Pacific Northwest Gardening: One Billion Trees, 1 by Poochella

Poochella wrote:
Ok, hold off on the lamium for Pixydish. I haven't mentioned Lamium "Golden Anniversary" which is much better behaved (to date,) with green and yellow variegated leaves, pale pinkish blooms. Foliage seen below.

Pixy, great idea on the tree movers. I passed by a yard being 'planted' with huge mature trees in Ballard this spring. Just amazing stuff they can pick up and move.

Estreya, it isn't really that bad! Lamium tends to send out little side runners that root easily and is easily contained but one has to be fairly persistent. I made a big mistake because I hate to throw away viable plants and grabbed a mat of lamium out of my dahlia garden and tossed it where brush meets lawn. It sat all summer without a smidgeon of water and is flourishing LOL! Ditto Creeping Jenny. Want some of that too? Pixy? Anyone? That, I threw under a cedar tree and watched it establish and prosper all summer long. sigh....

Estreya I have a few hostas that will need dividing at some point, so let me know when you get a shade bed going, you'll be welcome to some divisions. As a better behaved alternate to lamium, how about Brunnera Jack Frost? I have one ready to go (when it thaws, that is.) It's about a foot tall, variegated foliage, tiny blue flowers in early spring that are similar to Forget Me Nots.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/poochella/shade garde...

Here's Jack Frost to the far right (after blooms were cut off) and a cute little patch of lamium in front! LOL
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/poochella/shade garde...

More of my mom's shade bed for inspiration: white dicentra, various hosta, ferns, a low ginger (I think) in front, lamium et al....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v293/poochella/shade garde...

Lani, what town in MN did your grandparents live in? I lived in almost every corner of the state while there. Feels like I'm there now with 10 degrees this a.m. Good on you for your fight against city hall and the proposed 'progress' on the road widening. Have you involved your neighbors at all; taken a straw poll on how they feel? Don't forget the nastiness of road noise, if that road is close enough to you- there is little to do to block it.

Laurie1, thank you. We love that tree- it sounds so silly but it has withstood thick and thin, drought and disease, blizzards, red hula hoops stuck way high up in a branch until that branch broke off LOL.