13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
Are you growing in pots or in the ground?
This is what I do.
I soak the tubers for 12 hours or so to get them a bit plump and hydrated, then plant in a free-draining mix (I incorporate chicken-grit - flint based, not oyster shell), about 1inch deep, in pots then leave out over winter. These little anemones are surprisingly hardy as long as they do not sit in cold wet ground all winter (which is why I asked about pots). This is the perfect time to sow them - I sometimes keep mine in the cold greenhouse and start them early into growth by watering the dried out pots (I keep them on the edge of dessication) in order to force them into earlier growth so as to flower with the ranunculous. The worst time is spring planting - these nearly always fail....so yep, get on it....not too deep and not too wet. I have never bothered with keeping bulbs or tubers in the fridge....
If you like, you can actually sit the tubers on a layer of grit when planting to ensure the roots do not rot off.
If you are planting in the ground, try to cover with a sheet of glass or a cloche to prevent wetting - this is a certain death.
Hello Campanula,
I have already replied to your most helpful post once yesterday, but when I checked this a.m. it had not gone through; I suspect I was not logged in as I thought I was, but at any rate, I tried to reply to you right away.
Many thanks to you and to every person on this network who shares their experience. It's so terrific to get to ask a very specific question and receive a reply almost right away from someone who has actual experience with the plant.
I was planning to plant in the ground. I have 10 bulbs, but after reading your post, maybe I should plant half in pots. When you say that sitting in "cold wet ground all winter" is a problem, it's worrisome because that pretty much describes British Columbia in winter. There will be rain in November, turning to snow, probably in early December, and snow on the ground until March, whereupon more rain will ensue for a couple of months. Not constant of course, but the ground will be wet. The nursery where I bought the bulbs said they were hardy to Zone 3. That would definitely mean cold, wet ground all winter. I live in Zone 5, which is quite a bit more moderate.
The soil around my house is naturally sandy, as it sits on an old creek bed. I was planning to plant some of the bulbs in what I call my "rock garden", but all it is is a very small space in my garden, surrounded by rocks, where I hope to plant a few alpine plants. I live in a relatively remote, tiny village in the mountains and don't know where I could get chicken scratch. But I brought down from the mountains buckets of clean, quite coarse sand, which I used to fill this area, using about 75% sand, the rest being soil and compost. I will certainly soak the bulbs as you've suggested, and lay them on a layer of sand. Some of the other bulbs, I was planning to plant under an old birth tree. What do you think?
The image is of the other ones I have.
So just mix thw old soil into ground cool!
So the ones that will grow now and become more sturdy, will they also die down in winter but cone back from the roots? Or will the plant just stay?
Ive sown a pink mix at about early August. Abd the cosmos in it has flowered already! But that's all. That has flowered in it.
I have a dahlia that hasn't flowered yet! The buds are there! I have thinned out to 2 buds on the whole plant but I think it won't flower now as it's becoming cold! It didn't help the first growth was eaten by catapillas!
Anyway thank you for the help I'll upload site image in moment.
So it's from the conifer to the yellow pole near trunk!
There is a few plants on but the two dahlias will die soon was going to put into pot for now then put in shed.
And thw daylilies will be moved into permit position!
The passiflora was 3ft in April!
I planted ternata this year in several spots. It seems to be struggling in the areas with full sun. In fact, I thought it had died off this summer in some areas but with the cool fall and additional moisture, some tiny leaves are poking out. We'll see how it does next year.
I ordered it because it was supposed to adaptable and tough. In the areas with some shade it is doing well though hasn't spread much. When I received my flats, they were practically choking themselves within the cells. I have heavy clay alkaline soil so that might be stifling it.
GreenHearted, can I ask where you got your flats? I've only found sources for single plants. Maybe there will be more available in the spring. Thanks!
Good to hear your experience. I have one part sun and one full shade spot that I would like to try. Maybe I'll just put a few in the sunnier spot at first and see how they do.
It looks a lot like a red-leafed Acalypha, too. I don't know about the growing conditions for Acalypha in Philadelphia, but I believe it grows in brighter light than coleus--often in full sun. Florida coleus-growing conditions excepted, of course.
Oh these are so neat - they fit in a tiny pouch about 1.5 " x 2 " and cost hardly anything . none of that mucking about preparing slides, just flick the light on and look down the scope. Honestly, I have been like a kid since buying it last summer.........I keep mine with my secateurs as an indispensable garden aid.
I agree, plants are truly ingenious......or according to seminal film Jurassic Park (snicker) 'life will find a way'....
Ah, similar to how we view plant bugs for identification. Some are nightmarish up CLOSE. :)
One of my favorite cool seeds--or more correctly pollinia/pollen mass plants--is an orchid. Catasetum orchids use a trigger type of mechanism. When the insect lands on the flower, the flower launches a sticky pollinia that attaches to the insect for travel to another flower. When my catasetum bloomed, I could not resist triggering a couple of flowers to watch them in action. Unfortunately, once triggered, the flower soon fades. You can see in the photo how the pollinia stuck to the leaf of the plant after the launch. Plants can be irresistibly fun to play with....like popping bubble-wrap.
The point about first-year plants is very well taken, kirimarie.
It would be interesting to know why our experiences are rather different with Veronica spicata and related Veronica hybrids.
I've certainly planted and observed dozens over the last ten years.
Some of the difference in experiences would be in the styles of perennial gardening.
