13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
I would do very little this year but take photos , clean things up, fertilize, trim things when it is obvious and get rid of OBVIOUS weeds. Think about possibilities , and sit back and let things be revealed. There maybe more surprises that will come up later. More damage can be done to a gerden through ignorance and impatience.
Thanks, but that's an optical illusion there, shadyplace. The fern is on the ground not on a wall. That's paving going up to the base of the wall. The fern and the Parthenocissus are growing out of a tiny gap between the stones. You can see the situation better in this picture.
It's always cracked me up to see US catalogs marketing "bred in NZ" delphiniums as "heat resistant". No commonly inhabited part of New Zealand has summers with an average high temperature over 80F. In other words, you'd have to go to the Atlantic coast around Cape Cod or north of Boston to find a part of the Continental-climate US with summers as cool as the very hottest parts of NZ. Maybe upper Michigan too. (of course I discount the obviously cool-summer Pacific coast...national catalog merchants obviously see them as a blip that marches to beat of its own drummer)
That being said I bought some supposedly heat-resistant variety at Groff's Plant Farm in Lancaster Co. back in 2012, and it has been perennial since then, in spite of the hellish summers of 2012 and 2013. Blooms and everything! Hasn't really increased in size though, which I think is telling. I'm sure it doesn't like it here.
EDIT: Actually I just double checked my spreadsheet: I have an odd note that I tried "'Stainless Steel' or 'Moonlight Blues'?" in 2011, and it died that summer. Maybe I couldn't remember the cultivar name? Early 2011 was worse for me than 2012. Then I bought something else in 2012 which has survived until now and bloomed both years but alas I lost the tags from that year so I don't know which one. 2013 was actually not a bad summer other than being too wet for some things. The summers of 2010, 2011, 2012 were the really bad ones.
This post was edited by davidrt28 on Fri, May 16, 14 at 11:09
Thank you, Martha and Shadyplace. You actually re-seed in late summer? I am not good with seeds, and sort of accidentally started the larkspurs. I need to be more vigilant in the summer, and try to seed them at that time. I did not know that I should plant the seeds in the summer.
Sammy
Hi ishaphan,
I just started with them, my favorit nursery had them in their catalogue. I used some in my own garden as edging plants, planting last fall, did a small perennial border for a private client using Rebecca Moss as ground cover (with G album Apfelbluete, a light pink on) last fall plus did another private garden, planted this April, using it for a large area as groundcover, dotted with single tall fern and Helleborus foetidus (native here and thriving on heavy soil).
So now I am curious and slightly anxious how they perform, as I test drive them in someone else`s garden...
I didn`t know that they divide easily, that`s a great plus.
My garden is somewhat organized without being hoovered-clean-no-hair-out-of place, so they should fit in well.
And I also did not know that there are so many varieties, I had a hard time getting hold of Rebecca Moss when ordering from a different nursery for the larger project.
And I relocated a "Rosenlicht" from that last project in order to monitor it closely in my garden. It is a clear, strong pink, by a German breeder, Klose, who died some years ago and bred some Hostas as well, Fulda is his, if I remember correctly.
So, let`s see how they do.
Do you happen to have pics of more mature plants like 3 years olds? that would be so great.
Have a nice week end (mine hopefully includes some editing of perennial borders and Dahlia planting)
bye, Lin
Shadeyplace, your pond in the shade, gives it an air of mystery. It is a magical place.
Gry, The branch over the pond and the old tree stump are brilliant touches. Great photo.
Thank-you Kevin, Lilyfinch and Gary. I am lucky that I don't have anything as bad as racoons. Just herons, cats and polecats!
Daisy
In March, I decided I'd had enough! There was a pre-fab pond in my backyard that my brother had installed some years ago for my mom. The problem? It was in FULL SUN--so fighting algae was like a full-time job. I don't use or allow any chemicals on the property because of all the wildlife, including peafowl, that visits, so fighting algae wasn't fun. My mom's gone now, and it's my property now, and I debated whether to remove the pond because I knew she really liked it...but in the end, out it went. I had its hole filled in with potting soil, and I now have several gardenia bushes and a ton of perennials growing there. I'm very happy with my decision.
Thank you Rouge, Betty and Babera!
So a status update for my two TS: one of them did survive and now has good new growth (~ 2 inches tall). Another one right next to it still has nothing showing up. So after knowing your experience, I will keep my fingers crossed and hope it may still be alive (and be patient...)
Vivian
So pretty and such a welcome sight after the long, cold, snowy winter that seemed to last a full 6 months. The only things blooming for me at the moment are lungwort 'Raspberry Splash,' fern-leaf bleeding heart, Virginia bluebells, 'Jack Frost' brunnera and a NOID azalea my folks planted 20-30 years ago. Still, any color other than white is welcome & a sight for winter-weary eyes.
Kevin, I have an obsession with anemonella. Absolutely love it and pick up more varieties whenever I can. I'll get my butt outside tomorrow for some pics to add to yours. Just picked another one up this past weekend.
So many obsessions, so little money....LOL!
Oh,yes, I know none of these are Bowles Mauve - was using that as an example of sterility in wallflowers. Mine are still cheerfully flowering but have not set seed pods yet so I expect you are quite correct.
Mmmm, Desirai - there are some interesting hybrids around, so why not have a go yourself?. Some of them have quite odd colouring. I have one unfortunate specimen - a pasty affair with bland flowers which mutate from an apricot colour to a rather pallid purple.....and to cap it all, it has variegated leaves so has a feeble nature. This one will be leaving the garden this year. Love the orange though.
This post was edited by campanula on Thu, May 15, 14 at 18:20
If you dig the whole clump and soak it in a bucket for a day, then the roots should untangle. Use either your hands or a fork, and pull them apart, trying to leave them in groups of 2 if you can. Replant, and they will bloom much better than if you leave them in that clump. Some pull apart easier than others...so you really do have to chop, but you lose a few plants in that process.
The leaves are too wide for Stella. This is a good time of year to divide daylilies.
Thanks to all! I can't wait to see what this garden turns out to be.