Re: Easy Street ?
- To: Multiple recipients of list <i*@rt66.com>
- Subject: Re: Easy Street ?
- From: E* G* <e*@moose.ncia.net>
- Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 10:06:40 -0600 (MDT)
Claire P. wrote:
>Plant right through the accumlated compost removing any rock you encounter.
> Subterranean rock should be ignored as not existing unless the trowel
>strikes it.
Rocks and tree roots (only come in large here) haunt me
when preparing new beds. I also wouldn't attempt to move some of the
boulders I encounter.
>This undergound rock actually holds water around the plants and if you can
>find space to plant w/o removal, so much the easier.
Yesterday, while planting bulbs, I removed a huge rock near the
surface while naturalizing narcissi. It was almost too big for
my husband to use in his free-standing stone walls. I agree that
rocks do help with water retention...
>My best method for new beds is to go over existing terrain with a thick
>layer of newspaper and cover the paper with all garden refuse for one entire
>season. Allow this to winter over adding all leaves you can rake up or
>collect in your neighborhood. The debris layer can be several feet high as
>a New England winter will reduce it to ground level by spring. In spring
>(or in previous fall if you have time) draw lines desired for the bed and
>cut an edge to define it.
This sounds too good to be true *but* I will try it next year. :)
We have old carpeting on one of our new beds and the sod is gone
and the ground is softer for digging....it has lain there for over
2 months and gives new meaning to landscaping as it decorates our
front lawn. Assuming the swelling in my left hand goes down, I will
be out there this afternoon beginning the digging and dreading the
rocks and tree roots...:( This perennial bed is for next year and
probably won't have any irises....maybe.
Cheers,
Ellen
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellen Gallagher / e_galla@moose.ncia.net
Northern New Hampshire, USA / Zone 3
Siberian iris robin / sibrob@ncia.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellen Gallagher / e_galla@moose.ncia.net
Northern New Hampshire, USA / Zone 3
Siberian iris robin / sibrob@ncia.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
