Comments on: Gardening this week: Filling up new borders

By: linda

linda — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:22:48 +0000

I was wondering how Cannas would look in your container.

By: Jean

Jean — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:51:42 +0000

Of course! I knew you had removed your lawn but had forgotten since it still looks like grass from the photos. Good job. My method for removing parts of my lawn is to slowly put newspaper or cardboard down, cover with dirt/compost/manure and pinestraw, and wait (somewhat impatiently).

By: Susan Harris

Susan Harris — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:18:16 +0000

Jean, I DID take out all the grass – 2 years ago. What you see there now is the lawn substitute I used – Sedum acre and Dutch white clover (and I’ll be removing the clover – too tall). Leaving actual turfgrass in a border I wouldn’t recommend – too much weeding involved. The Sedum is easy to yank out wherever I don’t want it and stick where it’s really needed. Gradually the larger plants in the new border areas will grow and crowd/shade out the Sedum, I suppose, but in the meantime it’s covering the ground even now, at its worst.

By: Jean

Jean — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:19:41 +0000

Susan, it looks like you didn’t take up the old grass but I can’t tell. Did you just plant into it or do you have other plans? The reason I’m asking is because I am doing the exact same thing – enlarging the borders and trying to get rid of the grass. But our St. Augustine grass is a bear. And yes, I’m filling in with some plants I bought and some from other parts of the garden.

By: Xris (Flatbush Gardener)

Xris (Flatbush Gardener) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:35:45 +0000

Annuals from seed is the most inexpensive way to fill an area for the first year or two. If you can afford to toss in a few tropical bulbs, such as Cannas and Alocasia/Colocasia, and you’re in good shape. Tropical bulbs are perfect for large containers.

The perennials can go in year after year as you can afford them.

By: Billy Goodnick

Billy Goodnick — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:21:53 +0000

You learn well, grasshopper (or is that “wax on, wax off”?). Nice to see this moving along! Must be nice to see dirt instead of snow. One things still needs a bit of lower lumbar attention. Your stepping stone path is about as sexy as my 7th grade English teacher, Miss Potter, a bird of a woman perched atop spindly legs and possessing the sashaying ability of a shuffling inmate in leg-irons. In the words of Max Bialistock, “Flaunt it baby, FLAUNT IT!” Put a little wiggle in that money maker.

Other than that, bash on!