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dewberries, will tolerate less than

Make the red & yellow types of ever bearing

optimum soil and drought

raspberries a single-crop without trellising or

conditions. Try and use a fast

selective pruning.

draining loamy soil. An inch of

water a week during the actual

Do this and your harvest will be hugely bountiful.

growing season is ideal, either from

rain or your watering hose.

Space the plants about 2 ½ feet apart and let them

fill in a 1 ½ foot-wide hedgerow.

Apply a deep organic mulch at the

beginning of the season which will

Each year cut off the canes at ground level in late

keep the soil moist while

winter while they are dormant.

discouraging weeds. These roots are

‘Heritage’, a much loved ever bearing red

shallow so if you cultivate to rid

raspberry, adapts well to this method.

your area of weeds you may

damage them. To help here, in the

Whatever you choose make sure your crop is one

spring, peel back the mulch and

that ripens before frost sets in

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"The Weekend Gardener" by Victor K. Pryles

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spread a shovelful of rotted manure over the ground around each plant. Always replace and renew the mulch each year. That’s it!

Is your Bramble Sick?

There are viral diseases that can cause premature aging (less produce) and a rapid decline in your plants. Insects are the little critters responsible for these viral episodes and there’s not much you can do about it. But if you purchase certified virus-free plants at least you’re a bit ahead of the bugs. Certified stock costs more, but there’s more at stake here than just dollars and cents. You’ll save time and frustration - and I put a premium on that!

Though you’ll find that brambles do get their share of fungal diseases and insects, many can be handles by simple, good sanitation. Get rid of any sick looking canes, and don’t compost them; burn them or put them out to the trash bin. If you notice any wild cousins forming in your garden get rid of them as well, they can carry insects and spread other pests too. It’s best to place red raspberries at least 300 feet from black ones. Insects like to carry diseases from the heartier reds to the more susceptible blacks. Also blacks are very contagious to a virus called verticillium wilt, and for that reason should be kept away from tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, asparagus, strawberries, or other raspberries that have grown in a particular location in years past.

Currants and Gooseberries

Growing currants and gooseberries couldn’t be easier. Trouble free

and needing very little care, they are great for weekend gardeners that

want to remember the days when grandmother’s kitchen overflowed

with the aroma of gooseberry pie and currant jelly.

You can practically ignore these fruits until harvest. They are hard to

find at most markets, so they make ideal fruits for the backyard personal garden. They are very hardy and do very well in the colder climate zones (up to Zone 3) in the far north.

You’ll find that each offers fruits of a sparkling color, translucent berries that are a delight to the eye as well as the palate.

Be aware that some states have actually outlawed the growing of gooseberries and

currants because they can carry a fungus (white pine blister rust) that directly attacks pine trees. Check with your local county agricultural extension service before making a purchase. Even if growing currants is legal in your state, you may want to plant them away from pines that are around your property. There are rust resistant varieties available and those are the ones you should purchase.

Currants may be red, black, or white. When they are fully ripe they have a tart, sweet taste and can be eaten right from your hand, but traditionally go into the production of The Weekend Gardener by Victor K. Pryles

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"The Weekend Gardener" by Victor K. Pryles

Copyright © 2003 Victor. K. Pryles

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jelly products. They look so beautiful you may actually hesitate before eating them.

White currants are actually yellow and are cultivated from the red currants.

Black currants are a prized European fruit that is not so well known in the States. They have a strong musky taste, and though some people take an instant dislike to their flavor— they remain a rare commodity. Individual berries are fairly small so when you pick them it’s best to save some frustration and grab an entire cluster. Don’t bother with the stems either, when making jelly because they’ll get caught in the cheesecloth as you strain them.

Gooseberries are much larger than currants, almost as big as a grape, and have dark striped skin that is usually yellow-green, purple or red. Although they are tart to the taste before ripeness, once fully cultivated these cultivars turn sweet. Gooseberries make fine pies, cobblers and tarts.

Caring For Currants and Gooseberries

Filtered shade is a very good friend to both gooseberries and currants, especially if you experience hot summers. Space the plants about 5 feet apart, in rows 7 or 8 feet apart.

They grow best in soil that is fertile and deeply mulched, yet they seem to tolerate both heavy and sandy soil as long as you keep it wetted down. Use rotted manure or compost each spring as a mulch and you’ll see that is all the nutrition these easy-care fruits need!

Prune out older stems at ground level each year always removing canes that are four years old while leaving behind the more productive younger canes. Even if you slip up on the pruning these fruits are very forgiving, however, by doing this four year cycle of pruning you will allay the possibility of fungal diseases.

