13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
Alas, Penstemon fans... I have searched thru my seed stash and cannot find even an empty pkt of penstemon seed, so I don't know what I planted.
I tried a search using Google images and closest I can come is Penstemon barbatus Pina Colada Deep Rose.
The description seems to match what I have. One site I visited indicated it may be propagated from non-blooming stems using rooting hormone & moist sand. I'll be trying that!
http://www.hardyplants.com/seeds/P2VD-A8.html
Here is a link that might be useful: Possibly my Penstemon
Doweling gram,
I think in the case of protected wildflowers you are not allowed to take the seed or any other part of the plant. In order for those flowers to survive, they need to be able to drop those seeds and reproduce. Also, the native wildlife depends on seeds from native plants for winter sustainance. I can't say I would personally object to someone collecting a few seeds at the same time they dropped some of those seeds onto some likely nearby soil. But, I think legally they should be left entirely alone.
Martha
What's weird is that they don't eat it. They rip it up and leave the dead leaves lying around. I can understand if they want to eat it, but destroying it is a little strange. They also left the poppies untouched.
I notice the squirrels like to destroy my lilies, so I have to put chicken wire around it. Just like the issue with Hepatica, they don't eat it, but just destroy it. Now my garden look more like a prison.
Paul
I thought of this post when I was watching some kind of black-type bird (maybe a starling?) in my garden this morning. He was walking around in a patch of violas simply shredding the flowers and tossing 'em up in the air. Petals were flying everywhere. I've noticed this kind of behavior from these birds before, but usually when they walk through the garden tossing up stray leaves and sticks as they look for food. They actually are quite funny to watch.
Maybe your problem is a bird looking for food?
Kevin
The only perennial plant I have managed to keep alive in a container outdoors over the winter has been ribbon grass, but it is only just sprouting now. It is a good solution for keeping the ribbon grass, which is a terrible runner, contained. I often place a pot of a nonhardy perennial in the center of the pot of ribbon grass.
I've read that you need to plant perennials in pots that are good to 2 zones colder. But my question has always been how to overwinter the pots outside. I don't want to lug pots in and out. I've thought about planting perennials in plastic inserts put into glazed pots. Anyone else with ideas for perennials in glazed pots?
I love the idea of the clematis in the ground near the pot. That yucca/clematis combo is beautiful.
My foxgloves seem to grow best in morning sun. They self-seed there, but not in full sun or full shade. Mine have grown from seedlings of the common pink/white type given me by a neighbor many years ago. I mulch fairly heavily, but they seem to find spots I've missed or where the mulch has broken down.
Mine are in pretty heavy sun -- probably 4 hours or so midday. The flower color is a little washed out from this, but the plant looks great. The Michigan Spring sun is probably soft enough that you can err a bit on the side of sun. Not sure lack of sun would kill them though -- more likely it would diminish their flowering performance.
Coreposis rosea is a pink threadleaf coreopsis so it looks sort of like a pink version of 'Moonbeam' or 'Zagreb'. There are a few selections I've run across, including 'Heaven's Gate' and 'Sweet Dreams.' It's supposed to be fine zones 5-9 and isn't super dry tolerant, but is fine with well-drained average soil.
It's probably too much water, if you have had rains like we have lately. Mine spot up the same way because of too much water. They still bloom fine, though. I wouldn't pull the leaves off, unless you think it's something else, something that spreads. Without a pic, though, I would chalk it up to too much water.
Hi all! I'm not sure if anyone here remembers me :-) I used to garden in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia but have now moved to the great city of Melbourne and, with a new house, will be starting my gardening adventures from scratch! An exciting prospect but also a LOT of work. Here's a quick shot of my new garden:
('scuse the washing on the line) so as you can see, lots of space and lots of potential. Well! I hope you are all well, I'll be back soon!!
I love D. spectabilis 'Alba' growing in my full shade bed but right from the start planned on it going dormant early in the season. It's just too absolutely gorgeous not to plant. I surrounded it with other shade-loving perennials, including Carex 'Ice Dance' & Hosta 'Krossa Regal' so there are things that conceal the dying foliage once it goes dormant. It's planted on the north side of my house and is right out there to anyone driving or walking past on the road.
It's been my experience that the thread-leaf (D. eximia) bleeding heart varieties persist & continue to bloom right into the autumn garden (altho they're noticeably smaller than D. spectabilis) whereas the species can grow quite large--my DIL has a pink one that grows to about 3' x 3' every year.
D. spectabilis is also tough as nails--I had some construction done where one was literally growing out of a concrete stairway in full sun for years and, lo & behold, discovered it growing & blooming fully 15 ft away at the top of the stairway this spring.
'Gold Heart' and 'Valentine' are superior to all others in my opinion.