It's actually pretty long, probably closer to 100 feet. I would be happy with just a single groundcover growing there. Right now it just rained and there are a lot of pine cones and needles down, but normally nothing, and I mean nothing grows there. Maybe a weed or two or a tuft of sorry looking grass here and there.
Ginny, I just found this article on the web (while searching for info on vegie gardening!). Check it out: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/ga ... dland.html
I have only one huge fir tree in my yard on the north side of my house with a fence on the west side and a roofed patio on the east side so it is really a deep shade. I do water under it but the ones that are doing the best are Jacobs Ladder that re-seeds well, Bleeding Hearts, though in your zone they would die back in the summer. Geranium Microrrhizum 'Ingwersen's Vairiety'. It does SO well in my deep shade that I have to chop it back at least once a year and it can take drought also. Do a search for 'dry shade geraniums' as there are several listed.
It's a very commonly repeated myth that pine needles make soil more acidic. They don't. The water that all trees 'suck up' is underestimated. They take in ~ fifty times more water than they use. It goes in one end, the roots, and out the other, the stomata (little holes in the leaves). It does serve other purposes, but mainly it's their cooling system. Still, that's not the main reason things don't grow under pines, either. Have you noticed how pine forests are largely monocultures? The reason is allelopathy. Allelochemicals are toxins some trees and plants exude to kill off competition for resources. Pine trees are believed to do it mainly through their expired pine needles. In hort at uni it was described to us more as a theory than proven fact, though it really has been shown pretty clearly that pine trees are allelopathic. Here's a link to a very interesting study about it. http://hortsci.ashspublications.org/content/40/1/246.full.pdf
Hmmm? I wonder if Fir trees do the same? As I only have one tree maybe I can just vacuum the needles up. It may be worth a try.
That does make sense brisbane trees but there is also another area where I have heucheras, hosta and daylily growing right under the pine tree. This area I actually use the pine needles as mulch. What could be the difference though is that when I did plant these plants last summer I dug in a pretty good sized hole and added new fresh potting soil to the existing dirt. This year I am keeping an eye on those plants, if they start to deteriorate I will move them, but if they flourish I am leaving them be.
Hi. Just a thought this. The Lamiums I have always found once established ( given a good start) do well in dry conditions. Quite smallish and spread, different foliages with variegations - green/white - gold/white - silver - pinky mauve flrs - more or less permanent foliage / perennial. Another is Ceratostigma plumbaginoides which also spreads and has as its name suggests plumbago blue flrs with some of its green leaves turning to scarlet with the flrs in autumn. This is herbaceous / perennial. Perhaps read about them?.
Those are great suggestions Sydney. I have grown both in the past in my old garden. I really did like the lamium.
Hi Ginny. Speaking of Lamiums did you ever grow the real ramper in the family which I think then was called Lamium galeobdolon but think now is Galeobdolon variegatum - not sure of that. A most attractive plant but really travels up down and sideways into anything and everything. I loved it but kept a close eye on it -not difficult to control mind since it is shallow rooting . Syd.
No, never tried it because of all the negative attention it gets but that just might be what I need in tht area. Something that will spread and take the dry shade. Now to see if I can find the plants somewhere.
Cosmos: The two foot tall type. Be sure to read the packages and make sure they are the short size. My favorite color is Bright Lights. Yellow and orange mixed in together. Our summers are up to 110. No need to water Cosmos every day in the high heat. They are for hot dry areas. Do not need fertilizer. Cannas do well out here in our west Texas heat, but they need lots of water. Daylilies do well, but need lots of water. My favorites are Homestead daylilies. For a pretty bush type of blue flowers that last a long time, give Mexician petunias a try. Water will keep them bushie and about three feet tall. Good for in front of a wall. Turks cap will make a pretty shrub if kept watered. Have beautiful tight red blooms. Attracks hummingbirds.
Hi Ginny. That Galeobdolon has a notoriety but I think it comes down to " horses for courses" - to cover a large difficult area is what its good at. It does if allowed get into everything growing round about it but that in itself being a natural action and nature being the perfect artist the results can be very good. It only roots very shallowly and its spreading is done on the surface so its actions can be easily watched - it was just a thought. Best wishes with that areas planting whatever you go for. Syd.
