13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
IME a layer of perennial snippets works as mulch and keeps the worms happy.
It does not look very neat ( if that's an issue) and slugs can hide in it,
But I personally mulch with all the perennial stalk stuff and think it is great for the soil.
Do you have any trick to avoid cutting too low and damaging the base of the plants?
Happy mulching, bye, Lin
Thanks Lin! I appreciate your response. I thought probably it would be okay to leave it. And that is just what I will do. less work! :) I actually cut it to ground and I don't baby this catmint at all. It always comes back beautifully. I do this mid summer also. It always look like I destroyed the stuff but then its all back for the second show. I would not do this with other perennials but this catmint doesn't seem to be bothered by the harsh treatment. I love it!
The cleyera will tolerate more moist conditions than the abelia but winter wet feet for any length of time may be too much. Both like a well-drained soil. Cleyera will also tolerate more shade then the abelia.
I'd consider moving the shrubs if that spread/growth habit is typical of the lantana. But both will be happiest with decent drainage.
These roots are very common on my phlox. This is a good thing! It's a clear sign that you can cut these off and increase your supply of these plants. If it looks like a root, it probably is a root! Seedlings of phlox usually will not be true to the parent plant, but divisions like this always will be.
Good luck, Ed. I used to have a couple and they dropped all their leaves when they were moved (to inside or out), so don't fret if they do, but I didn't have enough sunlight inside to keep them healthy in the winter. My MIL had a bay window that was perfect and hers bloomed all year round (grumble, grumble).
Yes. I have had a faux bois bench sitting on a cement pad(brutal western exposure) for about 8 years. A 20 ft high sweetbay magnolia grows just behind the bench. The bench has had no winter protection, and it is fine so far.
I have always intended to buy a cover from the vendor. They do sell them. (I forget the vendor's name.)
Interestingly. Faux bois disintegrates over time in salt air. I've seen benches in nursery gardens on the east coast of FL with the iron frame partially exposed. The nursery told me that that happens in salt air.
You might try calling the vendor once you find a bench that you like and ask them your question.
I really really like the look of my faux bois bench.
lethean
great to hear, lethean. Does yours come from this Currey line?:
mindy
copied from reply in native forum (dimwit, that I am)
Ah yes, we have summat similar (called roottrainers, they are basically long plugs with little internal flanges to encourage downward growth)....but, given a deep enough container, roots will always grow down (they are sensitive to gravity) so I have used newspaper or cardboard, rolled in a tube, sitting in 24cell tray modules, but only for station sowing largeish seeds. Mostly, I use large deep pots and just upend them to separate the seedlings. I usually only sow a couple of thousand seeds over a season but have ramped it up considerably so will have to much more sowing in situ in nursery beds.
I find sowing in plugs or modules to be fairly stressful and largely abandonned it because it was easier to keep the soil uniformly moist (or dry) with larger pots....but if I was sowing, say 100 sweet peas, a set-up like that, Tex, is just the ticket.
I often use 5 litre, 10inch deep pots, plant 100 seeds in each and when I come to turn the pot out, the roots grow all the way to the bottom and generally fill the pot, but they separate really easily, leaving long roots - I use a bulb-planter (for crocus and snowdrops, so only 1inch diameter tube) - I am not keen on dibbers because I think they compact the soil. I can race through planting 100 plugs in no time - almost a bit of a swizz after all that time nurturing the little seedlings in pots.
True, Greenheart - how lucky am I?
Thanks for the help everyone.
I am not sure how long it has been in bloom but it looks beautiful right now...lots of pollenators on it also....a very happy looking plant.
Given that it is in full bloom in mid October, I can imagine years when it might have fallen to an early October frost :(.
Mine continues to bloom through light frosts without any damage. I cut the blooms off before they fully go to the fluffy seed stage to keep reseeding to a minimum but leave the foliage which turns light yellow. There are several plants in the clump with some blooming a bit later making for a long bloom display.
You should have plenty of time, but you never know with Momma Nature. :) I would mulch well around all of them and make sure to cut your hostas and daylilies down to the ground after the first frost, moving the mulch over the top of the plant. For the shrubs, if it appears you will have ice or really frigid, drying wind, I would make sure to have some plant covers on hand. (I always keep some handy, but make sure to take them off when you have sunny, less frigid days again) Snow, of course, will insulate, but new shrubs are susceptible to winter kill with hard frosts, ice and really cold temperatures without the snow. Have fun! I love planting this time of year!
Here is a link that might be useful: Plant covers for your shrubs
I really don't know what I would do if I didn't have a current plant obsession. I mean, I would probably get to fuming and obsessing about the people who get on my nerves or bug the heck out of me, the latest slight, either real or imagined, makes no difference, to my person or some other negative circular thinking pattern like that. Or, it would be some song that I can't get out of my head or the worst -- the fear of aging, nursing homes or not being able to pay my bills when I reach that really decrepit state and other cheerful stuff like that, the late night horror type "what if" sort of things. Plant obsessions fill in these nasty voids that would be filled by things along these lines, no doubt.
