Creating the ideal landscape for clients is my passion and it totally warms my heart when my clients say things like this happy client:
"We think the yard looks
great! It is exactly what we were looking/hoping for. Everything seems to
be doing well so far and the new mulch finishes it off wonderfully.
We enjoy sitting out front gazing out over it and are looking forward to seeing
it mature. "
I always say that I love spring the best for all the hope and brightness it brings, but right now, with these amazing stunning colors, I am loving Fall.
Check out some of these amazing sites....
Stunning Red Maples!
Deep blue sky with yellow leaves......
Such a variety!
I love this contrast of the Blue Atlas Cedar in front of a maple tree.
Sand Cherry is a great hardy shrub and the fall colors are gorgeous!
A great example of the red branches of Red Twig Dogwood!
What a lovely time of year! As I am wrapping up my garden one of my tasks is to plant spring bulbs which always invokes feelings of positive anticipation and makes me look forward to next year when the little surprises will poke their sunny little heads up in my garden.
Here are some steps to getting the most out of your bulbs:
1. First, place your bulbs. I usually plant in natural looking groups throughout the garden.
2. Rake the bark mulch away and dig the soil to below the proper depth for your bulbs to allow room for organic soil amendment. This helps to improve the drainage crucial for bulbs and adds nutrients.
3. Add compost soil amendment and bulb fertilizer to ensure healthy and robust bulbs.
4. Place your bulbs at the proper depth, tips up, roots down and sprinkle with a little more fertilizer, add more compost, fill with native soil and rake your bark mulch back over.
5. Look forward to the spring display!
Other hints and tips: Remember that deer love tulips so only plant them where they are protected from the deer. Otherwise Daffodils, Narcissus, Alliums, Crocus, Hyacinth, Muscari, Frittilaria, Glory of the Snow, Miniature Iris, Siberian Squill and more. Check out Deer Resistant Bulbs for more info and remember to stop by your local nursery.
We all know that gardening is good for us mind, body and soul. Thanks to Flora Grubb for initially sharing this article from CNN Health, we now learn some other ways that gardening is good for you.
I know that when I am out in the garden I feel so refreshed and invigorated and that may be because of the "involuntary attention" involved with gardening.
"We live in a society where we're just maxing ourselves out all the time
in terms of paying attention," says Andrea Faber Taylor, Ph.D., a
horticulture instructor and researcher in the Landscape and Human Health
Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Humans have a finite capacity for the kind of directed attention
required by cell phones and email and the like, Taylor says, and when
that capacity gets used up we tend to become irritable, error-prone,
distractible, and stressed out.
Fortunately this "attention
fatigue" appears to be reversible. Following a theory first suggested by
University of Michigan researchers in the 1980s, Taylor and other
experts have argued that we can replenish ourselves by engaging in
"involuntary attention," an effortless form of attention that we use to
enjoy nature.
Trading your BlackBerry for blackberry bushes is
an excellent way to fight stress and attention fatigue, Taylor says, as
the rhythms of the natural environment and the repetitive, soothing
nature of many gardening tasks are all sources of effortless attention.
"The
breeze blows, things get dew on them, things flower; the sounds, the
smells," says Taylor, herself a home gardener. "All of these draw on
that form of attention."
This next bit is quite different in the realm of gardening benefits, but makes sense. We know that mycorhhizae bacteria is good for plants, why not bacteria that is good for us?
"Christopher Lowry, Ph.D., an assistant professor of integrative
physiology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, has been injecting
mice with Mycobacterium vaccae, a harmless bacteria commonly found in
soil, and has found that they increase the release and metabolism of
serotonin in parts of the brain that control cognitive function and mood
-- much like serotonin-boosting antidepressant drugs do.
Digging
in the dirt isn't the same as taking Prozac, of course, but Lowry
argues that because humans evolved along with M. vaccae and a host of
other friendly bugs, the relative lack of these "old friends" in our
current environment has thrown our immune systems out of whack."
Wow! Maybe that is why I really love getting my hands in super healthy soil. Who would have thought?!?
Winter is the time to be planning for the upcoming season so hopefully this has given more reason to get out there as much as possible this year.
