I like to experiment to do things that can’t be done – to plant exotic trees and shrubs not recommended for gardens around Boston, and watch them grow, even after several failures because of wrong planting conditions.
In one of the “best sellers” years ago, a book by Everett Dean Martin entitled The Meaning of a Liberal Education, there was a chapter entitled The Educational Value of Doubt which has always intrigued me. I have acted on that theory, not only in my general philosophy of living but in my garden as well.
Some of this I believe may have been inherited – my father was a great experimenter with plants and shrubs, sometimes to the great edification and amusement of his friends but he got a lot of pleasure out of it; so do I.
Black Bamboo And Bald Cypress
Here in West Newton, I have a large clump of black bamboo, Phyllostachys nigra. I got it in South Carolina and grew it here with only a little protection in Winter. It has spread so much that I’ve given away many of the stolons from which it grows.
There are also several specimens of Bald Cypress, Taxodium distichum, which are fairly hardy although native to the Southern swamps:
- a luxuriant yellow jasmine, J. nudiflorum, blooms beautifully in late Winter, protected only by being planted on the south side of our house near a passion vine,
- Passiflora incarnata, which literally shoots up in early June and blooms luxuriously until frost.
The Large-Leaved Myrtle
In 1944, I brought home some roots of the ulna, probably V. major, from Arizona. It has much larger leaves and flowers than our common myrtle, and has spread so rapidly as to have become almost a weed; for that reason, I wonder why it is not offered by our local nurserymen.
In a warm rocky bed several varieties of prickly pear cactus, opuntia, grow and are protected from the snow only by an old sash; zero cold does not affect it.
Hollies And Magnolias
Since I am very fond of holly, our native Ilex opaca and the small-leaved Japanese type I. crenata are well represented in our garden. So far I have kept alive the glossy-leaved, somewhat tender English type, I. aquifolium, though it does need some Winter covering. .
Because holly has so many stiff leaves and rather brittle branches, it should have heavy snowfall shaken from it; otherwise, it is one of the most satisfactory evergreen shrubs in my cold Northern garden.
A couple of nandinas and a Magnolia grandiflora I’ve had for several years, though I find that they do need the protection of burlap and straw. This is also true of a fig tree that grows outdoors next to, and probably somewhat warmed by, our greenhouse.
Ten or more years ago I read of the interesting “cross vine,” Bignonia capreolata of the South. I have had remarkable success with it; although no flowers have yet appeared, it grows most satisfactorily on the trunks of several trees, and is greatly enjoyed as an attractive addition to the garden.
Boxwood In The Shade
Many gardeners know that our common evergreen box needs protection from late Winter and early Spring sun, but it will grow beautifully without protection on the north side of a building in complete shade – at least that has been my experience.
However, there is a hardy box from which I secured some plants from Toronto 10 years ago. From them, I have grown many plants from cuttings that are hardy in full sun.
Comment On Clematis
I could write at length on clematis growing, especially the large-flowering varieties. We are told in our catalogs that they are easy to grow. My experience and that of most of my friends is that they are not but when one finds the way, no vines give more pleasure.
The late Louis Vasseur has written several articles on clematis and he was a great help to me in solving my clematis problems. I am sure that the specialists in these beautiful vines would help many beginners and experienced gardeners with advice on how to overcome their difficulties.
After all, probably not as many may have my stubborn persistence and will give up after a disastrous bout with clematis wilt which strikes a healthy vine without notice. At any rate, gardening with lesser-known, unusual, and exotic plants and trees has many headaches, but it certainly is to me a challenging adventure and a lot of fun.
The Choice Metasequoia
A few years ago I read of the discovery of the metasequoia trees in Mongolia and that there were some seeds to be had at the Arnold Arboretum. The young trees I raised from these seeds, first in the greenhouse and then in our cold frame, are now unprotected outdoors and about five feet high. It will be interesting to see how well they come through this Winter with no protection.
Challenging Native Plants
Then there are the “impossible” plants and shrubs. Someone once said that the “only; difference between the ‘impossible’ and the miraculous was that the miraculous took a little longer.” I have found that statement especially true of wildflowers and there is great satisfaction in finally succeeding after many trials and errors.
In A Shady Wild Garden Corner
I lost many plantings of bird’s-foot violets, Viola pedata, until I found that the poorest possible soil, in full sun was the best for them; I finally dug up some subsoil in which they thrive beautifully with no attention of any kind. (Why don’t our nursery catalogs tell us this?)
A Trip To The Great Smokies
I discovered that Rhododendron maximum, the kind that is commonly sold here more than any other because it is a little cheaper, grows better in low, protected places, while only the catawba and Carolina are at home in sun and wind.
I realized then why, in our garden, we had planted so many in the wrong place besides lacewing fly is much more active on R. maximum when planted in a sunny spot than on the other varieties.
Travel makes it possible to learn facts about plants and to solve problems that are seldom discussed in garden literature. Perhaps that is why gardening is such a challenging experience.
44659 by Louis Fabian Bachrach