13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

"Cosmic Eye" has been hardy for me in two different locations on our property. The flowers are quite striking and there is minimal flop when planted in full sun.

I'm into raptures re 'Mercury Rising' but I've never had any joy with Coreopsis returning in multiple years. Anyone have any tips or pointers as to success stories, especially in colder climates?

Why not use copper tape on things in pots/containers. You can see videos on youtube. If the tape is not that wide then you should double up as the bigger ones can be determined.

Some people go as far using a battery to create a mini electric fence on containers to try them.

No you aren't alone! Slugs and snails take over the yards here especially in spring( here being Portland, OR). I stopped bothering with the "natural" solutions bc it was like trying to take out an army with a slingshot. I use sluggo (iron sulfate) it's the only thing that works that I can stay on top of. Luckily we had a super dry spring and summer so for the first time in years the slugs didnt eat all of my pole bean seedlings :) but even with that, my hostas have a few small holes as I haven't been on top of it. I only have a light green thumb though!

Can't say it's a sure thing but as far as I know the botanical name for hardy hibiscus is Hibiscus moscheutos. I grew them from seed via winter sowing and am just now seeing them bloom spectacularly after 3 years of waiting and not really expecting them to perform. They're covered with buds and I have hopes they put on quite a show.

RyseRyse_2004 - I'm terribly sad & sorry to hear you're having such a difficult time with the JBs. Sadly, I'm guessing this might be the only year I can enjoy my own blooms before the JBs infest & destroy my own plants.

My hibiscus is amazing right now. A very strong minded and somewhat bossy older friend of mine called me one Saturday morning years ago and said "Chris, come over right away! and
drive your station wagon! When I got there she had about half of a huge clump of flowers, right side of clump dusty rose,left side pale pink dug out of the ground. I thought it was a bush. We wrestled it into the back end of my wagon and I had to drive home with the hatchback up. I had no idea where I would plant it

It took me years to realize it hadn't died over the winter when it waited until Memorial Day to show itself! After several years I realized it wasn't a shrub but individual plants growing together.

For several years I rose at dawn with my Dawn dishwash filled quart yogurt container to plunk the JBs in plop plop.
Now climate change or something means we have lots fewer of them to deal with. I've had a dozen or so seedlings over time. They get toddled over to the May garden club sale or saved for the fall sale. This year so far there have only been pale pink flowers. They're located in the corner of a fairly narrow L shaped sunny bed which surrounds our parking spaces.

My friend is no longer with us in body but every mid-summer I share a bit of her generous, managerial spirit and I can almost hear her say, "I know this plant is what your garden needs."

the mallow... i bought one here in adrian mi ... 10 years ago... let it go to seed once.. and have been fighting dormant seeds for the next decade ....

i would be very leery of spreading it around too much ... your choice of course ..;

in MI .. many pansy type plants are sold with mums in fall .. and they winter over with some regularity ... depending on the severity of the MI winter ... but many of them are biennial at best .....

if it were me.. i would just move that pot.. where you might want the pansy/viola.. and let it self sow.. right now ...

the plant is sowing now.. so why do we think OH >>> I WILL SAVE THEM UNTIL SPRING... think about that ...

the trick is recognizing them when the sprout.. and that is the beauty of that pot.. it will be sitting there.. surrounded by seedlings.. and you will say.. hey ... i remember now.. lol ...

finally.. personally.. i would not leave that pot outdoors.. in MI ... for fear that winter would crack it.. if it was left before.. you may have gotten lucky ... i would empty it.. and insure that it was bone dry .. and then store it in the polebarn ....

ken

Okay, will transplant it in the ground. Thanks everyone!

That's hysterical. I have had that set aside waiting to be returned to the vendor because it was not the color i was seeking, but now, as we speak, it is going into the 'find a holding over/growing on place to plant this' queue. (See, you never know how or who might benefit from a post you make!) thx, ech.

NHbabs recently posted a pix lovely healthy clem growing through a hydrangea. She stated she plants clems at a distance based on the size the shrub will be in ten years.
I would really have to discipline myself to do that.

LOL. I'm wanting more shade. I have Heuchera addiction.

So, if I sow them in August in Chicago, would it have enough time to develop roots for next season?

Official First day of fall is September 22nd.

How many days does it need after germination to develop roots for next year bloom?

Thanks everyone for the input. I've grown quite a few foxgloves, but have never planted them this late. I have a ton of them, so if even half make it, I'd be thrilled. I'll probably forgo the fertilizer, unless I try in on a few for experimenting's sake.

Campanula, I grew Polkadot Princess in 2011, so they bloomed in 2012 and again this year. Their first blooms of 2012 were decent...the spires weren't as tall as excelsior, but they still looked nice. The later blooms were much shorter, and didn't do much for me where they were planted.

This year, even their first blooms were much shorter. For where I want to grow digitalis, they don't work, and most have already been yanked. I'll start excelsior seeds this winter, but am thrilled to have a bunch of these Camelots and Apricots to (hopefully) look forward to next spring.

unless I try in on a few for experimenting's sake.

==>>> DO IT!!! ...

make a real experiment over it..

give a couple a teaspoon full ..

a few other a tablespoon ..

and a few other a handful ...

and if you have any time release.. dose a few others with that ...

THIS IS HOW I LEARNED ... back before www ...

you said you have so many ... why not.. just mark them somehow ... so you can report back...

but i would bet a nickle.. they will all live.. since you have many for cheap ...

had you paid $100 for one... one speck of fert would kill it.. if it didnt commit suicide on the way home.. lol ...

ken

#2 is not a ground cherry. I am positive it's a noxious weed, I just don't know the name of it.

Did you post here at the plant id forum? How about the other site whose name cannot be mentioned?

2 is a Ground Cherry imo. Physalis subglabrata.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ground Cherry

Mine was grass and iris but the grass got too big by the time fall rolled around.

This year I took out the grass, thinned the iris and popped in a few canna. The fennel and agastache love the space and spread out into the hole left by the grass.

Still needs work though. The fennel is covered with pollinators and I trimmed it back away from the mailbox so the mailman has a nice safe zone.