13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

I use the half bricks when my beds have a curved edge. Since the bricks never break exactly straight, I put the widest part on the outside of the curve.

Personally, if I had them, I would do as you mentioned and use in them a rock garden of sorts. Dump them out, throw some soil on them and water it in to fill cracks and crevices, repeat as needed. I think it would be lovely in a sunny corner planted with a patchwork of tiny groundcover sedums.

Huh, and I thought you people were talking about me again.

I feel ya, Jayco. I read "moist, fertile, well drained soil" and, whether full/part sun/shade, I laugh... and cry... at the same time. Whenever I stick a shovel in the ground here its hit or miss... will I be able to dig a deep hole as far as my arms will allow me? Or will I be stopped 6 inches down by what looks like clay but feels like cement. I have to admit... I ignore a lot of what soil types it says to plant things in. Otherwise... I'd have nothing in 75% of my yard...

I would pick a couple favorites to take with you and leave the rest behind. Doing more than that is just creating headaches for yourself. There is nothing more exciting than starting a perennial garden anew -- and you will get blooms the first year. The only way I would attempt a large scale transplant is if you are facing budget constraints.

Certainly did a large scale transplant of perennials myself, when moved. Had to rent a small truck to do it. Did leave the (spring) bulbs. But all the potting up, moving and replanting was done within one growing season.

On the other hand, at least here, it seems pretty easy to keep potted up perennials over winter. I do it yearly with dozens of perennials. Most are potted up by fall, using garden soil, labelled, watered on an ongoing basis, cut back before winter and kept in a place where the pots stay frozen until spring. Perhaps the success depends (as suggested above) on the fact that keeping things frozen, all winter, is easy here.

I also have subsessilis. Love it, as do the hummingbirds and bees. Goldfinches swarm over it for the seeds. It reblooms sporadically if deadheaded. It is tall, about 4 ft. Sturdy, does not flop.

Here is a pic for you taken this summer. It has been with me for 5 years. 3 plants in this spot.

N.sibirica has a running habit. N.clarkei lacks vigour. N. subsessilis is a clumper,has to be watched carefully for selfseeding, the foliage smells unpleasantly for my nose. It is robust for me. Ornamental value is average to below average , the flowers should be bluer in my opinion, and there should be more of them.

The term thistle applies to so many different genera, it's hard to be very precise :-) Common thistles, Cirsium species, are perennials and biennials. Relying only on winter cold to kill off the plant is risky and unreliable. And most species are tap rooted as well, so digging out is a challenge.

The biennial ones spread by seed.
Assuming the frost/winter won't kill that.

Hi Karolina,
my gravel garden is actually just a rectangle about 6m x 8m. I have a few more solid shrubs such as cytisus and cistus, burnet roses and philadelphus, which form a rough outline while the general layout tends to have no real back or front as it is accessible from all sides. So, I just intersperse things such as alchemilla, dianthus, geum chiloense somewhat randomly while the taller perennials are planted in a very haphazard manner - easy to get away with because the overall effect is very light, fluid and transparent. Annual cosmos can work very well in this sort of planting, along with alliums and species tulips earlier in the year.
Mind, my garden has none of the formal harmony of WW's garden but tends to a rather jumbled mingling of flower and foliage which definately benefits from the added backlit sunlight.

Gardenweed has a couple of photos of gaura on this thread. Perhaps she also has some from farther away.

Here is a link that might be useful: full sun combos

YES! That's it! Thank you!!

In my garden it seeds around fairly prolifically, both in the lawn and in the garden, so if you don't want lots more, you might want to carefully clip off the seed heads and dispose of (not in the compost.)

I'm in zone 5b and my lindheimeri "Siskiyou pink" overwinter pretty well. I've lost a few, but any that die can easily be replaced with seedlings. But these should be transplanted young, before the taproot is too large, and you should take a good chunk of ground with them for best success.

This year is the first I've grown the white lindheimeri and I think there are already seedlings coming up.

Mine are grown at the top of and among boulders that form a low retaining wall. The setting is perfect for them, as the flower stalks lean out over the lower garden.

one might call it a scraggly plant that should be replaced by something with more umph ... for a spot that looks like it might be near your front door ... [the lack of rain under the eave???]

throw it out back in some other flower bed.. and make a statement there ...

start a new post.. pull back the pic.. and ask what plant might make a better statement there... IMHO ...

ken

ps: maybe a clematis up that post.. and another plant a foot or two out ....

Description of ranunculus asiaticus (as Aviv mixed appears to be) from Missouri Botanical Gardens, others, suggests these are not winter hardy in your zone. You'd want to wait until Spring to plant.

Here is a link that might be useful: ranunculus asiaticus

Thank You. I will wait till spring. I'm glad I didn't plant them over the weekend.

I overwintered 2 pots of Salvia B&B last winter in the garage. It worked extremely well! I forgot about them and don't remember watering them all winter, regardless, they did fine. I think I watered them when they started to send shoots up in March or so - it was much earlier than they normally would outside.

I would have potted more for the winter, except the voles ate the other three! I bought 3 more this past spring, and when I planted them in the Spring, I put wire cages made out of hardware cloth around the roots. They did great this summer and I'm going to dig up all 5 of them this fall.

I have some in pots that go in the basement. Others I dug and threw in a bag and put in the basement -they came through too. I havent had them overwinter in the ground here in Z6b. Ill try mulching though.

I realize it was only August when you put them in but might you be able to post some pictures?

I tend to be suspicious of the "sterile" adjective. Would love to know whether it really doesn't reseed. Did it produce any babies this season?

wieslaw59 your list of plants is much appreciated just hate that I had to add so many of them to my must have list. Particularly Disporum cantoniense 'Night Heron', Rodgersia (spectacular foliage) there also some great Epimedium ground covers. Just on the other side to the left there is a bed with a small collection of fragrant plants of anemone, astilbe, iris, clematis wilsonii and Ipomoea alba and because of you proabably a fragrant Corydalis.

You managed to include some of my personal favorites as well like Brunnera 'Jack frost,' Polygonatum, clematis and Trillium.

SunnyBorders, your bed looks great I think I'm going to have to get a Iris pallida 'Aureo'

the pinkish red flower is the yarrrow the geranium is directly under the hosta. sorry for the low resolution image and I agree the Cyclamen intaminatum are too way large.

better image

I was assuming the Cyclamen was C hederifolium, but the one you name is even smaller, apparently. The hardy Cyclamen are beautiful things but you need to either have a mass or be prepared to get down to their level to appreciate them. And they have a way of seeding about in places where they are even better hidden.

I'm also wondering about your vertical planter. One side will face NE and the other NW. Does that affect your thinking? And won't it shade the bed am and pm?