BY BRENDA K JOHNSON
Share your tips, give us a tour of your plant site,or send your questions related to outdoor or indoorplants to [email protected] Attn: Brenda Johnsonor write to P&D, 319 Walnut St, Yankton, SD 57078,Attn: Brenda Johnson.
Thanks to all the readers, garden-ers and plant professionals who haveread about and shared their plantideas this past year in Plant Exchange.
“Thinking Spring” next month,Plant Exchange will appear eachSaturday in February, and then returnto its regular slot, the first Saturday inMarch.
QQ:: How do you express yourselfwith your gardening?
AA:: “I’m a fan of yoga, animals, andplants,” said Carol Ebel of Yankton. Wewalk in her mostly shade yard.Mosquitoes are vicious on this midsummer day in the still air before a rain.
Scent of vanilla is in the air, andCarol offers her Hy-Vee bottle to determosquitoes. “Vanilla flavoring withoutcorn syrup like this one, works. I try touse little chemicals; the natural way forEarth and health.”
She has lived in her home, originallybuilt in 1888, for over twenty years andhas raised four children. Young childrenneighbors stop by today, and they chat.Her compact yard is filled with areas ofdetail here and there, inviting you tostop and take in her point of view.
“I show color through foliage.” Sheuses subtle hues of green for interest.The shaded plant bed on the north sideof her home is also protected by theneighbor’s house. Tall arches of fern,self-seeded columbine, and wide billowsof Snow-on-the-Mountain grow here.
“I don’t let the Snow-on-the-Mountain flower because the leaveslook better.” She points to a bed ofthese plants with flowers growing inanother yard. Increased volume andquality of her Snow-on-the-Mountainfoliage, by removing flower buds, is dra-matic.
Ebel’s clematis winds up a trellis onher house wall. She had installed thetrellis using lattice that she buys by the
sheet from a local lumberyard. Clematisgrows up past the shaded bed and intosunlight. The stems near the ground, aswell as its roots, have a canopy ofshade.
“Clematis needs protection for rootsand the base of the plant. It has a widerrange of moisture tolerance than youmight think. It’s having the lower stemsexposed to elements that causes thisplant trouble. Just plant another plantin front of the clematis.” She picksdiminutive plants that tolerate shadeand protect the vulnerable clematisstems.
Bleeding heart fern grows well in hershade plant bed. “I enjoy its foliage, andthe seedpods that re-seed the plant.”
Likewise, she positions lupine, del-phinium, and spiderwort for variation inleaf texture for an area of the plant bedwith moderate sun. “When the flowersare gone, the leaves have just as muchto offer.”
Plants To Share AndPlants For Reminders“I’d say 70% of the plants here came
from other people. I have to thin plantseach spring. I don’t sell plants, I tradethem or give them away. This eveningprimrose came from a friend whomoved to Rapid City. Its root systemspreads and it re-seeds.”
Ebel likes to trade plants with othersand expand her beds. During the seasonshe plans for expansion by growingseed for next year. “Liatrus flowers areleft on the plants and pods form. In fallthey re-seed when the pods are dry.After the second blooming, I leaveAnemone flowers (instead of dead-head-ing) so they will form seeds.”
“In the sunny flowerbeds, Tiger liliesre-seed. I pull the volunteers to thin thebed. It takes two years for the new plantto flower. With other lilies, I distributemature seed where I want new lilies togrow. Silver dollar plants are biennials,so it takes two years to get the silveryornamental for the flower arrangement.French hollyhocks also re-seed.”
Ebel places some plants in her
garden as a reminder of people in herlife. “My grandmother in Grand ForksNorth Dakota had a beautiful garden.She grew tall hollyhocks and showedme how to make angels out of the flow-ers.” Ebel’s hollyhocks add verticaldimension in her sun garden.
“Plants that I put in my gardens arein honor of my family members,deceased and living, and are veryimportant part of my gardening choices.These plants were the beginning ofwhat certainly sent me down this beau-tiful road.”
“The yellow rose is in memory of mymother, and the trumpet vine camefrom my father’s home.Chrysanthemums honor my aunt fromMichigan. A sister that died of cancerloved silver dollars.” Ebel grows themand the dahlias that remind her of herbrother. “A friend gave me her eveningprimroses as she moved to Rapid City.”
Plants From Bulbs,Tubers And Corms
Ebel’s bed of dahlias grows in sunand part shade of a mulberry and a wal-nut tree. “When dahlias were young, Iprotected them from bunnies withchicken wire. I stake them because theyhave hollow stems and need support.”She finds plant cages that open on theside, that can be placed on matureplants at Bomgaars.
“These dahlias are somewhat proneto earwigs. Since I don’t use chemicals,I’m looking for something that works tocontrol them.”
She shows elephant ear plants withseveral 2.5-foot leaves per plant. “I takethe tubers out each fall and store themin a cardboard box on a wood pallet tokeep away moisture. I fill the box withpet bedding (wood shavings) fromBomgaars, and newspaper. I do thesame thing with dahlias, and amaryllis.”She says they grow well the followingyear.
Gardening FinesseDue to the moderate-length growing
season of this region, some gardenersfind annual vines a challenge to grow tomaturity before the season ends. Ebelstarts her vines with protection out-doors. “I put a plastic glass over thenew vine plant, like a little greenhouseso I can put it outdoors early.”
Some gardeners have trouble gettingmums to bloom for fall. “Some yearsmums bloom early. If this happens,around July 4th, I sheer the buds sothey will bloom later in the fall. I alsotrim dahlias then too, so they bush out.Lupines pair well with chrysanthemumsin the flowerbed, since lupines bloomearly.”
Ebel does not develop a landscapeplan for her yard and then follow it.”God is my plan. My plan is no plan. Ilearn about a plant from watching it
grow and then move it to where it looksbetter.”
