Taming the wild garden

Tilly, I have a very hard time sitting down and just looking at my gardens, but if I had a spot like yours in the picture before the last one, I think I could do it - that is just lovely!

tillysrat - that is just marvellous! I just love the look, and the cushions! They are perfect!

The bluebells (hyacinthaoides non-scripta - true English bluebells!) in our woodlands are absolutely in full flower right now - and the colour would go perfectly with your setting. Quite easy to grow from seed, take 3-4 years to blossom, but worth growing. They gently spread, form colonies rather than invasive. I always collect some seed each year, and just broadcast it where I want to get them growing - would you like me to collect some for you? I think they would look great around your seat. They really are charming.

Link below for plant file for bluebells

http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/906/index.html

I think we are heading in the white direction for our area: I have planted out 7 gillenia trifolium and about to put out 25 white martagon lilies in amongst the tall grass (sunny until noon during the summer/protected in the afternoon), and have 6 fairly large cornus canadensis (if the mouse quits eating it! Terriers! Happy happy to enlarge the mouse's hole, but absolutely refuses to catch and kill! "Moi? - bark, not bite. You kill it, I'll take credit carrying it around". Not useful.) but not opposed to a splash of purple - just bought lavendar augustifolia and prostrate rosemary for in front of the drinking bench - quite a dry unimproved area. Sun most of the day (right hand side of picture looking up the hill at the top of this thread).

Pix - just wondering how you are feeling these days - are you back to your 'right as rain' self again?

This message was edited Apr 30, 2007 4:47 AM

This message was edited Apr 30, 2007 4:51 AM

Would love to have some and I have the perfect spot . How do we do this, still learning DG. haven't mastered much. As far as your mouse friend to bad I can't send you my 2 cats who love to catch mice, birds,snakes and moles any thing that moves. I have 4 other 2 and lazy. I did a area and I think its going to work the way I want going to the nursery today. frist I have to get my garden in I should have got it in sooner.
Would love to see a pic of what you have done love pic will sent mine as soon as I can down load them.

Laurie1
I have some Blue Columbine seeds I took them off the pods last year. This is what they look like now. I would love to share them . they haved not bloom yet but are getting ready too. They get almost 3 feet high. I started them from seed 2 years ago. If anyone else would like some. They are the bigest I have everseen.
Tilly

Tilly, your garden seat is lovely and looks like just the spot to sit and drink iced tea on a hot day!

Laurie, I'm digesting the image of those grasses with the tall lilies and I love the combination! I'm currently working on a mixed border in my front area and want to line the walkway with grass. It's full sun, dry in the summer, wet in the winter, but I can improve the drainage. I want something that will 'spill' over the edge of the border and help define the walkway. Just now I have several plants of Stipa tenuissima , mexican feather grass, and I do like the way it moves and drapes gracefully. I am also wanting to use my favorite Nepeta 'walker's low' to mix in. I have entirely overplanted this area in an effort to get it to fill in quickly, so I'll likely have to remove some things as I go along. Today I put in 17 Monte Negro lilies that will bloom with the catmint. If I can protect them from slugs, that is.

Thanks for asking, I am feeling better but still having some trouble breathing. This is the first year in many, many years that I have had any trouble breathing in the spring. I have had asthma since I was a child, but it hasn't bothered me in such a long time I didn't even think about it. So the infection is gone, but the lungs still need a bit of help! But I will be fine and my energy is back, so I spent all the weekend in the yard! Hurray!

Ahh, Pix, glad to hear your getting back up to speed - asthma, my hand is in the air too. I do quite a bit of swimming to keep it at bay - works pretty well, but still catches me by surprise though.

The path border sounds brillant - I just love that effect of drapery growing into a path and then backing off during winter, and then encroaching all over again. It creates such an alive sensation, and mexican feather grass is perfect. I'm hoping the slugs haven't quite located the new plantings yet. Mice are tough enough thanks. (Aren't gardeners odd though: I picked up the watering can the other day, and there were two dead mice in it - nearly broke my heart - so I carefully went and laid all of them on their side so nothing gets trapped during the workweek. Husband was just shaking his head walking away. I know, I know, its inconsistent - but????).

