Saturday, January 31, 2009

Microclimate Triumphs and Tears

Over the years I’ve come to realize that my sunny south foundation bed is a “microclimate.” Its brick backdrop is warmed by the sun all year round, which helps marginally hardy plants thrive here. More about that in a moment, but first let me give you a little background on this bed.

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When we moved here, this was a very narrow, foundation-hugging strip of dirt, with a row of landscape blocks running its entire length. I gave the blocks to a neighbor and began digging the wider, curving bed I wanted.

That first settling-in year, I planted a few inexpensive shrubs and perennials to brighten this area until I could afford to “do it up right.” Mr. P.O. had bequeathed us only some daisies and yellow daylilies, and an overgrown barberry. Ninety percent of the bed was empty, unless you count bindweed and oxalis, which I still battle to this day.

On the east end, I planted three Weigela florida ‘Evita.’ These are a sight to see when dressed in their deep red flowers, but are a sprawling mess the rest of the season. I am still undecided about whether to keep them.

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The purple stems and flower spikes of Salvia nemorosa ‘Caradonna’ provide a nice foil to Evita’s red. Other plants on this end include yarrow (Achillea ‘Moonshine’) and lamb’s ear (Stachys byzantina ‘Silver’Carpet’).

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Near the center of the bed is a red rambling rose (Rosa ‘RADramblin’). She picks up where the weigela leave off with their show of red. My most vigorous rose, she reaches above the roofline every year, and puts on a non-stop show all summer. I’m thinking of trying a few cuttings from her next summer.

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At the other end is a serviceberry (Amelanchier x grandiflora) I planted two years ago. At its feet is a variety of perennials, including Amsonia, Coreopsis, more Salvia, Nepeta, lilies, rock cress, and groundcover sedum.

In the middle section is a purpleleaf sand cherry (Prunus x cistena), and near her are several of my microclimate triumphs. My first clue to the potential zone-denying power of this bed came from two Caryopteris shrubs.

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Here in zone 5 they are purported to die to the ground each winter, much like the butterfly bush. I went out in early spring to cut back the dead branches to make room for new growth. But lo and behold, the old stems had leaf buds all over them, and some were opening already. I let them be and they came in just fine—in fact, too fine.

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By the end of the summer they were HUGE, and were smothering other plants around them. Yes, they were a gorgeous cloud of blue when they bloomed in the fall, but I really hadn’t planned for them to be so large. So the next winter, I went out nice and early, before they could bud, and cut them back. In the spring, I waited…and waited…and waited for new shoots. This time they didn’t return. Fortunately, they were rampant reseeders, so I’ve had plenty of babies to replace them.

This experience, though a mix of triumph and tragedy, encouraged me to try other marginal plants here. A neighbor had given me a Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Bluebird.’ It had never bloomed for her and she was tired of looking at it. I tried it in two shady, protected areas, with the same results. This is typical of the bigleaf hydrangeas in zone 5. They bloom on old wood, but die to the ground in winter, which means no flowers.

But then the lightbulb went off and I decided to give ‘Bluebird’ a cozy nest against the warm brick wall. (It is shaded by the sand cherry in summer.) Last spring I watched eagerly to see if it would produce any buds, but alas, the old wood was all dead. I cut it back and forgot about it. Then one day, what do you know! It suddenly had two floppy pink mopheads!

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Whether it’s the location or some other factor, I am delighted that I have gotten this beauty to bloom. Never mind that I have a pink ‘Bluebird.’ (Mr. P.O. used to empty the fireplace ashes into this bed, so it’s highly alkaline, and of course hydrangeas need acidic soil to produce blue flowers.) It’s blooming and that’s enough for the moment.

I’ve had a couple of other successes too. Easter lilies are marginally hardy here, but last year one of mine had lovely trumpets. I’ve also had tri-color salvia return, though it’s sold as an annual here. On the other hand, I’ve replaced a ‘Golden Showers’ rose twice in this bed (I love its clear yellow blooms), despite good winter protection.

