13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

Well here it is 10 days later, and I'm STILL working on garden cleanup. It's mixed with pruning shrubbery and some transplanting, but still going slow. Got the front yard gardens done, now I'm working on the back. Try to go out for at least an hour or two a day and prune, chop, rake, pull, and pick up. Drag another tarp of leaves and garden debris, or drag another pile of brush. It's great exercise but the body's getting older, gotta take it slower than when I was younger.

Sorry to hear about those who still have snow. Ugh. Woodyoak, hope your leg heals soon. Bluebird, I like your peony picture. PM2, that is funny that the teenagers moved your rocks, usually it's the snow plow that has moved stuff around!

Docmom, I had tons of Vinca on this lot and have gotten rid of a lot of it every which way. Smothering works very well and is the easiest way, but if you have plants you want to save amongst the Vinca you would have to dig them out first, because smothering will kill everything.

Smothering might work on that white snow in the summer. Or you could offer it free on Craigslist and people will come dig it up for you!

Yup 10 days later and I still have snow covering most of my beds. At least today we're getting peeks of sun and for now no snow, sleet, or freezing rain is falling from the sky so that's a good thing. Our high temp today hit 40. At least we didn't get the 18" they got in the Fargo, ND area.

Yes, these are seeds from mums grown in this area. I am hoping for the best.

After blooming, I cut them back to about 5" and mulched them.

I am sure your "mums" will return but it is my understanding that one does not cut them back in the fall as this now dead growth provides additional protection. (Although I do now read that you did mulch).

One of my favorites is written by a professional who is based in Detroit, Deborah Silver. Her window boxes and planters see wonderful and she covers a range of design topics.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dirt Simple

I like/visit the first two as well ispahan ;-)

I'm not really a daily blog reader. I'll forget about them for awhile and then play catch-up when I make the time and read all previous entries.

But here are a few I like:

Linda Cochran's Garden blog- from Bainbridge IS WA- I think this is probably the most brilliant garden I have seen at combining unique plants and collections and making them look cohesive!

John Jerrard's Herbal- a plant collector in the UK with humorous posts and great pics. I envy some of his collections.

TezaâÂÂs Hortus Magnificum - features lots of cool shade plants.

You Grow Girl! - like the unusual veggie and edibles posts

Barry's Blog, A Sense of Place- more unique plants

Graham RiceâÂÂs Blog- gives updates on new plants. I know not all will be available in the states, but it is fun to look anyway.

Hummm...thought I had a few more, but can't find them now ((naturally)).
CMK

Each fertile plant will selfseed if allowed and the conditions are right. It is the purpose of blooming. It is something you just have to acknowledge. It is as simple as this: do not want seed - cut the spent flowers down. No reason to invent " evil plants".

This post was edited by wieslaw59 on Sat, Apr 13, 13 at 17:22

I do do a lot of deadheading, Wieslaw, in part for the reason you say.

At the same time, I'd count sterility (not seeding around) as a big plus for many horticulturally produced hybrid cultivars.

I'm happy to report that High Country Gardens is back in business and shipping beautiful, drought tolerant plants and perennials. You can read about the transition by visiting the blog on our home page (entry posted March 1).

Here is a link that might be useful: High Country Gardens website

Glad they are back in business!!

Yesterday there was almost no snow, or ice, on the flower beds.

Today, below:
I think those early crocuses are 'Vanguard'.

Another three inches of concrete to move this morning and if "they" are correct we should expect more Sat. night into Sunday.

If it is the flower heads that are dry and crumbly, you should crush them and sprinkle them around - there are most likely some seed pods in there. That is how I get mine to spread.

Thanks for the tip ramazz! I was just going to toss the clippings in my compost pile.

Never happened for me

Ok, thanks. I'll just look ahead to next year with that plant.

I agree with the name that plant forum because I think the flower is some sort of verbena (not being familiar with US natives, I hesitate to offer a specific species type). Am very clueless what the other plant might be.

Name that plant forum has ID'd it as common name: Desert Willow. I believe that's what it is. I googled it, and it has lovely pink flowers with long pods. There are 2 such trees across the road, so it probably grew from a seed.

Suzi

Babs, thanks! Where in NH are you? My parents live in Lyme. Some of the biggest and best hydrangeas I've ever seen are in NH and VT. Blew me away. Hydrangeas are some of my favorites.

BBL, I am about 1 1/2 hrs south of your folks, about 10 miles north of Concord. I have lots of hydrangeas because as long as I plant hardy varieties, they are easy to grow here: long blooming, not bothered by pests, polite with neighbors (except Annabelle who likes to sucker), and generally happy as long as I don't give them too much hot and dry conditions.

OK, I grow wallflowers with spring bulbs, especially tulips (which I plant deeply and leave in my sandy soil from one year to the next so they are fairly reliable at returning. In the UK, they are in bloom around May, so I also partner mine with early hardy geraniums (I really like primrose wallflowers with the common cranesbill, Geranium pratensis and G.sylvaticum). I have a few clumps of them growing with common primroses too. The other plants I mentioned are not wallflowers but are flowering in mid spring with similar 4-petalled flowers and will make good companions. I could easily imagine growing them with little clumps of violas, forget-me-nots, short campanulas, and, my favourite, overwintered love-in-the-mist.
Yes, they do have a tendency to flop about a bit - you can cut them back hard after the first flowering - it looks quite improbable because the stems are silvery and bare.....but leafage will follow, along with a later flush of flowers (some autumns).
If they do well for you, you could try growing single colours from seeds sown in May. The little plants will grow over the summer, ready to be planted in autumn, where they will overwinter and burst into fragrant growth the following spring. A lovely clove scent, warm and very welcoming.
You could plant your packs about 8 inches apart - they will spread out but not much - they continue to grow from a woody base clump, branching higher up the stem - I never bother to stake mine as they rarely get taller than 16inches or so and even if they flop, the flowers will still stretch upright to the light.
Wallflowers have always been a traditional cottage garden favourite and, as such, they will look well with scrambling, rambling aubretias, arabis, nemophila, limnanthes and annual flax - not a tidy or formal plant.

Thanks so much for the info Campanula !! That's just what I needed to know.

I have not yet been able to get them planted (health issues) so now I have another question. Some of the leaves on just some of the plants are getting dark.

At first I thought they were just turning a deeper shade, like burgandy, but I think they it's leaning towards black. Does that mean they got too cold? We haven't had any extremely cold nites since I got them.

I can take pic if necessary but didn't want to bother if not.

And still hoping for any pics of these in someone's garden !!