Urban Gardening
The typical city backyard garden starts off as an arrow, flat strip of ground that is hemmed in by surrounding buildings. A skimpy layer of top-soil covers a deep layer of hardpan, while the air above tends to be stagnant and more or less polluted. Yet thousands of city gardeners, un-daunted, have turned such yards into charming garden retreats, enriching their lives along with their topsoil.
A city garden is so intimately associated wit hone’s house that car-round garden interest is especially desirable. A well-conceived landscape plan that makes use of evergreens combined with permanent elements like brick, stone or gravel can achieve this. Add a carefully selected sculptural feature or a pool, and the garden will be for all seasons. Where the soil seems hopelessly poor or where the area is paved, raised beds are the answer. They can be built of stone ,brick, redwood planks, railroad tics, etc., to suit the style of garden desired. Raised bed scan provide extra top soil depth, improved drainage, and simplified maintenance, as well as landscape interest. Different levels are always welcome in such a location.
Many old yards are clogged with Ailanthus trees or old overgrown privet bushes. To open the way for a real garden most of these are usually removed, retaining no more than oneAilanthus, which is about all a tiny yard can support. Dense building shade can not be removed so when the buildings are tall one must sometimes settle for a foliage garden. The use of variations in leaf texture, form and color can produce beautiful effects. The type of garden enclosure used can help to correct the shade problem. Open work or louvered fences allow sun, light, and air to penetrate. So do pierced-stone or open-work brick walls. Translucent fiberglass will admit light, and even a solid wall reflects light, if painted white.
Whether the yard is old or new there is little point in planting anything until the soil and drainage have been improved. A 2-in. layer of peat moss and an equal amount of elite will work wonders, if dug in deeply so as to break up the hardpan. In extreme cases top soil must be added, but since it is so expensive when delivered to the city by bag, the accent is on conditioning old soil, unless there just isn’t enough of it.Peat makes the inevitably compacted soil more friable, and light-weight elite is better than sand for improving drainage. The sterile is especially valuable in old city gar de ns, for the soil often contains an excessive build-up of soluble fertilizer.
In extremely water-logged yards, where lightening the soil may not be enough, a gravel filled drainage trench is sometimes the answer.For the many city gardeners who are renting agar den apartment, a complete soil renovation is often impractical, since the whole area cannot be dug up. In such a case existing shrubs and trees can be aerated and fertilized at root level with one of the root feeders or hydraulic aerators in the market. If the yard is bare,
a short-term tenant can avoid a complete soil-renovation project by digging a good planting hole for each plant separately, removing hardpan and working in humus in its place. Of course, it would be to the landlord’s advantage to finance the soil-improvement project himself.Soil in city gardens is usually on the acid side, but do not add lime before you determine the preferences of the plants to be grown. It pays to test the sod both for pH and for nutrient deficiencies ‚Äîa simple matter in a little yard where one soil sample will usually represent the condition of the whole planting areca. A good general method of applying fertilizer is to mix some organic fertilizer v. itch the peat moss when it is dug in (about 5 lbs. of dehydrated COWmanure and 2 lbs. of bone meal to each 6-cu-ft.-bag of peat) Aphis special requirements according to the soil test. Lime, however, should be worked in separately at a different toot.
Plants to Use
Perhaps the most important key to city gardening success is selective planting. Trees and shrubs should be chosen for smoke resistance growth, and variety of form— with preference given to small or slender-leaved plants. Rather sparse planting is desirable, since overcrowding means less available light and shorter life for all but the most aggressive plants.
Trees that do well include the EuropeanWhite Birch (Beatle pendulum), Dogwood (Consistorial), Golden rain Tree (Coelentera panic-late), Fringe Tree (Hypognathous Virginias),Have, thorn (Cretaceous), Maidenhair Tree(Ginkgo Bilbao), Japanese Maple (Ageratum), Star Magnolia (Magnolia Stella),Willow Oak (Uterus hellos) and Sourwood(Oxydendrum arboretum). Willows will grow well, but their invasive roots can be troublesome in as mall yard. Where moderate sun is available dwarf fruit and flowering fruits tolerate the conditions surprisingly well.
Good choices among deciduous shrubs areAbelia, Japanese Barberry, Necklace Bush(Enkianthus), Winged Eponymous (E. alums),Sweet Pepper bush (Lethal batfowl), Rose ofSharon (Hibiscus Syracuse), Hydrangea, Flower-in Quince, Shadbush (Leachier), all thesaurus and Weighed. All will tolerate city conditions e‘ en in comparatively poor soil.Outstanding among hardy deciduous vines areVirginia Creeper (Parthenon cinquefoil),Silver lace Vine (Polygon um dauber) andWisteria. They grow so well annual pruning is must to keep them in bounds. Not quite so easily grown, but more suitable because of its modest growth, is clematis which comes in many species and varieties.
By and large, shady, protected city yards farewell suited to the culture of broad-leaved ever -greens —provided that the soil is friable, peaty and well drained, as well as acid. Most of the members of the Heath (Erica) Family belong in this group. They include Andromeda(Pieris), Azalea, Leucorrhoea, Mountain-laurel(Kalmia) and Rhododendron. Andromeda has proved to be the toughest of these, whileMountain-laurel does rather poorly. Of the rhododendrons, Rhododendron maximum stand sup best, but some of the dwarf varieties do quite well and are more in scale. Another dependable group of acid-loving broad-leaved evergreens include. the various forms ofJapanese Holly (Ilex crenate), American Holly(1. alpaca) and Inkberry (I. Lara). Four broad-leaved evergreens that do not require acid soil are Percent ha, Cotoneaster, Boxwood, andEvergreen Barberry (Berber is Juliana). MI are smoke resistant and will thrive if shade is not too dense. Percentage and some cotoneasters lend themselves well to espalier training, which makes them especially valuable in a narrow bed.Roses are better off in a south dooryard than in a north garden. Climbers are the best in northern exposure, if planted away from the house and trained to grow up in the sun. When there is a half day of sun and correct culture is practiced, hybrid teas and floribunda can be grown, but stagnant air is not to their liking.One Manhattan rose fancier went so far as to install a large fan to circulate the air— with gratifying results.
