you cut back EVERYTHING, your landscape looks barren and severe. We’re aiming for interesting and dramatic.
Ornamentation. Too many twirling, swirling, colorful metal pieces can look ostentatious—even cartoonish—in the barren winter landscape. Store those away until summer leaves help them blend into your garden’s foliage.
Cardboard under mulch. While corrugated pulp/container board seems an easy winter solution to blocking weeds and killing grass—no digging or scraping!—it’s never a good idea for soil life. It blocks moisture and oxygen…and nutrients. The natural pine mulch you pile on top of it is wasted conditioning, and will probably slide off or bunch up. Just put in the sweat equity—hand clear the area, scatter a pre-emergent, and mulch.

A stunning winter garden takes time—sometimes years—to develop. But with a few changes each season, you’ll enjoy a show-stopping view, in your slippers and sweaters, outside any window.

A gardener for all seasons

9/26/2023

As summer winds down, gardeners start itching to do something other than water, water, water. And, maybe, water. There’s a need to tidy up, move things around, plant something new. But hold on, anxious gardeners. You might just be on the verge of making a big garden mistake. For instance:

It could be way too early to…

Plant spring bulbs. Yes—bulbs are in stores, calling your name, enticing you with their pictures of cheerful pastel blooms. But the ground is still too warm right now in most garden zones. Plant too early and they will sprout before the first freeze. Think: mid-to-late October for zones 4/5, November for zones 6-8.
Trim back trees and shrubs. While you can cut away broken, dead or diseased branches at any time, major pruning is a terrible idea right now. Why? Pruning stimulates new growth, and that beautiful growth will shrivel up and die in a snap freeze or even dramatic temperature drops. The best time to seriously prune is late-winter/early-spring.
Move blooming perennials. While early-fall is usually a great time to divide and/or transplant your perennials, you can sap energy and do serious damage to blooming—especially ever-blooming—shrubs. Instead, wait several weeks past their last blooms, or even until they’ve gone dormant.

Do some research before you…

Buy trees and shrubs for the wrong garden zones. Hardiness zones are essential for growing plants in your geographic area. Your climate may be too cold or even too warm for something you see in a magazine, so go local. A nearby garden center will probably carry perennials for your zone, but an online grower has plants that will prefer Michigan weather to Louisiana. Know exactly what zone you live in by typing in your ZIP code on the US Department of Agriculture website.
Plant perennials in the wrong sun/shade areas. Trees die and grow, buildings come down or go up, and the sun shifts in the sky throughout the seasons. All of those situations change the amount of sun or shade your new perennials will need to survive and flourish. Think two seasons ahead to determine if those hostas or hydrangeas will fry in full sun, or young roses will peter out in deep shade.

So just gather some important details before you attack that fall garden to-do list. Your plants will reward you for it next spring and summer.

Run for the roses...with pruning shears!

8/23/2023

We’re officially in that time of the growing season when perennial shrubs are looking a little…tired. And roses probably look the worst. Time to prune!

But it’s hot, you say. And it’s humid. And I don’t want to make things worse. Fear not! Late-August to mid-September are excellent times to get in a healthy prune. With the right tools and techniques, you can convince those beauties to flush new growth and finish the gardening season strong.

Just follow these steps:

Clean and sharpen your pruners. Gardening tools can carry diseases—like black spot and fungus—from plant to plant, so wiping them down with disinfectant (like Clorox’s bleach-free wipes) is essential. Then check your blades for sharpness, and you’re ready to go!
Wear long sleeves and gloves. Most roses have prickly elements to them. They’re a defense mechanism against deer, rabbits, squirrels and…you! If you prepare for that, you won’t leave your pruning session looking like you tussled with a playful kitten.
Prune in the evening. As the sun starts to set and the temperature drops, both you and the shrubs will appreciate the breather. The rose canes will begin the healing process overnight and be ready to take on that late-summer sun by morning.
Find the 5-leaflet leaves. Roses have 3-and 5-patterns of leaf-growth. For a light prune, trim just above the first set of 5-leaflets. For a harder prune, go back to the third set of 5-leaflets. The recovery will take longer, but deeper prunes promote better growth of both leaves and blooms.
Cut out dead canes and damaged leaves. While you’re in there, trim out anything looking dead and/or diseased. Your shrubs will look better, air circulation will improve, and you’ll help stop disease before it spreads.
Remove everything you trimmed. Gather up your hard work and put it in a bag for trash pickup. This is essential to thwart disease-spread and pest havens. You didn’t want what you trimmed on the bush, so you certainly don’t want it elsewhere in your yard or garden!
Fertilize. Roses are big feeders, so now’s the time to scoot back the mulch and spread some slow-release fertilizer. If you have rose-specific food, great! If not, use any low-nitrogen (2-4-1 nitrogen/phosphorous/potassium) mix you have on hand. Some fertilizer is better than no fertilizer.

