13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

My beds are 100% perennial, while my containers are a combination of annuals/perennials/tropicals. I love moving around my containers & re-doing them just about every spring, but love that my beds, I can move/add if I want to, but if I don't, they'll look better and better every year on their own.

"Does he know how pretty Heuchera, Ligularia 'Britt Marie Crawford, and so many other beautiful color foliage perennials can look so pretty for such a long time in the garden?"

If you're talking about Fred McGourty, then I suspect the answer is yes, as his primary interest has been perennial gardening (and he's written books on the subject).

I've seen them used in large pots with other annuals. Stunning! I didn't know they were edible, though, so I think I'll have to try some. Thanks for the information.

I love Cardoons. On the link is a pic of some I cooked and a recipe.
Remy

Here is a link that might be useful: Remy's Recipes

They are migrating north and east from TX. They are all over TN now except the Smokies. All they really need is a water source and January temps that average above 28 degrees. They are originally from South America, much like the oppossum. Nothing really stopped them so I doubt the 'dillos will be stopped either.

If you can, put up a net fence perimeter somewhere around the beds.

'Dillo range is expanding rapidly into the mid west and mid Atlantic states....even into coastal northern states. So y'all better look out!

April, these animals are considered insectivores but also feed on many other arthropods. Earthworms are a favorite. The 9-banded armadillo, the only species you'll ever see, are famous for digging deep, following a whiff of grub aroma. They also burrow for their nesting and sleeping chambers.

We know that they are notoriously difficult to trap, though I did find some plans for traps on line when doing research for an article a few years back. They are very close to being sightless and sort of need to be guided into a trap. But, then what?

Fences won't work with armadillos. They are powerful diggers and their front claws can quickly destroy the typical trap, let alone fence.

I'm all for trying to repel these animals with one of the predator urine products often used for rodents. Even though these are not rodents, they have a strong sense of smell and a prey driven sense of self preservation. A collegue of mine says that blood meal might work on 'yankee ' armadillos! Seriously, it would be worth a try.

One thing for certain is that you shouldn't be tempted to pour poisons, gasoline, moth balls or other toxic substances into the burrows. Don't do things that could have a lasting effect on your soil.

Let us know what you decide to do. Oh, and look for these critters in the early evening or just before dawn. That's when they'd be spotted by workers on the golf courses.

Thank you all. Denninmi....I think you won the prize. I clicked the photos and that's definitely it. Now what?

Is ironweed worth keeping or should I pull it? The color really is beautiful,

I think ironweed is garden worthy. It's not a heavy reseeder for me but if you want to be sure, just deadhead it after it blooms.
I'm almost certain, if you want it to be shorter next year, you could cut it back and it would still bloom.

I planted "Red jewel" in early June, and it is now beginning to bloom. It's a very deep red with no yellow or orange whatsoever. Its almost so saturated that from across the garden it blends in. It has just popped open a few blooms so I will post pictures next week when it's in full flush. I will say that this cultivar Red jewel is sold as a vibrant fuchsia/hot pink with PURPLE centers, but mine is a dark rich burgundy with handsome brown center which I luckily like a lot. It's been extremely drought resistant for not being an established plant in full sun, especially since I've read they like generous moisture their first year. My helenium is about 3 feet tall and has an attractive compact habit. To encourage rebloom I've been advised to shear back to half stature when blooms are fading.

Wieslaw, thanks so much for that link. I wish some os those cultivarswere available here, but for some reason the selection of Helenium appears to be very limited in the US.

garcan and tupliper, I appreciate the input. Where I was thinking of planting it is in a garden that has a lot of red with blue undertones, no orange at all. Tuliper, I'd be evry curious if you could let me know if you experience the fading that garcan has experienced after a month has passed. If the plant turns orange-y, it would clash with what I currently have planted.

In my NC 7b area, my dianthus have been blooming since we put them in sometime in March and beginning of April...and they are still going very strong, despite our constant 90-100 degree temps. These are the cheap ones from the box stores. They don't seem to require a lot of water, either. I'm thinking of putting in more next year, as they are also very pretty!

rouge 1...I wondered why you were thanking me twice? lol and then I thought maybe there is another cadence on the forum. (lol)

a2zmom. Thank you. I will bookmark that nursery. Again, your roses are magnificent!

why is it potted.. they grew to 4 to 6 feet in MI ... where it is grown as an annual ...

and eventually dropped so much seed.. that it took years to kill them all ...

i hate this plant.. with the heat of a million burning suns.. or this summer.. like adrian mi heat.. lol ...

ken

ps: and it stinks to boot ... literally ....

I have to agree with Ken that it does smell bad, but personally I love the flowers. I normally mulch pretty heavily so I have never had any reseeding until last year when I got three babies this year.

There is a new cultivar which only gets 2-3 feet tall which is perfect in my garden.

Milk thistle and Scotch Thistle are awesome plants.. though you need heavy gloves to handle!

who knew..

back in the day ... i bought from the local mill.. i wonder if mine is real thistle ...

go figure.. learn something new every day ...

sooooo.. where the heck do all these thistle come from.. lol ... and shouldnt it be thith-el????

ken

Thank you for your responses - well, except for yours, Kevin. ;)

I really didn't think it was poison ivy, especially in its young form, but as Eric points out, PI is so variable. I've got lots of trees that look just like Michelle's and I've got PI that is more rounded, PI that is more pointy, and PI that is more like the photos above - sometimes its hard for me to keep them all straight. (I've also got some other 3-leafed weed growing that I will have to post and ask about).

And while I didn't think this was PI, I was still not sure enough to touch it, lol.

I googled hog peanut and it does look similar. Disturbingly, so do some of the images of kudzu. But I don't think that is this far north... yet.... is it?

Thanks everyone. It will still get sprayed with the cider & salt solution, but at least I won't be so nervous to brush up against it!

Dee

Just so you know, American Hog Peanut (Amphicarpaea bracteata) and Hog Peanut (Apios americana) are two separate plants that share a common name and are kind of similar in appearance.

If you just google the term "hog peanut" without the qualifier "American" you generally get links to the wrong one.

If i need 6 hours of sun for a garden spot. I get 4 hrs. from 8:00 to noon. If I get 2 hrs. in late afternoon does that qualify?

Technically, it is 6 or more hours of direct sun, with four of those hours occurring between 10:00AM and 2:00PM (strongest sun of the day). Of course, the sun is stronger the closer to the equator you get, so those farther south get more energy from the sun in the same time as those of us farther north. So, full sun in Maine is not the same as full sun in Florida. Some plants need afternoon shade in Florida but don't in Maine.

Generally speaking, I would discount the sun before 10AM at 1/2 and the sun after 5PM at 1/2, so every hour before 10 or after 5 counts as 1/2 hour of "full sun." I would not count anything within two hours of sunset/sunrise toward the total.

I grow many "full sun" plants in less than full sun conditions because I have no choice. These plants (for the most part) do fine with 4-5 hours of sun from 11AM until 4PM. It comes down to trial and error to really know what works. Places like Home Depot love to distill the requirements down to color-coded tags like 6+ hours=full sun, 3-4 hours=part sun etc., but really it isn't that simple. It does depend on your particular plant.

I have seen light measurement tools for sale for about $30 that will apparently tell you what sun exposure you have. I have no idea if they are accurate. Another thing to consider is that an area could be "half sun" in summer but nearly full shade in winter. So, if your plant flowers (or fruits) in early spring, you have to evaluate the exposure then (when it needs the energy) and not in the summer.

bobby69: I would not consider what you describe to be full sun.