13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

Oh heavens, I didn't do the patio rebuild/stonework - it *was* professionally done. I did the basic bed design and planting, but not the hardscaping other than the stepping stones DH put in.

I'll try to post pics later of the whole patio.

This post was edited by mxk3 on Mon, Jun 23, 14 at 15:49

I commend you on your use of Berginia. I love it but it always seem like an awkward plant that I don't know where to put. Yours is nice. :)

Hi hpny. Here's another look at my balloon flowers now that they are popped. My flowers are at least a year old and in a small space. How tall does these flower grow?

Lovely, Glen!

Stir_fryi, my experience is the same as rouge's. I posted earlier that I moved my three year old 'Sentimental Blue' to my new house last year and they have survived. There is some risk in moving them but if they are going to get crowded out anyway, might as well take the chance. And as SunnyBorders points out, a younger plant is likely easier to transplant.

I don't always deadhead mine... I find this cultivar's habit and clean foliage attractive even when not in bloom.

Thanks for the comments and advice. I do want more JL. Do I let reseed in the bed and grow there?

Let them reseed and then move them to where you want when they are still small. I would still deadhead the majority of the flowers though.

I purchased this bellflower over 4 years ago and it is very invasive but I used it to my advantage. I have areas around my property where it hard to plant or grow anything (too many roots). I placed some of these bellflowers there and they completely covered the area. I still keep a close eye on them.

aachenelf, I'm a sucker for most of the Campanulas, the only one that gets away on me is C. poscharskyana. I have it wandering through a low rock wall, when finished blooming I rip it out down to it's roots. I also have 'Sarastro' but it sure doesn't look like your beauty this year, I had to move it and it's sulking. The others I have are rotundifolia and glomerata, don't have a problem with either one. The primulifolia in the picture was supposed to be thyrsoides, I got the seed from the U.K. obviously a mixup, I got a replacement from them but waited to long to plant the seed, it didn't germinate :(, still looking for seed for thyrsoides.

SunnyBorders, 'Brantwood' is a stunner, another to put on my list.

Annette

It does grow very easily from seed. I Winter Sow them each January.

Can I place it in a pot until I transplant it in the fall?

So gorgeous

I love the yellow ones and stick them in among the different perennials for a flash of color. I dislike the pink because it re-seeds everywhere - the yellow stays in one spot. It spreads but doesn't seem to re-seed for me.

Given my knowledge of most wild rudbeckia's (both variability and longevity), it's all quite true and there's not much you can do about it, other than don't propagate from seed.
I'm always amazed how variable even very few (like 100) rudbeckia hirta wild occuring plants, really are. And pretty much the only survivors from year to year are those that are in biennial form and didn't flower this year.

Rudbeckia hirta/black-eyed Susan 'Cherry Brandy' is an annual, not a perennial as many believe. The link below takes you to Swallowtail Garden Seeds' website photo of 'Cherry Brandy' but they sell the seeds as annuals. It's true that R. hirta is a rampant self-seeder but the plants are actually annuals and live for a single season.

I checked Santa Rosa Gardens website and 'Cherry Brandy' is clearly noted as an annual.

Here's the link I copied and pasted: http://www.santarosagardens.com/Rudbeckia-hirta-Cherry-Brandy-p/rud-che.htm

ellenr - sorry you're disappointed with the performance/color/longevity of your Cherry Brandy rudbeckia. I've noticed & been disappointed to find there are short-lived perennials gone missing from my beds after a season or two.

Here is a link that might be useful: Swallowtail Garden Seeds

R.acris is, I agree, a better behaved plant than the dreadful repens, aka creeping buttercup, a downright invasive plant. They may both be buttercups but they are a world apart in terms of welcome.

UPDATE:

ispahan wrote:

The other one is Ranunculus aconitifolius 'Flore Pleno', which is also a taller, bushier clumper, but this time with very elegant and refined white flowers. It seems almost too perfect to be real.

Because of this thread (thanks Kevin) and specifically 'ispahan's' post I did go search out this plant and did put two in the ground last July or so. Of course they did nothing last season but this spring they have shown their promise ie perfect little white flowers which from a distance seem to float in the air. (But I must confess that I weeded one from the garden earlier this spring, not believing it was "Flore Pleno"...embarrassing.)

I think I will plant another one or two this summer. They seem to not take up much room and their flowers are quite unique. So far I highly recommend this plant.

This post was edited by rouge21 on Mon, Jul 21, 14 at 8:30

mostly paradoxa

I have several 2 leaf sized plants popping up. I moved the parent plant this spring and I see lots of evidence where it used to be. Out of 6 ech's this was the only one that survived so I'll just let it do what it wants to do.

One thought - - When I had a lot of foliar damage and couldn't see a culprit, going out at night, I discovered earwigs were eating the foliage on a number of plants. Their favorite being basil and echinacea. I had columbine at the time but I don't remember them eating that. I also saw more asiatic beetles at night too.

