Answer - my front lawn. It is a small patch of grass dominated by a lovely maple tree. The roots underlie the turf and it is impossible to dig a hole without encountering a massive tangle of heavy wood just under the surface. These roots suck up available moisture and the few plants and shrubs growing near by must be tough customers to survive.
When I first bought the house, I planned to remove all the sod and turn the small patch into a non-lawn area of rocks, shrubs and artfully placed perennials such as iris and day lilies. I got the idea while walking around the older streets of Winnipeg. I bought a big stone from LCR Estates on Oliver Road and the plan was to make the stone the centrepiece. This plan died the first time I tried to remove some of the existing grass to make a garden. It was a chore just to get the trowel in the ground.
Over the years I have set various plants in this inhospitable world. The Canadian roses (Adelaide Hoodless and the Explorer rose Henry Hudson) barely hold on. However, the red leafed rose (rosa glaucous or rosa rubifolia) is doing well. Feverfew, which volunteers all over Port Arthur has muscled in among some spreading tough sedum. The geranium Johnson’s Blue has done surprisingly well. And nothing can kill the orange day lily. I also plant a few tiny yellow marigolds in clumps here and there. Last summer, I was surprised at how well a begonia, planted beside the rock, flourished, so more begonias this summer.
I put lots of good compost on these front beds and the maple roots love it and colonizes it before the summer is over. I love the maple tree very much but like all love, it comes at a price.
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