Re: hellebores was: Shade Garden Gone?

You're welcome Ann.

Do go see if that child survived the water and the dogs...they are
very tough plants, once established, but a newly planted one might
give up the ghost if it gets too much abuse.

Sounds like your soil may be somewhat sandy?  I think that you really
have to continually amend soil in the deep south - the heat just
burns up the organic material.  Well, not really, but that's what it
seems like:-)

Wonder if it's some excess calcium or something in the water...very
strange.  Anybody else on this list have any ideas what could cause
city water to leave white trails?

Give the hellebores some time - most of the x hybridus are not fast
growing plants, but long-lived and very lovely...they just increase
in beauty each season:-)  A mature clump makes as much of a statement
as a green hosta and they're with you all year around.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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----------
> From: Ann James <annfree@earthlink.net>
>
> Thanks, Marge, I took a look at your informative article about
hellebores.
> And when it gets good daylight I guess I'll scout around that loser
of an
> ex-fern bed and see if I have any stakes left with plant names on
them.
> Since my big dogs sometimes walk across that bed in an effort to
communicate
> with the yard dog next door, it's amazing that anything grows
there.  But it
> does get too much water when we're in high watering season.
>
> Perhaps someone with the city could tell me what's in the water
that makes
> those half circles.  Walking the dogs behind the block I'd see
regular
> patches on the back fences where the range of the sprinklers hit. I
think
> all the homes in the subdivision were built with sprinkler systems
> installed.  We moved here a little over two years ago and the soil
and
> climate are really different from Houston's heavy clay and high
humidity.
>
> Our landscape man who runs a regular lawn service says that Conroe
soil is
> very thin and needs a lot of amendment.  He used to own a plant
nursery in
> the area, so he must know.  I find the soil much lighter and easier
to dig
> in.
>
> In Houston you pray for a little shade in the heat of summer to
help your
> plants survive.  Here, you learn  to plant things that will thrive
in the
> shade, which is what brought me to hostas and then to hellebores.
So far,
> I'm liking the hostas a lot better and they did return bigger and
better
> this spring.  And an unknown one evidently seeded and I have a crop
of
> little ones.  Of course they've all gone dormant now, or are in the
process
> of doing so.
>
> Ann James
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