The thing about rain is…
The thing about rain is that it never rains right. When we need a good soaking we get squalls, more wind than wet and not enough water to soak through the mulch. When we’ve already had more than enough rain then we get even more, several inches more over several days. Rarely, if ever at all, does the perfect amount of rain fall slow and steady (between the hours of midnight and 5 AM) striking a perfect balance so that it falls from the sky as fast as it it seeps into the soil, thus avoiding runoff, erosion, and puddling.
When we need rain and it does come, it comes on the weekend when we would prefer the sun. Though we are happy to have rain when our flower beds are limp and our trees dusty, rain rarely satisfies in real life, especially when it spoils a picnic or a planned day at the beach.
Though one of my favorite things to do on a rainy afternoon is to sit at home and read a good book, watch a movie, or just hang out playing video games with my 3rd grader, landscape designers and gardeners must see rain differently. A rainy day, when it arrives within 24 hours of completing an installation, makes us thank our lucky stars because we know the rain will water in all the new plants to perfection. Conversely, rain can curse us when it interferes with our plans to move a big tree or prepare a large planting bed. Over time, however, I have learned what a good spring storm can tell me by revealing the way water collects or runs throughout a property.
First and foremost, a day of steady rain will show you the low spots in a landscape. These wet spots where water collects signal a need for better drainage—perhaps a new French drain or an improvement in soil structure—or it can suggest an opportunity to grow riparian shrubs like pussy willow and tatarian dogwood, or wetland trees such as taxodium or tupelo. Even better, you might choose to take advantage of the low spot and maybe go so far as to direct even more water towards it to create a rain garden.
Rain gardens work with nature and as such they are most often made by those who have learned not to fight against the elements. A rain garden is nothing more than a spot in your yard where water collects so it stays wet. Water-loving plants like places like that, plants like the aforementioned trees and shrubs as well as many wet-footed perennials, among them cardinal flower and flag iris.
Our most recent spring storm pointed out the perfect spot in my yard to try a rain garden. What did this recent rainstorm tell you about your property? Is there a rain garden, a drain improvement project, or some soil building work in your weekend forecast.
By Daryl Beyers
Late winter in New England is never an easy time. The weather turns quickly, changing from frigid, to raw (a term I never used for the weather until I came to Connecticut), to warm, and then back again to cold or raw. Wet and heavy snow, like the kind we had a few weeks ago, seems to occur at least once this time of year. This year’s storm was worse than most. Although the snow itself melted quickly afterwards, its destruction is still evident, especially west of the nursery into Bedford, Katonah, and Chappaqua.
There is something disconcerting about seeing the tops of mature trees snapped off like so many matchsticks. Even worse: older trees torn in two where the weight of the snow exposed unknown structural weaknesses. 
A pruner prunes to make a better plant. More specifically, pruning corrects plant growth to create a pleasing shape or form. Pruning keeps a plant in bounds by controlling its growth and it removes dead branches or diseased wood. Pruning can also be part of a cultivation program designed to stimulate the production of flowers, fruit, or finer foliage.
So be a good parent to your plants and either learn how to prune them yourself or hire someone who knows how to help you. You’ll be rewarded with healthy and strong, beautiful trees and shrubs that will accompany you well into old age. 
After 15 years as a professional garden designer I feel confident that I know what it takes to grow healthy plants in the landscape. The variables of sun exposure, soil condition, availabilty of water, and seasonal climate are all factored into my plant selections because what each plant needs to grow and thrive is just as important as the aesthetic qualities that make it suitable for a design. I know how to find the right plant for the right place but I must admit that when it came to house plants I often struggled. 
This is the time of year, as the catalogs arrive in the mail and seed displays pop up in the garden centers, when experienced gardeners start to think about seeds. This is also the time of year when we will be subjected to at least one heart-felt missive from a magazine editor, TV show host, or blogger, describing the magical moment when as a child they discovered the miracle of seeds. Although there is certainly something special about the idea of a full-sized plant, be it a zinnia or an oak, originating from something as small as a seed, it is foolish to carry your sense of wonder any further than that initial bean-sprouting-in-the-cup-on-the-window-sill moment of amazement.
