Planting for Moist Shade - Part 3: Big perennials

» Tim_Dutton - Big perennials

No Marge, I didn't succumb to the widening of the stream. As it happens, we have gone to the other extreme and have had three weeks without rain in November. Just as we were starting to think we would have to resort to the unenviable chore of watering the most essential plants in one and a half acres of garden with watering cans, it rained yesterday and all is well again, at least for another week.

As far as the H. mantegazzianum is concerned we have not experienced any difficulties with it so far. Being aware of its reputed properties we try not to brush against it with bare skin, and always use gloves when pruning bits off. Plants like that, once dead, we cut down and throw into our latest landfill site - usually an unwanted ditch or gully that we fill over the space of a few years with 100% organic matter. Eventually this all rots down and we can expect to be able to plant on top of it. So far the only completed landfill areas have been turned into lawn, and it has worked very well.

If you have success with the cardoon, make sure you try more than one plant. We started with four or five, and each year for the first three years we had one of them die. Then they outgrew their space and were moved in the winter while dormant. Now we have a single clump that covers an area of around 6 x 6 feet. It really needs a sheltered site as the flower stems can get very heavy, especially when it rains, and ours cannot stand up to the gales that we can get in November/December (late spring and early summer). I have just tied them to stakes so that they will not blow down this year. I hope! They do seem to like full sun.

As far as the horse manure is concerned, putting fresh horse manure on anything will do it no good at all, but we leave ours to compost down for about 12 months before using it. If it is full of worms, it is OK for the plants.

Yes, I have a scanner so can scan some photos for you. I have just taken a few, which will get developed in the next week or two I expect (film not used up yet). I'll have to take a few of the shady bog garden and a few of the choicer plants first, and then I'll try sending you a few.

Bye for now.

-- posted by Tim_Dutton