Red currants and gooseberries are what is called ‘self-fertile’ and may require cross pollination and therefore don’t always provide a good crop of fruit. A mature plant will produce 2 to 3 quarts of berries each harvest, gooseberries 3 to 4 quarts, so you only need a few to get plenty of pies and jellies each year.

A Fruity Conclusion

As a weekender you can choose from many kinds of fruits for your garden, but as has been stressed throughout this book you want to find ways to sharply cut down on care and maintenance.

Some good tips, and simple steps you can take include:

Select plants carefully. Purchase only those cultivars that are best for your garden and climate.

Look for disease and insect resistant varieties.

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"The Weekend Gardener" by Victor K. Pryles

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Remember harvesting isn’t all joy and expectation. It requires work, too. Fruits are perishable and you must pick them on time, in season, and when ripeness has been

achieved.

Prepare the soil with careful attention before you plant

Fruit trees require tons of man-hours and that’s one reason I didn’t mention them here.

The plant varieties take much less care and are far more forgiving of the weekend gardener that ‘just doesn’t have the time’.

But Oh! The taste and variety of

home grown fruits (and

vegetables) are such a true

Problem: Fruit trees require too much pruning

marvel that once you grow your

and pest control.

own, your life (and dinner table)

Quick Fix: Choose low-maintenance berry

will never be the same!

bushes instead. Try fruit plants that need less

pruning or can double as landscape plants.

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Chapter 6: Natural Landscapes

When we encounter a natural landscape of mountain range, woodland

waterfall or deep forested valleys with wildflower meadows - it can

take our breath away. We are transported to a place of relaxation and

contemplation within ourselves. The repast enjoyed by such scenes

are enough to make the most work-adverse weekend gardener aspire

to greatness with nature.

In a corner of your very own property you can have an island retreat of wildflowers, a glowing, bubbly brook to wind around your mind, walkways that beckon you to explore and help you forget the mundane and commonplace.. Homemade versions of natural

landscapes by necessity must be on a smaller scale than in wild nature, of course. Our grassy meadows and woodland wildflower walks must be placed in scale to how much

real estate we have to work with. But the imaginative gardener can use the landscape gardens mentioned in this chapter to make ideal sweeps of beauty that will be the envy of all who view them.

As always, we must find a way to make them low-maintenance. And you’ll be happy to know that nothing is easier than a natural landscape to care for. After all, you are dealing, for the most part, with indigenous plantings that will live very well when left to Mother Nature to tend. After all, She made not only the plot your working in, the conditions that cause this garden to flourish, but the plants themselves.

They can become really un-demanding as part of your overall plan for a backyard paradise. Whether planted with only naturalized or native plants, or with a combination of the two, or by adding some exotics that are well adapted to your site, full color and joy can be found in a natural landscape. Gardens that really imitate nature offer low-maintenance alternatives for gardeners that want to bring a touch of natural beauty, but require little attention after the initial efforts to establish your backyard landscape.

A Few Basic Principles

Keep these key basics in mind and apply them to making a successful naturalistic

landscape. The natural landscape garden will require work, even though the slick gardening magazines, filled with spectacular photos of wildflowers spewed across a gorgeous natural meadow setting, complete with sketchy instructions on how to

accomplish such a marvel, may cause you to think that this kind of effort is unnecessary; the truth is the effort goes directly into the beginning set-up of your garden. Naturalistic gardens are less work intensive than the manicured variety, especially once they are established, but proper soil preparation, planting, watering and weeding are essential at the onset. Only when you successfully nurture your natural setting through its infant stage will you later be able to sit back and enjoy it as it easily maintains itself. The objective is to arrange plants in a design that matches nature itself and using plants with growing conditions that match the site you have to work in.

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Select native plants - wildflowers, grasses, ferns, trees, shrubs, and vines— that are indigenous to your part of the

country and naturally adapted to

conditions in your garden setting.

The following definitions will help you choose

Native plants, as expected, thrive in

the types of wildflowers that can be useful to a

their natural environment, and there

weekend natural landscape plan:

is no need for chemical fertilizers,

pesticides and forced watering.

Native Plants - herbaceous flowers, ferns,

Native plants and wildflowers will

grasses, shrubs, trees, and vines that originated in

survive in your landscape only

a specific geographical area and grow there

when they are planted in a situation

naturally.

that truly mimics their natural

habitat. Plant a Texas bluebonnet in

Naturalized Plants - Plants introduced to an area

upstate New York and it will die; a

by an outside agent but now grow in the wild

woodland wildflower in a sunny

without assistance.

meadow and you get the same dire

Wildflowers - herbaceous flowers of field and

result.

forest.