Happy Birthday to her royal majesty Queen Margrethe of Denmark born in 1940. To honor her birthday Daves Garden website choose the old garden rose 'Queen of Denmark' as their plant of the week. Here is what they say about this lovely rose:
"
April 16, is the birthday of Queen Margrethe of Denmark. Born this day in 1940, she was crowned queen upon her father's death in 1972. This made her the first female ruler of the country since Margrethe l, who ruled from 1375–1412. The lovely old garden rose 'Queen of Denmark' honors both of them and is a favorite rose among gardeners. While it only blooms once, in late spring, the beautiful, fragrant flowers are captivating. The soft pink blossoms are quartered rosettes and are very full, having up to 100 petals. Plant in full sun and give it room to grow, as the shrub can get quite large. The plants are disease resistant and hardy and it is considered a good 'beginner' rose."
I read a great article by Horticulturemagazine about overseeding your lawn with clover. Clover is a nitrogen fixer, meaning it adds nitrogen to the soil and helps things grow and green up. A clover lawn stays green longer than regular grass and beneficial insects likes bees love it.
Clover used to be part of lawns until people started to use chemical herbicides. Clover is not a weed and should be considered a healthy part of your lawn. Click here to read the full article.
Here is another article posted by CloverLawn.org regarding using clover as a lawn.
During the heat wave back in January (though it happens every year, this year was a doozy) I got to help a client increase their curb appeal for a house they were putting on the market. I got in on the property the day after he called me, got it all weeded, trimmed, blown and bark mulched and it made a fantastic difference as to how prospective buyers will now view the property.
Since I didn't know how long the house might be on the market, I follow-up with an email as to how to maintain the impeccable look of the landscape and some things to do once spring arrives.
This is something I always do, follow up with a client and so this was no different for me. The client though was very appreciative of the feed back and had this to say:
"I must say I've never seen this type of follow up from pretty much anyone! That is very helpful."
Exceeding expectations and giving people excellent service (plus a fantastic looking landscape) is just all in a day's work for me because I am invested in each project and am passionate about what I do.
One of my favorite magazines is "The American Gardener", the magazine of the American Horticultural Society. In the November/December issue they had an article about the 2010 American Garden Award Winner.
The 2010 American Garden Award, now in its second year, featured four new flower varieties chosen by their breeders for their excellent garden performance. Once these new varieties were planted and put on display by the participating gardens, the public was invited to vote on their favorite. The winner for 2010 is Rudbeckia Denver Daisy from Brenary of America.
According the American Garden website: "'Denver Daisy' wowed voters with masses of reddish ringed golden flowers having a delicious looking chocolate brown center. It's a knockout with huge 4-6 inch golden blooms that cover attractive deep green foliage. The long-lasting golden dark eyed blooms proved their ability to stand up under extreme weather conditions. This most popular winner guarantees fantastic summer-long flower power throughout the country in gardens, mixed containers and landscapes. This variety was created and named in honor of Denver's 150th anniversary."
Second place is Echinacea 'Prarie Splendor' from Syngenta Flowers with it's three inch amethyst blooms and long blooming period from early summer to late fall.
Both of these selections will be very well in our climate and will be well appreciated by bees and other insects.
The third place winner, an annual, is the ornamental pepper 'Purple Flash' from PanAmerican Seed.
This will look fantastic in a container, adding great color and interest, it would also look great surrounding a pot of Rudbeckia 'Denver Daisy'. Now that's a fun combo.
I'm getting excited about spring and the upcoming season, I can't wait to plant these this year!
I went to go visit a client and her landscape yesterday to make sure everything was overwintering well and it all looked great, including the crocus bulbs coming up.
What?!?
It is early February and in Central Oregon that is too early for even the early bulbs to be coming up. Even though it is really a lovely bright spot in her garden, she was concerned that she wouldn't have the beauty of the bulbs for later in the season.
For the bulbs that have already flowered or are budding, there is nothing to be done. There actually is not much to be done at all when unseasonally warm weather prompts bulbs to grow or trees to start budding out earlier than normal. The bulbs that have not budded should slow down with the return of the cold temperatures. Putting down some extra mulch to eliminate any light that the bulbs are getting might also slow their current growth down.
Meanwhile, enjoy those little spots of color and start thinking, planning and dreaming of this years gardening season!
Horticulture magazine just posted an article on their website highlighting Ilex verticillata 'Sparkleberry', a lovely addition to brighten up the winter landscape or to bring branches indoors for decoration. This prompted me to do a little more research since I am familiar with the evergreen hollies for our area but haven't delved into the deciduous varieties as much. Since 'Sparkleberry' is a deciduous shrub, the red berries that persist through the winter really stand out adding a lovely red sparkle to the landscape.
