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| Ok, not the best description on my part, but I'm just not a master wordsmith, apparently! So I'm trying to plan some companion plantings for my new rose beds. I've got all the usual suspects sown in trays for the winter. Plenty of vertical spikey ones like bearded iris, hollyhock, delphinium etc etc. And plenty of creepers and sprawlers like alyssum, freesias, forget-me-not, and viola, and a mish-mash of herbs, salvias, penstemon, aquelligia, dianthus and gaura etc etc. A couple of small shrubby things like heliotrope and tiny azaleas. Just the usual stuff really. (I am notoriously bad at growing things from seed so this list will, in reality, dwindle significantly). But I think I need something a bit airy and floaty to soften it all a bit. I was thinking of something along the lines of cow parsley, called Queen Anne's Lace here. I'd like some of the bigger, fluffy looking alliums, but it's too late for that this year. And perhaps some nigella might work too, with it's whispy ferny bits. Maybe some Russian sage - even though it's big and a bit vertical, it has that airiness about it....although I really don't like silver foliage in my garden. It looks weird with all the green. (Yep, my dianthus might end up at my neighbour's house). Just wondering if you have any suggestions for me? Or warnings against thugs if I've listed any?
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Follow-Up Postings:
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| yes, I will second your choice of umbellifers - any of them....but, as a tryout, the little annual orlaya or the more startling ammi visnaga are good test plants. There is a stunning dark oleaved angelica - Vicar's Mead or Ebony, cenolophium denudata, pimpinella or chaerophyllum....or even bupleurum longifolia Bronze beauty. Blue flax - linum narbonense is a delight, along with legousia, There is also a delicious cream coloured escholtzia (sp?) californian poppy, nicotiana langdorfii or suaveolens (all of these are easy from seed by the way). Its early for me and I have not had my cups of tea yet....but will no doubt be back with more thoughts. |
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- Posted by muscovyduckling 8-9, Australia (My Page) on Tue, May 27, 14 at 7:19
| Ahh, thankyou Camps, for furnishing me with the actual word for 'floaty flowers'. Hahaha. Makes google searching a bit easier! I've looked up your excellent suggestions, and I'm very taken with orlaya, and some of the angelicas are really rather striking. And I really like the greenish-yellow bupleurum varieties. How have I never heard of these little gems!? (Ok, I'm a novice and they're not 'popular'. That's how. You mustn't take the things I say literally). Also, apparently nicotina suaveolens is endemic to areas not far from here, so it should be OK in my garden, even though I'm a bit further up the hills from where is usually grows. Blue flax and legousia look like pretty alternatives to geraniums, which are difficult to source around here. All the big nurseries sell pelargoniums as geraniums, which is irritating, to say the least, and the specialist nurseries don't seem to bother with the humble geranium. On my recent internet adventures with my new-found vocabulary (thanks again) I stumbled upon a plant called astrantia major (or masterwort) which looks adorable in pink and white, and also supposedly has a sweet fragrance. Does anyone have experience with that one? I'm not even sure if I can source these seeds in Australia, but before I go hunting advice would be appreciated. Also, on a more serious note, IS there a reason why I haven't heard of any of these (other than my own ignorance)? I mean, I definitely have never seen any of these, apart from angelica and cow parsley, at any of the major (or minor, for that matter) nurseries or seed supply stores. What I'm saying is, is there a valid reason that they're not more popular? Or do I just have unusual (see: dorky) tastes or something? Cheers. |
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| Heuchera in mass is fluffy and blooms with the roses. |
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| Last year I planted Sweet Cicely (Myrrhis odorata) and am seeing it do its thing for the first time this spring. Loved it so much I went out and bought another one. The look crosses nicely from cottage garden to woodland garden...and its edible! |
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| Also, instead of Russian sage maybe consider Blue False Indigo (Baptisia australis). Pretty, airy leaves when not in bloom. Native to US and hardy to zone 9. Another idea is gaura. |
