13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
I'll ditto Dee's welcome even though I don't grow what are annuals here in my colder (than your's) zone. Here Gerbera daisies are (I believe) also called African daisies which means they're not perennials here in the colder climate zones. They're colorful and attractive--I'd love to have them year-round but when the snow falls, they disappear beneath it, never to return the following season.
I would agree with echinaceamaniac that it needs more light but it may also be growing where it gets too much moisture. Where I am there's generally sufficient rainfall each season that supplemental watering isn't necessary.
LOL on the bloody marys, Marie. I have memories from when I was teaching that one of my 6th graders, the oldest of 5 kids, came to school on the first day and announced that his mom was home partying to celebrate the first day of school.
I'm with GGal - just plant the new one along with the smaller one and divide in a few years. You get instant fullness.
I would actually plant it elsewhere in the garden. Who says each plant has to be only in one place? Why not enjoy it in a few spots?
Ah, Ken, just wait. My kids are in college now and I miss those summer days when they were little and at home . It just goes by too fast....
Dee
I don't grow the 'Purpurascens' form of Osmunda regalis, but royal fern is native here and we have quite a bit of it growing wild. It likes wetter than average conditions and at least part shade unless it is growing in standing water IME. It is fairly airy compared to something like an ostrich fern and taller than many ferns once it is mature as long as it gets enough moisture. (It isn't worth growing if it doesn't get enough moisture, so if you don't have a way to keep it damp to wet, I'd choose another plant.)
I'd put 'Purpurascens' where I could enjoy the color in spring since it turns green later in the season. I find royal fern ornamental, but not in a formal way, so I would probably plant them in a less formal area with other plants that like similarly damp conditions. I have a preference for mixed beds, so I can see it with shrubs such as Clethra, Itea, Rhododendron viscosum/Swamp azalea, along with perennials such as Iris versicolor/blue flag or Siberian, cardinal flower/Lobelia cardinalis, marsh marigold/Caltha palustris, or marsh lady's tresses/Spiranthes odorata.
karin - Yes, ungainly is a good description. When I planted this one, it was kind of a test, so it got stuck near the back of the border. The Rudbeckia just happened to be there. Also, the Hollyhock bloomed way longer than expected and the Rudbeckia bloomed way early. They were never meant to be companions.
It's been a long time since I've grown Sidalcea. but maybe I need to try that one again.
woodyoak - I agree. I really don't like the doubles either. (So why did I order this one??)
I'll check out the 'Queenie Purple" and nutmeg - the Hollyhocks in that photo are exactly what I was looking for. Very similar to the big ones in growth habit, just smaller.
Thanks for the comments.
Kevin
Yes, you can rotate photos in Photobucket. It's slow, like the rest of Photobucket, but it does work. While it is possible that photos that look right on your computer might show up sideways here, if it looks right on Photobucket, it will look right here.
If you have an iPhone, rotate the image on your phone. Crop it slightly. It will always show up on here correctly if you do this. I can't speak for the other phones, but the iPhone will work with no trouble at all. Your phone should let you rotate the images after you take them. There is absolutely nothing wrong with using your phone to take photos. Some of them have really great cameras in them and they are so convenient without having to haul a second device around all the time.
Good on you florauk. According to my perennial books, Rudbeckia maxima is the botanical name altho' they're not an Echinacea as are coneflowers that are traditionally referred to by that name. Rudbeckias are normally lumped into the 'brown-eyed susan' family rather than coneflowers altho' the flower form is similar.
If they're anything like the ordinary Rudbeckias growing where I am, they thrive in full sun, heat, & dry soil that isn't necessarily rich in nutrients.
I checked Hazzard's Seeds' website and they do offer them. You might also check Swallowtail Garden Seeds. I offer those seed-source suggestions merely because I've had good experiences with both.
If you grow them from seed via winter sowing, it's generally a good idea to sow the seeds in spring since (according to my notes) the seeds don't need a cold period in order to germinate. If you don't want to go that route, you might check your local nurseries when Spring rolls around altho' I can honestly say I've never seen them for sale where I am, I'm guessing because my growing season is much shorter than where you are. I have no experience with open sowing them in the ground.
Best of luck to you!
All I did was Google Giant Coneflower and up it came.
However, Echinacea is generally called 'Echinacea' (!) here and Rudbeckias are occasionally called cone flowers, so I was thinking along those lines anyway. The seed is available from the place I linked to also.
Hi SnailLover, PT equipment in the closet, sounds like the rest of us. ;-) We all do the same thing. You start out keeping up with it and then something knocks you off track. And even if you remember what they told you to do 6 years ago, if you have insurance coverage, and you have a history of this problem, I'm sure your Doc would give you a prescription to go again. Sometimes we need that PT person to keep us on track and make sure we are dong the movements correctly and at the right pace. And you can ask questions every week about how to cope with situations at home that are difficult. My PT person has come up with a lot of good ideas.
