13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

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.

Last season we had almost NO snow. The ground was pretty bare throughout the winter and I don't think I lost a single plant which really surprised me.

Kevin, this impressive survival rate might be due to the corresponding moderate temperatures we/you received last winter as in that case snow cover isn't as important.

This post was edited by rouge21 on Sun, Jan 6, 13 at 7:59

Possibly, but I know we did have some of that subzero stuff too. Not 20 below, but I believe in the teens below. Maybe it was of short duration and that made the difference.

Kevin

Congrats on your new camera. Once I figured out how to use it, my Nikon point & shoot has never let me down altho' it's a few years old & was my first digital. If you check out the winter sowing forum for a few old threads you'll get an idea of the quality pics it takes. My daughter is a photographer for a newspaper and also uses a Nikon altho' one a lot fancier than mine. Good luck with yours!

Congratulations! That a nice gift.

Thanks, Mistascott for posting the Evolvulus. I was planning to take a photo of mine, which I am overwintering in the house, but it currently only has a couple of blooms and I have no other photos of it. Although this doesn't overwinter outside for me, I have found it quite easy to overwinter indoors. Since it tends to be difficult to find other than mail order, I plant at least one in a pot small enough to bring inside and then try to remember to bring it in before the first hard frost. It's a lovely plant and not hard to keep as a perennial even if it is only half-hardy.

Oh! I had some of this (Evolvulus) several years back. I confess, I had somehow forgotten all about it - probably when we moved to our current property. It is a lovely shade of blue. Thank you so much for the reminder w/photo. I knew it as Hawaiian Blue Eyes. I do need to get some - great for containers.

Okay, I'll round up some potting soil today or tomorrow and pot them. I have room in the garage to keep them, that won't be a problem. Actually, they've been sitting in the garage since I bought them, I hope they're still viable - they don't look dried out, though. Never thought of forcing them for Easter - good idea! :0)

yes.. that is precisely what all the local greenhouses are doing.. since in MI ... ALL EASTER FLOWERS ARE FORCED ...

of course.. you have the ease of not having to worry precisely .. about getting them to market 2 weeks in advance.. so enjoy them whenever ...

tulips should have been planted in oct ... so as to grow roots.. for spring growth ... you might have to think about that fact that yours are still bare bulbs ...

and after you think about it.. WING IT.. lol ..

ken

gb - I got your message and replied to it just now. This computer is set up to receive messages from all our different e-mail addresses.

Hi Woody!!

I received your request:) Yay!! You can go and click on my friends or anyone else's to see who they are friends with. If you recognize any names, just click on it and you will get a friend request box. I sent you suggestions of everyone who I know from Gardenweb. There might be a couple you don't recognize, but you will get to know them from their posts:)

Drema