While I didn't finish the ornamental grasses in front (yet), I also moved on to a different spot: the raised vegetable bed on our back patio. Just like the grasses, this bed had some stems and seed heads that I left behind from last season's plants. Tomato bushes. Herb stems.
I took my pruners to those and cut them up into small segments. And left them on the top of the bed. You can see the 'chopped' mulch in the two photos below. I typically top this bed with a couple of bags of compost and/or mushroom compost, so this plant litter will get incorporated into the soil later this Spring.
Here, below, is a closer look at some of the stems. These are 'woody' for the most part, so I cut them down to about 1/2" pieces so they'll decompose a little bit faster than they normally would if left larger.
I'm not a pro when it comes to 'mulching in place', but I'm using it more-and-more each season. Here's a video from the Royal Horticultural Society that talks about using the 'chop and drop' method (embedded below):
They talk about how you shouldn't use the chop and drop for every perennial in the garden and call out hostas, specifically, as one you should compost during your clean-up. There's a bit in the video that explains monocot plants (like Hostas) that have a parallel vein structure (vs. dicots that have veins that are more 'net-like'). Monocots break down, they create 'fiber-y structures' with 'mushy material'.
The exception that the RHS calls out are ornamental grasses. Huzzah!
The benefits of chop-and-drop clean-up (per the RHS) include: soil enrichment (the cut-up bits are organic matter), is easy (no hauling away to compost bin), is natural (mimics what happens in nature), is good for critters (the cuttings feed the soil which feeds critters) and they end by saying..."if done properly"...it can "still look really great".
Our hedge of Frans Fontaine Columnar Hornbeam trees is waking up for Spring and has begun to leaf-out all over the trees. The last time that I looked at these trees was earlier this (late) Winter, when all of the trees were still clinging to some of their previous-season's leaves (something called foliar marcescence). The screening that comes from planting these Frans Fontaine Hornbeams along the property line is starting to come into focus this growing season as the small leaves are opening from their buds. Below, is a photo showing the current (mid/late April) state in our yard in Northern Illinois (Zone 5b). And, here below, is a look at the leaf from the Frans Fontaine European Hornbeam (Fastigata). They are curled and ribbed with a hob-like flower/fruit on the trees It won't be long until they fill-in for the year - check this post to see what these trees look like mid-Summer (July 2022) where they're screening our neighbor's yard. These trees ...
Earlier this year, I planted three small quart-sized nursery containers of a new (to me) nepeta named 'Chartreuse on The Loose' . It is an interesting variety that has a unique color foliage (lime green), habit (trailing) and maintenance needs (it doesn't require deadheading to re-bloom). Right away, one of the plants was eaten-up by the (dang!) rabbits. But the other two seemed to do just fine. Look back at this planting post in early May when the three small plants were just that: small . Lots of mulch showing between them. Today? They've made a drift with no gaps in between them at all. See below for the current state of these trailing/spreading catmint perennials: I've mentioned that I need to continue to remind myself to add more of WHAT IS WORKING instead of adding net-new stuff. But, these are both a reminder that sometimes new things can be great. But, now that I see them working, I have put them...
Since the new year, I've posted about a couple of spots that I'm thinking about for trees in 2020. That started with the five trees that I want to plant in the front yard ( including five new trees ) and a small section between the espalier Linden trees and a Cleveland Pear along the southern fence line. In both of those pieces, I talked quite a bit about columnar trees. At this point, you're probably like: we get it, Jake. You like columnar form. Yes indeed. But, because this is *my* blog, you're going to have to bear with me. Over the course of the next few days and weeks, I'm going to use this space as a reference guide for some columnar trees that I've come across that are work referencing back as I add more inventory. This post is about a pair of what I'm calling 'white trees'. Birch and Aspen. First up is this Dakota Pinnacle Birch Tree . The folks at Fast Growing Trees are currently selling a 5-6' version for $99 righ...
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