A Rustic Perennial Paradise

“Gardening is my passion,” says Lorraine Roberts. “It’s always been in my DNA.” Former recording artists Lorraine and RJ Roberts have plenty of experience making a living doing something they love. Over the course of their successful musical careers, gardening was a constant thread which grounded them and brought them together.

After purchasing their expansive creekside property, Roberts began growing thousands of perennials from seed. It was a joy for her to research the different varieties, acquire the seeds, and care for them until they were large enough to plant in the garden. “We used to joke that I was working on my retirement fund,” says Roberts.

Little did they realize how true that would become. As their recording careers were wrapping up, they looked around their property and realized they had so many potted plants needing dividing that it made sense to have a plant sale. It was a roaring success, with visitors to the garden declaring, “I’m in paradise!” The inspiration for their nursery and botanical garden was complete, and they devoted themselves full-time to their new endeavor.

Photo by: Plant Paradise Country Gardens

Healthy Soil & Growing Organically

From the start, Roberts knew she wanted the garden to be fully organic. Yet veteran gardeners know that without careful planning, keeping a 24-acre parcel free of invasive weeds and pests could be a full-time job. “Biodiversity is the key to our success,” says Roberts. “We use the natural defense of nature to take control.” By using a combination of native plants and well-adapted perennials, she invited wildlife such as birds, toads and frogs into the garden beds to eat unwanted insects and keep pests under control.

Roberts also credits a healthy soil with getting her plants off to a strong, pest-free start. “When planting, we dig the hole twice as wide as the root ball and add shrimp compost or manure, mixing it well. We also add more compost to the beds every year.” Compost has some nutrients, but to give plants an extra boost, she uses organic fertilizer.

“We grow everything without the use of synthetic fertilizers,” she says. “Synthetic fertilizers are derived from the petroleum industry, and they can leave behind toxins such as petroleum, arsenic, and lead.” Instead, she uses an organic product with ingredients high in minerals such as greensand and glacial rock dust, along with the more common organic ingredients such as blood, bone, alfalfa, and kelp meals.

Photo by: Plant Paradise Country Gardens

Maintenance & Weeding

Weeds are usually the biggest task in an organic garden, but Roberts’ planting strategies and low-fuss maintenance calendar keep them at bay with little stress. First of all, she designs each bed so plantings are full, but not crowding one another. There’s not a lot of open space for weeds to take hold.

Then, because of the snow cover all winter, she doesn’t need to start weeding until June. “I use my Hori Hori knife and hula hoe to get things done lickety-split, and as soon as I finish one bed, I apply corn gluten. It’s an all-natural product which stops the germination of all seeds,” she says. Corn gluten is effective both in the garden beds and on the lawn.

By July, she’s done weeding and can work on other projects. Though perennial flowers have a reputation for needing care and deadheading to keep the show going, Roberts designs her plantings carefully so she doesn’t have to deadhead at all.

Because of that, she doesn’t need to focus on maintenance again until October or November when she does one more run through the garden, cutting back the perennials and weeding one more time. “I believe all gardens require some maintenance,” she says. “The key is keeping it manageable to the degree of time you’re willing to invest.”

Photo by: Plant Paradise Country Gardens

Watering & Fertilizer

Perennials are often thought to need a lot of water and fertilizer, but in Roberts’ garden, this doesn’t bear true at all. “When you sprinkle a little water for 20 minutes, the roots stay at the surface,” she explains. “The plants think, ‘I better stay at the top of the soil and wait for water!’”

Instead, she trains the plant roots to grow deep into the soil where it is cool and moist by soaking plants thoroughly but infrequently. She waters perennials regularly until they are established, but after that they only get water during a severe dry spell.

She also credits her use of compost and mycorrhizal fungi with allowing her to take this tack. By applying compost yearly, there is a constant stream of organic matter which holds moisture in the soil. Mycorrhizal fungi naturally occur in the soil, and develop a symbiotic relationship with plants that allows roots to reach deeper and wider than they would ordinarily be able to. She sprinkles a mycorrhizal fungi treatment in the bottom of the hole when she plants to get things off to a good start.

Photo by: Plant Paradise Country Gardens