HERBS & CONTAINER GARDENS

June 7, 2024 Karen Logan

Chives illustration by karen blackerby logan

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JOIN US THIS SATURDAY MORNING

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GARDEN WORKSHOP

CONTAINER GARDENING

SATURDAY JUNE 8TH // 11:00AM // VINEYARD GARDENS

Please join us in a hands on workshop to learn how to make your own long blooming planted containers. We look forward to seeing you there!

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CONTAINER

PLANTING

Add annuals to your perennial beds, containers & hanging baskets

Annuals long bloom season offers a consistency in color and blooms that keep your containers looking fresh through the fall. Try adding annual vines to containers and hanging baskets like Mina lobata, Thunbergias, Cobaea scandens (Cup and Saucer Vine) & Mandevilla.

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Tips for Planting Containers

Plant your flower pots now! They are a welcoming splash of color at your entrance, on your deck or patio. Pots can vary in size and can be combinations of sizes and heights arranged together to make a dynamic display. Sometimes just one kind of plant in several pots arranged together can be simple and elegant, such as one large hosta in a shade pot next to an impatiens pot. Or an acanthus plant in an urn. An advantage of utilizing planted containers allows you to be flexible with the arrangement.

In mixed containers the plants will be married together for the whole season so be sure they have similar requirements. Group full sun plants or shade plants together depending on your spot.
We usually recommend annuals for pots because they bloom all summer, perennials usually only bloom for 4 or 5 weeks. Although do consider perennials because some have beautiful foliage and do very well in pots, plus their flowers can be an extra bonus for a little while. Some examples are Heucheras(Coral Bells) or Brunnera Jack Frost (Forget me nots) or even one large Hosta in a pot can be very effective in shade.
Geraniums are an old time favorite. They are drought tolerant once established. Combine them with other drought tolerant sun lovers like Euphorbia Diamond Frost instead of the traditional vinca major.
Great container plants for sun include Verbenas, Calibracoa ‘Million Bells’, Petunias, Zinnias, Euphorbia Diamond Frost, Salvias, Sweet Alyssum and Sweet Potato Vine. A simple pot can just be Cosmos sonata, dwarf series. You could also try something new like Browallia americana or Cephalophora aromatica.
Great container plants for shade include Impatiens, Begonias, Fuschias, Four O’ Clocks, Nicotiana, Rudbeckia hirtas ‘Black eyed Susan’, Coleus, Lobelia, and Sweet Potato Vine.
Plant the taller plants in the center and the trailers around the outside.
An easy way to insure proper fertility is to put some Osmocote fertilizer on the soil surface when you finish planting your pots and then water with the hose. Otherwise mix a few tablespoons of water soluble fertilizer into your watering can and water them with fertilizer about once a week.
It is still early in the season and annuals grow quickly so don’t overcrowd them.
Most importantly have fun designing and planting your pots and watching them grow.

COLOR COMBINATIONS

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***In combining annuals***
***and perennials watch***
***your color combinations.***
***Different tones of the***
***same color look great***
***together. The contrast***
***between dark and white***
***works well. Blues, grays***
***and greens help tone***
***down the louder colors***
***like orange and red.***
***Keep it simple but***
***effective.***

Trachymene caerulea (the blue lace flowers)

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HERBS

Come check out our herb house & herb garden. Now is the time to plant some perennial, annual and edible herbs! They are a wonderful addition to container gardens!

ANNUAL HERBS (6 packs / $5.95 & 2” herb pots / $3.95): Cilantro, Parsley, Dill, Chervil

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PERENNIAL HERBS

Sage, Thyme, Lavender, Chives & Tarragon

Perennial herbs tend to live longer that two years. They go dormant in the winter and return in the spring sending up new stems and leaves from the crown. Chives are usually the first to pop up in March. Most herbs in the mint family are perennial, such as oregano, thyme, sage, lemon balm and mint

PERENNIAL HERBS (4" pots / $6.95): Thyme. Sage, Mint, Tarragon, Lemon Verbena and Lemon Balm

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SAGE

Sages are known for both their ornamental and culinary qualities. On top of that, they are drought tolerant and deer resistant. Sage grows best in full sun, well draining soil and can withstand frost.