There is disagreement as to which zone it grows best in. I've seen it listed as growing in zones 3 - 8 but most of the listings show it as zones 5 - 9. It is widely adaptable to varying soil conditions but since it is an Asian cross it prefers more moisture. For best fruiting plant it in full sun and since this is a female variety, it needs to be paired with a male for pollination. Ilex 'Apollo' has been bred to be used as the best male pollinator but other male hollies will work as well.
Sparkleberry may get up to 8 feet tall (it's listed as 12 but that is "valley speak", plants in Central Oregon never grow as big as listed on the tags) and wide and is a nice dark green turning yellow in autumn.
As with most hollies, the berries are a great food source for birds and will bring in a large variety of birds to feed on the shrub. Another delightful addition to the landscape!
A couple of weeks ago a client called me up to help her plant some annuals she had gotten but hadn't been able to plant because she had gotten sick. She lives on a five acre beautiful property in the vicinity of a red tail hawk nest and the pair would present themselves every afternoon.
She had a few flats of lovely annuals and basically let me get on with planting them into the containers on her deck. I love putting together little vignettes of color! And since I had seven or eight containers I could really get into doing a "variety on a theme". How fun!
Next she explained that she wanted her front bed to be full of color, gave me a budget (a budget is very important for people like me as I enjoy nothing more than buying plants with other people's money...) and off I went to the nursery to select the best plants for her location. When I got back and had everything planted in a subtle and attractive pattern, I couldn't help thinking that I am extremely lucky in my choice of profession. I got paid to plant flowers!
But of course it isn't that simple. I did repair and modify some irrigation and mulched the flower beds as well which created a lovely mix of technical work, manual labor and garden design. I call that a great day of work.
Yesterday I got to go back up to another beautiful property near Sisters to help put the finishing touches on a garden that will be on the Sisters Garden Tour the 8th of July. These clients have maintained a lot of the natural landscape and have worked hard to create an organic landscape that does not deter from the natural beauty of the area. Their home is straw bale, full of soft corners and big windowsills and is embued with a sense of peace and beauty. They thank me for coming to work and I thank them for having me there, I love being at their property.
I had been there earlier in the season to get things under control (mainly weeding) but also some irrigation work as well. They had two big overhead sprays to water the edible fenced garden and it was quite inefficient. I converted it to a drip/microspray system and then mulched the beds. Those two things will go a long way to combating weeds and lowering water usage.
But going back yesterday and seeing the garden areas bursting with flowers and seeing the work I had done previously was extremely satisfying.
All this rain has been great for the garden, Bend actually looks rather lush and it it weren't for all the pine trees I would wonder just where I am.
Whenever rain is in the forecast and the day looks precipitous, I always question whether to water my garden, preferring to let watering happen naturally (and to keep the water bill down). But I have been caught out by this when it doesn't rain enough and my plants are already rather dry.
Today was a good example. It's actually rained a few times and quite heavily as well, but when I went to check the mail about midday, I kicked the top layer of dirt and underneath was all dry. So far today's rain hasn't done much beyond keeping the dust down and moistening the soil. I am still going to have to get out and make sure everything gets a deep watering.
If you're not sure whether you need to water or not when it has been raining, scrape the top layer of dirt or stick a screw driver in the soil to see just how deep the moisture went. This is also a great argument for a Smart Controller that monitors the garden's moisture level and will irrigate appropriately without you having to do anything.
Remember, you are watering the roots of the plant and the water needs to get all the way down to them. Deeper and less frequent watering is best for the lawn, trees and shrubs. Encourage deep roots and you'll have stronger plants.
For more questions or if you are in need of gardening, consultation or design services please contact me. Happy gardening!
I have added gardening to the list of services I offer. So now you can get an awesome gardener, a consultation, a conceptual design or a design to scale, all with one person!
I must say that I am quite happy being back out hands in the dirt. Gardening is what actually got me into design in the first place. Way, way back in college I did all sorts of jobs to pay my way, and one of them was gardening. I had a long time job working for an older woman whose home was on the high side of a small intersection at the top of a hill. I could watch people come and go, see the birds flying out over the bay, watch the weather come in and out and check out all the critters in the soil. I loved it.
