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Growit
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 07:31 pm EST : |   
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Above is a picture of one of the gardens I work in.(my favourite ).
Down at the very bottom behind the, pile of logs, is a stream the length of which is covered in ivy which is at present stopping the soil sliding in. I want to get rid of it and plant some pretty creeping plants to hold the soil. As you can see the tree canopy is pretty dense so they would have to be happy in dappled to heavy shade and preferably quite quick growing. Any suggestions? (I have already planted Vinca down there). Btw there are a lot of rabbits so nothing too tasty!
Growit
- Hampshire,
Zone "8/9"
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Gardenbug
| | Posted on Thursday, November 08, 2007 - 11:54 pm EST : |
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Parts of my place look very similar to this, including the rabbits!
Here vinca is dangerous stuff and spreads terribly, climbing and suffocating wonderful old trees. I avoid it! It is not even permitted at our plant sales, as with goutweed.
What I love near our stream is candelabra primula which spreads by seed and sensitive ferns which also spread far and wide. Thalictrum grows there naturally as do wild angelica, bloodroot, trillium and anemones in spring. I also love European Ginger there, rodgersia, ligularia, epimedium and anything else I can fit in, even shade tolerant grasses! :)
Read up on Camassia. It works in moist areas I'm told, though mine is in a less wet spot. I love it!
Keep us posted on this lovely spot! I like its wild look, so I hope the owners don't want things too ornate there. Lovely trees!
Gardenbug
- Ontario,
Zone "4/5"
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Karalyn
My Weather
| | Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 09:28 am EST : |
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Sweet Woodruff,hardy geranium, hostas, columbines, Creeping Jenny, both colors, Ajuga, all kinds of carex, calla lilies, corsican mint, Penny Royal mint, all kinds of coral bells. Bulbs of all kinds, like what Marie said.
There are so many tiny ground covers in the nurseries these days, I love Baby Tears and your zone should be able to grow them. Can't wait to see more photos!
Karalyn Idaho Zone 6 |
Growit
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 02:48 pm EST : |
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Thankyou ladies! This picture is a little old and things look a lot different now.
I totally agree about the Vinca Gardenbug but I have to do what my customers want unfortunately. I have planted it as far away from the trees as possible, dangling over the edge of the stream and around an old tree stump so it can do as little damage as possible. I also chop any new rooted pieces off when no one is looking.
I too want to keep it looking as natural as possible. The light and the atmosphere is just so special and I don't want to ruin it but I am dealing with two elderly sisters who each want me to do different things in the garden. One wants everything (including the brambles, nettles, docks and tree saplings)left alone, the other wants me to rip out everything and turn it into suburbia!  So far down there I have planted candelabra primulas, foetid irises, geraniums, Alchemilla mollis, Lysimachia (upright and creeping) Aquilegias (they got chewed!) ferns and a little piece of Ajuga I found in the front garden. My mind went a bit blank after that which is why I love this forum  Fresh input is so wonderful.
Thalictrum...I never thought of that. Do you get problems with rabbits chewing Gardenbug?
European ginger...Yes! I have it in my garden must dig a bit up. I did get my customer to buy Camassias but she planted them out the front when I wasn't looking! Sweet woodruff...never thought of that either I know where I can nick some from baby tears I have that planted round my pond Karilyn why did I not think of that? and mint! Why did I not think of that? That would be perfect for holding the bank and so many to choose from. Thanks for all the other suggestions I may be pushed to fit them all in LOL!
Oh, forgot. I have already planted loads of daffodils and some bluebells down there too although the rabbits do chew the leaves on the latter.
I will do my best to remember my camera next time I am there and take some more pics.
Sorry this is so long but I do get carried away when I think about how this garden could look. It has two underground springs in it and floods up to where the birdbath is in that picture so I want to do a bog garden too! I will be old and grey before I finish everything there that I want to do LOL!
Growit
- Hampshire,
Zone "8/9"
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Growit
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 03:00 pm EST : |
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Haha! Gardenbug I just looked up 'Goutweed' as I have never heard of it. Ground elder?!!!!!
I cannot believe that you have been sold this as a garden plant in Canada. It is one of the most invasive, persistent weeds ever here. I have it in virtually every garden I work(ed) in. its amazing what is sold as a garden plant in different countries.
Growit
- Hampshire,
Zone "8/9"
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Gardenbug
| | Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 04:19 pm EST : |
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Folks here particularly like the variegated goutweed with orange "ditch lilies". It's a popular combination. It took me weeks and weeks to remove the stuff when we moved in here. I even sifted the soil to remove every trace of root.
Here too the creek area floods seriously each spring when the ice thaws.
Rabbits aren't a serious problem for me near the creek. They prefer our woodsy area and destroy shrubs and clematis that aren't caged. But near the creek the groundhogs do great damage. They love astrantia in particular. I've added more hostas there instead. It always amazes me how magazines write about encouraging wildlife in the garden. 
