Thinking of Brightening Up Your Curb Appeal? Look to the Trees First...

Do you have a section of your garden, where you’ve had a problem growing plants in the past?  Check out the trees in your yard and those growing on your neighbor’s property.

 

Black walnut and butternut trees are allelopathic - they naturally secrete a hormone (juglone) which is meant to inhibit other vegetation from growing  within the area of their root and drip zones.  

 

All parts of the black walnut and butternut trees contain juglone:  leaves, roots, bark and nuts.  For that reason, fresh sawdust or clippings from these trees should not be used as mulch.  In the fall, collect the leaves, shed branches and nuts to keep the juglone from being absorbed by the surrounding soil.  This specific organic material should only be recycled in your garden after it has been properly composted for a minimum of six months.  

 

To ensure juglone resistant plants will continue to thrive within close proximity of these trees, maintain a high level of organic matter (such as cow or horse manure) within the flower beds.  Ideally, the top layer should be 3” to 4” thick.

 

 

 

After some trial and error, here are a few of the perennials/shrubs which I have had success growing within the root and drip zone of a black walnut tree.   

• Solomon Seal
• Red Japanese Maple
• Coral Bells (specifically Purple Palace)
• Christmas Fern
• Honeysuckle (shrub variation - Honey Rose)
• Lilacs (Common and Preston varieties)
• Hostas (I’ve planted several different types and they are all doing well)
• Periwinkle (vinca minor)
• Vinca Major
• Ajuga (bugleweed)
• Forget-Me-Nots
• Jack in the Pulpit
• Wild Ginger
• Bloodroot
• Spirea

 

I haven’t tried growing vegetables or annuals beneath this tree, so I can’t say for sure how those types of plants are affected.  When purchasing new plants, be aware to check for their level of susceptibility to juglone.  

 

The best lawn grass to plant under a black walnut?  Kentucky bluegrass 

 

English walnut and pecan trees secrete very low levels of juglone -- so low that the amount rarely affects neighboring plants.

 

Black walnut and butternut trees are well worth the extra effort once we have an understanding of what types of plants are able to share their environment.

 

 

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