13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
yes you will but it sort of depends on timing. If you keep yours dead-headed, no problem - chop away.....but once the seedheads start to form then it will consider it has done it's job (making more potential babies) and will not send out more flowering stalks. I have loads of this and regularly shear it back because it is a martyr to powdery mildew - hedge trimmers are your friend.
There isn't a problem with what you did, but the "cat tail" things were the flowers. I usually cut mine back a bit earlier since I kind of like the flowers and I can do the removal of dead foliage while it's too early to do anything else in the garden (as long as the soil isn't soggy.)
You stated they were very small pieces. I assume they were divisions? Depending on the size and quality of those divisions and when you planted them, that may be the reason they didn't make it. I lost my columbine this past winter, but am already seeing seedlings. I think if they were alive you should be seeing something by now. Columbine are pretty early to emerge IMO.
And for the record, if they were divisions, I've never had much luck dividing them. I realize all the literature says they can be divided, but I've never been successful.
Kevin
I had some that a threw seeds down for last fall/winter only to have them do virtually nothing until the end of the summer last year where they put up a few sets of little leaves. This year they're full plants, ready to bloom. I'm in approx zone 5, too, and I have planted a number of columbine plants bought from nurseries, stores or received in swaps and they have NEVER come back. These that I grew from seeds are the only ones to have done it so far. I know plenty of people grow columbines around here, perennially, with no problems - just my experience.
I would do what I call a star pattern: 2 in the front row, 1 in the middle, and 2 in the back row. Put the white one in the middle row, and the second white one in either the first or third row. Space the plants about a foot apart.
Keep in mind in the first year you're probably not going to get that full, lush "mingling" look, but be patient - that will happen.
White tends to make most other colors look brighter. I have a mixed planting of "White Swan" and "Magnus" coneflower, and I really enjoy it. :0)
I think white and pink coneflowers look pretty together. The mix of Powwow berry and white together would probably give you a more uniform look to the plants. You could try a zig-zag pattern, 3 whites in back and 2 pinks in between in front.
I have Powwow berry, but not white. I've got other whites - 'Primadonna', White Swan and Baby swan and assorted pinks, Prairie splendor, Powwow, Bravado, and a seedling I've selected, and they are sort of randomly mixed. Most were started from seed.
Here's white swan with some random E. purpurea taken a few years ago-
A.M., you're obviously wiser (and less compulsive!) than I am.
A lot of the latitude in the names used for lungworts must reflect uncertainty in parentage, or origin.
For example, Pulmonaria 'Raspberry Ice', according to the patent description, is a sport (from a spontaneous mutation) of P. 'Raspberry Splash'. This type of knowledge presumably requires rare rigourly controlled breeding. In turn, P. 'Raspberry Splash' (patent description) is a hybrid between P. longifolia 'Bertram Anderson' (= 'E.B. Anderson') and P. 'Leopard'. Reading elsewhere, P. 'Leopard' is a hybrid, it seems of P. saccharata.
Generally speaking, it appears that much of parentage of the named lungwort cultivars is vague and unknown. Al least, as has been said, most available lungwort cultivars are derived, in large part, from P. saccharata, P. officials and P. longifolia.
You say A.M., you purchased the plant as P. longifolia. It looks like it is, but sorry I can't add anything to that.
Interestingly, like you, despite the leaves, I thought of (early blooming) P. rubra and P. rubra 'Redstart', which I also have.
All of the P. rubra cultivars I've read of are selections of the species, not hybrids with other lungwort species, such as P. longifolia. I guess though that doesn't exclude the possibility of (minor) P. rubra parentage in the hybrid lungwort.
This post was edited by SunnyBorders on Fri, Apr 4, 14 at 0:48
Mmmm yes, this is the next stage of my woodland plan - lots of little blue bulbs. I have always liked squills, especially a rather fluffy one called S.litardierei while my eldest son has an impressive collection of numerous muscari....and of course ipheon, chionodoxa et al. Along with omphalodes and the start of my tiny mertensia colonies, in my mind's eye, I see swathes of cerulean blue. Note to self - save seeds of Geranium sylvestris.
Ah trilliums. Years ago, these were some of the first things I sowed from seed. Yep, it took years. If only they had lasted as long in my garden. Somewhere along the line, the fact that they require acidic peaty soil failed to penetrate my dimwitted brain.....so my few wake robins dwindled and vanished after less than 3 years (unsurprisingly, in my sandy alkaline soil).
Guess I got carried away with my feelings. The P. paniculata 'Feelings Series' just brought out the emotional side. I saw Phlox 'Natural Feelings' & warmed up to that one, it doesn't look like a Phlox at all but some people (on another forum I won't mention) didn't warm up to it at all, so there you go. Its all in eye of the beholder. Red Feelings didn't do as much for me but suddenly I find I am overwhelmed with feelings.
SB, you didn't report your feelings about the plant & since you do like Phlox, it would be interesting to hear. Campanula seems to have gotten carried away with impulsive feelings on this one or at least monetary ones + it seems she has some composition in mind. I rather like it because its different but then, as I said upfront, I'm not a phlox person so my opinion is nearly worthless on the subject & needs to be taken with a grain of salt. I would never comment on the more typical kinds, they aren't my cup of tea so I know next to zero about them.
Interesting, Jenny.
Almost all of my gardening is also maintaining mixed perennial beds.
Had never heard of quack grass, though handling the problem sounds a bit like my past experience with ribbon grass. I would never have planted the latter myself.
I also plant and maintain perennials close together, which certainly gets to shading out seeding weeds. Runners like bindweed present another problem.
I don't use any chemicals, just digging, if necessary. I'd feel that periodically disturbing the ground (let alone plant division) may be generally beneficial to many perennials.
As they say, avoidance of problem plants, horticultural or weed (If at all possible), makes perennial garden maintenance so much easier.
I'll be on the watch for quack grass.
I bought a pair at Lowes and I LOVE them! Best purchase ever. Has changed my gardening world. lol They were the last pair, the others seemed like they wouldn't hold up as well.
Here they are:
http://www.lowes.com/pd_264011-1492-1BC-350_0__?productId=1075967&Ntt=knee+pads&pl=1ätURL=%3FNtt%3Dknee%2Bpads&facetInfo=
Others must have noticed the value, because I had gotten the last pair. I plan on buying a backup pair if they get them back in stock.
You will need a string trimmer, pruners, ax and/or shovel to whack the plant back. And they really do not look attractive edged due to how they leaf. Seriously, you should remove the plant on the right/pointed end of the bed. It appears that there is a walkway beside it. Unless that walkway is 6-7' wide, you will wish it was not planted there. And for the other plant, you may want to plan for moving the edge of the lawn back as it grows. I like bear's breeches, but it does demand some room.
Do you have sunnier areas for plants? Gazania likes a lot of heat and sun and can easily withstand difficult conditions where other plants struggle. It will probably grow okay where it is too, but if you need to plant a hot area, it is one to consider.
The yard is mostly shade. Seriously, when my friend's husband came by one day he asked me what we were going to name our forest. The house faces north and we have jacobina and clivia up against the house and the porch. The only spot that receives a ton of light is the hell strip between the sidewalk and street and I just planted tons of flowers and I don't have room for the bears breeches. I wish I knew what they were beforehand or they would have gone there. If these begin to get out of control I may just widen the planting area next to the path to accommodate them. If that doesn't work, I'll tell myself 'At least they're not as bad as the ailanthus infestation coming from next door...'