Border Plant to Retain Mulch
8 years ago
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Comments (7)
- 8 years ago
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Mulching/dividing perennials planted with roses
Comments (8)I have mostly irises and foxglove around my roses. I find irises easy to lift up and divide since they like to be planted shallow. I try not to plant the irises inside the drip line of the roses, but they encroach anyway. It hasn't really been a problem Daylillies can be a bit harder to dig up and I leave a bit more room. I think putting them in front of the rose plant and leaving a buffer space is a better idea than interplanning as far as day lillies go. As far as fertilizing, I don't! I figure the stuff I put down for roses will also feed the other plants. I use mainly organic fertilizers and may sprinkle some in when replanting the divided irises for example....See MoreTHE best water holding/retaining mulch?
Comments (12)As far as I know and what I've seen, a mulch does, indeed, retain moisture beneath it, even under a big tree. Natural mulches (leaf drop) are what keep a soil in workable condition in a forest or jungle. Three keys to a good mulch are that they must be partially decomposed, the particles must be about 1/2-inch in diameter and the mulch must be applied at least 2 to 4 inches thick (thicker if you want it as a true weed barrier as well). We assume that the mulch is organic. I've always found that homemade compost is the best mulch. But since very few people make their own, the next best is commercially-packaged "mulch", "amendment" or "planter mix". They're all at least partially composted (naturally or chemically). If you need a lot, look for a landscape supply company that sells it in bulk (by the loose truckload). Peat moss, by the way, makes a terrible mulch. Tree ferns naturally grow in forests under other, larger trees. They do fine with root competition -- as long as they get an adequate amount of water for everyone. My question, though, is what kinds of big trees do you have over the ferns? If you're talking native oaks, I'd definitely suggest you move the tree ferns and allow the oaks to grow naturally (with no summer water). Joe...See MorePlanting vines for a retaining Wall - Climb up or down???
Comments (17)Well, there's a guy on here, Botann (sp?) who says his miniature ivy ended up fruiting and seeding and going crazy and reverting back to English Ivy so there may be something to this, but I wish the websites and nurseries would explain that. It's so hard for a newbie like me to get correct information. I've spent an insane amount of money on my yard and freak out when a tree dies. Not going to rip anything out! Seems with an array of sharp tools I can control these plants. Just 1/4 acre with the house taking up a lot of that area. Your wall is the type more and more frequently being used to terrace new housing developments and there must be many ppl looking for something hardy that will grow up these walls and look good without ridiculous amounts of babying and maintenance. I've bought several varieties of euonymus fortunei in the last 2 months and hope they'll do their climbing thing. Looking each groundcover up in Google Images gives one an idea of how they can look, but doesn't usually tell one how LONG it takes to achieve that picture-perfect growth. Looks like the vinca will need to be pruned out of other plants like heather it's overtaking. These are raised beds so pruning is very easy. CostCo had nice grass shears and they're snip snip easy to use. Also got a wheeled weeding bench so can zoom down a line with shears for edging. One thing about these garden forums -- posters seem to attack a lot of plants and trees as invasive. That makes me laugh because every day the 'wild' around here is extinguished, visibly, and replaced with dead things. If only the plants COULD win! Not a chance anymore unless avian flu pandemic wipes the virulent pest humanimal off the planet. If ppl were still into gardening and installing beautiful landscapes with sprinkler systems it might be different. When I moved to Portland in 1984 there were so many estates with lush green landscapes and ppl took pride in their yards. But now the outdoors is a "bother" and ppl no longer cognize beauty or God's magnificent glory in old-growth natural riparian forest or any other original undisturbed remnant of Eden....See Moreplanting hydrangea in retaining wall
Comments (7)1) No. Annabelles (and most other arborescens cultivars) will grow to a height of 3-5' and with a spread of 4-6'. A 2' planting bed is too small. 2) Skip the landscape fabric and just use mulch. Landscape fabric is not very efficient at stopping weed development and often makes weeding more difficult as well as hampering the establishment of the plants it surrounds Being "lazy" does not factor in well to having an attractive garden. It will require attention and routine maintenance just like the inside of your home requires routine cleaning and maintenance. If you can't be bothered to tend to it yourself, you need to hire a service. 3) All hydrangea flowers change color over time. Annabelle flowers will remain white until the flowers start to go over and then they will fade to a tannish color. 4) Virtually all flowering plants will attract bees or other pollinators. That's what the flowers are for....to attract the pollinators to fertilize the flowers to develop the seeds so the plant can reproduce. Hydrangeas are no exception, however they are not known as being hugely attractive to bees or wasps....See More- 8 years ago
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