13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
I think if you cut back a healthy plant growing in the ground then it jettisons a corresponding part of its root system, and then both recover as they can. I think this response will be different between plants. Anything that evolved with being browsed, like a shrub or a perennial, will come back more easily than something like a tree that isn't usually browsed. That's why there is a rule of thumb that if a tree loses more than a third of its canopy in an ice storm then it's pretty much a goner. If I damage roots on a perennial, shrub, most houseplants in pots when I am moving, repotting, or whatever, then I cut back the top growth to even things out some. I find the plant will jettison top growth anyway until it has an amount that the roots can support. (If I trim it then I get to decide what gets jettisoned.) I wouldn't be afraid to cut back the Russian sage, and in fact I think it would be helped. Also I am a big fan of lawn chairs over the plant until it perks up.
"Actually, what happens when plants are cut back is that they divert their energy resources TO replacing their cut leaves, in the opposit direction of the roots. Plants can't do both things very well so the most important function wins the battle.
The leaves are the energy producing factories without which the plant cannot make new roots, grow, fend off diseases and insects. "
That statement is not entirely accurate.
lils and aseed are correct in their posts.
In addition:
Yes, leaves produce food for the plant, but roots also store that energy as carbohydrates in addition to providing water to the foliage. When the leaves are stressed - wilted - they cannot produce energy. In order for photosynthesis to take place in the leaves, the leaves need both light and WATER. If the leaves are wilted, they aren't doing anything for the plant. In fact, they are a liability to the plant.
What happens when a tree is extremely stressed by drought? Eventually it drops its leaves. It can't support them. If the drought ends in a reasonable amount of time, the tree will grow new leaves because it has stored energy - carbohydrates - in its roots.
What happens in the spring after a long cold winter? Plants in the garden have lost their leaves. The roots with their stored energy (in addition to rising temps and water) bring the plant out of dormancy and make it possible for the plant to regrow its leaves. Yes, leaves are important, but a plant can survive for a much longer period without leaves as opposed to without roots.
One more example and I'll shut up:
2 years ago I dug out a peony. I guess I missed some roots because this stupid plant keep sprouting new growth and I keep chopping it off. It's a weekly battle. Evidently, there was a lot of stored food in those roots to allow this continual resprouting process to take place.
Kevin
Good deal! I have one plant of this in my yard. It hasn't grown much, but it has flowered for me every year. I think I need to move it where it can be seen. It gets hidden between a daylily and a geranium, but I put it there because those plants provide it shade. They don't crowd it out, they just provide it some relief from the afternoon sun.
Karen
Pitimpinai, I tried and tried to use my 'Annabelle'. I moved it twice, then tried giving it support and now it has moved to it's final resting spot, out of my view in an area that I rarely pay any attention to where it can do it's own thing. :-) I put another Hydrangea in it's place called 'Madame Emile Mouillere'. It is a white mop head with pretty edges to the petals that remind me of pinking shears. I just moved it this spring and after last winter it has only one flower getting ready to bloom, but I have high hopes it will be an improvement over 'Annabelle'
That's funny, I wanted to get 'Minnesota Snowflake' but they were out of it and I ended up with 'Buckley's Quill' which definitely is a double and I believe is a dwarf as well. Unfortunately, it has no fragrance that I can detect. Your Minnesota Snowflake is fragrant, yes? I wonder if you can keep it pruned to the size you need? I'm still looking for another Philadelphus that is fragrant.
Yes, prairiemoon2, that Philadelphus is fragrant - lovely fragrance, just like Betty Corning. I gave up on making the Philadelphus stay short. It has not grown terribly wide, because the area no longer gets much sun after my next door neighbor extended the house upward.
Thanks for the tip campanula, on the Polkadot hybrids. Their colors aren't especially appealing, and I'm not even sure they are widely available here in the states. I'll check for them the next time I'm at Groff's Plant Farm. But your post was helpful - in investigating them, I found out about a new yellow one called 'Goldcrest' which seems promising as a replacement for 'Spice Island'. Alas, the handful of American sources have sold out. But at least that means they might reorder for next year.
Here is a link that might be useful: http://mygarden.rhs.org.uk/blogs/graham_rice/archive/2010/08/23/digitalis-goldcrest-new-foxglove-hybrid.aspx
This post was edited by davidrt28 on Thu, Jun 19, 14 at 16:59
I'm in that boat. Two years ago, the neighbors had their trees butchered. There was no place to move the plants, so I planted several 8' potted trees I had handy for some help. The rest of the plants had to tough it out, or be replaced. The species fuchsia handled the sun much better than expected; the star magnolia declined until he gave up the ghost this spring.
