13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
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 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
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.
Dee
Outside eating has to be the worst thing right now. Everyone wants to take advantage of the extended, beautiful weather and eat outside, but those flying, torture machines make it nearly impossible.
I got nothing done outside today. I got kind of a late start and by 9:30 am they were flying in my face and landing on my hands, so I had to go inside. By next weekend we should have highs only in the 40's and 50's, so maybe that will slow them down. I just love draining the pond when temps are in the 40's. What a treat!
Kevin
I've been stung twice this year just because they can"t watch were their flying. Also had a first this year. Hubby and I were climbing up our ravine, he made it up but I used my hands and managed to stick them into a yellow jacket nest. Screamed for a hand up. Next word was runnnnnn. Believe me there's nothin pretty about a 60 year old lady ripping off her clothes will streaking towards her house. That nest no longer exists but it hasn't made a dent in their numbers. The nerve trying to kill the gardener that feeds them. How ever I love bumbles their so peaceful.
Same "mistake" I always make - I forget to water. Or, rather - I just don't water. I HATE to water plants, so I tend not to [shrug]. I will water the potted annuals if I notice they're wilting or if I remember it's been a few days and I *should* water them. Come mid-August or so - forget it already.
Got a sprinkler system installed this past spring - money VERY WELL SPENT. The beds finally aren't a crispy mess by August and I don't even have to think about watering - except the potted plants...see above.
I haven't gotten around to planting some plants I purchased in August, and I do consider that a "mistake", although really it is a time issue rather than a mistake. I'm debating planting tomorrow, because this season everything is early, all the way from spring onward, we've even had FROST already in my area. I realize frost won't harm hardy perennials and shrubs, but I'm thinking perhaps the hard freezes and temps cold enough to affect soil temp aren't far off this year - normally I'll plant all through October, and I have planted into November in years past with great sucess, but this year does give me pause. Then again, I should just DO IT already because I do have the time tomorrow; otherwise, it just won't get done because of my schedule then I have haul everything in the garage for the winter. BAH!
as usual, I sow far too many seeds, make far too many divisions and cuttings and end up running myself ragged trying to keep them all alive in various locations around the house, garden, allotment and general neighbourhood. Every year, I swear I will be more circumspect and sometimes I am - I no longer attempt 20 different tomato or potatoe varieties (or remember which has an 'e' at the end), nor do I feel compelled to sow every seed in the packet but still....seeds are my weakness (so cheap, so varied) and I succumb to catalogue descriptions with the gullibility of an infant. The garden becomes a no-go zone with every surface littered with pots of seedlings, all floorspace used up (a complete nightmare in the dark) and any attempt at order or labelling doomed to failure. It does make me generous with passalongs and presents though.
My husband tried to remove our clematis once...I think he got tired of cutting it back every year. He tried digging the roots up, put down lots of "weed killer" of some sort. Don't you know it came back the very next year?!? Lol. My mom is supposed to come and attempt to remove the roots before it gets cold so she can plant them in her backyard(she's planning on using it as privacy for a pool), but I'm almost certain she will leave some behind and we'll never be completely rid of it. It's a pain to cut back(even make me sick last year, too much mildew or something), but so beautiful when it flowers.
You can cut all your clematis back after the first hard freeze (not just a frost or two) without problems if they are currently unkempt and messy. On the normally spring blooming ones it will delay flowering until a bit later than usual. On the ones that normally bloom later in the season on new wood, they should be pruned back every year to just a couple of sets of buds regardless of how they look since it keeps the blossoms from only happening at the top of the plant.
Next summer if you take photos that include the blossoms and leaves and keep track of the time each is blooming and post the photos and info to the clematis forum, you may well get names for some of them. Knowing the time of year each is blooming will help determine how they should be pruned.
What I have there right now is a Persicaria "Painters Palette". It did just fine in this location although I do know it is a very hardy tough plant. But given the other plants down this same side of the house it just didn't look right with its very bold colours and it was too tall. And so I was thinking that the "All Gold" would look better as there is another "All Gold" on the other side of the path....so a bit of symmetry. As Ken said it is only an experiment...no big deal. I will report back next summer!
No, they will get tall even in a small container unless you keep clipping them. With overwintered containers, I always subtract a zone or two in terms of hardiness. Brazilian Verbena probably won't survive a true Zone 6 winter in the ground, let alone in a container. I would hang onto the seeds until Spring.
