Re: [gardeners]opiophogon
Matt Trahan (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Fri, 10 Jul 1998 02:04:36 -0400
>------------------------------
>
>Date: Thu, 9 Jul 1998 23:02:43 -0400
>From: pennyx1@Juno.com (penny x stamm)
>Subject: Re: [gardeners]opiophogon
>
>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
>
Hi Penny,
Sounds beautiful! I'm glad to know that it actually grows. With the price
and the color, I figured it would be another one of my "slow" growers. I
really need to start getting interested in plants with a growth rate
midrange between hardy palms and mints. I can give you some of the green
mondo grass if you want to give it a try for the winter. Send me your address.
You are supposed to get cold this winter with la nina. Hope it's not too
cold. We have had a great spring, summer has been warm early, but not too
bad. We could use more rain, but we are still holding up ok.
How many years did it take your mondo grass to become 5?
Matt Trahan <matttrahan@ecsu.campus.mci.net>
USDA zone 8, AHS heat zone 7, Sunset zone 31, northeastern N.C.