Re: on the subject of plants under trees
- To: <perennials@mallorn.com>
- Subject: Re: on the subject of plants under trees
- From: "* C* <m*@anet-chi.com>
- Date: Tue, 18 Aug 1998 09:41:54 -0500
From: elle <elle@europa.com>
>hi..on the south side of my driveway I have an English Walnut tree..messy
>but the squirrels like the walnuts.
>I am thinking of planting a bed of Rhododendrons around this tree (but
>outside the drip line) and wonder if there is anything besides bulb
>plants that will stand being under the tree itself.
>I am considering shade plants such as hosta and ferns and perhaps a few
>ornamental grasses. Any other ideas?
I grow 6 species of Campanula under my walnuts, along with Hypericum,
Leonurus, Monarda, Rudbeckia, Aquilegia, etc. There is a complete
list of plants which will grow under black walnuts on my web page at:
http://www.anet-chi.com/~manytimes/page18.htm
The toxicity of root to root contact with English walnuts may be half or
less than that of black walnuts, so the list on my web page is only a
fraction of what you can really grow there. Under my black walnuts,
I grow only lawn grass and honeysuckles, but only because gardens
would not be appropriate in those areas. I am trying different genera
under the English walnuts every year (for years), and have not bothered
to keep track of them, as they have done well while they were there.
If you plant in a row extending away from the tree, and the near plants
don't fare as well as the far plants, you will have a clear indication of
juglone sensitivity. Also, there is some indication, that juglone
sensitivity by certain plants diminishes over time. In a row of 15
Levisticum, the near plants did not thrive as well as the far plants
for 2 or 3 seasons. I never got around to moving them, but now see
that their performance in recent years is the equal of the far plants.
The grasses should do well there, if you select those liking some
shade, Chasmanthium, for example.
In landscaping around walnuts, remember that the drip line is not the extent
of the roots. Tree roots extend 1.5 times the radius, i.e. the roots of
a tree with a leaf canopy covering a 30 ft. diameter will have root
coverage of 45 ft. diameter.
manytimes,
tom
zone 5a, NE Illinois, -21ºF Min
http://www.anet-chi.com/~manytimes
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