Garden Gate July/August 2022

You know what takes a lot of patience? Photographing hummingbirds. Most of the time I end up with a blurry bird or it zips out of the frame just as I take the photo. Can you relate? A huge buffet of plants they love definitely increases your chances of getting a good shot. Garden Gate’s photographer Jack Coyier and I were mesmerized by the dozens of birds darting in for a sip and chasing each other around the sweep of bee balm in this Colorado garden last summer. And they were rufous and black-chinned hummingbirds, which is a rare treat for Midwesterners like us! So of course Jack had to change lenses on his camera and give it a try. You can see the result of his patience on this…

Flowers That Can Take the Heat These stars keep your garden colorful despite summer’s stresses! GardenGateMagazine.com/articles/plant-guide/ Garden Projects on YouTube Add some personality to your garden with one of our popular projects, such as the sand-cast birdbath. These step-by-step videos make it easy! Youtube.com/gardengatemagazine Summer Garden Checklist Are you doing everything you can to keep your garden looking its best this summer (and beyond)? Find out here. GardenGateMagazine.com/articles/how-to/…

GREAT IDEAS FROM SMART GARDENERS A Sale From the Garden Shed Last summer, Louise and her friends had success hosting a joint garden-themed yard sale. Each friend set up her own booth and took care of her own transactions. The items for sale were exclusively garden-related—books, plants, pots, yard art, landscaping materials, tools and more. It was a fun way to get unused garden supplies out of the shed and into gardens! Louise Getz, IL From pedestal fan to pretty planter Marilyn Jestes, PA If your pedestal fan has gone kaput, take a cue from Marilyn and upcycle it into a hanging basket planter. Marilyn had two nonfunctioning pedestal fans—one smaller than the other—so she made two double-tier planters. She removed the metal grilles from the fans and lined each of the two pieces with coir…

Mycorrhizae Mycorrhizae are a type of beneficial fungi that attach to the root systems of almost all plants and foster a positive relationship with the garden: They receive their energy from the plants, and in return the fungi break down nutrients in the soil. The plants then better absorb the nutrients they need for improved health and vigor, increased yields and more resilience to stress and disease. Finding the fungi These microorganisms are impossible to spot with the naked eye. They do create threads called hyphae that might extend from the roots like very thin, short hairs. These penetrate areas of the soil that roots can’t reach. Most all vegetables, perennials and annuals benefit from these fungi except for plants in the brassica family, such as cabbages. Fostering the fungi Mycorrhizae are already…

Traditional cutting gardens are often simple beds with rows of different bloomers to have as many flowers as possible to cut for bouquets, not necessarily planted with aesthetics in mind. That may not gel with how you want your garden to look. But you can have a cutting garden within a good-looking flower border with just a few important considerations. MORE FLOWERS First, choose plants with a long flowering season. Annuals are often best, since they typically bloom nonstop until frost, especially if you harvest flowers often. But don’t underestimate perennials as cut flowers too. They may simply bloom for extended periods or can be encouraged to rebloom by deadheading. Look for plants that branch out with copious amounts of flowers, like zinnias or Shasta daisies, as opposed to one-and-dones like…

Save money and get more plants by direct-sowing seeds for easy-growing annuals like these cosmos and zinnias. Light Fillers Intersperse wiry ‘Buenos Aires’ verbena amongst dense-growing Fireworks globe amaranth and let the flowers mingle together on their long, thin stems. A pretty combo together in the garden, these airy, abundant bloomers are loaded with blossoms to tuck in as fillers in a vase of mixed flowers too. Globe amaranth can also be cut, hung upside down to dry and used in everlasting bouquets. Even if you don’t cut many, verbena and globe amaranth will bloom continuously until frost without deadheading. An extra bonus? They’re both drought-tolerant pollinator magnets. A Verbena Verbena bonariensis ‘Buenos Aires’ Tender perennial; lavender flower clusters atop thin, stiff stems from summer to frost; full sun; 36 to 48 in.…