Landscaping around an old growth nursing stump

Discussion in 'Outdoor Gardening in the Pacific Northwest' started by Catherine D, Oct 19, 2014.

  1. Catherine D

    Catherine D New Member

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    We've recently bought a house out by UBC and have inherited a large old growth stump with a new cedar growing from it right on our front lawn. I'd love to get some ideas about landscaping around it so that we don't have to remove it but don't know where to start. Does anyone have any ideas to share??
     
  2. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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  3. Lysichiton

    Lysichiton Active Member

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    A "stumpery". I like that. I'd see if I could get some Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis) going on & around the rotting wood. Maybe Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens ) if it is damp. Oh, and some Wild Ginger ( Asarum caudatum ), or the European Ginger ( A. europaeum ) Gotta have some Trilliums too. All of these are shade/understory perennials & among my personal favourites. If it still sunny around your stump, you may have to wait till the cedar gets bigger and gives some shade.

    What fun...
     
  4. woodschmoe

    woodschmoe Active Member 10 Years

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    Ditto to red huckleberry (Vaccinium parvifolium) as a key part of this sort of planting...it might even appear on it's own (well, via bird...) over time, if it's not already there. It responds well to shearing and/or tight pruning, working well as a median point between the sense of wildness inherent in the stump and it's more cultivated surroundings, and allowing you to play a bit with scale as when pruned to accentuate their open frameworks with tight 'canopies', they can look like quite bonsai-like.

    In addition to the good suggestions already provided, I've found blueberries and honeyberries thrive if planted into the decayed wood 'slopes' that inevitably form at the base of these old stumps as well. Of the two, the honeyberry (Lonicera caerulea) has more ornamental value, though blueberries have a nice Fall colour.
     
  5. Lysichiton

    Lysichiton Active Member

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    Nice. I have had success with transplanting moss. I am sure you can find some on a log or around a stump somewhere local to you (that's not in a park) and stuff bits of it around the stump and into the cracks. I am sure you can find a species that will take hold and spread fairly rapidly.

    Some other plants to consider - Maidenhair Fern and Deer Fern both of which grow readily around here in partial to full shade. Fawn Lily or Oregon Lily, which are hardy things once they establish. Some perennial native or small species Violas. Most of this stuff is available in garden centres, certainly in the Fraser Valley, if not right in Vancouver.

    I have a Japanese inspired courtyard in my house and a now-much-decayed Big Leaf Maple stump in my garden. The effect one could achieve with all of the above suggestions of shrubs and flowering perennials would be a cross between a native wild BC garden and a Japanese landscape feature. I find this sort of landscaping to be very appealing personally.

    I'm jealous.
     
  6. Georgia Strait

    Georgia Strait Generous Contributor

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    my first response is - how lucky you are to have this natural feature in a setting out near UBC.

    I always like growing vines - NOT ivy or virginia creeper. - something thinner and simpler, more native - like a wild honeysuckle or a pretty and not-so-tall clematis (i would not choose Clematis montana for this project -it runs up the tree which is fine if it's a huge tall tree in a larger setting I suppose )

    salal takes a few years to settle in and looks wonderful and is handy for flower / holiday cut arrangements

    is this in a hot sunny spot or shade?

    i agree with the native huckleberry suggestion - relatively neat and clean (ie the leaves are so tiny that when they drop in the fall - it's not a big mess)

    i'd figure out if you can install a nice focal point - like a planter with seasonal flowers in it - a few tete a tete daffs in the spring ---- some impatiens for the summer/fall - etc. Can you see this stump garden from a particular spot inside your home? or from a nearby patio? It's a good idea to plan some views from inside your house - esp in our climate where we are outside only part of the year.

    i also have good luck with heuchera - mainly the good old "palace purple" ---- some of the many others avail even at Cdn Tire plant dept these days are lovely - but I can't get them established.
     

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