13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
I am in north of Chicago so it is colder here. I do most of my new planting, dividing, moving of perennials in early to mid September. For several years, I also put new divisions of the plants in my IL house to our 2nd house in Michigan (also zone 5a). Except 1 shasta daisy, I have not had any plants die on me. For me, September is the best time to plant. Only need to water a few times, then plant settles in for the winter. I do not do any extra mulching or winterizing.
Hostas are amazingly easy and robust plants. I planted a couple hostas my neighbor gave me as divisions mid of October last year, watered it once, then rabbits ate the leaves a few days later. But they came out this year as nice and big hostas.
So plant them now in your zone. put regular amount of mulch. You will be fine.
This is a shrubby Potentilla, rather than herbaceous. By trimming, it just means going over the bush with the garden shears removing the dead flowers. It is true that it's sometimes tricky as it keep on flowering. But you can sacrifice a few flowers for the sake of a better show later.
Lespedeza.
It looks like a member of the pea family (from the blooms and the leaf pattersn). Here are some differnt types. I recall it blooming it early spring.
Here is a link that might be useful: google images of lespedeza
Bumblebeez, I'm not that lucky to have neighbours who are interested in gardening. I'm surrounded by 8 neighbours, of which 5 have nothing other than lawns and hedges(of those 4 have giant lawns , it takes a lot of time to mow them, usually when I'm trying to sleep). The neighbors across the street have moved and the house was bought by their grandson who works in Norway, so he's never home. The ones from the south-west are behind a very tall hedge, so they cannot see anything. The last one can see my garden, and the woman has bought some plants from me. But there are some passers-by who stop and watch from the street.
feh, my spelling is dodgy enough without worrying about obscure diacriticals and so on. I am not often a called upon to actually write down the botanical latin nomenclature (and when I speak, I often use a vague mumble to cover up my uncertain memory of the EXACT terminology. Course, there are plenty of pedants (have been there myself, but not spellingwise) on GW.
Little Carlow - had it, composted it - boring (and I also got fed up with the same trio of TV gardeners waffling on and on as though this was the ONLY cultivar of asters in the universe (Carole Klein,Monty Don et al, hang your head in unoriginal shame).
Campanula, I get the point about pedantry, though there is certainly a problem with the horticulture industry promoting selling names at the expense of cultivar names.
I'm not familiar with the "authorities?!" you mentioned, but I am suspicious of "TV (or newspaper/magazine) gardeners". They're often journalists who haven't done/tried the gardening themselves.
Give me the advice of a gardener, over a (garden) journalist, any time!
The second picture looks to me like Cyclamen hederifolium, a hardy outdoor Cyclamen - it even appears to have a seed pod. It should be planted outside in a shady position. It flowers at this time of year without leaves. They will follow next year. Not the same type as your first picture. The picture is of some in my garden.
Indoor Cyclamen need lots of light, but not hot sun,and as cool a temperature as you can obtain inside, cooler even than African Violets. As ken says, you might as well just cut your losses unless you enjoy a challenge. I have indoor Cyclamen which come back each year. At the moment they are out in the garden and just starting to leaf out. I'll bring them into a glazed porch before we get a frost. I never put them in the actual house.
ah yes, conifers. In the UK, they have been on the end of awful press since their heydays in the 1970s. We have been fighting a rearguard action to get them back into garden landscapes. What goes around comes around so any day now, we will be back in the vanguard of fashion.
Ken, I just looked back at your pictures from inspiration. They are really impressive. Such beauty!
buyorsell888, "evergreens in the back and deciduous in front to provide color in spring and fall" -- what a simple comment but so incredibly helpful to this newbie. I want an oakleaf hydrangea somewhere on the property but I need to focus on your comment. Perhaps mountain laurel as the evergreen...hmm. Need to go back to large nursery outside D.C.
When I grew Nike in a pot, I watered with aluminum sulphate 3 times a year.1/3 cup to a gallon of water. Now I'm growing in the ground and can't seem to get the right amount on to get blue flowers. I have extremely alkaline soil-around an 8. I put sulphur on every fall, and the other in spring. We also have alkaline water.
It is virtually impossible to make substanial or permanent changes to soil pH. Soils have a tendency to buffer against these changes and so will eventually return to existing pH. And sooner rather than later.
If you have alkaline soil you will always have issues attempting to get any kind of Hydrangea macrophylla blue. Combine that with alkaline water and you are facing a losing battle! Under these conditions, it would be best to grow your macrophylla in a container or raised bed/planter where you can more easily modify the soil chemistry and monitor it. And be sure to acidify your irrigation water as well - a couple of tablespoons of household vinegar in the watering can will do. Or use the aluminum sulfate.
Do a Search here on the GardenWeb for...the toothpick technique. I have over the years done a few postings about this little known propagating method which should be done now, in September-October. It is easy. Works well. May be the only method that does work on difficult to root plants/shrubs/trees. I first learned of it from several top horticulturists at the Arnold Arboretum back in the 1970's who developed the idea and then just decided not to publicize it for whatever reasons. Since my first posting here on GW about The Toothpick Technique I have received numerous 'thank you's' from propagators across the country and England. Check it out.
Here it is - link below
Sounds interesting, but caryopteris are kind of known for being really easy to root.
Here is a link that might be useful: toothpick technique
The Prairie Splendor I bought is shorter and has nicer flowers than the purpurea in my garden. As others have said there is variation in Prairie Splendor since it is seed grown so pick the best ones you can find.
Re 'Sundown' (above) and what was said previously about the Big Sky Series:
The 'Sundown' I planted in flower, in 2009, now "blooms" with no petals at all on roundish cones. It's time for it to go, but I'm going to try to keep it in a pot as a curio.
I gather the problem is inherent to this (interspecific) hybrid series. Big Sky cultivars are destined to lose their looks over time. Another mean trick played on we gardeners!