Re: Rockery plants

Dear John,

I am surprised about Cerastium - I utilized it when I lived in Foresthill,
CA Zone 7 at 2600 foot elevation.  It was in the same place for 9 years at
one location and it never spread beyond where it was wanted -  it did creep
into a gravel driveway a bit but was easily pulled up - the soil was amended
clay.  The section where it was planted was surrounded by quartz rocks and
then gravel driveway beyond that so that helped contain it.  The colder
winter and tall trees at that location, probably kept it in check.  I will
be careful in recommending this plant for rock gardens in the future.  I may
have to rethink some of my palette of previous plants since landscaping in
one area of California is completely different than in another.  Thanks for
the input and information.

Another plant that performed well in Foresthill was Saponaria ocymoides or
soapwort - do you find this plant to have the same aggressive
characteristics as the Cerastium in the warmer climates?

Linda Starr
Springville Gardens

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John MacGregor" <jonivy@earthlink.net>
To: <mtnstar@ocsnet.net>; <medit-plants@ucdavis.edu>
Sent: Monday, January 10, 2005 11:45 AM
Subject: Re: Rockery plants


> on 1/10/05 8:51 AM, Linda Starr at mtnstar@ocsnet.net wrote:
>
> > A good gray foliage ground cover is Cerastium tomentosa or Snow in
Summer,
> > gets covered in small white flowers in the early summer, hence the name.
> > Likes the heat and exists on very little water.
>
> Pamela, Linda
>
> Cerastium tomentosum (snow-in-summer), despite its beauty,  is a plant to
> avoid when planting a rock garden, unless you intend for your rock garden
to
> consist exclusively of Cerastium tomentosum (which, intend it or not, will
> inevitably be the case if you plant it).  It is extremely invasive,
> spreading by underground stolons, that spread between and below the rocks
> and these are impossible to remove without disassembling the entire rock
> garden.  Even the tiniest fragment of root will resprout to restart the
> invasion.  Once established, they will crowd out and smother any small
> neighboring plants and climb up into shrubs, shading the lower branches
and
> leaving them bare of their own leaves.
>
> Cerastium makes a good groundcover that must be sheared back at least once
a
> year, but be careful where you plant it, especially if you value any of
its
> small neighbors!
>
> John MacGregor
> South Pasadena, CA 91030
> USDA zone 9   Sunset zones 21/23
>
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