13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
Hi there,
I think the foliage looks wrong for a garden variety sunflower, aka Helianthus annuus). Goin by the small lanceolate foliage I would guess it is some perennial Helianthus (no clue, are there native annual sunflowers over there?...). That it grows at the water's edge is somewhat unusual. Is it a creek or rather pond? Sometimes Jerusalem Artichokes get washed downstream, or rather bits of their rhizomes.
Well, curious, let's see what pops up,
Bye, Lin
Gee, daniel26july, get them out somehow would be my advice! I'm attaching a link to the Ornamental Grass Forum where some folks suggested solutions to removing huge grasses.
Getting rid of such large grasses is backbreaking work so if you can afford it, maybe you could hire someone to dig up the plants PLUS all of their roots. I don't know if the other suggestions (round up/advertising free dig-your-own grasses) would work for you.
We have a Miscanthus sinensis 'Caberet' that is magnificent but getting too big. Every year my DH spends a day hacking part of it out. His comment last year was --- "I'm getting too old for this!" --- and he's in his early 60s.
Good luck!
Molie
Here is a link that might be useful: Removing Ornamental Grass
Some types of panicum are prone to flopping. You didn't mention what type you have? 'Dallas Blues' and 'Cloud Nine' are two I know of. I have read about this a lot online as well.
If you want a very nice upright type, I suggest Panicum 'Northwind'. It looks like its been spray starched and it is the most well behaved. The growth is very stiff and vertical. I hate cutting it down each spring because it still looks so ornamental. This is one of the prettiest grasses I grow and I wouldn't be without it.
Too much water and/or soil that is too rich will definitely cause flopping. Staking would look awful in my opinion, it would be better to find a replacement that works for the spot.
I have dug out many clumps. Its hard work but if a 'girl' can do it........ Shrubs are much much worse to dig out. Most clumping grasses will start to die out in the center. If left long enough they will form a donut. If a clump is doing this, it is definitely time to dig it out and divide it. Or, you can take a saws-all to the center during your spring cutting back, cut it out dirt and all, like an apple core and replace the soil with some good soil. The grass with then be able to fill in.
This post was edited by GreatPlains1 on Fri, Sep 13, 13 at 15:19
What kind of fertilizer did you use? Azaleas have a dense network of surface feeder roots and many of the dry products could burn those. If your product came with instructions to scratch into the soil, that can further damage that fine network of roots.
If growing them in a soil of their preferred ph, they often need no fertilizer at all, they are not heavy 'feeders'. The most successful fertilizer if you are in need of one (fertilizing in response to symptoms they have shown) is slow release organic Hollytone, and even then applied about half the strength of the package directions.
I have acidic soil and never have seen reason to fertilize mine. They are top dressed with compost each year and that seems to be enough.
The only resolution I know of worth trying is flooding the bed with copious amounts of water, with the goal being trying to move the fertilizer down farther into the soil below the roots...but early after the application.
An update on 'Mercury Rising'. The sprawl turned into dense plants. At present, I didn't deadhead over the last few weeks but there are buds aplenty. Prior to that with some deadheading, it bloomed continuously for two months. Overall, an excellent plant, as advertised. Even if there were overwintering issues, I would buy it again.
Thanks for that Zinnia study, kato. I've had a lot of bees this year too. Not as many wasps, thankfully, so maybe I had fewer caterpillars. I think I saw one lonely Monarch all season.
Terrene, it's a wonder I grow anything, I have two mature Silver Maples in two neighbor's yards, within 5ft of my lot line and a third neighbor who backs up to the back of my lot, that has three more and a fourth neighbor to my north with a line of 6 Spruce, a London Plane Tree and a Pine all within 5ft of my lot line. And my lot is only a 1/4 acre, so you can imagine how dense that is. And two regular Maples in my own yard and a third regular Maple again within 5ft of my lot line in the front neighbor's yard. (g) I do appreciate trees (although Silver Maples not so much) and it does give us a lot of privacy, but by Fall, there's always something looking pretty fried despite moving the sprinkler around. I love a good soaking rain!
Thanks for the photo of your zinnias and Monarchs, yes, I see the central cone you are talking about. For a minute I thought the pink flowers were Echinacea.
Sedum "Autumn Fire" appears to be as attractive to bees as S. "Autumn Joy" (which is good, since "Autumn Fire" is much more ornamental). What with a large clump of African blue basil and Salvias planted nearby (the heavily blooming basil is irresistible), the garden is humming with bees and other pollinators.
Thank you for the welcoming to this forum. It's such a pleasure to meet and chat. While I was thinking the mystery plant was a columbine, I was soon to learn from members that it is thalictrum splendid or possibly one of the other varieties. Yes, the photos submitted do attest to why I was so awe struck from the get go. And, thank you Roxanna for the retailer info. I've already checked them out and will be contacting them in spring. I live in NE Mn.zone 4. We've not had frost yet which is not typical but is in the forecast. I want these plants for next spring at our summer cabin. Now I'm thinking spring....daahhh.
Sounds like a powdery mildew fungus.
Spores from the fungi can overwinter in plant debris on/in the soil and as you say inoculate next years phlox with the fungal spores. Hence more powdery mildew.
We love phlox and have many in a relatively confined space.
I take it that it's absolutely necessary to cut garden phlox down to ground level and remove all plant debris, in fall, to limit the inoculation (at least here).
Re blooming and other phlox health/hygiene variables: I'd say garden phlox do best with regular division, thinning out, soil upgarding, enough sun and watering when necessary.
