13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
I was recently reminded of variegated comfrey, Symphytum x uplandicum 'Axminster Gold' by an email from a favorite nursery. It has nice large leaves with a bold cream edge and a rough texture. I haven't grown the variegated type, though I hear it is less aggressive than the all-green plants. If I were to plant this, I think I would plant it in a bottomless container such as a clay chimney tile. Perhaps someone else who has grown it can weigh in on whether it is less spreading, and if a container will actually contain it. My memory was that the spreading was solely via rhizomes, but I am not entirely sure of that.
Nhbabs, I grow Symphytum 'Axminster Gold'. So far, it has been a very well behaved clumper with absolutely no signs of spreading rhizomes. I don't think you would need to contain it in any special way. It is a very pretty and eye-catching plant, and definitely seems to appreciate supplemental feeding with organic nutrients throughout the growing season.
The other day I built a bench patio with some extra blocks I needed to store. The marjoram on the opposite side of the walkway had sprawled a bit, and I kept crushing it with blocks and feet. The work was hard, but the scent was nice. :)
Very interesting discussion.... Scent - and the perception on 'good' or 'bad' - certainly seems to be both highly individual and often situational/nostalgic. I love the scent of lilacs and Regal lilies - but mainly outdoors; both can be overwhelming indoors, especially in smaller spaces. But sometimes that powerful scent can be useful! Sixteen years ago I had some major surgery that left me rather befuddled for the first few weeks. I easily got disoriented/lost if I left my hospital room. My MIL knew I liked Regal lilies and sent me a bouquet of flowers that included them - no more getting lost! I could tell which way to go to get to my room by just stopping and sniffing the air for the scent of those lilies! :-) And the mention of manure above triggered nostalgia - but only if the manure in question belongs to horses! The scents when entering a horse barn/stable, especially on a cold day in winter, instantly conjures up the images and sensations from two cozy/comfort situations: myself as a child with my beloved maternal grandfather in the horse barn with two large, friendly draft horses; and myself in my thirties hanging out in the small (10 horse) stable where I kept Nutmeg! (A bit off-topic from gardening but scent covers a large territory!)
I had Tubby Andrews about 10 to 12 years ago. The first couple seasons it stayed small and didn't grow much, but had some nice splashed leaves. After that it reverted mostly to green and eventually I just pitched it as the variegation was gone. I'm not much of a fan of Bergenia so didn't sweat it, but like most variegated plants I should have kept after it better and removed the green portions as soon as I saw them.
Oak trees - or any other plants - do not make soil acidic. Soil acidity is dependent on the underlying soil minerals and the amount of annual rainfall. Plants will only grow in that location because the soil conditions and climate are already to their liking. If you have questions about your soil pH, which can affect nutrient uptake, test - don't assume.
FWIW, lilacs generally never require fertilization. In fact, fertilizers can inhibit good flowering with this shrub.
raehelen - That may be the problem. There are some online lists of plants which will not tolerate the toxic affects of walnuts, but I couldn't find corydalis listed as one, but I'm sure these lists are not comprehensive.
I did find this however:
"The black walnut stump will still be creating a toxic environment for all plants that are not tolerant of the chemical (juglone) they introduce to the soil. The toxicity extends well past the year of the treeâÂÂs death and if the stump is allowed to remain, the toxin will still be released into the soil from the degrading root system."
Kevin
While it lived I was prepared to live with it -- what else could I do? -- Robinia pseudoacacia is supposed to be toxic as well to other plants, and I was rejoicing because our new Chinese neighbors took theirs down (the birds plant them in the back yards hereabouts) in a frenzy of remodeling. But the big stump is still there -- a few feet from the property line, encased in concrete. I suppose the toxic roots are also still all over my yard. I have been weeding away suckers from the darn thing for years.
I do worry that without lots of greenery we won't have so many birds. Years ago there were many many more different kinds, including indigo buntings and goldfinches. Alas. Thank God for Green-wood Cemetery, a bird elysium not too distant from here. Well, happily the locusts don't affect corydalis -- to bring things back to the thread -- nor dicentra which romps alongside its smaller cousin (I suppose they are relatives they seem to have so many affinities).
