I don't know Muddy, I'd like to see her sample gardens in season though too. I emailed her to get put on the mailing list.
Your next plant adventure will be...
Seq, I agree with you about Nearly Native Nursery's website. It's great if you know what you want, but takes some scrolling if you want to browse.
In addition, I pulled up prices for some shrubs and saw they were last updated in 2006. It would be great if they sold them at 2006 prices, and maybe they do, but I wasn't sure. It seemed too good to be true. They get great reviews and have some unusual native plants, though.
Yeah some people just don't get it when it comes to a website. I remember last year when Plants Delight changed their plant finder. They used to have one of the best plant finders where you could narrow by bloom time, zone, sun exposure, soil, etc. Now you can only narrow by one metric and, from what I can see, there isn't a zone metric to narrow by. So now if you search shade plants, you get a bunch of tropical stuff that I could care less about because it's not hardy. That's like going from a car to a horse and buggy IMO.
I was just clothing shopping- using Lands End where the left side lets you progressively narrow your choices by size, or color etc...Lowe's I think has similar.
Why can't plant websites work that way?
Maybe the profit margin is too slim with plants , would more sorting be costlier to program or keep up?
Well the worst part is that Plant Delights USED to have all those choices to narrow by. That's why I can't figure it out. I complained to them last year but they didn't care. You'd think for how pricey their plants are, they'd be able to maintain something like that.
I'm on the hunt for Bergenia 'Solar Flare.' Apparently Terra Nova is no longer carrying it, so I'm not sure if it'd be widely available next year.
I think I'm going to try some Arum italicum in my dry shade. I know they spread like wildfire with ample moisture, but I'm hoping they'll stay put with minimal moisture, and also provide some winter interest while the hostas are dormant.
Despite reservations, I planted some Arum italicum in our dry shade a couple of years ago. So far it has worked out OK. Due to the paucity of moisture and our poor soil I would be hard pressed to use the term "thrived", let alone "spread aggressively. If one supplies (im)proper conditions, many problematic plants can be kept under control. Notable exceptions would be wild re-seeders and invasive, berry-bearing shrubs.
My Arum, sure isn't what I would call an aggressive spreader. I do have a few nice little spots of it. SSG could probably give you a small start this spring.
Thanks, Holly!
I'm tempted to try and move a bit of Lycopodium to my yard. I know where I can get it from huge patches. But I realize my treed shade is very dry, and my moist shady side is poor, unforesty soil. Somebody please smack my hand.
Smack! I have read in several places that it doesn't transplant well. This site suggests looking for the spore spikes in the summer. Edited to add the link http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/ground-cedar-lycopodium/
I'd say give it a try only if it needs to be rescued.
This message was edited Dec 14, 2014 1:30 PM
Thanks Muddy! That's the dose of realism I was looking for.
Anytime!
I know you would do the same for me : - )
I also once admired a patch of club moss and would have loved some for my yard, but talked myself out of it after learning that it probably would die.
This message was edited Dec 14, 2014 6:15 PM
We are good girls, aren't we? It's easy for me to leave the very few lady' slippers but harder to keep my hands off a huge patch of clubmoss. People used to pull it up fro Xmas decoration, I've read.
There is some Lycopodium (L. digitatum, I think) growing in a forested park near me in rich, moist, well-drained soil that I could never replicate in my yard.
You might be able to get mosses to grow in both of the areas you mentioned. I'm really hoping I can get moss to grow in the shady, moist, very compacted area of my yard where I just had a stone path put in.
Muddy, you should not have trouble getting moss to grow in that "shady, moist, very compacted area" of your yard. Since moss does not utilize soil for growth, high compaction makes for a good substrate for it to grow on. Don't know if this is the best time of the year to foster moss growth, but introducing moss is very easy.
1. Acidify your soil by adding sulfur, aluminum sulfate or other acidifying agent,
2. Water agent in well and wait a couple of weeks for pH to stabilize
3. Place a several square inch patch of moss in a blender with a quart of buttermilk and blend.
4. Spread liquid over surface where moss is desired.
5. Wait
Thanks, Greenthumb. I could at least start acidifying the soil; that probably would help the patches of moss growing on the outskirts of that area as well.
I have a big patch of moss out by my shady bed. I love it. Holly and I like to groom our moss.
How do you groom it?
I love it too. I can't believe I actually used to kill moss growing in my yard.
I'm not sure that's a real term. I mean, that I could just go sit there on a nice day and weed the microscopic weeds out of it, pick things off by hand, like that. Meditative.
