planting new woodland garden......I hope

I have 3 old doug firs on the northwest border of my yard. I'm thinking of moving some rhodies that are now getting southern exposure and don't look so hot. Do you think they'll do OK under the firs? Any advice on how best to amend the soil before I transplant? And when would be the best time to move the rhodies --- after they bloom? I also have some azealeas that get hidden when the fuscia takes off....was thinking of moving those over there, too......
thanks....anne

The native rhododendron grow best under the fir trees,so I imagine yours will do OK.

Ditto to what ned said.
The soil situation will be dependant on what you see when you dig the hole - don't amend too much, and be sure to dig a wider hole than you think you'll need.
Both Azaleas & Rhodies flower best when they have adequate sun. They aren't great 'total' shade plants west of the cascade range. Protection from scorching afternoon sun is a good idea.
The doug firs will want to compete somewhat with the rhodies for water & nutrients, but the transplants do just fine once they are established. Stay on top of their water & light needs for the nest couple years.
Consistently moist soil - not wet; high shade or morning - early afternoon sun.

Be sure to use some Rhododendron fertilizer regularly,also.

Ditto to all, but if your rhodies have really large leaves, they can take more shade. I have several varieties growing under the fir trees and they do very well and have almost no direct sun. But they are the large leaved varieties that grow into tree sized rhodies. In general, the larger the leaf, the more shade they can tolerate. If your trees are nice big ones, you likely will not have to amend the soil much at all. There will be a nice layer of fir needles on top of the soil as well. Unless the rhodies are really old ones with a large trunk, you can move them almost any time. Even in bloom. Of course, the sooner the better since we still have plenty of rain and it isn't warm yet. It's not worth it, in my opinion, to move them in the summer. Too much shock to their system. They look awesome with doug firs. After all, we do have native rhododendrons here.
The azaleas do need to have more sun.

I have 2 large Rhodies under my trees and they do very well, and my trees are Pine, Cedar, and Alders. I did not amend the soil, you need to be careful with the roots of the trees and not to harm them. could cause damage to them.
My Woodland.

oh goodie, another woodland garden to make plans for - excellent!!!!

i love rhodies! i have planted mine right in a ton of bark mulch and a little native dirt and mix it up. your rhodies should do fine under the tree but they will need some sun (preferable early afternoon) to keep them from getting leggy. plant them on a small mound to keep the main root ball out of standing water and dont forget to feed them! i use a timed release fertilizer like osmocote of something similar. just once every spring and then once a month with a liquid type fertlizer from the hose.

Thanks to everyone for the great advice - so sorry I didn't post my thanks sooner.

I am going to wait until fall to transplant and will incorporate everyone's advice. They will get plenty of morning and early afternoon sun in their new home. I'll take photos once they are in to share with all of their foster parents.

Thanks again to all.

anne

Have fun
Can't wait to see.
Make sure to take before and after pics for us like to see your progress.
I am trying to save seeds. sorta new at this, will see what I come up with and send you some, for your woodland. Will let you know what they are first, and if you want them.
Tills

Tills, I would love that. I wish I know how to gather seed so I could reciprocate. I have some extra hardy begonia if you don't have any -- it's very prolific! I have quite a few shade loving plants in a holding pattern until get their new home ready this fall. I'll have to learn how to gather their seeds. And yes, I have plenty of before photos. I'll share them once I download them.

I could give you iris clumps if I knew how to divide them without killing them... I planted my first ones last year and most of them are doing very well.

Anyway, I would love to start swapping/sharing plants. It sounds like a fun way to build up a garden.

anne

Hey Anne
This will be my first time at the saving seed thing, no guaranties and it only costs a stamp and your time to plant them. But you never know unless you try.
As far as the Irises I don't think I need any at this point, I have 72 coming this fall, and have yet had the time to get the bed ready. LOL
And I got a hands on lesson on divided them, they are not as fragile as you think. I have 3 paper bags full in the shed that we pulled from her garden last June.
Dig them up, look for the mother plant most likely the center. then cut the young rhizome from the mother. Discard anything that looks bad. Then cutting the leaves leave at least 6" cut in a slant. move, store, send. you can write on the leaves to ID.
When planting, which I did not know (real dummy here) Do not buried the rhizome, just the little roots, it will on its own pull itself down. and never put bark on them. They don't like it, gravel or just dirt.
Wish you where just a little closer, I could show you. trying to type it Sucks. LOL
Hope someone else can help me here

What to see a pic of the area so I can maybe give a thought.
Tills

My Hosta bed

Tills I thought that was very clear! I'm impressed - I've just come to iris this year too, and I was a tad baffled by the lengthy, intimidating info I found.

