Proper Watering Techniques for Garden Plants

The Best Way to Water Your Garden

With all the hot weather we have been dealing with our plants need more water than with typical warm weather. Because of the extended heat, plants will become stressed, much like we do when we are in the heat for too long. *Remember to water early morning or in the evening, after the strongest heat of the day.*

Plants that are newly planted require more consistency in watering. It takes about 3 years for perennials and most shrubs to get to their mature size. It takes trees, depending on the species many years. During the initial year(s), the plant is putting a lot of energy into root formation. In order to remain healthy and flourish, they need to be getting adequate water down to the roots. Evergreens require watering until the ground freezes. 

Use the following best practices for watering in a variety of conditions to keep your plants healthy:

One of the most commonly asked questions, especially during a time of hot temperatures and infrequent rains, is how long and how often should I water my plants? Unfortunately, there is not one simple answer to this question. The correct answer is that it depends on a number of things and will vary depending on them. The one constant is that you want the soil to remain somewhat moist, like a damp paper towel, not crumbly dry and not dripping wet. When watering, you want the plants to receive enough water to replenish the moisture throughout the plant into the root zone. Your answers to the questions below will help determine what constitutes proper watering in your unique situation.

• Are the plants in the sun or the shade? If in the sun, is it morning sun or midday and afternoon sun?
• Are the plants receiving reflected light and heat from structures, rock mulch, and paved surfaces?
• What type of soil are they planted in - poor draining clay, fast draining sand, loamy, highly organic soil?
• What type of watering systems are you using – in-ground irrigation set for the lawn; in-ground irrigation with appropriate heads for watering shrubs and perennials and on a separate zone from the lawn; overhead, oscillating sprinklers hooked to a hose; soaker or drip hoses; hand watering?
• What type of plants – perennials, trees or shrubs, deciduous or evergreen?
• When were they planted (this year, many years ago)?
• Do you have mulch down? What type – bark, pine needles, rock, straw, compost?

Over watering can lead to mold and may make a plant more susceptible to disease.

The same plant in different conditions will require different watering practices. You must tailor your watering to the conditions AND the plant. Obviously, a location that receives afternoon sun and wind (west side) will dry out faster than something that only receives morning sun or no sun. Clay soil holds onto moisture and drains slowly. Sandy soils drain quickly and do not hold onto moisture. Loamy soils have a high concentration of organic material in them, drain appropriately and stay moist longer. If you are uncertain the type of soil you have, dig a hole and fill it with water. If the water does not stay in the hole at all but drains almost as quickly as you fill it, you have sandy soil. If the water stands for a long time in the hole, taking hours to over a day to drain, you have clay soil. Amending clay or sandy soil annually with organic materials such as compost, peat moss, topsoil will help add nutrients as well as change its composition, over time, so it drains more appropriately. Simply amending the hole you plant in does not make a significant enough change to dramatically affect watering technique.

The best way to determine when to water is by checking a few of the plants in each type of condition. Push the mulch away from the base of the plant and dig down a few inches with a trowel. If the soil is crumbly, you need to water. If it is squishy no need to water for awhile. If it is lightly moist, check again in a day or two. Another method is to push a piece of bamboo into the rootball. If it comes out dry then you need to water. If it comes out sopped and dripping then its too wet and needs to dry out. If it comes out moist then check in a day or two. You will find you need to water some areas more frequently than other areas – as stated above, there is no “one answer fits all conditions” in terms of watering. Keep in mind too that if you have clay soil, even if the soil near the top of the plant feels dry, the base of the plant may be very wet. It would really help to test how quickly things drain in your yard and utilize that to help you determine the optimal watering schedule.

Plants benefit most from slow, deep watering. This is most effectively achieved via soaker hoses or drip irrigation. Overhead watering is less effective, can promote disease and fungal problems and wastes water. On hot, windy days, you can lose over 50% of the water due to evaporation and runoff before it even gets to your plants. In ground irrigation systems that are set to water your lawn are not appropriate to water most perennials, shrubs and trees. The perennials usually get too much water, and the shrubs and trees usually do not get enough. You run into similar problems with hand watering. You are very likely not giving the trees and shrubs enough water. If your only option is to water by hand, for trees and shrubs it is better to just place a hose at the base of the plant and turn the water down to a trickle, then leave it on each plant for 15-30 minute (depending on the type of soil you have). That will allow the water to fully saturate the plant’s roots. If you are using soaker hoses or a drip system, the type of soil you have will also be important in determining how long to leave them on. If you have well draining soils, several hours is okay; for poorly draining soils 1 hour. If you are using overhead sprinklers, put them on for a set length of time (30 minutes or 1 hour) and check a few plants to determine how deeply watered they are. Use this to set up an appropriate schedule.

