Re: [gardeners] My new shade bed

Doug Reed (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Tue, 26 Jun 2001 06:28:15 -0700 (PDT) 

They may have touble with the southern heat and humidity. My mother has
trouble keeping them alive in her Mississippi garden too.

Here, in Colorado, I've spent the better part of this spring/summer and
all of last summer trying to get rid of it. It completely took over three
of the gardens on the north side of my house.

-Doug Reed
-Boulder, CO

--- George Shirley <gshirl@bellsouth.net> wrote:
> That's weird, lily of the valley isn't invasive at all around here. We have
> trouble keeping it alive.
> 
> George
> 
> lneuru wrote:
> > 
> > lily of the valley?  ARghhhhhh  Terry, that's one of THE most invasive
> > plants I've ever seen.....it kills feverfew and bermuda grass.  Be very
> > careful (= be afraid, be very afraid...)
> > 
> > everything else sounds lovely, though - and the lily is too, until it
> > becomes too much of a gng.
> > 
> > Lucinda
> > 
> > ----------
> > > From: Terry King <taeking@endlesshealth.com>
> > > To: Gardeners <gardeners@globalgarden.com>
> > > Subject: [gardeners] My new shade bed
> > > Date: Monday, June 25, 2001 6:47 PM
> > >
> > > Well it official now, I've earned an Assistant Accounting Certificate and
> > > have a break from school until I decide to finish my AA.  Now I can chat
> > > more.
> > >
> > > Earlier this spring I planted a new flower bed inside the north end of
> > our
> > > circular driveway.  The area is about 20' long and about 12' wide in the
> > > middle and contains eight trees, Larch and Douglas Fir.  For the past
> > > several years this spot has been the dogs favorite place to dig dust
> > hovels,
> > > so you can imagine how dry and dusty it was.  Last summer when I
> > installed
> > > our new patio I dumped the soil we dug out in the dog's holes around the
> > > trees and some friend made a nice rock edging.  The edging survived the
> > > winter and the snowplow so I figured it was safe to plant.
> > >
> > > Because its so dry and mostly shady I had a hard time deciding what to
> > > plant.  Finally I decided to look at what grows wild in similar areas in
> > the
> > > forest around me.
> > >
> > > In the wild dry shady areas here are found Aquilegia canadensis, False
> > > Solomon's Seal, heart-leaf Arnica, Johnny Jump-ups, Clematis occidentalis
> > > and Snowberry.
> > >
> > > After realizing how much would grow in this spot with a little TLC and
> > while
> > > browsing at the local nursery I decided on a motif of Columbines and
> > hardy
> > > Geraniums with a few Hostas mixed in to give a woodland feel.
> > >
> > > After I added 4" of old hay stems the sheep didn't eat, dry cow manure,
> > and
> > > some grass clippings I planted:
> > > 1 each of the hostas - Big Daddy, Francee, Silver Crown, and Frances
> > > Williams.
> > >
> > > 1 each of the hardy geraniums - Ballerina, Patricia, Bevan's Variety,
> > > Johnson's Blue, G. pratense 'Victor Reiter'(a purple leaved variety), and
> > G.
> > > phaeum 'Samobor'(the closest I've seen to a red flowered hardy geranium
> > and
> > > it has zones in the leaves).
> > >
> > > 1 each of Aquilegia - Cardinal, Dragonfly, Colorado Violet & White,
> > Crimson
> > > Star, McKana Hybrid, and one that is supposed to be Woodside Strain
> > > variegated with pale blue flowers but is actually a golden colored with
> > > white flowers.
> > >
> > > 2 Mini Star Aquilegia with short spurs, planted along the border
> > >
> > > 3 Cameo Rose & White Aquilegia, planted along the border
> > >
> > > Then to fill in I planted:
> > >         Lily of the Valley in between the trees but I may have to replace
> > > with real
> > > False Solomon's Seal if it proves too dry.
> > >         2 Dwarf Goats Beard
> > >         2 Birchs Hybrid Campanula
> > >         1 Cenataurea Bella
> > >         2 Little Leo's Leopards Bane
> > >         2 Royal Purple Corydalis (a purple leaved variety with pale blue
> > > flowers),
> > > planted along the border
> > >         2 Crazy Daisy's (double flowers Shasta Daisy) planted on the
> > sunnier
> > > ends.
> > >         2 Orange Phlox, (its probably too shady and the orange may clash
> > but
> > > I had
> > > to      have them and figured this was a place where they would not get
> > > mildew,
> > > so far  so good.)
> > >
> > > Then along the inside edge that will have grass growing up to it I
> > planted a
> > > row of Snow on the Mountain - Aegopodium, where if they get invasive the
> > > trees will slow them down on one side and they can be mowed on the other.
> > >
> > > I topped the whole bed with small bark chips and it is bordered on the
> > > outside by the native river rock edging mentioned above.
> > >
> > > All the plants are widely spaced so competition for water won't be too
> > bad.
> > > I've been enjoying the blossoms of the geraniums, Crimson Star (the
> > center
> > > piece of the bed), Mini stars and Cameo Columbines, Royal Purple
> > Corydalis
> > > and the Birchs Campanula. The other Columbine have not yet bloomed and
> > the
> > > hostas are just sending up flower stalks.
> > >
> > > I may have to move some of the more sun loving plants if they don't bloom
> > > well but for now all look like they are thriving.  I wish I had purchased
> > > another Francee hosta or two.  It is magnificent and looks wonderful
> > against
> > > the reddish bark.
> > >
> > > I'll try to get a photo sometime this summer and post it to a website.
> > >
> > > Terry
> > > E. WA. zone 4
> 


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