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| I am trying to plan an area in the yard with ferns and hostas - the area is along the deck, about 3 feet wide and several feet.
Since these plants only come up in the summer, what are companion plants that look decent in winter yet still allow the ferns & hostas to pop up in the spring? I have solomon's seal but wasn't sure if it is too big of a plant to put in this narrow space. For ground cover underneath these guys I was thinking maybe ajuga or creeping jenny, but will those allow ferns & hostas to pop through or will they smother them? Is it best to only put mulch on top of the ferns & hostas? The mix of ferns I will be planting are as follows: Cinnamon
Are any of these evergreen in zone 7b? (Monroe, NC) I'm thinking Christmas fern might be. They are in a mixed bag, so if anyone knows how to identify the bare roots, that would be helpful too. (If there's no way to identify the bare roots, maybe I could plant them into little pots to grow a bit to identify before putting them in the ground? That might take awhile though.) |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Probably original poster received an answer elsewhere... I wouldn't put ajuga near the hosta, but creeping jenny works okay & comes out easily. I tried corydalis lutea (yellow bloomer) because it was slug resistant, but it was a bit too vigorous crowding the hosta & swarming around the clumps. There are a few evergreens in zone 7 that I like: |
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| A lot would depend on which Hostas you're planning to put in. Something like undulata, or venusta, or Dewdrop would be polite and keep to the 3' width. A thug such as Aphrodite or Sum and Substance will be swamping the area in no time. Evergreen things: Epimedium, which can form a large clump yet is also slow to increase. There are small varieties. Definitely NOT solomon's seal. Rampant is the polite term - except for the very small one, and it's too easy to lose. |
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