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pondwelr

survivors

pondwelr
14 years ago

I am a no fuss, no bother gardener, so didnt do anything special to the 6 new plants I put in last fall.

Imagine my delight when first came one hosta, then 2 more.

the 3 heucheras all greened up in late April.

Celebrate!! Pondy

Comments (8)

  • lpptz5b
    14 years ago

    I feel your joy.

    lp

  • dani_plus_2
    14 years ago

    Ha! After my own heart, you are!

  • dilly_dally
    14 years ago

    Congrats! The first winter a new plant experiences is the "make or break". You were lucky. Or you are very good with plants. Half my heucheras are not up. They must have suffered freeze heave. So sad.

  • pondwelr
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Well, I've gotten over the thrill of seeing my six new plants pop out and green up. Now I'm wondering what kind of fertilizer or other treatment I should be using to help them along. I know that it takes 3 years for a perennial to attain its biggest and best look, but I want to ensure these babies have every advantage. All six plants are under the half-grown River Birch tree. (about 22ft tall)

    One friend said she waters in Peters plant food, another said Miracle Grow, another said just compost.

    Frankly, I've never grown under a tree before, and am clueless. How does one compete with tree roots?

    Any great ideas out there? Pondy

  • madisonkathy
    14 years ago

    Most of my garden is underneath huge, old maple trees with their huge old roots. So, when I started I needed to use small plants. To me, compost is the best fertilizer (I mix it with soil from the hole when I plant). After that I use a granular fertilizer for 2 reasons; one, it won't often burn the plants, and two, I'm lazy (Miracle Grow, etc. needs to be used alot more often).

    You can also make your own fertilizer. Compost tea is terrific for plants, and so is alfalfa tea (alfalfa is pet rabbit food...you can get it at pet stores, or some place like Farm & Fleet). I'd also suggest you water a lot (tree roots suck up the available water), but with the storms we've been having, I don't think that's a problem!

  • pondwelr
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    thanks for the tips Kathy. I've seen compost tea made on Paul James the Gardening guy, and it sure looks gross.
    Where does one store such smelly stuff? I have close neighbors all around who might object.

    The alfalfa now, that rings a bell. I think I bought some alfalfa meal at the local grain elevator many years ago, to
    make a soil enrichment recipe that I got out of an Organic
    Gardening mag. Plain old compost sounds better to me, and easier too.

    Oh I hope these Hosta babies make it. They were recommended by one of the hosta lovers on this site. So far, so good.
    Pondy

  • Kat SE Wisconsin z5
    14 years ago

    Pondy, what kind of hostas do you have? Some take more than 3 yrs to mature. I have Great Expections (3), Tokudama Aureonebulosa,and Tokudama Flavocircinalis that are real slow growers. When GE hit 5 yrs, it was just huge. TA and TF are only 3 yrs old and they still have a ways to go. To me they are worth the wait. I amended the soil when I put them in, but the only thing I've done since is use cocoa bean mulch and I usually turn that in around them in late Spring. Then I put fresh mulch down for the summer. I do water them deeply once a week, maybe twice a week if we have that 90+ weather for a few weeks. Most of mine are slug resistant. I'm lucky I don't have any problem with them.
    Good luck with your new plants and enjoy!

    Kat

  • pondwelr
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Lets see, I picked these from a list of good ones.
    Drinking Gourd, Guacamole, and Tokudama fragrant?

    the heucheras were Mocha, Caramel and green Spice.

    I have some huge hosta in my back yard that the landscaper put in, and I'm well pleased with them. One is a huge blue
    heavy leaved, and the other a huge green/light green edged
    one. Those are in rich, moist soil and have done wonderfully well.

    new ones are in 'fill' from when this house was built.
    All rocky and gravel and sand. 8 years of lovely shredded
    mulch has made a nice rich top soil, but it does not go very deep. Plus the tree is very young, and may not provide enough shade. Thats' why I worry about the survival of these shade lovers.
    Pondy

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