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| I was browsing through my Bluestone catalog last evening and came across their listing for Anthemis. I remember my grandmother grew tons of these - both a yellow and white variety - and for her they were just about the easiest plant in the word. She had them everywhere and they self sowed like crazy. I still have very fond memories of these plants in her garden.
I tried some years ago, but they didn't do well. Maybe not enough sun - I'm really not sure why. In any case I have the urge to try them again. Any thoughts on the 2 Bluestone offers: E.C. Buxton - white, 2 feet tall Kelwayi - yellow, 3 feet tall (Does this one really grow that tall?) Kevin |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Wed, Jan 19, 11 at 14:47
| they self sowed like crazy.... ====>>>> sounds like a potential nightmare .... but i know the call from grandma is probably loud.. go for it.. just deadhead them before they go crazy ... ken |
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- Posted by gardenweed_z6a 6 (My Page) on Wed, Jan 19, 11 at 17:22
| I can't speak from personal garden experience but I was tempted to order seeds last year to winter sow and decided on a few other seed types instead after reading a thread somewhere on this forum where folks weren't overly pleased with anthemis. I wish I could recall more specifics but if you do a search maybe you can find it. I dimly recall it might have been about them flopping which is what made me cross them off my list in favor of others that had no negatives written about them. |
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- Posted by christinmk z5b eastern WA (My Page) on Wed, Jan 19, 11 at 18:11
| Yes I do. I don't consider reseeding plants too much of a problem unless they also creep rampantly or the seedlings are impossible to pull (like those devilish globethistle!). I've cut mine back after it blooms, so no seedlings here. Don't think the seedlings would be troublesome to give a simple yank to if you don't want more. Only thing I could say against Anthemis is one plant (granted, it isn't in a very good spot, on the west side of the house) sort of rotted out in the center last year. Might be one of those woody plants that needs to be replaced every few years. Which isn't a problem if you have seedlings ;-) Here is a pic of one of my plants. Got it from a neighbor two or three years ago. Think it is likely A. tinctoria. |
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| I grew both types a couple years back, I liked them but they seemed to bloom themselves to death, which can be good or bad depending on your point of view..... a ton of blooms on one hand, but you need to replant on the other. I could see them being floppy and short lived in a crowded border and better suited to an open exposed spot with good drainage. They didn't self seed at all, but I bet if planted next to a gravel walk or driveway it would have been a different story. |
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| Thanks. CMK - I really like the contrast of the muted gold Anthemis and hot pink Lychnis. That's nice. I would also suspect that is very similar to the plant my grandmother had. I should probably rephrase my comment about these reseeding. I know they reseeded in grandmother's garden, but I don't think they were out of control. She had a tendency to almost never pull a volunteer seeding, so of course she had a lot of these.
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| well they will self-seed and they do like a sunny gravelly spot. If you cut them back after they have bloomed, the new growth will stay lush and green and upright - otherwise it will get woody and sprawl unattractively. I prefer the whites to the yellows although Hollandaise Sauce is a lovely creamy colour. |
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- Posted by gottagarden z5 western NY (My Page) on Sun, Jan 23, 11 at 14:26
| I love anthemis! I've had it for 8 years and I have only gotten one self-seeded plant in all that time. It does not spread. After blooming, I cut it back hard to the ground and it will send up another nice flush of foliage. (perhaps that's why I don't get self-seeders, but I'm often very late at cutting back.) The foliage gets maroon highlights in the fall and is very attractive year round - glossy and finely cut. Mine blooms from late July 1 through mid August. My soil is a nice rich loam. Strange - my EC Buxton is butter yellow not white, and if you image google it, you will see that is is yellow for everyone else as well, except Bluestone. not sure what's up with that. Pale yellow, but not white. http://www.google.com/images?q=anthemis+ec+buxton&rls=com.microsoft:en -us:IE-SearchBox&oe=UTF-8&rlz=1I7ADBR_en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei= l308TYSKNMH-8Abp-dn8Cg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ve d=0CB8QsAQwAA&biw=1259&bih=830
It goes well with everything
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| That is interesting yours is pale yellow. Actually, that's nicer then the white. So the rich soil is OK? I was thinking maybe I shouldn't try these because I don't have any of the lean, gravely stuff others had mentioned. Now I have to rethink this. I really like those pics. Kevin |
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| I'm kinda on the fence... I have the Kelwayi (wanted the white but they were out when I ordered, so got the Kelwayi). It is indeed 3 feet tall. Pros: profuse bloom, lovely foliage, self seeds Cons: Self seeds (lol). Also it does flop, but after reading this thread perhaps I have it in too rich a soil, so maybe I can work on that. The biggest drawback for me is specific to my needs. I wanted this as a filler for bouquets, but this blooms too early for me. Funny that the descriptions say "blooms all summer" because mine does not. It blooms profusely in spring and then some rebloom later. I need it beginning in mid-June and it's mostly done by then. Plus what I did cut doesn't seem to last, so perhaps it's not good for cuts anyway. I'm going to try moving it to a spot with leaner soil. Maybe it won't flop on me then. Dee |
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- Posted by gottagarden z5 western NY (My Page) on Sun, Jan 23, 11 at 19:33
| THe rich soil does make it flop, but maybe that's why it doesn't reseed. I plant it in the middle, and it weaves all through the neighboring plants. I checked my photo dates, and year after year it's from July 1 through mid Aug. Strange that my experience should be different, but I've grown this a long time and it's a reliable, consistent performer. |
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- Posted by michelle_zone4 10 (My Page) on Sun, Jan 30, 11 at 9:26
| Interesting info. I have it on my Bluestone order after seeing a wonderful border with lots of it in it (reseeding?) last summer at one of the lodges in Glacier National Park in August. I really liked it. |
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- Posted by carol_the_dabbler Z5/6 Indiana (My Page) on Sun, Nov 6, 11 at 11:52
| I fell in love with Buxton when I saw the photos in Jeff Cox's book Perennial All-Stars. The soft yellow petals really appeal to me. Unfortunately, the only source Cox gives that's still doing mail-order business is Bluestone, which currently has the white version. I tried gottagarden's suggestion of googling images, and that brought up a number of sources, but mostly in the UK, and none in the US. Can anyone tell me a US source for the "real" Buxton, with the soft-yellow petals? Thanks!!! |
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| Anthemis is a plant for hungry soils and it loves sun. Plants planted in rich soils tend to be short-lived for some reason. Sauce Hollandaise does not flop in average soil. Needs to be cut back after blooming(to prevent self-seeding and prolong life). I have discovered it only three years ago and it was one of the few pleasant surprises. I have it combined with Salvia Caradonna in the driest part of my garden. They both thrive together . |
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| What great pics gottagarden! Your echinaceas look great. They don't get floppy in your rich soil? |
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| Carol I can't recommend a source for plants, but it seems to me I've seen seed offered - maybe Thompson & Morgan - but it's been ages since I've looked at their catalog. Kevin |
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- Posted by carol_the_dabbler Z5/6 Indiana (My Page) on Sun, Nov 6, 11 at 19:13
| Thanks, Kevin. I checked T&M, and their UK facility does offer the plants, but the US branch has only seeds for a different variety. Since Buxton is a hybrid, I suspect it might not come true from seed, anyhow. *sigh* |
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