There are also a number of other items available to help with watering. Treegators can be a tremendous ally. Fastened around a tree and filled with water, they offer slow drip irrigation for the tree or plant without having hoses stretched out across the lawn.

Mulching your plants with bark, straws, compost products will help retain moisture and thus reduce the amount of watering you will need to do.


After your perennials have gone dormant and the leaves have dropped off your deciduous trees and shrubs, you will still need to water evergreens. If you have an in-ground system, have a plan in place to get water to your evergreens once the system has been shut off. Because evergreens have needles, they lose moisture through them during the winter. If they do not have an adequate store of water going into the winter, come spring, they will be dead.

Source: http://www.gertens.com/learn/Shrubs-Vines/proper-watering.htm

Use Evergreens to Make an Impact

Add evergreens to your yard to create a year-round show. Get ideas for how to landscape with these plants.

• Use Them in Beds and Borders

  There are hundreds of varieties of evergreens. While many grow into massive specimens, dwarf selections -- such as this bird's nest spruce -- are perfect for planting in beds and borders. Try them between brightly colored plants to give your eyes a visual break.
• Hide Your Home's Foundation

  Because they keep their foliage all winter, low-growing evergreens are perfect for planting around your foundation to hide it all year.

  Test Garden Tip: Make a bold statement by selecting varieties that offer different shapes and colors, but stay compact so they don't outgrow their space. 'Blue Shag' white pine, 'Montgomery' blue spruce, and 'Silver Whispers' Swiss stone pine are smaller selections that combine beautifully with 'Profusion White' zinnia, for example.
• Create Privacy

  One of the most common ways to use evergreens is as a screen in the landscape. Tall, columnar varieties of arborvitae, yew, and juniper are great for small spaces. If you have room, be sure to include broadleaf evergreens, such as rhododendrons, as well.
• Make a Living Arbor

  Some evergreens (such as junipers and yews) have a tight growth habit that makes them perfect for shearing into fun shapes. Try growing two a few feet apart and wire them together to create a unique arbor.
• Enjoy a Soothing Backdrop

  Give your beds and borders a beautiful background with evergreens. Choose tall varieties that have dark green foliage to accentuate bright colors. Or select cultivars with colorful foliage (such as the blue spruce shown here) to add interest to your plantings.

  Test Garden Tip: Pay attention to plant shapes. Tall, upright evergreens (such as narrow 'Iseli Fastigiate' blue spruce and 'Medora' juniper) create wonderful contrasts with mounded perennials and grasses, for example.
• Add a Garden Room

  Plant four modest-size upright evergreens -- such as dwarf Alberta spruce -- in a square to create a gardenroom. Even if you don't enclose the area with shrubs or other plants as walls, it will feel more intimate and inviting.
• Cover the Ground

  Enjoy a beautiful carpet by letting spreading evergreens become a groundcover. A creeping blue spruce, junipers, or spreading pine is perfect for filling a space with year-round color and interest.
• Introduce Your Personality

  Boxwood, yew, and juniper take well to tight pruning. Take advantage of this and clip them into fun shapes to add a bit of whimsy to your yard. A low boxwood hedge becomes fun with a mounded corner. Or try spirals (as this variegated boxwood has been pruned) and other shapes.
• Make a Grand Entrance

  Plant artistically sheared evergreens (such as the junipers shown here) on both sides of your gate or along a path to give an entry a bolder, more formal feeling. They'll take yearly pruning to keep their swirly shape, but the effect is worth the effort.
• Accentuate Fall Color

  One sure way to highlight the fall colors in your yard is to pair them with evergreens. They can look smashing against bold reds and oranges. And bright yellows practically sing next to a dark green background.
• Unify Your Yard

  Make garden design easy by choosing a theme and repeating it. For example, this garden makes use of circles -- a rounded boxwood echoes stone spheres along a path and the shape of an arbor farther along. You can do the same thing with just about any shape or color.
• Fill Your Containers with Drama

  Big, bold evergreens can be perfect container garden plants if you have a large container. This Austrian pine, for example, adds a dash of color (and privacy) to a rooftop garden -- but you can get the same effect on a deck, patio, balcony, or even along a wide driveway.
• Just Add Flowers

  Embrace flowering evergreens to add landscape drama. Rhododendrons, mountain laurels, and pieris add color in Northern areas.
• Reduce Your Energy Bills

  Keep cold winter winds from pulling all the heat from your home with a windbreak. Plant evergreen trees on the north or east side of your home and watch your savings grow.
• Go Bold

  Choose a particularly stunning evergreen (such as Rainbow's End Golden Alberta Spruce) and treat it as a specimen plant in your landscape. Selections such as these are so eye-catching they don't need neighbors.
• Create Curb Appeal

  Your front yard will shine all year long if you fill it with a collection of evergreens. Choose varieties with different forms, colors, and textures and you'll put on a show without a single bloom.
• Stop Mowing that Slope

  Save yourself hours of effort every week by planting a collection of evergreens (such as this mass of 'Blue Rug' juniper) on a hard-to-mow slope. They'll keep it looking good all year long, stop erosion, and smother most weeds so you can just sit back and enjoy the view.

