The Dandelion King from NYT opinion

 

<http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/the-dandelion-king/>
 I may be a Dandelion  court jester.

--
   Bill   Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA
 

 

Bill who putters wrote:

Yes!  Go people!  (Yeah, it's an unpopular viewpoint, but the
alternative is far worse, IMNSHO).

BTW, are you the man whom I used to discuss J. maples with?  if
so, how have you evolved as far as they go?

--
Jean B.

 

wrote:


 Yes I am the same guy.  Changed handle from  Bill to Bill who putters.  
Still into growing Japanese Maples with one noticeable change .  We now
try to give 15 to 20 away each year as big is getting hard to dig.  
Frees up more space for new interesting Japanese Maples.  Just
discovered a full moon Japanese maple light green tinge of yellow about
30 inches high. Seems a few years may be needed for personality to show.
  Now the issue is where to plant it and should it give it more sun then
our small vegetable bed gets?

  Anyway made a list the other day of plants we try to grow.  Forgot to
mention laurels .

Here it is.

Astibles 
Asters Died out
Andrometers (SP)
Anemones White and Purple
Azaleas and Rhododendrons
Black Bamboo
Golden Bamboo
Bamboo Scubs
Bleeding hearts Red and White
Coneflowers many colors
Day Lilies 
Epimediums
Inpatients Double and single a annual
Ferns  Japanese
Flowering Almond Bush
Japanese Hollies
Japanese Maples
Geraniums
Hellebores
Hibiscus
Deciduous Holliy
Hosta about 10 varieties 
Stewartia Tree
Franklinia Tree
Dogwood Trees
Kousa Dogwood Trees
Flowering Cherry
Weeping Crabapple Tree
Sugar Maple Tree
Solomon Seals
Red & White Oaks
American Hollies
Sweet Woodruff small 2² high ground cover edible flowers  May Wine
Pachysandra 
Phlox Many colors
Moss
Some grass lawn and  not smokeable
Magnolia Trees
Peonies
Tree Peonies
Japanese Pine Tree
Umbrella Pine
White Pine
Monastery Pine Tree
Various Milkweeds
Kerria Japonica Double Yellow   Single Yellow and a Single White
Virginia Bluebells
Hops Ajuga both weeds
Caladiums bulbs  treated as annuals
Daffodils many types
Crocus
Mints
Rosemary
Thyme
Hardy Coleus
Ornamental Grasses
Hardy Roses
Trumpet Vines
Iris
Japanese Iris

--
   Bill   Garden in shade zone 5 S Jersey USA
 

 

Bill who putters wrote:

Andromeda.  I kind-of like those.


Here in the Boston area, mine died this past winter.


I have some and will transplant them.


I was admiring those today.


I saw some TINY ones today.


Hmmm.  Deciduous?


Those have been recommended in this area.


I have two here.


I have one.  Any idea why its babies have never flowered?  It
doesn't seem to make sense to bring any of the babies to the new
house.


I have two tortured ones at the new house.  I am thinking I will
put fruiting cherry trees near them, and then possibly remove the
others when the new ones are bigger.


I think there are two crab apples at the new house, and I have a
dwarf here in a pot.


I have some sort of maple, apparently not a norway maple, in front
of the house.  I haven't explored the wooded and hilly areas yet.


Love 'em.  I wodner whether any of mine have survived in my
naturalized area.


Have some here--and there.


Am planning to get some of those.


Ooops, I have bad memories of that.


I love moss!


Grass, ugh.  Unfortunately, I probably am expected to have some
lawn and am thinking of the slow-growing stuff.  Better if other
low green things take over...


Nice.  I think the realtor ruined the one at the new
house--cutting every single branch.  It looks very sad.  She did
that to many of the plants in the front yard.


I have one here.  No babies, alas.


I may get a small one.  I like them a lot.


I have them here and there--plus one I grew from a baby in a pot.


I want those.


I am debating about taking some ajuga with me.


Some here, some there.


Those are nice in the spring.


Need to remember to take my black grass.


I have one that needs to be planted.  Hmm.  I could have taken it
over today.  There is a kind-of defunct vine, and I am thinking
this could grow right up it.


Those I want.

Wow!  I asked about the J. maples because I am now somewhat
conflicted about the them.  I still love them, but I feel I should
be planting native things that benefit critters.  How does one
handle such a thought?

At the same time, as I look toward moving, I am sad to leave some
of my favorite (large) J. maples.  Of course, those favorites
(e.g., the moonfire, which keeps its dark red color all summer)
have not had any babies.  Others I may very well replant at the
new abode--the sango kaku, which is very near the front walk and
will probably be ruined when I move, and the two little J. maples
near it (which I hope still have their tags on them); the
shishigashira, which has never thrived here--probably rootbound;
possibly the crimson queen.  I also have four J. maples that have
been in pots for at least three years, plus a full moon maple,
which has been sitting in a pile of mulch for at least that long.

I am thinking those will go in the front yard, and the
critter-friendly things will go in the back.  The north side will
be the moss and fern area.  Maybe some of my lilies of the valley,
which have spread nicely this year, will also go there.

--
Jean B.

All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently
opposed. Third, it is accepted as being
self-evident. --Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860)

 

On 4/21/10 10:10 AM, in article
b2forewagner-6BF67B.10102121042010@news.supernews.com, "Bill who putters"


HURRAH - we use the "cut it short" method - don't see the weeds/flowers. And
you get "biodiversity".