Rising from bare roots

The bare root plants I bought this spring are thriving beyond my wildest expectations! These are native perennials and a native shrub that I ordered from Prairie Moon Nursery in Minnesota. 

I'm hoping for false aster flowers like these from a bare root specimen-photo David J. Stang

When I put them into the ground in late April, the idea was that they would send up stems and leaves rapidly. 

    Bare root plants are harvested earlier in the season than plants that have already leafed out. I’d seen bare root roses that arrived looking like dead sticks transform themselves into flourishing bushes covered with flowers. I’d never seen this happen with perennials, though, and I wasn’t sure how many of them would make it.

Would this become a 3-by-3-foot flowering  plant?

    I wanted to try this approach because it would serve two environmental goals. Roots are smaller and lighter than perennials in full leaf sitting in pots of moist growing medium. 

A plant in a pot takes more energy to ship

That means they carry a lower carbon cost for shipping. In addition, I’ve been looking for ways to use less plastic. The bare root plants were shipped inside plastic bags, true, but that was much less plastic than what I’d be getting with potted plants. I was glad to see that the nursery bagged all plants of one species together, rather than wrapping them individually.

    The little roots seemed delicate when I opened the bags. The garden was just coming into leaf as I carefully nestled them into the soil I’d prepared for them. Then we had a cool May, and the ground stayed moist. That was lucky, because the leaves and pine needles I covered the bare root plants with to hide them from digging animals fooled me too. I often forgot to water them.

    Almost two months later, the bare root plants are definitely doing what they were supposed to. In the bed next to the deck, wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana) 

Wild strawberry

and wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) popped right up through the chicken wire I’d laid over them for protection. They’re now robust young plants that look ready to face the summer. 

Wild geranium

I sited the early meadow rue (Thalictrum dioicum) next to a bird bath so it could catch some extra irrigation when I slosh out dirty water to replace it with clean. This plant sent up a half dozen slender wiry stems topped with small fern-like leaves. I hope to see its pale yellow flowers next spring. 

Early meadow rue

False aster (Boltonia asteroides) got a sunny spot next to the fish pond. 

False aster

It’s not taking off like a potted New England blazing star (Liatris novae-angliae) has nearby. It’s alive, though, and presumably gathering its strength for a growth spurt later in the summer.

New England blazing star

    Truly impressive is the bare root coralberry (Symphoricarpos orbiculatus) that I planted and mostly neglected on the slope leading down to the back fence. Left on its own, it sent out leaves and looks to be thriving. 

Coralberry

This shrub is reportedly a vigorous grower. I’m hoping that its somewhat adverse conditions in my yard will keep it to a reasonable size while it provides wildlife with welcome flowers and fruit.