Blog of the construction of a new tufa mound in the rock garden

[Luc Gilgemyn]

As the first growing season on my tufamound is nearing its end, it may be appropriate to post a little update ! 

At first, I have to admit that the losses during our (too wet) Summer increased in numbers... 
So here's first a list of the plants that didn't make it.

Had been planted in tufa holes, but died... :
Asyneuma pulvinata
Linum cariense
Asperula daphneola
Kelseya uniflora
Eritrichium nanum (after a very promising start, it was dug out by a colony of ants !!!! 

Had been planted in a crevice between the tufa rocks... and didn't make it either... 

Androsace villosa jacquemontii
Viola pedata bicolor
Cryptantha paradoxa
Primula auricula var. ciliata

This concludes the list of the losses (so far...  )

Now let's look at some plants that DID make it !!!    They're (fortunately) much more numerous than the "victims" !

I'll start with the plants planted out on the South "face" of the mound and with the name of each plant, I will be mentioning whether it was planted IN or BETWEEN the tufa rocks !


1) Daphne petrea grandiflora - between
2) Daphne petrea "Lydora" - in
3) Dianthus "La Bourboule" - in
4) Dianthus webbianus - in
5) Campanula ciliata - between
6) Campanula zoysii  - in - both species have had to deal with several slug attacks... 
7) Dianthus arpadianus - in - turned brown on the side facing the sun... 
8 ) Draba condensata - in - still very small, sown in January
9) Draba mollissima - in
10) Draba sphaeroides - in

[Brian Ellis]

Thanks for the update Luc, glad to see that there are more successes than casualties.  Well done in the face of ants and a wet summer.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thank you Brian, I'm quite happy with the results myself so far.

There are some more good doers left from the "South face" though, here we go :


1) Draba x "John Saxton" -in - a hybrid from Keith Lever
2) Gentiana clusii var. rochellii - between - hasn't changed a bit since it was planted out 5 months ago... 
3) Gysophila aretioides -in - also received the visit of a slug.... 
4) Helichrysum milfordiae -between - grows away like mad ! 
5) Physoplexis comosa -in - ...slugs again...... 
6) Potentilla biflora -beween - seems to be struggling...
7) Townsendia hookeri - in - really doing well
8 ) Veronica oltensis - between - feeling at home !
9) Vitaliana primuliflora - between - a ok !

Further updates  of the other "faces" to follow in the next few days ! 

[astragalus]

A very impressive array of plants, Luc.  Townsendia hookeri seems to be very happy.  You'll love it when it blooms.  Have you tried Heterotheca jonesii?  Stays very congested when grown lean and is still in bloom in my garden.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thanks for the kind words Anne ! I am happy with the Townsendia indeed and hope to see flowers next year.  I've been growing Heterotheca pumila for a number of years - still in flower right now also - it's not in the Tufa mound though.

[Lesley Cox]

Well done Luc on so many fine plants, doing well. I did wonder about the Kelseya and the Eritrichium and how they'd do in the wet. did you have glass over them? Will you try again with those precious things?

[astragalus]

Luc, I just looked up Heterotheca pumila, which I don't know.  It says it grows 1 foot tall.  Heterotheca jonesii's height is 2 to
3 inches.  It forms a very low mound and just keeps spreading out.  Unlike many westerners it doesn't mind some summer rain.
It is very hardy and an easy doer.  Here it's never watered except by nature.  If the drought is too long it will stop flowering but will immediately start to bloom again after some rain.  It blooms until hard frost.  The flowers are small and bright yellow.  It's really a great plant.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Well done Luc on so many fine plants, doing well. I did wonder about the Kelseya and the Eritrichium and how they'd do in the wet. did you have glass over them? Will you try again with those precious things?
[/quote

Thanks Lesley !!  A new Kelseya is already acquired and waiting to be planted out    and I will definitely try Eritrichium again as well as it was doing very well, even after lots and lots of rain, until the ants decided to remove whatever precious little soil there was in its Tufa hole... 

Luc, I just looked up Heterotheca pumila, which I don't know.  It says it grows 1 foot tall.  Heterotheca jonesii's height is 2 to
3 inches.  It forms a very low mound and just keeps spreading out.  Unlike many westerners it doesn't mind some summer rain.
It is very hardy and an easy doer.  Here it's never watered except by nature.  If the drought is too long it will stop flowering but will immediately start to bloom again after some rain.  It blooms until hard frost.  The flowers are small and bright yellow.  It's really a great plant.

As I read your description Anne, I think I just bought mine under a false name...  it looks exactly as you describe it : a real ground hugger looking very dead after each Winter, but recovering rapidly in Spring and flowering its heart out until the first frosts !  I think I'll change the label to H. jonesii !
Here's a picture of how it looks.

[Tim Ingram]

Luc - great to see how these plants are doing! I think I need to go and get the load of tufa I have promised myself. I have some of these plants doing well in a small sand bed but they do look so much more content in tufa, and it is so interesting to be able to compare notes like this. I did grow Kelseya many years ago in a large block of tufa and it did well, as did Helichrysum coralloides and the beautiful fern Cheilanthes eatonii.

[astragalus]

Definitely looks like Heterotheca jonesii, Luc.  It's a nice plant for tying plantings together.  I'm enjoying seeing the progress of your tufa garden.

[Lesley Cox]

Luc I do hope you realize how very fortunate you are to be able to buy such fabulous things as the Kelseya and Eritrichium and all the others. You would be badly starved if you lived here.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Yes we're a fortunate lot, Lesley !    You always have my sympathy whenever I read about your quarantaine rules... 

Thanks Anne and Tim, glad you enjoy the posts.  Just trying to make people learn from my mistakes ... 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

It's been three years now since I built the little tufa mound.  About time to do an update.

First 4 general views.

The star of the show at the moment : Jankeaemonda vendedemii

More later ! 

[ChrisB]

Such a joy Luc... Beautiful.  Tufa makes such a difference

[David Nicholson]

Looking good Luc.