When her son retired and moved to the neighborhood, I started doing maintenance on his property. By this time I had graduated, taught for a couple of years, worked customer service for a corporation and was quite disillusioned with it all. I found myself thinking of what I really wanted to do and took the plunge to start my own landscape design, maintenance and installation company.
It was an immediate perfect fit. I had found my passion and couldn't have been happier.
When I moved to Bend in 2006 I decided to focus on design only. Design offers such a great balance of being outside in landscapes, talking with clients, quiet creative time at my desk, and the technical aspect of choosing the right plants for the specific site and the clients needs.
Now with the economy as it is, I had the opportunity to get back out into the dirt and garden again. This helps me stay in touch with issues of having a garden and brings me much happiness.
My current job is at a beautiful property out near Sisters, rather close to the Crooked River Grasslands. This garden will be on the Sisters Garden Tour and the owners needed quite a bit of help weeding. Being in close proximity to the grasslands, there is quite a bit of grass in all the beds. I should have counted but I'm sure I've come across seven different varieties of grass. I tell the difference by the root structure since that is what I am focusing on, getting the grass and roots out. I happen to actually like weeding, I find it quite satisfying and I do find the root structure to be impressive, especially the rhizomatous root systems.
There were some shrubs as well that hadn't been pruned in a few years, and I must that they look so much healthier and happier now that I gave them a good haircut.
I have also been helping them to make their veggie garden irrigation system more efficient. They had a couple of large overhead rotors watering the area and I have converted it now to a drip and microspray system. Besides being more efficient and helping them to save water, they are no longer watering the grass and weeds that wanted to dominate the plot.
The area is fairly rural and natural and I have enjoyed the drive out to their home. Along their dirt road I have seen Sand Lily, Native Larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum, Prairie Rocket Erysimum asperum, and a pale yellow and white flower that I am so far been unable to identify. I'm sure there is more to come as the season progresses.
Why should you hire a gardener versus someone who does maintenance? A gardener knows the in's and out's of your plants, how best to prune and when (remember to prune your Lilac after if blooms), can recognize flowers from weeds, and most of all will love your garden.
If you need a little extra help in your garden remember that I now offer gardening services. Send me an email at tanya@carlsengdesigns.com to get your garden in shape for the season and to give it the love it deserves.
I wish I could say that I was there but at least I have some images for you. This link was sent to me by High Desert Diva and is full of stunning images of the show. I love the living walls and the rolling/shaped lawns and the great use of different types of containers. Do enjoy! Mitchell Maher images of the SF Show
With the temperature hitting 50 degrees latey it sure feels like spring is on it's way. My tulips are beginning to poke through the soil, the insects have started coming out from their winter hiding and I'm thinking it's time to paint the toenails again.
Wait, but isn't it just March? Yes and this is one of the most unusual winters we've had in a long time but rest assured, the freezing and snowy weather will return, and hopefully before we all become too accustomed to these unseasonally warm days. Though, I am getting very, very accustomed to these nice days and the temptation to forget cold days is getting more and more difficult to resist. But do remember, the only predictable thing about Central Oregon's weather is its unpredictability.
With all of that in mind, it is time to begin a bit of the spring clean up. That means its time to trim back all your ornamental grasses and perennials and to get on top of your weeds. There is a reason weeds are weeds, they are the most tenacious little buggers. How they could have survived that deep freeze we had in December I don't know, but I'm predicting this will be a bad year for weeds (good for them, bad for us). Make sure to stay on top of them because with this lovely spring weather they are really get a good start to the growing season.
My favorite weeding tool is the Hula Hoe. It cuts the bottom of the roots of the young weeds and scraps along through the soil rather well and does a great job in pea gravel. Just remember to get at the weeds while they are young and then it will be a much easier job.
Here is a picture of the Hula Hoe:
For cutting back your spent perennials such as your daisies, iris's, and the like, cut them back quite close to the root crown to allow room for the new growth. For your grasses, cut them back leaving 1 to 4 inches of old grass depending on the size of your grass. Idaho Fescue grass can be sheared back rather shortly, a string trimmer works great for this job. Karl Foerster grass is a larger grass and should have a few inches of old grass left. You can use a hedge or string trimmer for the bigger grasses but just be careful not to let the string get tangled in the tall grass, that's a mess.
