13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

This is good news. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

I've been looking for a decent-priced, mail order place for shrubs and based on my experience and what all of you have said, maybe I've found it.

Before I ordered from Jungs, I was putting together an order from another source with a great reputation, but OMG! The shipping costs were equal to the cost of the plants themselves. I just can't do that, unless it's something I just have to have and can't purchase anywhere else.

Kevin

This is my first time ordering from them. The plants were small but they are taking off, esp. the Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangea! I received some decent side gladiolus too. Very happy with them. I would order from them again.

Hi David,
We call those "fiddle heads" and they are newly emerging fern fronds. Once established, generally fern prefer to be a little on the dry side, but not dried out.

I'm curious, when you placed the order, did it indicate if this "variety bag" of fern are perennial in your growing zone? You can indicate your growing zone with your name and that would be helpful when you post :-)

I've added a photo of my Glade Fern fiddle heads which are a little different. They are planted in my wild flower garden. Your fern may be another variety such as Holly Fern. I'm only suggesting it because Holly fern are readily available and have woodier (crispier) fiddle heads and frond stems.

Deb

Hi Deb

Thanks for the response and picture! Would you believe the order confirmation and packing slip don't mention the different names. I know the bags they came in had the names on them but I threw them out without thinking to look at the packing slip to make sure they were listed there, too. I looked at information on a couple different ferns and those at least are hardy in my zone and listed as perennials.
I emailed them to see if they could tell me the different varieties so we'll see. I'd like to look into the different ones as I only have two of the five planted showing any fiddle heads (love that!!)

Thanks again!

In the UK, we call it the 'Chelsea Chop' in that we do it during the week of the Chelsea Flower Show (final week in May) - things like asters, helenium, monarda, sedum, get cut back by half to avoid later flopping and stimulate side shoots.

Campanula, love that "Chelsea Chop" too cute

I do my Perovskia too

Rudbeckia 'Marmalade'.

Thank you

I am old and do not want to wait 20 years for maturity. I do not mind a small perennial and have purchased small but I try not to buy bushes small. I need the gratification now so I can enjoy it as long as possible.

I do not want to be 80 to finally see the results of my work. If I was 20 years old I would buy small.

I think it depends on what I'm buying.

If it's a tree, I want it to be at least 4-6 feet tall.
If it's a Heuchera, small is great.
If it's one of the newer Echinaceas, larger is best.
It really depends on the plant for me. I just bought a weeping red bud tree. It is about 6 feet tall already and it instantly made an impact when I planted it. I don't want to wait ten to twenty years to notice my tree when you drive by.

We had a swale/berm put in last year in another part of the yard (with plans to put this one in, this summer), wide but not very deep, about 80' long, with netting, hay, soil, and grass seed on top. The difference with the one this year will be the plants. Probably have river rock, pea gravel or something similar for the swale, plants on the berm.

P.S. Years ago, before the earth cooled, I went to school in Adrian!

==>> now that cracked me up ...

actually.. i have an adrian zip code.. i live out near the raisin township hall off gady ..

if those existed back when the earth was cooling.. lol ..

ken

Why choose just one? Plant both. I plan to add a white one too at the other end of the flower bed

Hmmmm, I was on the "icky" boat too, but the comments and photos have me rethinking. Might have to add this one after all since I love the other three types.
Gonativegal mentioned the spireas with similar color. I think you're right, that's where the icky factor started!

Recent impulse buys:

When I saw 'Scarlet Storm' and 'Orange Storm' Flowering Quince locally, I had to have them both. The blooms look like Camelias. If you haven't seen those plants, look them up. They are very impressive plants!

Mercifully---- from a financial standpoint that is---- the weather is still cold here along the CT coastline because by now near the end of April I'd be into full-mode impulse purchasing. Did take a "look see" at this retailer's in Windsor, CT, on Sunday and came home with:

2 large Peonies @ $9.99 each--- Coral Sunset and Paula Fay

6/$36.00 1 qt. perennials ---2 Cherry Brandy Rudbeckias, 2 Primula Vialii, 2 Lychnis Lumina Broze Leaf Red

All-in-all, I thought it was a SCORE! The question my DH had was, "Why do you bother winter sowing perennials when you're going to do this?"

Molie

and since most of us grow them as annuals.. you would find the post in that forum at the link .. by our own GW expert ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Dumb mistake on my part, Ken. . .I actually DO know the difference between perennials and annuals :>)
Thanks for pointing that out!

Carl

Hi Gary, i just managed to take a snap of the Aubrieta seedling, or rather seedlings, judging by the flower colors, I guess there are about 3 different plants. Probably still some time to wait untill yours start sprouting, well then, bye, Lin

Lowes has Aubrieta for sale around here right now.
I have a sort of cascade (beds beside steps) of aubrieta about ready to bloom.
I am ambivalent about this plant. It puts out an amazing bloom for a few weeks in spring that gets lots of compliments- then it looks bad ugly and needs a haircut to cut off all the flower stalks and seed pods.
It is prone to some kind of VERY Thick white fungus that if you disturb the plant it billows like smoke. YuK!
and I had a big section up and die this last winter so I am torn about regrowing it.
The local park grows a wall of alternating colors (mine is a really nice bold violet color) with some other creepers and it looks great.

nothing to lose roxy ....

but my bet would be 90% leaves.. and maybe one weirdo who might flower ...

but they should be in sync for the following spring.. all else OK

they need a cold period to set the bloom.. so if they were in a cold garage.. and didnt dry too much.. well.. maybe..

but if they were in the house.. and no chill period... no flower ....

ken

Matthew, if you have them, plant them. Even if they don't bloom this year it is better than not planting them.

tj

Thanks everyone! I hadn't thought about adding anything else to the bed - I was worried about damaging the flowers that are already there. Bulbs might not be a bad idea. I will have to look into some that bloom a little later so I will have some flowers in the late spring/summer.

It gets confusing, but nurseries and growers have taken to calling this (Phlox subulata) "Creeping Phlox" when historically it was known as "Moss Phlox" and Phlox stolonifera was "Creeping Phlox" (basically, a shade species of phlox).

Anyway, neither here nor there, but interesting.

Catmint does not behave like other mints for me. I love it in my garden and it took a couple of years to really grow and its one of my favorites! I have it growing the front of the bed where it cascades onto the walkway. I put coffee grinds etc around it but it does well without.

Obviously Ken has never even grown a Nepeta. That's like saying "Devil's Apple" has the word apple in in, so it must be the same as your grocery store apple.

As other's have said, composting is not really needed. The more x-erscape type catmints are good to go, but I do tend to give my Nepeta subsessilis some compost once in a blue moon. Unlike the other types it tends to look more robust with the occasional feeding and not overly dry conditions....

Guessing you have one of the others though, like 'Walker's Low' ;-)
CMK

This post was edited by christinmk on Mon, Apr 22, 13 at 12:50