13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

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This post was edited by GreatPlains1 on Wed, Sep 4, 13 at 4:13

Kato, take out the pink and purple petunias (?) in your container, and that Canna with the coral new guinea impatiens makes a nice combo!

I like your idea of just digging up some of the suckers, which likely you can plant elsewhere. Overall, is this plant just simply too big for its spot? If so, dividing it will only be a short term solution. So for now I think you can just deal with the suckers but in time the plant might need to move somewhere or have some neighboring plants moved. Plants always do best when they have enough room to reach their mature size.

Yours looks wonderful! But the grass-like plant on the right side could perhaps get relocated so that both plants have more room.

That's certainly a nice-looking specimen you have there! I like the silver and blue colors of Russian Sage and its bloom time but they have become a problem here - the big ones seed around and the dwarf one spreads underground. I have been removing most of them but still have a couple for the late-season color. I think they would be best as background plants in a large, dry space with other tough companions. They can be just a bit too assertive with smaller, better-behaved companions :-)

Don't remember seeing climbing milkweed in South Dakota when growing up on the farm. We would pick the pods and rub the silky strands between our fingers and blow the seeds into the air. Mostly they grew in ditches, soil banks, tree claims and along the dirt roads between fields. We cultivated between rows of corn which reduced the mw in the fields. Now they spray for weeds.

I planted some common milkweed in my garden many years ago as was concerned when stands of mw and thistle became scarce as land around us was developed. Rarely see any in the area now. There have been monarch caterpillars munching on the leaves. It may not make a big difference in the long run but it does help keep butterflies coming to my gardens.

Common milk weed in the garden isn't for everyone as it needs to be controlled. Left on it's own it will spread by the roots and self seed. I keep the flowers deadheaded to prevent seed blowing into my neighbors' gardens and yards.

I also grow fennel for swallowtail caterpillars and other plants as well as assorted nectar plants for a variety of insects.

There may be fewer butterflies today due to weather last year. This doesn't mean we need less milk weed next year as when the butterflies numbers increase they will need more milk weed than that which can support those we have today. Plan for the future.

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This post was edited by GreatPlains1 on Wed, Sep 4, 13 at 4:50

rouge21, I think that is a great idea to place the Heuchera in a bed of small foliage like that. It looks really nice. Is that vinca?

Thanks 'prairie'. It was just a fluke that this heucherella got planted amongst the "vinca". And I think it looks much better "popped" in amongst the surrounding ground cover than for example this one; kind of on its own, found in another bed of ours.

I don't mind the idea of cutting off the mite infested blooms IF I could be sure it was mites. What concerns me is the similarity between mites and early aster yellows. I'm also concerned that by cutting off all the funky looking buds, I won't recognize the signs of aster yellows until much later.
I had written off the odd looking cones on my White Swans as mite damage until one of them began producing the witches broom from one of the cones.

As to what to use in place of coneflowers, that is the million dollar question for me.

TotallyConfused

Whatever people decide to do with their echs with mites, just be sure you don't spray something like Sevin on them, as my understanding is that it is an insecticide, but not a miticide. Actually something in it is a growth hormone for mites. I would think the cutting and destroying of the affected flowers would be a good treatment.

Aster yellows was easy for me to identify since half the plant was stunted.

-Doug, sure thing. I really wish I would pay more attention to exact bloom times, but always forget/am too busy! I did a quick search of past garden pics from '12 and it looks like it didn't start blooming until late June. Mine bloomed for about 2-3 weeks or so.

It really does add a lovely frothy texture. Somehow the little petals remind me of 'Diamond Frost' Euphorbia...

Mine is planted on the east side, where it gets some sun until noon or so, depending on time of the year. It gets a bit more shade than that now I think- since the neighbor's shrubs shade a good deal.

