13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
I have black spots all over one BES. This article came up that was written in 2011 which states it is not a fungus but a beetle. I included the link. I am going to do what she says and use an insecticide for beetles and cut off the black spotted leaves.
Here is a link that might be useful: Beetle
Hard to say. You need to go out at night and check the plants. There are lots and lots of critters that do their damage after the sun goes down and then disappear during the day. I had this problem with a goldenrod. The poor thing was almost stripped of foliage, but I could never see any insect. Then I checked really, really early one morning and found the plant covered in crawlers.
Kevin
They could be, they were chomping on my heleniums earlier in the year. It is just as likely that it is something else, though, like slugs and the rolie polies are just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I keep a spray bottle of the rose and flower insect spray handy (I think it's by Bayer) and just spray down a plant when I see it being munched on. It works for a few weeks, but if you just keep an eye out for munching, then spray it, the plant is usually fine after that. Good luck!
Well, one of my Echinaceas did survive - Milkshake - so I guess I should be grateful. All in all though, I'm done with these plants. No more.
The other loss I really do feel bad about is my Veronica Georgia Blue. I posted a pic of this one earlier and thought it might survive, but it is very, very dead. I might replace that one because I really liked it.
Kevin
In the island bed out front, extensive damage to the large area of Geranium Biocovo was caused by, I suspect, voles or tunneling moles. There is a twisting and turning dead trail throughout the planting. It seemed to be filling in somewhat as the growing season progressed.
Then about 2 weeks ago we had a hard freeze which caused dieback of the new tender growth and the death of most of the forming bloom. Biokovo is an evergreen perennial, but that tender growth couldn't take the 27 degrees that Mom Nature dumped on it. There will be very little if any flowers this year. I just hope that It can recover from the damage by those &*%$#@^*&^% critters. And how am I going get rid of them?!
Peonies are long-lived perennials & experience the same vagaries of weather as the rest of us--they have good years and bad years. My brother planted a row of them in a garden he started here 25+ years ago. All six are thriving but in my experience they have both good and not-so-good years. What they appear to need more than anything else is room to grow, good soil and patience while they mature.
I've planted many more peonies since I moved here and year after year they appear to be thriving. I just enjoy them no matter how they perform.
Your photo tells me you have three peonies planted close together but doesn't tell me they're the same cultivar which begs the question, does the middle plant have the same characteristics as those on either side? I'll grant you my own plants have far more real estate than yours but that isn't necessarily a peony-specific requirement.
While the middle plant doesn't appear as robust as those either side of it, perhaps it's not as well established for whatever reason and needs more time to settle in to its location. I honestly wouldn't worry about it unless it shows signs of disease or insect infestation. Perhaps all it needs is a chance to 'grow up' to reach its full potential.
Thank you so much for the opinions. If memory serves they are all the same cultivar. Yes, this is a new house but I was here to see them bloom last year. Last year they all did well- and thrived about the same. This year the middle one is suffering for some reason.
Even from center, they are about a foot apart, maximum.
I'll let item go this season and see what happens. It will be a little experiment.
Downloaded Adblock Plus onto my tablet and the REALLY ANNOYING, GETTING IRRITATINGLY MORE FREQUENT new popup that only shows up on my tablet is now toast. Yeah!!!!!!!! I will never, ever purchase that product, I can assure you. It's funny to me, though that this one ad is the only one that has ever gotten through my regular filter. They should know better than to make it that intrusive.
i doubt it will do any damage ...
perhaps its time to move the bird house.. after the brood is gone ... its a rather simple solution ....
it simply means mom and dad are cleaning out after the babes ...
what kind of birds are they ???
if you are using anything other than a real camera... hold it upright when you take the pix.. or so i am told ...
ken
Hi, Ken. Thanks. It was upright. But you (and others) seem to frequently have problems with my photos being right side up. No idea why.
They are sort if non-description black birds. I haven't been able to id them yet. Last year we had both grackles and blue birds in there and neither made such a mess.
Great info. As for adding perlite to garden soil, i don't add it intentionally to my garden or my compost, due to the fact that if used in my beds, it has a tendency to float to the surface and to me it looks unnatural. Some always gets in with transplanting, and that's fine. I think in my case i will add some coarse sand and compost. If anyone on here knows anyone who lives where heucherra are indigenous, I would love to hear about the soils they prefer. Pictures of wild heucherra might be worth a google.
Rodja, I did not like Blue Paradise because of its floppiness here(I live near the North Sea- very windy) I'm kind of "allergic" to floppiness. Phlox Blaue Morgen has an identical colour but stands up much better(although not perfect to begin with). The best standing of the "blue" ones is Boguslaw's Blaue(from Germany). This one is storm-proof.
The general rule here in Europe is , that English varieties of phloxes have bigger flowers, but German ones are more practical (healthier and less flopping). It applies also to Delphiniums, Heleniums and Asters.
This post was edited by wieslaw59 on Sun, May 19, 13 at 10:13
Marie - Have you considered Veronica 'Georgia Blue' under the skirts of your Full Moon Japanese maple? I love any combination of blue and gold, and the Veronica's small green leaves would be a nice foliage contrast all summer, especially if there's grass or hosta nearby. It doesn't root deeply and spreads in a friendly manner, spilling around the feet of other plants without overwhelming them. It seems fine in part to much shade, but I haven't tried it in sun.
I've never ordered from the sale list, but am wondering if the sale plants are the same size and quality as the regular priced ones? The order I placed last winter and received a few weeks ago was by far the best I've ever received from Bluestone. The plants were absolutely perfect.
Kevin
I received my 50% off plants Tuesday and they were some of the biggest I have ever received from Bluestone. The hydrangeas were especially large for Bluestone plants.
I was quite pleased to say the least.
Still hate the coir pots, though.
If we're supposed to bury them you'd think the tops wouldn't rise an inch above the soil level.