Among broad-leaved evergreen vines and ground covers, English Ivy is tops. A new and especially city-tolerant strain, known as”Ripple,” or “238th Street” Ivy is now in great demand. Also dependable, especially where slow, compact growth is preferred, is Ever-green Winter creeper (Eponymous fortune radiates). Strictly for covering the ground, Pachysandra and Myrtle (Vin ca minor) will do well, but are not quite as shade tolerant as EnglishIvy. Good ground covers take on special value ,since so few city gardens have either the space or the sunshine to grow a lawn.
Mid city gardens also tend to be rather too shady to satisfy the sunny preference of most needled evergreens. The most adaptable conifers have been found to be Hemlock,Douglas-fir and Yew. The best backyard “pine”is the Umbrella Pine (Acidophilus vermiculate).Logically enough, the most suitable perennials arc shade-loving woodland wild flower sand their cultured cousins. Bloodroot, WildGeranium, Black-eyed Susan (Rube),Wild Blue Phlox (Phlox divaricated), SolomonSeal, Trillium and violets are all good possibilities. With their natural companions, the hardy ferns, they can be grouped effectively around a small pool. Good cultivated perennials include Bleeding Heart (Docent), Columbine(Aquilegia), Primrose (Primal), Candytuft), Daylily (Chimerical), the Host sp. and vas., Coral Bells (Echoer), etc. Perennial herbs that will grow best in a shady yard includeAngelica, Bee Balm, Tarragon, Woodruff (fine ground cover) and all mints.
Bulbs
Spring bulbs are a great boon to city gardeners. They are good for one season even in poorest soil (if well drained) and in many yards with dense tree-shade in summer there is adequate sun around flowering time. Unmindful of polluted air, all spring bulbs will bloom if they get a few hours of sun, although tulips and hyacinths may need staking. Stock RedEmperor tulips and dwarf tulips such as the Water lily Tulip (Tulips Rumanian) have been gaining favor as a result. Daffodils may get a bit floppy, but since they are used mostly in an informal setting staking is not so imperative. All of the small bulbs tend to be more shade tole rant ,especially wood anemone (Anemone bland),Siberian Quill (Scylla Siberia) and Trout-lily(Erythronium). Another advantage lies in the fact that their small leaves soon subside and disappear. Ripening foliage of large bulbs in the process of being naturalized is not so easily camouflaged in a small yard. Most city gardeners plant new tulips and hyacinths each year.Certain summer bulbs are well adapted to city yards, too —notably Hardy Begonia(Begonia evasion), caladiums, iconoclastically and oxalis. Tuberous begonias unfortunately resent polluted air.
Sun-loving annuals are used mostly in the form of pot-grown fillers in rancidity gar de ns, and are often replaced in midsummer. The unrivaled queen of backyard annuals, PatiencePlant (Impatiens) is an exception, as are WaxBegonia, Boswell, Nicotine, Stock, Torrential several other shade-tolerant annuals. Sun-loving annuals are best utilized in window boxes or tubs placed in the sunniest available spots. Often they can be used in the dooryard garden, especially if it faces south.
Maintenance
Since backyard drainage is inclined to be sluggish, over watering is the chief danger. It is surprising how many city gardeners water on set-schedule whether it has rained or not.Sprinkling of foliage is quite another matter.This should be done regularly, preferably in the morning, to wash off dust and soot. Ever greens, especially, will benefit from this because they cannot shed the grime each fall along with their leaves. Judicious and timely pruning can literally be the making of a backyard garden. It is imperative in order to keep the planting in scale and yet avoid that “chopped off” look.
The most bothersome insects and diseases are naturally the ones that thrive in moist shade.Sowbugs, slugs and aphids are prevalent, mite sand lace bugs less common.
Liquid fertilizers are deservedly popular with backyard gardeners, who often have no tool shed. They are compact, clean, odorless and easy to apply. While frequent “boosters” are not needed, as in tubs and boxes, a couple of applications during the season is recommended.For their versatility and mildness, organic types like fish emulsion or Electra are gaining great popularity.
When it is time for winterizing, sheltered city gardens usually need only a good mulch plus an anti-desiccant spray for evergreens. Of the mulch materials that are readily available in the city, we have found that packaged buckwheat hulls or pine bark are best, since they are attractive, easily moistened, and not an inclined to mat.
The worst detriment to plant health in city gardens is the one that roof gardeners and backyard gardeners have in common:
Air pollution. A recent survey showed that soot fall has actually decreased in New York, thanks to the filters that have been installed in industrial smoke stacks. This is heartening —but it is not soot that is the real menace. It is the unseen enemy in the form of fumes— principally the carbon monoxide from automobile exhaust.This is a serious menace to all city plant life as well as the gardeners themselves. Progress has been made toward controlling it, and the word is out that in a few years automobiles, trucks and busses will be equipped with mechanisms that will counteract the poisonous gases. That will be a great day for city gardeners.
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