Planting bareroot plants is a quite different than planting pots. With pots the roots of the plant are already established in the pot soil. With bareroot plants they need to reestablish a relationship with the soil that they are being planted into This takes a little time..
The soil moisture and weather condition at the time of planting are important. If the planting can be timed to take place before seasonal rains, that will greatly improve the chances for success.
The area to be planted should be loose and have have the weeds and other competitive plants removed. If the soil is lean it is a good idea to add some sort of organic material.. Composted leaves is ideal but anything will help.
The plants should be planted at a depth and orientation like they would be growing naturally. For trillium ,may apple, ginger, and similar plants , they should be planted horizontally. Planting in a random arrangement will look more naturally for native plants but planting in rows is quicker if you have a lot of plants to process.
Plants such as bluebells and plants with a tap root should be planted vertically. Plants like big merry bells have a number of rootlets and should be spread out in all directions as the plant would grow naturally.
There may be an emergent tip visible depending on the time of the year. It should be orientated up and the soil should cover it by an inch or less. Do not plant too deep. In late winter and early spring , this tip will be slightly out of the ground as the season progresses.. Do not use any commercial fertilizer.
The basics of growing any garden apply, if it's dry, water , if weeds start to take over , remove them. These things are simple but any successful gardener knows that they must be done in order to have a successful planting.
The first year is crucial and they may need watering during dry weather. Native plants are by nature hardy and grow with little care once they have an established root system .They just need a little extra care at the time of planting.
If you have questions that I haven' covered here., you can send them to info@himountainnativeplant.com
]]>Number 1 Geranium maculatum -Wild geranium is always a good choice for the shade garden. It is easy to grow, has larger, longer lasting blooms than many other woodland wildflowers and keeps it's foliage into summer.
Number 2 Asarum canadense -Wild ginger is a solid addition to the shade garden. The blooms are of little significance , it is the large green leaves that it adds to the planting. It keeps the leaves into fall, adding life when many wildflowers have gone dormant.
Number 3 Mwetensia virginica - Virginia bluebells are one of the loveliest spring blooming wildflowers. It is medium sized plant , adding balance to the smaller ones.
Number 4 Adiatum pedatum -Maidenhair fern makes a nice addition to the blooming plants. The delicate light green foliage persists unto fall adding color when the spring plants go dormant.
Number 5 Violet species -come in al range or leaf shape and sizes.. There are blue ones, yellow ones ,white ones. These are short plants that work in places where space is limited.
Number 6 Ploemonium reptans Jacob ladder Is spring blooming wildflower with blue blooms and stair stepped leaves. After summer dormancy the leaves reappear in fall.
Number 7 Trillium species come in many colors but all have similar leaves and roots stock. This group of plants really should be number 1 one the list but I didn't list them that way.. Many books have been written just about these plants and they deserve the attention.
Number 8 Dicentra cucullaria-- Dutchmen's breeches is a short plants with white blooms and unusual foliage . It definitely deserves a place in the shade garden.
Number 9 Smilacina racemosa- False Solomon seal is taller than many of the spring wildflowers. The stair stepped leaves and crème colored blooms add balance to the smaller plants.
Number 10 Iris Cristata - Crested iris is a short plant with striking blue blooms. It is adaptable to different planting locations and soil.
I have to stop at 10 but I could keep going. There are many more spring wildflowers and ferns that are really worth getting to know. One plant at a time is the way to do it. Some of these will take quite a bit of sun , iris cristata and smilacina in particular.
]]>Nursery stock comes in different ways. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. Most plants sold at retail nurseries are potted. The advantage of potted plants is they can be sold in full foliage and flower. They can be transplanted at any time. They are bought at the time when everyone is in the mood for working in the garden and they can see what they are getting. Good results can usually be obtained with potted plants with reasonable care.
The disadvantages of potted plants especially for the retail nursery or landscapers they take up a lot of space, are labor intensive to process, cost more to ship and cost the customer more. Not all plants are available potted.
Bareroot plants are plants that are dug during the dormant season and have had most of the soil removed from their roots. Since they are dormant, they can be stored for as long as needed until they are planted. Since they are not actively growing and have no foliage ,they do not experience transplant shock when planted.. Good results can be obtained with bareroot plants if done properly.
The season for handling bareroot plants is different than for potted plants. They must be transplanted or potted while still dormant. Shipping begins in August or September .The peak shipping season is late winter and early spring , before active growth starts.
It is normal for plants to have a visible sprout which they develop shortly after setting seed and going dormant. This is next years growth developing. As the growing season approaches this emergent tip becomes longer. Eventually it will protrude out of the ground shortly before active growth begins. In early spring it is possible to uncover the leaves to reveal the emergent tips of the native wildflowers that are waking up in anticipation of spring.
The perennial woodland wildflowers such as Virginia bluebells, trillium grandiflorum, may apple, maidenhair fern do very well shipped and planted bareroot.
They cost less to ship and cost less to purchase. They also take up less space while they are being processed. All things considered bareroot plants are the most cost effective way to obtain wholesale native plants .
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Here lies the appeal to those of us who have gone to the effort to develop an appreciation for these plants. Years ago, I became interested in photography and spent a lot of time photographing wildflowers. This required a lot of time on my hands and knees with my camera on a low angle tripod peering through the viewfinder of my camera and a macro lens. The results were some nice photographs and an appreciation of what I was looking at. These plants are truly beautiful, it just takes a closer look to develop an appreciative eye.
Another difference is that once established, native plants are hardy and require less maintenance. If you think about it, a native plant lives on what moisture and nutrients occur naturally where ever are growing. No one is going to water them. Having said that I want to add that in the first year after planting native plants will require adequate watering during the summer. If they are planted in the spring, they will not have very long to establish their root system before going dormant at the onset of dry weather.
This is a good place to say a word about fall planting. Fall planting has the advantage of several extra months' time for the plant to develop a root system Even though the plant is dormant the plant continues to put forth roots and establish a capillary relationship with the soil. The bottom line is native plants are different, their beauty is subtle, but they are can be very low maintenance.