I just ordered 50 shrubs called "Common Caragana" ... Does anyone know anything about them.. We had a wall of Emerald Cedars and after a winter they all died.. there were 60 of them in a row.. We wanted to make a wall or hedge along one side of our garden.. We are in zone 3 and we must be careful what we plant.. They should be coming sometime this week and I have someone to plant them the next day.. I was thinking 24 inches apart would be a good spacing.. I want them to make a hedge that is thick, tall, and attractive..
Steve, 24 inches apart will be too small a distance ...Caragana, only needs 5 feet apart for a thick hedge...it can even take up to 10 feet apart, it's a very fast growing shrub. .. if you plant at 24 inches apart you will have an extremely thick hedge which will be very difficult to prune to shape . Dig your holes twice as wide, and at least 2 inches deeper than the root ball..
Holly.... If I go (as you say) 5 feet apart, it will take 10 years for me to have a thick hedge.. Remember where I live and the zone is 3... Not as if I live further down south where the climate is warmer and the growing season is longer.. I have absolutely NO intention of pruning them or shaping them.. I just want them to grow and make a hedge............ The hole large and deep is OK... I will fill up the hole after the ball is in with some fresh good black earth that I bought in bags.. Lots of water in the beginning................. We planted some Siberian Pea Shrubs on the other side of our garden about 5 years ago.. I spaced them 4 feet apart and after 5 years, they are still pathetic looking.. They were planted too far apart at 4 feet.. They are NOT 5 feet tall and they still haven't touched each other sideways.. That is why I didn't go for more of these but rather something that will grow faster and thicker..
@Steve North , when I looked up the common caragana, it says that it IS the Siberian pea shrub; so what is the difference in the new ones you ordered and the ones you bought before ? It looks to me like this should be an excellent shrub to grow ! Since it is a legume, it will set nitrogen in the soil, plus it actually produces an edible high-protein pea that can be used as food, or will make a good food for wild animals or birds if you don't use it yourself. I have never even heard of this shrub before; but it can be grown as far south as zone 7, so it might even grow way down here in Alabama. I am in zone 7B , which would be the warmest zone that it would grow in; but it looks like it might not like our heavy clay soil. Since your avatar shows you posing with an awesome fish; you might try burying any fish heads leftover from fish that you are eating, around the edges of the shrubs, and see if that will help them to grow faster. I see that they are using this shrub as a permaculture plant, since it provides edible food each year. It might even be something that @Ken Anderson would like having on his property , and should grow fine there, too ? http://tcpermaculture.com/site/2013/05/13/permaculture-plants-pea-trees/
OMG Joe... Thanks for reminding me... should they come in as BUSHES, I will definitely return them... I ordered SHRUBS and that is what I want....
Yvonne.. They are not quite the same but they are from the same family.. The Caragana grows faster and is more hardy than the Siberian pea.. The Caragana was recommended to me by the nursery over the Siberian... Last time, I bought them without any advise, but this time, the Caragana seems to suit my purpose better.. Actually they will be facing each other on either side of my garden but 100 feet apart..
How about the peas that the pea shrubs produce, @Steve North ? Since you planted the first ones five years ago, I am assuming that you are getting peas from them each year, even if they are not growing much, and wondering if you use the edible peas, or do birds or deer eat them ? When I was reading about them, it said that they are grown as a food crop in some countries and are very nutritious and high protein. If you have tried eating the peas, what do you think about them ? Are they similar to regular peas that grow on a vine ?
No peas.... Just a pathetic bush that is only about 5 feet high and didn't spread sideways at all.. Not a good type of plant for our climate..
My Caragana shrubs came in today.. all 50 of them are about 12 inches tall with some flowers on them.. They will be planted tomorrow in the ground.. Meanwhile, I have them soaking in a pail of water as per instructions.. No, I will not be planting them myself.. I have someone that will do the digging.. My digging days are over.......
The bushes are planted.. I had someone come in yesterday and within 3 hours had all 50 planted.. They were about 14 inches tall and had about 8 inches of roots.. They even had some small yellow flowers on them.. All 50 were planted 36 inches apart in order to make a thick hedge in the future.. They should eventually grow to be about 16 feet tall, but that might take some years..
Okay there, @Steve North , I just read your last post where you said that you have all of "the bushes planted". It is no wonder that they are not growing into the kind of SHRUBS that they are supposed to do if you are accepting BUSHES instead. Get ahold of that company right away, and let them know they have sent you bushes and not shrubs, and you will NOT stand for that kind of substitution ! ! ! @Joe Riley and I will back you up all of the way on this, Steve.
My shrubs have been planted for a few weeks now.. They are doing just great, all 50 of them.. They were just sticks about 12 inches tall when planted but they all have grown leaves and are looking extremely healthy and starting to fill out.. I planted them 3 feet apart in order to eventually make a thick barrier to cover.. Instructions were 5 to 6 feet apart, but I am in zone 3 and they could be not as full as further south..
Wow, 50 shrubs is a lot. I hope you will really like and enjoy them. I think that shrubs can be really useful and helpful for privacy and even to add cooling to an area. Landscaping is always nice to have around a property. It would be nice to see pictures of their progress. I have a number of holly bushes in the front here. I like them. THe best thing is that there is Holly around the holiday time. So, that is nice to have.
Good for you. How wonderful to be able to order so many at one time. Did you purchase any nandina? Another name for them is Josephs Coat as they turn colors in the fall. Enjoy your shrubs.