YOUR PLACE IN THE GARDEN

Cynthia Domenghini, Ph.D.

IN THE 19TH CENTURY Victorian gardens shifted from native and natural landscapes to the inclusion of more exotic species. This was in part due to the rise in the use of greenhouses, otherwise known as “glasshouses,” making it possible to overwinter non-native species. This prompted travelers to collect and return home with exotic plants to adorn their landscape.

Victorian gardens during this time period featured clean planter beds, manicured with rounded borders. The repetitive use of plant species created designs that established continuity and a comforting feel. Symmetrical patterns in formal gardens known as the Parterre-style were common during this time. These planters often had borders formed by stones or hedges and pathways that separated one planter from another.

Among the popular exotic plants incorporated into Victorian gardens were those with bold colors or interesting forms such as canna lilies, ornamental grasses, ferns, gladiolas and coleus. These plants were included to bring unique features and intrigue to the gardens while the repetitive planting patterns made the garden into a cohesive and overall soothing experience.

Each section of a Victorian landscape was a metaphorical room in a house. Contrary to many American landscapes the lawns were not a feature

in Victorian landscapes. Rather, in regards to the home metaphor, the lawn served as a rug creating a pathway from one garden, or room, to the next. Lawns doubled as the perfect place to host a garden party.

One “room” sometimes seen in a Victorian garden is a style known as a pincushion garden. This intricate design of plants is created within a circular planter several feet in diameter. Just a few plant species are used within each pincushion garden and are positioned in such a way to create a manicured pattern resembling pins stuck in a pincushion. Succulents and cacti are common choices for pincushion gardens. Due to their slow, compact growth, the maintenance required is minimal. The lines of the pattern will remain throughout the growing season even as the plants grow.

A modern-day pincushion garden can incorporate your own sense of style. Though succulents may have once been the plant of choice for this garden-type, there are a number of other options that could result in a similar experience. Consider the growth habit, color and form as you choose your pincushion garden plants. Plants that spread rapidly will increase the amount of labor you will have to do to keep the garden contained to the defined space. Instead, choose plants that remain compact such as: dwarf mondo grass

(Ophiopogon japonicus “Nanus”), dusty miller (Senecio cineraria) and varieties of ferns. In keeping with the gardens of the 19th century, you may also choose plants with bold colors such as: variegated liriope (Liriope muscari “Variegata”), cockscomb (Celosia spp.) and Ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum).

The planting options are endless and as you create planting designs and patterns, the resulting pincushion garden translates into a living work of art and history lesson. The pincushion garden style is a great addition for the gardener who appreciates attention to detail in an overall low-maintenance garden. KCL

KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING MARCH 2020 CYNTHIA DOMENGHINI is an instructor and coordinator for K-State’s horticultural therapy online certificate program.

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Now let’s talk about how landscaping impacts your home’s energy use and comfort in the winter.

If you live in a colder climate, a solid wind break can cut harsh winter winds. The best solution for this is a solid row of trees (preferably evergreen) on the windward side of the home, with shrubs underneath the trees to keep the wind from sneaking through. If you live in a warmer climate, you would not want a wind barrier as wind flow will help cool your home. If you live in a cooler climate that isn’t too humid, planting a row of shrubs a foot from your home can provide more efficiency. By stopping air movement, it can form a dead air space around the home that acts as “bonus” insulation. While you’re at it, you could add some foundation insulation if you have a home with a basement or if it’s built on a slab. In a humid climate, however, leaving several feet of space between landscaping and the home as air flow is necessary to avoid moisture-related home damage. These are just a few ideas to help you get started. I should also note that as with any landscaping projects that require digging, remember to dial 811 to ensure all underground utility lines are properly marked and flagged before you start the work. Happy planting! KCL A row of low landscaping along the house can create a dead air space that provides an extra layer of insulation.

Deciduous trees on the south and west sides of your home can deflect hot summer sun. A L A N D A V E Y

KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING MARCH 2020 PAT KEEGAN and BRAD THIESSEN of Collaborative Efficiency. Visit: www.collaborativeefficiency. com/energytips.

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STORY & PHOTOS BY L . A . JACKSON | L AYOUT BY MORGAN HOLLOWAY

A (literal) bed of cabbage taking center stage in a flower garden.

KANSAS COUNTRY LIVING SPRING HAS ARRIVED! So, if thoughts of producing oodles of fresh, homegrown edibles have you ready to dig in the dirt, it’s time to roll up those sleeves and start a vegetable garden!

While the physics of time and space dictate that big harvests naturally come from big gardens, for backyard growers who prefer to pass on the challenges of tending mega-plots through the long, hot summer, or who simply don’t have an abundance of planting areas, there are alternative ways to raise impressive passels of veggies — it is simply a matter of making make less do more.

