Spring - Beauty and Beast - Part 2 - Beast
Both the P. commutatum (Giant Solomon's Seal) and P. odoratum thunbergii 'Variegatum' were migrating and congested. They had all but devoured what had once been a huge hosta - only four small noses were left.
The major part of the operation took a full weekend. Polygonatum have fat rhizomes that branch out and elongate - rather like overgrown bearded iris rhizomes. Great clumps of them were lifted and separated and dumped into labeled brown grocery bags so that I could tell them apart for replanting. I did notice that the variegated variety has slightly smaller rhizomes and the new growth buds are tinged pink, whereas the Giant has a pale, gray-green nose.
The bed was amended and dug over. Other inhabitants were disentangled and sorted out. Both varieties of Solomon's Seal were replanted, using only a small fraction of what had been removed. Two new beds were made in another part of the garden for some of them; some were given away and the remainder potted up. New homes were found for the odds and ends of other plants that had worked their way into the bed. The hosta remnants were potted. Counting new bed preparation, planting, potting and mailing, this small project took the best part of another week of evenings. This doesn't count resetting and leveling the flagstones that had to be lifted. A full week gone and leaf and bed clean up still waiting to be done while plants, bursting with energy are growing apace.
The next "little" project that simply had to be done entailed removing the inhabitants of a very large, six by six feet (3 x 3 m) raised planter so that the soil, which had been sinking for its ten year life, could be topped up. Besides, the Bletilla striata 'Albo-striata', a lovely and easy terrestrial orchid, who were the main inhabitants, also badly needed dividing. Of course, the planter also contained a Clematis integrifolia, two Sedum spectabile (who do surprisingly well in shady places) and several others put in the front of the planter last year. I really only had to deal with the back and one side. However, digging everyone out took an evening, sifting soil and components for the mix and carting it up the hill to the planter and dumping it in (three loads) took the better part of another evening and replanting finished it off. Then, the excess
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