Tillysrat, I'd send you a d-mail so we can arrange a seed swap - look forward to that. But don't be into much rush - the bluebells seeds won't be ripe until July.

laurie1
There is some thing very funny about this
my hubby thinks I have to be legal to take my wagon around the yard.

is he trying to tell me something ??????????
tilly

also wanted to share
have made the path in. Had to moved my smoke tree again second time in 2 years hope it will be okay amost lost it the frist time had it a bad spot to move it, but it made it. any more great ideas to share.

I goofed wrong pic
will send again later

Arrggh! Slugs! They are my arch nemesis! (Well, black vine weevils are really number one enemy, but slugs are a close second!) I am with you in terms of grieving the loss of tiny mice, but I never waste my grief over slugs. I kill with impunity. Better to kill now, be sorry later with these creatures. This year I began my campain against them late in the winter by spreading iron sulfate pellets everywhere. I spread with a liberal hand, I can tell you!! Then I hit the entire property again two weeks later and I've been at it ever since. My slug population has decidedly dwindled due to these efforts. I must have missed some eggs because on one of my after-dark slug hunts I spotted several areas of the garden with little baby slugs. I whipped out my handy-dandy little hand sprayer filled with ammonia water, gave them all a squirt and - hey presto- instant nitrogen for the garden. I am a one woman vigilante squad against these creatures this year.

Yes, I'm liking the Mexican feather grass. It is almost ethereal in quality the way it moves in the breeze. Must get more.

Tillysrat, love the wagon!! I have a green one, but it's rather heavy for me to pull around loaded with plants. I am not licensed to pull it, apparently!

Pix, get one of those mini-tractors. Oh how my heart yearns for one of those - actually, what I really want is a big tractor to ride up the lane and look over all the hedges and have a wholehearted reason to hold up traffic in both directions!! and wave cheerrily while I do it. How fun (and ego satisfying) would that be! YES! And, if husband wants to put a license plate, particularly a nice washington state one on the back, so be it. But first he'd have to catch me standing still. Go girl go. Uh-oh, 4 day weekend coming up, and I think I am getting a little too excited.

Tillys, my fingers are crossed for the smoke bush - I do however find they are pretty tolerant - I just moved a daphne tangutica on the hottest day this spring, in full blossom (I'm subscribing to the Christopher Lloyd aphorism: the right time to move something is when you think about it). I gave it a great hole, loads of organic matter and an absolute flooding - then put a shade cover over it to cut the sun by 15% and it has recovered perfectly. shed the blossom, but no leaf loss at all. So if a Daphne can take it, a smoke bush should sail through. Just besure it doesn't dry out this summer.

Pix, that is so violent! I'd never have guessed - although, I have to admit, I am of the squash em school. Snails, on the other hand get flying lessons.

Wouldn't a mini-tractor be fun? I would be the life of the enitre neighborhood!

Oh yes, my dark side is showing in that post!!

Thanks for the warning if I ever get to England, I'll make sure to watch out for you and a tractor with wash. plates. running down the road.
Does sound fun .........So far smoke looks fine keeping close eye on him. Had him for 15 years. Just got to big where he was.

pixiedish
I must be as bad as you with the slugs. I'm using escro-go and its working great' haven't seen any damage or them. YEA...

Public enemy number one: weevils.
Public enemy number two: slugs.
Definitely.

Baiting is good, but for really good fun, take a squirt bottle of ammonia water out to the garden. One squirt and they are history, and the ammonia doesn't hurt most of the plants (just watch it on the delicate woodland flowers) and turns to nitrogen in the garden. It's a win-win situation!