Go to Bed First, for maximum production from limited growing areas, go with beds, not rows — in other words, place young plants or seeds according to their recommended spacing per plant and forget about distances between rows. Rows of plants looking like tidy lines of soldiers are better for large gardens in order to have paths to walk around, but this isn’t necessary in small beds. Accessibility is, of course, still important, so, while you can stretch ’em as long as Texas, try not to make beds over 4 feet wide — this shortens your reach into the plants and greatly minimizes embarrassing faceflops in the dirt.

Small Wonders Size isn’t everything in gardening, especially when it comes to growing backyard edibles. There are many vegetable selections — often tagged with such labels as “bush,” “dwarf” or “patio,” — that are modest in height and girth, but still quite capable of producing impressive crops.

The most common big veggie that can be found in smaller sizes is the tomato. There are a ton of cultivars available, but, for starters, give “Tiny Tim,” “Bush Beefsteak” or “Early Wonder” a look. Keep in mind, however, that a majority of these slight-in-stature tomato selections are determinate, meaning they produce all the ’maters they are going to yield in a matter of weeks. Standard vine tomatoes, if kept healthy, typically crank out fruit continually over the long growing season.

Want a wider range of veggies in your small garden? Squash, watermelons, pumpkins, cucumbers, cantaloupes and green beans — all champs at chewing up space in a planting bed — can also be found in compact forms, either as young plants or seeds, at local garden shops in the spring.

Grow Up Don’t think you have to stick to Munchkin-sized plants. Typical strong growers such as tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers and squash can’t be allowed to crawl across small growing spaces, but they can be trellised, staked or caged to grow up rather than out.

Even the long, rangy vines of watermelons, pumpkins and cantaloupes can be trained upwards on vertical supports, but to avoid the dreaded drop-and-splat factor, it’s not a bad idea to cradle the

Small watermelons such as “Sugar Baby” can be trained to grow up, not outwards, in a garden. L.A. JACKSON

developing fruits in supporting burlap, nylon or cloth slings. Suspension weight and size problems with standard pumpkins are obvious, but there are many cultivars, including “Spookie,” “Jack O’ Lantern” and “Sugar Pie,” that yield smaller, more manageable 6- to 7-pound fruits. Ditto for big ol’ watermelons, but with so-called “icebox” varieties like the popular “Sugar Baby” and its 8- to 10-pound melons available, it is possible to hang ’em high, too.

Growing vine crops on erect supports has other advantages besides saving space, starting with making harvesting easier. Also, vertical gardening improves fruit shape and, since beneficial air circulates through the foliage easier, can promote healthier plants. low-growing and, for vegetable plants, actually rather good looking. Any of these can be successfully incorporated as accent plants for perennial beds or flower gardens. In addition, root vegetables such as carrots, onions and radishes hide their crops below ground but freely flaunt flowing foliage that can be used to fill in the fronts of border plantings.

Many herbs are also great “double-duty” plants. Need examples? Rosemary’s spiky leaves and delightful (as well as edible) bluish-purple flowers make it an appealing addition to any landscape setting. Bronze fennel’s smoky look is a nice touch for container planters, while the rich, dark foliage of purple basil is a horticultural fashion statement waiting to happen. And curly parsley, with its deep emerald leaves, is an ideal alt-ornamental to line the front of a flower bed.

One word of caution about interplanting vegetables or herbs with other plants: If you spray any pesticides on neighboring ornamentals, make sure the chemicals are cleared for safe use on edible plants as well. KCL

L.A. JACKSON is the former editor of Carolina Gardener magazine.

Beyond the Veggie Patch Looking for even more growing ground? Limited-space gardening with edibles doesn’t need to be confined to small vegetable plots — in other words, anywhere you have dirt in your yard is a potential planting site. And many veggies can be easily interplanted in the landscape as complements, rather than complications, to existing ornamentals.

One popular vegetable that bears the double standard of being both productive and pretty is the pepper. While blocky bell peppers might look a bit clunky in flower beds, there is a wide range of hot peppers that show off longlasting fruits in many sizes, shapes and sizzling colors on relatively compact plants.

Like bell peppers, common pudgy eggplants probably won’t qualify as eye candy in an ornamental garden, but there are vibrantly colored fruits of cultivars such as “Fairy Tale,” “Prosperosa” and “Neon” that can also add extra visual sass to sunny flower borders.

And okra, which is closely related to the lovely hibiscus, stays true to its family ties with fancy foliage and delicate, hibiscus-like flowers. One particular standout beauty is “Red Burgundy,” an heirloom selection that has been a veggie garden favorite for many years because its gorgeous (and tasty) scarlet pods never fail to turn heads.

Other decorative edibles with strong, distinctive profiles such as curly spinach, cabbage, looseleaf lettuce (especially red-tinted varieties like “Red Sails” and “Lolla Rossa”), kale and Swiss chard (look for “Ruby Red” or “Bright Lights”) are