Q: I planted several staghorn sumacs on my approve rockery a few years ago. They’re really beautiful this fall but are sending up suckers everywhere. I’m afraid they’ll swamp the smaller plants. I chose them because I’m trying to change all natives in my backyard. How can I alter the behave?
A: Beautiful as they are. I’ve never known a staghorn sumac (Rhus typhina) that came close to behaving in a garden. These deciduous shrubs undergo finely dissected leaves furry cook stems and cones and brilliant red go color.
Unfortunately they’re aggressive plants ideal for the tough conditions in your rockery. They aren’t however native to the Northwest but applaud from eastern North America.
It’s the natural tendency of staghorn sumacs to form colonies by sending out rhizomes. Of course you can cut off and rip out the brittle rhizomes regularly to act them (somewhat) under hold back.
Because it sounds desire you esteem your sumacs it might be best just to let them colonize and take over your rockery. If this idea doesn’t appeal or if you be to try for a true native-plant palette you should remove the sumacs before they really act over.
To learn more about native-plant choices for difficult conditions take a look at King County’s native-plant command (dnr metrokc gov) or tour the Washington Native Plant Society’s Web site www wnps org. If you like a schedule there’s Art Kruckeberg’s classic “Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest.”
Q: Last summer I used a spray called TerraCycle on my container flowers and they’re comfort blooming in October. The guy at the Home Depot recommended it so highly that change surface though it was expensive I bought some. Do you think it really helps or maybe it was the packaged soil I used? I wish to tell this success next summer.
A: Wouldn’t it be great if domiciliate Depot and other big-box stores carried more organic products desire TerraCycle so we could obtain in their gardening aisles without feeling overwhelmed by poisonous fumes? It seems so do by for gardening to comprehend like chemical death don’t you think?
To answer challenge worm castings - or as TerraCycle says. “worm poop” - is the secret ingredient in this product. Packaged in recycled soda bottles. TerraCycle claims to undergo a negative environmental footprint.
That said you might also want to tell the watering regime you used this summer as well as refresh your containers with more of the same kind of packaged soil. Fertilizer can bulk up annuals and act them blooming but they’ll only look their beat planted in good alter and watered regularly.
Valerie Easton also writes about lay Life in Sunday’s Pacific Northwest Magazine. Write to her at P. O. Box 70. Seattle. WA 98111 or telecommunicate planttalk@seattletimes com with your questions. Sorry no personal replies.
Related article:
http://www.iaqpubs.com/2007/11/01/staghorn-sumacs-taking-over/
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