Re: [SG] Low Maintenance Gardening/cimicifuga
I've observed a lot of C. racemosa along the Blue Ridge Parkway and on
roadsides and leafy forest edges in western North Carolina. It would
appear that it likes a shaded position at the edge of woods (always on the
north-facing road bank) and a loose, gravelly soil with plenty of
decomposed granite as well as a deep layer of organic material. The best
plants are at sites where there is plenty of moisture, but not soggy
conditions, such as where small streams cascade over the roadbanks or
springs seep out.
Here in the Virginia Piedmont, with hot summers that at least for the past
five years have been unusually dry, none of the three Cimicifuga species I
have tried (racemosa, acerina, simplex) have survived. Our soil is stiff
red clay, and the woodland garden is under pines rather than deciduous
trees.
I guess the moral of this tale is that you can sometimes fool Mother Nature
but not too much. A little knowledge about the natural habitat of plants
can be very helpful; I am not surprised that a Himalayan Cimicifuga does
not do very well in the American Midwest. Along those lines, I used to do
field work with a German colleague who had spent years in Nepal. In
western North Carolina, he would often pause and remark that if he did not
know better, he would guess he was back in the Himalaya. The general
appearance of the flora (but not the specific species) is very, very
similar to the Himalayan valleys and foothills.
So if you want to grow Himalayan plants, move to Sylva!
Bill Shear
Department of Biology
Hampden-Sydney College
Hampden-Sydney VA 23943
(804)223-6172
FAX (804)223-6374
email<bills@hsc.edu>
