Tips and Inspiration for Turning Your Brown Thumb Green

By Powell Saum

Bold, bright sunflowers towered twice the height of an inquisitive six-year-old boy, as he helped his Mom and Dad pick string bean plants in the family vegetable garden.  Some 20 years later and many states away, he would start to cultivate his first small garden plot.  Now, another twenty-some years later, birds of all types flock to his 4,000-square-foot garden oasis - replete with wispy ornamental grasses, vibrant summer perennials, and stoic, stately trees. 

 

Have you dabbled in gardening with mixed results?  Or have you wanted to achieve a higher level of quality in the yard, but are unsure how to start?  This book is a concise, resourceful guide for the novice or intermediate gardener;  it's put together by a devoted landscape gardener who treasures the allure and bounty of our natural world.

 

Over the years, I realized that the draw to nature as a boy in Texas was more than a passing fascination.  Landscape gardening will be one of my main legacies in life.  Through many trials and tribulations with a few fickle plants, and many more happy plants, I had an epiphany.  If I can create magnificent, sprawling gardens full of wonder and life, then anyone who puts his or her mind and heart into it can accomplish the same.  There are few things in life more satisfying or peaceful than rocking back and forth in the hammock, while enjoying the tranquility of an afternoon surrounded by interesting wildlife and vibrant plants.

 

Every property is unique.  Whether you have sun or shade, a little space or a lot, there is never-ending potential for the creation of splendor.  I have had a lot of fun over the years with gardening.  You will too!  If you have the gardening bug or just want to spruce up your yard, this book will take you on an easy-to-follow journey through the basics of gardening.  Helpful tips and guidelines - along with a unique perspective from a gardener who has 30 years of experience - will ensure you have the information and inspiration to make the most of your property.   

 

From soil type and plant hardiness, to watering, pruning, and mulching, the creation of a successful, bountiful garden is a rather simple process which can turn an ordinary yard into a blissful paradise.  Countless benefits and peace of mind will come from a nicely landscaped property.  The best part will be knowing your happy plants are thriving and putting on a show, while you take the credit!

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Powell Saum
• Release date: Nov 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393891703

Book preview

For my wife, Christian Joy, without whom this gardening tale would not have been possible.  Your support, patience, confidence, and undying love are unmatched. 

To my parents, Bill and Karen, who helped to sow the seeds of intrigue and exploration in this gardener.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface

Chapter 1...Finding Confidence and Acquiring Knowledge in Gardening

Chapter 2...Choose a Spot Wisely, But Don’t Be Afraid to Move it Later

Chapter 3...Prune it or Else!

Chapter 4...Soil is Gold

Chapter 5...Water Well, Water Smart

Chapter 6...Mulch for Life

Chapter 7...Make the Weather a Friend, Not a Foe

Chapter 8...How to Avoid the Over-planting Trap

Chapter 9...Common Troubles, Simple Fixes

Afterword

PREFACE

From a young age, I developed a love for the natural world.  Family camping weekends and road trip adventures fostered a kinship with the outdoors.  As a boy pressing his nose against the glass of our car window, many hours were spent admiring trees of all shapes and textures, as we passed through different climates.  There was a magical yearning to gaze with wonder into dark and shady forests, or out to distant mountains poking above the horizon.  There came to be a fascination and respect for water, developed in my early years while living on the Upper Texas Coast.  I would look at the driver’s seat to watch my Dad stealing a glimpse of creeks and rivers while crossing highway bridges.  I have been blessed with a loving family and parents who value nature.  My Mom kept our lawn and garden edges neatly trimmed; both my parents planted our first vegetable garden in Texas.  My Dad took me on fishing canoe trips starting at eight years of age.  While the comradery with extended family and friends was fun and memorable, there came a deep fostering of affection for the surroundings – the landscape.  To this day, I can see the giant silver maple trees leaning their arching branches over the river, the steep hillsides jutting up from the sandy river bank, and the rolling, rugged mountains of the Appalachians.  Starting before adolescence there was a kinship with nature, as I admired my parents’ efforts to create beauty with new yard projects.  Both my mother and father instilled a respect for nature and a pride in our property.  We moved to a beautiful, wooded neighborhood in Maryland where I spent the remainder of my childhood.  Each season offered a different fascination for a boy with a passion and drive for weather, storms, and the effects on vegetation and the landscape.  I have always viewed weather and the landscape to be closely linked.  Watching the seasons progress each year is best seen through the effects on trees, plants, and wildlife.  Nature is always putting on a show if we are willing to stop, watch, and listen:  the silence of winter nights, broken only by the crackling of ice on trees or the eerie roar of the wind through bare hardwoods; the first evening peepers in spring, then the first crickets chirping at night signaling summer’s arrival; the katydids and other summer insects singing in harmony on muggy late summer nights; the leaves rustling on the ground and that unmistakable smell when it rains during peak autumn foliage.

