Plant Delight's Nursery's latest newsletter has arrived! Although geared predominantly to gardeners in Zone 7, Tony Avent , owner, usually includes valuable information for our northern gardens. Below is an excerpt from the newsletter about the impact of increasing shade as the upper canopy trees grow.
"As I work in my garden this summer, one of my annual chores is to
examine the increase of shade throughout the garden. So often, we don’t
notice the gradual decline in plants growing in a shade garden until the
plants have shrunk to nothing, or in extreme cases, died completely.
This decline is due to several factors, including a lack of adequate
irrigation, and/or an increase in the amount of shade that is being cast
by the trees above. Unless you are really observant, it is hard to
imagine how much large trees grow each year. Since tree sizes aren’t
static, it doesn’t take long for an area which has the ideal amount of
filtered shade to become too dense for much of a herbaceous understory
layer to survive.
First, realize most true woodland plants are spring ephemerals, meaning
they get in their entire life cycle by the time the trees leaf out. In
order to get plants that remain looking good in the woodland throughout
the summer, we have to use prairie or woodland edge plants such as hosta
and hellebores that will tolerate shade. There are very few of these
plants that actually thrive in dense shade, including the likes of
asarum, aspidistra, ruscus, and many ferns. To keep these woodland
“interlopers” happy, you’ll need to keep the canopy open so that
filtered light can penetrate.
Try and train yourself to consciously watch plants whose size gets
smaller each year instead of larger or whose growth becomes more
spindly. The answer to the increasing shade is to raise the canopy of
the shade by removing some of the lower tree limbs or to selectively
thin the limbs. To keep a shade garden in good shape, this must be an
annual process. I like to do this in late spring /early summer when I
can tell how much shade a tree is producing after it has finished its
spring growth flush.
Obviously, to remove limbs, you’ll need a good pole saw...either a
manual or motorized type. I had always used manual pole saws like you
find in the box or hardware stores. Several years ago, frustrated by the
poor quality and lack of durability of these saws, I began researching
to see if there was a better brand available. My research led me to
Silky Saws. Silky Saws sell an array of high quality Japanese made
pruning saws. For large overhead limb removal, I purchased a 21'
Hayauchi pole saw. To say the difference between what I had been using
was night and day would be the understatement of the year. You’re not
going to easily bend, break, or dull the blade with this baby. I had
also been frustrated by never being able find a pole saw long enough to
reach the tallest limbs until I bought my 21' Hayauchi saw. After
several years, I can still say this is one of the finest gardening tools
I’ve ever owned. You can find these and many other great pruning saws at
http://www.silkystore.com/HAYAUCHI-390-21-Feet You’ll never go back to
cheap saws again.
The other problem with woodland gardening is the amount of moisture
required by large trees, which research indicates ranges between 50 and
200 gallons per day. If you aren’t supplementing your woodland garden
with water, your herbaceous plants will suffer. Selective pruning as I
mentioned earlier will also help to reduce the amount of water that the
large trees require."
More from Fine Gardening e-Newsletter! Natural rememdies to control the pests in your garden from deer and rabbits to slugs, snails and beetle-like critters.
Enter the world of sustainable gardening with Billy Goodnick's "Cool Green Gardens" blog. Billy lives in Santa Barbara, CA, and delivers a West Coast perspective on landscape design that will translate into your own backyard. Check out CGG for great ideas on reducing your impact on the environment and creating a landscape that is an extension of your home. He asks, " What will you do if the well runs dry?"
On a lighter note, enter the Garden Structures Photo Challenge.The rules:
"...we're looking for photos of garden structures--trellises, bird houses, benches, statues, potting sheds, or whatever you think qualifies as a garden structure. Be creative!
Fine Gardening's staff members will choose a winner based on creativity and originality. The winner will receive a limited editon birdhouse from Erickson Birdhouses with an estimated retail value of $160". Check out the Photo Gallery to see what has already been submitted.
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