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| Two things came to mind (well, three, but Camps already mentioned 'Orlaya grandiflora) -- Gypsophila and Foeniculum, aka Baby's Breath and Fennel (respectively). Another that's definitely "airy" but not quite "fluffy" is Verbena bonairensis. :-) ~Christopher |
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| Some of these floaty fluffy things seem to prefer cool, moist conditions. I'm thinking of astrantia, which has given me difficulties in my hot climate, much as I admire it. |
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- Posted by garden2garden z8 FL (My Page) on Tue, May 27, 14 at 12:36
| Gaura lindheimeri 'Whirling Butterflies' |
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| Very pretty, but some of the umbellifers are very invasive in my area -- you might want to check in yours. If you're considering gypsophila, as Christopher suggested, you might want to try Euphorbia 'Diamond Frost' instead. Similar fluffy, airy, fairydust appearance, but carefree and should look good year-round in your zone. Probably not a good wildlife attractor though, like most of the other plants mentioned. Astrantia struggles in my heat, but gaura does exceptionally well through three seasons, without any invasive tendencies. jannike |
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| Hmmm....what about some type of Achillea if you garden where it's hot and dry? Many will spread, but I'm thinking that established roses can hold their own against them. :-) ~Christopher |
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| Following on from the suggestion of baptisia, another leguminous and airy plant is indigofera heterantha (there are others too, but this is one I grow), pale green pinnate leaves with clusters of violet and mauve pea flowers - a lovely thing, imo. Then there are grasses - deschampsia caespitosa Tatra gold or Goldenschlier, the amazing stipa barbata....or stipa tenuissima for that matter. Some of the scabious family are promising - the native S.columbaria, fine leaved S,graminea, the pale S.ochraleuca (and I second your idea of nigella)....not forgetting bulbs, especially from the numerous allium family - from the pretty and edible A.schoenoprasum (chives) through to the dainty Mediterraneans such as A.insubiricum and native US A..cernuum - there are literally dozens of ornamental onions flowering through the whole season. all of them delightful. |
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| I've tried a bunch of Achilleas, of all colors, with just one so far meeting my criteria of being tidy, long-blooming, not invasive, and of a color that harmonizes well with most roses and is not too intense. That one is Achillea millefolium 'Martina'. It is green-leaved with pale yellow inflorescences that stay upright and don't flop over. It spreads at a very slow pace, it stays in bloom most of the summer (with deadheading), and it is very drought and heat tolerant. Sort of an umbellifer look in a very easy to grow plant that can be plopped in almost anywhere. |
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| I get a ton of comments on my large patch of oregano when its flowering as well. Picked a poor variety for taste, but its really beautiful when blooming at the base of roses. Friends who are not gardeners always ask what it is and when I tell them are a bit surprised. |
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- Posted by muscovyduckling z8-9%3F, Australia (My Page) on Wed, May 28, 14 at 0:03
| Thanks to everyone for your great suggestions! I will look them all up when I've had my morning cups of tea and feel alive. I thought I would just mention that, although I'm in Australia, my climate is not especially hot and dry. We get around 60" of rain per year, mostly in autumn and winter, but with an average of 12 rainy days each month over the summer. Average high temps in summer are between 70-80 degrees F (about 25 degrees C) with some scattered very hot days of around 105 degrees F (40 degrees C). It doesn't snow here, but it does snow perhaps 2 days per year about 10 mins up the road from me. I can grow cherries and northern highbush blueberries here, although winter lows never drop below 25 degrees F (-3 degrees C) - and these lows are vary rare indeed. We get occasional frost and frequent fog in winter. Perhaps, based on this, I should revise the USDA climatic zone listed on my profile? Can anyone suggest what it should be? |
