13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

Just wonderful,I will be keeping my eyes out for some of these now

You all have some beautiful coleus! I left mine in the WSing containers and forgot about them.

I had to fix a garden last year that was heavily compacted from having a large tree and it's stump removed. This was midsummer, but I found that tiling with a pitchfork did wonders. That, plus the frost heave from winter, loosened up the soil so I could work it and so that the plants were happy. I did have to replant part of it, but it rebounded nicely.

I'm with the "do your best to wait" camp. If you're out there tromping around in a compacted, mostly dormant garden right now, you're bound to do more harm than good. Try to sit on it, watch for signs, and wait, with as much patience as you can muster.

Blimey Flora, that is a lush specimen of a hebe. I have never even come close (mine always seem to get spindly immediately until I lost heart completely).

campanula - it is growing in 100% home made compost and is clipped over a couple of times a year. It came from the bargain shelf of moribund plants at a local garden centre. It is a bit leggier at the moment and will get a clipping in the spring.

Would you posted your sources for all of the different scutellaria you've found so far?

I've just started collecting skullcaps and I'm having a hard time finding a lot of the varieties.

Thanks

KimKa

Jelitto seeds
Hardyplants in the US
Ebay have a few.

I have amassed quite a few thus far and wanting to add to the collection,I have never had scutellaria incana germinate here
in Australia yet had this little gem germinate and flower from
the water hole in a pot a few weeks ago, wasnt too sure what
it was but I am leaning towards it being scutellaria ovata, it is so pretty.After googling a few the foliage matched a few pics.

I have also got another unnamed scutellaria that I have never been able to id, it is labelled as scutellaria formosana on my flickr which is a synonym for scutellari
javanica which it isnt...

Cheers Annette

Here is a link that might be useful: Scutellaria ovata

I grow a sterile variety, Lambrooke Mauve which, being sterile, does not set seed and flowers continually throughout summer whereas P.caeruleum and P.carneum run to seed quickly (although they respond to deadheading). LM is a rather lovely shade of lilac.

linlily - I harvested seeds from my established Jacob's Ladder this year and will winter sow them to get more plants. I'd like to have a fairly good-sized clump of them for the impact they make in early spring.

The seedpods ripen gradually. I kept a close eye on them & harvested seeds as soon as I found the tiny pods open so I could grow more. My DIL has a nice-size established plant that got me interested in growing them.

One feature I especially like is they need ZERO attention or tending throughout the growing season. Reliably perennial + low-maintenance = my kind of perennial. Swallowtail offers seeds of a white-blooming cultivar.

Thanks everyone.

My mom planted the balloon flowers so I'll need to see if she's okay with me trying to transplant them. Otherwise maybe I'll try a smaller raised bed towards the back where we have open space without any of the perennials that I don't want to risk killing.

Last year I worked the soil open parts of the soil 4-5 inches with a rototiller. Then added compost and top soil and worked that in. Maybe it just wasn't enough, but the soil compacted back down again. I tried some root crops this year but none of them seemed able to grow well in that soil.

I had some success with my raised bramble bed using 1/3 peat, 1/3 top soil, and 1/3 compost. But those like acidic peaty soil.

--The kale BTW will be over by next summer anyway--

It's already 5 years old and a 3' high monster. I had to hack it back a ton earlier this year because it was crowding out the tarragon. I think it's a type of Blue Scotch. Tasty, but grows like mad.

Interesting on the kale, I was curious and googled and saw most varieties are bi-annual. This one is definitely perennial. It was labeled blue scotch, but I have my doubts on that now. It has self-seeded other plants, but the original two were there for five years if not more (I dug up all but this last one to make room last year).

Here are some others I have

Boy, I havenâÂÂt put much thought into Lily of the Valley for years, but now that the topic is open for discussion, hereâÂÂs my limited experience.

In regards to flowers for your wedding, you could always consider buying pips for forcing. I know White Flower used to sell them for that purpose. If you do it correctly, you might be able to more accurately time the blooms for your wedding.
I didnâÂÂt realize there was another new and improved variety on the market. Looks interesting. Years and years ago I did buy a variety named FortinâÂÂs Giant. From a quick Goggle search it looks like it may no longer be widely available. The flowers of that one are HUGE in comparison to the regular garden variety and was probably worth the money. I think at the time a single pip went for something like $10.
Doing a bit of searching, I came across this vendor who has a few interesting varieties.

http://www.cherrycreekdaffodils.com/page9/styled-4/rapidcart-8/index.html

Kevin

If you can get pips for forcing that may be the better option. I'm not 100% certain but somewhere in the recesses of my mind I remember a conversation with a gardener in the Atlanta GA area. He was missing the scent of L O V in spring and bemoaning the fact that he could not keep them alive in his current location due to the heat. You may want to do a little more research. You might be ok, I believe he was zone 8.

You will see yellow pollen on the small green flowers in the centre of the red bracts.

and so many hours after the pollen dries [sometimes at teh same time] .. that being the male part ... the female part will get sticky and that is when you will add the male to the female ...

how about you make the video ... what next.. you want us to come visit ... and do it for you???

and in case you dont know how to use a search engine.. the link gives 20 thousand links on topic ... ;) .. but alas.. no youtube ... whats that all about????

man for a hippie.. you sure know how to kill a happy buzz ... lol

good luck

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

I just thought of something else that might be very useful. A central page as you enter GardenWeb that shows where there is activity in which forums at any given time.

Hi everyone!

You asked and we listened. Today we are very excited to be debuting our newest feature -- post editing! To use this feature, go back to the post you wish to correct and you'll find the link under the 'My Clippings' links on the right side of the page.

I want to give a special shout out to all the testers who tried to break the editing tool. ;) Your feedback was insightful and invaluable. Thank you!

You may have also noticed that we adjusted the login cookie awhile back so that you should not have to login repeatedly.

Stay tuned -- we have more cool things in the works!

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Tamara

I WS'd Prairie Sun it did not germinate. Trying it again this season. I did sow the Cherokee Sunset. I believe Rudbeckias are my favorite flower as of now.

My favorite is still Indian Summer.

Betty

Sorry, noticed it late yesterday so posted it late yesterday figuring someone could still take advantage of it if they saw it in the evening.

Their website is still advertising the sale though. I think they're rather lenient, I've had codes work after a deadline has passed.

The "book" says to cut brunnera down in fall because of the ugly black foliage. I have found my 'Jack Frost' overwinter better if I leave the the black glob til spring.

tj

I'm like you, I like clean gardens that I can enjoy in spring with very little work. The only plants I don't cut down are tree peonies, roses (I trim them in spring after winter-kill is obvious)and spring blooming clematis.
Heather