Re: Chinese ginger - Yo Kitty!

Marge,
Your experiences with these gingers is more extensive than mine and your
reports similar but not quite the same.  The one thing I really noticed was
that last line about the slugs.  I definitely have slugs here, but I've
never seen a single slug hole on any of my gingers, so I went out, just now,
and checked.  On my 9 yr old 3x2ft clump (half was removed a few yrs ago -
originally was 3 tiny plants) of A. europaeum there is one hole on one leaf.
On the 4 plants of A. splendens there are about 6 holes on one leaf, nothing
on any of the others.  And my single plant of A. shuttleworthii hasn't a
mark on it.  I had always thought the leaves of these plants were to thick
for the slugs to bother with.

Kitty

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marge Talt" <mtalt@hort.net>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Monday, August 09, 2004 11:38 PM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Chinese ginger - Yo Kitty!


> And, without the spreaders and self-seeders, I wouldn't be able to
> begin to manage my garden - they are invaluable; they cover ground
> with something I like a whole lot better than the selections old Ma
> Nature comes up with:-)  Yeah, I do spend a lot of time hacking back
> and pulling seedlings but OTOH, I don't have to mulch or weed much in
> the older parts of my garden - my groundcovers take care of that!
> When you have great swaths of a single plant, it's not heartbreaking
> to dig some out if you want to plant something else and until that
> day, they cover the ground, bloom and take care of things:-)
>
> Pachysandra terminalis is a real work-horse of a groundcover.  Yes,
> it does, like all aggressive plants, need curbing once it reaches the
> boundary you want it to grow in, but it's a neat, tidy plant that
> does stop all but the most determined woody seedlings from growing
> where it grows.
>
> I am very fond of Asarum tho' many of the far east types are slug
> bait of the first order.  I've got a very good swath of A. canadense
> covering ground at the base of a maple and black locust in very
> inhospitable conditions...it could cover twice the area and I would
> be very pleased; glad it's survived all these years in the first
> place.  Anything that can grow under a maple is on my 'A' list!
>
> My one small clump of A. europaeum has not done a lot of expanding
> and I've had it for well over 20 years; beautiful plant tho'- foliage
> looks like someone polished it.
>
> I have, at one time or another acquired the following - some of whom
> are still with me and some who are not despite multiple purchases:
>
> A. 'Ling-Ling' - think that one bit the dust pretty quickly.
> A. shuttleworthii 'Callaway'
> A. arifolium (three times and I'm not sure I still have it)
> A. arifolium virginica
> A. delavayi
> A. naniflorum
> A. naniflorum 'Eco Decor' - lasted about 2 years.
> A. speciosum
> A. speciosum 'Woodlanders Select'
> A. splendens - with whom I am extremely well pleased; does not seem
> as attractive to slugs; fantastic foliage and seems to be bulking up
> quite well.
> A. virginicum 'Shuttleworthii'
> A. virginicum var virginicum 'Silver Splash'
>
> There is not, IMO, a remarkable difference amongst this group - the
> foliage varies a bit, but not enough so that I can easily say this
> one is so and so - except for A. splendens...it really stands out.  I
> think many of mine suffered from getting too dry during our 5-year
> drought.  Some of the smaller ones were no match for the slug
> population; I still have at least 2 clumps of rather mini versions;
> not sure who is what without retrieving tags.  They prefer that
> oxymoron - a highly organic soil that stays moist but drains
> well....probably the hardest condition to achieve in my climate.
> While they want shade, they also seem to do best where they get
> fairly bright light - those that are literally under shrubs survive
> but don't really expand all that fast.  High dappled shade seems to
> be the best light for them.  Only some of mine are getting that!
>
> If you can keep them going, they are all lovely plants.  Except for
> 'Splendens', none of them are really going to cover a huge amount of
> territory in your life-time...slow, slow expansion.
>
> I'm a sucker for these plants, however, and will keep acquiring them
> as I can, I am sure...gotta feed those slugs!
>
> Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
> mtalt@hort.net
> Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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> ----------
> > From: Aplfgcnys@aol.com
> > I have never been abe to understand people who don't like plants
> that grow
> > vigorously.  One of my club members has a splendid formal garden
> but
> > will not allow anything that spreads or reseeds by itself.  She
> must be able
> > to
> > control the plant completely.  Unfortunately, she is a bit that way
> about
> > other
> > matters as well, including people.  Other people seem to think
> anything
> > that spreads will be like Audrey II in Little Shop of Horrors. I
> guess my
> > garden is a mess (not guess, know) but I enjoy things that appear
> to like
> > to grow for me.
> > Auralie
>
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