{Disarmed} Re: Re: Living Mulches for Siberians

I am in Zone 3 and mulch with pine straw and also use strawberry plants and agree that it makesa solid but airy groundcover. I never have told anybody about the strawberry plants because it sounded so bizarre. There is nothing like munching on your ground cover while weeding.
 
Ellen

aa_liatris <aa_liatris@yahoo.com> wrote:
I am in zone 4. I use Persian Corn Flower (Centaurea). It shades the
root zone and suppresses weeds while not taking away from the Siberian
lines. It grows easily, but it is not weedy. It works well for most
Siberians. It is too tall for the likes of 'Strawberry Fair' which is
only 2/3 the height of, say, 'Caesar's Brother.' If I weren't
plagued with deer, I would use strawberry plants. I have used that in
the past. It makes a solid, but airy, groundcover.

--- In sibrob@yahoogroups.com, "Arthur Goodwin" <ArthurGoodwin@...> wrote:
>
> I tried something different this year and overplanted the whole of
my Siberian/Lily bed with moss rose (using an entire ounce of seed). I
was inspired to do this because of all the purslane that kept growing
rampantly in the bed and figured that since moss rose and purslane are
both in the portulaca family, the moss rose (usually considered as a
plant for poor stony, sandy, dry soil) might work as a living mulch
for the siberians. Did it ever work! I now have an almost solid
expanse of moss rose surrounding each of the Siberian plantings (and
the feet of the lilies) and now starting to bloom (in multi-colors)
just as the Siberians are finishing up. This promises to keep the bed
in full color from now until frost. I know some might find this
garish, but it works for me.
>
> What do other members of the robin use as companion plants/living
mulches with their Siberians?
>
> Best Regards,
> Arthur
>
> No virus found in this outgoing message.
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>




Ellen Gallagher / ellengalla@yahoo.com / Editor, The Siberian Iris
Berlin, New Hampshire - USDA Zone 3
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