13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
and junkie.. water is the key ... right ...
that .. IMHO ... is the FIRST thing to figure out.. after that.. the sky is the limit, as to plants ...
the second thing.. under mature trees.. is the soil ... and how 'used up' it is under very mature trees ...
just try things.. water the heck out of them.. and GO FOR IT ...
you have nothing to lose .. except some plants.. and some exercise.
BTW.. if you have lots of mature perennials around the yard.. a FREE way to TRY things.. is to divide what you have .. and just start moving things out there... then you lose just the exercise.. rather than money ...
i can see along string of post on how to divide a given plant ..
good luck
ken
Thanks for all the post, I was born in Bixby hospital in Adrian, lived in Cadmus and Addison. Played ball in the schools of Lenawee county, but left in 1954 to serve in the Army. So it is good to hear all those names again. Hunted and fished many lakes and stream while living there had to garden then but was not really interested back then.. I grew up thinking that asparagus was a cheap vegetable that grew along side the roads.
I have some transplants in pots (6-8")...been sitting there for at least 4 years...hate to admit that!!! (Don't fuss at me....I'm a BAD plant Mom). They've come back every year without ANY maintenance and are still green now, but that's leftover from last year.
Will dig down and check if I see any new growth. And THANK YOU for reminding me to take care of these babies.....BAD MOMMY!!
Mine never did die back much over the winter, and they are all up and putting on new growth. Well, except for the newly planted black mondos that the deer pulled up. By the time I found those lying on the ground, and put them back, they might be dead. Not showing any green to speak of, anyway. Darn woods rats.I should have expected it, and stuck a few skewers around them. That worked before when they pulled up a whole bed of liriope that wasn't rooted in well..
Sandy
I am in southern Iowa. I decided not to buy any new plants until I see what survived last year's drought. Toward the end of the season, I wasn't sure if plants had actually died or just gone dormant. Once things start popping up, I'll have a better idea if there are bare areas where I need to replace plants (either with the same type or something different). Hopefully the recent snows are a good forecast of rains to come and we will have a better growing season this year.
Of course, this decision hasn't stopped me from perusing the catalogs and dreaming about the new plants I would like to order. LOL
I couldn't stay inside yesterday when it got so warm so got many things cut down and this evening it is snowing. Only thing looking green are the Iberis. I am ready to pull away mulch etc. from around mums, trycirtis, etc., but better not. Spring is coming some day, just not yet.
That's intriguing. Why the secret?
BTW it is invasive in France too.
Here is a link that might be useful: Parrot feather in France
I understood what Flora meant when she gave all that info. She thought I seemed interested, therefore she wanted me to understand about the plant's invasive tendancies. She was just sharing her knowledge with others who may want/need to learn what she has already learned.
There are waaayyyy too many invasive species being propogated (if that's the right term) due to people not understanding that they can be harmful to the environment, not to mention it's a nightmare trying to get rid of them once you've figured out you made a terrible mistake. Been there, done THAT....lol.
Bonnie
I plant to get my newly constructed cold frame out in the garden this weekend, but not to put any tender plants/tropicals in it until at least around April 10-15 (three weeks or so before the average last frost).
I suspect it is way too early to put dahlias outdoors in Utah.
Your iris look like Siberians to me. At this time of year, my clumps that had been trimmed back in the fall look exactly like yours.
While Siberians, as well as Japanese Iris can stand to live in wet conditions, they also make fine bedding plants in the perennial garden. I have several Siberians-Steve, Big Blue, Caesar's Brother, Butter and Sugar, Silver Edge, Sparkling Rose and Sky Wings. Mine are mulched and get the same general care as my other perennials. We water all the plants in the summer if we don't get adequate rainfall. Other than that, they don't get any special care. Full sun helps with blooming as well as a feeding with a fertilizer with a high middle number, such as Miracle Grow - 15-30-15, once in a while.
You can divide them and replant after blooming or in the fall.
Linda
I have had many different Siberians , and my observation is: some will just not like you no matter what you do. I got rid of several last year , they were growing well but never bloomed. Generally older varieties have fewer buds per stem(usually only two), and some newer are just better both in bud count(I have 2 with up to 5 buds pr stem), and foliage is standing upright for the whole season. The truth is : the old varieties are passé. The clump turns into a complete mess right after blooming. They cannot compete with modern ones.
Some good doers with me: Mabel Coday, Coronation anthem(3 buds but repeats often), Big Blue, Illini Dame(up to 5 buds), Over to Gloryland, Blaumacher, Viel Schnee, Percheron
Cheery Lynn.
the ones who hated to bloom: Golden Edge, Waterloo, Ewen, Night Breeze, Blue Reverie(pity, extremely beautiful)
One died for no apparent reason: Regency Buck(extremely beautiful)
I haven't had a chance to read this thread in depth, but the general recommendation is not to plant new perennials until after your last frost date. The reasons are: (1) soil is harder to work when it is still cold; (2) potential for freeze damage if you plant too soon; (3) cold temperatures stress a newly planted perennial; it is best to minimize stress on new plantings.
