What is Wrong with my Pittsburgh Garden?
Pittsburgh Garden Troubleshooting Guide:
There are lot of conditions in Pittsburgh that make for a difficult home garden: steep hills, poor soil, shade from mature trees, water drainage, and deer pressure are just a few I see on a regular basis.
If nothing is growing in your yard, I promise, it isn’t because an evil witch cast a spell on it, and probably because one of the above issues is at play.
But that’s good news!
Those are common problems, meaning they already have a solution!
If nothing grows in your yard, I challenge you to get specific as to why. Figure out what issue is preventing you from planting the what you’ve been trying to plant.
To do this, you need to study your garden. At all times of days, in all kinds weather. As. Much. As. Possible. What does it look like after a big rain storm? What weeds keep popping up, and where? What plants previously failed? Where were you planting them? What critters do you regularly see in the yard?
Once you have that information, it’s time to switch your approach. Find plants that can handle your site conditions. Or garden in a different section. Or apply deer spray weekly (no, really, you have to do it every week).
You are completely correct that some plants won’t grow in your yard. That’s true anywhere! If those some plants have been what you’ve been trying to grow, I’m sorry! Trust me, I know how frustrating and expensive that can be.
But gardening is all about trial and error.
There is a plant out there that will meet your atheistic goals + love your site conditions. Promise. Now, go stakeout your own yard and figure out what it is!
“Nothing grows in my yard.”
Okay… what kind of wet? Like is your backyard an actual pond? I might need more information.
Having consistently moist soil is actually highly advantageous (hello, not watering!) in the correct setup, but if you’re currently researching ways to fix it, I’m guessing you probably don’t have the correct setup.
Having never seen your yard, I’m going to ask a few things:
- Is your home located in the middle or bottom of a huge Pittsburgh hill?
- Has your yard been walked/driven on for years and is now the texture of those big clay bricks from art class?
- Is the whole area so shady it literally never sees the light of day?
Believe it or not, if you said yes to any of those questions, you’re in luck!
Those are what we would classify as common issues, meaning solutions already exist! Of course, the solutions range from simple & cheap, to highly involved & expensive. Regrading hills, installing rain gardens and French drains, aerating the soil, planting deeply rooted plants… all things to consider. That being said, I always suggest starting with the simple & cheap and seeing where that gets you.
I like this Broadfork from Johnny Seeds for loosening compacting soil. Plus, you don’t have to go to the gym any day you use it!
Deeply rooted plants: Try Baptisia australis, native grasses like Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, Switchgrass, or Yarrow (all those need full sun). Elymus hystrix (Bottlebrush Grass) can handle some shade. Carex pensylvanica can handle more.
Moist & shady loving plants: Actaea, native ferns, Buttonbush 'Sugar Shack', Golden Alexanders, Wood Poppy, Bergenia 'Winterglut', Fringed Bleeding Heart. Figure out if you have deep shade, or just mostly shade before buying anything.
“My yard is always wet”
Am I the only one that every time I have company visiting from out of town they go, “I didn’t realize Pittsburgh was so hilly.”
Every time!
I mean. Yeah! We're in the foothills of the Appalachians. We have 3 rivers. Water does stuff like that!
I studied garden design in England, and as soon as I returned to Pittsburgh and started helping people with their gardens, this was the phrase I heard the most: “My garden is so steep.”
So! What’s the problem with that? Are we scared of falling down the hill while gardening? (Valid.) Is the hill eroding? (Annoying.) Is the hillside blocking your entire view with random plants? (Boring.)
Let’s solve all these problems at once. Let’s plant some plants that will are low-maintenance and spread, so you don’t have to climb up the hill often and tend to them. Let’s give them deep roots, so they stabilize help prevent further erosion. And let’s make them pretty to look at, because of course we want them to be pretty to look at.
Low-maintenance, stabilizing, + attractive plants:
- Geranium macrorrhizum (Bigroot Geranium)
- Solidago rugosa 'Fireworks' (Goldenrod ‘Fireworks’)
- Monarda didyma (Beebalm)
- Nepeta ‘Cat’s Pajamas’ (Catmint)
- Eurybia divaricata (White Wood Aster)
- Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed)
- Chasmanthium latifolium (Seaoats)
- Andropogon gerardii 'Blackhawks’ (Big Bluestem ‘Blackahawks’)
- Panicum virgatum (Switchgrass)
- Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii' (Rug Juniper)
- Aronia melanocarpa 'Low Scape Mound' (Chokeberry)
- Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-Low’ (Sumac ‘Gro-Low’)
“My garden is steep”
Coming soon:
“My garden is shady.”
“My garden feels unfinished.”
“My garden is shady.”
“I don’t want to waste money”
How can I make my yard look more cohesive?
How to stop my landscaping looking outdating?
“I need more privacy”