13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
you add more pix to the same post.. to make it easy for the reader... as the posts will get separated over time..
and you do that.. by replying to the original post ...
now i have to go find that.. because this one makes no sense at all .. as it was the first one i opened..
this is a common mistake of newbs.. so dont sweat it ... live and learn ....
ken
Since no one's jumped in yet, I'll give this a whirl.
Are you certain that the verbena sold to you is indeed Homestead Purple, or could it have been mislabeled? Have you contacted your supplier to find out more about this? Perhaps other plants marked HP have bloomed in the same manner.
Verbena can be propagated by cuttings or seeds. Cuttings will be identical to the mother plant, but seeds can be variable, especially if other varieties of verbena are growing nearby which may have cross pollinated, but even pollinated by the identical variety. A lone specimen of white Phlox paniculata David set seed here (so self-fertile) & one of the seedlings bloomed lavender. Checking to see if this was unusual, found David's Lavender, a sport of David introduced & patented by Itsaul Plants in Georgia. Assuming theirs originated in the same way as mine and has been continued from cuttings of the seedling (vegetative propagation), but it's possible the Lavender grew from a branch of David.
The link is to some varieties new for 2014. There's a slideshow & Lanai Twister Purple looks something like you describe. There may be others.
A sport usually arises as a branch different in growth on an existing plant & is considered a mutation. If cuttings from the oddball branch grow identically, and cuttings from those plants down the line, it's considered a stable mutation & can be considered a new variety. Sometimes a stable mutation will revert & show the characteristics of the plant from which the sport arose. That's all memory turns up on the subject, but others likely know more.
If you determine yours is a new variation, you could always fool around with cuttings to be sure it's stable. Don't know anything about patenting plants or selling distribution rights to such plants.
Rosie, how exciting to have met Dr. Armitage & how lucky to get a special plant before its official introduction!
Here is a link that might be useful: Verbena new for 2014
Sue,
Thanks much for info/clarification, et al. Right now flowering is slowing on all the Homesteads so I will have to update later.
Don't know about mislabeling. These were grown for my SIL who owns a landscaping company.
Interesting about the P. paniculata. And what a coincidence. I gave Bobby Saul some of the Homestead Purple when Dr. Armitage gave it to me. The rest is history.
My daughter got her degree in Horticulture at UGA and I spent many, many days going to lectures by Alan and Dr. Mike Dirr. They gave me so many great plants and the memories will always be with me. What a pair those two best friends were!!
I'll be back with more when reblooming resumes and I can get a pic.
Rosie
brilliant... stick a pot in there.. to assuage your neurosis ...
or garden art ...
an old shoe ...
heck.. that old bowling ball you havent pulled out in a decade ...
a hubcap ...
a piece of rotting wood ...
time for some garden art ... THAT YOU DONT HAVE TO BUY I MEAN ...
how about a whirlygig from aco.. they are 60% ...
ken
rhiz ...
i used some old media.. that i used to hold some plants over last summer.. and then planted in fall ....
so i DID FERT IT ... lol ..
but i didnt do it because they are children ... that need to be feed.. educated.. diapered.. etc ...
i did it because the media may have been a bit spent ...
ken
Hmm, I must have forgotten to click on the preview copy as know I commented last night on the amazing growth of your Huldine, woodyoak. What a sense of accomplishment to see it so full of blooms.
I think I have finally found a good place for my Huldine so maybe it will look like yours in a few years.
Understand about the secondary plants getting overwhelmed by the super growth. Have the same issue with Gillian Blades this spring completely covering Comtessa de Bouchard. Next year I will cut Gillian Blades back as soon as it has finished blooming so Comtessa can shine.
I think a good part of the reason it's so big this year is that I didn't cut it down so low this year - I mainly trimmed it back to the tuteur frame but left it about 3-4' tall. The Nike on the tripod by the garage is treated much the same - i.e. trimmed back to the frame but left tall. It's always covered in a sheet of bloom. ... which reminds me... I forgot to fertilize the clematises this spring. After all this bloom, I wonder if they need feeding or whether they can wait until next spring? Roses and clematises are the only things I fertilize, and I forgot to do both this year! They seem to be doing fine so far without it.
Bluestone, you might consider Poet's Jasmine - Jasminum Officinale - for those trellises. Hardy to zone 6, loves the sun, blooms from June to frost here in central VA. Loses its leaves most Winters, but the stems remain green so still ornamental in the cold & with deep blue/black berries. Lovely fragrance emitted that carries late afternoon through evening, or anytime you stick your nose close to the flowers. Not a heavy cloying perfume, but sweet & clean. Hummingbirds love them & so do I.
I'd wanted this for years & planted one in this garden 16 years ago that I'd grown from a cutting. Took off easily. There are several varieties, some with pale or variegated foliage that may have trouble in that baking position. I grow the dark green one, with hints of pink on the outside of the buds that open white. Logee's Greenhouse usually carries them, but website says sold out at the moment. Looking for a link, found this one for BC that sells gallons & ships till the 15th. Others found have mainly suspended shipping till September or on backorder. Brushwood carries it.
Here is a link that might be useful: Jasminum Officinale
This post was edited by vasue on Mon, Jul 7, 14 at 13:35
Or as you suggested, there is nothing wrong with putting nothing on the trellises. From the way you describe them, I would imagine they are attractive as is and add some visual interest to the area. I like the idea of putting a potted something in front of the trellises - possibly elevated a bit and leaving it like that.
I have a couple of wooden trellises mounted on my fence which I've never used. I always meant to plant a vine of some sort, but never did. They've been there for years now - bare - and I like the look.
Kevin
I have noticed that there seems to be a reduced number of earwigs this year, which is good, but also a much reduced number of bumblebees, which is not so good! Also, have hardly seen any slugs, despite having a fairly wet growing season so far.
