Planning Your Urban Garden: More Pollution-Tolerant Shrubs
Ah, winter. Snow, ice, nothing green growing in most parts of the US. Winter may mean that we are not actively out working in our gardens, but it doesn’t mean that we cannot plan our gardens. Take advantage of being housebound to daydream about flowers, fruits and what parts of you garden need an overhaul. Lately, I have been thinking about a roadside garden, that is one between either a lawn and the street or between sidewalks and streets. Or you can situate your new garden plot between your lawn area and the sidewalk if the sidewalk abuts the street.
Urban gardening poses its own set of challenges and one of those is higher levels of air pollution. When planning on a new garden space, an overhaul or just a specimen planting or two, set yourself up for success by choosing wisely for you urban garden plot.
Shrubs
Lilac: If you have ever stood downwind from a lilac bush, it is quite the olfactory experience. Lilac can grow in most soils and even poor ones, as long as there is decent enough drainage. Blooms don’t last nearly as long as you’d wish, but if you get a few different varieties, you can extend the lilac season by choosing both early and late blooming varieties. The less you prune, the better, but if you do have to prune, prune right after flowering, as the flowers grow on old wood, so you want to be sure to give them enough time to grow some “old wood” during the summer. Lilac can grow taller than some shrubs, and almost as tall as some trees. Very full growth pattern as well.
Mock Orange: Another fragrant addition to the garden. This shrub blooms in the late spring-early summer into lovely white blossoms that look kind of like smaller camellias to me, or at least some varieties do. The mock orange is so-named as the blossoms almost look like citrus blossoms, and some varieties smell of oranges. Can grow to 8 feet high and six feet wide, and it can become tree-like in its growth pattern.
shrubs, urban garden, urban, gardening, garden design, planning, winter, lilac, air pollution, urban pollution, roadside garden, sidewalk garden
February 3rd, 2009 at 1:42 pm
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February 9th, 2009 at 9:30 pm
[...] the fact that city plants must be able to tolerate city pollution. And considering the lifespan of perennials, shrubs and trees, urban gardeners should take extra care to find hardy species that can … to ensure a healthy garden for years to [...]