13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

LOL campanula re the acanthus comment!

QE rose - We love the flower shape, color, scent, disease resistance, and hardiness. But it is a leggy thing that is only attractive on the top! That's why I'm going to see if I can try to make it grow as a tree-form. I planted a 'Little Henry' Itea shrub beside/under it last fall. If the rose pruning works, the Itea should hide the stem of the rose (except in the winter) and add more flowers lower down, plus fall color. We'll see how it goes.... If it doesn't work QE will probably leave the garden.

If you like wildlings, campanula, have you ever tried growing the Angel roses from seed? They're supposed to be Rosa sinensis minima according to the source I got the seeds from (I think it's usually spelled chinensis - but that's not how the place where I got the seeds spelled it....) Most of the flowers on mine are small singles in shades of pink but the bloom is profuse and it blooms for months. And then they have vivid red hips for winter. They quickly form a hedge. Nothing seems to bother them and they're quite hardy. Sometimes there's a bit of tip die-back over winter that needs trimming off but doesn't cause any serious damage. They are prickly little devils though! This picture from the end of October shows both the flowers and hips:

yes.. yes ... i was speaking of hybrid T's .... there are more bulletproof shrub type roses ... but again ... not in sand ...

ken

veronica.... next time.. start your own post ...

anyway ... keep it properly watered.. but NOT sodden.. and see if it rebuds..

lets hope it just went dormant from lack of water ...

only time will tell..

ken

ps: and next time.. leave it with a friend... lol.. that hindsight is always 20/20

Thanks Ken. Let's hope you are right.
Don't you think that if it was only lack of water it would react when I watered it?

I am sorry if I did not start a new post. I thought it was more adequate this way.
Veronica

Yea, yea - I never got around to potting them up over the holiday. Like I said, somebody has time management issues...

How late I was getting to your place - an hour or two or three?

This post was edited by mxk3 on Mon, Jan 14, 13 at 20:21

I avoided that time management struggle this year, and as an added bonus, I saved money. I didn't buy bulbs! (g)

No problem, people are glad to help. I was just anticipating the semi-annual thread about how annoying Latin/botanical names are and how gardeners who use them are just showing off. :)

To any one interested. I placed a few of my seeds in a damp paper towel inside a plastic bag on top of the frig. In three days little roots were shooting so have now planted them in a pot and will move them to the green house. Perhaps it is much too early and they may get large and spindly, but I have many other seeds thanks to a friendly gardener from Oklahoma. No expense, so I can experiment. Love those gardening friends.

I had to refresh the page to see that...yeah!
Thanks. Just signed up for the email list.

Awesome!! I've ordered from them twice and been very happy!
Yay, as I wanted the yellow and Brakelights red yucca and haven't been able to find them anywhere else.

Thanks ontnative for the heads up!

Rena'

One I heard last summer, "that grass needs some water."
OK, I'll water it and you'll come by and mow it in a week, right?

Could you divide that for me? (pointing to an unusual plant that you grew from seed and have waited 10 years for it to look good)

Hi,
I'm so glad you posted this. I used to be a member of this plant society, but I stopped receiving the newsletters. Woody was president at that time, so this was awhile ago. I'll definitely have to go on FB and like your page. Looking forward to the spring plant sale.

Ken: Lily was my aunt. She was so sociable, she had a whole Society named for her (and I really did have an aunt named Lily...at is more, she was an avid gardener). I'm fine: busy sending out art fair applications.

Bellarosa: Welcome back! Woody is still president. Maybe because no one else has stepped forward! :) I will be posting future events on the FB page, including the bulb sale. This year there will be some satellite bulb sale locations, which is really exciting.

Hi I am going to a herb farm come spring for Salvias and Geraniums and wanted to bring this thread back to get more opinions on some of your favorite hardy geraniums. Maybe a couple of years later to see if you still like the ones you did before or any new ones you have tried. Thanks...If you want to browse the nursery I am going to it is http://www.sandymushherbs.com/download/Handbook9.pdf

bobbygil, climate is one of the deciding factors for choosing geraniums to grow in your garden. The ones that grow well (or NOT so well) for me may not be the same as for you. Try to get the advice of people in a similar climate, soil, heat, summer humidity, winter hardiness, etc. Most geraniums do not like extremes of any kind. Good luck. They are a wonderful family of plants.

You all seem to have the sedum grown in pots, can these be planted out? I bought some seeds, but I know nothing about the plant except for the visual. Do they have to be kept in pots?

Marie,
I was like you, I wasn't sure what I was going to do with my sedums. So, some were planted in the ground, some in pots were brought indoors and some are in a cool room in the house. I also took about 50 cutting, which I hope will survive. The last I am not thinking was a good idea. But I think they are fine.

Well, I looked into Joanna Reed nepeta and it is advertised as growing between 36" and 48" tall, so it is a tad bit large for the front of the bed or as edging...

I also checked out calamintha and stachys Helen von Stein and saw some pictures where it was used in combination. Why didn't I think of that sooner. The gray of the substantial stachys leaves and the airy white flowers of calamintha looked stunning together... I think I will try that combo as an elegant edger for a bed of colorful roses.

I have tried to grow lavender many times and failed every time. I am tempted to try thumbelina Leigh in the Spring but might change my mind by next month.

My suggestion for a high impact purple edging plant is Rokey's Purple Aubrieta. I think that there is also a variegated Aubrieta. Good luck!

I like the way you use spring bulbs - just a few clumps here and there. I know the mass plantings can be spectacular, but sometimes less is more. One really gets to admire individual flowers when you're not overwhelmed by something done in mass.

And yes, I also love the Historical Iris. I have very few iris these days, but the ones I do have which I love the most are the Historicals.

A few years ago when I started to get serious about selling plants on Craig's List, I made it a regular chore to start taking photos of everything in my garden which I might want to divide and sell at some point. I use the photos in my ads. It was a lot of work, but it sure is fun having all those photos now - in the dead of winter. I have a few "progression photos" like yours too which are really fun to look at this time of year.

Kevin

The small bulb clumps are more a result of collector's syndrome than the result of any thought out design plan, but thanks. More small clumps mean more varieties but it also makes it easier to interplant perennials for multi season color.

If anyone has pictures to add, feel free. I love progressions and before and afters.

The iris are even thicker at the other end, and I did end up pulling about half out last summer. I wonder if I could have craiglisted them, although I do get selfish about my compost materials.....

I have really enjoyed looking at all of the pictures above. I have gotten some good ideas on what to buy this year. Last year, the temps here reached 103 and my garden just fizzled out. Hope to do more this coming season.

Last year, the temps here reached 103 and my garden just fizzled out.

With the past two hot, dry summers I have come to very much resent those perennials and annuals requiring daily or even every other day watering to look good.

Ken,
I do appreciate that my sis did get the kids out of the house. I did not say a word to her about having destroyed the plant....

Thanks for the advice rosestink. I think my initial reaction was just surprise. Having been here 5 years and deer generally eat nothing except the bulbs in spring.

I spread dried blood around. Just yesterday I threw it around onto the snow where the deer enter my Garden area, where I first saw their tracks. It keeps them away. I've done this for many years. You can get a bag of it in the organic fertilizer section of a good garden center. It's granulated, not gross at all. It works.

PS...on a good note, it may attract predators which will scare away the rodents and deer! I have no problems with it at all and it adds nitrogen to soil.