| I hace a black walnut tree and everything I plant near it dies. Any ideas? Sandy |
| I apologize for the delay in responding. We were flooded with questions and are working to catch up! There's a growth inhibitor within the bark, roots, leaves, stems and fruits of all walnut trees. Some plants are more tolerant of this than others, and will grow near walnut trees. Other plants are extremely sensitive and will not grow. Other considerations to make when planting under walnuts is that the trees have shallow root systems and do not like competition for moisture and food from other plants. A final consideration is that walnuts like their roots on the dry side, and many other landscape plants need more water than is healthy for walnut trees. You can plant under the canopy of the tree, but don't plant too close to the trunk of the tree. To further insure success, remove all husks and leaves from the beds as soon as they fall in the autumn. If left in place, juglone will leach out into the bed. The plants most tolerant of the growth inhibiting juglone found in walnuts include: arborvitae, ctalpa, clematis, daphne, euonymous, junipers, rose of Sharon, biburnum, astilbe, bee balm, begonia, bellflower, Shasta daisy, daylily, chrysanthemum, coral bells, wild ginger, orange hawkweed, hollyhock, hosta, morning glory, pansy, phlox, marigold, primrose, stonecrop, tulip, violet, campanula, iris, lamb's ear, spiderwort, sweet woodruff, and zinnia. Most vegetables of the nightshade family are extremely sensitive to juglone, as are narcissus, peony, petunia, columbine and lilac and should not be planted near walnut trees. |
