re: grit and gravel
- To: "'perennials'"
- Subject: re: grit and gravel
- From: S* C*
- Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 14:41:38 -0500
Marge says . . . "IMO seed would rather germinate in some kind of
gravel than anywhere else..."
In the sunny east side of my zone 5b garden, Marge's comment
certainly rings true! As I said in a recent post, we have that portion of
the garden set up with weedblock underneath, gravel paths, and numerous
raised beds. It turns out that EVERYTHING in the garden--annual, perennial,
shrub, vine--seeds in the gravel paths!
Of course, I'm the original soft-hearted gardener and I have a
really hard time pulling things out, especially once they are in bloom.
When we can, we pass on to others, but sometimes it just gets out of hand
and we give up on some of the paths until bloom time is over.
Right now, for example, the annual bloodflower, a charming milkweed
(asclepias) with orange and yellow flowers that attract Monarch butterflies
like crazy, has sprouted all over the paths along with huge blooming plants
of Althea zebrina, a cute hollyhock/mallow relative with striped purple
flowers and big leaves. Both of these are annual, so it's not a permanent
problem, but you see what I mean...
As for grit, for many years, I grew rock garden plants from seed
(belonged to several international exchanges) in a cool basement and used
turkey grit for the tops of the potting soil in the six-packs I was sowing
into. So--yes, grit and gravel are great for seeding!
Susan and David in Urbana, Illinois, zone 5b
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