Just when I was very happy with my back partial sun to shade garden my neighbors large old maple had to come down. It leafed out so sparsely this year anyway it provided less shade but now I'm going to get much more sun so all the heucheras need to be moved. Any ideas on a short mid to front of the border native plant to replace them? There are about 6 heucheras filling the space.
I have 3 small shrubs, Ilex glabra, Fothergilla, and Clethera "Hummingbird"in the center and phlox subulata as a ground cover to one side and some nicely berrying false solomon seal, Similacina racemosa on the other (hopefully shaded enough not to burn).
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- applestar
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Well, I have a few ideas
Heuchera can handle a fair amount of sun and drought -- I have mine on the north-west side of the house where it gets beaten down by late PM sun... Aquilegia canadensis has similar growth habit to Heuchera... though I guess it depends on just how much sun we're talking about... Do you like strawberries? How about Fragaria virginiana? If no one's going to fall in it, Opuntia humifusa -- though that doesn't really go with the rest of the plants you mentioned...
Heuchera can handle a fair amount of sun and drought -- I have mine on the north-west side of the house where it gets beaten down by late PM sun... Aquilegia canadensis has similar growth habit to Heuchera... though I guess it depends on just how much sun we're talking about... Do you like strawberries? How about Fragaria virginiana? If no one's going to fall in it, Opuntia humifusa -- though that doesn't really go with the rest of the plants you mentioned...
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Hi applestar, thanks for your suggestions.
The Heucheras have already started to look a little bleached by the sun, since the tree didn't leaf out much this year, after looking good in the spring and early summer. I have Green Spice and Palace Purple in that spot behind some none native variegated Iris. With the tree down I have a south west exposure.
The wild red columbines (Aquilegia canadensis) are a good idea, this is one of my favorite plants. I have some in the front. Unfortunately I have some of the none native blue columbines in the back that seed prolifically. I have kept them separate so they don't interbreed but I can winter sow some wild red seeds and replace the blue non native ones.
I have a question about columbine though. Mine is regularly attacked by leaf miner and I cut it back after it forms seed heads for a new flush of leaves. Do you have the same problem?
As for the Fragaria virginiana thats another good possibility.
The cactus has always intrigued me but I'd have to find a very protected spot so the dogs don't fall in the patch.
The real plus of using the heuchera was the winter presence. I can't think of anything else that has that attribute.I just have the one Ilex glabra that is evergreen in that area.
The Heucheras have already started to look a little bleached by the sun, since the tree didn't leaf out much this year, after looking good in the spring and early summer. I have Green Spice and Palace Purple in that spot behind some none native variegated Iris. With the tree down I have a south west exposure.
The wild red columbines (Aquilegia canadensis) are a good idea, this is one of my favorite plants. I have some in the front. Unfortunately I have some of the none native blue columbines in the back that seed prolifically. I have kept them separate so they don't interbreed but I can winter sow some wild red seeds and replace the blue non native ones.
I have a question about columbine though. Mine is regularly attacked by leaf miner and I cut it back after it forms seed heads for a new flush of leaves. Do you have the same problem?
As for the Fragaria virginiana thats another good possibility.
The cactus has always intrigued me but I'd have to find a very protected spot so the dogs don't fall in the patch.
The real plus of using the heuchera was the winter presence. I can't think of anything else that has that attribute.I just have the one Ilex glabra that is evergreen in that area.
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NjTea, I DO have the same problem, except that I didn't this year. I've been trying to figure out WHY, because if I knew why, I could hopefully repeat the experience. But I can't say for sure what happened.NewjerseyTea wrote:I have a question about columbine though. Mine is regularly attacked by leaf miner and I cut it back after it forms seed heads for a new flush of leaves. Do you have the same problem?
Two significant events come to mind:
(1) We let almost all the back yard lawn grow this spring until all the grass were flowering (I wanted to ID them and this was the only way I knew how). I actually loved the meadow-like effect and was just mowing paths. The grass flowers were COVERED with many varieties of tiny wasps that I usually ID as benficial insects. (We got a notice from the township -- a neighbor, and we think we know who, complained -- that we were in violation of some code -- "grass/weeds to be maintained less than 6" within 200' of residence" -- and we had to mow it all down Now it's summer, and I'm getting a perverse pleasure out of having grown a "12'x8' sunflower house - turned into CORN house - because most of the sunflowers failed" and a 16' fence row of CORN -- most of which have grown to 7~8 FEET TALL, waving in the breeze OVER our 5' fence at the said neighbor across the street. Corn is a kind of GRASS you know. )
(2) A pair of Cardinals made a nest in the Coral honeysuckle, growing in the same Hummingbird Garden as the columbines. I tiptoed around the garden and didn't weed the bed in the spring as I usually do, so that the Peppermint and Cilantro escaped control, took advantage, and grew ALL OVER the Hummer Garden The Columbines were undeterred by this and grew through them, and when I finally got around to thinning them out and freeing up the Columbines (and the Wild Strawberries) I found out that the leaves were hardly affected by the leaf miners this year.
BTW I can't think of any evergreens for that spot either. How tall can it grow? You have Ilex glabra, you say... maybe Christmas Fern? Too sunny?
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Sorry for not responding sooner applestar. I just lost track of this thread.
Hijack when ever you want.
Now that is a very interesting way to vent !
I love your "grass"(corn) response to your neighbor. I have one of "those "neighbors too. So far the town is letting me grow 5' tall clumps of switch grass on the strip between the street and the sidewalk. I am very careful to have it looked like a planned garden. Right now the asters and black eyed susans are growing with them and blooming.
I do believe the area is too sunny now for christmas fern.
Hijack when ever you want.
Now that is a very interesting way to vent !
I love your "grass"(corn) response to your neighbor. I have one of "those "neighbors too. So far the town is letting me grow 5' tall clumps of switch grass on the strip between the street and the sidewalk. I am very careful to have it looked like a planned garden. Right now the asters and black eyed susans are growing with them and blooming.
I do believe the area is too sunny now for christmas fern.