It is also time to prune your shrubs. The first steps to pruning (same for trees) is to prune out any dead, broken or diseased branches. Then take a look at the overall structure and see if it needs to be opened up. Some shrubs like to be prune well every year, but others can go a few years without any serious pruning.
The spring blooming shrubs like Lilac should be pruned right when their flowers begin to fade since they form buds on old growth. Redtwig Dogwoods are mainly grown for their lovely red color during the winter time, and that good color comes from new growth, so prune those now. Prune out up to one third of the oldest branches down to the ground for the Dogwoods.
Now that you have your weeds under control and your plants cut back, it's time to add your yearly application of compost or bark mulch to help suppress weeds, retain moisture, and if using compost, add nutrients to the soil.
If you have fewer plants, just spread the compost around the base of the plants, but if you have a more densely packed area, spread the compost all around. Remember that plants get their nourishment from the soil and the healthier your soil, the healthier your plants. Compost is a better option for overall health of the garden. Synthetic fertilizers are temporary fixes and create fertilizer addicts out of plants and deplete the soil over time. Using compost and organic fertilizers works to create a whole web of happiness from the worms, to the insects, birds and bees who all work in unison to help you create a healthy and happy garden.
If you have more specific questions about your landscape, or would like to talk about getting a design, please do not hesitate to contact me. Send me an email from my profile page. Happy gardening!
I saw this at the Studio G blog and thought it was a lovely way of labeling the plants in the garden. It just makes my day when I see a plant I love and the thoughtful owners have it labeled.
These you can make yourself.
What you need: raffia or string small pieces of wood (I think that a pack of shims might be an excellent choice) a felt pen or a Sharpie pieces of bamboo (about 18 inches tall) (cut it from you garden or buy at craft store) Cut out as many pieces as wish from the wood for labels ( each measuring about 1″ x 4″). Make a small notch in the end of the bamboo to fit the width of the label against the surface of the bamboo. Cut string approximately 20 inches long. The notch in the bamboo stabilizes the two parts together. Use the string to tie the parts together and then write your label.
Notice I didn't say "Aphid Control"? Aphids are a natural part of a natural garden. You have nice pretty plants then you will aphids. A friend of mine called recently asking for advice for controlling the aphids in his yard and here is a more detailed version of what I told him. The aphid is a sucking insect and sucks the plants juices, creating stunted or curled leaves and potentially killing the whole plant. They hang out mostly on the stems and tops and bottoms of leaves and reproduce rather quickly. Sometimes you will see ants running around with aphids too. One person asked me if the ants eat the aphids but they actually "farm" them, tending to them for a sweet substance that they excrete. Yum. There are other beneficial insects used to help control or manage the aphid population such as ladybugs and lacewings. You need a pretty good population of aphids to keep the beneficial insects around and they are usually more effective in a greenhouse environment. Most nurseries though have bags of live ladybugs and kids love helping with them so give it a try, at least it'll be fun. According to Rodale's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, some tips to help prevent aphids in the first place is to plant nasturtiums, to eliminate all weeds and to have humus rich soil . You will hear me say to everyone I meet that the soil is the foundation of the garden. Think you've added enough compost to your soil? Add more. Especially here in Central Oregon where our soil is practically sterile. And if you add top soil to your garden, that is just sterile soil from somewhere else in Central Oregon. If you prepare your planting area well you will avoid much of the problems people have in their gardens and lawns.
Aphids have never caused me much trouble but I also make sure to grow plants that are relatively hardy on their own and don't require much coddling to survive. For aphids I've always sprayed them off with a gentle yet firm spray from the hose, making sure to get the underside of the leaf too. You probably will need to do this a few times to really eliminate them. If that is not working then you can try the homemade version of insecticidal soap (you can also buy insecticidal soap too). The soap breaks down the bodies of the aphids, thus killing them. About.com had a good article in their Organic Gardening section with a recipe for Tomato Leaf Spray. I've never used it but it sounds really interesting. Click here to see their article. The simplest version is to use about 4 ounces (3 tablespoons) of dish soap per gallon of water, spraying this solution on the tops and undersides of the leaves. You may need to spray a few times to get the entire population. As with most sprays, if it's a hot sunny day the water can cause some burn on the leaves so spray earlier or later. This kind of solution, as far as I have read, does not harm beneficial insects.