Gardenbug
- Ontario,
Zone "4/5"
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Growit
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Friday, November 09, 2007 - 05:05 pm EST : |
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Haha! so true. Glad I don't have to deal with groundhogs as well. It is bad enough with the bunnies, mice, rats, moles and the odd deer.
There is a bridge (collapsing, another thing I have to fix) across the stream that the rabbits use to get to everything I plant down there. Once I fix it I will have to construct somekind of gate to keep them on the other side but then they can still come in from the other gardens.
You mentioned growing hostas instead of astrantia. Don't the slugs eat them? They had some in pots in this garden when I first came here but even with slug pellets they looked like string vests!
Growit
- Hampshire,
Zone "8/9"
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Gardenbug
| | Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2007 - 12:07 am EST : |
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I buy the hostas that look corrugated. They withstand slugs much better than others. Some years are good too.
Oh, also foxgloves grow in the shady areas sometimes. Corydalis lutea spreads itself about nicely also.
Gardenbug
- Ontario,
Zone "4/5"
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Growit
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 09:37 am EST : |
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Ok I will mention those to them and foxgloves and Corydalis.
Thanks for all your help Gardenbug. I will be in that garden on Thursday so I will try to remember my camera.
Growit
- Hampshire,
Zone "8/9"
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Gardenfiend
 Supporting Member
My Weather
My Garden
| | Posted on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 10:58 am EST : |
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Lythrum salicaria flourishes in those conditions, too. It's a native, so it should... Also Carex elata 'Bowles Golden Grass' does superbly in moist or even wet soil. I've got it growing inside the pond liner (but above water-level). If it gets some sun the yellow colour is quite pronounced, but it does well in shade, too. It's graceful and "natural"-looking.
Iris pseudacorus grows everywhere from under water to normal moist soil. There's a variegated cultivar that is very nice.
Forget-me-not Myosotis palustris should also do well and spread.
Various Geums, especially G. rivale and cultivars thereof. I really love these.
Waldsteinia geoides (or ternata, I prefer the former) thrives in the conditions you describe. It also spreads and would hold the soil. And flowers nicely in spring. It would actually be a good substitute for the ivy - especially W. ternata.
Geranium sylvaticum.
Astilbes would love those conditions.
How about Iris sibirica? Not the complicated cultivars that need drier conditions, but the species or varieties near to it.
Dare I suggest Saxifraga fortunei? Might be worth a try...
Gardenfiend
- Germany,
Zone "7a"
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Growit
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 12:11 pm EST : |
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Hi Mara.
Lythrum is already there and is now spreading since I cleared the nettles and docks (well some of them there are so many!)as are Forget me nots. Irises I have a real problem with as the squirrels keep digging them out but I will persevere. Geums I have to wait until I have got rid of all the wild ones but yes they would be nice and the ones in the beds nearer the house seem to be left pretty much alone. Waldsteinia excellent! hadn't thought of that one and I really like it as well. Some geraniums are down there (not sure which as dug them out of another garden without seeing the flowers) Astilbes get chomped! (Only in Spring and early Summer) which is really annoying as in another garden I do with rabbits they are not touched. Saxifrage I had not thought of either. Will see if I can pinch some from another garden I do. Thanks Mara. Out of all the plants suggested I should be able to make it look amazing or I will have to sack myself!
Growit
- Hampshire,
Zone "8/9"
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Lovinlife
| | Posted on Monday, November 12, 2007 - 12:57 pm EST : |
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Forget-me-nots are beautiful in spring and sometimes throughout the summer. They self-seed and love the shade.
Lovinlife
- Utah,
Zone "5"
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Growit
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Friday, November 16, 2007 - 02:32 pm EST : |
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Plenty down there Gloria. I worked my way round them when I was clearing the weeds. Here are some more pics closer up. (remembered to take my camera) Still lots left to do and some things have died back so won't see the full effect until Spring.
 See lots of forget me nots.
 The ivy covered edge to the little stream.
 Its an old toilet brush holder! See Gardenbug Vinca not near any trees and hopefully will camouflage frog a little too.
 The front of the house where I am beginning to dig the front main border a lot bigger.
Growit
- Hampshire,
Zone "8/9"
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Gardenbug
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 - 09:37 am EST : |
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Like that curvy new front border! I've done similar work...and work it is indeed. It is also work maintaining such a large border, so I suggest some low care items, even shrubs be included. Personally I love ornamental grasses and would include them, although once they get BIG, it is indeed a chore to divide them.
Keep checking the vinca though, making sure it doesn't escape from its assigned territory. ;-)
Gardenbug
- Ontario,
Zone "4/5"
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Growit
My Favorite Photo
My Weather
My Time
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 20, 2007 - 10:18 am EST : |
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Thankyou Gardenbug.
This should help with the size of the border. You can see it just off to the left in the other photo.
The older sister has problems with her feet so this will be her viewing circle so she can stand in the garden surrounded by her plants.
Most of it will be shrub planted. First I have to rearrange everything in the existing border then I can decide what I can take from other areas of the garden and what they will need to buy. There will also be stepping stones in between the plants so I can get to them to maintain them.
Growit
- Hampshire,
Zone "8/9"
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