If it's not leaf miners, it's columbine sawfly...usually the foliage looks horrible this time of year but we've had nothing but rain for the past few weeks so I think that's holding them at bay.

No seeds - will have to propagate from root cuttings. I had this - a bit measly, to be honest and the blue became a sort of washed out slatey colour - OK, I thought but it was not a strong plant and, only 2 years after getting 3, they are no longer with me.....whereas the little V.phoeniceums have remained, returning reliably, never misbehaving, year on year. Another highly strung, overbred diva, to my mind....but then again, my plants get a robust testing!

I'd still like to try it, we took a trip down island this morning DH was looking for a gadget for his computer, needless to say we hit every garden center on the way home :). No Blue Lagoon, in fact no-one had heard of it but they all jotted the name down.
I didn't come home empty handed tho... as we toddled our way back home I picked up another Brugmansia to add to my collection, it's the old variety 'Sunset' but it already had flower buds on it and the price was right, at least that was my reasoning LOL. 4 more are heading my way, 'Dola' 'Angels Exotic', 'Full Rosea' all pinks and 'Snowbank', another with variegated leaves, they should be in the mail on wednesday.
Picked up another Tradescantia 'Mac's Blue' to replace the one I lost, a double hollyhock (purple), a Veronica 'Eveline' and a small plant of 'Aglaia' this one I had also lost a couple of years ago.
Talking about Tradescanthia's, not everyones cup of tea but I love them. When searching the web to see what other varieties are out there I've seen pictures of mine on other websites, one in particular my picture stating it's 'Mac's Double' it's not it's one called 'Rondeau Sapphire' which I purchased from Sterling Perennials quite a few years back. It has the habit of blooming double sometimes single.
I don't mind anyone using my pictures if it is of any use to them but it would be nice if they got the name right.

I haven't hit the garden centers locally yet to see if any of them have 'Blue Lagoon', no telling what will fall off the tables and into my basket while on the hunt :).

Annette

It certainly sounds like your phobia is having a huge impact on your life. I would strongly urge you to see a therapist sooner than later. Especially given your habit of spraying pesticides to rid your surroundings of any possible flying insect. These creatures are actually critical to our survival and are in dangerous decline. So, mostly for your own good and comfort, but also for the rest of us, please find help. It would truly be such a relief for you, and you would benefit for the rest of your life.

Martha

I was in a car with a friend when a bee (or wasp, I never actually saw it) flew in the window, up the leg of his (baggy) shorts and stung him in those tender man-parts....but guess who was shrieking and hyperventilating by the side of the road? And even when his knackers swelled to grapefruit size, I was still making far more fuss.

Still, it is quite true - help is possible (although I tell ya, the therapy lark was a dismal fail for me)......gardening though...... Out of the blue, my daughter (the same bee-stung one - she still loves me) cleared up our naked, muddy puppy ridden yard one day (we had many lurchers) and, in celebration we planted a lavatera. Obviously, as all gardeners know and I had yet to find out, lavatera grows like the clappers....but still, I thought I was a tremendous success (although was, at that point, less amused with the delighted bees)....and obviously had green fingers. Next plant - a japanese anemone - again, by sheer luck (I liked the name) I picked another winner....and an obsession was born. A totally overwhelming desitre to get to know plants (I enrolled for horticulture college quicksmart - 4 years!). Now seeing bees going about their business, on our plants (where they vastly prefer to hang out rather than on our arms and legs), over the last decade, has undeniably got a whole lot easier (although I am, of course, watching at a respectable distance and making sure I have a clear exit).........and as an avid fruit grower, I certainly have a vested interest in their continued health and survival - see what I mean about cancelling each other out....because whilst I fear these creatures, I also admire and depend on them so could not countenance spraying (although I have not the slightest compunction about spraying nettles out of all existence with some lethal broadleaf killer agent orange napalm death........)
So while I never expect to get up close and personal to a bee, the sheer number of times I encounter them really does diminish that visceral anxiety because a lot of the time, I am tortured by anticipation and imagination.....actually being near but feeling safe has been the best therapy I have ever done.....so first of all, get involved in the garden.....might be what you need to break the cycle (yeah, I know all that facing one's fear blah blah......but it works if the rewards (a really great hobby and being able to be outside in the garden) are enough to make the effort.

Here I was totally pissed that a stupid squirrel dug up and killed the astrantia that took me almost two year to germinate from seed. But you guys have people coming into your yard and digging up your valuable plants. Can't even image.

Thanks so much, rouge21, for that plant ID. I will have to look for 'Moulin rouge". What great info on this thread. Worth bookmarking.

But I am shocked to hear that people dig up other people's plants. I have never heard of that where I live and hope never to.

You can cut them back to prolong bloom if you like. I tried it one year but prefer not to as they bloom much fuller without it. I do deadhead and get a second bloom though.

They can also be cut back for a tiered effect. Deer come through and cut mine. I prefer to wait until after first bloom because find the blooms are smaller when pruned. For me bloom is about two weeks later when pruned.