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Jim 19-05-2004 01:03 PM

What can you grow under rhododendrons in zone 6
 
My mother was wondering what kind of plants would grow good under full
sized rhododendrons that are in zone 6. We live in the North East.

Thanks Jim

William Wagner 19-05-2004 02:02 PM

What can you grow under rhododendrons in zone 6
 
In article ,
Jim wrote:

My mother was wondering what kind of plants would grow good under full
sized rhododendrons that are in zone 6. We live in the North East.

Thanks Jim


I'd consider Epimedium otherwise known as Barrenwort.

Take a peak at Darrell Probst's wonderful site!

http://home.earthlink.net/~darrellpro/

Bill

--
Zone 5 In South Jersey USA Shade
Consider all sorts of music at http://xpn.org/
"No Progress without contraries" William Blake.

Pam - gardengal 19-05-2004 03:09 PM

What can you grow under rhododendrons in zone 6
 

"Jim" wrote in message
...
My mother was wondering what kind of plants would grow good under full
sized rhododendrons that are in zone 6. We live in the North East.

Thanks Jim


If the rhodies are limbed up at all so that the entire areas is not in dense
shade, any number of small surface rooted plants can be grown at their base.
A large number of groundcovers will work - vinca, lamium, aegopodium,
pachysandra, hardy cyclamen, Asarum candense or europaeum (hardy wild
ginger), or sweet woodruff. You could also try epimediums, Dicentra formosa
or eximia and one of my favorites, Saxifrage x urbium, aka London Pride.
Slightly further out, you could plant hostas, ferns and other shade lovers
that enjoy the same conditions - heucheras, astilbe and various shade
grasses come to mind. You want to avoid cultivation or serious root
competition immediately at the base of the rhodies.

pam - gardengal



simy1 19-05-2004 05:03 PM

What can you grow under rhododendrons in zone 6
 
Jim wrote in message . ..
My mother was wondering what kind of plants would grow good under full
sized rhododendrons that are in zone 6. We live in the North East.

Thanks Jim


vinca minor, sweet woodruff, or "canadian" ginger will work. Lily of
the valley is also a strong candidate. lamium will work but less well.

k conover 19-05-2004 05:04 PM

What can you grow under rhododendrons in zone 6
 
I have azaleas under mine (I'm in Atlanta, though) and both are doing nicely
and look great together...
Kirsten
"Pam - gardengal" wrote in message
news:ORIqc.79494$xw3.4405581@attbi_s04...

"Jim" wrote in message
...
My mother was wondering what kind of plants would grow good under full
sized rhododendrons that are in zone 6. We live in the North East.

Thanks Jim


If the rhodies are limbed up at all so that the entire areas is not in

dense
shade, any number of small surface rooted plants can be grown at their

base.
A large number of groundcovers will work - vinca, lamium, aegopodium,
pachysandra, hardy cyclamen, Asarum candense or europaeum (hardy wild
ginger), or sweet woodruff. You could also try epimediums, Dicentra

formosa
or eximia and one of my favorites, Saxifrage x urbium, aka London Pride.
Slightly further out, you could plant hostas, ferns and other shade lovers
that enjoy the same conditions - heucheras, astilbe and various shade
grasses come to mind. You want to avoid cultivation or serious root
competition immediately at the base of the rhodies.

pam - gardengal





paghat 19-05-2004 05:07 PM

What can you grow under rhododendrons in zone 6
 
In article , Jim
wrote:

My mother was wondering what kind of plants would grow good under full
sized rhododendrons that are in zone 6. We live in the North East.

Thanks Jim


Some very good suggestions already in the thread, but so far it looks like
no one has mentioned that it is easy to damage roots of rhodies by
planting underneath them. This means mainly that you have to insert small
starts of things & not try to plant, say, a gallon-pot of epimediums
amidst roots. But a three-inch pot can be inserted safely, with care, & as
the underplanting grows, the roots will sort themselves out safely.

Hepaticas and Cyclamen hederifolium do well underneath rhodies. Hardy
geraniums also do well.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl: http://www.paghat.com/

Stephen M. Henning 19-05-2004 05:07 PM

What can you grow under rhododendrons in zone 6
 
Jim wrote:

My mother was wondering what kind of plants would grow good under full
sized rhododendrons that are in zone 6. We live in the North East.


Rhododendrons have shallow roots so never cultivate the soil around a
rhododendron and it is not a good idea to plant other plants under a
rhododendron. If you stay outside the drip line of the rhododendron,
you can plant companion plants that have deep roots.

Rhododendron and Azaleas are ericaceous plants, members of the heath
family, which is called the "acid loving" family. Their special cultural
requirements and shallow root structure make them incompatible with some
plants. Astilbe is an Asian perennial herb which grows well with
Rhododendron and Azaleas. Kalmia, Mahonia, Pieris, and Viburnum are
evergreen shrubs which compliment Rhododendron and Azaleas. Many of the
viburnum will grow tall and can be used behind Rhododendron or Azaleas.

