Not All Plants are Equal
There are many trees and shrubs that do well in the landscapes here in the Miami Valley and there are some that don't do so well and then there are some that simply die in a couple of years. When you invest in plants for your property you don't want to have to replace them because they fail to grow well. These varieties should be avoided but you will find that some stores offer them, and that is unfortunate. They look so good in the spring and are very tempting when they are in full bloom. Don't be fooled, even if you go to extreme measures to try and have plants grow in this area that are not suited for our conditions, like some of us have, eventually these varieties will fail.
One of the groups of plants that do not grow well, if at all, in the Miami Valley are members of the ericaceous or heath family. There may be a few "pockets" where these plants will grow but generally they do poorly, many of us know from firsthand experience. It isn't because they are not tolerant to cold temperatures; it is because of the soil conditions in this area. The native bedrock in the Miami Valley is limestone, unlike the east coast where it is granite. The limestone yields alkaline soils which is unfavorable to this group of acid loving plants. The second strike is our clay soils that do not drain well and the third strike is the lack of organic matter or humus/compost in the soils here.
This acid soil loving group of plants includes rhododendrons, azaleas, mountain laurel, andromada, heaths and heathers, blueberries and others. Some of these varieties will survive for a year or so but they will never grow like they do in northern Ohio, up by Lake Erie or in the eastern part of the U.S., from Maine to the Carolinas. In fact the experience of many who have tried to grow these varieties here find that the plants actually shrink in size over time and eventually become so poor looking that they are removed.
Shrubs that do well here are most of the flowering shrubs that are deciduous and a few broadleaved evergreens like the Blue Hollies, Sweetspire (Itea), Boxwood and Euonymus plus needled evergreens like Junipers and Arborvitae, the Yew family and a few others.
Selecting varieties that grow well in the Miami Valley is the beginning of success in your landscape. Proper planting is the next thing that is necessary. One of the most common mistakes made during installation is planting new plants too deeply. Always plant the top of the root ball level, or slightly above, the soil surrounding the hole. There is more to it than just putting pretty plants in the ground.
So don't be fooled, be sure to check with your local nursery or garden center for plants that grow well in this area before making a purchase.
30 years of Growing
Meadow View Growers
New Carlisle, OH
www.meadowview.com