Viewing post #11361 by LabourofLove

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Feb 19, 2011 1:47 PM CST
Name: Kate
NEKingdom of Vermont (Zone 3a)
www.LabourofLoveLandscaping.com
Charter ATP Member I was one of the first 300 contributors to the plant database! Sempervivums Garden Ideas: Level 1 Plant and/or Seed Trader Tropicals
Apologies - I forgot about this thread. On to answering questions with some expanding on the whys of it all:

No, I don't use any sort of weed barrier, but I do put down fresh mulch every year. Every third year or so, I remove the composted mulch (using it to fill holes in the field from digging clumps of plants) And then put the fresh mulch down. That way, I don't lose the 16" height of the raised beds.

Since the huge tree with the semp planting around it's base is a black locust, I do put shadecloth over the beds every fall. Before I thought of this, I spent (literally) weeks picking hundreds of thousands of tiny leaves out of the rosettes - often with tweezers. I remove the tall labels and lay them on each clump. but leave small label sticks in each clump in case the signage become disarranged. I remove the shadecloth as soon in the spring as the snow melts enough to take it off. So the beds are exposed to everything EXCEPT the falling leaves, as the shadecloth offers no insulating effects.

I've never had much of a problem with critters - except for the tunnelling inside the beds. Gratefully, the semps are so shallowly-rooted that they don't seem to be bothered by the tunnels. The beds are very close to my bird feeders and there is some birdlime on some of the plants - but it rinses off easily. There are occasional forays by neighbor dogs who are chasing critters, but I just replant.

Yes, I do sell (and trade) plants. I'm continually amazed at how FAST some of the varieties reproduce! I am always trying out new-to-me sorts to see what is reliably hardy here in Zone 3. Originally I had very few plants with names (mostly swaps with folks) but am now trying to keep up with identifications. I feel that it's better for the visitors when they can have more information rather than less. My signage is all done out of my personal Filemaker Pro database and visitors tell me that they think I have the best signage they've ever seen because it tends to be comprehensive and specific rather than generic.

In addition to the semps and sedums, I now have over 800 varieties of plants growing on my half-acre spot of heaven.

I'm always happy to talk shop and welcome visitors - both online and in person.
Kate Kennedy Butler
Glover, Vermont

life without music would be a mistake Nietzsche

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