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Thursday 19 June 2008

Gotta' love my goatsbeard !












No matter how you look at a full grown Aruncus 'flower" it is an amazing piece of nature's work .. Delicately lacy, yet one heck of a strong 'plume' .. I have two full sized and two Korean Goatsbeard plants .. the dwarf version is just so darn cute that you have to have them after having the monster back of the border ones .. for contrast ? .. for a big goofy grin, on how mother nature can have such a great sense of humour ?

8 comments:

Unknown said...

I do like these plants. I planted 4 of them in my shade garden earlier this spring (one of each color in the catalog). They aren't huge, but they'll bloom soon I think!

garden girl said...

Gorgeous Joy. Goatsbeard is quite a presence. I've been wondering if it would thrive in the shady, boggy area way in the back border near where our neighbor's weeping willow used to be.

I love white astilbes, and goatsbeard looks like astilbes on steroids!

Aunt Debbi/kurts mom said...

Hi joy, the goats beard is really amazing. I have passed your blog on to a fellow master gardener. She has recently moved from a home and garden that was all sun, to a very shady lot with lots of trees. Many of the plants you grow are very shade tolerant here in north Texas. I felt like she could get a few great design ideas by looking at your pictures.

Thanks

Deb.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Debbie ... what a wonderful compliment : ) thank you ! .. I just had a prfessional pruner come in and prune our trees and lilacs so it would be done right for a few years .. a little more light and rain gets through but bascially yes .. more of a shade garden in 2/3's of my garden area.
Thanks very much girl !

garden girl that is what I have always thought of them .. HUGE white astilbe ! it never hurts to try a plant out in a new situation .. mine have been forced to put up with dryer conditions than they are used to .. they have adapted. The only thing I can think of that may hold back are BIG flower heads .. they can use a bit of sun for that one .. but try it !!

Cinj .. what colours did they come in ? I haven't seen those type yet .. most of the aruncus I know of are white .. let me know the company and if they have a web site so I can cruiz there ? thanks ! : )

vermontflowerfarm@outlook.com said...

Aruncus is something that few people around here seem to know but once they see it at a mature size, they have a place in mind to plant it.

At our sunken, barn foundation garden, now closed to the public, we had about a dozen aruncus planted adjacent to a small bog I made. The larger varieties exceeded 7 feet and the creamy flowers were beautiful. We like to leave them as they are so that when fall comes and the hard frosts end all growth, the by-then rust colored plumes remain to sway in the winter breezes and grasp snowflakes for added contrast. They are very nice that way.

At our new nursery we planted a couple dozen aruncus in a new garden that is fed by a roadway culvert during springtime and heavy rains. We added various ligularias (many renamed of late just like cimicifuga), rodgersias, astilboides tabularis, and darmeras (under control) and some larger astilbes. This year it will look fine but next year it will really draw attention.

George Africa
The Vermont Gardener
http://thevermontgardener.blogspot.com
Vermont Flower Farm
http://vermontflowerfarm.com

Anonymous said...

I do love these. They look so delicate but put up with whatever you throw at them. I had a big one completely overrun by weeds in past years, and this year I cleared out the area, and it's huge and strong and healthy. And the dwarfs I have put up with being transplanted, no complaints.

Anonymous said...

They are pretty, and I love the way look wonderful in the winter.

CanadianGardenJoy said...

Hi gardenpath .. they are a pretty flower head .. the high setting is an advantage over the rest of the garden plants .. love the look all season : )

Thanks Nancy .. it really does have a beautiful contrast to the rest of the plants .. if only I had room for more ? LOL

megan ... they do amaze me with what they put up with .. dry conditions especially since they are supposed to love moist habitat .. but so far so good ! : )

George .. you leave such great detailed comments .. and such wonderful descriptions I can see what you are describing in my mind's eye .. the rust coloured heads yes ! and on mass .. wonderful : )
Name changes .. sometimes yo wonder why now ? other times you wonder whay not earlier ? LOL
This forsight of thinking about what is to come with our gardens .. a factor I absolutely love . a gardener's mind works on remembering "past mistakes" not to repeat. Present problems and interest to keep in mind and future smiles in hope of what is to come ... it is a wonderful gift I so appreciate !