Questions and Answers
There is no gardening without humility. Nature is constantly sending even its oldest scholars to the bottom of the class for some egregious blunder. ~ Alfred Austin
I do my best to answer all questions that come to me or to provide resources that can help solve reader’s problems. I believe that many of you can benefit from the questions and answers as many share the same challenges. The following are some of those queries.
Moist Woodland Border
Q. I have a moist area at the edge of a woodland that I would like to landscape. What flowers and foliage plants can I use here?
A. Your described location is an ideal environment for many plants that do not flourish in the bright heat of a conventional flower garden. One of my favorite low growing plants would be foam flower (Tiarella cordifolia), it has a long flowering season through at least half of the spring, is a beautiful ground cover and is evergreen. Other recommendations are: sweet woodruff (Galium odoratum), Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica), bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), Mayflower (Maianthemum canadense) and Jack in the pulpit (Arisaema triphyllum). Taller choices include blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), astilbe, bronze-leaf rodgersia (Rodgersia podophylla), and black snakeroot (Actea racemosa).
Designing Tall
Q. I would like to add some color and height to the back areas of my garden, but I don’t want to plant shrubs. What flowers can you suggest?
A. There are many tall flowers for the back of the border. Some of these can be used further towards the front and can be seen through, adding a little more interest my mixing up the heights without blocking the view. Foxgloves will grow to 6 feet if they’re in moist, nearly neutral soil in semi-shade, but might only reach 4 feet if they’re in average soil in full sun. Black snakeroot (Actea racemosa) might stretch to 7 feet given similar conditions, but will brown quickly if their soil dries out in a sunny garden. Meadow rue (Thalictrum spp.) has lacy leaves and flowers alike so the overall effect is light. T. rochebrunianum has purple blooms and starts blooming right about now. In my garden the flowers reach about 7-8 feet high. Joe pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum) is the largest perennial I know. It is a massive plant topping out at about 7 feet. The flowers are enjoyed by butterflies and it blooms in late summer.
Replanting Peonies
Q. When and how do I transplant my peonies? I planted them a year ago and they have already far overgrown their location in my raised-bed garden.
A. Autumn is the best time to plant peonies, whether they are newly purchased of simply being moved. You can start whenever the weather cools but should stop at least 6 weeks before the expected date of frozen ground. In lower Fairfield county that gives you roughly September 1 through November 1. Choose a place that they can stay in for the long haul. Peonies are not their best until they have been in place for several years and rarely need transplanting as do many other perennials.
Mulch for woodland wildflower garden
Q. What is the best mulch to use on my woodland wildflower garden?
A. Woodland wildflowers flourish when mulched with slightly decomposed leaves. Shred or compost leaves that do not break down quickly, such as oak and beech, before applying them to beds of wildflowers. A cost-effective way to do this is to put a pile of leaves on your driveway and go over them several times with a lawn mower.
Blueberries in a woodland area
Q. We recently moved to a large woodland lot in North Stamford. Our woods have a thick undergrowth of moss, wildflowers and wild blueberries. We wish to retain the native woodland garden character as much as possible. I assume the soil is very acidic because of the many oak trees. Does it injure the blueberry plants when we rake out some of the overly thick leaf cover? How do wild blueberries differ from domestic blueberry bushes? Would they cross pollinate with a domestic sort to produce slightly bigger berries? What are their preferred pollinators? Would the blueberries be compatible with introduced shade flowers such as foxglove, Virginia bluebells and coral bells?
A. It sounds like a wonderful place. You should be able to rake away some of the leaf cover on the bushes, but leave some as a mulch to hold in moisture and provide nutrients. (Compost what you rake away, and add it as a mulch too.) Wild blueberries are simply the native species that the newer cultivated berries that have been bred for larger berries, among other things, have come from. I'm not sure if the plants would cross-pollinate. If they did, in some cases (mixed cultivars) you might see bigger berries, but the seeds resulting from the cross-pollinations would take at least 5-6 years before it can produce blueberries. Blueberries are pollinated by honeybees and bumblebees and other insects as well. You certainly should be able to introduce some shade-loving plants, but you might want to start with only a few small patches massing of a single plant type. Perhaps adding a second type on the periphery without sacrificing the beautiful mosses. I were you I'd try to keep as much of this lovely habitat intact, as a haven for wildlife (and you!)
Fast-growing screen for woodland area
Q. We I need a fast growing, deer resistant evergreen for screening and wanted to know what you thought about the Thuja "Green Giant". I'd rather plant natives but this hybrid looks like a viable alternative. Thanks for your help!
A. Thuja 'Green Giant' would make a nice screen, however you may want to consider using several different species of plants in order to avoid the loss of several trees to the same insect or disease in the future. There is good anecdotal information available that 'religiously' spraying Thuja with a deer repellent may prevent loss of the young trees.
