Wednesday, December 8, 2010

More leaf management; we leave the leaves in beds with evergreen perennials




It keeps them cosy, moderating the rise and fall of temperatures in the top few inches of the soil. Temperatures fell into the low 20's F last night but these guys look great. From the top they're Arachniodes standishii, Cyrtimium falcatum, Coniogramme emeiensis, and Polystichum polyblepharum.

Other evergreen perennials appreciate this kind of airy leaf mulch; Hellebores, Epimediums, Asarums among others. Leaves constantly moving in the wind are trapped under the plants. During my weekly "touch-ups" I will remove excess leaves that may mound or mat against he plants. That's more an aesthetic issue; still important though.






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