I have had several serious phases
Obviously there was the Cactus Phase.
The SW native shrub phase
Native Grass phase #1
Native forbs phase
Native Grass phase #2
Replace that stuff I got rid of, I now want if back phase
Lantana phase
Prairie phase resulting in Native Grass phase # 3, the one I am currently in.
Still I WANT THAT BLUE EPHEDRA BAD.
Campanula , the tazmanian devil of the plant world or would you rather be a whirling dervish.. LOL My sister grows angelicas in Alaska. Beware, They take over when your back is turned.. She was off sailing the Med researching fishing cultures of the Medeterenian and when she returned home, her garden was an alaskan jungle when it broke dormancy. She had some serious hacking to do, this first summer home in three years. She would always get home after the first snow and leave in February so she never saw ground..
I decided to remove my Hydrangea "Bombshell" from the barrel and plant the "Laurel: in its place. But before i do, I would like some suggestions on how to fill that half barrel to a weight that would make it easier to move, if and when necessary. Now, the Hydrangea was filled with potting soil, covered with small stones and then mulched. I'm halfway emptying it now. I was thinking at least a quarter fill of small pellets of foam and the rest of dirt.
Could you consider using castors or some other mobile platform to sit the pot on? One of the reasons for using a larger pot is to have a deeper rooting space and moisture reservoir. Filling too ,much space with inert but light material can defeat the purpose of going for a bigger pot. You ,might find mixing perlite or vermiculite throughout the potting mix, creates a less dense (and therefore lighter mix) while maintaining consistency throughout....which is always better for roots....and having sufficient drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.
There are also various pros and cons regarding the material of the pot itself (I prefer terracotta over plastic but there arguments for both, while timber planters, lined and treated ticks all the boxes. Maybe ask over on container gardening.....where they employ all sorts of cunning ruses such as wicking, special mixes, capillary tubes and so forth.
I haven't grown that particular cultivar, but have had great luck with Amber Waves and Southern Comfort. As long as you are in zones 4 through 9, they will grow as a perennial. They prefer moist soil and can grow in full sun to partial shade, though my experience is they prefer less, rather than more sun. If you are asking about care, for this first season, I would mulch well to retain moisture. They have fairly shallow roots, so are susceptible to winter kill in harsh conditions, such as dry, freezing wind. Snow is actually a good thing; it will act to protect the roots and will provide long-term moisture as the snow next to the plant melts. If you have a really dry fall or winter, you'll want to water the plant once a month or so, as the weather allows. In the spring, be patient. They aren't one of the first to emerge. I hope this helps.
Here is a link that might be useful: Heuchera Plant Care
I live in an area in California that is often above 100 degrees Fahrenheit which is 37.7 to you. I have seen Echium Pride of Madera and Echium Tower of Jewels succeed in my town, though I have not tried it myself. The garden that had the Maderia was uniformly filtered light due to a number of old Oak trees. The Jewels was in an area that only got morning sun. It is on my list of plants to try but I can never think where I could put one as they get so large. If either of you get one I would love to hear about it.
Since you plan two very big borders, I would like to suggest that you visit the Winter Sowing forum and the Winter Sowing FAQ and learn to get a large number of plants the most economical way.
You can start collecting recyclable containers such as plastic milk jugs, cake containers, bulk salad containers and watch for seed offers on the Winter Sowing exchange forum and other exchange forums. Buy a few bags of good potting soil now and start sowing seeds in mid December.
You won't regret it.
Have fun gardening.
I'll add my voice to the suggestion of winter sowing if you have the opportunity. I designed, planned, and dug my garden beds in 2007. In 2009 I discovered winter sowing. I grew perennials & shrubs (from seed) and started planting out in 2010. My garden beds were filled in 2011. It's fast, inexpensive and just about the most garden fun you can have in winter.
I supplemented my winter sown perennials with a few nursery-grown plants that offered either color or textural contrasts. I've let go of biennials and prefer perennials that perform year after year so all I have to do is enjoy them.
The link below takes you to the home page of Wintersown.org. There's very little recent activity on the GardenWeb Winter Sowing forum.
Check out the GW Seed Exchange for seeds.
Buy a few bags of good potting soil now and start sowing seeds in mid December.
Oh, yeah. If you're serious about winter sowing, buy your growers mix NOW. Picture someone trying to thaw a frozen 3 cu. ft. bale of growers mix with a hair dryer.
And yes, botanical (Latin) plant names will help you avoid mistakes/confusion.
Here is a link that might be useful: Wintersown.org website