13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
desert jewels which is a hybrid of firespinner and cooperi-firespinner does ok, is planted in gravel-desert jewels is 3 ft across from a 3 inch pot 2 years ago-the hybrids sold as desert jewels and mesa verde seem tougher-they are sort of evergreen here.
Ken - yeah, lawn-moving is not a big chore here :-) DH uses a reel mower and it takes 15-20 minutes or so - mainly because of the ditch in the front yard and slopes at the sides adjoining the neighbours' driveways slows him down a bit :-) We've pretty much gardened every available inch! Even the remaining grass is part of the garden by being shaped grassy paths, and the ditch has spring bulbs in the grass. We grow veggies in pots on the driveway so the driveway is part of the garden too....
This is a view of the house from the road in early August last year:
This one shows the 'moat bed' (narrow bed along the top of the ditch) at its showiest at the end of May 2013. Sadly, the brutal winter just past killed off the wisteria flowerbuds so no spring display this year :-( The clematis 'Henryi' that grows into the Chinese wisteria is doing well though - once it blooms we will cut the Chinese wisteria back a bit to remove deadwood and encourage a good secondary summer bloom. We miss the wisteria display!
Rouge - it's going to be a year or two before we can tell if the haskap experiment will be successful but I'm sure I'll have something to say about it whatever happens! And you're right, making changes in established plantings is exciting. I've been making smaller changes and will continue to do that, but removing the BB is the first really obvious big one - a lot of neighbours have noticed and asked about it!
yes, that it a lovely pink - I like it with simple cowcockle (vaccaria hispanica), pale california poppies, legousia speculum veneris and linum perenne.....an easy filler for a patch of dry and not very fertile ground. All these little pinks (gratianopolis, deltoides etc.),are a pleasure....compared to the showy (and floppy) greenhouse and malmaison carnations....although I do enjoy a fragrant dianthus.....
Around the same time last year when planting this Celandine Poppy (Stylophorum diphyllum) I also put in one what I think is a "Chinese Wood Poppy" (Stylophorum asiocarpum). I see just today that it has begun to bloom.
It seems to not be as upright as "diphyllum" and has dandelion like leaves? (Is it Stylophorum asiocarpum?)
I think that there are some that spread by seed, and some that don't set seed. That may be the difference in people's experience. They are hard to remove if you don't like them where you plant them, as the tiny baby offset bulbs would have to be sieved out of the soil or constantly weeded or they come back. But they are reliable and very pretty in their time.
My fall planted persicaria is only about 12 inches high and it is starting to send out short flower buds. Really curious to see how large it gries this year in my amended clay soil. I had a hard time finding it and ended up getting it from arrowhead alpines. I think lazy s carries it as well.
Persicaria polymorpha did fabulous for me for a few years but lately seems to struggle. I have a small piece I may try to salvage and replant. I'm not sure why it suddenly became unhappy. Do you know a good mail order source? I'd like to try another one.
Thanks for asking this question as I started a mix of Japanese primula seeds and have one of this miniature which I really like. Now I have a name for it. I read online that p. Kisoana spreads by stolons and self seeds. My singleton has not spread at all probably because it is growing in packed soil on the north side of the house and later gets covered by hosta leaves. Think I will move it to a better location.
its not the color and its not the plant its the combinations that make the garden-reading this thread i realized that a pic i took today combines all the colors people said they disliked including a pale magenta-and its all pastels
Well, you can't argue with that color combination! I agree David.