Good morning. The rain certainly has “greened up” our world. My wild violets are very happy campers and are scampering everywhere. They are lovely with their white and purple blossoms, but it does get a bit tiresome up here in the woods where they are so very happy. Pulling them out is difficult for me, but then they tend to overwhelm things a bit if you don’t do it.
Speaking of overwhelm, I need to let you all in on some information I received and then researched. It seems a few people took exception to my planting two burning bushes in that church garden I talked about last time. They said those bushes are invasives and will overwhelm the native plants. Let’s just say their choice of adjectives directed at me fall into the irresponsible and uneducated category. And by looking at it one way, they are right.
However, there are always two sides to everything. I have a list of invasives I consult before buying plants and especially before writing this column, and burning bush is not on that list. I buy plants and shrubs at nurseries the Maine Cooperative Extension lists as reliable plant sources, which do not sell invasives. So, I thought I was covered.
For those of you who were troubled by the article, here is what I learned:
Lois Stack, a leading horticulturist for the Maine Cooperative Extension, says there is no official list of invasives for Maine. The Department of Agriculture has been directed by the state to come up with one, but it will not be complete until sometime next year. There is a “watch list,” and burning bush is on that list; but, according to Stack, “because it is listed on other New England state’s official lists.”
She said Maine does not have, at this time, the data to put burning bush on the list or the money to collect the data concerning whether it is “invading” the natural landscape, or if it is displacing natural plants – two requirements for putting a plant in the invasive species category. They do know, however, that the farther north you live, the less chance that it might be.
Stack said she would not recommend the bush because of the questions about it, but there is no official censure on it. If you would like to read about invasives and learn more, just go to www.umext.maine.edu/. I will try to do better in the future.
The scoop on silver plants
But also speaking of that church garden – when I was up there this week, I noticed how lovely the silvermound looked and how it lit up the space. So, I thought you might like to hear about more silver plants.
A majority of the silver plants I have seen or have in my garden are lovely for their foliage, although a few also bloom to one degree or another. The silver foliage plants and some of the white ones as well simply light up a shady garden or a dark space. It’s almost as if they collect the light and send it back to you when you look at them. I have a friend who says, “They pop.” That is an excellent description.
I am very fond of deadnettle and have several different cultivars in several different gardens. I have a garden filled with “Beacon Silver” and got a new one this year called “Pink Chablis,” which is supposed to continue blooming throughout the season. This is a ground cover and, if it is happy, will fill in tightly around shrubs and other plants – if you let it. It is not hard to control and has proven very reliable for me from year to year. Various types bloom in white and shades of pink from very pale to dark. Each kind has different leaf variations, some with almost entirely silver leaves. These plants are drought-tolerant and will take sun or partial shade.
Some of the lungworts or pulmonarias also have silver leaves. I have a pink one that has great splashes of white on the green leaves. There is a cultivar called “Moonshine” that has shiny silver leaves and small blue blooms. These are also shade plants and are hardy to zone 4.
I have one particular garden in a corner that is pretty much beyond shady and goes more toward dark. It gets about two hours of direct light at summer’s peak. I have some painted ferns, an old-fashioned bleeding heart, some tiarellas, hostas, and astilbes in this garden. But each year, I always add a caladium or two for a splash of color. These are annuals here but do well if you don’t put them out too early. They are prone to late frosts but with their colorful leaves, they add punch in the front of a dark garden.
In the artemisia family, along with silvermound you also have silver king, silver queen and silver brocade. All of them have different growing habits. They are different heights and sizes but all share that same lovely silver foliage and are ferny, frilly and soft to the touch. And, don’t forget the old standby – tried-and-true, lambs’ ear. I have had these for many years and am quite fond of them. But be warned, a winter with no snow and cold temperatures can take them out. But they also seed out, so there is usually redemption.
Silver plants tend to look especially good with purples and blues like salvia, blue-leaved hostas and perennial cornflowers.
So, until next time, find your flags in preparation for the Fourth of July, pray for the troops, chase a butterfly just for the fun of it and try to be gentle with people who make mistakes, because we all make them.
Happy gardening!
Jody Goodwin has been gardening for more than 20 years. She lives in Turner with her husband, Ike, her two dogs and two cats. She can be reached by writing to her in care of the Sun Journal, 104 Park St., Lewiston, Maine, 04243-4400 or by e-mail at jodyike@megalink.net
PARIS – The McLaughlin Foundation’s self-guided garden tour featuring public, residential and business gardens in Bridgton and Naples will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 23.
The event is headquartered at the Lakes Environmental Association office at 102 Main St. in Bridgton. Lunch, catered by the McLaughlin Foundation’s Garden Café, will be available from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. as either sit-down or takeout.
Downtown Bridgton is abloom with peonies and other flowers, making it a perfect center for the tour. Public gardens, including plantings for butterflies and solutions for difficult lakeside areas, are part of the tour. Private gardens include lovely front-yard cottage gardens, shade gardens, a lakeside planting with flowers grown from seed, a driveway planting leading to an old farmhouse, and a wooded garden with specimen trees. Several also include vegetable gardens and fruit trees. Many of the plantings are tended organically.
Although many annuals have not yet bloomed, many perennial flowers are in their glory. Foliage is fresh and has not yet been affected by weather, insect pests and plant diseases.
Advance tickets, $12, may be purchased at the McLaughlin Foundation, or by calling 743-8820 and picking them up the day of the tour at LEA. On the day of the tour, tickets will be $15 at LEA.
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