If you want to remain a happy

weekender, don’t fall into the trap

Forbs - Wildflowers that are not grasses.

of trying to create a particular

Warm Season Grasses - Grass that grows slowly

condition where they don’t exist

during cool weather, grows in summer, and goes

naturally - like turning an acid

dormant during winter.

woodland where the conditions are

naturally alkaline. Go with Mother

Cool Season Grasses - Grass that goes dormant

Nature - not against her!

during the heat of summer, many times turning

brown, with growth in cool spring and fall, often

remaining green in winter.

Native Or Natural?

Weeds - Any plant that is not wanted technically

speaking. One that can overgrow areas rapidly

When selecting plants for a

and are thought of as unsightly and aggressive.

naturalistic landscape sooner or

later the question of plant origin

Indigenous Plants - Plants that grow naturally in

comes up. Many common

a particular area and are from that area.

American roadside wildflowers are

actually European natives that came

Exotics - Non-native plants brought to cultivation

over with the Colonists, others

from another geographical area, usually another

hitchhiked along as weed seed

continent or markedly different habitat.

contained in the actual crop seed.

Cultivated Plants - These plants are grown on

Some purists believe these

purpose by gardeners and farmers for beauty or

naturalized plants have no place in a

economic worth. Cultivated plants are often

true naturalized garden. Only plants

exotics and incapable of existing without human

that are actually native to the region

care.

are accepted by these folks.

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I disagree and see this view as a bit rigid, and consider the immigrant plants as full citizens now which deserve equal plots of ground of their own; right next to their home grown brothers and sisters.

Regardless of this rather arcane discussion, a weekender is best served by any naturalized plant or native variety that thrives within the direct confines of the habitat you live in now.

Your Woodland Garden - A Shaded Paradise

In a few short seasons you can have a lovely shaded area. Let’s imagine an already wooded corner of your current property of about 50 feet by 50 feet with an old oak, a few tall red maples, four black cherries, a couple of dogwoods and an undergrowth of

sassafras saplings. If they grow in a grove like setting together their branches are not widespread, creating a woodland effect in a relatively small area.

But that is just an imaginary setting. You will need to see if your property contains areas like this that are already filled in indigenous plants, flowers, trees, shrubs and vines that you can convert into a more cultivated area for a naturalistic garden area. So it’s time to look your property over again and choose an area that is conducive to some energetic development and creative shaping.

Don’t be too eager to jump in and start planting. Evaluate the site and see what it already has to offer. You might even take a preliminary nature walk through your area state parks, national forests or other local sites to see what is bountiful around you. A forest’s elevation, exposure, native soil type, and the amount of rainfall all influence what grows where you live. I like to get on my hands and knees and actually feel the soil, observe its moisture content. Pay close attention to it because that’s what you must have in your own backyard garden for this wooded garden to thrive.

On your nature walk look at where and what kind of tall trees there are; the under story of small trees and shrubs. Look at the forest floor and the kind of wildflowers, ferns, ground covers and rotting branches and logs that are about. Notice how the flowers are grouped; are they single patches or do they run wild in a large mass? Take a look at the way the plants are distributed because you want to eventually attempt a garden that resembles these natural formations.

Look all around you. Let the scene soak in and start to imagine how you can take what you see into your beautiful backyard natural garden area. Look carefully at the forest light that is hitting the plants and wildflowers. How shaded is it? Can that effect be created in your backyard. Compare your selected site to what you find on your nature walk; only then can you have an effortless garden that will be a joy to construct and will be low-maintenance later on.

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Check The Soil pH And Other Considerations

As you select plants for your wooded natural landscape, you’ll find native plants and wildflowers that tolerate a wide range of soil pH are available; there are others that are very particular about pH. Test your soil before you begin planting, and only then should you select appropriate plants. A range between 5.0 and 6.0 will support the widest assortment of plants.

Shady spots underneath trees can often be surprisingly dry, because the trees’ surface roots take most of the water content and nutrients. Beneath these greedy roots, especially with maples and ashes, you should avoid starting a woodland garden. You’ll know if dry, root clogged soil is a problem because the ground feels hard and compacted; you’ll have trouble making a hole with a trowel. Speaking of digging, don’t be shy about digging a hole deep enough to allow you to see and remove any roots that are an inch or less in diameter, which you will replace with compost. This larger hole will allow shrubs enough growing room to become established before tree roots return. Grow your woodland

garden only when you can scoop up the topsoil with your hands, or you can add humus, compost, or shredded leaves as cover before you plant.