I Don't think I have weevils ? what do they look like. but I do have earwigs. Don't like them at all they hurt when thet can pince you.

What the mixture? half & half ??? love to have some fun with them ugly things.
The kids think salt is fun, but messy.

Laurie
Now I feel so cool. I now know how to give a direct link. Thank you I would of never got it on my own. I need a course in DG for dummies. Ya Ya

You won't see weevils except at night. Look for notches taken out of the sides of leaves. The leaves will look like something just took a bit out of the side. They especially love anything in the rhododendron family, but I've found them even on my boxwoods. I've decided to replace some of my azaleas with cultivars that are less prone to weevil tastes.
The reason they are so bad is that the grubs eat at the roots of the plant while the adults take on the leaves at night. They area hard to control because of their reproductive cycle and also because very few insecticides will kill them. Organic controls can be costly if you use the nemotodes, and can also be very difficult if you have lots of plants affected.

Well done tillysrat - no dummies round here - just a lot of learning.

you said it, Laurie. How goes the wildness in your garden?
This year our weather has stymied the growth of so many plants. In spite of global warming, we are a full 4 degrees below normal. It seems like such a small amount, but so many of the plants are struggling, especially the roses. I have never seen them looking so pitiful. The primroses are doing well this year, though.

Sorry - lost focus there for a few days - workwork has just been so intensive the past couple months, it has really taken over - how rude! Here in England, we celebrate May day (good socialist addition to the calendar!) and had a 4 day weekend last weekend, and did I get lots and lots done in the garden - no. I stood with my hoe in hand and thought about work. Now that is distracted - usually the weeding and hoeing gets well and truely done WITH the thinking - but play was stopped on account of puzzling. Must stop that. Days off are tooooooooo precious.

Having said that, the good grace of a wild area is that it goes wild when you aren't looking - (I think that is the idea, but....maybe a tad too wild?) - to describe the growth as rampant would be about 50 miles an hour too slow - and that is without any rain for 5 weeks. This week we have had a couple hours each day of good steady rain - and I am dreaming of my lovely water butts filling filling filling with that good stuff (along with the pond which has dropped by about 3 inches). But despite the dry, the plants I got in earlier in the year have taken well. I located the mouse's hole in the wild area, and have rammed dirt down the hole to encourage him (definately a him!) to go make another exit away from my Cornus Canadenis - and they (the plants, not the mouse) seem to be putting up some new shoots. I think we will probably have to strim off the grasses this weekend before they flop - but will definately try and take a pic before hand.

what I am really pleased with are some of the sowings - what a generous year it has been! The greenhouse is just bursting! We have had such sensational germination rates this year - Pix, 100 percent on the Asclepias and the Lysimachia! and my outdoor sown pots (I did some double vernalisation sowings 18 mo. ago for the first time) - are really coming through now! Boy that is an act of faith - you just have to sit, NOT throwing out - oops, I mean, clearing out the pots that look like lost causes - and wait and wait and.....then it happens. I really recommend it. Incredibly satisfying - makes me feel like a horticulturalist, all knowledgable and patient, with a good worn hat or something to make me look like 'yes, I do this sort of thing regularly'. Also makes me wonder how many I have discarded over the years, but I won't think about that too much.

And now, it starts all over again - just keeping an eye on the hellebores for seeds - they really do well if I get them sown as soon as they are ripe. I noticed my Ballard Slatey Blues have the most gorgeous slate blue seed heads! I am absolutely as positive as you can be with a hellebore that these will come true. (So, 300 days after sowing, some might come up, 3-5 years after growing one might blossom - and then I'll be back editing this post with a big hurrah! Owwww - that's a long time to keep those fingers crossed).

And goodness I feel better having written all that - now, back to workwork refreshed. Yes.

Laurie, you are a true delight!

why thank you Ms. Murmur - I have to admit to a mutual admiration.

