Anyone from Pine Grove Furnace Area???

18 years ago

Just bought a place in the area and am itching to plant!! Any suggestions on what grows well in shaded, foresty, mountain environments would be GREATLY appreciated. Bright flowers (perennial or annual) ... preferably scented??? OK..won't be choosy...have a long list of thoughts but just want confirmation on my list :) Vegie gardening thoughts would also help. Many thanks in advance....

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Comments (4)

rokoku
18 years ago
You are lucky to have a great area for mountain laurel. mountain laurel has nice flowers, tho I don't remember how they smell.
Four_Seasons
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank You, rokoku! I've seen that these grow quite freely in the area and am happy about that since I once tried to plant a rhody as a new gardener and killed it a a rapid pace! Make me happy to know that if I just leave these guys alone I'll have tons of them... :)
karen_b
18 years ago
Four seasons,
I am south of you a bit, just north of the village of South Mountain. Where did you move here from and do you know what your elevation is? We moved to this area 3 years ago after living in SC for 15 years (but originally from eastern PA) and our elevation is 1550 above sea level. rokoku is correct about the mountain laurel, we've been thinning out our 2 acres that borders Michaux and giving the natives more sun light, the mountain laurels have benefited the most. The first 2 years I just watched what came up naturally and was quite surprised. I have solomons seal, of course loads of laurel white & pink depending on how much sun, sweet fern, numerous other ferns (depending on moisture), mosses galore, many others I just can't think of right now (I'm at work). Since moving back to PA I've become a master gardener with the Franklin County Penn State extension so I would recommend first a soil test or two. One for where you want to plant your flowers and another for your veggies. We have very acidic soil...the proliferation of the laurel is proof. How much sun you receive during the day also will determine what to plant.

If you have deer don't bother planting hostas. I have been experimenting with interplanting herbs among my hostas. My suggestion for plants in your area would be natives, this site should be helpful.

What are ideas do you have, maybe I can tell you if they've worked for me or not. Another option is trial and error.

Karen

Here is a link that might be useful: Native plants in PA
karen_b
18 years ago
Oh yeah, you may want to email me I don't usually hang around this forum very much. I hang out in wintersowing, harvest, cooking & herbs.
Karen