Matrix planting: groundcover

Lots of rain and relatively warm temperatures are giving us a lush spring. Here is a groundcover matrix of Equisetum arvense, Ajuga, and Lysimachia nummularia making a pretty grouping. The Equisetum will vanish within a few weeks, the Ajuga foliage will likely be hidden under the Lysimachia. I wonder what this will look like in July?

This is a thick but delicate carpet, easily crushed by footsteps. Larger perennials have no trouble emerging and growing to comparatively towering heights, so there may be a general decline once the shade of the larger plants becomes a competitive factor.

Garden Diary: Competitors, Stress Tolerators & Ruderals

Having worked for several years to establish a matrix of plants that will be at least partly self-sustaining, I can see some progress this spring. At this stage, I'm still keeping pretty much anything that covers the ground and prevents random germination from the seed bank.

Thanks to Noel Kingsbury's books, I now know I'm trying to orchestrate a bunch of competitive perennials, stress tolerators, and those opportunistic ruderals, plants that take advantage of any open ground in the early stages of a planting, where they thrive until extinguished by larger or more competitive neighbors.

The picture below is of one of several Filipendula rubra 'Venusta' that have settled in well and are slowly spreading. I'd judge these to be moderate competitors; they are slowly covering more ground, but they don't self-seed at all.

Next is another sample of a matrix planting, primarily Petasites hybridus, native Equisetum arvense, native Lysimachia nummularia, and at the far edge, Carex muskingumensis, Darmera peltata, cimicifuga (actea), and thalictrum. The equisetum, though highly invasive and a competitor par excellence, will wither away in a month or so, leaving room for a really disgusting ruderal, Japanese stilt grass (Microstegium vimineum), to intrude.

The vertical wands rising from the petasites are flowers, which you can see more clearly in the next photo.


The next two photos show views turning clockwise about 150 degrees.


The more "finished" matrix above contrasts markedly with another garden view below. Here is where the filipendula I opened with grows, along with other large wet prairie perennials such as Eupatorium purpureum (Joe Pye Weed), Liatris pyncnostachya, Rudbeckia maxima, assorted wetland irises, sanguisorbas, miscanthus, panicums, and other plants too numerous to list. Obviously there are no early perennials to make an attractive matrix planting here. This area won't reach its potential until July.


Here is where I need to develop spring plantings that will give interest and good coverage early in the season, then disappear, or at least tolerate shade cast by the larger perennials later in the season (spreading stress tolerators is what I need). More bulbs (stress tolerators) can certainly help, especially daffodils. Native persicarias especially like this area as the season progresses, so some early persicarias, such as Persicaria bistorta 'Superba', may be helpful. And, of course, a blanket of astilbes would give both color and interesting, long-lasting structure.

I'm open to suggestions.

Garden Diary: 2008 Overview

From the nadir of the gardening year, here is the story of the 2008 garden at Federal Twist. This post is my continuing garden journal for 2009, and I'll be adding comments, criticisms and plans for the future. (All the photos in this post are also available in a slide show at the upper right, top of page. When I get time I'll add captions.)

My garden emulates a wet prairie and gets off to a very slow start in spring and early summer. This is a challenge I'm working on. Its peak is mid-July through October, as demonstrated by the large numbers of images taken in those months. (Warning, there are over 100 photos in this post.)

February

Rime frost in early February...




Completion of the stone wall at the base of the house...




Beginning the pond...


Chasmantheum latifolium outside the house...

March

Progress on the pond ...

April

Early April (just to show how bleak April can be). This looks especially dismal because, as is appropriate with a prairie, I burned many of the grasses, leaving ashen smudges that remained until new green growth emerged ...

May

Finished pond, dogwoods blossoming (the red posts have been replaced by stone wall) ...




A hawk waiting above the pond ...


A 40-year-old crab apple still going strong even in the shade of a sycamore ...


Sweet woodruff and myrtle, planted when the house was built in the mid-60's ...


Ligularia japonica, from Tony Avent's Plant Delights. Extraordinary foliage. I may have to get several more ...


A native Scirpus amid Equisetum arvense ...


Native Sensitive fern ...


Another native, Juncus ...


A green walk at the wood's edge ...


After two years, Silphium perfoliatum seedlings are maturing ...


Euphorbia palustris ...


Iris versicolor, planted en masse, is a first attempt at early color...


And Iris pseudacorus ...



Siberian iris ...


Emerging leaves of Silphium terebinthinaceum ...







Looking across the garden. The ragged cedars were cleaned up later in the season ...

July

The high summer perennials are growing rapidly in early July. The tallest is Filipendula rubra 'Venusta' still without flowers ...


Lysimachia ciliata, Monanda 'Jacob Kline', and Rudbeckia maxima in front ...


The pond, cloudy with algae. It cleared about two weeks later ...


Rudbeckia maxima ...



The Filipendula in bloom. I actually like it better when the pink fades to copper tones ...









Near the end of July the Joe Pye Weed has come into bloom ...


Silphium laciniatum ...



Ernst, to give a sense of scale ...


A tall form of white Physostegia (Obedient plant) that I hope will also become a groundcover ...


Pycnanthemum muticum turns a velvety white; its fragrance attracts thousands of bees and wasps ...



Silphium terebinthinaceum. I planted plugs three years ago. They form huge, beautiful leaves, but this is the first to bloom ...





Late July view towards the house. Its simple, low profile blends well with the woodland and garden ...


Pycnantheum muticum, Petasites hybrid and Miscanthus 'Silberfeder' in a combination 'borrowed' from an Ohme and Van Sweden design ...



Increasing complexity - Rudbeckia maxima, Joe Pye Weed, Vernonia, Eupatorium cannibinum (a European form of our Joe Pye Weed), Silphium laciniatum, Miscanthus purpurescens ...

August

We introduced one summer weed cutting with a string trimmer this year, in early August. It takes a steady hand to avoid the closely spaced perennials. It's the best way to cut down the invasive Japanese Stilt Grass before it makes seed, yet it's late enough to avoid harm to desirable seedlings. Some hand pulling is also required.

Below Liatris pycnostachya adds its wands of purple (the photo color isn't true) in early August ...


Note the coppery color of the aging Filipendula inflorescences. Much better than cotton candy pink ...




Sanguisorbas begin flowering ...



Lobelia cardinalis ...


Physostegia virginiana and Patrinia scabiosifolia with the big leaves of Silphium terebinthinaceum ...



Innula racemosa 'Sonnerspeer' just planted this year, already in bloom ...


Sanguisorba canadensis ...




Lobelia siphilitica (Great Blue Lobelia) ...


Joe Pye Weed, Eupatorium perfoliatum (boneset), Vernonia from seed ...

September

The bank looking up to the house - Viburnum plicatum tomentosum 'Mariesii', Miscanthus gracillimus, Pycnanthemum muticum ...




One of many native asarums ...


A colony of Lobelia cardinalis ...

October

December

Looking across the garden. Compare the cedars (Juniperus virginiana) here to the messy ones in the spring photo taken from the same point of view. Removing the messy lower limbs has opened the space, making room for a new part of the garden ...


The new stone wall, finished just this fall ...




Partially completed steps from the house into the garden ...


Ilex verticillata (winterberry holly) ...