I think it would likely even do better in a bit more sun, as my plant tends to lean toward the sun and needs staking. The thing would probably be bulkier and better able to support itself with more sunlight. It is around three feet or a smidge more.
CMK

I think RF is kind of pinky-purply-reddish. Not really striking. The one that I bought was a non-blooming rosette which I selected on purpose at the greenhouse from among all the ones that already had bloom stalks in the pot. My thought was that if it was biennial, I wanted it to establish in my garden first, and then bloom the next year. I hoped it might be bigger that way.

I did more scrabbling around and found a research paper with a picture of amoenum in its native habitat and it is called "oxtongue" throughout the paper and has a redder color in the photo than that particular common name would suggest. So I don't think amoenum is blue.

Since I have only had my plant for two years, I really don't know if it is biennial or not. I suspect so from what I have read, so I am hoping to collect some seeds, and shake some around where it is growing.

Thanks for the info!
Im newish to lillies but I would have to say they are some of my favorite!
I actual took a horticulture class but I focused more on the floral design aspect. I wish I had payed more attention to the actual growing lol!
I actual got one more I would love the name to, thesr are my favorite, and Im actually wondering how to propagate these if anyone knows =)

That's one of the Asiatic lilies - could be known by any of the common names for the varieties.

Can't advise much on the propagation aside from eventually digging up any clump and separating the bulbs. That one looks to be growing from only one bulb at this point. Each bulb throws up one stem - multiple stems will be your guide.

Aside from eventual bulb separation - and if this type doesn't produce the little bulbils between the stem and leaf axils like the tigers - one of the real experts here would have to weigh in on any other propagation methods.

It looks just like my 'Pinky Winky.' I like my 'Vanilla Strawberry' better because the blooms are larger, but I might keep mine for now.

Thanks, guys. I think the one is definitely pinky winky. The other I'm not sure. Learned a lot from the link, Trillium. Thanks.

I'm going to be contrary here.

I've not a fan of Royal Candles. I always disliked the fact that the stalk turned an ugly brown color. Half way through a bloom cycle, I'd have these pretty deep blue-violet flowers on top and an ugly brown stalk on bottom.

I now grow the Veronica 'Eveline' and I love it.

a2 - You're right about that now that I think about it. The flowers do get a bit ugly as they age, however when something is past it's prime, I simply remove it even if it isn't totally done blooming. New flowers form so quickly it doesn't really bother me.

Kevin

One of my favorite all time scents is the sweet William . I wonder ... could you let the color you like reseed and dead head the less favorable color ? I have done this with bachelor buttons and for yrs. had only purple ones in my garden .

In my zone 5 Iowa garden they definitely work as spring/early summer bloomers. I don't get good flowering throughout the summer. The ones that are reblooming currently look pretty pathetic now that I've gone to take a good look. I made several bouquets for an event in early July and already I had no sweet Williams suitable for cutting. I imagine there are ways to manipulate bloom times. I think there are some that bloom first year from seed so maybe those would flower during the summer if started from seed in the spring. Or maybe it depends in the amount if heat? Campanula, do your summers stay pretty mild?

Here's a single plant I deadheaded and it is now just a pleasant bit of glossy green foliage. This is a full sun garden but the sweet will is shaded by other plants. I've noticed some just die out by now. As grdenweed mentioned above, they are generally biennial or short lived perennials.

They are one of my all time favorites. The fragrance is one of the best flower scents, IMO. I find some fragrances overwhelming, but not sweet William. I have never grown the carnation (d. caryophyllus mentioned) as I thought they were fussy. Hmmm...I will have to revisit them! :)

I saved seeds from a low growing pink one as Sammy mentioned. I am hoping the offspring will resemble those plants.

One can buy single color varieties from a place like Geoseed. For example, they have 11 colors of the Barbarini series available, single color packets, or mix, $3.30 for a packet if 100 seeds. Swallowtail seeds also has two red varieties for sale. If you like buying open pollinated seeds though, I think you are more likely to end up with mixes.

This post was edited by trovesoftrilliums on Thu, Aug 1, 13 at 12:10