Laurie, that makes me feel real good, I had a very good teacher. Sometimes books or advice does not work. I can read something till the cows come home and not get it, til someone shows me on hands. She even showed me things about Dahlia's I never new before.
Its are own Carla, Who will be moving to Arizona soon, I will so miss her.
Hugs Tills

'OKay' who is doing what

Took these today
That was really bad got 2 pics crossed in my panorama, does look cool tho. back to the drawing board, will fix.

This message was edited Aug 5, 2008 7:12 PM

Tills, you have done a beautiful job! Your shade garden looks so cool and inviting. You have inspired me. Thanks!

As for the irises, I am so bummed.... I planted about 25 last year and they were doing great, but a few weeks ago one got "mushy" so I immediately pulled it up and threw it in the garbage. Today, the one next to it (about 2 feet away) had a brown leaf, so I pulled on it and yuck, where it broke off there were hundreds of little (very little - less than 1/4 of an inch long) baby ..... slugs or centipedes, I'm not sure what. Are they destroying my irises or were they attracted to it because it is sick? Wish I knew what to do..... I would hate so see this spread to all my other irises..... any suggestions?

anne

What color where they?
Doesn't sound like Slugs, more like a root maggot.

Have they stopped blooming yet?
If they have, You need to dig them up, clean them, then cut off the bad rhizome with the buggys. drop the bad ones in a bleach mix, do not put in compost pile.
Then use a bulb dust ( can't remember the name) on the good ones. Then you have to amend the soil, before replanting them.
If that is what they are, need some pics to ID them.
But at least save what you can now.
Had to do this with a Dahlia.

Hope this helps
Tills

tills! thank you so much for that iris lesson! I am getting ready to plant my first co-op order :o)
have 3 more coming :o) so you saved about 35 iris from death cuase I would have burried the tubers!

I will be watching this woodland thread :o) will be doing moms woodland area next year.... so getting lots of ideas here :o)

I absolutely love what you have done in your garden Tilly, very inspiring :o) I wish I had shade here :o(

Yes, I think they are root maggots. I researched a bit and found photos - pretty disgusting! I'll try to find some dust for the remaining good ones. I also read to try beneficial nematodes in the soil.

Hope I can save the bed. I also have a lot of dahlias in the same bed.

Thanks so much for your help, tills!

anne

Anne, Yes please check you Dahila's, this is what happen to my "Pooh"
Was wonder why it was not showing this year. Thought it was slugs, not...
I got brave, (after talking to Carla who has given me this new knowledge) and dug it up. I found tubers I could save, but if I did not do this I would have lost it, and he means allot to me, was given to me from a very good friend and I collect Tiggers.

This is what I found. icky

And Hey, I'm just learning to, and books don't help. Up close and Personal (on hands) And I'm not from the show me State, but I got to see it done. LOL

Another shot

Well, I just dug up a lot of irises - had to get them out of the way for a construction job. Would this be a good time to trim the leaves? Can I store them or do I need to replant them right away? could any of these go into the shade garden?

so ,much to do, so little time

thanks

is everyone staying cool? at least I can use the olympics as an excuse to stay inside and be the bum that I am.

yes you can trim & clean/treat iris now. you can dry them and store in a cool dark place for a few weeks. I have all my iris planted in sun...not sure how well they would do in shade...

hope this helps :o)
AnjL

Yes - now is the perfect time to trim the leaves of the Iris, and to replant. By the way - are these Iris germanica? If so, no more than a scant inch of soil over the top - they like their rhizomes a bit exposed. Mulch around the Iris but NOT on top!
Shade = foliage only.
If you don't have the area ready to plant them in, pot them up & replant in another month or so. This has worked well for me.

It's 84° in the shade, but considerably more humid than yesterday (it got up to 98° in the shade) and we have been promised some doozy thunderstorms this evening; with hail!

Working under the trees is fairly pleasant, but the humidity makes it a tad uncomfortable for my taste. I have to remind myself that I will be complaining about the winter in a few months, so I am trying to appreciate the warmth now.