Obscure Broad-leaf Evergreen of the Week - Distylium
Dave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
9 years ago
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9 years agoDave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Ideas for evergreen coverage of an eyesore
Comments (33)I think your "eyesore" has loads of potential if it is cleaned up a bit (removing dead wood and thinning out the saplings a little bit) and planted with things that will thrive under the conditions. I'm not familiar with your area or zone, so I'm sorry I can't offer specific suggestions. I would ask for help at a local garden center to get started, and let the area naturalize with whatever winds up thriving there. In addition to whatever dwarf or groundcover evergreens might work there, I can picture things like hosta, Japanese painted fern, various creeping ground covers, and lots of spring bulbs. We just added a dry stream bed in our yard along our swale, so count me among those that would kill for a natural stream in my landscape. I don't know how big your property is, but I have found (now granted my entire property, including house, is 1/4 acre) that it is possible to keep weeds at bay by simply pulling them vigilantly. We get LOTS of weeds, with weeded lots on 2 adjacent sides of our property and strong winds blowing weed seeds into our huge veggie garden and planting beds (many of which we haven't filled with plants yet) on a regular basis. We manage to keep them under control by spending an hour or so weeding every weekend in the spring and early summer, gradually less as the summer progresses into fall. I just use a weeder to loosen the root, and take advantage of any rain we get in our dry climate to do as much weeding as I can. We have 2 little kids so I don't have tons of free time, but make it a priority weed along with the other gardening tasks. While I'm sure it's not practical for everyone, it IS do-able to manage weeds without herbicides. I'm also probably unusual in that I don't hate weeding. It's not my favorite thing to do, but it's kind of peaceful and satisfying in a way....See MoreCut Back Evergreen Ornamental Grasses or Not?
Comments (16)A regular rake will work but when you are fine cleaning leaves etc from around plants anyway, a hair pick is handy, does it quicker and more thoroughly. Stipa tenuissima definitely looks better raked, its good to rake out the seed heads in late summer when they start looking ratty, you end up with a big globs of the fluffy stuff and reduce seeding about. Many cool season grasses are better raked as opposed to cutting back. If you cut back they will sometimes look like chopped off bad haircuts for a long time, especially mature specimens. I decide based how any given one looks as to whether to leave alone, rake or trim any dead tips or sometimes dead leaves laying flat on the ground around the edges. If a cool season grass looks good, I wouldn't consider trimming it or if a warm season grass is evergreen growing in mild winter areas like California, I wouldn't trim those either (many people write in asking that on the O.G. Forum). If the whole grass has dried up dead leaves in spring-- dead is dead-- trim it low. Often its good to do some dethatching on the cut 'stump' to give new growth some room, sometimes I decide its better to divide it. I always trim back warm season grasses here in zone 7, except for the some of the muhly grasses which you can do every three years or so. If you are growing grasses from seed its good to trim small grasses back about half to encourage tillering which means more roots and thicker plants sooner....See MoreWeek 49: What I'm going to accomplish...
Comments (18)Wow - Christine - you need to come back to MI - we had snow yesterday - seriously! Beautiful weekend last week but has been cold since then. My front yard is starting to pop including my Japanese maple (hopefully not too much damage from 2 very cold winters) as well as my trillium and Solomon's seal. One of my friends used to come to A2 each year for a conference and we would hike in the Arb and look at the SS and the false SS. She loved how the little flowers under the leaves on the SS. She passes away a few years ago at a much too early age. I found some SS at the farmer's market last year. It will always remind me of my friend. Christine and others - have you planted any epimidium? I have one in my yard and thinking of getting more and planting under my tricolor beech tree. It is a very slow growing rhizome. I am not even sure where I got the one on the side of the house - I love the leaves(they turn colors as the season goes along) as well as the tiny shooting star type flowers. Not that you can meet someone with your armoire but in our area, the local Sheriff's office is encouraging CL exchanges in their lobby. Mtdoug - hope your mom is adjusting well. DM is in a continuium of care place. She moved out of independent living into assisted living about a year ago. She had a nasty fall in the elevator and broke 3 ribs and split her knee open and has been hanging out in skilled for the past month or so. I think she will go back to AL in another week as she just got her walking papers back. Schick - I will have to look up holly ferns. I have a few fern varieties in our yard and hope to add some more unless bambi likes ferns and then I would be tossing my money to the deer....See MoreEvergreen fruit tree?
Comments (39)Mostly an "Earth Friendly" tree grown in California A.L. Jacobson states in the 2006 edition of his book Trees of Seattle that it is Common and reseeds weedily here The main forested park in my town north of Seattle has been invaded by it, probably from a nearby lawn planting that is/was apparent from a local street. Multiple individuals, a few of them tall enough to have been present for some years are visible in the upper part of the park property, where a presumably native population of Evergreen Huckleberry also occurs. Sunset says to plant the Myrtle a certain minimum distance from susceptible kinds because it is a carrier for Sudden Oak Death. In those parts of its native area where it grows intermingled with Tan Oak many of those are now blighted or even dead while the Umbellularia often, if not usually looks normal....See MoreEmbothrium
9 years agodavidrt28 (zone 7)
9 years agoEmbothrium
9 years agoDave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
9 years agogardenprincethenetherlandsZ7/8
9 years agoEmbothrium
9 years agoDave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
9 years agoprairiegirlz5
9 years agoprairiegirlz5
9 years agoEmbothrium
9 years agoDave in NoVA • N. Virginia • zone 7A
9 years agoHU-968494126
3 years agoEmbothrium
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoulisdone
3 years agoPhoenix Rising (Zone 7a/b, NJ)
3 years agodavidrt28 (zone 7)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agodavidrt28 (zone 7)
3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
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