Here is a link that might be useful: Green-wood
I bet you could dump the whole bag around the rhubarb and it would only just start to feel happy. Rhubarb loves a rich soil.
I would avoid getting it on the crowns of your plants, but it's for the same reasons I wouldn't just dump dirt on the crowns. Putting it around the plants now is the perfect time, I'm sure they'll like it... And the worms too!
Well, no, never too early as long as the ground is not frozen, which it was a week ago. [g]
And it's going to rain tonightâ¦.good point. I think I'm going to have to hold off on digging and moving them. I'm holding bareroot roses, so I don't feel right to wait any more, I'm just going to pot up the roses instead to hold them until the bed is ready for them.
I would have remembered when I saw the rain, but thanks for the reminder ahead of time, mxk3. :-)
This post was edited by prairiemoon2 on Sat, Apr 5, 14 at 2:26
Green Mountain Transplants out of Vermont then Maine used to be the closest thing to a company that sold to the public the way a wholesaler sell to nurseries. They would let you order a 72 cell or a 32 cell flat filled with a mix of perennials and annuals from their list ( a min. of three of a kind) The prices were great.
But the people who ran it just weren't organized enough and It went under some time back. It was supposed to be coming back in 2012, I think. But I never heard of it getting set up again. Too bad. It was a great was to get a bunch of stuff if you didn't have the patience or greenhouse to start the tiny seeds or the money for the seed starting setup.
Anybody know of any other companies?
Try Northcreek Nurseries http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/
That's pretty.
I'm still waiting to see if mine made it through its first winter. The snow is finally almost gone, but it's still to wet to walk around out there. I can see the leafless twigs through the window, but that doesn't tell me much. To top it off, maybe 10 inches of snow tomorrow, so it will once again disappear for a while.
Kevin
Mine is a hot median between a sidewalk & the street. Its probably a bit less than 5' wide and goes the whole length of the front yard. Its filled with various heat loving plants but not planted in a crowded way. One Russian Sage is plenty.
I think a planting of all or mostly R.S. looks dull myself. I chose various color blooms & heights, the plants all have the same growing requirements.
lacyvail - I was wondering if Sunny borders was confusing Colchicums with true Autumn crocuses too. They are often (miscalled) crocuses but are not in the same genus. And they are very poisonous, as you say.
BTW, the OP's plant is O nutans, not umbellatum.
Not all Ornithogalums are poisonous. One, O pyrenaicum, is a foraged food in some areas of the UK, eaten like Asparagus. It used to be sold in markets in the spring.
This post was edited by floral_uk on Wed, Apr 2, 14 at 13:48
"Autumn crocus", general usage here, is taken to refer to Colchicum autumnale.
The genus Crocus (crocuses, hence you can say "true crocuses") belongs in the family Iridaceae (irises). A number of the Crocus species and selections are fall flowering.
The genus Colchicum belongs in the family Colchicaceae. The various common/trivial names, autumn crocus, meadow saffron, naked lady, refer to the genus Colchicum itself and to many of the species it contains.
This is an argument in favour of using correct botanical nomenclature rather than "common" names.
Laceyvail, as above, the fall blooming members of the Genus Crocus don't contain the very toxic colchicine.
It is O. nutans. I should have said the green stripe is on the back. It's the one we have and the voles don't eat it.
This post was edited by SunnyBorders on Thu, Apr 3, 14 at 9:37
I finally dug some of the cocos up, and I really should have left the coco alone lol. They had roots coming out the sides and everything, but I decided to take the coco off.
I forgot I planted obedient plants with the coco, and I'm glad I took off the coco for these. There weren't any kind of roots, but I was glad to see some green on them. I had a bad feeling when I planted them because the plants were so tiny and weren't the best. I kind of got them at the end of the season, so I took a chance with them. Hopefully they will survive.
In your settings you can choose private browsing and also state to not be tracked. I use a Mac but I assume PCs have similar options. You can refuse cookies too, though most sites will not work without sending cookies. I also have my browser set to wipe its history after each session. Too many choices of things to set up.
Is there a "do not track" option for Internet Explorer like I see above for Firefox? I'd rather not delete my browsing history after each time, becasue it does save me time usually.