Of course, the cultivar and local conditions are important considerations.
Below powdery mildew starting(?) on an older No Name phlox on Sept 6, 2013. I would have cut it down by then, but we were having guests and we didn't want to cut any colour out of the garden.
I grow Phlox paniculata/tall garden phlox for the pollinators who don't seem to care if the leaves aren't attractive so I've pretty much left my dozen or so plants alone the past several years. They come up & bloom every season...I don't ask much more of my perennials than that to be honest. Did some of them get powdery mildew? Sure. Did I treat it? Nope. Are my plants blooming their heads off this year? Yes. Granted we've had an excess of rain this season but they've all bloomed/are blooming prolifically.
Your plants may just need a season or two to settle into your garden beds before blooming. Gardening isn't a season; it's a journey. Enjoy the scenery.
I was dividing some dwarf iris earlier this year. I kept about 25%, and was going to toss the rest. A 'friend' said that she would take a lot. I could not give her the junk, but she got about 80% of what I was going to toss. I used to have that gardener's guilt about never, ever tossing anything, but I have learned that there is only so much space in the yard.
That is a difficult thing to learn with most gardeners. Keep the goods and toss the not-so-goods!
Jim
My rock garden was a mess, and I took out the valued plants into pots, killed everything. Bought and arranged as big a sized rocks I could carry and tried to make the rocks look natural. I planted my valued plants back and added others. Never sorry. Still never fail to see faults or things to tweak but it was the best approach. Before, during and after photos are a source of satisfaction, also.
Has always bothered me that people would let sad looking plants hang on and on, when they should be trashed.
That's a sweet little flower, CMK. You started them from seed, I think I see bulbs on sale in the catalogs too, I'll have to check them out. I love to keep trying different plants under that tree to see if I can find something new that can tolerate it. Thanks!
Too little rain this summer. Spring moisture was good, but the past 6 weeks have produced less than .25" of that needed moisture. I really hate watering from the hose, I much prefer stuff from the rain barrels, but I ran out of that a long time ago.
Lots of big cracks in the yard and spots in the flower garden. Many flowers are ending too early. High in the upper 90s today in central Illinois, not much relief for several days with the temps. Rain? That's a bad four-letter word to our weather people!
Jim
Perhaps a mounding perennial Geranium.
Are the leaves fleshy or not in texture? And as Lin said, a closeup from the side showing branching would help. In the community center someone may be able to tell you something about the flowers such as color or season.
The angle and the light make it really hard to see but it doesn't seem to have Geranium leaves as far as I can tell. Nor do we have any idea of the scale. How about a Euphorbia? E polychroma or E cyparissias depending on the true size of the foliage.
CathyChex - welcome newbie gardener! Clematis is divided into three distinct pruning groups--Type 1, Type 2 & Type 3--and each group has distinct (read different) growing habits & pruning requirements.
Sweet Autumn Clematis/Clematis ternifloria is vastly more prolific than other types in the clematis family and may be invasive in ideal growing conditions. I've always hesitated to grow it where I am for that reason--why invite trouble? I've always observed that planting is a one-shot task while yanking the results of that planting over the next decade or more is way more labor-intensive. Since I don't have a chain link fence, I've never been tempted to plant SAC.
As rouge21 posted above, C. ternifolia is a Type 3 clematis.
Thanks so much for the information!
My dad has a chain link fence and would love something like this, so I'll definitely suggest it to him.
I wish that I could remember the name of the clematis that I have. Looked at some pictures online and can't quite come up with the right one. I'm in zone 5 and it bloomed in late spring. LIght purple petals with a yellow center and darker purple stamen.
I can find only disco belle pink on Amazon as a starter plant. I don't start small plants in the fall any more.
How easy are they from seed? I prefer immediate gratification, but I may be forced to try seed.
If you have other ideas, sources I'd welcome them.
Thanks,
Marie
They are dead easy from seed! They bloom the first year from seed so you could grow them in a pot the first year to check out the color to make sure it's what you want, and then plant it/them in late summer. My pale pink Disco Belles come true from seed more often than not but they have produced that one with the large, deep pink flowers and some pale pink ones that don't have the darker pink eye. It takes the usual three years (sleep, creep, leap) for them to bulk up to large clumps but that is to be expected from any perennial.... If you are interested in seeds from mine, e-mail me through the 'My page' e-mail - soon - so I can let a few seed capsules ripen for you.
Hi Ken,
These plants don't put out new growth. These are five (or so) separate plants. Sister and I have had a very longstanding giving and sharing from our gardens and life in general. If I asked, she'd be more than happy to share. I want at least six of these plants for a new garden site at our summer cabin for next year. Can you imagine the dramatic impact? I called a nursery somewhat locally and they have them all on 50% off end-of-season sale. I'll be on the road Sat. The nursery has put them away for me. I've done a lot of business with them over the years, great results. My sister is always there for me and, likewise, I'm there for her. We're ya yas. :-)
Aseedisapromise,
You probably took that picture with your phone or I-Pad or something and had the device turned in some direction other than the "traditional" way the device thinks pictures should be taken. The device then orients the picture the way it thinks it should be and that gets translated here. So, the only way to guarantee that your pictures show up with the correct orientation is to find out how your device is designed to be held while taking a picture, and always hold it that way. Some devices can correct for that shift in orientation. Your picture looks fine to me. It's just one of those technology things.
Martha
For tallest I second the rudbeckia and miscanthus. Widest for me would be an enormous bleeding heart in spring.