Laurie you are incredible . I wish for at lease 2 days off, We have had some wonderful weather and I have to work and be inside, Ho well ...... life is what it is
I would love to see how much you have done, makes my heart swell to know somebody gets to enjoy the hard work of of the land. I miss it, but surly I will be the conqueror of the weeds soon I hope, I can't keep up........
I wish I could sent you my cats for a week they would take of your mouse problems.

Smoke bush is doing fine didn't even wilt. Sooooo happy

Ah, nothing like a good garden post to get the mind back to what's important in life and off of working!! Good job, Laurie!
Glad to hear about your germination rates! The lysimachia could get rampant with enough moisture but it's such a great color it's worth the risk.
Today I planted out some little yellow foxglove seedlings! Digitalis lutea they are, straight from Laurie's garden! They should put on a good show next year.

I have a few hellebore seedlings this year. They are all growing very close to their mother plants. Should I leave them for awhile or go ahead and move them? I didn't even know they were there until this week. Then my Mother in law was asking me if I ever got Hellebore seedlings and, of course, I said I didn't and wondered why. The next day I discovered them. It's always funny when those things happen. But what's your opinion on moving them?

Owww - don't know Pix - are they at risk of being hoe-ed off or lost? I would guess if they have at least their second leaves, you should be fine moving them - but if not I would wait. I will watch this space, I am sure what ever you do they will grow for you. How nice the little fox gloves have come up well - I just planted out two big flushes of them - I find from an early sowing they often blossom first year - even better the second. Another finger crossing - this is really inhibiting my typing.

Well done tillys on the smoke bush - but I think we better keep your kittys at home - there is a terrier who lives here, and just the word C-A-T whispered lightly from upstairs can set that dog pelting off down the lawn, nose down and barking - doesn't exactly make it as a stealth hunter - but he doesn't mind, I'm not convinced he is too interested in catching, just chasing - and barking. It isn't a good dog hour if he hasn't found an opportunity to bark - and if no opportunity presents itself, he lies there and sighs. Such sighs. Endless sighing, until one of us agrees to whisper C-A-T. BARK BARK BARK. Happy dog.

Time for dinner. And a glass of wine.

I under stand, I have a puppy that has finally understood the cats are not fair game they do put him in his place. they own the place, Is the best I could say.
I'm going to start some of the seeds, before I send them to make sure they will germinate for you. don't want to send bad seeds. will send you a pic as soon as I can figure out where it went , I just took a pic of it . will send in AM .
finally got 2 days off. get to play in my happy place... the yard
Tilly

In your happy place with a happy face, I would guess!

Have fun, Tilly!

Ah, dogs and their 'jobs'. We have two Australian shepherds who are supposed to help keep the ducks out of my pond. There is a pair of Mallards who just will not take 'no' for an answer and get into my pond every chance they get. I would not mind if it were not for the fouling of the water. Yesterday I noticed my younger Aussie lying on the deck next to the pond watching the water. Then I realized he was quietly watching the ducks swim around and mess with my potted plants. He was very entertained by them, evidently. Only when I noticed him and said his name sharply did he get up and begin barking at them. What a little sneak he is!

I'll just leave the hellebores alone. I can move them in the winter. I found another seedling today, so that makes three so far. I love it!

I don't want to sound dum but what are Helbores?????

Laurie heres the pic.

Headed for my Happy place hope the sun comes out soon

tilly

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL
THE MOMS AND GRANDMAS
OUT THERE
INJOY
TILLY

No stupid questions, only opportunities to learn more! Hellebores are perennial plants that have nice evergreen (in some areas) foliage and bloom in the winter. Here is a photo of one of my favorites. I like them planted underneath witch hazel trees because they bloom at the same time and offer winter color.

Oh Tilly - your happy place is going to get even happier when you discover hellebores - they are glorious! And wonderful big blossom when all else is waiting for the weather to warm up - also know as Lenten Rose, or Christmas Rose - I am just going to find you a web address or two to supplement Pix's very nice photo.

