Re: Corydalis

> a beautiful plant to say the least,   this one will have to go on my
> wish list for the spring.

It's still on my wish list, too...maybe in spring!
>
> You are a blessing to this list,  with you knowledge about plants and on
> other subjects.  I want you to know how much I appreciate you.

Total blush, Donna - thank you so much for your kind words!

> Kemberly sent  me the article you wrote about clematis in the shade.  I
> have printed it out and am saving it for springtime.

Hope you find it useful...I think many Clematis will grow in quite a bit of
shade, but they do need a bit of sun to bloom well...and I have also read
that they do better in dappled or morning sun as the flower colors don't
fade as badly as they can do in full sun..

> do you remember the post where I was telling about finding a large pile
> of wood chip compost at an old lumber mill.   It has been there at least
> 40 or 50 years?    well with the help of my husband,  we have hauled
> about 4 pickup loads.   I can stand on my patio and look down at one of
> my flower beds and it looks like  " BLACK GOLD"

I certainly do - talk about jealous!  What a marvelous find!  Your plants
ought to go nuts in that stuff.   In my greed, I'd try to get every last
bit that lumber yard had if it took me a year:-)   I have some beds that
are about a foot or so of black rotted woodchips over native yucky clay and
plants do very well in them, although they tend to dry out fairly quickly -
but it also doesn't take a lot of water to get them moist again.  If you
actually mix your black gold in with your native whatever, it will be even
better, since it won't dry out as fast as it will all by itself.  That
mixing tends to happen when you plant something as you can dig a hole for
the plant down into the native whatever and mix it in with the good stuff
before you plant.

It is probably not real high in nitrogen, so you may need to add some if
your plants start to tell you about it by getting slightly chlorotic - no
big whoops and the texture of the soil with that marvelous black stuff
makes so much difference to the root systems.

Where I have those beds, I can dig plants up with my bare hands!  Even
Euphorbia, who don't like to be moved much, don't even know they've been
lifted....never skip a beat.

Have a ball with all that black gold!

Regards,

Marge

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
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