In My Garden Blog
May 8, 2008
Mid-Atlantic
By
Charlotte Kidd,
Radnor, PA
This rare, white Japanese forest peony blooms in early May.
Spring's Charms and Chores
Airy, blue flowers float above creamy white-edged, heart-shaped brunnera leaves. Twin white bells dangle from the arching stems and white-margined leaves of variegated Solomon's seal. Delicate, lilac 'Lilafee' fairy wings dance over wavy epimedium leaves. These spring charmers bring the early shade garden to life.
Diva, treasure, and double the pleasure, the Japanese woodland peony (Paeonia japonica) is an elegant find for the shady woodland garden. In May its globes of cupped, white petals surround a cluster of yellow stamens. Come late summer, the awesome seedpods split, revealing metallic-blue seeds nestled in red. Its cousins, the rare (and expensive!) pink Japanese forest peony (Paeonia obovata) and white forest peony (Paeonia obovata var. alba), have similar flowers. Their seedpods hold blue-black fertile seeds surrounded by red infertile seeds.
For anyone dissatisfied with shade and its planting limitations, woodland and Japanese peonies are nature's astonishing redeemers. They flower from May to June and thrive in sun, light shade, and dappled woodland with protection from cold winds. They grow 18 to 24 inches tall and wide, are self-fertile, pollinated by insects, and hermaphroditic (with both male and female parts). Neutral or slightly alkaline, rich, deep soil is ideal -- neither too dry nor waterlogged. Grown in sandy soil, woodland and forest peonies produce more leaves and fewer flowers. They take longer to establish in clay but bloom better. They are hungry feeders, long-lived to some 50 or more years, and not appealing to deer or rabbits. Both are hardy in USDA zones 3 or 4 to 8.
Roses Say Summer's Here
In Philadelphia and environs, seems like a wink since the forsythia bloomed, announcing spring. Daytime temps are high 60s and 70s; nights still have some chill. The roses leafed out too quickly and are budding, to my dismay as I didn't have time to prune them all properly. Now I'm only cutting off dead stems, brown hips, and overly long canes. The shrubs already look so lush and full, I can't bear to clip any more. I'm also spraying new, healthy foliage with Messenger, the harpin protein growth enhancer, before black spot and powdery mildew dare cause any damage.
Mulch, Leaf Mold, and Mushroom Soil
We're doing spring feeding, applying granular, slow-release, mineral fertilizer to roses, perennials, and shrubs. For several new or needy garden beds with less than nutritious soil, I'm adding composted leaf mold to the usual shredded oak bark mulch in a 40/60 or 50/50 mix. The dark compost/mulch mix looks handsome. Squirrels and chipmunks act like it's their playground though, digging and tossing the light mix onto just-swept sidewalks and flagstone patios.
North and west, a landscaper friend is experimenting with a 50/50 combination of mushroom soil and bark mulch that's supposed to inhibit artillery fungus in mulch. A Penn State University study found that 100 percent mushroom soil has enough antagonistic microorganisms to eliminate artillery and other nasty, damaging fungi. A 2005 report showed that combining mushroom soil with wood chips in 10 to 40 percent ratios suppressed artillery fungus. It's worth a try.
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Comments on Spring's Charms and Chores
We welcome your questions and comments about this column. If
you have gardening questions unrelated to the column, please ask
them on our message boards.
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Susan Parker
Typo in Peony article? You meant peony, not poppy, right?
Any ideas where to get the Japanese peonies?
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Priscilla Estes
have lots of shade--will give those Japanese peonies (or poppies!) a
try. Also have soil fungi issues--where can I get mushroom mulch?
Thanks!
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charlotte kidd
Hi Priscilla, good questions. Fungi growing from garden soil or on
mulch isn't always bad. Unsightly, maybe. Not always harmful. Fungi
are a natural part of the decomposition process - participant in the
decomposition or an end-product.
Mushrooms and toadstools are natural and not harmful to the
landscape. Slime mold (aka Dog vomit fungus)emerges as orange or
yellow then turns brown. Nothing harmful. If it's offensive, remove
it with a shovel and dispose of it away from the mulch.
Bird's nest fungus, that looks like tiny grey to brown bird's nests
with wee eggs, decompose organic matter so needn't be removed.
