Tight Spots

The lower leaves of this red Japanese maple (Acer palmatum 'Crimson Queen') will cascade over the edge of the raised planter, and the red leaves contrast well with the surrounding greenery and white brick planter. Underneath a Japanese maple in an especially tight, bare spot, James plants some foam flowers (Tiarella 'Jeepers Creepers'). He bought 4-inch pots of the flowers, instead of 1-gallon containers, so that he can dig smaller holes without damaging the maple's roots. There are times when something other than a plant may be the perfect solution for a bare spot. James places a stone in a bare spot in the middle of some dwarf mondo grass.

A weeping hemlock planted in a raised brick planter two years ago hasn't thrived in that small, shady spot, so James carefully removes it and replaces it with something better adapted to shade, a red Japanese maple. He removes enough soil to leave a hole twice the size of the maple's root ball and places the tree in the hole. He loosens the burlap surrounding the root ball and positions the tree for the best visual impact. Then he backfills with soil, tamps it down with his hands, spreads a little mulch and waters the tree well.

In another tight spot between a wall of this house and another Japanese maple, Paul wants to add a tall plant. He finally decides on a shade-tolerant, clumping bamboo, which will reach a height of 15 feet in three to four years. James digs a hole, taking care not to disturb the roots of the Japanese maple.

Ordinarily, James recommends digging a hole at least twice the diameter of the root ball to be planted. In this case, though, space is limited by the maple and its roots, some irrigation lines and other plants. So, he digs the hole only an inch or two larger than the root ball, but that's okay with bamboo. James teases the roots, places the bamboo in the hole and adds mulch and water.

In a vegetable garden, space is often hard to come by, especially when it's packed full of cool-season crops. But you can still plant some warm-season crops, like peppers and eggplants, before harvesting the cool-season crops. For instance, James planted one pepper plant in a bed of mesculun greens, which he'll harvest soon anyway. He also put some eggplants in his onion patch. He'll harvest the onions closest to the eggplants first to use as scallions and will let the rest of the onions develop fully. Plus, the smell of the onions will help protect the eggplant from flea beetles.