Re: [gardeners]opiophogon
penny x stamm (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Thu, 9 Jul 1998 23:02:43 -0400
Matt, if your black mondo grass likes its new home, it will
produce offspring to enhance your collection....
I have a love affair with the Missouri Botanical Garden in
St.Louis.. They have a 10 acre Japanese garden in which
many of the pathways are lined with green mondo grass,
backed up with iron hoops laid endlessly. I admire the effect,
and tried everywhere hereabouts to get the green cultivar, only
to be told that it will not flourish or even survive in my Zone 6,
so is therefore not sold here. When I point out that the climate
in St.Louis is not really too different from New York City environs,
it falls on deaf ears.
Locally they suggested that the black mondo grass is actually
hardier, and that they do sell. But let me describe what I need:
My Japanese garden is laid out in a semi-circle, with a berm in
front. The full side and length in the rear consists of 9 20ft hi
hemlocks, planted in that semi-circle. Inside of that is a mature
hedge of Delaware Valley white azaleas. Inside of that always was
a lower hedge of blue/green low junipers, with 3 flowering crabapples
in the line. Last fall we dug out the junipers, for they had a dread
disease which appeared incurable; and I chopped down the 3 crabs
for the same reason (cedar-apple rust). What to do for a replacement
was the next problem. We travelled to a bamboo factory in New Jersey
and picked up some bamboo hoops (hooray!) which I soaked in
preservative -- and I planted 3 pink dogwoods amongst the white azaleas.
Then I went to see about the black mondo grass...Hahaha, very funny.
I would estimate that I might need 70 or 80 of them, very funny indeed!
I bought one. And now I have 5........
Penny, NY
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