Source: http://www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/trees/use-evergreens-to-make-an-impact/

Barberry Banned in NY State - Get Yours Now!

As of March 10, 2015 Barberry is on the list of invasive species in NY State. That means this season is the last chance to add some beautiful barberry to your landscape. 

Barberry is great because it's deer and rabbit resistant on account of its thorny exterior! Barberry does not play well with others and has a tendency to overpower other plants because of the chemical it emits. That being said, it's best to not try to place other plants near it. 

More about Barberry 

Growing barberry bushes is easy and many city dwellers choose this shrub type due to its ability to tolerate urban conditions much better than other varieties of landscape shrubs. They can even be grown in containers.

Barberries like full sun or partial shade and are very adaptable to a wide range of soil types as long as it drains well. Transplant barberries just after flowering or in late winter.
Barberry Shrub Care

When it comes to barberry shrub care, you’ll find that it’s pretty minimal. In fact, pruning barberry plants may be the most work performed with this shrub.

If you are keeping your barberry shrubs as a hedge, it is necessary to prune a couple of times a year. Pruning barberry plants increase shrub health and vigor. Prune for shape during the winter or fall after the plant has fruited. Remove dead wood during the summer and winter months.

A 3-inch layer of mulch helps with moisture retention.

Fertilizing barberry shrubs is generally not necessary.

Source: http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/barberry/barberry-shrub-care-tips.htm

How to Prune Evergreens

Most varieties of evergreens should be trimmed each year, as they need it, to keep looking their best and to retain their symmetry.

In the pruning of evergreens, it is desirous to retain the natural growing habits as much as possible, merely removing some of the longer, ragged-looking tips to encourage a denser, full growth. Evergreens are seldom trimmed sufficiently. 

Juniper

Arbor Vitae

Juniper & Arbor Vitae 

These are the “finger group.” Their branches grow out like myriads of tiny green hands. (See sketch 4.) Do not cut the protecting tips like fingers caught in a saw, but neatly disjoint them at the stem points. Arbor Vitae may be sheared severely, and thrive best if pruned in this manner. Junipers often lose their attractive appearance if sheared too heavily. For unique effects with spreading evergreens planted in rockeries or rock walls, weird shapes are often desirable to obtain attractive effects. (See sketch 10.) By pruning off some of the side branches, you may encourage them to trail in varying directions. Arbor Vitae make beautiful evergreen hedges, although they require consistent shearing and shaping each summer to make them compact and uniform. 

Douglas Fir

Fir and Spruce

These are the “Christmas Tree” groups which appear best as a perfect cone of soft masses of needles not too obviously pruned. All branches projecting beyond the natural pyramid nature should be cut back into line, and prune the side growth to overcome patchiness and encourage dense growth. In pruning these varieties you are dealing with the buds which form the new growth. On each branch tip there is a cluster of buds, usually dominated by a large central bud. (See sketch 9.) On the branches where bushiness is desired, remove the central bud carefully with the thumb and forefinger. The remaining buds will branch out making the tree dense and compact. If the branch is to continue in a straight line, the central bud must be carefully preserved. The topmost straightest point of the tree is the central leader. This bud must be saved, and if damaged or blighted, two leaders will form which will spoil the appearance of the tree. (See sketch 6.) Should this happen through some catastrophe, tie a brace to the most vigorous side branch and tie into an upright position with soft twine or cloth strips. (See sketch 7.)

Hemlock and Taxus (Yews)

Taxus Baccata

These are the “fern-like groups” and the most graceful of all evergreens, with long sweeping branches. Taxus usually require shortening of the long shoots they put forth in the early spring to keep them from becoming too open. (See sketch 8.) Hemlocks require some trimming, also, especially in shady locations. Do not shear with hedge shears, but rather remove the longest shoots at the branch base. (See sketch 5.)

Pine

The pine is a “rugged individual.” Seldom does it require shearing, and pruning destroys its individual characteristics. Like the Fir and Spruce, the central leader should be preserved and retained by tying to a brace if it becomes destroyed. The Mugho Pine (dwarf, globe shaped) is one exception. Prune this tree as you would a Juniper to keep it tight and symmetrical, by cutting back the new growth to one-half its length each sum- mer. If left untrimmed, it becomes ragged.