what the heck are my garden plans?

Well, my garden plans are big; they’re visionary. And, they’re going to take time, a decent amount of time. I remind myself almost daily it took me more than 20 years to create the garden I had in Pennsylvania. There, I had decent soil and access to free leaf mulch. Here in Virginia, while I may be in the same zone (7A), I’m working with red clay soil.

Red clay soil is not a bad soil to garden in. It is rich in nutrients and tends to be acidic, though low in calcium. The red color comes from the iron in the soil. While the soil retains nutrients and water, it can also be dense therefore making it difficult for plants to grab the water and nutrients.

Here in Virginia, I have a full acre of mostly shaded beds to work with. Whoever built the house left a lot of oak trees in place. We also have 2 river birches, a Red Bud, a magnolia, some evergreens, crape myrtles, Japanese maples, and a few maple trees. Around the house are mature shrubs like rhododendron, pieris, and camellia. In the back of the house, I found irises and ferns. Thanks to the extensive collection of trees, I have access to lots of free leaves for composting.

My Somewhat Plan for the Next 5 Years

I am not a “plan every detail” gardener. I have a general idea of what I’m going to do, and how I’ll get there. I adjust as needed. And, please don’t ask me the Latin names of plants. I’m good with the common names.

Since I’m working with an existing garden that needs renovation, I’m seeing my basic plan work out over the next 5 years. After the 5 years are up, I can work on other elements in the garden, but first, I need to deal with the foundational issues:

• Fix drainage issues
• Remove invasive plants/shrubs
• Renovate existing shrubs
• Prune established trees
• Remove “weed” trees
• Improve soil in existing beds
• Expand beds where grass can’t grow
• Improve lawn

While working on these foundational issues, I’ll be doing the following:

• Plant daffodil bulbs to create an extensive spring bulb display
• Build a vegetable garden safe from deer
• Find free wood chips to mulch “work” areas of the yard, and along the edge of the woods as a tick barrier
• Add perennials to existing beds using the smallest size plants or clearance plants to save money
• Work on free/cheap sources for composting materials
• Keep an eye out for free/cheap garden decor