“I don’t consider tending this yardwork. Most of the work is in the springand fall. Weeding is minor. We also havea plot in the Yankton CommunityGarden for vegetables. What a wonder-ful space! I’m not willing to give up myyard plant beds for vegetables. My sis-ter from New Jersey was amazed thatthe city provided this for our citizenswhen she visited.”
One of Ebel’s many favorite plants isbee balm. “Monarda has the smell ofpotent herb. I’ve noticed that bees andwasps get to know you—just like birds.When birds or bees are around you andthey find no reason to fear, they interactwith you as part of the community.”
Back on the curb, a mature mountainhorse chestnut tree shades the frontyard. “It was here when I moved here.It’s the first tree to leaf out in springand is the first tree to lose its leaves,about three weeks ahead of maples. Igather nuts and put them in an openbasket for the squirrels. Like apple har-vest, the amount of nuts varies eachyear. I get volunteer plants when squir-rels bury nuts. Winter freeze cracksthem open so plants grow.” Ebelrespects plants and animals in hertranquil yard.
City Yard BecomesA Tranquil Garden
PLANT EXCHANGE:
City Yard BecomesA Tranquil Garden
A Short Visit WithJan Byrkeland Of Hy-Vee
QQ:: How will you use thesled in plant decoration?
AA:: On a balmy late fallafternoon, Jan Byrkeland,unloaded a well-used chil-dren’s runner sled from thetrunk of her car. She took thesled into the floral depart-ment of Hy-Vee where sheworks.
“This was my sled as achild,” Byrkeland said. Herelderly mother was downsiz-ing. “I took it, but my kidsdon’t use runner sleds; theyprefer plastic.”
“I try to make this plantarea in Hy-Vee into an inti-mate floral shop in a largegrocery market.” At the timeof the interview, she hadarranged half of the floralfloor space decorated as anoutdoor Christmas tree lot.The other half displayedThanksgiving flowers. Shepointed to the portable fire-place ready for future use asa cozy nook surrounded byplants.
That didn’t explain bring-ing the runner sled to thejob. “As a hobby, I go to con-signment and thrift storeslooking for pieces; the morewell used, the better.” Shedescribed this pursuit, the“as is hobby.” I don’t repairbroken parts or rippedscreen.” The chipped painthas character for ShabbySheik decor.
“I look for things I can useto decorate my house. Myfriend looks for antique furni-ture and she takes me withher.”
Byrkeland’s garagebecame the storage place forher finds.“When I’m search-ing for a new look or seasonat work in the floral depart-ment, I rotate some of theseobjects from my garage.”That explained the purposeof the picturesque runnersled now leaning against theChristmas tree lot fence, withpots of Norway pines nearby.She said she might rotate thesled back home after plantdisplay comes down.
“Sometimes odd pieces
add to the décor. Frameddouble hung windows withmost of the paint and some,glass missing, displayedgreenery beneath as if in win-dow boxes. An old roomdivider made a portable
plant backdrop. A chair withobjects painted on it becamea plant stand. Byrkelandused objects from her hobbyto change a simple floralgrouping to themed plantinterest areas.
Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan ■ Saturday, January 8, 2011PAGE 6B www.yankton.net
HOMEGARDEN
PHOTO BY BRENDA K. JOHNSONCarol Ebel strives for tranquility in her garden.
PHOTO BY BRENDA K. JOHNSONCarol Ebel shows the lush vegetativegrowth of Snow-on-the-Mountain as aborder plant under optimal conditionsof light and moisture.
PHOTO BY BRENDA K. JOHNSONSpot of color from a miniature pansyand variable leaf shape and hue showEbel’s eye for detail.
PHOTO BY BRENDA K. JOHNSON(Above and below) Vibrant dahliasthrive in the sun and shade bed, inthe protection of Carol Ebel’s back-yard.
January Plant TipsDiane Hofer, owner of Diane’s Backyard Gardens, off Hwy 46 to
2nd St on Prairie St. in Beresford, shows you how she thinks forwardabout Spring. She keeps busy with plans for her sun and shadegarden, water interest, greenhouse for perennials and annuals, andstore for yard and home collectibles and antiques. Contact Diane at(605) 763-5161.
• Plan your garden beds. Look at your garden pictures from last year and re-evaluate any changes that will need to be made. What needs to be divided ormoved?
• Check new 2011 catalogs for unfound treasures. Beautiful shade additionsinclude Ligularia or Cimicifuga. I generally use Geo Seed Company or Harrisseeds Co. for most of my ordering.
• Use "Garden Watchdog" as a computer reference to catalog ordering, relia-bility etc. It has wonderful feedback from people using each company.
• It's time to make a few plant markers to identify plants in the yard. I usecommercial metal type markers from Paw Paw Everlast Label Co or coppertype markers and label with a hand-held Brother PTouch machine with clear,laminated tapes.
• Get ready to start your own perennial seeds inside. Some seeds willrequire stratification or soaking or scratching prior to planting. Always checkpackage labels for directions and timing.
• Consider adding my favorites to your plant list for the spring: Veronica‘Sunny Border Blue,’ Threadleaf Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam,’ or any perennial grass.They all have wonderful long lasting bloom or interest for the garden from Juneto frost.
PHOTO BY BRENDA K. JOHNSONJan Byrkeland’s childhood sled adds to the Christmas tree lot theme at Hy-VeeFloral.
EXTRA MOMENTS:
Decorating With Family Treasures And Hobby Finds
PHOTO BY BRENDA K. JOHNSONByrkeland uses her “as is” hobby to find used framed win-dow to decorate for the holidays.
Wedding Planner Bridal Fest&Sunday,
Call 605-665-7811 by January 13th
to be a Bridal Fest Booth Vendor!
January 30th
