Comments for Rooting for Ideas

Comment on Hedges: A Living Fence by Don Statham

Don Statham — Tue, 21 May 2013 12:28:04 +0000

Hi Marlin,

Evergreens are the most expensive plants to plant because they grow so slowly- usually about 6″ per year. You could plant an instant hedge of arborvitae. You should think about the ultimate height you want and that will lead you to make the right plant choice.
There are deciduous hedges like ‘arctic willow’ that form impenetrable hedge that would reach a height of about 6-7′ feet.This would be a much cheaper way to go. You could plant 10″ cuttings and have a 4-5 foot hedge in just a year or two. Michael Dodge from Vermont willow sells 5-6 cuttings for about $3.50 a bundle. You would have to check his site for current pricing. There is a photo of an arctic willow hedge on this blog under Kaatskill articles- on willows. I just read you plant zone- if you have water issues then willows are a very good choice. Zone 7 gives you lots of plant choice. All hedges need some maintenance, but willow probably the least because you may want to prune it hard about every 3-4 years. You might want to speak to a professional landscaper in your area to review the water issues you are speaking about. I wouldn’t want to comment with out seeing it first hand. But it sounds like maybe you might want a swell made to take the run-off water away. Best Don

Comment on Hedges: A Living Fence by Marylin

Marylin — Tue, 21 May 2013 00:15:32 +0000

I am looking to plant some hedges. I need it to be an evergreen. I have a neghibor that has a big dog and every time we go out she jumps at us. Causing my dogs to bark at her the whole time that I am walking them. We do not have a leash law. So, I just want to fix it where they can’t see each other. He also has a waste treatment plant that runs on to the ground and into my back yard. That is where we spend most of my time. If you have any ideas of a bush and some way to stop the water flow I would greatly appreciate it. I live in zone 7. I am having to be cheap on the buying the plants, something that I doesn’t need a lot of care.

Comment on This Week in the Garden- May 13, 2013 by Don Statham

Don Statham — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:44:06 +0000

Hi Sonia- sorry that glitch went out in the email of the new posting- I have deleted it now. Wow- you are in a warmer spot. I had two flowers out on Magnolia butterflies but none on Elizabeth. I am looking out the window and seeing snowflakes too. Bitter cold today, but will be in the 70′s late week. Always so difficult to get a firm footing with spring in these parts! Don

Comment on This Week in the Garden- May 13, 2013 by Sonia Nixon Dodge

Sonia Nixon Dodge — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:31:11 +0000

Beautiful piccies Don, but what the heck is the intro??? We’re having occasional snow lumps falling today and the wind is bitter. Our yellow Magnolia is past peak slightly and far too big to wrap! Michael

Comment on This Week in the Garden- May 13, 2013 by Don Statham

Don Statham — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:22:00 +0000

Hi Deirdre- Nice to hear from You. I have been attending and will speak at a local garden talk series and I saw during one of the talks a photo of a 40 year old Stephandra and thought it made a perfect plant for a slope, but then I thought the bench might like it. I bought Magnolia Butterflies last fall but then I happened to see Elizabeth in the nursery this spring which is just that bit paler yellow and had to have it. Poor thing is just about to flower but it’s freezing here. UGH!

Comment on This Week in the Garden- May 13, 2013 by Deirdre in Seattle

Deirdre in Seattle — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:10:34 +0000

I had to look up the Stephanadra. I’m not familiar with it. I hope you will follow up with pictures when they get some size on them.
My star magnolia finished blooming quite some time ago here. One of the nicest things about living in an older neighborhood is the well established trees. I love walking around when the magnolias are in bloom. They are magnificent. ‘Elizabeth’ is not one I see very often, but it is beautiful. I planted a M.g. ‘Alta’ over the week end accompanied by a lot of drama I won’t go into.

Comment on Hedges: A Living Fence by Don Statham

Don Statham — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 12:36:54 +0000

Hi Chrissy,
In most cases evergreen hedgerows don’t really work in upstate New York because of the deer problem. There are a few evergreens that will work but it means you will need to cover and protect the evergreens for deer damage each winter. I purposely chose deciduous plants for my hedges- Rhamnus fineline. The deer do not touch deciduous plants as much in my experience! You could plant something like beech which hold their leaves for most of the winter. I just planted a new beech hedge from small saplings 2′ foot high I found in my woods. The evergreen plants most commonly used in Upstate NY are Taxus cuspidata, Taxus Hatfieldi, or Hicksii, Thuja, Tsunga canadensis. All these evergreens the deer will eat. Boxwood they don’t touch but they don’t grow very tall in our region . I tend to prefer Korean boxwood which keeps it’s dark green foliage. Please feel free to ask me anymore questions. best of luck- Don

Comment on Hedges: A Living Fence by Chrissy

Chrissy — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 01:21:49 +0000

I just came across your blog entry in an effort to locate suitable trees (particularly evergreens) for a hedgerow in Ulster County, NY for my brother-in-law. I am a horticulturist, but in Wash., D.C., so I am unfamiliar w/ the plant material in NY. I went to the Cornell Cooperative Extension site but didn’t find much information. Are you aware of any resources/lists for such queries? The hardiness zone conundrum is really throwing me off…trees I keep wanting to suggest aren’t hardy up there! Ugh.

Comment on Grey/Silver foliage plants by Don Statham

Don Statham — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:08:03 +0000

Deirdre- That’s a beauty! I remember these ones in England that were about 4′ feet tall- gorgeous euphorbias. I gave up most of them when I moved back to the states. We have so few that work for us in zone 4 & 5. Lucky you!

Comment on Grey/Silver foliage plants by Deirdre in Seattle

Deirdre in Seattle — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:18:36 +0000

Do you mean the E. wulfenii? I have grown that though I don’t have it in my current garden. I love euphorbias! They have such interesting foliage and bloom early, too. I have one with dark red leaves that is seeding itself around a bit. I pull it or leave it depending on where it’s coming up. Euphorbias seem to come in clumpers and runners, like bamboo. I am currently trying to get rid of E. griffithii ‘Fireglow’ because, handsome as it is, it wants to take over an urban garden.