Comments | rain_garden: have no idea what i'm doing...

aquafemme in rain_garden

have no idea what i'm doing...

Mar 26, 2009 13:58

Just bought my first home with a very tall evergreen tree in the front yard - a few questions ( Read more... )

Comments 9

dreams_of_all March 26 2009, 21:32:21 UTC

The plant is almost definitely vinka, or periwinkle.

Do you know what type of evergreen it is? Trimming the branches should be fine, though.

Vinca is almost impossible to kill or get rid of, so the pine needles shouldn't be a problem--you can take them off if you want, I think. With the ground cover, you shouldn't have too big a problem with weeds.

I'm not sure how to clean up needles--by hand, maybe, with gloves? A shop vac might not be a bad idea... XD

sage_and_sea March 26 2009, 23:46:36 UTC

Well, vinca wouldn't actually be blooming right now, would it? Violets are, though.

Vinca pictures & wiki

Violet pictures & wiki

hallucinas March 27 2009, 00:23:41 UTC

mine are blooming like crazy!

sage_and_sea March 27 2009, 00:24:34 UTC

cool! I just thought they didn't rise up until later in the spring. :)

aquafemme March 27 2009, 18:03:52 UTC

not home right now to confirm that the ground cover is vinca (periwinkle) but, based on the shape of the flowers, i am certain that it isn't violet.

gardening_gal March 27 2009, 02:51:43 UTC

sounds like vinca to me. I use a small brush rake to clean up all the needles under my pine tree. You might take a bit of the vinca but it certainly won't hurt it. Or you can pick them out by hand.

mshrmit March 27 2009, 04:21:43 UTC

I'd forget the ground cover and leave the needles -- natural mulch. If you really want to get rid of them, though, a rake would be your best bet. As for the branches, if they bug you trim them. They don't hurt anything by existing, though.

hallucinas March 27 2009, 16:31:01 UTC

It sounds like vinca to me and if it is you can rake the heck out of it and it will be fine. I actually planted some under a tree because the tree sheds billions of flowers every fall and I wanted something pretty that could stand up to the raking.

aquafemme March 27 2009, 18:07:03 UTC

good to know. i was afraid to rake them but i might give it a gentle try. i'm fine with keeping some pine needles for mulch but... there are a LOT. even if they aren't hurting the vinca, it doesn't look purty.