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CHIVES

Chives are cool-season, cold-tolerant perennials best planted in early to mid-spring for an early summer harvest. They are a wonderful companion plant that deters pests. Plant alongside carrots, celery, lettuce, peas, and tomatoes.

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THYME

A hardy low growing evergreen herb with small, fragrant leaves and thin, woody stems. Thyme has ornamental, culinary and medicinal qualities.

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LAVENDER

'“Lavender, an herb with many culinary uses, also makes a stunning addition to borders and perennial gardens, providing sweeping drifts of color from early summer into fall. With its silvery-green foliage, upright flower spikes and compact shrub-like form, lavender is ideal for creating informal hedges. You can also harvest it for fragrant floral arrangements, sachets, and potpourri.” Garden Design

TIMING IS KEY IN GARDENING! DON’T WAIT TO GET STARTED!

PERENNIAL HERBS

April 18, 2024 Karen Logan

Lavender illustration by karen blackerby logan

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JOIN US THIS SATURDAY MORNING

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GARDEN WORKSHOP

SMALL FRUITS

SATURDAY APRIL 20TH // 11:00AM // VINEYARD GARDENS

Chuck Wiley, owner and expert horticulturist, will be discussing planting, growing and harvesting small fruits.

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HERBS

Now is the time to plant some herbs! Come check out our herb house & herb garden.

ANNUAL HERBS (6 packs / $5.95 & 2” herb pots / $3.95): Cilantro, Parsley, Dill, Chervil

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PERENNIAL HERBS

Sage, Thyme, Lavender, Chives & Tarragon

PERENNIAL HERBS (4" pots / $6.95): Thyme. Sage, Mint, Tarragon, Savory, Lemon Verbena, Rosemary and Lemon Balm

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SAGE

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CHIVES

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THYME

A hardy low growing evergreen herb with small, fragrant leaves and thin, woody stems. Thyme has ornamental, culinary and medicinal qualities.

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LAVENDER

TIMING IS KEY IN GARDENING! DON’T WAIT TO GET STARTED!

SATURDAY WORKSHOP : VEGETABLE GARDENS

April 10, 2019 Karen Logan

Cilantro started by seed at Vineyard Gardens

EAT LOCAL, GROW IT IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD!

Saturday morning April 13th at 11am Chris and Chuck Wiley, owners of Vineyard Gardens, will lead a workshop on cultivating a successful vegetable garden. They will discuss which vegetables are best planted from seed and when to seed; and which vegetables are better planted as seedlings. This lecture will teach you how to grow your own salads and much more. The talk will be held at Vineyard Gardens 484 State Rd in West Tisbury

*Attendees will receive a 20% off coupon that can be used only that day when buying products related to lecture series.

THE SPRING VEGETABLE GARDEN

by Chuck Wiley

It's nearly springtime when a person’s thoughts should hopefully turn to ....... vegetables! That's right it's time to start our vegetable gardens. Even though our frost free date is technically May 1st, this is a great time of year to start our cool loving vegetables.

There are many vegetables that can handle the light frosts we get this time of year. If a colder night were to be predicted, in the high 20s, you can cover your freshly planted vegetables with Reemay, plastic or an old sheet to protect them from the frost. At this point, most greens can be planted and some, like spinach, do much better in cooler weather than in the summer. Broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage are known as cole crops, which sounds like cold crops, all do very well planted at this time a year too. While kids don't always like the spicy taste of radishes, they are a great vegetable for them to plant as they come up in a matter of days and are ready to pick in a few short weeks.

There are a few perennial vegetables which actually are some of the easiest ones to grow. My all-time favorite is asparagus which can live for 20 or more years. Asparagus continually get bigger and more productive with just a little bit of care. The most important way to care for them is to keep the weeds out in order for them to thrive. They are one of the first vegetables to come up every spring and are absolutely delicious and healthy. Chives are another easily grown perennial and are up this time of year. They are ready to pick in another week or so. The third perennial, one of our family favorites, is rhubarb. While most vegetables require a fence, rhubarb does not necessarily need one due to it’s toxic leaves therefore not favored by our local animals. When planting these perennials take extra care to enrich the soil, since they are long lived, and compost will help them thrive. A light top dressing of composted cow manure should take care of most of their nutritional needs each year. I grow all my vegetables organically which means I can walk out into the garden, pick them, give them a light rinse if needed and eat them. YUM! What could be better than fresh vegetables!