New ground to cover and plenty of groundcover

Young native pachysandra from Lindera Nursery shows a variety of color and delicate flowers.

Dee Salomon

New ground to cover and plenty of groundcover

It is still too early to sow seeds outside, except for peas, both the edible and floral kind. I have transplanted a few shrubs and a dogwood tree that was root pruned in the fall. I have also moved a few hellebores that seeded in the near woods back into their garden beds near the house; they seem not to mind the few frosty mornings we have recently had. In years past I would have been cleaning up the plant beds but I now know better and will wait at least six weeks more. I have instead found the most perfect time-consuming activity for early spring: teasing out Vinca minor, also known as periwinkle and myrtle, from the ground in places it was never meant to be.

Planting the stuff in the first place is my biggest ever garden regret. It was recommended to me as a groundcover that would hold together a hillside, bare after a removal of invasive plants save for a dozen or so trees. And here we are, twelve years later; there is vinca everywhere. It blankets the hillside and has crept over the top into the woods. It has made its way left and right. I am convinced that vinca is the plastic of the plant world. The stuff won’t die. (The name Vinca comes from the Latin ‘vincire’ which means ‘to bind or fetter.’) Last year I pulled a bunch and left it strewn on the roof of the root cellar for 6 months and the leaves were still green.

Disposal is by bonfire, the least desirable method, but in this case the only way of ensuring it does not return.

2024 will be the year I begin to take it out, with sporadic help from hired hands. While they tackle larger areas of the offending plant, I have started from the fringes of the woodland interior and am working outward. Frankly it is not as boring from here as the vinca is less packed into the soil. It is an oddly satisfying task; this has to do with the vine-like nature of the plant. There is a knobby bit tethered to the soil by its roots; once this is lifted up (I use fingers but Norm, who is working in denser beds of the stuff, uses a hori knife) the vine runs to its next root knob about a foot or two away. It feels as if you have progressed quite a bit for one big tug. The same technique can be used on Glechoma, or ground ivy, although the vines are far thinner than those of vinca. I should be working on this well into the next decade.

While nurseries and garden centers continue to push vinca, there are native groundcovers that look great and can help to restore native habitats. Michele Palustra runs Lindera, a small outfit in Sharon that prioritizes local ecotypes of natives, meaning that she collects the seed herself from surrounding property, ensuring that the plants growing from them will serve local insects well. Spreading Jacob’s Ladder, Polemonium reptans, works in moderately shady circumstances, with its dense and deep green set of leaves and a truly beautiful pale purple or white flower. This plant comes to New England from south and west of the US but is hardy to zone 5. One of Michele’s favorites is native Allegheny pachysandra, Pachysandra procumbens.

Unlike the ever-present non-native Japanese pachysandra terminalis which is dying off thanks to Volutella blight, native pachysandra has a more delicate leaf and a showier flower. It is slower to spread than is the Japanese version but the use case is similar; as an underplanting around tree bases and to fill in around plantings in garden beds. I have recommended tiarella cordifolia as a pachysandra replacement for these purposes and suggest pairing either with a native fern such lady fern or maidenhair fern. Native ginger, asarum canadense, and the 200 or so native species of viola, or violet, work beautifully for groundcover; the former is excellent on hillsides where you can better see the shy burgundy colored flower, the latter spreads quickly which is a bonus and all sorts of insects feed on its flowers. Try to get the straight species of these native plants rather than a cultivar of them which may not benefit the habitat as well (this fascinating topic will be covered in the next installment of The Ungardener.)

I have purchased 50 plugs of Pennsylvania sedge, Carex pensylvanica, from the online consolidator Izel Native Plants to plant under cherry trees that have resisted any past attempts to have a downstairs neighbor. I also want to explore ways to encourage the growth of native moss which also makes an excellent groundcover.

Lindera, along with Tiny Meadow Farm, are having a pop-up spring sale in Sharon that I encourage you to visit. They will be selling truly gorgeous native plants including groundcovers.

This will take place Sunday, April 28 from 10-6 at Lindera Nursery, 60 Knibloe Hill Road in Sharon. www.tinymeadowfarm.com/events/spring-sharon-plant-sale.
Dee Salomon "ungardens" in Litchfield County.

Latest News

Amenia approves pool at Troutbeck estate hotel

Troutbeck's sign at the intersection of Leedsville Road and Route 343 in Amenia.

Archive photo

AMENIA — Public hearings continued from the previous meeting concluded at the regular meeting of the Amenia Planning Board on Wednesday, Jan. 8. Having considered public comment, the board approved applications from Troutbeck for an indoor pool and from DaVinci Windows for a sign installation.

No public comment was heard in connection with the Troutbeck proposal to construct an outdoor pool as briefly described by project engineer Rich Rennia of Rennia Engineering of Dover Plains. The application is part of Phase 8 of Troutbeck’s adaptive reuse application, revised recently to reduce the environmental impact.

Keep ReadingShow less
Final grant of $675,000 awarded for Eddie Collins Memorial Park pool project
Eddie Collins Memorial Park in Millerton will the the site of a new community pool, with construction expected to begin by Spring 2025.
Archive photo

MILLERTON — Calling the ongoing revitalization of Eddie Collins Memorial Park “the largest project the village has taken on,” Mayor Jenn Najdek has disclosed additional funding has come through in support of its upgrade.

This past December, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation awarded the village a matching grant of up to $675,000 in support of the Eddie Collins Memorial Park Swimming Pool Project. With these monies, funding for Phase II of the project, which stems largely from a NY SWIMS capital grant, is now at $7.56 million.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pine Plains median home prices stay relatively steady at year's end

This 3 bedroom/2 bath renovated raised ranch at 7760 Main St. in Pine Plains sold for $590,000.

Photo by Christine Bates

PINE PLAINS — From August through November there were 14 sales in Pine Plains with only one on Lake Road selling for over a million dollars and two homes for over $500,000 — a midcentury modern in town closing for $590,000 and a historic house on 8.5 acres for $660,000.

Since September 2021 the median price for publicly listed properties in Pine Plains has hovered at around $350,000. Properties listed in mid-January include seven residences ranging in price from $150,000 to $8.95 million, six pieces of land and Harvest Homestead Farm on 343 acres with a fully functioning distillery formerly associated with 1930’s mobster Dutch Schultz.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Francis ‘Frank’ McNally

MILLERTON — Donald Francis “Frank” McNally Jr., passed away peacefully at Vassar Brothers Medical Center on Wednesday Jan. 8, 2025, after a short illness. Frank was a resident of Millerton since 1996. He was born on Jan. 27, 1955, in Cold Spring, New York, at Butterfield Hospital and was raised in Garrison, New York, where he enjoyed exploring and camping in the wilderness of the Hudson Valley, participating in the Boy Scouts as a bugler, and competing as captain of his high school wrestling team.

He was a graduate of James I. O’Neill High School in Highland Falls class of ‘74 and SUNY Cobleskill class of ‘76 where he majored in animal husbandry, specializing in equine science. He then proudly volunteered for the United States Peace Corps where he accepted an assignment to his host country of the Philippines, where he met his wife. Frank would then pursue his lifelong passion for horses and horseback riding on several horse farms in Dutchess County. Later he would work for New York state where he would then retire, spending his time caring for animals, reading, fishing and taking photographs. Frank enjoyed a good laugh with family and friends, while also occasionally winning a game of RISK. Frank was an avid reader, often reading several books a week while in the constant company of his cat.

Keep ReadingShow less