33 of the Best Plants to Grow Under Black Walnut Trees
24.07.2023 - 12:09 / hgic.clemson.edu
When plant problems occur in the landscape, gardeners often blame insects or diseases. While some plants are more susceptible to pest problems than others, many issues arise when plants are planted too deeply.
In September, I wrote about minding your roots when planting trees and shrubs. Properly grown plants are healthier with fewer problems. Unfortunately, many trees and shrubs are not planted correctly. Even ‘professional’ landscapers are often guilty of improper planting methods due to poor training or education.
The symptoms of deep planting can take 3 to 5 years to appear in the landscape, with problems in extreme cases occurring within a year after planting. Poor planting practices that cause girdling roots may take longer to appear. See A Routine Check-up of Trees Saves Lives and Property for more information about girdling roots.
Symptoms caused by deep planting include chlorotic (yellowing) foliage, poor growth, a thinning canopy, early-onset seasonal color, and slow, general plant decline. Additionally, pest insect infestations or diseases, such as leaf spots, cankers, and dieback, may occur.
Inspect trees and shrubs to determine if they are planted at the correct depth by following the steps below.
33 of the Best Plants to Grow Under Black Walnut Trees
Bloomcore, also known as flowercore, is an aesthetic trend that is just right for gardeners. It embraces the natural world, and most importantly, flowers. Putting nature first, it creates a pretty, flowery look both indoors and outside in the garden.
A cherry plum, sweet, thin-skinned and very prolific (you’ll also find it sold under ‘Red Grape Sugar Plum’). It was in the top three of our recent taste test and everyone liked it for its strong tomato flavour that’s sweet but not overly so, and its firm not mushy texture. It has a slight acidity running through it which all sweet tomatoes need. It ripens quite late compared to ‘Sungold’ and produces for a long period of time. It’s lovely in a mixed salad with the larger varieties.
Collaborative post
Are you ready for spring? If not, why not aim for a show-stopping display — inspired by the one and only Keukenhof gardens. Our team visited the iconic garden this spring, and we noticed a few stand-out tulip combinations that we just KNEW you'd love to try! Here are a few of our favourites...
Ornamental Japanese Maples are widely available for planting in your garden. The autumn colouring makes these trees spectacular when planted en mass in a woodland or Japanese garden setting.
Hanging baskets bring gardens up to eye level, making a garden feel fuller and more complete. On the porch they create an immediate sense of welcome, while plants hanging outside windows create a connection between the indoor and outdoor worlds. Use them to dress up walls or decorate tree branches. The best plants for hanging baskets take advantage of their heightened locations, with trailing stems that cascade over a container’s edges. They also stand up to the challenging conditions of container life. Container plants need consistent moisture. Locate hanging baskets close to a water source and consider attaching a watering wand to the hose to extend your reach. Drip irrigation also works well for containers. Hanging baskets will likely need watering every day in the heat of summer. Try combining several varieties with similar needs, and experiment to find the best mix for your porch or patio.
Tested by Marti Neely, FAPLD
No other plant native to South Carolina has such fragrant and beautiful spring blooms and stunning fall color as the witch-alders. Fothergilla was named after Dr. John Fothergill, an English physician and gardener who funded the travels of John Bartram through the Carolinas in the 1700’s. These beautiful shrubs have been planted in both American and English gardens for over 200 years, including gardens of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
Are you frustrated because there are dandelions and other weeds in your lawn? Did you know that dandelion flowers provide one of the first springtime sources of pollen for bees, butterflies, and other pollinating insects?
I bought the plant more than a decade ago, for the showiness of its (then) variegated red, green and yellow foliage and its touted use as a groundcover in moist shade (including plunged right in a pot in water, apparently). Certain that I had acquired a treasure, I was terribly upset when it didn’t return from underground after its first winter with me. Dead, I reported in my newspaper garden column at the time. Gone.It was another year before the chameleon turned on me again, and resurfaced. Its resurrection was cause for celebration. Not dead, not gone!I guess you know the rest of the story if you’ve ever grown an
MY GARDENING LIFE STARTED with a hedge—cutting one back hard, specifically. It was the threadbare, tall old privet surrounding my childhood home, and I was determined to “rejuvenate” it, after reading about the process in a book. No artful hedge has ever been created by my hands, though—a fact that feels all the more lamentable after watching Sean Conway’s video tour (above) of designer and nurseryman Piet Oudolf’s garden in the Netherlands. What magic.