13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

columbine are annuals.. biennial at best ... it could not have taken years to bloom ...

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if the you can not maintain sufficient water for the gerber to not wilt.. it has to be moved ...

been decades.. but i seem to think they are very heavy water users ... which means... that it would be preferable.. to not have them in sun.. in the heat of the day.. when they use more water.. than their roots can pump .. never forget.. sun between noon and 5 pm.. has much more impact on water use ... than full sun at dusk and/or dawn ... [and as noted.. pavement is a problem .. many such stressed plants.. can survive... if they can grow the requisite root mass.. an/or.. have anight recovery period.. but if the darn pavement/brick.. stays hot in August .. until 4 in the morning ... then there is no recovery period ...]

full sun.. is 8 hours, generally speaking .... but it doent have to be.. all in a row ...

find a better spot ...

ken

I would guess that some zones may kill off the columbine, so it would be treated as an annual there. In my zone, it is most definitely a perennial -- or even seems to be evergreen for certain established clumps. Even one particular clump that I somehow messed up the taproot and ended up reburying it less than 1" from the soil surface -- it withstood the colder than usual winter (for this area) and is thriving this season.

That's how I sometimes find out, by accident, how durable a particular plant variety is -- by not giving it the best conditions to grow in.

That's a Parsnip in my world. And the OP is in my world. Hollyhock plus small Dock to the left. Day Lily above and a n other to the right.

It's not Geum canadensis.

Thanks the one plant hollyhock the one on right is sunflower and the lily is behind I know this as I planted these but the parsnip has just appeared if it is a parsnip

I have learned to love them, beats stressing over them. Our lawn out front if you can call it that is now a mix of moss, white violets, we used to have some yellow as well but they seem to have died out. Veronica repens (blue), the odd crocus and I think some 'Chocolate Chip' Ajuga have also crept in, and let's not forget the wee bit of grass struggling to survive LOL.
In the back where my garden is I just pull where I don't want them. I love the fragrance of the purple ones in late february/march. I actually planted 'White Czar' under our Robinia tree some years ago. This one hasn't spread much at all, isn't that always the way.

Annette

I've decided to embrace them. Both of my neighbors have them in gardens, so I know they will always find a way to MY gardens even if I remove them, so, now I just dig excess volunteers out and enjoy the early season color. I have both purple and white ones. I like them more than the lily of the valley that came with the house, they are much easier to remove!

I'm also going to go with Iberis (candytuft). Don't think it's arabis.

Candytuft at the end of its bloom

OH MY that is absolutely beautiful and how depressing it did not come back! I know they need well drained, but moist and can take a bit more sun. What a shame. That is my favorite

It was a very interesting plant, but I rarely spend a lot of money on any plant material. That one was an impulse buy and cost me $40. which I thought was a lot of money. And I don't really miss it. To spend a lot of money for a plant and then have to tip toe around it is not for me. The plants that give me the most pleasure are those that are vigorous and dependable and full of blooms and just high performers year after year.

Oh, campanula, by the way, you recommended a Daffodil to me, 'Baby Moon' and it is blooming right now. Really late for a daffodil in my garden. Everything else has been gone for a couple of weeks. They are very cute and unique. Good recommendation. Thanks! :-)

Ah well, you should see my hosta - looks like crochet done by a three year old, after the slugfest....and yep, after munching those, physalis would be dessert - tatty is a much kinder term than what originally came to mind.
Still - 'improvisational' - I am stealing that (low budget goes without say)..

:D At least your slugs have some gumption, campanula. Mine completely ignore all the hostas once their leaves are more than 1" off the ground. They prefer the toad lillies right now, possibly because those are supposed to be the caviar of the slug kingdom. Or maybe they can discern that I paid good money for the lillies, but got the hostas for free. [grumble]

Anyway, I just moved the Chinese Lanterns to a slightly bigger planter, which I've parked on top of a porcelain lid that came off somebody's toilet tank. I figure that even a Chinese Lantern can't bore through solid porcelain, and if it can-- I'll be more than happy to start a new religion centered around it. Like those tribe folk in an old Godzilla movie who worshipped Mothra. :D

guessing white mulberry weed?