This website has a lovely gallery thread, as well as lots of cultivation information http://www.hellebores.org/gallery.html

And this is probably one of the most inclusive seed lists of hellebores http://www.southcom.com.au/~hortus/ (also with lots of pictures)

And this one has some absolutely brillant photos of hellebores used in plantings http://www.sunfarm.com/index.phtml

Enjoy

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This message was edited May 13, 2007 11:22 PM

This message was edited May 13, 2007 11:27 PM

Ho they are gorgeous..... I have to get some, they will look wonderful in my happy place.
I found some wild Trillium in the area but I want to move how is the best way? or can it be done.
Here is a pic of the progress so far, I'm getting Yancy about it can't wait to see how it will look next year. but still a long way to go.
Tilly

This message was edited May 14, 2007 9:28 AM

Here's another one


This message was edited May 14, 2007 9:49 AM

Tilly, love what you're doing - and I join the throng in praise of the Hellebores! Not only are they lovely, but they divide easily as well so you can have more and more and more!!

Pixy, nice photo . . . I generally prefer the white ones, but your idea of putting them under Witch Hazel is great - then the contrast would really make them show up better.

Nice grove of trees! You already have beautiful moss on some of them. I think you could use some ferns at the base of some of those trees. You can make little pocket gardens for ferns by filling in a bit of soil where the roots come together at the base of the tree. Just add enough soil to plant the fern, don't cover the roots with the soil. And hellebores would look lovely planted among these trees. You definitely need some.

Trillium are best moved when dormant as they are quite delicate. Their bulbs are also WAY down in the ground, much further than you would think. Mark the spot where the trillium is growing now while the leaves are still up. The leaves will be dormant in the early fall and you can easily dig them. Some that I've dug have been over 18" down and the bulbs are not large. That's why marking the spot where the stem comes up is important.

gosh, Pix, I had no idea they are so deep - I've just planted some, and I must admit I only went a full trowel/trowel+1/2 deep - should I have planted them much deeper? I hope they can winkle themselves and snug into a lower level. I wonder if it would be better to buy yourself a couple/3, Tilly, and let them build up a nice slow colony rather than try moving. Digging out an 18" deep fragile corm sounds tricky - not impossible, but definately tricky.

Sounds like we need to save you some fresh Hellebore seeds too. They are incredibly satisfying to get growing - not difficult, but you do need to be patient - definate double vernalisation lessons coming at this point. Your happy place is looking great - I like the bark carpet with the friendly bear waving us in. Lovely.

I have 6 lady ferns in the greenhouse that I ordered, have not see any life yet. I hope they are okay, and I have some hostas there also waiting for them to get big enough so I can at least identify them, got a grab bag from michigan bulb. I have move 3 native ferns from around the yard that I have found little bitty babies, they seen to like where I have moved them.
I never knew the Lenten rose was a hellborn but I have been looking at my catalogs and I found them which was on my next want list with the toad lilies

Laurie, I think you have nothing to worry about. They probably pull themselves down into the soil like lilies do. Yes, it's rather tricky to dig them. I have a neighbor who has a horrible yard. He never does a thing to it and it's getting overgrown with blackberries and other weeds. But he has absolutely fabulous wild trillium that cover the area every year. A few years ago he gave me permission to come and dig as many as I wanted. I hate to tell you how many I ruined. But I finally got the hang of it. You go about 8 inches out from the stem and gently dig the dirt away from the stem. Follow the stem down and hope to come up under the little bulb.

Tillysrat, the lady ferns will be super! We have a native lady fern that grows like crazy around here. Washington state actually has many beautiful native ferns that should grow very well for you. Toad lilies are glorious and will be nice tucked in with the ferns. Be sure to protect them from slugs, though. Slugs love them so much!

I have found the perfect deterrent to slugs - I go up close, and whisper in their little sluggy ears "pixiedish" - you have never seen slugs pack up and move out so quickly!

"pixiedish" whoosh