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| I'm thinking I might have made a bad landscape choice.... or perhaps I was thwarted by this weird spring. Here goes. I planted out a front garden last year and needed a blue-leafed perennial. I loved the frosty blue of Dianthus 'Bright Eyes'. I loved that it flowered all the way to frost. In April, when all the snow had finally left my yard, I could see that this plant had remained semi-evergreen. At that point, about the top 4" of soil had thawed. Then we got another big heavy wet snow that thawed within 36 hours. The ground was incredibly mushy. Last week, I went to clear out the gardens and all the foliage on the plant was brown and fell off with little disturbance. In looking up 'Bright Eyes', some sources say zone 5.... others say 4. Now, my other z5 perennials came up just fine.... especially since this winter wasn't truly a z4 winter for us, AND this particular area had a lot of snow pack on it from blowing the driveway. So, given that this spot is right next to my asphault driveway, it always has a huge snow pack on it and it's among the first areas to thaw and to warm up. Was this truly a bad choice? Or was it the weird spring we had that did in my Dianthus? I'm considering whether I'll try to replace it with the same, or with something else? I also have Dianthus 'Fire Witch' in the same bed. Of the 3 planted, it appears one has come back. So.... now I'm considering what I'll do about these Dianthus. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sat, May 11, 13 at 10:57
| right next to my asphault driveway, it always has a huge snow pack on it and it's among the first areas to thaw and to warm up. ==>>> how sure are you that it didnt thaw and refreeze.. repeatedly.. during the winter ??? that said... i never had much luck with them .. they are not what i would consider a long lived.. easy to grow perennial .... [yeah.. i know.. and now everyone will pipe in about how theirs takes over the yard.. lol] drainage might be an issue.. or winter water retention in your soil .... ken |
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- Posted by buyorsell888 Zone 8 Portland OR (My Page) on Sat, May 11, 13 at 11:50
| They rot over winter with all the rain we have here for me....not the cold. |
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| yep, winter wet - death knell. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sat, May 11, 13 at 16:20
| So.... now I'm considering what I'll do about these Dianthus. ==>> well i am glad to see its not only me.. lol ... as to the above.. do what we did .. MOVE ON ... and cross this piece of carp off your list ... ken ps: i guess one might say.. its on of the foo.. of the foo foo ;.... who needs to mess with foo foo stuff ... life is too short ... convince yourself.. though in a different season.. phlox scent is close ... lol ... |
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- Posted by thisismelissa z4a-S Twin Cities MN (My Page) on Sat, May 11, 13 at 21:53
| Glad to hear I'm not alone in my struggles with this plant. So, do you think Yarrow would be a better choice? |
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| I've had better luck with ANNUAL dianthus (which blooms all summer) reseeding and acting like a perennial, than perennial dianthus... However, no blue foliage. Speaking of blue foliage, one of my favorites for part sun is the very hardy small grass, blue fescue. |
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- Posted by cearbhaill Zone 6b Eastern KY (My Page) on Sun, May 12, 13 at 7:41
| Make sure you aren't seeing any regrowth before you tear it all out- it is not an early grower. I'm several zones warmer and due to the wonky spring mine is just now getting going. |
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- Posted by thisismelissa z4a-S Twin Cities MN (My Page) on Sun, May 12, 13 at 8:53
| Thanks for the heads up cearbhaill, I wasn't going to rip it out just yet.... at least not until I've identified something else to get into that spot anyway.... But it's good to know that I may just be a little impatient. |
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- Posted by ken_adrian z5 (My Page) on Sun, May 12, 13 at 10:00
| it will pull up easily.. when its dead ... hope springs eternal .. but be realistic ... lol ... ken |
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| I find that as long as my dianthus is in a spot with good drainage such as a slightly raised bed and the voles don't get it (unfortunately, it seems to be a favorite) dianthus comes back pretty consistently for me. I have grown a variety of groundcover dianthus for their spring bloom and frosty foliage, but not tried any of the longer blooming taller dianthus. |
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