13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

Let them go dormant. These plants are spider mite magnets if grown indoors over winter.

Kevin

There are different types of "elephant ears," and the best way to overwinter depends on the type in addition to your zone.

The link below has lots of good information on overwintering.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plant Delights guide to overwintering elephant ears

Thanks for the information from both of you. I so appreciate your help. Yes the pots do sound like too much trouble. Actually I just wanted to clean up beds since they are in front of house. I will let them be. Can I cut the plants to the ground now and then be done with them?

I grew many rudbeckia cultivars from seed via winter sowing and they've reliably come back season after season, even those I left in gallon pots on my breezeway. I can't vouch for nursery-grown plants but I've not had any issues with winter sown plants.

Echinacea/coneflower cultivars haven't been as reliable either in pots or in the ground where I am. The only plants that have returned after several seasons are the species purpurea and the cultivar 'White Swan.' Even winter sown seed-grown cultivars haven't returned after their first season.

I guess the answer to your question is that some will survive the winter in pots while others may not. Normally I'm grateful for those that survive and don't let myself be concerned over those that don't.

I have an east/west facing breezeway and have noticed that gallon pots of perennials placed at ground level up against the house foundation have reliably survived even a cold, snowy winter season.

Interesting thread/comments.

I'll be sectioning some aster and helenium stems from now on.

I've certainly seen galls on wild goldenrod stems, but, here at least, I've never seen galls on garden aster or helenium stems.

I have no galls either on any of the affected plants. The heleniums were the most affected packed all the way to the crown but not every stem. The aster Blue Autumn only had a few stems affected.

Our gardens are part of our business because we grow and sell plants for a living and like to display them in garden beds. We have about 30 different gardens scattered around the edges of a 36-acre property. I could never maintain them or enjoy them as much as I do without my partner's effort.
Generally, he is responsible for maintenance, especially in the sunny, high-profile gardens. I design and maintain the shade gardens.
At the end of the day, when work is over, we stroll through discussing plans or ideas for more gardens.
Without the gardens, the business would be just that. With the gardens, it remains a labour of love.

No, but DH will move heavy bags or bails of compressed soil etc. for me. He also waters plants when I am away if I leave very specific instructions. He is happy to let me do my thing and loves to invite others over to see the gardens. Most of those people are not gardeners and while they are polite making all the right comments I have come to appreciate the odd gardener who really understands gardening and wants to talk plants and design, etc.

Just beautiful! Can`t grow them here in my KY. garden. Tried and failed several times. They are so beautiful. Lesley

Really lovely, Kato. Your delphinium, whatever type it is, really looks happy there. These are one of my favorite flowers but I've never been too successful with them--- more like annuals for me. Expensive annuals. :(

um, Moonflower, aka calynyction aculeatum, aka ipomea alba is the vine whereas your picture shows a datura, aka brugmansia (inoxia?) - botanists, hey! - aka jimson weed and a host of other common names.

Even the Latin nomenclature lets us down sometimes

Don't even bother trying to start the moonflower seeds unless you can keep them toasty and warm. They really won't germinate unless the soil temperatures are kept higher such as with a heat mat. Also as others have said, try sanding, filing or nicking the seed coat.

Some foxglove hybrids like the Camelot series bloom the first year from seed. But they do not reseed. Foxgloves take a couple of years of planting to get going. But after that with reseeding, the biennial nature evens out .

Some foxglove hybrids like the Camelot series bloom the first year from seed. But they do not reseed. Foxgloves take a couple of years of planting to get going. But after that with reseeding, the biennial nature evens out .

Very peaceful 'vibe' from your new artwork, Woody. :-) I like it. And it is funny that the name is exactly what your back garden theme is. Great living room window!

I do tend to purchase artwork that has a garden theme. I have one of a line of geraniums and another with a line of herbs in pots. I had one that was an abstract of an apple orchard and I have a winter scene with a large Christmas tree in the center. I also have bought ceramic birds and I use photos of the garden or landscapes on the desktop of my computer, so I am looking at those every day too.