I also remember seeing a doctor on a PBS special say he had patients that have reversed arthritis. If you haven't seen his TV specials, he's pretty inspiring. He has books at the library too.
You are right, having some control and something we can do for ourselves is very motivating and encouraging. I hope you can find a way to improve your situation and feel a LOT better!! I will come back and check in and let you know how things are working out with me. Thanks, and good luck!
Here is a link that might be useful: Dr Fuhrman on Arthritis
Marie, you have GREAT bones! That garden bed has a great start and I can imagine how nice it will look when you're done. I always thought it looked good to begin with, but I know what you mean when youre ready for a change. Do you think you'll mass perennials in groups? I would take the bed in sections kind of in-between the bones. If you have 6x6 area between 2 shrubs, then what do you want in that space to complement them? A couple smaller shrubs? A handful of perennials. The same? All different? Do you want some extra room for annuals for a riot of summer color? Those are some of the questions I pose to myself when I'm looking at an area. I always try to break down larger beds into smaller workable (for my brain) areas. i have a hard time figuring out a really large area all at once. I do usually jot down a few notes with thoughts about plant material for a particular section and then what might complement the next area of the bed and so on and so on.
And, the other question is, how much maintenance do you want going forward in that whole area.
I'll bring my felcos down in the spring and we can have a pruning party! I prune shrubs any time the mood strikes even if its the "wrong" time to prune, so if you want to do it this fall, count me in!! Just remember those mint brownies! LOL!
mad-g: I don't think they are planted too close together. some of them have been in 18 years.Everything except the smaargs have been pruned periodically, but I think the size crept upward and my sense of perspective and size just got used to 'large' and mislaid 'proportional.'And the mature size of a couple of things is bigger than I expected. I expected the chamy obtusa nana to be small-nana (like 7 feet tall and 4 feet wide) but is large-nana, more like 10 x 6. But it is beautiful and while I might be more assertive about pruning it, I would not discard it.
Each year for the last several I've gotten more aggressive about cutting back the smoke bush, advancing from a timid few inches to two feet last year. I'm working my way up to "chop" and "lop" for next spring to arrive at "coppice". I know if I have a drink I'll get up the nerve to just wack it back to a few feet.
As Ken would say, what's the worst that can happen? It could die and I'd have space for something else that would be easier in a mixed border.
Thanks, Susan.
I took pictures on my crummy cell phone today. I'll see what I can do to transfer them to photo bucket and up load them here.Then the fun will really begin!
Woody!! For some reason I thought you were all the way out in PNW? Toronto? Heck, that's a hop, skip and a jump!
Marie, that could be another stop for our trip. Maybe we should skip going south to Mobot and head north to Woody's instead. Hmmmmm.....now the wheels (on the flowered bus) are really turning!
Karin, don't think I won't be on your doorstep someday too!!
How about we start a new thread about "Your fantasy garden tour", and people can not only talk about tour content, but your fantasy garden outfits, must bring items, tips for sneaking cuttings out of the tour garden, how to compliment and insult the hosts, and how to pack plant pots purchased efficiently for the ride home....oh yes, just who would you hate to have as a seat mate!
don't answer here....that would be adding a hijack to my hijack.
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I've had my Pink Poodle for a couple years now and I love it, but I noticed it is now starting to look similar to the above photo. No yellow leaves at all, and flowered beautifully this year, didn't notice deformed flowers out of the ordinary (it never blooms perfectly double, it's always a bit off). Never had problems w/rotting in years previous, so I doubt that's it. I guess I should dig it up to see if anything is making a meal out of the roots or crown. Sigh...
I have two false indigo plants growing in my butterfly bed, with lots of other full-sun perennials growing around them, including Shasta daisies, Echinacea, Nepeta/catmint, Rudbeckia, Caryopteris/blue mist shrub, rose of Sharon, peony, & butterfly bush.
My artemesia has gradually diminished over the past half dozen years so I no longer count on it returning every year while cushion spurge (Polychroma spurge euphorbia) has been with me for more than 25 years.
A low-growing option that requires zero care is Stachys 'Helen von Stein.' It's a sterile (without the ugly flower stems) lamb's ear cultivar that just looks great 11 months out of the year.
I thought I had a better photo of an earlier season, but I didn't have time to look longer. If I would just label my photos consistently so they would all come up in a search, I'd make my life easier. But this is Baptisia australis with Nepeta 'Walker's Low', two varieties of Cranesbill and Ninebark 'Summer Wine' which I think is the same as Babs. It only gets less than 5 hrs of sun in the afternoon here and it needs support because it flops, I assume with not enough sun. Not sure I'm loving all that purple color.