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Helianthus in the perrenial border
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Posted by bradarmi IL 5 (My Page) on Wed, May 14, 08 at 11:51
| I searched this forum a couple of times and couldn't realy find any info regarding Helianthus mollis, per se; so excuse any duplicate posting. I ordered some plants from Prairie Moon for the first time and decided to get some native sunflowers. After reading some info about them, I am a little scared about putting them in a suburban perrenial bed for the fact that 1. they might take over the bed and 2. their roots will inhibit other plants from growing close by (allelopathy). Since I plant as much as possible, this kind of limits what I can put into my one sunny bed.
I was thinking about sequestering them somewhat by putting them on the south side of a fence that has about 10 x 3 feet of space between it and a walkway. This is the entrance to our backyard and there is realy nothing near it and the soil isn't the greatest (which I think they like anyway). During the growing season, the sun is high enough to clear the house and this particular spot of the yard has clematis, climbing roses, sedums, and dianthus with no problem. This area is also very hot since the deck walkway and the houses' brick heat it in the summertime. Any thoughts?
I have come to the "greener side" and decided it is better to have one or two nice healthy rose bushes than a yard of dilapitated ones. That being said I came over to the native foums since they are low care and not fussy. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Helianthus in the perrenial border
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| I have grown several types of helianthus in perennial borders, and it worked fine. They do spread, so I have to remove a bunch of them each spring, but I never really see any alleopathic effects on other plants that I have noticed. They are large, and look best in a large group, so at a minimum I'd recommend about half of the 10 x 3 bed should be devoted to sunflowers. A smaller clump might not stand up very well and would constantly be shading nearby smaller plants. If you can devote the entire 10x3 bed to sunflowers you'll have the least effort, since they won't crowd nearby plants and the sidewalk will help rein them in. I think the heat and poor soil won't stop them from thriving, although they, like practically all plants, will do better in a good soil than in poor soil. |
RE: Helianthus in the perrenial border
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| Thanks Ladyslipper, I ordered three root divisions, so I think if I space them 18-24" apart and have them frame the back of a border - I will be ok. Would you space them that far apart, or more? thanks |
RE: Helianthus in the perrenial border
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| I think 18 to 24 inches is about right for them to fill in pretty well by next year and look reasonably full this summer. By the end of the third year you'll have a solid mass of plants in between the places where you plant them this summer, I think. |
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