I have one black walnut tree, which is very special to me. It grew from a nut we picked up under a tree in Laura Ingalls Wilder's yard at the farm near Mansfield, Mo. where she and Almanzo lived for most of their married life (after they left DeSmet, SD) Our resulting tree is now 25 years old and has successfully killed many peonies, incl. half of my driveway row of Mons. Jules Elie. Hostas, daylilies, lilies, tulips, bleeding hearts, and a lilac tree all grow just fine near it... we've never planted any thing directly under it. We have a small table, chairs etc. under its shade... it's my favorite relaxing spot! I would have liked to plant dahlias and hydrangeas near it, but read that both are susceptible to the juglone. It is the one tree that I rake under regularly and dispose of the leaves, twigs and nuts in a place where they won't ever get into any mulch. The twiglets are a bigger headache than the nuts as they stick into the ground and are hard to rake. I must have dumped dozens of 5 gal. pails full of nuts last fall out behind the barn. The squirrels almost follow in my footsteps! I don't like them eating the nuts near the tree as the shells are a lot harder to dispose of than the original nuts!
