DiMarie,

Some things that grow in Kentucky could grow here, but we have colder winters and a shorter growing season. Some things actually grow better in Maine. I'm a relative newcomer to Maine myself, and this year was just our third garden here. I grow primarily vegetables, with flowers being a rather small sideline for me, so I don't feel qualified to recommend any specific varieties.

We have had success with petunias, pansies, nasturtiums, moss rose, impatiens, celosia, and coleus. Lupines do well in Maine and grow naturalized by the roadsides, but we don't grow them because they are toxic and we have a small grandaughter who likes to explore all areas of our garden. I particularly like to grow zinnias. I usually don't set tender annuals out until after Memorial Day.

I am curious about your ledge location. Could you describe it in a bit more detail? Or perhaps even post a snapshot or two.

MM

Dear MM,

Thank you for your info. Our house is built on a ledge under the ground. I'm not sure how this is going to affect the root system on my plants. I'm going to see how my perennials do next year and I might have to go with a raised bed. Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

A couple in our garden club have a rocky ledge as their back yard. They have turned it into a beautiful garden by planting in pockets (depressions in the stone, adding soil, etc.) They do a lot of annuals and perennials.

Where the soil is very thin, you need to concentrate on shallow-rooted annuals and some perennials. Anything that is deep-rooted will need to have a raised bed or grown in another area where the soil is deeper.

I don't have any advice for you as to a rocky ledge situation but it prompted me to "think rocks" and want to ask a question of fellow gardening Mainers. Does anyone know where rocks, flagstone, and misc. stone for paths, or garden borders can be acquired free, or low cost in Southern Maine? I could certainly use a pallet's worth but don't think I can justify the few hundred dollars needed for a purchase from a landscaping company or nursery? I know one can easily get a tree cutting business to deliver a load of wood chips for free but wonder if anyone ever wants to get rid of stones from job sites or their own property...or is this wishful thinking?

Hi PJ--I scored this spring when I was at Home Depot in Biddeford and they had a whole pallet of bluestone on clearance. Didn't know what I was going to do with it, but knew I would figure it out because I was always in need of stepping stones, etc. Of course I haven't seen the same deal again.

Someone told me the stone place on Rte. 1 in Biddeford--I don't know exactly where but it's near the Animal Hospital, Coastal Convenience Store, etc. will sell single stones.

Part of my house is on top of a ledge. I have a small fenced garden right in front of my house, to one side of the path it's on top of the ledge on the other side it isn't. I've got about a foot of soil above the rock and my polyantha roses, bright eyes phlox, rue, iris, astilbe, rudbeckia and some small shrub I've just forgotten the name of seem to like it there.
There's 2 kinds of ledge in my neighborhood. I've got the kind that can be bashed with an iron bar, so I can dig chunks of it out where it gets in my way. I've dug out planting holes in my side yard doing this. The other kind is just plain ROCK. My neighbor has some slabs of it out in her back yard.

By the way I have very little luck with zinnias. I had one summer that they grew gloriously,it was a pretty hot one, but every other year they sort of just linger, half grown and peaky. It can be kind of weird temperature-wise. My son always goes to a baseball camp over in Wells in the last week of June. It'll be in the mid or low 70's at my house, I'll drive over to Wells to pick him up, about 15 minutes away and it'll be in the 90's over there at the field! I'm not kidding. It's been like that for several years. I remember one afternoon he was so hot and all he wanted to do was go for a swim. I had the car windows down and enjoying the warm breeze, we got onto route 9 and it got cooler. After a few minutes he asked me to close the car windows, it was getting chilly in the back seat, and maybe he didn't want to go swimming after all.

I want to thank everyone for their advice. I believe that I have bedrock but will check for some pockets.

you may want to check with peoplewho own blueberry feilds...on getting free stones. :)