Asarum weediness etc.

Tony Avent Tony@plantdelights.com
Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:38:29 PDT
Jim:

When our friend Hans Hansen lived in Minnesota, he had great luck with A. takoi, Asarum debile, and Asarum sieboldii...all without reliable snow cover.  I know there were others, but these are the ones that I remember.

Tony Avent
Plant Delights Nursery @
Juniper Level Botanic Garden
9241 Sauls Road
Raleigh, North Carolina  27603  USA
Minimum Winter Temps 0-5 F
Maximum Summer Temps 95-105F
USDA Hardiness Zone 7b
email tony@plantdelights.com
website  http://www.plantdelights.com/
phone 919 772-4794
fax  919 772-4752
"I consider every plant hardy until I have killed it myself...at least three times" - Avent

-----Original Message-----
From: pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:pbs-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of James Waddick
Sent: Friday, July 15, 2011 12:34 PM
To: Pacific Bulb Society
Subject: Re: [pbs] Asarum weediness etc.

Dear Roy and all,
        My climate is pretty harsh. I've tried caulescens and it too
lasted a few years, but then some seasonal extreme took it too. It is
even more generic than A canadense. I like the small delicate form,
but not very exciting either.

>
>I finally took the plunge and planted out some A. splendens a couple of
>years ago (I'm guessing that's what you meant instead of A. superbum).
>They were fine last winter's deep snow cover. I'm guessing that Ellen
>has no problems whatsoever with it.

        Yes of course I meant A. splendens - duh! I brought back a
couple clones from China in '89 or so and eventually gave a bunch to
Tony A who sold it for years. It was never hardy enough to make it
through more than 1 winter. We rarely get extended snow cover like
Ellen does.  It and a few other large flower Chinese Asarum did fine
in pots in a frost free greenhouse, but these all went away
eventually.

>
>Finally, if you want a fancy Japanese asarum that is both beautiful and
>bulletproof, try to find Setsu Getsu Ka.

        This looks pretty nice and your description is better.
>  The leaves get two to three times larger in the ground. It
>increases like crazy, much faster
>than any other Japanese asarum.

        Worth a try. Many thanks

>Saruma henryi is another winner, isn't it? I was an early adopter of
>this one, getting plants from a National Arboretum collection around
>1990. No problems whatsoever in that time, nice to look at, and not
>weedy. I'll have to look around for seeds for the BX.

        Yes I first grew this from the Nat. Arb too in the 90s and it
was remarkably easy from seed.  I certainly recommend it to anyone in
a variety of climates. If it grows here, it should grow almost
anywhere.

        While going wildly off topic (sorry folks) , have you ever
grown any species of Thottea, the 'other' Aristolochid from China?
The genus has 3 or 4 or 10 ? species and are mostly tender, but....

        Anyone else in cooler climates have success with these
ornamental Asaum species?

        I think they might all be rhizomatous and thus fodder for
PBS, but that is pushing things a bit.

                Thanks for your patience.               Jim W.
--
Dr. James W. Waddick
8871 NW Brostrom Rd.
Kansas City Missouri 64152-2711
USA
Ph.    816-746-1949
Zone 5 Record low -23F
        Summer 100F +




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