| Contributor
In recent years we have tried to make our landscape as maintenance-free as possible. Years ago I began to naturalize three plant beds that stretch out along the edge of the forest on the right side of our landscape. Between the three plant beds there are small spaces that serve as walkways into the forest.
This is the area from which we rake leaves and pine straw and place all of the material in the planting beds to accompany the leaves and pine straw that fall into the beds in the fall. We haven’t applied shredded pine bark mulch to the beds in years. These beds mostly mulch themselves and there is never any grass or weed growing in the area.
Over the years, in the lower bed, the longer, wider bed, we planted several azaleas, a few red horse chestnuts, a group of oak leaf hydrangeas, some irises, some sedum, a few fasting roses, and a few leather leaves of Mahonia between five large trees.
In the years that followed, we added several small oak deciduous hydrangeas and some native azaleas. There is also a concrete picnic table and large swing in this area, both of which are right in front of the bed.
The middle bed, which is quite narrow and only a few feet long, contains oak leaf hydrangeas and fasting roses around two large trees.
In the upper bed we planted a couple of brightly colored irises, a leather-leaf mahonia, a couple of hydrangeas made of oak leaves, a cluster of lilies of the valley, a group of daffodils, a couple of fasting roses and a couple of vinca minor plants, and a collection of columbines around a large tree.
Yesterday I walked along the edge of the forest and just looked at what had happened in recent years. The first planting bed up on the hill is filled to the point of overflowing with the lush perennials we planted, along with a few hydrangeas made from oak leaves and a mahonia made from leather leaves. All perennial plants are in bloom and by this time the area is filled with orange columbine flowers, blue flowering vinca and some brightly colored iris flowers, as well as pretty, purple grape-like fruits on the leather leaf mahonia.
In the middle bed, the oak leaf hydrangeas have grown and the fasting roses have multiplied and show beautiful pink, white and lavender flowers. In a few years, this bed will be packed full of large oak leaf hydrangeas.
In the lower bed, the largest of the three beds, the area fills with a multitude of smaller oak deciduous hydrangeas that have developed from runners of the larger plants and several small red horse chestnut plants that have developed from the older plants.
Here and there the azaleas bloom in different colors; yellow, red, burgundy, pink, white and lavender. The two larger red horse chestnuts also flaunt beautiful clusters of red flowers. Soon, when the azaleas and horse chestnuts stop blooming, the oak deciduous hydrangeas begin to bloom and the grapes stay until they turn a burgundy hue in the fall.
I don’t prune the oak hydrangeas or the red horse chestnuts. I allow nature to take care of these native plants as well as the native plants that grow in the forests. I haven’t even thinned out the perennial bed yet. I will allow nature to deal with it too. Whatever takes over and survives will be the winner.
Carol (Bonnie) Link is a master gardener from Etowah County and an experienced horticulturalist. Her weekly column is designed to help and encourage others with their gardening chores. Send questions or comments to clink43@bellsouth.net.
