By Kerry Mendez
Q: I really love ornamental grasses but I don’t have a lot of sun. Are there some grasses that will grow in the shade?
A: You are correct in assuming that most ornamental grasses like sunny areas, but there are some that will do just fine in the shade. One of my favorites is Golden Hakone grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’), a lovely variegated chartreuse and green grass that has a cascading habit and only reaches 15”-24”. There is also a solid green variety as well as ‘All Gold’, a new one with all gold leaves. Hakone grasses are hardy to zone 5. Carexes are another choice for shade. Carex ‘Bowles Golden’ is a very delicate, thin-bladed, golden grass reaching 2’ to 3’. It can handle part shade but it has better color if placed in more sun. Carex ‘Evergold’ has creamy yellow blades with green margins and is only 12” tall. Both are hardy to zone 5. Good old ribbon grass, Phalaris, usually a rampantly spreading ‘thug’, will check its speed in less than full sun, but still do nicely. It gets 24” tall and is hardy to zone 3. Northern Sea Oats (Chasmantium), also hardy to zone 3, has sweet dropping flowers with green, bamboo-like foliage that tops off around 3’. It’s charming appearance helps make up for its self-seeding habit
Q: My German Bearded Irises used to bloom beautifully, but in recent years they have very few flowers. What’s wrong?
A: There are a few things that could be contributing to the problem. First, are they getting enough sun? Irises like six hours or more of direct sun, with most of these hours being in the afternoon. Many times light conditions in our yards change over the years with maturing trees. Secondly, irises benefit from being lifted and divided every three to four years. The best time to divide German Bearded Iris is after they have bloomed or in late summer. Discard any old or soft rhizomes and replant the healthy ones so that the top half is above ground. Do not cover this part with soil or mulch. The rhizomes like to bake in the sun. Also be sure the soil is well drained; poorly draining soil invites rot—not a good thing. Finally, you can apply an all-purpose, organic fertilizer like Plant-Tone to the soil that slowly releases nutrients over a 3-4 month period. Do this in the spring or early summer. Also be sure to remove all iris foliage during fall clean-up to reduce problems with iris borers and disease.
Q: Something has been eating my Hostas. I’ve noticed holes in many of the leaves and some plants are eaten almost to the ground. What animal is doing this and how can I fight back?
A: Welcome to the world of slugs and snails! These night-feeding terrors wreck havoc in our shade gardens (although they will feed on sun-loving plants as well). There are several ways to wage war on these ‘slimers’. First, know your enemy. They feed at night and like moisture (another reason not to water your gardens at night). To reduce and prevent slug damage try one of the following organic approaches:
• Diatomaceous earth—A sharp-edged material that is not well received by these soft-bodied creatures. Simply scatter on soil in rings around plants you wish to protect.
• Sluggo or Escar-Go or other iron phosphate brands—Environmentally safe, iron phosphate tablets that spell death to slugs, but are safe if eaten by kids and pets. Plus any that are not ingested by slugs break down into the soil, enriching it with phosphate.
• Beer traps—Pour stale beer into bowls set into the ground with the lip of the bowl just at the soil level. Slugs slip into the brine and drown.
• Copper stripping and bands—Enclose bed with a strip of copper set upright in the ground, nail copper along top edge of raised beds, or use copper tubing and circle around individual plants. Note: enclosing a bed with copper will keep all outside slugs out, but obviously not effect those already in. You still need to search and destroy these!
• Flat boards—Place in the bed and in a few days pick up and reap the “harvest” of many of these unsuspecting tenants
• Save those egg shells—Crush and place around plants to keep slugs away. Shells break down into the soil and add calcium, a little nitrogen and some trace minerals.
• Hand pick slugs off leaves and at the base of the plants.
Q: I would like to make my time-consuming, high maintenance property less work. Who should I contact for help with this?
A: There are several avenues that you can take. Landscaping firms, plus garden centers with landscaping services, can provide assessments and recommendations. Some charge for these consultations while others waive the fee if you enlist their services to bring about the necessary changes. There are also garden design and maintenance businesses that can help with ideas for lower maintenance plantings and fresh perspectives on your landscape’s layout. Advice can also include helpful tools to quicken and minimize work, suggestions for tackling hard to mow areas and other trouble spots, and much more. To start researching options you can call your regional Cornell Cooperative Extension office, NYS Landscapers and Nursery Association, check the yellow pages, and talk with members in local garden clubs. Regional garden shows are also a wonderful source of information and contacts.
Kerry Mendez is the owner of Perennially Yours, a local business that specializes in low-maintenance gardening classes, design and consulting services. To learn more about Perennially Yours please visit www.pyours.com.