13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
My Bright Eyes has been blooming for several days. It has more mildew than I remember it ever having; it is usually mildew resistant. "Minnie Pearl" has been blooming two weeks. No mildew at all. It is shorter than most paniculatas and definitely has a place in the garden.
Oh, it was so very wonderful to behold--and it's in the process of being restored--I was there in the 90s before it fell to neglect. If you're interested in looking into it, do a search for Heronswood. You could also choose *images* and probably find lots of pictures. Plant explorer Dan Hinkley created it then after some time sold it to Burpee Seeds.
I imagine there are some here (Gardengal) that know Dan and more of the history. I met him there and he is awesome and has a wicked dry sense of humor. There was a large plant nursery there way back when and I still am growing plants from it in my garden.
It was purchased by one of out Native American tribes in the last 2-3 years (I think) and is being restored--Dan H. is there helping plus the public can volunteer on certain days of the week. Wish I lived closer, I'd make it my part-time job!
There are several Open Days throughout the year--hoping to go to the next one on September 19th--will take more pics if I do! It will a lot different by then, I'm thinking! Thanks all!
This is all just lovely. I really enjoy it when people post tours of their gardens, particularly pullback shots where you can see more than just a couple of plants in combination. I am not in New England but I often read the New England Gardening thread just because of the running photo threads there! Your combos with the astilbe and the eryngium are particularly wonderful.
Proper identification of the insect pest is critical before determining what product to use. Insecticidal soap is very effective on soft bodied sucking insects but it is a contact killer - you have to spray the solution ON the insect. Neem oil has a much broader scope of application and has the benefit of being a natural product as well. But you really do need to know what is causing the problem first. Any chance of photos of the affected plants AND the insect?
i would give it at least a week to sort itself out ... and then go at each plant individually ... [you will be able to better id the damaged parts ..]
why in the world you think weedwhacking the whole.. would be a positive .... is a pretty bizarre thought ...
ken
Oh no! That must be so disappointing. Agree with above - wait a bit and then deal with the plants on an individual basis. Or, just leave things be until next year, everything will sprout up fresh and new. Perhaps you can buy some pots of annuals and strategically place those in your sitting areas to take your eye off the damage and give you something to enjoy for now.
..well, I would love to know of your progress as you get on, even though I'm a million miles away, almost... I think you have a lovely back yard - garden - to get started on, so exciting... if it was mine, I too would probably have to remove those trees, but I have an issue with privacy and I can see some windows staring back at me from your neighbouring property, and I'd have to put some large shrubs, small bushy trees in appropriate points to block those out... may not be an issue for you...
...I wouldn't worry about those railway sleepers either... they'll just disappear into the background once you edge the lawn and enlarge the border, with compost, mulch etc... I've got double edged borders here...
...I also love trench edging and I'll just post a couple of photos as examples.. obviously this is large scale and cottage garden which I know you don't like... but just to see how a stretch of grass can be shaped and edged, or flowing away from the boundary line...
...as a large shrub suggestion, I adore smoke bushes - Cotinus varieties.. my favourite is one called 'Grace'... which will become small tree like... 'Royal Purple' is another... these might do for you... but I wouldn't know that.. great autumn - fall color...
..here's some edging from a garden I visited recently.... I cannot boast that it's mine...
Redbuds certainly grow well here in KC -- a little too well, sometimes. The tree I mentioned that used to cause me power line trouble was a redbud. Its mature width was about 30 feet. I would prune it back to keep it away from the power and communication lines, and it would respond with a flush of growth so that I was in the same situation every year. Eventually I decided it was too much trouble. I miss it sometimes, though. On a gray fall day I could look out from the second floor windows into its yellow foliage and it cheered me up.
There are numerous redbud cultivars with smaller sizes that might be a better fit for your yard. A good reference is:
https://www.clemson.edu/extension/horticulture/nursery/ipm/book_files/chapter_12
Even with a smaller cultivar, I would plant them farther out from the fence than your pear trees are now located.
Yes it is agressive but the silver color is beautiful and really adds a pop to the garden. I grow it in a mixed shrub/perennial bed and I take measures to keep it under control. Every spring I remove all growth that has expanded beyond the allotted area and it takes it all season for it to recover former territory. The below photo was taken in late May right after I took disciplinary measures. The artemisia is right behind the bearded iris 'Samauri'
I've grown it for years and mine have never spread that much. Every few years the current parent dies out, but by then a new one has sprouted to continue the cycle. I usually am very religious about deadheading though.
I do cut it back by two thirds after flowering and normally I get a second, smaller flush late in the season.
Thanks very much.
UPDATE:
My mistakenly selected Ranunculus acris "Flore Pleno" has turned out to be a worthwhile addition to our garden. It bloomed for close to 4 weeks and although it does send out runners that do root (rhizomes?) they are easily removed and I see no evidence of seeding.