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| Hello All,
I recently have fallen in love (on-line) with Nepeta Catmint Walkers Low *and* Penstemon Dark Towers. In their descriptions online, both plants do not tolerate wet feet, especially over winter. The bed I'm going to put them in has some wonderful soil. I'm actually thinking it perhaps is too nice, seeing as the nepeta thrives on neglect and wants to be dry dry dry. This soil is almost like compost. Whomever owned this home before must have done something to it because its gorgeous soil and I'm just discovering it. This bed has been hidden under some gangly junipers for years, and I just ripped them out. What I surprise I had!! Anyway, the question is: Can I add tons of rocks in the planting hole for both the Cat Mint and the Penstemon? I'm trying to make them happy and long lived in this spot.
Any info is appreciated. Even constructive critisism! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by mad_gallica Z5 Eastern NY (My Page) on Tue, May 17, 11 at 9:28
| Catmint can handle pretty much anything. I wouldn't do anything special for it. Penstemon is a different matter. I'm not familiar with that one to know how well it would do, but some varieties are very difficult in the east because they want drought. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, May 17, 11 at 10:26
| when i wanted to do alpines.. i had a few yards of scree delivered... and just planted in that ... a hyper-specialized bed .. i dont know if throwing a bunch of rocks in the hole will suffice ... and i dont know if $100 of scree is worth one borderline plant .... ken |
Here is a link that might be useful: and lo and behold... this explains why alines like scree .. lol ...
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| I would not worry about either plant too much. There is some risk, I suppose, that the catmint will sprawl a little to lushly, but it is very likely to be fine. Same with the Penstemon. I have both in a very nutritious and heavy clay, with lots of OM, and it definitely is wet over the winter. They come through just fine. Give them a shot. |
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- Posted by buyorsell888 Zone 8 Portland OR (My Page) on Tue, May 17, 11 at 11:53
| I am Penstemon death because even though I've added compost for fifteen years my clay soil doesn't drain well enough for them in winter with our weeks of rain. I'd say they are quite picky. I've killed at least a dozen before giving up. |
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| What varieties, buyorsell? My soil won't work for most but Husker Red and Dark Towers are thriving. |
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| Dark Towers and catmint will both do just fine in clay soil that's been amended that way you would for any plant. I grow both in medium clay. If you want to grow any of the "fancy" penstemons, here's my method which seems to work: 1. Dig out the soil from the planting hole. 2. add pea gravel to the botoom of the hole 3. add the following to the soil you dug out: Mix it all up and add back to the hole. The soil should feel gritty. 4. plant 5. never water unless you've gone a month without rain. |
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- Posted by echinaceamaniac 7 (My Page) on Tue, May 17, 11 at 14:46
| Penstemon Dark Towers is amazing. I planted some in a bad spot and they look perfect right now. Nepeta Walker's Low is tough too. You couldn't choose two better plants to get! Remember... you can root cuttings of Nepeta by breaking a sprig off and planting directly in the garden! Penstemon Dark Towers roots easily from cuttings in water. |
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| "This bed has been hidden under some gangly junipers for years..." As usual I am nit picking the original premise. Sorry! If this soil has had junipers in it for many years it might appear friable and compost-like due to the build up of decomposing juniper needles. But it may well be impoverished and depleted. Are you basing your assessment that this soil is 'wonderful' on its appearance or have you had it tested? I'm just wondering if it is actually as good as it might appear. And are you sure that it will be wet in the winter? |
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- Posted by tulipsmiles 6 South of Boston (My Page) on Wed, May 18, 11 at 8:21
| Oh my Gosh - you all are wonderful. Thanks for such quick and detailed info. Flora, yes I'm basing my assessment and "wonderful" comment on it's appearance! It looked and felt like the compost I just paid $5.00 bag for at the farm stand. Perhaps you are correct in that it may not be as nutrient filled as I think. I'm almost positive it will be wet as there were few rocks, while digging and I have already lost 2 penstemon in a neighboring bed. Soill wasn't exact, but I know that with out some extra method of giving them drainage, they will be wet with our wet and gross winter/spring thaws. Thanks again all! I think I'm going to follow a2zmom's step by step of ammending the hole with gravel and builders sand! |
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| As opposed to amending soil by adding sand or scree, I try to locate plants that don't like wet feet in an appropriate spot in the gardens, since we have long cold wet winters. There are small sections of garden that are slightly sloping and have sandier soil; so I put plants like Guara, Penstemon, and Oenothera on those slopes. This has worked well so far, my Guara lindhiermi is back for the 3rd year. The southwest corner of the front yard is another spot that is hot, dry, sandy, and along a paved sidewalk. That is where I put plants that are very drought-tolerant and do well in well-drained, lean soil (Asclepias tuberosa, Lupines, Baptisia). |
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| My plants that don't like winter wet are planted near the edge of raised beds without sides or on natural slopes. The slope allows them to drain well year round. I lose things occasionally, but usually they do fine for several years. If you don't have raised beds, you can plant them on a mound of their own in a bed to keep the crown from getting waterlogged. |
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