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| Astrantia 'Hadspen Blood' has grown well here on the North side of a house with no special care. Fennel was mentioned. Bronze fennel is especially nice. Artemesias are feathery but usually silvery. Then there is Matricaria which is daisy-like and Thalictrum which can come in yellow flowers or lavender flowers. Thalictrum 'Hewitt's Double is my favorite. Being sterile, it is longer blooming and looks like a slender lavender version of Baby's Breath. There is also Crambe cordifolia but I have never grown it. Cath |
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- Posted by muscovyduckling z8-9%3F, Australia (My Page) on Wed, May 28, 14 at 0:53
| Thankyou to everyone who has assisted so far. It's quite frustrating because many of these suggestions can't be purchased here. I have found sources for the following: Cow Parsley Most of these aren't named varieties though, just the bog standard stuff. Looks like none of the named scabiosa, angelica, achillea, and others mentioned aren't available here. Also baptisia australia is not available in Australia, which is a real shame as it's lovely! Indigofera would theoretically be a great native alternative, but a lot of people grow it here and it's MASSIVE, so I won't put it in a rose bed. Still. I think I should have enough to be getting on with this year :) |
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- Posted by PortlandMysteryRose 8 (My Page) on Wed, May 28, 14 at 1:55
| Muscovy, if you like dark leaved companion plants, Anthriscus sylvestris 'Ravenswing' is a great umbellifer. It looks fantastic with whites, pinks, lavenders and blues. Carol |
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- Posted by muscovyduckling z8-9%3F, Australia (My Page) on Wed, May 28, 14 at 2:06
| Thanks Carol, looks like I can actually get that one here! I'm not really into coloured foliage in my garden at all, but perhaps a touch of purple here and there might be OK. I will give it shot, and rip it out if I hate it. It's really mostly the variegated foliage plants that make me want to vomit in my mouth a little bit. And those fluorescent heucheras - sorry Michael G :( I don't want anyone to take offence to this. They're just not for me. Oh, and I forgot to say, I can get my hot little hands on Sweet Cicely too, looks lovely, thanks! |
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| yeah, not keen on variegated stuff either (Norah Leigh Phlox - gah!....although this is beloved by many forum members). So, your climate sounds awfully similar to our southwest - Devon, Cornwall and Somerset (Z9). Do you happen to know your soil ph? Wouldn't this be the start of seed sowing time for you (its always seed sowing time for me)? There are numerous easy annuals and biennials which can be grown from seed and tend to work out a fraction of the cost of already grown plants (and, because I am cheap, I find these seed raised things really easy to toss if they annoy me whereas I will hang onto ones that costs me £££. astrantias, in all varieties are winners.....and there is a rather lovely geranium (from seed) called Silver Cloak, with pale cut green foliage and numerous blooms held well above the foliage. If you are keen to grow seeds, Plantworld seeds in Devon carry around 3000 varieties and will ship to AU. Don't worry about being opinionated about plants - we are all a bit (ahem) passionate about this. |
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- Posted by muscovyduckling z8-9%3F, Australia (My Page) on Fri, May 30, 14 at 9:09
| Well! I checked out the Plant World website (took about half a day! What a range!), then I checked out the Aussie import/customs laws, and I *think* I can have flower seeds by cultivar sent to Australia without paying an inspection fee. I will have to contact our customs people to confirm, as the website is irritatingly vague. If so.. I'm in heaven! Thank you so much Camps! I can finally have a humble geranium! Hahaha. I am deliriously happy about this. Some (non-garden-y types) may say disproportionately so. I bite my thumb at those people! I have not been to the southwest of England since I was 4, visiting grandparents in Devon. That was Christmas time, and I remember a lot of snow and wearing mittens. Mostly I was concerned that Father Christmas wouldn't know where to bring my presents. So I couldn't really comment on the climatic similarities, but I will take your word for it. I don't know what my soil pH is, but I know it's acidic because the hydrangeas are all blue. I will do a soil test one day soon, my blueberries are outgrowing their pots and I suspect I will have to fiddle with pH when I get around to planting them in a hedge-y type configuration. I'm having a crack at this winter sowing caper this year, so yes, it's about time I got my act together. |
This post was edited by muscovyduckling on Fri, May 30, 14 at 9:10
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