|
| We are looking for a hardy pest free perennial around 3 feet to 3.5 feet in height (less than 3 feet in breadth) which is water conserving and can thrive in an aspect of "part sun". As well it needs to be able to do well in clay soil. For example I think I recall that many of you (everyone?) loves "Baptisia". Would this plant fit the bill? |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| My baptisia are probably taller than 3.5 feet, and continue to spread each year,. They bloom in the spring, then you just have the greenery. This picture is a plant that is about 5-6 years old, grown from seed. Becky |
|
| Speaking from a very clay-ey, droughty place, my suggestions would be: Russian sage |
|
| UPDATE: Lots of great suggestions...thank you. After reading the detailed reviews by the Chicago Botanic Gardens of many varieties Platycodon I am also considering putting in a stand of "Hakone Blue". It is long flowering with an interesting flower, water conserving and able to perform in less than full sun conditions. And according to this "real world" report they can attain a height of 3 feet or more. |
Here is a link that might be useful: comparative study of
|
| "They can attain height of 3 feet" Or rather length of 3 feet, not height. Most probably they will lay down if THAT high. I had hundreds of them. Not particularly long lived with me, I have no idea why. There are maybe 4-5 left. |
This post was edited by wieslaw59 on Fri, Jun 7, 13 at 17:14
|
| Quoting from the Chicago trials document: Among the taller balloon flowers that remained fairly upright during the bloom period were Platycodon grandiflorus, ‘Blaue Glocke’, ‘Double Blue’, ‘Fuji Blue’, ‘Fuji Pink’, ‘Fuji White’, ‘Hakone Blue’, ‘Hakone White’, The spot I have in mind will have them somewhat surrounded by other perennials which might lend some support if needed. |
|
- Posted by gardenweed_z6a N CT (My Page) on Fri, Jun 7, 13 at 20:01
| I whack down my multiple clumps of balloon flower in early June each year to about a foot in height, including the Hakone white, to keep them from getting tall and flopping. I've had mine for 5+ years and didn't like their tall habit or flopping over. Once I knew they bloomed as profusely if cut back early in the growing season, I found I enjoyed them a great deal more. Most of mine are growing in full sun altho' I haven't noticed diminished blooms in part sun. I visited a garden where the gardener had always let them reach their maximum height but complained about them flopping over. When I shared with her that I cut mine back each year, she was excited about doing so herself the following year. Perhaps in your soil you'll have less of the flopping issue. |
|
| Thanks for that 'gardenweed' . More and more we learn of perennials that do well with a whack back once or multiple times in the growing season. So 'gardenweed' what do you think is the maximum desirable height of your "Hakone"? (It has been my experience that plants requiring lean soil are much more loose and floppy when planted in a rich medium). |
|
- Posted by susanzone5 z5NY (My Page) on Fri, Jun 7, 13 at 20:45
| I love goldsturm rudbeckia. It grows in all kinds of conditions here and is gorgeous in bloom and has nice seedheads for the birds. |
|
| Look into Nepeta subsissilis. Nicely behaved, 3 to 4 feet tall, does not flop, very long blooming. I have more pictures, but can't get Photobucket to load this morning, so here is a long shot of it in a small bed with salvia. It of course is the tallest lavender. |
|
| gazania, an excellent suggestion...thank you. The only "Nepeta" I have is "Walker's Low" and it does fine in less than full sun. But please tell me "subsessilis" is (much) smaller than WL? My WL does fine in clay with no extra water and I was assuming that "subsessilis" would be similar but looking on-line it seems to show it being most happy in moist soil. |
This post was edited by rouge21 on Sat, Jun 8, 13 at 8:25
|
| My soil is somewhat amended heavy clay. The N. Sub does very well on average rainfall and in hot dry spells also. It is in about 5 hours sun, but I believe it would also do well in less. |
|
| Forgot to say that N. Sub does not sprawl like Walkers. It stands very upright. I have 3 plants in that pic above. The base of each plant in 5 years would be at most 18 to 20 inches. The top spreading open maybe to 3 ft. |
|
- Posted by gardenweed_z6a N CT (My Page) on Sat, Jun 8, 13 at 21:17
| rouge21 - I like/prefer most of my perennials (other than butterfly bush & baptisia) closer to 2 ft. than 4 ft. since that enhances, rather than detracts, from my property/house aspect & general garden design. Curb appeal is secondary only to feeding the bees, butterflies & hummingbirds but it still weighs heavily in my garden design & execution plans. I especially like Caryopteris/blue mist shrub for it's fragrant foliage + shortness in addition to blooming very late in the season. The butterflies are generally very fond of it. I normally whack my platycodon/balloon flower plants back to about 12 inches this time of year so they don't flop later in the season. It hasn't bothered them over the past 8 years so I figure they'll still give me lots of flowers. I've read they have a taproot and can be very long-lived. I really don't like plants that flop so I tend to whack whatever grows too tall if they'll still bloom following said whacking. They then grow to what I consider an acceptable height of roughly 2 or 2 1/2 feet in height before blooming. This year, unfortunately, some critter is whacking things back for me--I'm guessing either rabbits, woodchucks or the giant turtle I found in my south bed last week. Though I may grit my teeth, I'm generally resolved to accept + enjoy the garden as it is each year and not regret when things don't follow the plan I had in mind. Overall I've achieved the curb appeal I envisioned while also attracting pollinators to the garden. What more could I ask for? |
|
| I mentioned it in another thread, but check out asters for this area. Aster laevis 'Bluebird' and Aster divaricatus are spectacular, easy care, drought tolerant, disease free and hardy. Both provide amazing late summer through fall blooms that will attract pollinators in droves. |
|
- Posted by spartangardener z4 MN (My Page) on Sun, Jun 9, 13 at 9:11
| Phlox paniculata, pink echinacea (standard strain, not a new hybrid), joepye weed (if pinched in early June), helenium, New England aster ( pinched in June), rudbeckia laciniata hortensia (pinched in June). |
|
| UPDATE Because of gazania's posts in this thread I did plant a Nepeta subsissilis in late July last year. It did survive the winter and is growing vigorously this season. Here it is as of today:
|
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
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- 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 your post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising policy!
- 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.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