But I have found some earwigs on the milkweed, which is normal. They hide in nooks and crannies of the growth tips and flowers. I flush them out and smush them!! Along with any other predators that might get the Monarch larvae (haven't seen any Monarchs yet this year though).
I've gotten over my squeamishness of smushing earwigs and beetles and such with my bare fingers...
That is funny, my sister, who lives in Newmarket, Ontario, just mentioned this week that she has a flower on her Lemon Queen. I am a few miles south of her but no flowers on Lemon Queen yet. Mine usually gets going pretty late. If I recall correctly, it is at full bloom well into September/October.
I think I spied one tiny yellow flower on mine too. If I recall correctly, it did the same thing for me last year. This is one that starts out extremely slowly with a sparse flower here and there until it's gradually builds up to a stunning crescendo before being knocked out by frost. I suspect that it is considered to be a late-blooming plant because by the time it builds up enough flowers to start making an impact, it is usually late summer! :-)
Agreed!!
Although the mosquitos are out in full force with all the moisture we've had, but I'll take that over having to run the sprinklers regularly ($$$), especially since I think the plants respond better to rainfall opposed to watering from the tap -- they just seem lusher after a good rain. Plus, the toads are out in good numbers too -- lots of teeny ones this year, hoping they will set up house permanently and grow into big, fat bug eatin' machines next year.
greengo I very much like "Max Frei" also. My 3 plants are winding down in terms of blooms but I do like the tidy habit they exhibit all season and they will give a few more flowers much later in the season. But my plants don't look nearly as good as yours...excellent specimens.
(Btw, how long do yours bloom for...for me it is about...3 weeks or so).
And a thumbs up Hoverfly9 re C.Lutea. I especially like it in deep shade in a more wild area of my garden. Of course it spreads all over but it is trivial to pull them up.
This post was edited by rouge21 on Sun, Jul 6, 14 at 9:36
Depends what is meant by long blooming - in my book, I am looking for a good 10-12 weeks, or 2 or 3 good flushes throughout the season (with certain caveats).
Rehmannia alata has been in prolific bloom for 3 months, now, with no signs of slowing down. The shrubby salvias (greggii et al.) can go on for 6 or more months, as can some penstemons, I have a delightful mimulus aurantiacus which will bloom throughout the summer for many weeks, as well as various hardy geraniums, many of which have already been noted. Sterile hybrid digitalis will continue to bloom, as will a sterile polemonium, Lambrooke Mauve. Pelargoniums,, nemesia, diascias and bacopa are long blooming pot/bedding plants,....but I am avoiding getting into either half-hardy perennials (which we regard as annuals) nor do I really want to delve into heavy dead-heading territory. If you are vigilant about this (unlike me), campanulas can be induced to bloom for the entire season, as can some dianthus...in fact, many plants will go on for months if prevented from setting seed. But, for lazy and negligent types who just want a lot of blooming with minimal effort, the amellus asters are easy and failsafe, along with limonium, bupleurum, eryisimum, erodium, callirhoe.
seriously, I broke my dwarf peach off at the graft union - it was hanging together by a tiny sliver of cambium. I jammed a broom stick right through the centre of the rootmass and taped the whole thing with micropore tape (breathable). A year later, the entire break had callused over and the graft was stronger than the rest of the stem. I have fixed many plants using this - at this moment, I can see a rehmannia with tape around the main stem from an enthusiastic shaking out of the laundry. Working in a minuscule garden which is crammed on every surface with plants, accidents are a daily occurrence. Splinting is not always needed but it does help to immobilise the plant as the cambium layer must be in constant unmoving contact until healing takes place - can happen in a few weeks but, in a woody plant, it can take a whole season.
I planted two clematis on my fence a few years ago. They each got dug at by the dogs and cut down by the neighbors. But, today I found them both growing up the fence and blooming! They're not thick with multiple vines yet, but I think we'll get there some day. Mine get mixed morning and early afternoon sun, but are in pretty full sun from 3pm to sunset. Only supplemental water because I was reseeding some lawn this year. We also got generous rains this spring.
Martha
Yes, there is a Clematis forum and it's pretty active :-))
Here's the keys to successful clematis growing:
1) Well draining soil....pH not much of an issue unless out of whack.
2) Large, deep and enriched planting hole. This one of the very few instances where you really want to spend time preparing a deluxe planting hole. The typical recommendation is prepare a 2'x2' planting area (clematis roots can get BIG).
3) Plant deeply -- 2-4 inches deeper than the plant is in the nursery container. This helps to develop additional vines from the root crown with more resistance to clematis wilt (for those varieties susceptible), mechanical damage to the stems and assists with strong root development.
4) Prune back hard in late winter for at least two seasons. This accomplishes similar results to the deep planting. Then prune as suggested for that particular type of clematis.
5) Be patient :-)) Clematis take time to establish well, so allow 3-5 years before you see peak performance. The saying "the first year they sleep. the second year they creep and the third year they leap" was written specifically for this vine!!
Those bamboo stakes have become my best friend!
David, I have some plants that aren't doing too well because I moved/ planted them too late in the season but after seing your current picture, I am hoping they will be ok next spring if they don't straighten up before the end of this season.
My gardens didn't turn out exactly the way I wanted either. I have tall plants around the front and shorter plants in the middle. It's a bit of a mess to me but everyone who visits says it looks beautiful.
Since this is only my second year gardening, I really am kind of doing a test run, watching how everything grows, taking lots of pics and next year I can rearrange.
My two plants are in rather lean soil and both are short and compact with seemingly strong stems ... by the looks of it, I won't be feeding this plant too much either. The photo was taken in the evening light, it's quite a beautiful little plant.