I would be interested to know whether most perennials that die back at the first fall frost experience damage when their new shoots emerge in early Spring and are exposed to a late freeze? In other words, do plants die back in fall because the freezes kill them back or does the freeze simply signal the plant that it is time to shut down for the winter? I know some early-emerging perennials, like Bletilla, are susceptible to Spring freeze damage.
This post was edited by mistascott on Thu, Mar 28, 13 at 16:07
I just checked mine and don't see anything yet. Not surprising since we had 4 inches of snow/sleet/freezing rain/ rain over the last couple of days. Most of it has melted away today in spite of the below average temperatures and NO sun for weeks. And my Toad Lilies are on the cold side of the house that does not get much if any sun this time of the year.
The local Pittsburgh weather forecaster said that we've had 5 days of 60 degree or above temps in the period from January 1st until now, and our average is 20 days. That is how bad our winter has been. I looked at the 7 day forecast and only two of the seven days are at or above our average temperature for this time of the year.
I was just outside looking around a few of the beds and my crocuses are up and look about to bloom - really late this year. And I saw that my Naked Ladies are coming up as well.
Linda
If everyone knows it is too early to plant tender plants, shouldn't the grower.? Me, I'd call them immediately and give them your current weather particulars, and ask how to handle the premature shipment. Follow up with an email to document your call.
They do grow well here, provided one offers them the right conditions.Unfortunately, PNW winters tend to be far wetter than these guys like, so a spotted or nasty looking foliage at this time of year is pretty much par for the course. I would also hestiate to cut them back completely - evergreen foliage is usually evergreen for a good reason and too severe a haircut presents the potential for problems.
We have a number of excellent local growers and suppliers, so no shortage of sources but again, these are not plants that will have a widespread appeal throughout much of this country, simply because they are are not hardy much below a zone 7. I don't hang out in the rose forum so I have no idea what the relevance would be of discussing dierama there....honestly I'm not surprised it hasn't been much of a topic :-))
Mmmm, can quite see what you mean, Gardengal - but we do wander off on tangents a lot on the antique rose forum and many perennials are discussed. Anyway, have put out a specific query to my rosey pals - am just interested in cultural trends, I guess....and right now, we are all crazy for wildflowers, umbellifers and veggies (in the UK) while daylilies and hosta (while they are not without fans) have never been as popular as they are in the US. Horses for courses and I guess dieramas might be yesterdays faves (along with conifers and gladioli).
I left both my lantana and fuschia in their planters to overwinter outside. Lantanas were very dead. Inspected them well. The non hardy annual trailing fuschia have little green sprouts all over them. I am very surprised because they were frozen solid in their baskets for several weeks. Who would have thought. The PNW must be a different sort of 8b.
It is snowing here today :( Kinda neat seeing green in the snow though. I have not put them back yet, still doing fine in the bucket. Probably going to wait for the blooms to be spent, then seperate.
flora uk - I learned the same thing about messing with daffodil leaves, that even the stem that supports the flower has a similar function as the leaves and not to cut that either if you can help it. It's the main reason why i'm going to try and partner them with something to hide the leaves when they are about to go dormant. Not that i think it would kill the plant if i did tie up or cut the leaves, but is said to reduce the following years vigor.
I know the OP has got her answer, but just wanted to add my experience. Some of my daffys are up. Saturday it was in low 50' and I was working in my garden in a sweatshirt. Yesterday, I'm laying in bed watching the birds eat millet on my porch rail while they avoid the rain. And then I notice it's no longer raining -- it's SNOWING !! Nothing major because I'm near the coast. Around here, snow is rare. So it was gone by this AM. But my point is -- daffys are still just as perky as before the snow....lol.
However, I was surprised but glad to learn about NOT tying the foliage up (or braiding it). Maybe THAT is why I never get as many blooms as everyone else??? That, or as my neighbor told me....maybe I planted them too shallow?
Whatever the case, THIS year I won't be tying them in neat little knots.....lol.
Thanks,
Bonnie
I have a Rodgersia species (tag has long been lost) growing near the north wall of my house - no actual shade, but very little direct sun except a bit in June-July. It has expanded to a large clump and flowers nicely. Hostas and Tricyrtis also do well in this bed.
I just ordered Rodgersia Pinnata "Fireworks" from Lazy S's and it arrived today with a few more things I can't seem to find around here! I plan to plant it in partial shade down beside our koi pond where the soil stays moist but not competely wet and boggy. I hope it will be happy there! I don't know why I can't find them locally. They are beautiful and are 'supposed' to do well in our zone. I also bought a bottlebrush buckeye after seeing one on the grounds of the High Hampton Inn last year in Highlands, North Carolina. It was massive and gorgeous! I plan to plant it in partial shade down near our creek.