Garden Gate – October 2019

before & after

20 GARDEN GATE | OCTOBER 2019 | ISSUE 149

Profusion™ Yellow zinnia

For a f ront-of-the-border

pop of color, nothing

beats this breakthrough

series of bright and showy

zinnias that are just 18 inches

tall. With quarter-size flowers

that cover the bushy plants all season long,

this is one of the best and looks great massed

in a bed, such as lining a f ront foundation or

adding color along a pathway.

Smart

Sideyard

Solution

 I

t’s easy to forget about sideyards, those tricky

strips of land between the house and property line.

For many of us, these skinny spaces are challenging

to landscape. It’s tempting to use them merely as

passageways or an area to avoid altogether, where

garbage and recycling bins are stowed and compost

is piled out of sight. But they can be turned into a

pleasant way to pass from the front yard to the back

like this one in zone 5 Wisconsin.

What was once a straight grassy path between

well-mulched beds becomes all the more pleas-

ant and rewarding with the addition of a fl agstone

pathway that snakes through beds lined with reliable

shrubs, annuals and perennials. Cheerful yellow

zinnias and blue salvia, fragrant white calamint and

good old ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum escort you along the

path. But it’s the hard-working shrubs that carry the

weight of both beds: panicle and smooth hydrangea

leading to Double Knock Out® roses and dwarf

panicle hydrangea. After all, isn’t the journey more

important than the destination?

—James A. Baggett

Botanical

Names

Calamint

Calamintha

nepeta

Panicle hydrangea

Hydrangea

paniculata

Rose

Rosa hybrid

Salvia

Salvia splendens

Sedum

Hylotelephium

hybrid

Smooth hydrangea

Hydrangea

arborescens

Yew

Ta xus spp.

and hybrids

Zinnia

Zinnia hybrid

BEFORE

A no-nonsense turfgrass pathway required

regular mowing and since it was edged with

chunks of rock, it had to be trimmed, as well.

There’s no mystery as to where this path leads.

Informal pathway

Laying flagstone in

concrete is costly and

difficult. Instead, lay

out the path before-

hand with a hose in

order to get a visual

sense of how it will

look and install it

cheaply and easily on

a gravel and sand bed

like you see here.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Bruce Christensen

before&after

20 GARDEN GATE | OCTOBER 2019 | ISSUE 149

Profusion™ Yellow zinnia

For a f ront-of-the-border

pop of color, nothing

beats this breakthrough

series of bright and showy

zinnias that are just 18 inches

tall. With quarter-size flowers

that cover the bushy plants all season long,

this is one of the best and looks great massed

in a bed, such as lining a f ront foundation or

adding color along a pathway.

Smart

Sideyard

Solution

 I

t’s easy to forget about sideyards, those tricky

strips of land between the house and property line.

For many of us, these skinny spaces are challenging

to landscape. It’s tempting to use them merely as

passageways or an area to avoid altogether, where

garbage and recycling bins are stowed and compost

is piled out of sight. But they can be turned into a

pleasant way to pass from the front yard to the back

like this one in zone 5 Wisconsin.

What was once a straight grassy path between

well-mulched beds becomes all the more pleas-

ant and rewarding with the addition of a fl agstone

pathway that snakes through beds lined with reliable

shrubs, annuals and perennials. Cheerful yellow

zinnias and blue salvia, fragrant white calamint and

good old ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum escort you along the

path. But it’s the hard-working shrubs that carry the

weight of both beds: panicle and smooth hydrangea

leading to Double Knock Out® roses and dwarf

panicle hydrangea. After all, isn’t the journey more

important than the destination?

—James A. Baggett

Botanical
Names

Calamint
Calamintha
nepeta
Panicle hydrangea
Hydrangea
paniculata
Rose
Rosa hybrid
Salvia
Salvia splendens
Sedum
Hylotelephium
hybrid
Smooth hydrangea
Hydrangea
arborescens
Yew
Ta xus spp.
and hybrids
Zinnia
Zinnia hybrid

BEFORE

A no-nonsense turfgrass pathway required

regular mowing and since it was edged with

chunks of rock, it had to be trimmed, as well.

There’s no mystery as to where this path leads.

Informal pathway

Laying flagstone in

concrete is costly and

difficult. Instead, lay

out the path before-

hand with a hose in

order to get a visual

sense of how it will

look and install it

cheaply and easily on

a gravel and sand bed

like you see here.

PHOTO: Courtesy of Bruce Christensen