If you have other questions about gardening or landscaping just leave a comment or send me an email and I'll be happy to help you out. Happy gardening!
Sources: Sciencejrant, Life123, "The Encyclopdedia of Organic Gardening" by Rodale and Staff
I almost missed this years garden tour since I don't read the paper or watch TV and didn't see any of the notices. Why didn't they put big posters up in the nurseries? That's about the only place I go on a regular basis these days it seems.
I was on my way to hike with my father when I saw the tell tale sign of an open garden. Thank God for round-a-bouts because I turned right around. Shevlin Park just had to wait for me to hike another day.
Looking at gardens is one of my favorite past times and everytime I go to Portland (garden city USA it seems) it is just dangerous for me to drive. Even though my husband thinks driving on a street is akin to racing on a raceway, I put up with it so I can "ooh" and "ahh" at all the plants and gardens.
Here's some shots from the day. Super highlight was Alana Markle's own garden (she's a local landscape designer too). She and her husband buy old homes, totally renovate them, sell them and move on. And this one is for sale too, man is it lovely. It's up at NW Trenton and 7th, just beautiful. This was the first time she's had her own garden finished enough to put on the tour and it's made me wonder why the Master Gardeners don't include more designer's gardens, or client's gardens. Is it because they are supposed to be regular people's gardens? I think that should change.
Anyway, here are the shots:
This next one is a birdcage with real live birds in it. At least the birds got to be outside.
Yeah! More edibles! The "Potting Shed" Every garden worth it's weight in compost should have a Rugosa Rose I had never thought of filling in the space under a bench this way before, but I like it One day I'll have my own garden on the tour, but for that to happen I have to find the time for it. In the meantime I'll make other people's gardens spectacular.
Our fleeting Summer is here (except for this funny cold snap we're experiencing - it was 32 degrees the other night!) and we've spent the Spring cleaning up, planting, adding compost so now what do we do?
Well, one thing to do is to enjoy it. I personally prefer Gin and Tonics on the front porch while I survey all that is mine and chat with the neighbors, but Ice Tea is nice too. Another thing to do is to add some color to bare spots in your landscape. Annuals are great fun and are instant gratification. Remember to think of the overall color theme of your garden before you get all crazy at the nursery and buy a rainbow. My experience is that sticking with a theme (maybe just a few colors) makes it look more manicured and intentional and easier on the eye (unless you're doing a bunch of red, I just can't look at bright red and green together).
For those of you with plants in containers, I hope you added Quench (water absorbing/dispensing granuals) to the pot so they don't dry out too fast, but you still need to keep an eye on them and remember to water them. If you have quite a few pots it is worth it to invest in a drip irrigation system so you're not having to water every other day. If you have small pots, place them where you will see them everyday so you remember to water them. The small ones dry out too fast.
I'm not a big container person (I prefer plants that can be forgotten about for lengths of time and pots aren't that) but I wanted to draw more attention to my main entry which is on the side of my house. People notoriously come to the kitchen door since it faces the street and I guess I don't blame them, an entry door is usually on the front of the house but my husband and I don't have your typical house so we put ours on the side.
Anyways, here's a picture of my little collection. We have Hakone Grass, Hardy Sempervirens, Sedum Stonecrop Purple Emperor, Sedum Stonecrop Autumn Joy, Blue Hair Grass and Creeping Wire Vine. As you can see in the background we still have a lot of work to do to our own landscape but in the meantime I'm enjoying creating beautiful landscapes for the rest of Central Oregon.
If you have questions about gardening or landscaping here in Central Oregon or for what else to do in your garden feel free to email me at tanya@carlsengdesigns.com and remember to check out my website carlsengdesigns.com for more information and great photos of projects I've done.
Born again gardener. I started gardening professionally in college but thought I needed a "real job". It took me years, but now I'm back and loving every minute of it. I have a great balance of quiet working time at my table and time outside talking with clients and walking landscapes.
What you need:
According to Rodale's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, some tips to help prevent aphids in the first place is to plant nasturtiums, to eliminate all weeds and to have humus rich soil . You will hear me say to everyone I meet that the soil is the foundation of the garden. Think you've added enough compost to your soil? Add more. Especially here in Central Oregon where our soil is practically sterile. And if you add top soil to your garden, that is just sterile soil from somewhere else in Central Oregon. If you prepare your planting area well you will avoid much of the problems people have in their gardens and lawns.