The best seed starting advice I ever got was from Panyoti Kelaidis, a horticultural philosophizer and avid seed starter from Denver, Colorado. “Seeds want to grow,” he told me. That’s what they are designed to do. All they require of us is that we give them the opportunity. Panyoti’s technique for starting seed is to sow as many as you have in seed trays filled with a nice, light, soil mix. Then set the trays out in the garden and wait. Some seeds, like store-bought annual flowers and vegetables, will sprout right away, while others like self-collected, native perennials may need to go through an entire season exposed to the elements before they finally do their thing. The basic idea is to provide them with the right conditions (nice soil and a sunny spot) and step aside.
It’s winter time and what’s a gardener to do? Cold winds blow outside and snow covers the ground as night time temperatures drop into the teens and twenties. Snow and cold, however, is fine by me. I grew up in a Midwestern state where winter starts in early November and spring doesn’t show any sign of arriving until the end of April, so I am used to hunkering down for a long winter gardener’s nap. 
Life at a nursery changes with the seasons. It begins with a flurry of activity in the spring followed by doldrums through the dog days of summer and then a final mad dash in autumn. In the temperate climate of New England winter has little to occupy a nurseryman unless he or she chooses to rig their trucks with plows. There is, however, one last hurrah that a nursery can experience, and that is by transforming itself into a Holiday Store and Christmas tree lot. 
Beginning in October the transformation began and each day I noticed new holiday displays added to the store until it was literally filled to the rafters with pre-decorated Christmas trees and huge poinsettia plants.
The smiles of the children who arrived with their parents to pick out a Christmas tree, sit on Santa’s lap, and then visit the menagerie was enough to set a sparkle in this weary landscaper’s eye.
Tradition plays an important role in every holiday celebration, especially Christmas. It may be a special food, a family event, or beautiful decorations that represent the best of the season to you and yours. I can remember when as a child I used to help decorate our tree with tinsel, carefully placing each strand one at a time on the branch tips. The result was a magical tree and a holiday vision that lives in my memory to this day. But a hectic schedule often makes it difficult to find time to pick up a Christmas tree, let alone tackle the tinsel. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a team of elves to decorate eveything for us while we sit back and enjoy the season free from the stress and strain of putting up the decorations.
Poundridge Nurseries would like to be a part of your holiday tradition. Call now to set up an appointment for a free consulation with a designer to discuss how we can decorate your home for the holidays. Daryl Beyers
Savvy gardeners know that fall is for planting. The milder weather is less stressful on newly installed plants, decreasing the need to water them every day to keep their roots alive and to ensure the rest of the plant will thrive. The fact that plants are beginning to enter their seasonal dormancy also helps them make the transition from pot to garden with less trauma for the plant and less worry for the gardener. 
There is, however, one caveat associated with these fall savings. The selection of plants available in fall is never as diverse as what you can find in the spring, but you will be surprised at how many great plants are still at your local nursery. It seems foolish not to take advantage of the season and add a few plants to your landscape at bargain basement prices. Come spring when that new tree, shrub, or perennial blooms you will be glad you did, and so will your pocket book, unless, like me, you contract a case of “discountitis” and go on a spree. “40% off?! That’s practically free!”
Of course there are some pitfalls when it comes to planting bulbs, such as planting them the right depth (make the hole three times as deep as the bulb is wide), and the right way up (usually self-evident, but look for shriveled roots and you’ve found the bottom). Yet, even a bulb planted too deep and upside down will struggle to right itself and push its way to the surface somehow. The best thing about planting bulbs is that it provides the satisfaction of doing something in your garden that is not a reactive “chore” like pruning a shrub or weeding. Planting bulbs in autumn is a preemptive strike for beauty and a little sweat in September will go a long way to enjoying some flowers in April or May. 
Tulips are great for a formal bed near the patio because I can enjoy their unique shades of color up close while keeping the deer at bay. Hyacinths are another great bulb to plant close to the house because their strong fragrance is always a pleasure.