buy it.

1. Choose a collection that makes you smile.

2. Grab the correct amount of trays to fill your garden (see formula and diagram below).

   
   Tips:

• Determine square footage of growing space.

• Each plant requires 1 square foot of growing space.

• For ex: a 4x8 raised bed is 32 square feet. You will need 32 plants to fill this bed.

prep it.

1. Mix in 2-4 inches of high-quality, organic compost into your beds.

2. Lay out drip irrigation with 12-inch emitter spacing.

3. Plant at every emitter, downhill from every emitter.

4. Water in, and adjust watering schedule as the season progresses.

Tips:

• Space the first row of plants about 6-8 inches from the edge of the border.

• A young plant that has been planted even 2-3 inches away from an emitter may not get enough water to survive or thrive. Plant directly at an emitter.

grow it.

1. Keep an eye on young plants for any pest or weather damage and treat accordingly.

2. Dead-Head. Once flowers begin blooming, be sure to clip off spent blooms to encourage more flowers to grow and bloom. This also keeps a tidy look.

3. Harvest flowers to make beautiful bouquets.

   Now grab a cup of tea and sit in your garden to watch the colors and textures come alive!

Let’s Talk Shop

Irrigation design can feel overwhelming. There are many different parts to choose from, and so many ways to put an irrigation system together. If we take a step back and think about what our plants need to be happy (consistent water) it all becomes very simple. Keep these 3 principles in mind that Christa Moné uses in all of her garden designs, and you will be golden.

1. Water at the roots

Use drip irrigation lines, preferably in a grid, to bring water to your plants. The emitter (the hole that water drips out of) can be pop-in or in-line.

1. Pop-in emitter: These are individual emitters that you attach to the irrigation line wherever you want a plant to go. Use 1GPH (gallon per hour), and do not mix with other types. Reference

2. In-line emitter: These emitters are pre-built into the irrigation line, at equal intervals, to streamline everything. This is my favorite setup. You can buy irrigation lines with 12-inch emitter spacing. Use 1 GPH (gallon per hour) and do not mix with other types. Once you install the irrigation lines, you know exactly where to put a plant, just look for the emitter every 12 inches apart! Reference

3. Spaghetti drip: This is the thin (1/4-inch thick) irrigation hose often seen in garden settings. It’s great for raised beds, containers, and small areas. I like to use this in my showpiece beds because its low-profile, comes with in-line emitters, and is easy to work with. Reference

2. Drip, baby, drip!

Stay clear of micro-sprinklers and hoses for your plants’ main watering source. Drip irrigation brings water directly to the plant roots. Sprinklers water indiscriminately, meaning your plants are now competing with weeds that will inevitably pop up.

Once your plants are large, the drip irrigation will be even more important to ensure your plants are getting the water they need. Sprinklers will get lost in the undergrowth, leaving some plants with less water then they need to thrive.

Drip irrigation also cuts down on water waste.

3. Put it on a schedule

These are not desert plants. They need water and they need it regularly (like your vegetable garden). Hook up your irrigation system to an automatic timer to take the worry out of growing your showpiece garden while keeping those plants hydrated.

1. Battery timers: These are affordable and easy to install timers that connect to any hose-bib. Reference

2. Keeping it consistent: I like to water 3-5 days a week (depending on the weather and time of year), two times per day. Breaking it up into two separate waterings each day ensures the plants are hydrated evenly throughout the day and decreases run-off.

By the way…

I love Dripworks.com and use them for all my landscape and garden design projects. Even if you don’t buy from them, their website is the best online resource for irrigation, with easy to understand descriptions, and plenty of diagrams to help figure out your optimal setup. They also deliver direct to your door, no need to go to the store.

*This is not a paid endorsement. They have no idea that this blurb even exists, I am just honestly their #1 fan.