13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
Green go... That would just be heavy mite damage one yours. Signs being the distorted cones. Remove them as you see them (or if the flower is decent enough... Cut it and bring it inside). There are plenty of other mite issues on coneflowers posted here as well.
I seem to have found out , I have the very same problem with mine. Rather disappointing, as it took so long, either just to get it to grow, or get the correctly named cultivar. Now that I have seen it "in flower", in person & view yours, I suspect it is an inherent problem with this particular cv.
Have two in our garden, which have been there for more than five years.
Today, they've already started flowering and tallest stem on one is 38 inches (number of stems been reduced this year) and on the other 46 inches (number of stems not been reduced this year).
As someone posted, much of this is likely variability associated with growing from seed stains. Then there's factors such as when the plants were planted.
Find balloon flowers to be one of the best perennials for mixed perennial gardening here, for reasons such as hardiness, compactness (at ground level. I do stake them) and longevity.
Personally, I like the blue ones best. Can get a better show of pink and white flower colour from some other well behaved summer perennials. As said, like the double 'Hakone Blue' best.
Have moved a few, but, as a generalization, the deeper rooted perennials (e.g. balloon flowers) are the ones that don't like being moved.
Personally, I like varying heights in mixed perennial beds. For me, the idea of having only dwarf and other short cultivars brings bedded annuals to mind.
Thanks, Sunny. I'll keep them toward the back then. I was about to move them in front of a smallish (22") daylily, 'Fond Hope.' I'll definitely put Fond Hope in front!
How wide do yours get? I may need to separate them more than the tag said.
if you are reusing the same bulbs/corms .... and it sounds like you are ...
what is your feeding regimen???
are they in mother earth.. or potted???
if potted.. are you reusing the media???
are they always planted in the same spot ....
we need more info.. besides they are small ...
ken
Spring and fall are generally considered the best times to plant as opposed to June/July/August when temperatures are highest. Although I will plant in Spring, I prefer fall planting because the plants will gradually go dormant with cooling temperatures which allows their root systems to mature rather than hot summer months when they must strive to support top growth and/or blooming.
Some plants will overwinter in pots but it can be risky so rather than lose them to a deep freeze, it's best to set them in the ground, even if you only dig a trench and set the pots in it for the winter until your garden bed is ready for you to plant them.
Do I have plants in pots that overwinter? Yes, lots of them on my east/west facing breezeway, some up against the house foundation, some not. It's sort of a game of Russian roulette however: I'm always surprised when some come through the winter as if they were hardy to Z3 and others don't.
That is so true about the butterflies in this area. The coneflower were loaded with bees, though seeing honey bees is rare. When I visit family in the Carolinas and Virginia though, it is not the case. Lots of butterflies. More swallowtails than anything. I read clear cutting forest in Central America has had a big effect. I will get a photo of the coneflower beds. One is 15 x 10 as I was looking at it today. The other is probably 6 x 30. There are a few Russian Sage in there also,another plant that easily is multiplied. There is enough seed from Karens echs to fill that bed. Once they get some size you can move them around for better spacing. If you cut the seed heads off before they dry out, you are able to keep your area of echs in check. They are shallow rooted and easy to manage anyway though. A friend of mine is building a house with a very long driveway. We are going to do some epic coneflower patches I think. I have the seed to do it. Its something to do with large spaces that doesnt need to be permanent , Easy to go back to square one. Initially there is some weeding to do before the echs get large enough. 3 year process.
I had a patch of it one year and the lawn boy I hired didn't know it was a plant and mowed right over it. . . to the ground. . . when it came back it was prettiest it had ever been. . . you can trim it all season in my opinion. . .
This post was edited by babera on Thu, Jul 31, 14 at 21:57
It also depends what you mean by Black Eyed Susan, the common 'rudbeckia hirta', is a biennial and will likely die very soon after the seeds mature.
If you mean 'rudbeckia fulgida' like 'Goldstrum', they produce offsets for next year each year, and will be amenable to being dug, divided, and replanted.
i would do it in september.. when days are cooling.. and nights are cooler ...
though it can be done anytime.. in most of the country august is not the prime time .. especially if you friend is a newb to the garden ...
otherwise... tell her to NEVER let it dry out in august.. but dont drown it ..
the alternative.. would be to pot them.. and tell her to put the pot in shade.. and plant it in sept or so ...
again... its not that it cant be done.. its about making it foolproof ...
and.. if i did it in august.. i would expect it to look like carp the rest of the year ... i would be gifting a future ... not instant gratification ... so dont expect it to look pretty.. but be pleasantly surprised if it does ... thats called lower expectations.. .lol ...
ken
Missouri Botanical Gardens website lists Sky Pencil Holly as hardy to Z6 (see link).
Here is a link that might be useful: Sky Pencil Holly
We have virginia creeper here at our house from the previous owners and its awful. It's spread all over the property and is growing in my garden beds now. I am not sure where she originally had it planted anymore. It gives me a rash similar to poison ivy so I have to make sure I don't brush up against it or pull it up without gloves.
I normally keep opinions to myself on plants because to each their own, but I really wish the PO hadn't planted that at our house. It's just awful. Potting it may help but if it spreads out of that pot you may have some problems.
For the roses I would wait until next spring! My experience last year was that my roses I planted in July survived but they had a ton of dieback. I think it'd be worth it to wait and not have to deal with that and have healthier plants next year!
I think planting dayliles now would be okay. They should come back next year.
Good luck!
I mulch, but I've never done all the adding and removing that mnwsgal described. I put mulch on when I have time (most often early spring or fall after the major cleanup is done) and have material available, and the mulch stays and improves the soil fertility as it decomposes. I don't cover the plants with it, but mulch between them unless it's a tough plant like daylilies which I mulch in the fall or early spring and cover the whole bed. The daylilies come up through 3 or 4 inches of mulch without problems.
Mulch helps prevent freeze-thaw cycles in winter and helps maintain more even moisture during the growing season. I don't cover ornamental plants other than the mulch over the bed, but I often cover a few veggie and herb plants during the early and late season to protect them from frost and extend the season for harvesting fresh produce from the garden.
ditto what nhbabs said re mulch, for me - I mulch in the fall with shredded leaves, both as a soil addition and to help protect against soil heave as well. I actually have to add MORE mulch in spring, as most of it has degraded and enriched the soil by then. I keep bags of shredded leaves in the garage and hope when I am reaching into said bags in spring that I don't bring up a mouse or two! :)
IMO, planting a single shrub or tree in a "mound" is different than planting in raised beds. I'm a big fan of raised beds, but maybe because I start all my beds with the lasagna method. Haven't "dug" a bed in years.
Dee
Its kind of hard to see but it looks like Leucophyllum frutescens aka Texas Sage, Cenizo, Texas Silverleaf. It blooms when its going to rain and the humidity rises so its also called Barometer Bush. There are several different types, that one looks like the kind with greener leaves called 'Green Cloud' and I'm guessing that is another larger variety behind it with the more typical silver leaves.
Oh, thank you. Yes, that is definitely a sage behind it.
I will get a better image next time. Here it is three weeks later.