13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
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?
Incredible twrosz!
my vote would be for filipendula camtschatica
Take a look at this link:
I had no idea filipendula could grow so massive.
For how long has it been in bloom? Did it go in the ground last season?
(Any chance you might post a picture of your property from further up those steps? I love seeing the bigger picture)
If you look on the internet you find heights for Filipendula camtschatica ranging from 4 feet to up to 10 feet tall (this height is possible according to Ornamental Plants From Russia by efloras.org). Most nurseries that sell this plant give a height between 5 and 8 feet (1.50--2.40 meters).
On the NE side of the Avalon Peninsula, you are Canadian zone 5a or 5b which is a bit different from the same numbered zones in the US. Perhaps one of the other Canadians on the forum will do a rough translation of those into US zones so the rest of us can make some additional recommendations. All the ones I am suggesting are hardy to at least -20 F.
Some of the wetland irises may work for you such as Iris versicolor (blue flag iris). Siberian iris, though not native, won't spread wildly in my experience, so it should be OK. If you like a grassy look, there are a large number of wetland sedges (Carex spp.) and the spiral rush Texas Ranger suggested should be fine, (Juncus effusus spiralis), but I am not sure that the others will be. There are probably some local rushes that will also work for you. Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) should be hardy enough for you. It has cheerful yellow early spring flowers. If you have any shady areas Osmunda regalis (royal fern) likes wet feet. Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower) and Lobelia siphilitica (great blue lobelia) should both be fine. Joe-Pye weed (might be called Eutrochium spp. or Eupatorium spp.), Swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) and Rosa palustris (swamp rose) are happy with wet feet. Any of the common types of Chelone (turtlehead), Cornus sericea (red-twigged shrub dogwoods), and Helenium (Helen's flower) grow in damp areas in the wild, so will be fine. All of the ironweeds (Veronia spp.) that I am familiar with like damp feet.
One of my favorite wetland shrubs is Ilex verticillata (winterberry holly) which is deciduous and needs both male and female plants for berry production. Ilex glabra (inkberry) is evergreen, but the berries are dark and so not too ornamental IMO. Rhododendron viscosum (swamp azalea) and R. canadense (rhodora) are two rhododendrons that prefer wet feet, though most like it much drier. Both of them are deciduous. Rhododendron groenlandicum also likes wet feet and is quite short and evergreen. Most (maybe all?) willows, including some low-growing ones, are happy growing in damp to wet areas.
I'll add that Chelone obliqua not only tolerates wet feet, but can tolerate some dryness too. Hardy hibiscus (hibiscus moscheutos) is another possibility, and great for late-season color. (Chelone is even later, at least here.) I'd love to see a picture taken from further away, as it's a little hard for me to get a feel for the whole setting.
As always I love everything about your garden!!! So many beauties! I too have always admired Galega and have never seen it offered. I will keep on the lookout for Lady Wilson.
The Pearl is a favorite that I have grown for years. Just a wonderful plant!
rouge - you can message me if you like , I would be happy to share it with you.
That's OK, I've probably done the same thing a lot lately. The date info is in miniscule writing, and there's no "first unread" or similar feature. Since the forums don't change color to visited anymore, (and seems like they will never have an indication of whether or not there's something new,) I made bookmarks on the ones I visit daily & just gave up on the others. Clicking the bookmarked ones just to see if there's something new is where I've draw the line. It's frustrating when such simple tools aren't available.
Since you're also in Z5, if you have a spot against the south or west side of your house, you could get a perennial patch going. I didn't even know about piling up leaves over marginally hardy stuff back then.
If 4'o's get into a shadow late-afternoon, the flowers will open sooner, as long as there's plenty of sun for the earlier part of the day. The opposite but same strategy of putting morning glories where they will be in shadow in the morning, so the flowers stay open longer.
The longer I garden, the more fun I think part-day bloomers are fun, and good for me. Reason to go out a few times a day & look around, see the diff performances.
Worth repeating.
Trifluralin (Preen) is toxic to fish and aquatic life, as well as to earthworms and other garden helpers. According to information found on Cornell University's website "It is recommended that applicators wear full protective clothing when spraying trifluralin. This gear should include neoprene gloves, rubber workshoes, rubber apron, goggles to protect the eyes and a respirator to prevent inhalation of fumes or mists." No, thank you. Preen is also now owned by Dow Chemical, the same people that brought you Agent Orange and other killer chemical preparations.
In even more general terms: Having more than a rudimentary knowledge of Chemistry, a wider understanding of biological research methods and some knowledge of how such results can be used at the commercial level, I don't for one minute think "you can research trifluralin's toxicity rather easily ---".
In addition, the current use of trifluralin with crops, including food crops, doesn't mean such a use won't, in the future, be taken to be hazardous to human health as well as hazardous to the natural environment.
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.