Last year the city trimmed my street tree--a sycamore that had a lot of lopsided growth over my front yard, but provided shade. I have noticed that a good section of the protected plants under my pines get full, hot sun for the entire afternoon now. Some beautiful orchids and bromeliads that I have grown for years are going to be cooking from July through September--if they live that long. There isn't any suitable place on the property to move many of them. I'm weighing options, such as planting a small tree where I don't want one, which would also necessitate a revamp of the irrigation system and kill the view through our living room window.
I'm in the process of changing my perennial bed designs also, but because our trees are getting larger, and the beds that used to have sun are now in the shade. In fact, I'm now scrambling for spots to plant flowers that need full sun. I'm learning to pack them in real tight in the limited space I have.
my gardening style is what i jokingly refer to as "garbage gardening"! each area has a edger, whether it's catmint, salvia, lamb's ear or daylilies, then i add a few perennials that i repeat throughout the bed, e.g. shasta daisies, sedum, coneflowers. everything must be low maintenance and drought tolerant. so far this has worked for me.
I'm not even going to bother clicking on that link...but thanks. Here's the question: what other organic chemical routinely lasts "centuries" outside? It would be a rather different world if they did. When trees die, thankfully, they don't last centuries either. Saprobes start breaking them down. It would be reasonable that large poison ivy vines themselves could live for > 100 years, maybe that is what they mean by that. A specimen stored under controlled conditions could last for 100 years. The Mona Lisa wouldn't have lasted 500 years in a compost heap, no matter how great it art. (haha) But outdoors under normal atmospheric conditions, any poison ivy that could have grown in a place, will decompose in that place.
If you must just spray your glads with a warm detergent solution, then give them a rinsing spray. It will wash off the oil just as it would wash it off your hands.
I would just leave the glads alone as long as the foliage is still green. They need to continue photosynthesizing to replenish the corm. In the fall, or whenever you clean up old foliage, I would wrap my hands in a plastic bag before grabbing onto the old glad leaves.
If you want to dig them up, I'd wait until the leaves have died back on their own. Wear gloves if you handle them.
Each fall I dig up about half of my glads. I dig up clumps, shake off the soil, let them sit in a semi shady but dry spot for a day or two, then remove the brown foliage and put the corms in a cardboard box. I store them in my basement. Last year I left done in the garage and they over winters fine as well. I dam in a colder zone thsn you do the glads are less reliable on returning.
Scary! Fortunately, it wasn't that bad here - although the wind was strong so I stayed out of the room where a neighbour's half-dead ash is at high risk of falling on that room if the wind is strong enough from the SW ...! The wind was strong from that direction last night but we got lucky and the tree didn't come down. I hope you don't get any storm damage either!
Diane, I sympathize. I don't blame you one bit for doing that! And oh gosh, flax, too!!
Lindaw, the plume part sounds like deer. They ate a few of the astilbe leaves on mine, but left half of it and never returned for them. They felt no remorse about the flowers, though. That plant sure was ugly last year. :/ I had bought it because it was "deer resistant". I have skimmia next to it and i'm in love with it. I'm removing the astilbe for more skimmia. The little male skimmia I have the deer haven't touched. The large female one: they take a bite out of it and leave it alone the rest of the year. Though, I wish they wouldn't taste the plant by taking a bite out of the middle. :/
Pic is of my male skimmia.
I haven't tried liquid fence. I've used Bobbex. I have elderberry (also listed as deer resistant) that the deer can't resist. I sprayed it regularly, but then a month passed and the plant flowered and the deer were all over it. I've decided to spray it weekly. It isn't as if food for them is scarce around here. I wish they'd leave my plants alone!
Thankyou!!! And we are in zone 5.. Yes they look pretty where they are i do expect to not look so pretty once moved. But yes i really wanna save them to do that i gotta get them to my house. Thanku we will pray myb with luck and all they will look nice their first year with me lol. I will post a pic soon of those. Prim roses was easy.
geraniums are easy too - I moved a socking great Rozanne before the roofers stomped all over it. Cut back as much of the top growth as you can (never mind if you miss a years blooms - survival over the years is the goal). Lots of soil and absolutely buckets of water - puddle the holes in with a full can. If the holes drain fast, do another one.....until you get a few minutes for the water to vanish. Dump the rootball in the dug hole - dont muck about mixing compost or manure -, and stay on top of the watering for the next 2 months. Np problems. Anything with almighty taproots might be a bit tougher....but still (just about) doable if you dig deep (I have moved roses on a laxa rootstock - nightmare) its all about the biggest rootball (wet it thoroughly before you dig, it holds it together better) and loads of irrigation. Good luck.
sorry almost forgot your question-seed pods do need to mature on the plant-the only way to get rebloom is to cut off the stalks just before the last flowers fade
Thanks all. I just can't cut them all down with all the hummers and bumble bees enjoying the last of the blooms. I still have seeds from years ago in the frig and will just use them next year.