low-maintenance landscapes

The cold, rainy weather here has really been a drag. All my plants are in a holding pattern, while inside, my 3-year-old and I stay in the basement for more Evil Art Therapy. Bored, Maya gives her dolls a makeover with craft paint. And I, in a skunky, rainy-day mood, go ahead and let her. Here's her handiwork: scientific proof that gardening and the great outdoors improve wellness, while staying indoors just makes you go crazy:

Rainy periods like this (My 2010 Farmer's Almanac "Gardening By the Moon" article, by the way, said that these specific dates would be barren for gardening) are also a great excuse to go to hit the independent garden centers. After reading a recent garden trends survey that said gardeners (especially Gen X gardeners like myself) are into everything moss – moss-covered rocks, moss-covered containers, moss-lined terrariums – you name it — I indeed found this big, moss-tastic display of SuperMoss bagged reindeer moss at the Garden Factory in Gates, NY.  The moss (which came in colors like lime-green, dark green, white, beige and even purple) was also available in pre-cut moss sheets for use as a liner in wire garden planters, a birdhouse roof and even as a table runner. I also saw rocks covered in faux moss used around the water garden display.

 I also liked the Garden Factory's collection of already-designed container gardens, especially the ones using the rex begonia (read this great article on using rex begonia for colorful, fantastic foliage in the shade). Go check them out in your own independent garden center, or view and order them online at Logee's Greenhouse.

 Another garden trend very popular these days: the use of succulents as drought-tolerant plants for water-wise, low-maintenance, and just plain architecturally interesting landscapes. At left is some sedum next to your typical cactus – and behind that, and orange-and-yellow pencil cactus that looks like coral you'd see in an aquarium! Super cool!  

Always in colorful foliage lust, I've already incorporated an aeonium into one of my containers on the patio (below, with Tropicanna^® Black, Tropicanna^® Gold, white-flowered bacopa, nasturtium and purple flowering ornamental kale). Why not add some succulents to your container garden as well for added shape, color and texture. You might also want to add a small rock to create a desert scene or miniature landscape.) 

Of course, visiting garden centers always leads to spending at garden centers. At least that's what happened when I ventured out to Bristol's Garden Center in Victor, NY and came home with a red Volcano^® phlox and a Bonfire^® begonia. Both are holding up well in the shade and the rain, waiting for the sun to return.

Red Volcano phlox

 Bonfire begonia in a hanging basket in the shade

Speaking of drought-tolerant, my rainy-day boredom and search for more easy-care gardening ideas also inspired me to set up a container garden-watering experiment. Curious to know the easiest, most cost-effective way to water the containers on my deck, I filled four pots each with the same amount of soil, water and drought-sensitive plants (regular ol' petunias) in them. Only in the first pot, I put in Miracle Gro's moisture-retaining potting mix with fertilizer. In the next one, I used regular potting mix (also with fertilizer) but covered it with mulch. In the third, I again used the regular potting mix, but put it in a self-watering container. The fourth I left as a control, with just the regular potting mix. Here's the experiment I set up, and as soon as it warms up and dries out here, I'll let you know how they compare:

What about you? What do you do in times of bad weather during the gardening season? Post a comment and tell me all about it!