13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
Eric: LOL! She's a beauty, though. It is so hard to stay mad at a Lab -- easy to GET mad at them but they're so loving and adorable and when she gives me that face I can't help but give her a pat on the head and all is forgiven :0)
My other dog is a mutt but I was told she has some lab in her (but she's definitely some sort of shepherd dominantly) -- TOTALLY different personality.
ahhh..yea..the dogs. gotta love 'em, gotta hate 'em right?
I guess I'll just wait until next spring and see what happens..sucks. haha. my luck is that it will be a goner and of course it's right in front of my house in the one spot most noticed by passerbys..and now half of it is leveled. haha.
'arbo', I have a "Visions in Red" that I think is the color you describe. I don't think I have a picture from this season. The flower stalks from this Astilbe are, for lack of a better word, stiff or bristly...kind of like a arts and crafts pipe cleaner.
Here is another Astilbe I can show you from this season (I don't know the variety but I think I could dig it out). But it is likely too pink for you? I really like it as the flowers and flower stalks are 'softer' more delicate than "Visions in Red". (This one is located in tons of shade).
We cut the edges once a year, then maintain them by weed whacking every other mow with the weed whacker held side ways so the strings are cutting vertically giving the edge a nice clean cut. This works well especially if you have a lot of edges.
how recently ...
can we see a pic???
it may have been heading toward dormancy in IA ... and i am wondering.. if its just not time to cut it back ... rather than treating a leaf disease ...
here in MI.. which is very close to IA weather wise.. i cut down moms phlox two weeks ago ... they were done for the year.. suffering from PM.. spotted leaves etc ...
in other words.. dont compare your new import.. to the status of your current plants ...
isolating it not near your others.. until those are ready to cut down.. would be approved ...
ken
Thank you for your input, Campanula! It seems these columbines might not be as fragrant as advertised. Sigh. But I will still enjoy all the new colors and blossom forms that will result from this experiment.
The giberellic acid has been very easy to use. As I know it, it comes in little packets of powder that you mix with a small amount of water to achieve a concentration of 500ppm or 1000ppm (parts per million). Place seeds in a vial or small container, use a dropper to add a bit of the giberellic acid, leave overnight, drain, sow, done. LOL.
It works wonders on things like aquilegia and thalictrum, and germination becomes very rapid and uniform. But it has no effect whatsoever on many other things. I suspect that wonderful seeds like Lathyrus rotundifolius and Angelica gigas fall into the "not affected by GA" category.
How did all your columbines turn out? I am just starting some and I do have gibberellic acid. Do I soak the seeds full strength? Overnight? I did manage to germinate two chocolate soldiers. I'm about to start Yabeana and many more. Does anyone have advice? I once came across a site that gave the exact germination needs of each different columbine, including the different procedures for fresh or stored seed, for each individual kind. Does anyone know where that is? It would sure help. I have about 40 different kinds. Thanks, Elizabeth
google says this is a z5 plant.. you think you are in z6 ...
remove from pot .... plant it ... repot in spring if you insist ...
its called 'healing it in for winter' ...
the only issue.. IMHO ... is if you have bad clay soil that does not drain.. if so.. advise ...
if you want to learn about pots.. and overwintering .. etc ... try some plant you have many of ... but learning how to mess with pots... with treasured plants ... can be very stressful ...
or better yet.. divide yours.. put half in the ground.. pot half.. and see what happens ...
if you insist on storing in a pot.. you need to perfect:
potting media
winter water
consistency of dormancy in your area
early sprouting, etc ...
good luck
ken
ps: understand that ..... this has little to do with your specific plant.. other than its winter temp tolerances ... the rules really dont vary ... plant by plant for outdoor plants .. i would have told you the same for trees.. hosta.. conifers.. perennial.. annuals ... etc ....
Yes I do have clay soil and have lost plants over the winter that require good drainage. I lost a euphorbia, other plants that I can't remember and my globe master alliums do not multiply and only dwindle each year. I love globe master but will not spend the money anymore.
So I may leave one pot on the north side of the house and the other pot in the garage. This way I have an experiment-Thanks for the idea!
I have ferns on the north side that have already been through 2 winters and survived in pots. I just don't know where to plant them. What a lame excuse!!
I appreciate your responses!
I've gotten them to survive winters in zn 7 if they were planted on scree. The problem is, even planted on scree, a heavy enough rain storm at any time of year, but particularly summer, will cause them to rot. Even the summer rainfall parts of South Africa tend to have very consistent rainfall - not too much, not too little - as you'd expect for a quasi-maritime climate. And they are dry in winter. (and at the high elevations where plants like that are from, always cool at night)
No comment on the cultivars you named but general comments on Stokesia: my seed-grown, winter-sown plants come back every year, bloom generously mid-late July and produce lots of seeds afterwards in the fall. 'Klaus Jelitto' is a vigorous grower in my slightly acidic sandy loam.
I've attached a link (below) with additional information on 'Klaus Jelitto' that may be of interest.
My plants are growing in various beds, in part-sun mostly.
Here is a link that might be useful: Missouri Botanical Garden
Hello glorybrite,
That is an impressive flower bed you are planning.
I have been gardening for 28 years. It took that long for me before I am especially happy with the results.
Gardening is a process of trials and errors. Many factors affect the results: your own inclination, time and energy dedicated to the garden, your own terrain and most specifically your own microclimate.