My first paying job as a teen was outside for a retail garden center; in the previous year I volunteered for the National Audubon Society.  While pursuits varied over the coming decades, there has always been a loyalty to nature - especially trees and plants.  As a twenty-something, I rented my first garden apartment and never thought twice about filling up the little space with stunning, tall perennials that waved in the wind with their bold, colorful blooms in summer.  To this day, while hiking in the mountains or walking along a river or canal, the wonder of it all piques my curiosity, no matter the time of year.  Admittedly, my taste in gardens is eclectic, which is similar to other preferences of mine.  There is also a regionally-oriented, conservationist approach to landscaping with a focus on plants more common to the Middle Atlantic States.

While I have enjoyed creating landscape beds and gardens on other properties in my professional landscape pursuits, it has been here at our Pennsylvania homestead where the pride of new creations has brought fulfillment, pleasure, and a sense of closeness with nature.  It’s also been fun - a release from other stresses in life and an outlet for physical exercise.  Also, I have savored the challenge to create big, brightly-colored gardens while learning from each new endeavor.

The intent of this book is twofold:  to offer insight into gardening, planting, and maintenance; also, to offer tips based on what I have learned in my years of landscape gardening and exploration in nature.  On that note, it occurred to me this year that all the endeavors, trials, and tribulations of the past have afforded a foundation for the success of today. 

Whether you intend to take a shovel and plant for the first time, or you have struggled with getting plants to grow robustly, the tips in this book are designed to offer generalized assistance.  My intent is to help you gain confidence in the art of landscape improvement.  There are many other resources to consult for specific plant habits or specific design ideas.  This is also true for particular insect and fungal problems; these nemeses will vary depending on geographic region, climate, and soil type.  Along with helpful tips, my intent is to provide a healthy dose of inspiration.  The first step toward a finished product is having a belief that we can accomplish an endeavor in the first place.  Through the many years I spent in the nursery or garden center industry, there were common threads in the concerns, questions, and observations from discussions with customers.  In most cases, people with whom I consulted were plant lovers too. 

Gardeners share a kinship with nature; we build something that is tangible, workable, and of course, living.  There will may be surprises when working with living things, as the only constant to be expected in nature is the unexpected.  My hope is that you will find benefit in the analysis and inspirational words herein and that, in time, you too might develop solid confidence in your skill set, all while turning your thumb a proverbial bright green!

1

GROWING CONFIDENCE AND ACQUIRING KNOWLEDGE WHILE GARDENING

One of the great thrills of any achievement is found in the accomplishment itself.  The creation of something tangible and relatable is paramount, for it fuels us to new heights of confidence in the pursuit of yet more endeavors.  I have found this to be pertinent to gardening and landscaping. 

Some hobbies and interests are innate; other interests are picked up later in life.  There are few physical pursuits in my life where sweat, dirt, and bug bites are rewarded more than with the experimentations in gardening.  What’s more, exploration of the outdoors is natural and can produce a better local environment around a property.  The creation of an attractive landscape may offer enjoyment for our families and all kinds of birds! 

Have you the desire to dig in the ground?  Have you tried planting with only mixed results?  I will focus on various aspects necessary for success with gardening, especially with plants in the ground.  In warmer climates, some of these principles and observations will apply to container gardening.  Whatever your experience or rate of success thus far, you would not be reading this book without a desire to pursue fun, excitement, and a challenge on your land.  Indeed, we share a commonality for creation in the natural environment for a myriad of reasons.  The intent here will be to offer insight and guidance from over 30 years of experience with gardening, mostly in the Middle Atlantic Region of the United States.  This guidance is likely to be most relevant to those living in four season climates, though I expect those of you gardening in two season climates (a wet and dry season) will benefit too.  In gardening, we are taking on the wild and inherently unpredictable forces of nature.  With that in mind, fortitude, knowledge, and a good dose of patience will go a long way toward our success.

Let’s first explore fortitude as it relates to gardening.  The risk in gardening is not dissimilar to farming, though on a very different scale.  Regardless of our precautions, preparations, or expenditures, things might go wrong.  Over time, I have learned the best preparation for inevitable problems is to expect them.  Also, it does not hurt to be proactive when adapting to a challenge.  Gardening can be humbling; environmental factors may prove to be unwavering and severe.  As an example, the greatest challenge for you may not be the same for a friend of