13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
I hadn't noticed how old the thread is either, I was too busy getting blinded by the caustic remark. No wonder the OP is MIA. Still its an interesting subject about pollinators. Many people want to attract them & considering the ecological benefits and loss of native habitat any efforts in this direction is a small way of creating island habitat area to help preserve native plant species and beneficial insects.
The city where I live is depressingly full of dead zones. Deserts of bermuda or fescue lawns, ground cover plants, non flowering clipped hedges and shrubs, hybrid plants and too many trees creating too much shade where nothing much grows underneath. Once upon a time it was vast prairie teaming with wildlife and hardly a tree in sight.
If you want to start a new bed with plants, use the plants that you thin in late winter/early spring, not the ones you take out for rejuvenation. For one thing, it's really too late in the season for those plants to establish well. And when you rejuvenate, you take out everything in that year's rotation. New runners will fill up the empty areas, and the whole bed will then be thinned the following late winter/early spring.
Well, it doesn't really make sense for the mites to cause the problem, but it was just interesting that a photo on the first site when I googled came up had the black edges. It has been rainy in many places this year, and so a lot of plants are struggling. Struggling plants get more pests and diseases, that's the way it works, so maybe it would be good to look at other factors and try to get those under control, to move on towards eventually getting the mites under control. It all goes together. Kind of hard to manipulate the rain, though. At least it's dried up here. I agree a whole plant shot would be good to see, if OP is still around.
Currently, having eliminated all infested coneflowers from our garden and having reduced (but not stopped) purchasing coneflowers, I now find no trace of coneflower rosette mite on our purple coneflowers. It seems quite odd, since running up to and culminating in 2013, we had, for several years, a growing coneflower rosette mite problem in our garden.
With infested plants, I went beyond removing damaged flowers, rather getting rid of the whole plants. I'm also a firm believer (at least with my style of closely planted and maintained mixed perennial) in cutting down perennials and removing all plant debris from the soil surface before our winter freezing.
The past rapid growth of Echinacea sales has been mentioned, as have the subsequent recommendations within the horticultural business to get a handle on the problem of coneflower rosette mite. Perhaps with growers and retailers (at least those supplying our area) eliminating plants which show any sign of the mite infestation and with my own past similar action, I'm going to feel quite quite comfortable with Echinacea in our garden again. They're such a useful summer plant. Nevermore's lovely garden shows how attractive they are.
Sorry, probably doesn't help, Aseedisapromis, but the only Heliopsis (false sunflower) problem we've had is the red aphids on the growing tip one time (was handled successfully with very heavy pruning).
Well, I am going to replace the Heliopsis entirely, or at least cut back their numbers, since that is easy to do from seed as they aren't any special cultivar. I may move them as well, to a place with a bit more sun. The coneflowers replace themselves, or I replace them from seed. My aphids appear around this time and they are school bus yellow and on the growing tips of my first year Asclepias incarnata this year. Almost visually attractive. All the water makes for lots and lots of bugs around here.
Pulmonaria (lungwort), Pachysandra, FERNS (any species), Japanese forest grass, Columbines, Hellebores, Spirea, clumping bamboo, liriope, and rhododendron. Hollies are also deer resistant but want some sun. I like inkberry holly and Japanese Holly (Ilex crenate), then there are the blue hollies. Japanese plum yew (Cephalotaxus) is deer resistant (but you may be one zone too cold for it. There is also Osmanthus heterophyllus 'goshiki' (False Holly), and the boxwood which you already have. Carex may work for you. Just discovered these grasses and love the look.
That's what I have in either shade or dappled shade for the deer challenge (which I am sure I have more of than you!...LOL)
If I think of more, I will add to the list.
Have a great evening!
scsig, You might check around your area to see what a load of topsoil would cost, its sold by the ton here. We brought in a very large load of river bottom topsoil and another of coarse sand, sand is cheaper than soil but delivery is another part of the cost. Its not all that expensive here and was well worth it in the long run. We built up some planting areas into nice softly sloping rounded mounds. It adds interest to an otherwise flat area and if you really want to add a feature, you could consider a few well placed large rocks maybe to plant around. It was cheaper to buy by the ton than it would have been to purchase bags at Home Depot. You need a wheel barrow, they will dump it in a pile. Its just like those piles you see of sand they bring in when new housing additions are going in. If you are into gardening you could widen the area while you are at it but some people just want a nice entrance deal.
After only a year, the evergreens are probably still moveable if you do it during cool weather.
I agree with aseedisapromise - my favorite and most indispensable garden tool is an old chefs knife. Good for removing deep rooted weeds, good for dividing or cutting through roots, good for disemboweling slugs, good for planting small starts or digging up seedlings. Next to my Felcos, hand rake and three pronged cultivator, this tool is always in my go everywhere garden basket (together with gloves, stretchy tying tape and cheap scissors).
