Small plants + live soil = big rewards
By Amy McDowell
A trend has hit the perennial garden scene with a lot of force in recent
years. The idea is to focus your money and energy on amending the soil and
spend less money and energy on the plants.
After two decades of installing perennial gardens, author Tracy
DiSabato-Aust has shown that perennials can double or triple in size during
their first season—if the soil has been amended with organic matter. She
convinces clients of her Ohio design and installation firm that investing in
the soil is the top priority. To offset the expense of soil amendments and site
preparation, she plants 4-inch (and sometimes even bare-root) perennials.
Believe it or not, her tiny perennials outperform gallon-size perennials within
a single season. In following years, the plants are naturally healthier and
more robust because of the live soil. Photos documenting the amazing growth are
included in her book, “The Well-Tended Perennial Garden”. (Timber Press, 1998)
Live soil isn’t some mushy black matter you can buy in a bag for 99
cents. Live soil has billions of bacteria, millions of fungi, plus protozoa,
paramesei and nematodes—all in a single spoonful. Organic matter is the key to
live soil, because it provides food for the bacteria, fungi and microbes.
Landscape Architect Terry Guen, who coordinated the design and
construction of the 25-acre Millennium Park in downtown Chicago, said they
purchased live soil for the park from a site in Indiana. With guidelines for
soil handling and storage, they kept it healthy and alive throughout
construction. They were careful not to smother or compact it by piling it too
deep or driving over it with heavy equipment. As the world’s largest millennium
project, planners insisted on large plants for the site, but the care they took
on buying and maintaining healthy, live soil is noteworthy.
When building a new bed in your garden, add life to your soil with
organic matter. Sprinkle two pounds of bone meal per 100 square feet, then add
a 4-inch layer of organic matter such as compost, sphagnum peat moss or leaf
humus. Till it in as deeply as the tiller will go, rake it smooth, and you are
ready to plant your little ones. Then step back and watch them leap.
