|
| Planted 'Golden Jubilee' late last year when it was almost dead (bought on sale) so it was small. From pic on the stake, it looked like it would grow in a low mass. So I had this 'brilliant' idea that it would cover up all my daffodil leaves as they died. So I squeezed it in between all the bulbs.
But it's already getting pretty big and the daffy leaves are nowhere near ready to die. The blooms JUST died off. So here's what I've ended up with (more written below pic): Front view:
Back view:
It's growing ok, although the bottom leaves look pale and starved for sun & I think it should be fuller. But it's so hidden. I just don't like the way it looks. I've done no pruning or pinching back yet. My dilemma is - I have no problem digging stuff up and moving it but...I know I'll disturb all the bulbs around it. Will that hurt the bulbs? If so, is it worth it to do that or should I just let it be, let the daffy foliage die off and then just give it a good pruning? Is pruning it even recommended? Sorry for the tons of questions. Guess I just want some opinions about its location (good or bad?) and any info you have about it since it's new to me. I don't even know what it's supposed to look like when it matures. Thanks,
|
Follow-Up Postings:
|
- Posted by gardenweed_z6a 5b/6a N CT (My Page) on Fri, Apr 29, 11 at 5:52
| Hope a few experts will offer up good advice on your dilemma. A. 'Golden Jubilee' grew taller than I expected in one spot last year but was well-behaved in the others. It's up again this year and looking quite lovely. So far they're all just tidy mounds of foliage. The only suggestion I can think of would be to wait until the daffodil foliage dies back and the bulbs have gone dormant, then you could dig up both the bulbs and GJ, separate them, and replant in different locations. Agastache is in the mint family (check the stems--they're square) and from what I've observed growing it the past 3 years is it's tough as nails. It's also incredibly easy to grow from seed via winter sowing. I even over-wintered some in containers and it survived minus 19 degrees topped by 8 ft. of snow. I guess I'm saying you probably couldn't beat it to death with a shovel. Good luck! |
|
- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Fri, Apr 29, 11 at 8:16
| hi link below.. propagation by cutting or root piece.. just like the mint it is ... if it were me ... i would take some cuttings .. into a small pot.. with media.. cover with plastic bag.. set in a bright but shaded spot ... and see if they root.. i would also see if i could rip some out with a root piece .. cut back to a couple inches.. and go plant them somewhere else .. like a mile or two down the road.. lol ... and once i determined that i had enough rootings or that the root pieces were living.. i would set to destroy that mis-placed plant ... by which time the bulbs would have died to the ground.. making the job much easier ... if the bulb display is good.. and the bulbs do not need dividing. i would hesitate to lift them FOR A MINT .. lol ... mint is a GIANT problem in the flower bed ... because .. IMHO .... its an invasive weed ... kinda the definition.. as you are learning .. of INVASIVE... i might even destroy the whole thing.. and be done with it.. perhaps share some with enemies.. lol ... it is probably not a plant i would share with my friends .... do keep in mind.. that just because you made a mistake in buying or planting it.. that does NOT mean you have to keep it ... that is sometimes a hard lesson for newbies to master ... restated ... if it displeases you .. move it or get rid of it ... live and learn ... good luck ken ps: google the plant name followed by 'tea' .. there may be a use for what you remove .. mint tea!!! ... i will leave it to you to research whether it is healthy .... looks like the indians thought so ... |
Here is a link that might be useful: link
|
- Posted by christinmk z5b eastern WA (My Page) on Fri, Apr 29, 11 at 13:31
| What you have is an Agastache, not a true mint (Mentha). While they are in the same family, 'Golden Jubilee' Agastache acts entirely different, it does not have underground runners like mint. It does reseed readily, but the seedlings are very easy to pull, so I would not consider it invasive in the least. You can simply cut back the flower heads before they go to seed if you want to avoid pulling seedlings in spring, but the chickadees like the seed so I don't mind ;-) The foliage on mine starts of low and mound-y (with lovely purple tinge to them) and then it begins to grow up into a plant like yours. In my garden it reaches about three feet tall and maybe two feet wide. I agree that it isn't as nice looking at this stage, when you can see the "skeleton" of the plant, lol. By the way, my plant always seems to have those pale sickly looking leaves at the bottom and interior. Think that is just the nature of this plant... Planting something in front of it that is bushy will help hide it. It certainly isn't my favorite plants, but I would not consider it a mistake on my part to have planted it. ;-) I agree with gardenweed. Wait for the daffs to die down and then move the Agastache if you want to keep it. |
|
| Agastache really needs to be in the full sun to do its best. Yours looks like it may not. I doubt you could move it right now without killing it, and would just leave it as it is and hope the daffodils dieing back lets the Agastache get enough sunshine. Al |
|
| THANKS TO ALL !! Sorry so long to respond. Internet problems :( It does get full sun where it's at so only issue with location is it being in with the bulbs. So suggestions regarding bulbs have been helpful. And thanks for telling me about growth structure and bottom leaves. Now I know mine's acting 'normal'...ha ha ha. Between the two, bulbs don't mean as much to me as having my garden look nice now, so I may either move the plant just to get it away from bulbs (not worrying about disturbing them) or just leave it & yank bulbs out. |
|
| If the bulbs don't mean as much to you, I'd bundle their foliage near the ground and use a rubber band or tie to keep it together. Or bend it down to the ground and use a few rocks to keep it in place. They'll probably be fine next year, but if this process weakens them too much, you may be able to gently and slowly yank them out after a good soaking rain which has left the soil soft. |
|
| If you don't like the way it looks, then I would move it now. The Agastache will get bigger and it will be more awkward to move and suffer more stress the later you wait. It's a pretty durable plant though, I've received Agastache in a swap in June and the plants were bigger than yours and they bloomed great that year. As for the bulbs, I would be careful to try not to mangle the foliage or cut the bulbs when digging up the Agastache. If they are too close, you could dig those up too and set aside, then replant after the Agastache is moved. I happen to be moving tons of Daffodils around right now, because there were some huge overgrown clumps that badly need to be moved and divided. I even gave a friend some clumps today. This may not be the ideal transplant time, but Daffodils are rugged - even the blooming ones don't seem to miss a beat. Usually I throw a little organic bulb fertilizer in the planting hole during transplant. |
|
- Posted by echinaceamaniac 7 (My Page) on Mon, May 9, 11 at 8:01
| I agree. These aren't invasive at all. They are excellent plants for their unique color and butterflies love them. I have zero seedlings from them here so far but others do. Instead of planting it in the middle of the bulbs, try planting in front of them, but f you wait a few weeks, you can clip the bulb's leaves and it will look good again. Maybe get one more Golden Jubilee and plant in the front to hide the leaves for now. There is no perfect way to hide the ugly Daffodil leaves. You can arrange them somewhat and putting them under the other plant, however. |
|
| Thanks all. Think I'll just leave it for now and bundle down the daffy leaves as suggested. But would you suggest giving it a good pruning now, to shape it better? Or will I end up losing the blooms? I don't even know what it's supposed to look like once it blooms...??? |
|
- Posted by echinaceamaniac 7 (My Page) on Wed, May 11, 11 at 22:50
| I wouldn't prune it. It should be blooming soon. The color of the blooms looks so good against the gold foliage. Here's a link to what it will look like. Prune it after it blooms and it will bush out and possibly bloom more. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Golden Jubilee
|
| Wow !! So pretty !! Thanks !! My name stake didn't show it in bloom. Thought it was gonna be white. Definitely will leave it. WANTED purple in that area... :-) |
|
| 'White Sprite' has the same foliage but white blossoms. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Perennials Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.