Lamium and pinks
- Subject: Lamium and pinks
- From: E*@aol.com
- Date: Mon, 1 Apr 2002 23:52:58 EST
In a message dated 4/1/02 6:56:18 PM Eastern Standard Time,
llebpmac_bob@hotmail.com writes:
<< Ajuga and lamium are supposed to be thuggish-they're groundcovers. I wish
I
could get lamium to grow in my garden. Of course I also wish I could get my
pinks to grow somewhere besides the driveway. That's life. >>
Bob,
USDA Zone 4 would be a maximum of 30 degrees below zero F. However that is
not the only factor. The average number of days between killing frosts is
also a zone factor. I never lived anywhere that an apple tree would not set
fruit until I lived in the mountains. That was difficult to understand as
they flower well. This past year we have not had temps below zero, not once
and most of the freezing has been around twenty degrees F. ( around minus 5
C.) So..........we don't know what zone we are in either. The beginning of
spring growth, last frost and the first September frost remains at about 115
days though so fruiting woody plants are still restricted. That may be the
more important zone factor.
I could be lynched for this I suppose but I let the ajuga grow right into the
lawn. Two or three colors. It blooms in the lawns and looks pretty good. I
have no interest in lawn so the ajuga is not trouble to me. The lawn belongs
to the other person on this farm who sees to it that what grows there is all
about the same height. Ajuga lives perfectly well beneath the lawn mower.
So does thyme. If you like perfect weedfree lawns, don't do this as you will
never be free of it.
The lamium will get started in damp shade. For some reason that is the way
it thrives here. It did not like general border conditions. Will not do
well with dry conditions. Here same as astrantia - same problem.
Pinks of all kinds do not grow well in acid soil or even soil with a neutral
pH. I also had dianthus deltoides all over the driveway for years until I
planted them on slopes in nearly all sand or grit and added lime. I used
plaster rubble as it seems to work better or wood ashes but I suppose
agricultural lime is fine as well. Other lime lovers can be added so you
don't have an isolated dianthus area. Centranthus did the same for me. I
tried to grow that for ten years here and lost the plants every summer, half
way through the summer, until they joined the sand and gravel and plaster
area. Irises will like it there also (bearded irises). I like the very
dwarf irises, the tall ones blow over in the wind and attract those awful
iris borers. You can keep the area reading a high pH by adding the wood
ashes over time and mulching with gravel. Another plus is that this type of
planting needs no watering.
Claire Peplowski
NYS z4
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