Shaded Areas

Did you know there are many kinds of shade? Oh yes - from heavy, light and partial to diffused, filtered, or half shade - it can get confusing. I find it much simpler to consider instead how the shade we are looking at is created in the woodland setting. Shadows cast from overhead branches fall on the forest floor, throwing into shadow. The density of the shadow depends on the density of those branches. If you’re in a forested area with a lot of evergreens, the thickly needled branches of those trees can keep the forest floor in pretty dense shadow year round. Then there are the streams of light that cause shade to reach the floor all through winter from late spring through fall mixed with lighted areas, especially in the Northeast. Other forests cause a mix of evergreen and deciduous, creating light that varies widely throughout the forest.

Why all this talk about shade? Because most wildflowers prosper in a forest area that produces more light than shade. You will usually be working with trees in your natural setting and the shade they produce can make the difference in where you plant your flowers, flowering shrubs and other plants. This is another reason to take that nature walk we mentioned a moment ago. By trying to re-create circumstances you find in the wild you’ll achieve more success in your backyard.

Choosing Your Site

I hope you are lucky enough to have a lot of property to work with; an acre or more for a natural landscape. If there are a group of trees already on the property, so much the better. You can work around these existing elements to create a wonderful garden area.

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If this isn’t your situation, don’t despair. Just look for a group of trees that you can use.

Trees native to your region are preferable and it helps if they are spaced so their canopies meet and intermingle a bit. Deep rooted species are best, with roots that go deep and avoid robbing the upper soil of moisture.

No trees or not enough? Then woodland plants under the branches of a single tree, if it’s large enough, can work wonders for a new garden area. You can also work in shade

provided on the north or east side of your house, as long as the soil suits the plants.

I must say though, the very best is a grove of trees (3 or more) to create the effect of a woodland and provide the shade needed.

Let’s Spark Up The Soil

Look over your grove. If it has been neglected clear out the unwanted undergrowth. If you are one of the exceptional home owners that has a grove that is too cared for — my, what a surprise - you may need to work at returning it to a more natural state before planting. In this case the soil is probably compacted and dry and it’s also robbed of nutrients which makes it unwelcoming to woodland plants.

To get your soil to its woodland equivalent layer put chopped-up leaves and twigs over the soil. Chop them to the size of a half-dollar and spread them several inches deep beneath the tree boughs. You should sprinkle the leaves with some compost to activate moisture. Repeat this every year until the leaves have rotted into a fine humus.

Earthworms will then start appearing and will loosen the subsoil for you. Nice little helpers! Only when you have a loose soil such as this can you begin installing your woodland masterpiece.

Those tall, high branched deciduous trees like just the right amount of light for woodland species. You can prune off low-hanging branches (below 20 feet) but no higher, unless it is completely overgrown in which case you will probably have to hire an arborist to thin up high (but not too much, okay?) What you wish to achieve is a dappled light, not too dark or gloomy. You may have to thin your grove of trees every few years to maintain this light to shade balance.

Let’s Get Some Woodland Plants

Serious gardeners have made this enterprise a major hobby, with loads of time to devote and enjoy germinating seed for woodland plants. But weekenders like us seldom have the time or wish for that particular challenge. We are left with purchasing plants for the woodland garden. Let’s always look for nursery propagated plants. Ones that are well adapted to the light conditions in our particular area.

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Those plants that do well in low light (as in a coniferous forest) and acid soil should not be planted under a deciduous tree. Likewise, those that call for a deciduous environment need plenty of light, at least part of the year; locate them under deciduous trees or on the edge of a shady area where they can get some bright light (but not direct). Finally, plants that are native to a mixed forest may have their own special peccadillos, you may find one or another under the conifers or the beeches.

A Word Of Caution

Never, under any circumstances, do a large scale turning over of soil in a woodland environment. We are not dealing with an annual flower garden or vegetable garden here; this is a naturalized woodland enclave and cultivating destroys the soil layering and most damaging of all, can destroy the rooting system of your trees. Remember, your trees are the one thing you must keep healthy to even have a woodland effect.

Only dig planting holes for shrubs and small plants, but again, do not excavate large areas. Also, don’t cut out tree roots over an inch in diameter either. If you must, simply plant elsewhere.

Finally, in way of caution, never install plants of any kind, flowers, shrubs, groundcover in bare ground, like you might in a flower bed. Forest plants always have some loose covering of humus or decaying organic matter over their roots. So you create the same effect. Always! You can also use some leaf mold topped with chopped up leaves around newly planted plants.

Let’s Place Our Plants Now

It is always best to place woodland plants in loose groups or masses, just as in a traditional flower border - but don’t over do it. Be sure too, to locate plants individually or in small groups as you would likely find them in nature