LOL, Yes I really do find grooming my moss relaxing. Somehow different than regular weeding.
Sally I picked up the term "Grooming the Moss" while on a tour of some (not sure which one) garden. I mentioned how beautiful the very large areas of moss were and she said "we groom the moss" Then went on to talk about how very relaxing it is to spend time in the moss beds.
I love the moss too. I left a large swath in the turtle garden. In addition to the moss, there was a huge patch of ferns in that area. I did the other landscaping around those two natural features. I've heard Sally and Holly talk about grooming their moss, but this is the first time I heard what that really meant LOL. I think I had somehow thought you guys were out there with a small rake or broom or something. I guess I could be added to the moss grooming club because I "groom" that turtle garden moss patch, and also find it very relaxing.
You want MOSS?
I know I have posted this before...BUT....
An old Cemetery in Latvia from my trip there in 1988.
G.
There used to be a home east of Frederick, MD with their entire lawn composed of obviously cared for moss. It was really lovely and unique, and I loved to drive by and admire it. A few years later I took Pat by to show her, and it was obvious that the property was under new ownership. The moss was gone, replaced by your everyday lawn of shady fescue. One's best efforts are but lines drawn in water.
I think grooming also means keeping debris off, I think it's easily smothered. Moss is so soft and cuddly!
I read once about moss lawns. One tip was use bird netting all over it in fall to help pick up leaves without damaging the moss.
A shame, greenthumb.........many yards have big oaks and they could accept the moss and have at least a nice moss bed part of the year. It may dry out in summer, but then they never get perfect grass there either so why not accept moss?
Some people just don't know what... That is what my BIL always say to each other when we see the things that people do that are totally opposite of what we would do LOL.
The expression first popped out of my mouth when we were driving somewhere and were behind a car that had a mattress tied to the roof AROUND THE MIDDLE!!! With the wind force, the front end of the mattress was completely upright at a ninety degree angle. I'm sure the new mattress was permanently damaged. What WERE they thinking??? That was many years ago, but the expression has been one of our favorites ever since.
I love it aspenhill!
"It takes all kinds (of people)"
I now like the adaptation I heard from a comic?- "It don't take all kinds, but we got 'em anyway"
My next plant adventure is with a fairy house. I was out Christmas shopping over the weekend and found this. I always think it is sacrilege to get something for yourself during this time of year, but why oh why is it so much easier to see things that appeal to you instead of finding anything that you think will appeal to the family and friends you are shopping for???
I already put it at the base of a tree along the wood line outside the family room door. It almost looks like it has been there forever. Now I need to get some moss growing on the roof and a miniature stone path leading up to the door.
Oh I just love it. Perfect for your woods. What is it made from?
Concrete
That's a wonderful fairy house, Aspen.
I guess I've been grooming moss without knowing it. I pulled Japanese Stiltgrass out of beautiful patches of moss in the forest. Moss in my yard tends to get covered with dirt, so I clean it by hand or with a leaf blower.
ADORABLE little house.
Yep, I'm a groomer, too. Should do it more, cuz I love me some moss!!
Where did you find it?
Merrifield Gardens. They have three northern Virginia locations - Merrifield, Fairfax, and Gainesville. I was at the Gainesville one.
awesome fairy house!!! And Greenthumb posted those moss tips to help you with that cool moss roof idea.
Yeah I saw some nice things while shopping for garden gloves for my sister!
What do you all think of this garden?
https://www.flickr.com/photos/fourseasonsgarden/11515978613/in/set-72157644683663478
I love all of the globe-shaped shrubs. I love rounded shapes in the garden (like alliums) and would love some small rounded conifers, but it looks like these shrubs have been meticulously sheared. I definitely won't be doing that.
Are there shrubs that keep that nice rounded shape without much pruning?
That picture reminds me that I need to find more purple- and blue-leaf shrubs/trees in my backyard.
This message was edited Dec 17, 2014 8:44 AM
SS--
Look for the word "Globe" when buying shrubs. That means "rounded"...
G.
Right, I see globe shaped shrubs in the nursery all the time, but I was wondering how much effort it took to keep them like that without constant pruning.
SS--
"Globe" means they grow that way, naturally. Rounder shape.
Pruning would only be required if you want your "globe" smaller.
G.
Gita, I don't think all of the supposedly globe shaped shrubs hold onto the tight round form.
The rounded shrubs on that website don't look natural. They look to be very tightly pruned.
That was my original question, though. What are some of the globe shaped shrubs that don't require much attention?