Your roses may look a little “stark” after a good pruning. You might think, Oh no…what have I done?? Just know that roses will leaf out within days, looking fresh and happy, and not at all irritated with their late-summer cut. And within weeks, you’ll be rewarded with flowering beauty.

The potheads of the animal kingdom

8/8/2023

It’s that time of the gardening season where our hard work potting up beautiful plants, flowers, vegetables and herbs come to the rapt attention of…critters. Yes. Those naughty, curious, destructive, insistent chipmunks, squirrels, voles, mice, bunnies, raccoons, armadillos—you name it—just cannot leave our pots alone!

What can we do about the destruction, short of posting “No Critters Allowed” signage everywhere these persistent non-readers gather? Here’s what I find works:

Bonide’s Repels-All. Available in granules and spray, this animal deterrent irritates nasal passages. You’ll understand why the moment you crack it open because shoo-wee it reeks! It’s biodegradable and harms nothing but your nose. Caution: If you love birds, keep this away from feeders and bird habitats. They hate it, too.
Milorganite organic fertilizer. Used primarily to green up lawns, this granular, slow-release, nitrogen fertilizer also effectively runs off critters because—stink alert!—it’s quite odiferous. Combined with Repels-All, it’s incredibly effective. Caution: Check your local laws for restricted use.
Plastic forks. Only mildly effective for dining, those pointy tines—used in large amounts—can deter digging by creating a functional and potentially painful fence. Of course, you then have a fork fence. Around your beautiful flowers. But bonus: You’re also aerating the soil.
Cayenne pepper. You may like spicy food, but critters don’t enjoy the paw-licking kick of any red pepper. You can teach them a lesson and use up those expired spices at the same time. Bonus: Make your own hot pepper spray!
Mint. Critters aren’t really into fresh breath, so steeping a handful of this herb in 4 cups of boiling water for 24 hours and spraying the stems/leaves of plants is an herbal deterrent. Pro Tip: Mix in 2 TB of both cayenne pepper and garlic powder for maximum stink.
Bone meal powder. This natural fertilizer has a strong smell critters don’t appreciate. Just mix it in with your potting soil before planting. Caution: Bone meal can be toxic to dog and cats.
Strong coffee grounds. Ahhh…the smell of coffee in the morning. Delightful to humans, its fragrance has an ick-factor to critters. Just mix in your grounds with the top inch of soil. Bonus: Coffee hour is every hour!
Stone, gravel or pebbles. Top dress your pots with at least a one-inch layer of light-colored small/medium stones to let water through and camouflage the soil underneath. Too much work for most critters to dig through. Bonus: Adding this stone mulch helps soil retain more moisture.
Chicken wire. If you’re truly desperate and don’t mind the caged look, you can stop the critters at the door. A wire cage works as a “cloche” to let plants thrive, but stop the digging. Pro Tip: Add the wire to the top of soil and let young plants grow through the layer.
Hair. If you have a dog or lots of hair in your human brush, you can tuck chunks of hair atop the soil, then cover with a layer of mulch. Worth a try!

As usual, the chemical deterrents work best. But if you’re chemical-adverse, give the DIY options a shot. Hit or miss, your wildlife will appreciate the challenge.

The Bambi Brawl

8/7/2023

If you live in or near the woods, like I do, a constant Battle for the Plants rages between humans and wildlife. And the most notorious contestants? Deer.

Hostas, impatiens, daylilies, lavender, yarrow, catmint, lamb’s ear, hydrangeas, ageratum—even thorned roses—are all delectable treats for nibbling deer lips. And sometimes even your more genius deterrent efforts fail. Your best long-term solution is redirecting their paths with fencing, lighting, lawn sprinklers, and wind chimes. But for short-term solutions, consider these:

Deer repellant. This taste-based spray works on contact—but only on contact. Which means those deer lips are already reaching for your blooms before they go, “Hmmm…” A repellant with hot sauce can burn their tongues. Those with garlic may burn their noses. Other ingredients simply taste bad. Caution: Spray deterrents must be applied liberally and after heavy rains.
Milorganite. This organic fertilizer is super-stinky. Combined with deer repellant, the odor is enough to scare off pretty much anything. Find this slow-release, granular product at any home-improvement store. Bonus: It’s great for your lawn and perennial shrubs.
Human hair. Human smells project “Danger!” to deer, so nylon bags of human hair are a natural deterrent. Caution: You’ll need lots of it and the scent fades in a few weeks.
Chicken wire on the ground. While deer necks can stretch 24 inches or more over wire fencing, their feet must stay on the ground. And deer really don’t like getting their hooves caught up in wire or netting. Simply unroll it in front of your plants between mowings. Bonus: It’s a very affordable option.