I love your painting, Woody. Seems like it was made for that room! Now that I look around at the pictures I have on my walls, mostly framed prints, they do appear to be floral, regardless of style! I never noticed that before. About 4 years ago I collected a large number of leaves from my Ginkgo tree with the intention of placing them all into a frame. I think the project got halted when I became indecisive about the matt color. I better get on that. They're stuck in a big phone book that my husband keeps threatening to throw out.

Catmint is too tall to be what I consider a groundcover. I'm not familiar with the other plant you mentioned. There are oodles of various groundcovers - do a board search and you should find some threads with suggestions.

Hello marymax,
I think it depends: what kind of soil, temperatures in your area. I came across that funny little plant when I wrote my thesis on an old garden near Berlin, botanizing/ making an inventory of all plants, on sandy soil, with dry summer and rather cold winters with little snow.

The Duchesnea grew near shrubs or in an neglected, former lawn/meadow situation.

Under those conditions, I clocked the plant rather as being resilient than competitive. So it kept going when the rest started starving or wilting.

It spreads by stolons, so that it a plus for the groundcover angle.

IMO you can hardly compare it with Catmint (Nepeta?) as the latter is showier, more competitive and much taller.

For semi-shade, and round/ near shrubs on somewhat poor soil they could work. On rich soil with good water supply I would go for something else, like Geranium or Waldsteinia.

Well, enjoy that funny faux-strawberry,
bye, Lin

I don't see the harm in moving them now - you just moved them this season, so they're not settled in yet, you won't be doing much, if any, in the way of additional root damage if you dig them now. Fall is a great time to move plants, and it's only mid-September, plenty of time to let them grow roots in the nice warm soil. Hibiscus are fairly tough plants. I still have to replant mine, which have been in garbage bags out of the ground about a month due to the patio re-build. I expect them to be fine next season. :0)

If you start some from seed where you want them to be, very often they will bloom the first year.

Thanks for giving me the courage I needed! I moved them all (without cutting the tops which are pretty green) and they haven't skipped a beat! I watered them in and then we had a soaking rain. They haven't wilted at all and I think the tops will continue to feed the roots.

I missed some, I'm sure but will look for them in the spring.

My tops are green and the transplant did not shock anything. They still would live through it regardless.

Nice capture! Those speedsters are not the easiest to keep in a viewfinder. Unfortunately, I don't get to see them very often.

The one in your picture is called White Lined Sphinx moth, another common one is the Clearwing Spinx moth, both commonly called hummingbird moths.

Here's a picture of the cat of the WLS moth, feeding on gaura lindheimeri:

And a picture of a CW feeding on phlox Delta Snow. They love phlox and verbena:

Karen

While species Agastache have been reliable performers/reseeders in my zone, I've not found that any of the cultivars have returned after a season or two. I've grown any number of them from seed via winter sowing without seeing any success in their second year. Even the volunteer Verbena bonariensis that showed up in my garden a couple of years ago has disappeared.

Normally seed-grown winter sown perennials are hardier than nursery-grown plants but I haven't found Agastache particularly hardy compared to other perennials that are more zone-appropriate.

Wish I could be of more help. I love RS and have paired it with Gaura lindheimeri in my cottage garden bed but thanks to wet conditions it hasn't prospered. In my garden the RS either gets full sun + too much water or appropriate moisture + too little sun.

The zone thing may still be a problem but check out Tricyrtis hirta/toad lily. Mine are blooming now in both full shade and part sun--might work for you. Missouri Botanical Garden website rates it hardy to Z4. The flowers are speckled purple & white. Oh, and the bees love them.

I've seen many posts on this forum on how difficult it is to keep agastache going in cooler wetter climates. I have Black Adder and Blue Blazes and love them, but I live in the Southwest where agastaches are everywhere.

How about salvia? There are many beautiful deep purple/blues that would make a striking contrast with the heleniums and rudbeckia. I've grown East Friesland, Marcus, May Night. All are hardy to Z5.

Or lavender - Hidcote or Munstead are both striking deep blues. I grew Hidcote in Z5 and it came back reliably every year.

If a shrub would be acceptable, caryopteris Dark Knight is a vibrant deep blue.

None of these has as long a flowering season as RS, but all have deep color.

Cheryl