13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

Thank you so much Mad-gallica! I've only recently started posting here since Gardenweb turned into Houzz....I remember you from way back on Garden Web. :-)

My zone 4 has changed to 5a with global warming

==>>> there is no global warming.. and dont waste more time with such.. as i predict you will have a z3 winter.. soon enough ...

i have had two z4 winters in a row.. in my z5 MI ...

and you will lose a lot of money.. if you start investing in z5 plants... based on a politicians opinion ...

ken

ps: know how i know my winters were z4 ... i lost a lot of very expensive conifers.. that were z5 winter tolerant ... go figure on that loss ...

Just thought I'd mention that Allium senescens I mentioned above is blooming right now. Not as many lavender flowers in my small clump as in Crunchpas picture above - the small plant in the right hand corner- but cute all the same.

Linda

I grow chives, Nodding onions, and Prairie onions in my pollinator garden. The last two are native plants, and all provide excellent nectar for lots of important pollinators. They are extremely easy to care for and need almost no water. And I think they are beautiful. They do offer a different texture, and beautiful blooms at a time when lots of plants are looking tired and dry.

here's a you tube video on deadheading Buddleia

She cuts it back a lot faster than I do - I tend to wait until the bloom is 90-100% spent before clipping.

Good grief! Cutting off barely starting to wither blooms. I let them FINISH cause I enjoy seeing the blooms til the bloom is fully gone. I spent ~ 1 1/2 hours deadheading today. Have 15 or so bushes. Will be pottting up volunteers the next few days from my neighbor's plants.

That final May photo of the stone walls and steps blew me away. I can't imagine how much work that took, but the result is spectacular.

Looks terrific!

Thanks, Maureen.

Admit I can manicure/shave? the flowering of some perennials (especially daylilies) before taking their picture.

There is an overlap, in flowering, between some of our daylilies and the heleniums. For earlier blooming heleniums, we also have 'Sahin's Early Flowerer' and little 'The Bishop'.

Of course, you tidy up your plants before photographing them. A concept that my DH, a non gardener, doesn't seem to understand. I'm fortunate that he is willing to take photos that I can share while I am indisposed. I am learning to use his fancy camera to take my own photos after the plants have been spruced up.

ugly leaves.. and ugly plants.. in late august.. never bother me ...

as the sun declines .. the plants start declining.. especially those that peaked in spring ...

it often comes down to you deciding they are pissin you off.. and getting rid of them for something else.. rather than solving the mystery ...

what marl said.. if your pix are on your hard drive.. if not.. then you will need some other advice about your fancy gizmo ... what is the gizmo.. and i bet someone will know and advise ...

ken

Love that Brunnera cultivar.

Previous contributors to GW have suggested foliar nematodes as a cause.

Try on-line: "Jack Frost Brunnera - Extension - Penn State University".

Ooop, someone above already informed you of that!

TR2, I have never heard that little poem but I like it.

Thanks for that extra info, Ruth. You all really have me thinking the this could be a very interesting plant for me to try. I just had no idea it would do well in a shadier site.

Love this plant! Unfortunately it is biennial (or sometimes a short lived perennial). I grew mine from seed but the plants did not set seed. Maybe not enough warmth to get good seed set? The smell of the flowers is very peculiar, reminds my of ecoline (some kind of ink). In my garden the flowers attract not only bees, wasps and bumblebees but also a lot of flies.

I got one of them bad boys myself & it did not succumb to the poison Ivy strength Round Up last year. I will have to try some of those other techniques this year.

I was feeling quite smug back in 2009 when I dug out the burdock, root and all. Last summer I noticed a little one, and ignored it. This year, I have been punished with about 12 more of these plants, all bigger and taller than the original. One of them has grown up through my Japanese Maple, and is about 8 ft high, lol. I suppose I'll try vinegar and then Round-Up this time. Sounds like it's worth smuggling across the border into Canada. I had a good chuckle at a lot of the comments on this very old thread - enjoy :)

Nice plant.

I have Rudbeckia "Viette's Little Suzy" which is more compact than "Goldsturm", but tends to sprawl if you don't stake it.

https://thebenjamin.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/morton10.jpg

I planted VLS last year and it didn't return for me :(.

The lavender looks amazing with the sedum! Pretty, pretty!

I agree, looks great! So much fun when that happens.

Sherry

...No I don't think so peren.all.... it gives me the opportunity to plant something else instead.... I haven't the time or space to put up with plants that underperform.... which is such a shame as it's not something I enjoy doing really....but I would need a huge garden for all my discards over the years....

Just reread this post about persicaria and thought I would add my experience to date with Painters Palette. I have had this in my gardens for 10 years? Maybe longer and have moved it around quite a bit. I have found here that it does the best with less than 5-6 hours of sun. It really appreciates a decent amount of shade. It looks great all season.

Sherry

I see the same thing almost every year. You don't need to do anything and they will bloom nicely next spring. It they bother you, you can cut the leaves off (but new ones will emerge, they are like grass), they will be fine next spring as well.

Thanks all. I've never had any that I planted, they've always been naturalized, so I'm sure they were just mowed with the grass!