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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

In the Garden: Backyard oasis

 (Susan Mulvihill)

When Lynn Meyers first told me about her unusual garden, I was intrigued.

“The challenging part is that I have no backyard, only a giant multi-level deck with built-in planters and lots of pots,” she said. “It’s on the south side and is like a sweat lodge midday in July and August. Last year, I tried creating a living canopy with hops and morning glories …”

Already I was hooked and anxious to learn how she was transforming it into a pleasant outdoor space. What I saw was a welcoming oasis, complete with attractive sitting areas and colorful plantings.

Soon to be certified as a Master Gardener volunteer, Meyers shared tips and advice based on what she’s learned from this challenging setting. I discovered she’s given careful consideration to plant selections.

“My neighbor’s flowering plum trees have shot up above the fence so I have chosen plants with red foliage to pick up that color scheme,” she said. “I have red sweet potato vine, cordyline and castor bean with red stalks and some red in the leaves.”

She also planted Black and Blue salvia for the hummingbirds, purple fountain grass, green sweet potato vine, dahlias, black-eyed Susan vines, herbs, dracaena spikes and geraniums.

Something creative she did was to plant pots of giant Chinese silver grass (Miscanthus giganteus) to screen their hot tub from view during the summer.

Some plant selections have been a learning experience. After planting the hops vines, she discovered whiteflies are a big problem; so tore them out. Her advice?

“If you are going to go to the trouble of installing support posts and wires for vines to climb on, research the plants before you plant them,” she said. “Out in a field, hops with too many whiteflies might not be a problem, but when they are a canopy over your head, that’s a story with a sad ending.”

While she likes the look of grapevines, she knew she didn’t want fruit dropping onto the deck. Morning glory vines worked well as a canopy last year so she may try them again next year.

Meyers does her best to overwinter many of the plants to keep her costs down, but still is honing her skills.

“Last year, I killed quite a few geraniums by overwatering them in the basement,” she said. “The ones that made it look great now but that was an expensive lesson to learn. I’d like to overwinter the sweet potato vines but struggle with getting the moisture just right for the tubers.”

She’s definitely a master at planting containers with annuals, however.

“I like the look of containers that are stuffed to bursting with plants, so I always put quite a lot in them,” she said. “I don’t pay attention to the plant spacing recommendations. I try to get at least one tall plant, several trailing plants that can spill over onto the deck or climb a stake in the pot. Everything else can be used to fill in the space.”

She hand-waters everything daily during July and August but doesn’t mind the task because she enjoys working with her plants. For those who believe that’s too much work, she recommends selecting drought-resistant plants or choosing an area that doesn’t get as much sun. Drip irrigation systems on timers are another option.

Above all, Meyers has been enjoying experimenting with the plantings over the past four years.

“The deck is both a challenge and a lucky gift,” she acknowledges. “If I don’t like how it turns out, I can try something different next year because I know nothing has to be permanent.”

Susan Mulvihill can be reached via email at inthegarden@live.com. Visit her blog at susans inthegarden.blogspot.com.