13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
Be warned , That they might be puny. I went by a favorite nursery in Austin and they had 1 gallon plants of Pink Flamingo at Muhley $2 less , no shipping. I was a little miffed , you might say. So I made my peace with my miffedness by buying more. They said it was flying out of there very quickly.
I just transplanted 6 of my Rozanne's about 2 weeks ago. I hope they make it through the Winter. They are sprouting new leaves from the base. I did not cut them back. I used Mycorrhiza fungi on the roots to speed root growth and keep watered three times a week. I hope yours made it. They are the loveliest flowers and make such a great ground cover.
Love toadlilies but no luck growing them. I like the spotting as well as the late season bloom.
Red hot poker? A truly "meh" plant from my point of view -- though I freely admit that mass planting pic was lovely. I think part of it is the "clump of grass" look. (Don't like daylilies either partly for that reason.)
Part of a plant's appeal, or lack there of, is dependent upon the general environment, for me. For example, I despise yucca and opuntia when I see them in landscapes around here. To me, they simply do not "fit in" in a water rich area of meadows, woods/forests, etc. (And the fact that removing an unwanted yucca is a %$^&%$. Quite convinced that if there should ever be a nuclear war, the yucca will be right there along side the cockroaches as the inheritors of the Earth.) Now in an arid region like areas of Texas, Arizona, California, et cetera I like them quite a bit. Not only do they make perfect sense from a water standpoint, they have a "look" perfectly in keeping with that setting. (And TR, the photo of your Opuntia in full bloom is gorgeous.)
Barberry is one of those plants for which I have never seen the appeal. Maybe if there is a zombie apocalypse I'll change my mind .....
Paul, I know what your saying. Atmospheric light plays a part as well. In summer the sun is so intense and the landscape is so dry around here that appropriate plants look better than, say--- tropical plants which I guess do look a bit better if a person is wearing sunglasses to knock off some of the intensity and bring out the gaudy colors and over sized leaves etc that clash with the rest of the landscape. Its like seeing a gaudy bar room thats usually lit dimly for atmosphere all exposed in the harsh daylight with open shades.
I absolutely hate seeing tropical looking plants in Oklahoma. It just doesn't work and looks stupid. Even worse is to add in a few specimens around non-descript shrubs or grasses because you feel for the novelty and just had to have one. You know, like just plunk in hardy palm right in the midst of your shrubbery. Nice. Or like up the street with the palms planted behind a row of dusty miller. That one makes me nauseated to look at. I'm probably prejudiced since tropical, big leaves, big gaudy flowers etc aren't my cup-o-tea anyhow but I still say its not a good fit visually down here in Okie-ville.
(Unless maybe its a botanical garden situation visually cut off from the rest of the world to visit as a curiosity)
I love some of the willow branch art I've seen, you can make all kinds of living art or designer living fences.
I also like these insect hotels.
Here's a closeup of 'Adrienne' this one can grow 6' but can be cut back to a shorter version. The individual flowers can exceed 2". I've never seen this one for sale anywhere, it may be one of the ones bred at the Horticultural Centre of the Pacific where I bought it many years ago. Doesn't seem to have a problem with mildew and the lower stems still have green leaves.
Annette
well, no WONDER some of you lost it in z.7. It is Zone TEN!!! (Do we even HAVE a zone 10 in North America?)
mindy
Someone needs to talk to these South Africans about naming their plants. What could be more confusing- Mona Lavender-- when it's not a lavender, and then, to make matters worse, the common name is Swedish Ivy!!(does not look a thing like our Swedish Ivy houseplants here! (maybe the Kemper site means that all plectranthus have the common name of Swedish ivy, not just this one [ in which case, my bad.])
mindy
After a brief search, I found a supplier; woolmans.com & they listed this cv. as a hhp, meaning it is a half hardy perennial. Although, that isn't quite exactly the same thing as listing the lowest zone to which it is hardy.
While, a half hardy perennial, generally means it usually isn't extremely cold hardy, just by its very definition.
Typically, they are listed as garden hardy, suitable for outdoor overwintering in the ground, up to a point, in certain colder zones. Or, they are of the florist type, which are generally greenhouse grown, to ensure their survival through the winter in more severely colder climates.
Is it Chocolate Ball Sedum? Most Sedum is good for zone 3 to 9, though some will be "iffy" in zone 3 and will do better in zone 4 and below. If you don't think it is well enough established, be really weather aware and cover it if you are going to get a hard freeze, or mulch really well before winter sets in. I have to agree though, Chocolate Ball (if that's what you have) does look daintier than Angeline. I hope this helps.
Here is a link that might be useful: Chocolate Ball Sedum
Here it is a bit later, shot November 11 when the 'Pink Flamingo' is at its peak of purple. The M. Riverchonni is turning orange, its in its prime in mid August here when its a dusky deep purple and the flamingo is still very upright with deep steel blue rolled leaves.
This post was edited by TexasRanger10 on Mon, Oct 6, 14 at 17:10
I grow them by my pathway because the blossoms are actually a little shy . I like to lean over and search for them. Thay make me smile. They lived through our big drought just did not make an appearance that year. They are under oaks in part shade but I think they will take full English sun. The seed pods are a bit like baskets and a bit like umbrellas part way open. Mine seed themselves and keep on ticking. I have seen them grown in hanging baskets too. OH, they do not stink.
here is a picture I made with them
Great picture .
How do they keep the grass edge from growing into the raised edgers? I have an edge I did with raised edgers and figured is just stay on tip of the grass...but three years later the grass is winning and creeping into the garden. Redoing that area is on my to do list.
Mnwsgal - I seldom deadhead my Arabellas, and they bloom all summer, but I don't mind the look of the seedheads. I'll have to take a look at them now, but I think they look like most other clematis seeds. For what it's worth, mine tend to stay pretty close to each other, not scramble all over the garden. I think mine would be pretty easy to deadhead. YMMV
Thanks for the info, rouge.