Anne, I remember that you have a lot of rock...smile. Perhaps a couple of troughs with the right soil and some high shade? Or a plastic pool set into a kettlehole and built up around the outside? It has been obvious through the years that most gardens have a number of contrivances to get what the plantsman wants. I only grow a modest number of dwarf conifers and rock plants in troughs. I lack the energy and love of small things to intall a rock slope, although I often thought of it. Bulbs, Himalayan and other Asian exotics, weird or large plants with impact are more my sort of thing. Ranuculus vicaria? I adore it but have spent the past few years screaming at my beloved weeder husband to "Get it out, get it out" and "You missed some!". To this day he still asks if he is ripping out the right plant..smile. You are too kind to ask my advice. You are the ultimate plantswoman and anything special that I have is due to good fortune rather than being expert. Thank you. Best, Marcia Brown Meigs Ithaca, NY USA In a message dated 1/22/2011 2:11:09 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
Marcia, moist has never been used as a descriptive adjective for this garden. To give you an idea, Ranunculus ficaria in many forms is welcomed here and it is very well behaved. I wish it would spread around more! Anne Spiegel in the Mid-Hudson Valley, New York -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: Sat, Jan 22, 2011 1:57 pm Subject: Re: [Alpine-l] Eranthis hyemalis - lawns Hello Anne, Well, in all fairness, although they seem able to seed just about anywhere, eranthis seems to grown best for me in at least fairly moist, soil, in the woodland, amended with a lot of rotted leaves from the dump and mulched with woodchips(applied later in the season). Dear old mentor, Prof. Bill Hamilton, brought his back from England where he was stationed during WWll and when he passed away in the 80's, his place was covered solidly with sheets of glorious gold to welcome Springtime. The new owners tried desperately to get rid of the eranthis, if you can imagine. But, I will admit that the foliage tends to obliterate small Spring ephemeral treasures. Can you imagine trying to get all the little bulblets out of vast swathes of pachysandra and such. Sometimes Nature has sweet revenge...smile. That is why I am a little alarmed at this point and beginning to try to remove large amounts of it. I will put some way down in the woodlands and hope that they only grow downhile as many plants seem to prefer doing. Bill always said that the best place to grown them was under shrubberies. and actually, those locations, although at the bottoms of slopes, were rather dry. I often tell people that when they choose to plant something that they love, they should look out of their windows and see what they might like to see. Unfortunately I am not great at following my own advice. Best, Marcia Meigs in Ithaca, NY USA In a message dated 1/22/2011 1:34:38 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) writes: Lucky you, Marcia! I'd love them to behave like that here but there are only a couple of places to their liking. I've had a lot of success moviing them right after bloom and dividing them. It's quite a nice spread now, just not where I can see it easily. Anne Spiegel Zone 5a(?) mid-Hudson valley, New York -----Original Message----- From: [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) To: [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) Sent: Sat, Jan 22, 2011 1:23 pm Subject: Re: [Alpine-l] Eranthis hyemalis - lawns Hello Brian, We have had Jack Russells for over 28 years and never a case of poisoning of any sort, at least not that we were aware of. But, then, our pets, like us, are not vegans...smile. I think this a wonderful idea, Brian. I have quite a bit of eranthis growing in perennial borders, the woodland gardens etc. and they spread almost to the point of being considere invasive. I certainly would not plant eranthis where there might someday when we are gone, be pasturing area, but I plan to seed around as much as I can where there are daffodils in big patches all over the hill. I make my husband mow around these areas until nearly the end of June, so the eranthis foliage and seeds would certainly have time to do their thing. Thank you for the great idea. Best, Marcia Brown Meigs Ithaca, NY USA Z5 Sub zero deg. F due for the next two nights but at least 6 in. out of snow out there. In a message dated 1/22/2011 10:49:04 A.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) writes: I saw a recommendation recently to use Eranthis as a spring flower in lawns, as it was largely over before any mowing was likely. I have only seen it in grass in very large numbers in Welford Park, in the Lambourne Valley in the UK _http://www.worldisround.com/articles/10902/photo66.html_ (http://www.worldisround.com/articles/10902/photo66.html) Usually it is grown as a light woodland plant and even here it is largely under mature trees. But the question is in view of its toxicity, in a domestic situation, how is it with pets? I would like to try it as it is so easy to grow from fresh seed but am concerned about dogs bruising the leaves and cleaning their paws, and maybe later eating the seed if it is not mown off before it sheds. Anyone with pets tried it? Brian Whyer, Buckinghamshire, England, zone ~8 _______________________________________________ Alpine-l mailing list [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) _http://mailman.science.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/alpine-l_ (http://mailman.science.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/alpine-l) _______________________________________________ Alpine-l mailing list [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) _http://mailman.science.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/alpine-l_ (http://mailman.science.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/alpine-l) _______________________________________________ Alpine-l mailing list [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) _http://mailman.science.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/alpine-l_ (http://mailman.science.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/alpine-l) _______________________________________________ Alpine-l mailing list [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) _http://mailman.science.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/alpine-l_ (http://mailman.science.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/alpine-l) _______________________________________________ Alpine-l mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.science.uu.nl/mailman/listinfo/alpine-l
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