More Planting
There was a weekend sale on ferns at Berkeley Hort, so this morning Noel and I went over and chose a few ferns for the fern walk.
Japanese Painted Fern:
Button Fern:
Hart's Tongue Fern:
Foxtail Fern (dwarf):
Asparagus Fern (yes, it is a lily, not a fern, but it looks like a fern and goes nicely in the fern garden so there):
When we got home, we spent some time moving more things onto the new basement shelves (oh! clean closets! and nice clean shelves for my books!), then I planted the rest of the bulbs. Near the asian pears I planted a bunch of anemones:
(Doesn't that kind of look like a tiny graveyard?)
By the citrus I planted asian lilies, which will grow up and completely hide the trees by the end of summer, I guess.
I planted callas, begonias, toad lilies, and caladium in the shade bed (I'm still low on newspaper, but I have enough of a bed there to be satisfactory).
Then I planted the ferns, which took all of four minutes because the soil over there is so soft from all the rain. I do enjoy gardening in sandy soil.
The dead-looking fern there is a five-fingered fern, which seems not to have survived the winter. But I figure I will let it stay and see what happens.
Technorati Tags: bare root, bulbs, ferns, gardening, plants
posted by ayse on 03/19/06
In photo #8 are you using newspaper to smother the lawn where you put in the bulbs/corms/whichever? Reading through the archives it looks like you wanted to reuse most of the grass, so I wasn't sure if the newspaper was weed prevention or grass removal. Would you newspaper/mulch the entire fern area or just weed by hand?
I found your blog from Waverly and I'm hooked. The foundation work was awesome (er, to read about happening to someone else). I also adore your garden/garden plans.
CJ
Oh, the lawn doesn't go all the way back to the fence. We stopped about three/four feet shy of the fence and then a bunch of weeds and bermuda grass grew in there, so the newspapers are smothering those (in theory), and preventing new growth.
In the fern area, which is on the side of the house, I weeded by hand and then just shovelled compost on top. That's what I usually do, because most of our weeds are not discouraged by things like mere newspaper, but in the back I figured I would give it a try because so many people said it should work. Everything is much more experimental back there, anyway.
Glad you're enjoying the blog.
Ah, I see that now in the lower left of the photo. I have found newspaper (and cardboard, when battling bermuda) is very effective.
I have a shaded area in the back of my yard that is currently storing old pots, tarps, piles of wood, etc. Now I'm going to go look at native ferns (I have been coveting Solomon's seal and fairy bells as they grow in the hills here and ferns are also wonderful). Hm.