Thank you all. The variety in question is Bridal Veil. I found a buried tag when I was digging them out. White or red works for my color schemes in general.
I have a group of lilac ones in another bed. They were bought bare root in a big box. They were supposed to be red, but all are lilac. Maybe those are chinensis pumila. They don’t bloom much if at all either, but they have tremendous root competition for water and space.
I have a morning sun spot in another bed. It’s full shade after noon. I’ll try moving the Bridal Veil there. That's a good idea about the compost. I'll try that. I have only ever top dressed with compost. I've been afraid of burning the plants. It's bagged compost.
Last fall I moved three 'Bridal Veil' to the north side of the house. It gets some morning light with shade the rest of the time. This year with weekly rains only the one closest to the house has needed watering. Good bloom which is just started fading.
Hi, Deb! By the time you drive to the store & back, you could have probably just pulled it out. Does your bed need a border? Mowing with the chute shooting away from beds can help prevent slinging seeds into them. Good luck!
Eight year old Sunrise, Harvest Moon, Summer Sky, and Sun Down are still here and have not reverted. Milk Shake -5 years, Green Envy -2 years old, a 4 year old Colorburst Orange, and a 3 year old Pink Double Delight are all in full bloom and look exactly as they should. I was happy to see them this spring since we had such an awful winter.
I would never not believe someone who did have plants that reverted. It took 3 years but my Gaillardia Arizona Apricot now looks exactly like a Gaillardia Goblin, just slightly taller. Love the color of AA so I may have to repurchase it and just plan on replacing it after 2 years.
Linda
I too have never had anything revert in my collection over the years. Talking to one of the original ech breeders, he noted that they can't actually genetically revert. Don't know the science behind that.
Many times, the hybrid plant doesn't overwinter and then the common ones you have take over... or the offspring of one the hybrid plants seed down at the crown of the hybrid... making it look like your plant has reverted the following year... when the original plant dies.
There is a field near the parking area for the Konza Prairie in Kansas that has sweeps of big bluestem and Indian grass running through it. I saw it in August last year, loved the blue & gold of the Indian grass in the sunlight against the darker gallery forest behind it. Wow.
I actually ordered a couple of Indian Steel plants last year in the fall sales from SRG, but never got them in the ground and they didn't survive in the containers I left them in. I guess I got a little carried away with that sale.
Thin Man looks pretty great, though I imagine it wouldn't be so stiff in my soil. I'll be interested to hear how it works for you.
The Prairie Butte made up for the LowGro Sumac that is now unavailable due to me waffling on it. I figure it'll do sort of the same thing with the red leaves. Cost me only about $2 with that coupon.
I bought three Indian Steel last year too. I need to find a better spot with searing sun, dry and cruel. Maybe I should add some bad dirt? One looks a bit better but the other two really splay out, especially the stems they are putting up which is leaving the middle bare with everything is growing outward at a sharp angle. The ones I see on the side of the road are lighter blue than the bluestem and very vertical.
There are some especially pretty Indian Grass plants growing out a sandstone outcropping where they cut out the rock for the road. The better one I have is in deep sand and its growing great guns but its not light blue like that and its not stiff by any definition. I think deep sand is too moist for the roots and its not going to have that look unless its growing in suitably cruddy dirt (as opposed to soil).
I'll definitely let you know how these new ones do. I'm moving Indian Steel, just need to figure out where they might do better. How about I plant them on that sandstone outcrop?
As bad as yalls problem sounds... I've been following a thread on another forum... Where the OP has been watering 3-4 times a day! He's complaining bout the well goin dry...
http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=402088
The reasons given for avoiding all that watering are good, but the alternatives kinda lead to other problems.
I tell everyone that any plant they can not name... Is NOT a weed, but it doesn't help... They get in the zone... Pull out rare plants I brought them...
Deadheading should be avoided by bird lovers, and anyone that wants to share plants... It's simply a bad idea.
You have me curious, what rare plants are they ripping out? I'll have to check that thread out.
I don't do much deadheading myself, just a bit of neatening up or thinning when necessary to keep it attractive. We don't get much snow here so I've got a 4 seasons of interest garden and I want the texture of the seed pods in winter contrasting with the dried grasses and they attract winter birds. Its gotten to the point that I find myself thinking more of winter interest than spring flowers when it comes to plant choices & look forward to fall as my favorite garden season. It would be an understatement to say I've become a bit obsessive with native grasses these days, We are coming into the best time of year for them and I find myself continually looking out the window to admire them or just walking about especially when the wind is blowing. A positive result -- watering is just about down to zip & that is a big relief because its such a loosing battle down here this time of year when it gets so hot and dry for so long. Its good for the grasses, they flop if its too wet or cool. Maybe that's because it was supposed to be prairie all along?