Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Northwoods on April 28, 2011, 08:30:37 PM
-
Just picked up 30 seedlings (Norway Spruce and Scotch Pine) for FREE! Also got a $90 Noble Fir (5' or so) for $20. Nursery wanted to get rid of it. Seems to be in decent shape, but the other 2 Nobles they had were dead or nearly dead. Already planted the Noble as it was just in burlap. The seedlings are in small pots. A couple will need to be moved soon to larger pots. Be nice when I can plant them in the yard in a year or so and replace a few of the junk trees.
Also got SWMBO a couple rose bushes (late birthday present). One is the "Playboy" variety (supposed to have a strong honeysuckle aroma), and other is "New Zealand" variety (supposed to have a moderatly strong apple fragerance). Need to hang some Irish Spring soap or something by them to keep the deer away until we get the 8' fencing up.
Took the kids with me. They picked out some live (i.e. not cut) tulips. My boy picked out some really nice ones that are red in the middle fading through orange to yellow at the tips. My girl picked out some nice solid red ones. They were on sale for $5 and the guy discounted them to $3 for the kids.
-
The wife was at the nursery looking at plants and shrubs to plant on our new property. I want to seed the area between the house and the road with some kind of fast growing ground cover and get some trees up as wind break on the southwest corner. We get 40 to 60 mph winds for about 3 months in the spring and a natural windbreak would be great.
Sounds like you folks struck a bonanza with your trip. :lol:
-
I want to seed the area between the house and the road with some kind of fast growing ground cover and get some trees up as wind break on the southwest corner.
Willows, Cottowood and Silver Maple.
-
Just picked up 30 seedlings (Norway Spruce and Scotch Pine) for FREE! Also got a $90 Noble Fir (5' or so) for $20. Nursery wanted to get rid of it. Seems to be in decent shape, but the other 2 Nobles they had were dead or nearly dead. Already planted the Noble as it was just in burlap. The seedlings are in small pots. A couple will need to be moved soon to larger pots. Be nice when I can plant them in the yard in a year or so and replace a few of the junk trees.
Also got SWMBO a couple rose bushes (late birthday present). One is the "Playboy" variety (supposed to have a strong honeysuckle aroma), and other is "New Zealand" variety (supposed to have a moderatly strong apple fragerance). Need to hang some Irish Spring soap or something by them to keep the deer away until we get the 8' fencing up.
Took the kids with me. They picked out some live (i.e. not cut) tulips. My boy picked out some really nice ones that are red in the middle fading through orange to yellow at the tips. My girl picked out some nice solid red ones. They were on sale for $5 and the guy discounted them to $3 for the kids.
I'd plant this pines in the yard now. Put up a fence to keep the deer at bay, mulch them and give them plenty of water the first couple years.
-
I'd plant this pines in the yard now. Put up a fence to keep the deer at bay, mulch them and give them plenty of water the first couple years.
We're not totally sure where exactly we want to plant them yet. Some larger pots gives us a year or more to make up our minds. Plus they'll survive better if they're a bit bigger when we plant them as they won't be as likely to get trampled (whether by us, our dog, the elk, etc).
-
Fast-growing ground cover?
Hairy Winter Vetch http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicia_villosa for green, or phlox http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlox for color.
Vetch also fixes nitrogen, and is a good companion to stuff like tomatoes. You can maintain vetch as a short ground cover with good mowing discipline, but if you let it get legs it will get thick stems which are not conducive to being a lawn substitute.
If you are looking for a lawn that, after getting it in, is both low maintenance and looks good, try zoisa http://www1.zoysiafarms.com/?gclid=CIqCqNzZwKgCFUff4AodPQinqQ . House down the street has a zoisa lawn that browns around Thanksgiving and greens back up around S. Paddy's Day if it warms enough. The husband died about 3 years ago - he was outside every day puttering and doing stuff and maintained his yard with a passion. She is not so interested but keeps the lawn and the flower beds around the house quite well - she's let the zoisa fill in the flower beds he had scattered about the lawn - took only 2 years or so. Talk about a weed-free lawn! And it gets mowed only 2 or 3 times a season and survives on natural rainfall. I looked at the stuff once but moved before I got the urge to try to cut holes for plugs in Virginia Piedmont red clay (reinforced concrete when dry, sucking ooze when too wet), needed about 3 tons of sand and 2 tins of lime tilled in per the Extension Agent if I wanted to grow regular fescue which is why I looked at zoisa.
For windbreaks, avoid poplars unless you like picking them up. Willows are water-suckers and spread too much for my tastes. OTOH, willow birch is nice. If you like show, look at tulip trees http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liriodendron .
stay safe.
-
Oh yeah. When SWMBO was visiting her mom in Eugene a few weeks ago they happened into some apple seeds that were sprouting when they cut open the apple. There are 6 growing in some egg cartons right now. Pretty soon we'll need to move them into some pint size pots. Hopefully they'll turn into some good apple trees with good quality fruit.
-
We're not totally sure where exactly we want to plant them yet. Some larger pots gives us a year or more to make up our minds. Plus they'll survive better if they're a bit bigger when we plant them as they won't be as likely to get trampled (whether by us, our dog, the elk, etc).
If you can try to plant then in pots that will air prune the roots. Do the same for your apple seedlings.
http://depts.washington.edu/propplnt/Chapters/air-pruning.htm
http://www.smartpots.com/smart-pot-air-prunes
-
Interesting. Never heard of air pruning before. Have to see how easy it is to set it up like that.
-
Interesting. Never heard of air pruning before. Have to see how easy it is to set it up like that.
Gives a really healthy roots system for transplanting. Research is showing a higher survival rate after transplanting.