13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

I love astilbe. In my first home where there was black loamy soil and lots of shade, they thrived and multiplied like gangbusters. Here, with some well loved and amended clay soil, they are persnickety at best. They will crisp up on the dead of summer and perk up in the fall with new growth. Making it through the winter is anybody's guess; even with tons of leaf cover in winter.

I have multiple astilbes growing in part sun on the north & east sides of my garden. All are floriferous and healthy-looking. They seem to like my slightly acidic sandy loam. I've never fertilized them since they've never needed help.

Perhaps all yours need is sufficient time to get established. After just being planted a month, I wouldn't expect many perennials to "put on a show" their first year. Mine are lovely this year thanks to plenty of rain but they've been in the ground 7+ years. I'd guess your plants need a few seasons to establish healthy root systems before they begin to perform up to their potential.

Thanks mxk3 and karin! I totally agree, seeing the little one frolic in my yard always puts a smile on my face.

I was out back earlier this week and he/she was running laps across my and my neighbors back yard -- did the circuit around 7 times while I stood there watching not 20 feet away. Getting used to his legs, I reckon.

Of course, momma was in the next yard over supervising the entire operation. Such a sight to see!

Glad to know my coneflower will be none the worse for wear. It's my first time growing them (I'm a newbie gardener) so I didn't quite know what to expect!

He/she also sampled one of heuchies and a herbaceous potentilla, but only a few nibbles. Hard to be mad!

Try sprinkling Milorganite around your plants. Its a great fertilizer and the deer here don't like one bit. I have a huge bed of hostas and after using Milorganite, they haven't touched it. Cute? Well only on TV :)

For me both Brilliancy and Allwoods are all taller than dahlia's six inches. Firewitch is that height, but seeds of D. gratianopolous (which I think is what Firewitch is) are probably available like the others. Having a latin name of a kind you want is good thing. The cultivar name like Firewitch or Bath's pink or Tiny Rubies is good too. I think Arctic Fire is D. deltoides, which, looking it up, is also short. So those kinds of seeds would also be good to look for.

Thank you for the quick responses. I plant in scree plus some homemade potting mix. The severe weather caused the problem here in Maryland I suspect. I will look into all suggestions.

One more....thanks!

Sorry Lilsprout, I certainly can not.

I only have ongoing experience with a few named New England aster cultivars, though I have used "fall asters", latter with a New York aster or sometimes part New York ancestry.

Speculation re the last picture: on the basis of brown disc florets and the (small) number of ray florets, it's a New York hybrid.

I'm also assuming that there are more short New York aster cultivars available than New England ones, the latter plant typically being taller.

However,'Purple Dome' is a New England cultivar. it's thick stem fits, as does it's yellow flat central disc (disc florets). I've not checked it's leaves, which to be typically New England, should be hairy (not smooth).

Very nice indeed.

duplicate

This post was edited by emmarene on Thu, Jul 3, 14 at 17:33

My purple lilac âÂÂSensationâ sends white flowers sometimes:

I found it very strange to discover the first solid one.

But when the half colored one appeared....I couldn't believe my eyes, I too thought "paranormal" while scratching my head....
It will be interesting to see if the other plants change as well.

Thanks everyone.

agree>>I cut my spent flowers off and that is that.

Thanks so much! Not what I wanted to hear, but now I know! I had recently bought Canna lilies in bloom, and found out they will keep blooming if I deadhead. Having always started them from tubers and having to wait all summer until a flower appeared, I never knew they would keep blooming...LOL. When I first looked up Meadowsweet, all the Google hits were for F. ulmaria, and many sources said it will keep blooming if deadheaded (though I hadn't found that). So I had high hopes! :>)

I can't have this wonderful plant because I do not have enough sun and my soil is to fertile. I have heard it likes lean soil>>no amendments and no fertilizer.

Thanks, Digging, I may try aluminum sulfate, then.

Shadey, this guy has had no amendments since before I planted him in 2007, and he has bloomed rather well in previous years, though I can't seem to find a photo. The first few years it was beautiful at the same time my poppies were profuse - which actually is why I moved it from the left side of the window behind the peonies you can't see, to the right side. Then the poppies were eaten one devastating winter. Alas, the life of a garden!

Apparently Neem Oil was never officially registered as a pesticide in Canada.

Someone at the local garden centre suggested I ask owners of organic farms for some neem oil. However, you can find it as a skincare product.

There are links in the link below to two online suppliers in Canada. One company has a minimum order amount and the other sells it in large quantities.

Here is a link that might be useful: Neem Oil in Canada

I have a number of agastache cultivars but over the years have found Agastache foeniculum 'Golden Jubilee' to be the heaviest self-seeder/repeat performer. It has returned reliably in my part sun sandy loam since 2008 or thereabouts.

Penstemon digitalis 'Mystica' has been the best-performing beardtongue in my various garden beds, in both full and part sun. I grew more than a half dozen other penstemon cultivars from seed via winter sowing but none have thrived to the same extent as 'Mystica.'

I have both Penstemon and Agastache growing in the same part sun garden bed. The soil is slightly acidic sandy loam. I can't guarantee they'd perform the same way in your garden but have enjoyed them in my own.

The link below takes you to a list of Agastache cultivars at the Missouri Botanical Garden website where you can access more specific information.

Here is a link that might be useful: Missouri Botanical Garden

I have found excellent drainage to be the most important factors for both agastache and penstemon.

I have grown both Acapulco Orange and Rose. They are both very floriforous. Here's a picture of Orange from last year:

-Susan, that stinks yours died too. Did you mulch yours? Open or sheltered site?

Mine was planted in a semi-micro-climate (at least a zone higher), no mulch. Not sure that would have made a difference or not.

It makes me curious about the other hardy alstros out there. Maybe I will give a different cultivar a try another time- Lazy S'S seem to have several...
CMK

Here is a link that might be useful: alstros at Lazy S'S

Christin, you be the guinea pig, OK? LOL!
Mine was fairly sheltered, no mulch and I didn't see any vole activity in that area either.

ah well, I find deep and careful watering (2gallons per square metre, watered in slowly) to be more effective to get that all-important moisture to the roots....but mostly, try to clear away as much vegetation around the phlox as they definitely respond to good air ventilation. Failing that, bite the bullet and buy a systemic fungicide (dunno the proprietary names in US - we have dithane or systhane) - but just get a fungicide, not all in one pesticide/ fungicide like Bayer 3-in-1.

I hope you figure out what to use....please report back, if you do.

This post was edited by carolinaflowerlover on Wed, Jul 2, 14 at 11:15