Country Gardens – July 2019

SANDY SOIL IMPROVEMENTS

As a child, Margaret Bau helped her mother tend a large plot the family

cultivated to sell food crops. Her grandparents also farmed, so she learned

from all of them about the importance of augmenting soil. Sandy soils dominate

central Wisconsin, “but I’m fortunate because whoever built my house in 1940

must have brought in a truckload of good topsoil,” Margaret says. “So I have

about 6–12 inches of really nice topsoil sitting upon pure sand.” While the sand

helps with drainage, Margaret augments the soil to keep everything healthy.

Here are her tips for ensuring a prolific garden:

MIX IN AGED MANURE when you plant. Margaret

has been the recipient of 5-gallon pails of well-aged

cow manure from a relative’s dairy farm. “Every time I

plant anything, I dig a hole and fill it with generous

scoops of cousin Kenny’s cow manure,” Margaret says.

She also adds a sprinkle of slow-release fertilizer. She

places the seedling or plant in the hole and waters it

well with liquid transplant booster and seaweed

fertilizer mixed in water.

whites, and yellows. The beds soften the straight lines of the house and

driveway. Accents of bright blue and purple flowers and colorful garden art

lend accents that make the plantings sing.

Natives were also a big part of Margaret’s planting plan meant to

encourage pollinators to visit. “I make a special effort to grow plants for

pollinators,” she says. Rudbeckia hirta ‘Prairie Sun’ freely self-seeds alongside

white daisies, three kinds of bee balm (Monarda spp.), and Uproar Rose

zinnia. Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) attracts monarch butterflies, and

royal catchfly (Silene regia) entices hummingbirds.

In being transformed from her inspirational plan into today’s lush

look, Margaret’s garden has turned her Cape Cod into a cottage retreat.

“Gardening feeds my soul and is immensely gratifying,” she says.

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COUNTRY GARDENS // FA LL 2019

ABOVE The burgundy

foliage of a crabapple

(Malus sylvestris ‘Royal

Raindrops’) shades the

semicircular patio area

near the back door. “[My

neighbor] Sue was the one

who told me one day, ‘You

need a patio. You’re out

here every day sitting and

watching,’” Margaret says.

“And I thought, You know,

she’s right. So I contacted

a local landscaping place

and had one installed.”