Lasagne bed/Side Garden Bed/2008 Project

Hi
How did you build your lasagna garden?
Do you want shrubs, perennials?
As well, how wide is it?

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

native plants, or??

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

I posted an answer to your site but forgot to say that I want perennials.

-- Dahlitsa

”The bed is about 3-31/2” wide. I made the bed by first laying down cardboard then piling up dried leaves, horse manure, left over compost (unfinished…emptied big composter bin) and oh yes cut grass. When professional grass cutters came to the neighbours, I saw them loading the clippings and asked if I could have them. It is better though to start this whole process in the fall but it still did well.”__

Pretty much the same way I do mine. Except I “cheat” and dig a hole, put some dirt and the plant or seeds. Has worked really well.

More questions for you: do you want a “butterfly or hummingbird garden”? You could also incorporate a lot of different type of herbs. You could do ground covering thyme and even let it grow on your path!

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

I would probably choose native plants.

-- Dahlitsa

I always keep large patches free from perrienials, shrubs and bushes for annuals. Unlike perrenials annuals bloom all summer long.

I like BIG patches of flowers in big batches of vivid colours, like a big patch of yellow next to big patch of purple or violet.

I always buy impatients. They look so tiny at the nursery but in just a couple of short weeks and a little miracle grow they can reach a foot or more and fill in an area very quickly…..........impatients will grow quite nicely there, so would columbine, bleeding heart, solomons tears and the moss, like English, Irish and Scottish.

I like rocks too, bigger is better…...they have a nice way of breaking up beds of flowers.

-- Central northish Ontario

That would be a lovely bed if planted as Greenthumb suggested. I too love and planted (for 30+ years )impatiens, they are beautiful when planted in groups. Like the rock idea in there too.

Sooooo, Dahlitsa what are you thinking now? Come up with any ideas?? I think really it will be a pretty bed no matter what you plant. From your other pictures you have a “good eye” for placement and color.

-- "A beautiful garden is a work of heart" -- Royal Oak, MI - Zone 5

that site that I posted about the walnuts also had information on perennials that bloom all season.

-- - Debbie, SW Ontario Canada (USDA Hardiness Zone: 5a) http://www.execulink.com/~yohan

Thanks for the ideas. I will probably be getting some impatience to plant next to my hostas. I did this last year and they looked so nice. i was also thinking of portulaka in all its gorgeous colours. At this end i plan on putting up an old ladder against the wall and plant morning glory at the foot of it then maybe some ontainers on the wrungs. I had some morning glory last year but didn’t think of the ladder idea. One thing the stone walkway was finished after this picture was taken and so the area in general should look a whole lot better. I’ll post another picture later on in the summer.

-- Dahlitsa

Ps. At the front of this picture below the porch rails I planted 3 rose trees that were given to me. This area probably gets the most sun. I had a dahlia planted beside it in the spring but I don’t think it survived.

-- Dahlitsa

I do not think that dahlias are perennials. I always bring mine in in the fall.

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Yes you are right. but when I went to dig them up they had said bye bye.

-- Dahlitsa

My cannas did the same thing!Lol

-- Eklectic, Follow my Bliss, South East Ontario 5a

Oh dear, oh dear. we do have our tales of woe don’t we. I had sent for mine from a seed co. and had spent quite a lot on them all and lost several things inclu. 2 blue hydrangeas. To their credait however they are supposed to be giving me a credit. Between this, insects and squirrils GRRRRR

-- Dahlitsa

Hi Dahlitsa,
Heard about your success with lasagna gardening. I’m giving it a try this spring. Put down cardboard and newspapers, etc. in the fall and have added kitchen scraps during the winter. It’s just a small project to see how it will work. May try growing tomato plants…it’s in a nice hot and sunny spot in my backyard.

-- PlantBuddy

Easy isn’t it. It works, believe me and the nice part…no digging. All but one of my 10 beds were done this way. I have added the soil from old plant pots too and then give fresh soil to the pots for the next years planting.

-- Dahlitsa

Hi Dahlitsa, I’ve been dumping coffee grounds and old tea bags in with the leaves in my starter lasagna bed. Do you do this? Does it help or hinder. Also, what about fertilizer? Should I throw some in now to let it work into the leaves and newspapers?

PlantBuddy.

-- PlantBuddy

Dear Plant Buddy: I understand that coffee grounds are great as well as tea bags. Are the leaves mulched up? I’m not sure about adding the fertilizer. I’ve never seen it mentioned in anything that I’ve read up on it, although I do sometimes add it around the new plants. Since you have been adding kitchen scraps, I think I would be sure to add enough top soil as you dont want to cook the plants.

-- Dahlitsa

Hello Dahlitsa and Happy Easter!
My leaves are not mulched up. I’m waiting for them to break down and decompose on their own. They’ve been sitting under snow all winter. I think I’ll throw bags of composed earth on top and let the rain soak the pile. This first year of lasagna experiment will be a trial and error thing. Who knows what will happen.

Plantbuddy.

-- PlantBuddy