Clearly, microclimates are no guarantee of success. Still, I look forward to pushing the zone limits even more next summer.

14 comments:

  1. Hurray for microclimates! I do a wee bit of zone pushing here, but with our clay, fog, galeforce winds and winters that bite, it's a bit of a challenge. Others in other parts of the province do better with it, where their soil and vistas are a bit more amenable.

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  2. Hi Donna, Your border is gorgeous. I love the red leaves of the sand cherry and how they complement the other colors. The weigela and rose blossoms are my favorite color. I prune my weigelas right after their finished blooming. This kind of toughens them up so they won't flop. Just my two cents. Summer hurry!

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  3. Very pretty combinations. That rose sounds wonderful. It's kind of fun having those microclimates isn't it? It gives us a chance to grow things that others in our area aren't able to.

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  4. Hi, Jodi--
    You DO get the weather up your way, don't you? (I've seen some of your recent posts. :) The photo of the waves on the wharf was phenomenal!) It is nice to experience an occasional success despite the weather, though, isn't it?

    Thanks, Grace! How far back do you prune your weigelas? I have two other varieties that respond well to pruning, but this one doesn't seem inclined to take the hint. I'd love to hear any further tips you have!

    Thanks, Catherine. I agree it's nice to be able to try something we've been told we "can't" grow here--as long as I'm not investing/risking too much on it, that is!

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  5. Very pretty border. I like them curved too. Good choice. Salvias are such workhorses in my garden. They are one of my favorites.
    Debbie

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  6. Thanks, Debbie! "Workhorse" is the perfect word for Salvia. They are so reliable and constant that I take them for granted most of the time. They are wonderful though. Thanks for stopping by!

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  7. Donna, I love that you're a zone-pusher, too! I've got a small bed that I'm anxious to see what it does when spring gets here. I have a zone 6 coreopsis there, as well as mexican feather grass. That grass still has some green on it, so I'm very hopeful it will make it. The coreopsis is buried under snow right now. That's a good thing!

    Your gardens are amazing. So well thought out and neat.

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  8. Thanks, Kylee. I look forward to seeing and hearing about your zone-pushing successes in the spring. Personally, I take anything green at this time of the year as a good sign! If you believe the zone-shifting theories, we're all probably at least a half to a whole zone warmer than we used to be anyway. I think your coreopsis should be fine.

    And if you only knew how UN-thought-out my gardens are--and how often stuff gets moved around! :)

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  9. I'm in Z5 too and I got some elephant ears to overwinter in a micro climate similar to yours in a neighbor's garden. Unfortunately the neighbor has lost her house and I doubt the next owner will appreciate the awesomeness of what happened there.

    Oh well.

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  10. Wow! I don't know if I'd be gutsy enough to try elephant ears. That's pretty amazing. My mom always has them in her yard, but brings them in every winter. I know better than to expect myself to keep up with that routine too. :( I hope you were able to rescue your elephant ears before the neighbor moved out.

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  11. Hi Donna,
    I enjoyed this post as much as the others! I missed one (sorry) but caught up just now:) You've really done a lot with your yard and created lovely garden areas. And not only that, you understand your garden (ok, well, it's a constant process, as with a child:) What I mean is, you are taking the time to learn what works where, and not giving up on something right away! I took a few notes as I read through this post--and I'll be back for more later:)

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  12. Thanks for the encouragement, Jan!
    You are so right about gardening being a constant process (and childrearing too! :)). I have learned a lot, but there is so much more to learn--that's the fun of it, right? I have my share of "problem areas" to sort out still. I'm sure those will feature in future posts...

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  13. Donna,

    That comment above about the EEs was mine I was signed into my other Blogger account. Anyway, I didn't dig them out although I'm tempted to do it if I see them in the spring. Although that would be theft but a crime I could possibly live with.

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  14. Yes, I recognized your alter ego, Mr. BT. (My blog and garden have benefited greatly from both your sites, so I wouldn't forget you in either identity! :)) I hope you are able to get your EEs back, even if you have to do it sneaky-like. Good luck.

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