13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
This year I cut off all the foliage immediately after flowering. The seed is ripe before you know it and it seeds everywhere. Sometimes I can appreciate that but Corydalis solida is in a border with little bulbs and Hacquetia and it has a tendency to smother those plants.
From what I know, all asters need full sun (more than 8 hours) to light shade, or dappled shade. Partial shade is usually defined as 4 hours, so I would go a bit above that if the spot is totally shaded at any time of the day. Filtered light (like through tree leaves or if overwintering them indoors) should be fine for them, even if it is the majority of the day. I hope this helps.
Here is a link that might be useful: Aster Growing Info
Hi grandma,
thanks for your answer.
It is wandering shade from a building nearby, with sunlight from noon on and lots of light in the morning.
So I think I give it a try, I have seen them growing in the city center under similar conditions, shaded by a tall office block in the morning.
bye, Lin
Blood meal seems to work here, sprinkled on the surface of the loose soil, but it has to be reapplied periodically until the ground starts freezing.
Voles/meadow mice (and now a chipmunk or two) are bigger menaces than a few squirrels. They mine spring bulbs out from below.
Think it's worth watching what's coming into local Home Depots during the gardening season (e.g. they'll suddenly have a lot of a newly available garden phlox), but they may not look after stock they have on hand.
At Terra today.
All bulbs now half price.
I drop by periodically.
Interesting to see what's left.
Latter includes lots of the species tulip Tulipa praestans 'Unicum', which has striking creamy-white edges to it's leaves. Picture below: May 1, 2014.
Giant Dutch crocuses: all the blue-purple ones are gone, but not white 'Jeanne d'Arc' and there's also lots of orange-yellow Crocus flavus. Find both of these really stand out in shade or at the back of beds in spring.
I've had mine a couple years with nary a seedling in sight. Never heard of it seeding rampantly, though Centranthus (red valerian) is known to be more enthusiastic.
I adore my Valeriana. Clouds of creamy flowers that smell like a musky vanilla mix. Heavenly!
CMK
A simple search on thornless bougainvilleas brings up cultivars. Not all hybrids are thornless.
Here is a link that might be useful: an example
boothbay,
I don't know where you come up with this thing for your laundry room! Just fyi, we are still planting away up here in Boston. We should finish woodies and perennials this week, but I know bulb planting will take us into Nov.
Since you are so keen to bring things into your laundry room (I am joshin' you here, wink, wink!) you should get into TROPICALS. Colocasia, Canna, brugmansia, all these will be more than willing to take up space in your laundry room. ;-)
I don't know where you come up with this thing for your laundry room! Just fyi, we are still planting away up here in Boston. We should finish woodies and perennials this week, but I know bulb planting will take us into Nov. >>>
Ha,ha!! when i mention my Laundry room which is down my unheated basement, it would be for temporary storage, until I have something built in the spring with a wall and containers, where there will be their 'final resting place." BTW, I have Canna's in front of my home growing up to 8' in clusters in a 3' x 3' corner. I could imagine digging up all those 'bulbs' that keep multiplying later in NOVember. Oh yes, i live in the new york city area.
I started growing one in a large pithoi - looked fantastic sprawling to the floor...but after a few years, they do swell to alarming proportions - at least 5feet and sometimes more - might have to chop the crown into smaller bits. My son did his last year and got 5 good plants out of it...although it is always surprising just how small the crown actually is....for such an exuberant plant.
I was pleased to see my cut price Coronilla valentina subsp. glauca 'Citrina' rescued from the reduced shelf at my local garden centre has burst into flower. And the Chaenomeles has put out a few early flowers. Not so much the last flowers to bloom but the first.
I've winter-sown Heuchera twice - several years ago I sowed 'Firefly' and this year 'Ruby Bells' (seeds were from Swallowtail). I love the deep red flowers on Heuchera.
The Firefly germinated abundantly and I planted out 8-9 plants which are hanging on okay. In general the Heuchera seems to do best in highly cultivated beds, such as around the foundation of the house, and sorta hang on in the more naturalized beds where they have more competition from weeds and less watering.
Got zero germination with Ruby Bells, but I had mixed success with the spring sowing this year. I will try prob. try them again.
The pack of seeds I have are mixed so it will be interesting what they will look like if any decide to grow. We had plenty of rain this season for the most part. I only watered flower beds probably 4 times. My issue with heuchera is location. They seem to only like one certain flower bed and now most live there instead of with the hosta where I thought they looked so nice together but they wanted more light and drier soil.
I have a couple of limoniums which have never outgrown their area....in fact, they stay small and compact until blooming, when they throw out lilac stems of airy blossom. I am going to dig mine up and have a go at root cuttings since there is never enough of a crown to divide and I actually cannot really see how I could take stem cuttings since mine have no stems as such, just leaves which grow from a low central rosette (I have perezzii and platyphyllum). I have never really considered collecting seed but having grown the easy annual statice from seed, this seems a definite possibility....but too late for this year.
I like taking root cuttings - a fairly foolproof method of propagation.
AND our own lady bugs don't bite. The Asian variety do and it hurts. We have our house on the market right now and I have to vacuum the garage, basement and guest house where they are somehow able to get in right before people show up so they are flying all over my prospective buyers.
What specific plants do you plant to attract native species?
I personally didn't do the research yet as I wasn't ready to purchase but I read some interesting points about ladybird harvesting.
Sounds like green lacewings are a better route to go or simply plant to attract native populations.
I wish there was a shortlist of top performing perennials and shrubs to plant for "good" native insect populations.
I found this crazy looking ladybird yesterday. It was double the size of the typical and had a deep metallic burgundy color. By the time I got back with phone it was gone.
Yes, but finding them next season is like a bonus harvest....although there is a perennial debate (in my mind) between carbon or blue steel (best edge in the world) or stainless (survives a damp English winter).....plastic - ugly but immortal....or wood (hmmm), although have been conscientiously oiling mine all season.
What is the first and largest perennial mail order source in the US?
I planted Angelina this Summer--I'm glad to hear it's tough!
Santa Rosa changed the listing to zone 6 min after I contacted them. Good move on their part.