I learned that plants and combinations that look stunning in books or any pre-planned garden or in someone else's garden do not translate well in real life because of these factors. You will have to try the plants yourself to see what works for you.
I have not found many perennials that bloom from spring through summer. What I did was planning for a succession of blooms, choosing plants that offer long interest, and varying the shapes, shades, textures, heights and colors instead.
My favorite grass is Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light'. It is stately, maintains its shape and stays beautiful from spring through winter. I gave a few pieces to a friend who has a garden in the country. He said the deer have not touched this grass.
I do not know if the following suggestions are attractive to deer or not but these are some of what I have for the succession from late winter through November/December:
-snowdrops to jump start your spring
-Iris reticulata (purple/white/yellow)
-Eranthus
-Daffodils (there are several white/creamy/peach Naricissi to choose from)
-Tulips (deer love this - so I heard)
-Schilla
-Puschinia
-Chionodoxa
-Epimedium
-Mertensia virginica
-Bleeding Heart
-Allium
-Anemone
-Ajuga reptans
-Centaurea montana
-Bearded iris
-Monarda
-Salvia
-Miscanthus sinensis 'Morning Light'
-Little Blue Stem
-Geranium Rozanne
-Penstemon 'Husker Red'
-Platycodon
-Jacob's ladder
-Nepata
-Feverfew
-Clematis (many white and purple/bluish)
-Blue annuals such as larkspur, centaurea cyanus
-aster
The choices are endless.
Have you checked Bluestone Perennials or Santa Rosa Gardens' websites? I know Bluestone has pre-planned gardens with plant suggestions, many of which mirror pitimpinai's list above.
As pitimpinai pointed out, few perennials have the extended bloom habit of annuals such as marigolds and zinnias. I created a chart on which I identified various perennials by bloom period and now my garden starts blooming in March (Hellebores/Lenten roses) and continues into October (Tricyrtis/toad lily).
An ornamental grass, perhaps less impressive size-wise than Miscanthus, is Calamagrostis/feather reed grass 'Karl Foerster.' It has a tidy, upright habit and doesn't take up as much real estate as Miscanthus. Dwarf fountain grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides) 'Hameln' is an elegant, low-growing (2 1/2 ft.) grass that requires nothing more than a haircut in Spring. Deer have never bothered either grass in my garden.
You might also consider checking out a book or two on perennials from your local library as an additional resource. I found it to be an excellent source of information when I was planning my garden beds.
It's been my experience that most of the items listed above are not on a deer's menu. I have all but a few of them growing in my garden beds and the deer prefer my sacrificial hosta to any of the listed plants.
Platycodon grandiflora/balloon flower is available in blue/lavender, white & pale pink.
Dicentra spectabilis/Bleeding Heart is available in a white ('Alba') variety.
Geranium 'Rozanne' blooms until frost sometime in October and is a blooming machine. The flowers are pinkish/lavender.
Hemerocallis/daylilies bloom in a rainbow of colors that include cream and white. I have a lovely creamy white one called 'New Falling Stars.'
Some others you might want to consider:
Agastache/anise hyssop blooms most of the growing season in feathery plumes of lavender.
Caryopteris x clandonensis/blue mist shrub blooms late (September) in lovely, feathery plumes of blue that attract pollinators.
Cimicifuga racemosa/black snakeroot has white plumes in August.
Check out Aquilegia/Columbine for both white and blue varieties. It's a spring bloomer.
Gaura lindheimeri/wandflower is a delicate and elegant bloom on thin stems that wave in the breeze. Mine is blooming now and will continue until frost. The bees love it.
Liatris spicata/gay feather/blazing star blooms purple or white and is another favorite of pollinators.
Lobelia siphilitica/great blue lobelia is another that's popular with pollinators.
Perovskia atriplicifolia/Russian sage is a maintenance-free perennial that blooms mid- to late-season in both purple & blue.
Nepeta faassinii 'Walkers Low'/catmint blooms early and continues all season with zero care.
Stokesia laevis/Stokes’ aster blooms mid-summer with large, frilly blue/lavender flowers that attract pollinators. It's also low-maintenance.
Veronica spicata/spike veronica/speedwell also blooms mid-summer, has a long bloom period and attracts pollinators.
FYI--none of the plants identified above require any help from me to thrive--once established, they're all self-sufficient in healthy garden soil.
I saw them locally. I was at the nursery again the other day, but passed on them, reason being I doubt they would show up in the location I had in mind for them. Plus, they were a little pricey. Maybe when the 80% off blowout hits, I'll try them just for the heck of it. :0)
Transplanting this time of year should be fine in your zone. But the bed you are moving them from has sun iin the hottest part of the day; if you are planning to replant it with shade loving plants, you may be in for trouble. You'll need plants that can take very hot sun, but not too many hours of sun--tricky.
Well I guess I'll finish out this thread with its 100th post.
"Blood" dripping down the poles would be humerous, if a bit macabre. heh. Perhaps for Halloween you could let hubby put some drippings back on the poles.
Some clever work there, Tin. And good job on rescuing that tortoise! (Lucky for him that you saw him bobbing in the water.)
Here is a link that might be useful: Fripperies continued?
tin, just curious, but why not leave the mud there? is it really worse than what was there before? wouldn't it be river-nutrient rich?
mindy
ironic that this is what got me to write you because I have been enamored of your writing in this thread. Wish you would try your hand at a short story; might surprise yourself.