The huge problem is artillery or shot-gun fungus that shoots dark
spores DOES DAMAGE propery. It grows on wood, not bark, mulch. I've
never seen it as I use oak bark mulch in bulk from a good supplier.
Mushroom soil promoters are recommending mixing mushroom soil 50/50
with wood mulch because mushroom soil seens to inhibit artillery and
other fungi. Finding a supplier to mix the two won't be easy as it's
a messy job.
Where to find mushroom soil? A minor caution that mushroom soil is
not recommended for use around rhodies, hollies, azaleas -
acid-loving plants.
It is excellent mixed into vegetable and perennial beds. I use a
bulk mix of 50/50 composted leaves and mushroom soil - by the cubic
yard.
Mushroom soil is sold in bags now at good garden centers. With
Kennett Square, mushroom capital, so close, it's available in bulk
west and north of and in Philadelphia area. Googling "Mushroom Soil"
in southeastern PA brought up Kramer Landscaping Company, 1200 Knox
Dr., Yardley, PA (215) 493-4670. If they don't have it, maybe they
know who in your area might.
There are also Bucks County Landscaping in Bensalem and Tershorn
Landscaping Supplies in Langhorne. They might have it or know where
to get it in your area.
Charlotte
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Mary Danzis
For Japanese Peonys try Peonyland in Richlandtown, PA - open from
May 1st to 25th, call first 215-536-9388 - beautiful and large
variety
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Charlotte Kidd
Thanks, Mary. Do they have other unusual perennials, shrubs, trees?
Or a good selection in general?
Charlotte
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Charlotte Kidd
Oops... Thanks for the correction, Susan. I mean PEONY....
Keep an eye out for Paeonia obovata and Paeonia japonica at your
local arboreta,
public gardens, Hardy Plant Society, and garden club plant sales. In
my area, I ask
my favorite garden centers and nurseries to order special perennials
and shrubs.
Sometimes they do; sometimes not. Sometimes their horticulture
specialist or
greenhouse manager can direct me to sources.
Plant Delights is a mail order option for P. obovata and P.
japonica. Fraser's
Thimble Farms has P. obovata.
http://www.thimblefarms.com/16pren.html
http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/Detail/02803.html
Unfortunately the New Jersey nursery for the Japanese forest peony
in the photo isn't
listing that or the obovata in stock so far this season.
Would be great if you let me know where you find them... so we can
spread the word.
Charlotte
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Charlotte Kidd
Hi Priscilla, good questions. Fungi growing from garden soil or on
mulch isn't always
bad. Unsightly, maybe. Not always harmful. Fungi are a natural part
of the
decomposition process - participant in the decomposition or an
end-product.
Mushrooms and toadstools are natural and not harmful to the
landscape. Slime mold
(aka Dog vomit fungus)emerges as orange or yellow then turns brown.
Nothing harmful.
If it's offensive, remove it with a shovel and dispose of it away
from the mulch.
Bird's nest fungus, that looks like tiny grey to brown bird's nests
with wee eggs,
decompose organic matter so needn't be removed.
The huge problem is artillery or shot-gun fungus that shoots dark
spores DOES DAMAGE
propery. It grows on wood, not bark, mulch. I've never seen it as I
use oak bark
mulch in bulk from a good supplier.
Mushroom soil promoters are recommending mixing mushroom soil 50/50
with wood mulch
because mushroom soil seens to inhibit artillery and other fungi.
Finding a supplier
to mix the two won't be easy as it's a messy job.
Where to find mushroom soil? A minor caution that mushroom soil is
not recommended
for use around rhodies, hollies, azaleas - acid-loving plants.
It is excellent mixed into vegetable and perennial beds. I use a
bulk mix of 50/50
composted leaves and mushroom soil - by the cubic yard.
Mushroom soil is sold in bags now at good garden centers. With
Kennett Square,
mushroom capital, so close, it's available in bulk west and north of
and in
Philadelphia area. Googling "Mushroom Soil" in southeastern PA
brought up Kramer
Landscaping Company, 1200 Knox Dr., Yardley, PA (215) 493-4670. If
they don't have
it, maybe they know who in your area might.
There are also Bucks County Landscaping in Bensalem and Tershorn
Landscaping Supplies
in Langhorne. They might have it or know where to get it in your
area.
Charlotte
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