Hi shadeyplace! Good guess, but in looking through online photos, I don't quite think this is white mulberry weed. I guess I'll head over to the Name That Plant forum - I usually like to post here first but I'm not getting too many responses so I will try there.

Thank you for your help! :)

Dee

Lucky you! Such a lovely clump and loaded with blooms! Way too hot and dry for those here, so keep sending photos for us less lucky folks. Well, less lucky for this plant, anyway.

fading a bit now, but still lovely

I bought both Purssian Blue and Cats Meow a couple of weeks ago, so will see how they do.

Last year I bought Little Trudy and am very happy with that one. Little Trudy just started blooming, which is earlier than a lot of catmints.

Blue Wonder is a really nice catmint that I have a lot of. It's smaller and blooms earlier too (is blooming here now). It does reseed a bit, which I don't mind. and the goldfinches love to perch on it and eat the seed when the blooms have faded.

I had Walker's Low in the past and did not care for them - they got too big for my liking.

I have to second the Blue Wonder recommendation. It really does stay low - like 9-10 inches - so flopping isn't an issue. That was my biggest concern when selecting my first Nepeta and I haven't be disappointed. It also really spread out a lot the first year. I think it was a good 2 1/2 feet across by the end of summer.

I was disappointed however to find out it is not sterile as advertized. I've been hoeing out seedling by the hundreds all spring. Mine is blooming now too.

Kevin

I must say, I'm a fan of Jung's too. For years I had heard bad things about their plants, but decided to try them out last year when I was putting in a hedge. Their price on privet just couldn't be beat. When I received the shrubs, I was blown away by the quality and size. This year I ordered some more shrubs and a few delphiniums and again, was very, very impressed. I just wish they had a larger selection of perennials.

Kevin

I have purchased at least six times from Santa Rosa Gardens and highly recommend them.

I used to have a big garden out in the backyard for veggies...like 30 x 60. Well, the kids moved out so I started planting flowers in that garden. OOOOh did I love those C. glomeratas, and they spread! Well, the voles got into a bunch of the garden, so I mowed it ALL down and threw in grass seed and that was hmmm 10 years ago?! I am STILL mowing C. glomerata leaves every week. They never bloom cuz they never get over 4-5 inches tall, but this year I noticed the area has enlarged by 20%....probably been sneaking an inch or so. every year. Time to spray it with 24D or something. So be careful planting it, or else consider yourself forewarned.

I have the glomerta and though I enjoy it at this time of year it spreads too much for me. I'm not able to get rid of it without tearing up whole beds so every year I dig out as much as I am able. Nice plant, but I'll have it forever--like it or not

There is a big difference in the types of lavenders and whether you can cut them back safely or not. French Lavender and Spanish Lavender is the same thing and they do not like to be severely cut back at all. English Lavender is totally different and doesn't mind it so much. You have to know what you have to know whether you can cut it back more than a little trim or not.

I cut back mine almost to the ground in early spring and it has grown back very nice and is ready to bloom now.

I bought one 'Rozanne' from Bluestone several years back and while it took a couple years for her to get established, she has met or exceeded every expectation. She gently spreads amongst her neighbors and seems to bloom forever! The lovely purple flowers blend well with other flowers. On top of that the pollinators like the blooms.

I just bought another Rozanne to place on the other side of the bird bath and balance out the first plant. Since she performs great in only a few hours of sun, and since I don't have much sun overall, I wouldn't waste her on a sunny spot because she does so well in partial sun.

Coreopsis "Moonbeam" is a longtime favorite of mine and I can attest to the fact that it can not only handle the heat, but with a quick shearing off of the spent blooms, will reward you with replay after replay until the first frost. I love the airy nature of it and the soft yellow flowers that appear suspended within a greenish mist. A lovely compliment to your Crocosmia.