I do mixed perennial beds, which start generally quite low in spring and get successively higher as taller and taller perennials bloom. Other than at the front and on the outside of perennial beds, the most useful smaller plants to me are those that bloom in the spring and then remain under taller plants through the summer to be exposed again to the light as taller plants are cut back in the late summer and the fall.
Of course, I always plant the veronica in sunny locations at the front/on the outside of mixed perennial beds. Perhaps, they don't like such locations. Some (well-behaved) perennials are certainly better mixers than others. For instance, in our circumstances, some of the perennial salvias hold their own very well and have great longevity.
It would be interesting to see how people are using the perennials they talk about.
Thanks to everyone for your input and experiences with v.spicata.
I will give them another year. They both do look quite healthy, other than the fact that one has not bloomedâ¦.sounds like I'm jumping the gun on expecting better blooming this first year.
Mine are in full sun, which of course here in NM thats a horse of a different color compared to other parts of the country.
I think the one that did not bloom is in a spot where there may be too much clay and the drainage is not so good.
My soil is quite alkaline and prone to clay. I try to add gypsum and crusher fines to lighten the soil when I can.
I hope it won't mind being dug up and put in a new spot where the drainage will be better.
I hate winter moves.
Have you used online house search sites like Trulia? They were really helpful for us, to look at places near and far, for free! We spent hours pouring over what we saw on the internet, then went to see in person the best ones. It really helped us. It was an emotional help, too - we were able to feel like we were doing something as we stayed up late from sleeplessness. Moving is so stressful!!! But once you get your new house, it turns into an adventure!!! Good luck!!!
I start off with a few spring posies and winter-blooming honeysuckles or wintersweet, with great enthusiasm...but by the time the roses are blooming, the house has become filled with forgotten (ignored) pots and jamjars with flowers in various stages of decay....which end up as whiffy dust-gatherers.
I am looking at a pot of dessicated achilleas right this moment...but doing zilch to actually lever my fat arse off my chair and deal with it. Shameless slattern, that I am.
Yours are stunning ! The ones I grew this year, didn't look anything like what was shown on the packages I had purchased, or haven't bloomed at all...I sure do miss 'Yachiyo Tsubaki' & ' Alfred Grille' which grew quite well , flowered beautifully and returned for several years.
Is that last one Alfred, or 'Stars Favorite'?
I'm not familiar with these two cultivars, though was disappointed in the short flowering season of Stokes Aster, way back in the early 90's .
Then, I happened to come across some seeds of 'Klaus Jeltto' & not a single seedling grew...I don't know exactly what is going on in plant genetics these days, but maybe I'm out of touch ( though maybe not, totally) of what goes on with plant breeding these days. Could it perhaps be some are possibly F1 hybrids & may be nearly or entirely sterile?
My other thoughts, being inbreeding, to obtain the desired plant flower characteristics & then using newer propagation techniques? With inbreeding, having the effect of possibly greatly reducing, or nearly completely preventing any seed production.
In some cases, I suspect it may well keep you 'stuck' with buying the named variety, (or else, if by seeds), only available by the original hybridizer source. All the while, giving the possibly false appearance of being easily grown when available by numerous suppliers or other sources.
The other, is of course as you suggested; they appear nearly the same... They just may be the exact same plants & it was just a case of being easier to simply use different labels they had on hand, used for the exact same plants.
I did a little research & noticed under the plant patent info, that under the description of "Seeds and fruit; not observed." I think this info was for 'Mel's Blue' . The comparison was made to that of 'Purple Parasols', of which it seems to have appeared from. So, maybe it was a single seedling, which happened to grow by chance.
You'd probably have to grow some regular Stokesia laevis from purchased seeds & then cross pollinate, (so as to outcross) as inbreeding causes depression in fertility.
This situation reminds me of growing patented Scabiosa caucasica, 'Ultra Violet' in the past (as I enjoy blue flowers also) & it did not set seeds, either. It was a chance seedlings, that appeared out of 'Deep Waters'. Now, I've grown & flowered 'Fama Deep Blue' from seeds, yet get no seeds! Now, I'm buying 'Deep Waters' seeds, to try & make my own seeds, so I don't have to buy the other.
IOW. I'm starting to wonder, if it isn't just a way to get you to buy patented plants (or seeds) of perennials- each year!
Although I don't think it is the exact same plants being sold under different names. Like I found out about , in the instance of the fairly recently introduced Chocolate Cosmos ; 'Chocamocha/Thomocha". One & the same, under two names, as near as I can tell.
My only other 'mum is "Matchstick". I have moved it 3 times in 4 years and in this location I am now starting to see the potential.
I trimmed it back multiple times this season with the most recent time in mid August and still it has given me some flowers.
Ohh, I like that "Matchstick". Think I will have to order it online as have not seen that one at my local nurseries.
"Twilight Pink" is still my favorite (originally bought under the My Favorite logo) Mammoth. I have found that it responds to taking snippets off with new growth much quicker than My Favorite Autumn Red.
Picked up a "Yellow Quill" last week and hope it survives in its new location. Previously YQ has gotten smaller and smaller each year until it disappeared.
I'm a bit confused by my Amsonia plants, i planted them as Amsonia tabernaemontana, and the seedlings have been consistent until the last few years. Now, I suddenly am getting a fair percentage of very narrow leaf plants which are smaller overall, but more florifierous than previously. Don't know if this indicates they were actually not pure species or if it is the natural variation of the species.
Not unhappy as these are much more pleasant garden plants, but really curious.
Amsonias do hybridize outside their own species..so that may be the reason you're seeing variation. Whether it occurred prior to your accquisition or since....is anyone's guess.