Re: Clematis problem

Yes, small rocks will retain warmth in sun, but I was thinking of
fairly deep gravel or big rocks:-)  Oddly enough, even the sunnier
parts of my gravel drive stay cool a few inches down, but under big
rocks, it's always cool and moister than the surrounding soil.

Yes, small rocks or gravel will become part of the soil matrix...try
big rocks; you can lift them off to add goodies to the soil when you
want to.

While I am sure landscaping cloth has its good points, it ought to
come with a big red warning label that says ROOTS WILL PENETRATE,
because they will and talk about a mess trying to get it out of
somewhere or get a plant out of a spot that has it under the
soil...yech!  I rue the day I ever used it anywhere but under a path
of mulch and I'm not so sure it does much there...those dang wild
onions just come right up through it.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
-----------------------------------------------
Current Article: Wild, Wonderful Aroids Part 5 - Pinellia
http://www.suite101.com/welcome.cfm/shade_gardening
------------------------------------------------
Complete Index of Articles by Category and Date
http://mtalt.hort.net/article-index.html
------------------------------------------------
All Suite101.com garden topics :
http://www.suite101.com/topics.cfm/635

----------
> From: cathy carpenter <cathyc@rnet.com>
> Not saying that rocks do not have a place, but my problems with
them: 
> they tend to heat up the area around the roots when the area where
they 
> are used is in sun, and if they are placed on bare soil, they have
a 
> tendency to work their way down into the soil, which makes working
the 
> beds for compost/fertilizer/new plantings a real pain. (And I don't

> even want to start discussions of rocks + landscaping cloth!
> Cathy

---------------------------------------------------------------------
To sign-off this list, send email to majordomo@hort.net with the
message text UNSUBSCRIBE GARDENCHAT
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index