I have 'September Charm' already and just purchased 'Honorine Jobert,' probably the most famous one of all. I feel like I just can't not have it in my garden. I bought a gallon size so the roots are a little farther along than the quart size which should help it establish before frost with a late-September planting. But, it does appear from the previous posts that these are tough plants.
Agree they are tough. Love mine (Honorine Joubert also plus some bright pink ones that DH constantly weedwhacks and still they return and bloom beautifully). My guess is that yours will be fine-just keep them watered as you would anything until established.
Not that I disagree with any of the discussion. I agree with an 'on site' evaluation. But ... I'm curious if anyone has considered the option of working with what you have and use plant material that prefers moist conditions and wouldn't mind the poor drainage? Not having a spot on my property that is 'moist' I don't have a list of plants but plants grow in marshes, so I assume there are some.
There is a lot about this discussion that strikes me as a bit 'off'. I've been trying to put my finger on it for a couple of days now, and it definitely revolves around the idea of messing with something that may not want to be messed with. It looks like a reasonably steep slope, and it is possible that any of this amending will either destabilize it, or just generally make a mess. For one thing, I'm not convinced that poor drainage is going to be any problem whatsoever for plants actually planted there. Slopes don't tend to be wet. Particularly something that looks like that, I'd expect most of the rainfall to run down the surface.
You might want to spend some time on the Tree forum, and get their views on amending planting holes. It looks like a decent variety of plant life can live there on their own, and I'd be very reluctant to fuss and possibly make the slope unstable.
By "almost immediately," I meant within a couple weeks. I put the seeds down in late June (temps were definitely warmer than 65-70 degrees) and less than a month later I had little babies. To me, that is pretty fast. But I wouldn't sow now in Michigan and expect them to survive winter.
morz is right.. there is NOT enough time to germ and grow enough before winter.. we had two frosts this week ... which means a freeze is not far behind.. probably before germination would happen ...
and they are NOT houseplants .. or at least wont be easy as such ... unless you have a light stand.. greenhouse ... perfect humidity .. etc ..
but my key is always along the lines ... presuming you have a volume of seed.
mark an area.. scratch a few into mother earth .. and mark the spot so you remember next spring [thats a big key.. lol .. nothing like remembering what you did.. a day or two after you weeded them out.. lol ..] ...
put a few in a pot.. and put it in the garage.. keep it moist all winter.. just put an ice cube on it once a month or so ... after the ground freezes ...
and try a couple in a pot indoors..
cover all your options ... experiment ...and learn ...
there is no real need to figure out the one true way ...
ken
Ken, that is not a very large tree :-) Check the scale - it's growing in a bed of heather. The photo shows one about 3' tall at the most. FWIW, this is a dwarf conifer and only gets around 8' tall, maybe as much as 15' over a very long period of time. It is commonly sold in quite small starter sizes (quart size pots) for this exact purpose of container planting. And grown in a container it would take even longer (and with routine potting up) to ever achieve that projected mature size.
It may be different in your neck of the woods but growing plants in containers - ALL kinds of plants - is a very common practice here. There are some who devote an entire business practice to container design.....and not just seasonal container design. Maybe it has to do with our rather urban setting and the fact that many folks don't have any land......or very much land.......in which to plant directly. Lots of condos, townhomes, zero lot line houses and even floating homes, all of which make inground gardening difficult, if not impossible.
And contrary to what you might think - these plants thrive for many years under these conditions. I grow my entire collection of both conifers and Japanese maples in containers and have done so for years. The only consideration for long term container growth for any kind of hardy plant in my and cadence's location is the quality of the potting soil and attention to watering and routine fertilization. And the need for some rather infrequent root pruning.
Expand your outlook and broaden your horizons :-) Not everyone gardens in acres of sandy Michigan prairie!!
but gal.. all i was trying to tell her.. was that her little urns.. arent going to hold an 8 foot tree ...
then you said: It is commonly sold in quite small starter sizes (quart size pots) for this exact purpose of container planting
and i admitted i suspected such ...
and no.. i have no real interest in learning .. in depth about pots ... they are a PITB up here.. winter storage and all.. all the power to those who like the challenge .. i am just not up for it ...
anyway.. GO VERTICAL ... and enjoy whatever comes of it all ...
ken
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