Since rhododendrons have shallow roots and love partial shade, it is a
common problem to find a suitable shade tree. Four trees are well known
for having deep roots, being fast growing, and providing the "high
shade" that is often recommended for rhododendrons and azaleas. These
are Ginkgo biloba or the "Maidenhair tree", Metasequoia glyptostroboides
commonly know as the "Dawn redwood", Nyssa sylvatica or the "Sour Gum",
Quercus rubra or the "Northern Red Oak". Even with well behaved trees
such as these it is always good to dig down about 5 inches between
adjacent rhododendron or azaleas to prevent the intervention of other
roots into their root space. It is not uncommon to find tree roots
growing well beyond the drip line of a tree, so trees in the immediate
vicinity are not the only concern.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhody.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhodybooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman

flicker 19-05-2004 06:02 PM

What can you grow under rhododendrons in zone 6
 
From: paghat@netscapeSPAM-ME-NOT.

This means mainly that you have to insert small
starts of things & not try to plant, say, a gallon-pot of epimediums
amidst roots. But a three-inch pot can be inserted safely, with care, & as
the underplanting grows, the roots will sort themselves out safely.


This is very good advice. I have a red maple under which the ground is like
rock; there's no digging around under there. But I have successfully inserted
tiny bits of hostas at the base of the trunk. Not much to look at at first, but
now three years later they have filled in nicely. I've done the same with tiny
fringed bleeding heart seedlings under my rhododendron. They have grown in
nice and full and no more digging around every year shoving annuals anymore.

~flick
L.I. zone 6

paghat 19-05-2004 06:03 PM

What can you grow under rhododendrons in zone 6
 
In article ,
(flicker) wrote:

From: paghat@netscapeSPAM-ME-NOT.


This means mainly that you have to insert small
starts of things & not try to plant, say, a gallon-pot of epimediums
amidst roots. But a three-inch pot can be inserted safely, with care, & as
the underplanting grows, the roots will sort themselves out safely.


This is very good advice. I have a red maple under which the ground is like
rock; there's no digging around under there. But I have successfully inserted
tiny bits of hostas at the base of the trunk. Not much to look at at

first, but
now three years later they have filled in nicely. I've done the same

with tiny
fringed bleeding heart seedlings under my rhododendron. They have grown in
nice and full and no more digging around every year shoving annuals anymore.

~flick
L.I. zone 6


I've had he smaller species of bleedinghearts (D. eximia & D. formosa)
self-seed under rhodies & under other shrubs, they're even a little weedy,
but very welcome weeds.

An additional point about planting under rhodies would be never to plant
anything under them that will need someday to be dug up & divided, as this
could only cause great damage to the rhodies roots to be digging around
under there. Cyclamens are good because if they live to be a century old
(and they can) they never need to be moved.

-paghat the ratgirl

--
"Of what are you afraid, my child?" inquired the kindly teacher.
"Oh, sir! The flowers, they are wild," replied the timid creature.
-from Peter Newell's "Wild Flowers"
See the Garden of Paghat the Ratgirl:
http://www.paghat.com/

Zemedelec 19-05-2004 07:04 PM

What can you grow under rhododendrons in zone 6
 
What about hardy cyclamen, Coum or Hedericolum? They love dry shade. These
people are conscientious, know their stuff and give spcial deals for large
numbers or at the end of the season. They pack'em like Meissen china.
A HREF="http://www.sunfarm.com/"Sunshine Farm and Gardens: US source of
cycl./A
zemedelec

Mike LaMana 20-05-2004 11:02 PM

What can you grow under rhododendrons in zone 6
 
Do you know if you have R. maximum or R. catawbiense, or a different one?
How much shade is there? What is the soil like? Where in the Northeast are
you?

--
Mike LaMana, MS
Heartwood Consulting Services, LLC
Toms River, NJ
www.HeartwoodConsulting.net



"Jim" wrote in message
...
My mother was wondering what kind of plants would grow good under full
sized rhododendrons that are in zone 6. We live in the North East.

Thanks Jim




David Hill 22-05-2004 01:04 AM

What can you grow under rhododendrons in zone 6
 
I have always understood that there is nothing that will grow under mature
Rhododendrons, as they are shallow rooted and their leaf canopy is to thick.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk





Stephen M. Henning 22-05-2004 06:06 AM

What can you grow under rhododendrons in zone 6
 
"David Hill" wrote:

I have always understood that there is nothing that will grow under mature
Rhododendrons, as they are shallow rooted and their leaf canopy is to thick.


We have really neat native shade loving plants coming up under our
mature rhododendron plantings such as trilliums, ferns, and
jack-in-the-pulpits. They do very well together.

--
Pardon my spam deterrent; send email to
Visit my Rhododendron and Azalea web pages at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhody.html
Also visit the Rhododendron and Azalea Bookstore at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman/rhodybooks.html
Cheers, Steve Henning in Reading, PA USA http://home.earthlink.net/~rhodyman


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