By Fall, you may just be tired of the deer battle and resort to deer-resistant plants. But if you really, really, really want those hostas in your shade gardens, a smattering of creative solutions may do the trick!

Hail Hydra!

7/28/2023

If you’ve ever grown hydrangeas, you know they crave one element more than any others: water. With “hydra” as part of their name, you can probably guess they are not drought-tolerant plants. Plus, their shallow root systems lose moisture quickly. On average, hydrangeas need water at least every other day, and deep watering once/week.

BUT…some varieties can do better in the hot, rainless, dog days of summer than others. Try these Zone 3-8 options:

Vanilla-Strawberry. These enormous, fast-growing beauties have heavy stems, and are the one of the hardiest varieties you can plant in mostly-full sun. If you go out of town and miss the watering schedule, they won’t droop or drop their bi-colored blooms.
Bobo. If you’re looking for a smaller/compact hydrangea on a woody stem, this is an excellent option. Because their forms are dense, compact and shrub-like, they shade their own roots, helping them maintain moisture and keep those white blooms happy.
Quick Fire. Super-hardy and tree-like in stem and growth, this stunner will surprise you throughout the season with ever-changing bloom colors. On the rare occasion it wilts, a slow, deep watering springs it back promptly. Also available in dwarf variety.
Little Lime. Small but mighty, this beauty wows with chartreuse blooms, brightening to white, then pink, then burgundy throughout the season. All this drama happens on sturdy stems that actually benefit from soil drying out to two inches! Bonus: They work well in containers.

So if you’re in the market for hydrangeas—but worry about watering needs—choose panicle varieties like these. Then relax on your porch, deck or garden bench and enjoy the show!

Drought-tolerant plants for the dog days of summer

6/20/2023

Wasn’t spring grand? All those cool, breezy months of budding trees, unfolding tulips, raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens. Ahhh… And then BAM! Almost overnight, we blasted into the dog days of summer—those cloudless, parched, blazing hot, brutal days that suck the energy out of both humans and vegetation.

The dog days are when your outdoor containers really need the workhorses of plants. The persistent sun and heat can dry out soil in even the best-made pots, so filling them with drought-tolerant flora will save you from twice-daily watering and summer-plant fatigue.

Give these a try in your thrill, fill, spill combinations:

Ornamental Grasses. These thrillers will create height and movement in the center or back of larger pots. Their root systems are intense, reaching way down to the soil base where water settles and/or drains out. Consider pennisetum, sedges/carex, miscanthus, and King/Prince/Baby Tut grasses for full sun; hakonechloa, blue oat, and fescue grasses for shadier areas. Water when the soil is dry down to two full inches! Bonus: Grasses work great as solo plants in brightly-colored pots.
Spikes. Fast-growing and happy to take center-stage, these hardy thrillers shoot up from the center of pots with a sturdy stem and “spikey” leaves. Their roots run deep, so they take advantage of water near the pot’s base. Look for dracaena or cordyline. Green-leafed spikes love the hot sun; those with variegated or colorful leaves prefer light shade. Bonus: Just trim off overgrown or weathered leaves from the stem and it will reward you with new growth!
Ferns. Often airy and fan-shaped, ferns look graceful and balanced as either thrillers or fillers. They’re fast-growers and require no trimming, which makes them stress-free. Try asparagus, Kimberly Queen, and holly ferns for full sun; Boston, maidenhair, autumn, ostrich, and foxtail ferns for shade. Water when the soil is dry to the touch. Bonus: Due to their shallow root systems, ferns are ideal for shallow pots.
Ivys/vines. These prolific spillers are never attention-seekers because they don’t bloom. They simply drape their leafy beauty down the sides of your pots, hiding flaws and drawing down the eye, adding grace and texture to any pot in any sun/shade scenario. Look for dichondra, Creeping Jenny, English, Boston, Swedish, and sweet potato vines for a variety of shapes and colors. Bonus: No dead-heading required!
Bloomers. Every pot could use a little color, right? But which ones can tolerate the hottest, driest summer days? Consider lantana, purslane (pictured above), geraniums, daisies, salvias, and trailing Black-Eyed Susans. They require moderate watering, and deadheading only if you feel like it. Bonus: These bloomers are easy to find at any garden center.
Succulents. These are the ultimate hot/dry drought-tolerant plants. They thrive on very little water, prefer hot sun, and reward you with slow growth—especially if the pot is tightly packed. Either buy them already potted or do the potting yourself in succulent soil. For variety, use jade, kalanchoe or aloe for height/thriller; add echevaria, pentas or plectranthus for fillers; tuck in sedum, string of pearls/dolphins/hearts or burros tail for spillers. Bonus: The hen and chicks succulent grows quickly and prolifically, making it ideal for a “solo” plant.
Herbs. That’s right—herbs are ornamental, as well as tasty! Any woody-stemmed herb—rosemary, lavender, thyme, sage, bay—needs less attention and actually prefers hot sun and drier soil. Water sparingly. Bonus: Using the herbs, aka pruning them, is extremely beneficial to health and growth. Snip away!

