13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

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?

While anemones are aggressive once established, I found that they can take a while to get established. This bunch is growing rapidly now (in a not very plant-friendly area that is dry and rather shady), but it took at least five to seven years to get that many. Also, while anemones are fairly drought tolerant, I have found that they need water especially just before and during bloom. If they dry out, the blossoms quickly show it.

UPDATE:

I see that Monrovia in the States has the exclusive rights to "Wild Swan". (As well I see it is listed as a zone 6)

Here is a link that might be useful: Monrovia's plant

^I am not angry at them because they are nice people and I know they didn't do it on purpose. I just wish they had given me a chance to cover them. I didn't think it could have done this much damage either, but it did. I am just going to tell them that it did damage and to please let me know the next time they do it so I can cover the plants. I do think that with fall fast approaching, these leaves are going to be on the ground soon enough anyway. Surprisingly, my evergreen Rhododendron has yet to show any signs of damage...tougher leaves, perhaps?

being oct and all.. arent they all close to going dormant in your zone ???

i would just leave it all ... for fear of triggering a late flush.. which would be worse than some simple leaf damage ...

in a month.. or at fall cleanup.. get rid of the leaves ...

ken

Do you have any seed heads left on the plants? Crumble those over the new site when you put the plants in, chances are you will have plenty of seedlings next Spring.

A known plantsman said in one of his lectures - Our nursery no longer ships these, we just tell them the address where they are to go and they find their way there.

Prolific self sower in my garden, and I usually pull the seedlings as the plants develop powdery mildew in my climate...they just keep coming when I haven't grown it intentionally in many years.

If your plants don't make it, look for seedlings where you had originally planted it in Spring, move those while small.

Thanks for the advise everyone! Sorry for the delay in response! I could not move them the other day when I wanted (there is not enough time in the day) but hope to this weekend. Fingers crossed!

Unless you fill every square inch of the bed with plants of various heights, you might still consider a groundcover in bare spots to tie things together.

If you want some height in a perennial for part shade, you could try a variegated Solomon's Seal. The cream & green leaves look smashing next to the dark dense green of arborvitae. The vase-like arching shape of the overall look of VSS is unusual and a nice contrast as well & the dangly cream flowers are nice in early spring, but must be planted up close to be seen.

I have a combo of the Variegated Solomon's Seal, surrounded by Bergenia (Bressingham something or other), fronted by some purple heuchera and an almost totally silver pulmonaria and a painted fern in a similar spot to yours on the northeast corner of my house.

I like to tuck in a deep pink or red impatien here or there after I clean out the area in the spring for some summer color. The bergenia has lots of reddish color in both spring and fall (it gets smashed down by snow in winter in my climate, but always surprises me by popping its big leaves back up early each spring). The Variegated Solomon's Seal can take awhile to mature, but makes a very stately impressive planting in a few years.

Mine are not all planted. Probably would have been a good idea to know where they're all going before buying, but that's never really worked for me. I'm more of a collector than a landscaper/designer.

With the exception of the bamboos which will be potted up and kept in the garage overwinter, things are going right into the ground. I ordered some delospermas... don't know if they're going to make it, but I can gamble at this price.

Plants look exceptional for clearance prices. One wrong plant, but I wouldn't even consider complaining since I love their sales.

I will pot mine up into gallon pots until I figure out where to plant them. I'm a collector for sure and my garden beds are quite full....I could not resist their sale

Well cr*p it cleared up already - so didn't get anywhere near as much rain as I'd hoped. Oh well, at least we got *something*, which is better than nothing...

I was really hoping we all could get a good soaking before everything went dormant for the winter. The trees should could have used it their leaves are turning brown and dropping already. Pat

I've never had a problem with phlox surviving the winter. I've moved it later in the year than this and it came back fine. Digging up established plants and planting them elsewhere is hard on them. Removing them from a pot and giving them a permanent spot is not.

I wouldn't worry about heavy clay with phlox. The problem I have with them in the summer is keeping them watered. They like a lot of water to keep them from drooping in the heat, and clay will help with that.

Deanna

Great to know about the phlox!

For clarification, I am not adding any fertilizer this late besides the compost and the what slow release is in the miracle gro soil.

I am entertained that I have been on this forum this entire growing season and the idea that "compost must be in the beds" has been so ingrained that I did not even consider that it could act as a late fertilizer. Thank you mistascott for the explanations and the link. Very helpful.

Gallica, unfortunately I am in a residential neighborhood (and somehow still have had a groundhog and voles move in) so I have not seen any air predators but I will uncover some of the areas in which the voles seem to be hiding.

Now off to plant these phlox! Thank you everyone!

I'm in Michigan, so not sure what will work for my climate will work in yours - but "Magnus" and "White Swan" are tough, reliable performers for me. :0)

I would stop in or call Heathcote botanical gardens and ask them what they think. It's right there in Ft Pierce and they've got a few perennial beds and a ton of stuff that might be easier to grow than the coneflowers.

But I know what it's like when you get stuck on a plant that might not be the easiest thing for your garden. You might have luck growing it as a fall planted annual... if you can find started plants at that time locally.

Oh and you could also try McKee Bot gardens just up rte 1 in Vero Beach. They might also have some local advice.
Wish I had two botanical gardens within 20 minutes... even if they are small.

Here is a link that might be useful: heathcote bot gardens

if you have an hour to spare.. you might enjoy the ramblings of the hosta peeps ... check out the link ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

I really can't think of anything I do that might be considered out of the ordinary. I might spend a little more time outside, but since I don't really care much about football or baseball what else am I going to do on a weekend afternoon?

This past mother's day the flower from preschool was given to daddy. I think he's on to me.

So I might have a bug huh? Maybe I should try and watch a little football this Saturday? I could invite a couple people over but I'm worried that as soon as things got started word would leak out the colchicums are blooming. Before you know it we'll all miss the kickoff because everyone is out back on their third beer asking what kinds I'm growing, how long they've been flowering, if I ever tried starting them from seed.... you know.

I love the way they look during winter...especially surround by grasses...and the wildlife in your area will greatly appreciate the seeds during winter. Yes, they will both reseed to a degree...but the seedlings are easily pulled up...so I always vote for leaving them standing over the winter.

I leave all the seed heads on and do not cut back any stems. I just let nature take its course.