Re: Re: Help with H. americana!

Marge,
I do rather agree with you re our MGs, but then they are volunteers and have families and live long distance from the gardens. I guess they don't like to start too early in the season.

They do shred the leaves somewhat, but they pile them too high imo.

have nothing against Impatiens - more appropriate for a woodland
garden than coleus IMO
Chuckle...they love Coleus. Now they don't use Impatiens, but they love scattering coleus everywhere. Sigh.

does not sound like that group are really interested
in gardening as I understand the term.
A lot of MGs are just dabblers. They take the crash MG course and then they decorate rather than garden imo. But as I said, these are people with all sorts of interests and this is just a small portion of their lives. Don't get me wrong, some have a lot of expertise, but more of them are just having some fun.


Kitty
neIN, Zone 5
----- Original Message ----- From: "Marge Talt" <mtalt@hort.net>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 19, 2006 1:01 AM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Re: Help with H. americana!


Another oldie.....

Nah....hederafiolia is a fall bloomer - can start mid-late summer if
it gets enough water to wake it up.

Your MGs make me wonder if they're actually "Master" gardeners.
Leaves are fine, but they have to start coming off early March or, as
you rightly point out, they smother the early plants and it's much
better to chop them than leave them whole if time permits...and not
put them down a foot thick unless you intend to start a new bed.  I
have nothing against Impatiens - more appropriate for a woodland
garden than coleus IMO, but it appears your group is just using
whatever to extreme and neglecting all the lovely things they could
be growing if they had sense enough.  Pity.

Think, considering, you're right to just get them what they ask for
and forget it; does not sound like that group are really interested
in gardening as I understand the term.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Shadyside Garden Designs

----------

From: Kitty <kmrsy@comcast.net>

Mine were Cyclamen coum, purchased in 2003.  I guess I thought C.
hederafolia would also bloom in February.

As to these MGs...they tend a garden called the Woodland Fen.  They

have the

standard fare of Hostas, ferns, Hellebores, some Astilbes,

Heucheras, a

couple of Toadlilies.  Beyond that, they used to cover the whole

thing in a

layer of Impatiens, which made me cringe. Fortunately, they stopped

that

practice. Now they fill in everywhere with coleus. oh well.   Since

the

current group took this garden over several years ago, they've lost

all

their Trilliums, most of their Barrenworts, and almost all new

ephemerals I

got for them.  Why?  Their method of putting the garden to bed is

to heap

leaves over everything until you can't see anything at all.  That

in itself

might not be too bad as the winter winds do remove some of that.

However,

they don't uncover the garden until latest April, maybe May.  So

what's the

point of Cyclamen? or Trillium?  I think they've just smothered or

neglected

the early stuff becuase it doesn't perform when they are paying

attention.

Anyway, I've stopped suggesting lovely woodland plants and just get

them

what they want.

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