So don’t let the dog days of summer stop you from planting up those pots! Just make your appropriate sun/shade selections, pot them up, water them in, and check on them a couple of times each week. The reward is in the happy beauty.

Beautiful Space Invaders: Ground Cover Ideas for your Garden

6/5/2023

Ground covers often get a bad name, because next to them you’ll inevitably find the word “invasive.” But that may be exactly why you need them! When a creeping plant “invades” a space, it chokes out weeds and can even suppress erosion on hilly landscapes. They spread by either underground runners from the main plant or by developing roots along their stems.

Consider these hardy beauties:

Creeping Phlox. Plant in full sun and enjoy their profuse spring blooms. Perfect for rock gardens.
Sweet Woodruff. Plant in part-to-full shade and inhale their intoxicating aroma all summer. Ideal for woodland areas.
Stonecrop. Plant in full sun and admire their hardiness in dry, arid conditions. Excellent for beginner gardeners as a “mat” laid right over soil.
Epimedium. Plant in part-to-full shade and marvel at their delicate spring blooms. Ideal in dry areas as a border plant.
Lamium. Plant in full shade and delight in their silver-green leaves under spiky summer blooms. Wonderful alternative to struggling lawn areas.
Evening Primrose. Plant in full sun and applaud their showy spring/early-summer blooms on cloudy days. Stunning in moon gardens.
Soapwort. Plant in full sun to part-shade and admire starry pink flowers into the fall. Classic mat-forming spreader.

The biggest bonus to ground covers is their need for little attention. Just let nature do the work! Mulch loosely around them and avoid plastic/rubber mulch or landscape fabric. They need to penetrate the soil to spread.

5 Tips for Finding the Best Pruning Shears

5/16/2023

My best pruning shears were not special order. They weren’t pricey, and a cool leather sheath was not included. I had to polish and inspect the blade for the brand just now, because I’m pretty sure I bought them from a big-box store.

Turns out, they’re Melnor hand pruners and make the rounds with me in every garden outing. Why? Because they’re so comfortable to use, they feel like an extension of my hand. And that’s how I would kick off my list of…How to Select Pruners for your Garden Tool Collection

Do they fit your hand well? Both hands? Gardening is ambidextrous, so shears need to have the same cutting power in either hand. Try them on for size in the store. If they’re awkwardly big and heavy, you’ll talk yourself out of using them. If they’re smallish and delicate, they probably won’t last and you’ll toss them after just a few ineffectual uses. Bonus: A snug fit is the perfect fit.
Is the grip “molded”? If the handle coating is textured and feels like rubber, it’s molded and unlikely to slip out of your hand. It’s designed as a pathway for your fingers to get the best grip as you squeeze. Bonus: If you wear molded gloves, the combination will be like pruning cement!
Do they cut through larger stems? You’ll want clean cuts on stems and branches up to one-inch thick. After that, what you really need is loppers. A titanium blade coating is the best option for pruners, since the metal is highly-resistant to rusting. Bonus: Titanium stays sharp longer.
Do they lock? This is critical if you have small children who shadow you in the garden. Pruners are purposely sharp, so a locking option saves hands, one finger at a time. Bonus: Locking the shears protects the blade.
Do they clean up easily? This is particularly important if you’re pruning diseased shrubs. You must sanitize the blades between uses or you run the risk of passing along infections. You’re more likely to clean the tool when the blades are accessible. Bonus: Shears that break down into metal parts can be soaked in a bleach solution.

Now run out and try on some pruning shears with abandon. Then get to work shaping and trimming to your garden heart’s content.