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| I have two beds of mature pachysandra that I'd like to introduce a few perennial plants and some bulbs to. My question is, how much pachysandra do I need to clear away in order to plant the bulbs and new plants? I'm not sure if I can get away with just clearing out enough pachysandra to fit the plant into the bed, or if I need to clear away a perimeter of bare space between the plant or bulb and the pachysandra.
I'd like to clear away as little pachysandra as possible since I think bare spots might look weird, but I don't want the pachysandra to crowd out new plants or bulbs, either. Can anyone advise? |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Tue, Jun 12, 12 at 12:27
| sharpen your shovel.. and go dig a 18 to 24 inch circle.. lift it out.. remove all the pach. ... replace the native soil.. and plant something in the hole you just cleared .. smaller holes in fall for bulb planting ... once a year.. dig around the edge again.. to dissuade the pach from growing back into the hole . .. a very dense mat .. might restrict water .. thru competition ... and bulbs may eventually fail ... if you let the stuff just grow over them ... ken |
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- Posted by mistascott 7A (My Page) on Tue, Jun 12, 12 at 12:40
| Do you get a lot of sun there? Seems that pachysandra (shade) might be incompatible with most bulbs since they tend to need full sun. Maybe the area gets sun in winter/early spring because it is under deciduous trees? If so, bulbs would work. I would install some sort of barrier between the pachysandra and whatever perennials/bulbs you plant because the pachysandra is going to overrun everything and look messy. |
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| The only bulb I can think of that's likely to compete with the pachysandra would be large daffodils varieties (no small species or miniatures). They should be able to come up among the pachy and then fade away when they're done. Perennials should also be large. I'm thinking large hostas or daylilies (for sun). That way the plants can elbow aside the pachysandra on their own and not need a spot cleared each spring. I agree that cleared spots may look a little weird. |
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| I added a couple Hellebores to a patch of pachysandra last year and confess to barely clearing away enough soil to plant them. Both are doing well this year, but I think it helps that they are also evergreen, so the pachysandra never had a chance to grow/take over their places. I imagine herbaceous perennials would have a more difficult experience. |
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- Posted by schoolhouse z5/ohio (My Page) on Tue, Jun 12, 12 at 20:25
| Yeah, what Ken says. I have a border full of English Ivy and Myrtle and perennials like peony, hardy geranium, columbine and even blood root continue to come up every year and do their thing. BUT - I do clip (most of the time rip) a neat little circle around them in early Spring when I see new growth down in the jungle. If you don't or can't be vigilant then you may not want to bother trying to plant them. |
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| Thanks for all the advice. I think I may just clear out one of the beds entirely so the perennials won't have to struggle. |
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