Gardener's Frustrations: Spreaders and Weeds

Campanula

We are furiously trying to get the gardens cleaned up and mulched in time for opening day. While George and I were working within speaking distance during our weeding of the big garden, he would remind me of all the plants I had put in over the years that I was now having trouble removing because they were just a teensy bit aggressive. I reminded him of all his own very large plantings in a part of a garden that he put in. It made me think of our different perspectives on plants. My favorites are English garden-type plantings: overfull, lots of color. Campanulas are a favorite, but the ones I chose never seem to work in that garden. I just loved the campanula punctata 'Wedding Bells' which was supposed to be white with pink freckles (it wasn't).

This campanula is a spreading plant, and in the right place it's great. In fact, I have a friend who has had it in a corner surrounded by a stone walk on one side and her house on the other. It looks great and it's spreading habit is contained. Unfortunately, in my garden with the good soil it took over the world: It's getting under shrubs and squeezing out my old favorite, well-loved plants. I tried to be pro-active in containing it, but it was faster than I was. Last fall I took the whole thing out, and George finding a remnant, was able to remind me of my choosing this plant even though I knew its growth habit. I just wanted it, and put it in, and after a few years reconsidered, and ripped it out. We gardeners do that all the time, change things. This is not a perfect world; I ripped it out and moved on. So ends my Campanula punctata stories These are much better choices in campanula's for that space; Campanula glomerata 'Surperba', Campanula poscharskyana, Campanula persicifloia.

A serrated trowel (left) is great for weeding.

A few gardening notes: At this time of year, weeds can overcome a garden space very quickly (they seem to be growing at three times the speed of my perennials). If you are not mulching your garden, it is more difficult to keep them under control. Get them out when they are small. We have found a great gardening tool this year (the serrated trowel at left). It's really good for weeding; it looks like a fat knife with a serrated edge. I love it and we will be buying more to have here.

One last thing: if you have peonies, they don't require fertilizer for the first two or three years after planting. Then apply a trowel full of bonemeal each spring before bloom in a band 6-8 inches from the crown. Work into the soil being careful not to disturb the roots. Mulch with 2-4 inches of organic matter. If staking is necessary, place the stakes before the plants fill out.
That's all for this week! Enjoy the greening and the warming!