13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

I've had Sentimental Blue for many, many years and have many, many established clumps of them (makes a beautiful, tidy edger). A few additional another flower heads will pop up here and there post dead-heading, but they are not really considered re-bloomers (at least not reliably). Once the main flush is done, that's pretty much it for the most part, I view any additional flowering as a bonus :0)

When I first bought mine the nursery employee told me that they r picky after transplant and will bloom better the following year (which they did). I think you just have to have patience, in the following years just continue to dead head spent blooms. Mine get prettier every year and continue to bloom when deadheaded.

I believe it probably is Silene armeria unless of course there is another similar Silene species I'm not aware of.

This was something my grandmother grew. Because she allowed everything to self sow wherever they wanted to, she had these by the thousands. To say they are prolific is an understatement.

I had them in my garden for a few years and then decided I didn't like the hot pink flowers. I pulled up every seedling I found, but they kept appearing for years afterwards. The seed heads are like vases. When they are dry, just tip them over and seeds spill out like crazy.

Kevin

I bought the same flower as a seed under the name "Catchfly". I've also seen it called None-So-Pretty. Mine are still flowering at the moment, they were sown this spring.

Am I gonna lose all my P-Cones this year & have to star over? I suppose I can't even save seeds huh? Do I dig to destroy or can I cut to the ground & use round-up on the left cut stems?

As I mentioned in the other thread (w/ the same question) ~ we here are plagued w/ another year of Jap Beetles & although they don't particularly eat P-Cone tops I've found a few on them in transit to their favorite rose blooms.

Appreciate your experience & thoughts!!! TIA

I suppose you could use roundup.. but i would pull the whole plant to make sure you get everything.

The virus is transferred via leaf hoppers... so it's just luck in regards to how far it may have spread to your other coneflowers (rudbeckia or any other asteraceas). I would just keep any eye on the others.

I am seeing asters yellow at every single Lowes and HD in my area with their coneflowers. Even true garden nurseries have plants with it. It is everywhere.. and will only spread more with them selling these plants on.

I found the linked study informative. Their 'Sentimental Blue' got 12 inches tall. Mine are about 10 inches but they tend to lay down a bit, making them appear shorter. Their 'Mariesii' cultivar was disqualified because it was mislabeled. Seems to be a common theme with these.

Here is a link that might be useful: Platycodon Cultivar Comparison

I planted both Sentimental Blue (short) & (tall) Shell Pink 11 years ago ~ I have them every where now as they do seed (if not dead headed).

SB seem to behave differently in the different sites I eventually planted them from seeds. I have one that is enormous (2ft) both in hgt & clump & others stay as low as 8" others even showed up pink balloons along w/ the blues!

Shell Pink, I call Vanessa in honor of an Angel, stayed true to her tall, elegant lady that she is! Has also sprouted seedlings I have shared & planted in other beds.

I'm retired & have the time to dead head, nearly daily (whew) even thru this past wks of ~heat~wave~ they look better w/o the wilted spent blooms!

FWIW!

I would be very suspect about the hardiness of any hebe in zone 6 but more specifically, the two mentioned. These are speciosa hybrids and IME, speciosa is one of the least hardy of any hebe species. You could winter them over in a sunroom or greenhouse but as an evergreen shrub, they will need light regardless of temperature.

FWIW, Strawberries and Cream is assigned a zone 9 rating by at least one North American supplier. Based on my experience with these types of hybrids in my rather mild, maritime zone 8b climate, I'd say that was a very reasonable rating.

Thanks everyone for the great info!!!! I will be potting and overwintering in the house.

You could cut your plant pretty much to the ground as it becomes too tall. Is this plant in the full sun? Have you been over fertilizing? Lantana does best if kept on the lean side.

It receives 6 or 7 hours of sun. The only fertilizer I've used on it is a quick spray to wet the foliage when I'm using MG. Before I read that it prefers to be on the dry side, I watered it often. Could it be too much nitrogen from the MG?

I do not have asters yellow in my plants(at least not that I know of. I have never heard of it before I found this forum). The plant was growing indoors in a pot until recently, so any infection must had happened before I received it.

Again... i would just keep an eye on it for the standard signs just in case. Has it bloomed out any normal flowers yet?

Talking with a few nurseries here that have big aster yellows infected coneflowers, have noted that plugs coming from their growers must be infected when they receive them. It seems to be a horrible issue this year.

I planted Raspberry Wine for the first time in late spring. It has done very well and bloomed. I was just starting to enjoy it and half of it seemed to get knocked over by the sprinkler. Not positive that was the reason, but I noticed it after it had the sprinkler on the bed. Some of the stems were bent in half and would not come up again, so I cut back all those that bent over. Too bad it was just filling in the spot I wanted it for. But, I do like the flower color and size and the plant had healthy looking foliage. There is such a lot of summer and fall still to come, that I am expecting to see new growth at some point. Wednesday, rain is forecast and that is much needed for everything. I expect that next year will be even better.

I've been growing 'Raspberry Wine' since 2005. The only significant problem I've ever encountered was one year my entire stand was decimated by the horsemint moth. (Apparently, everyone in the state had the same problem). Other than that, I've had no real issues. I have found that the bloom period is significantly longer if the plants are kept moist, but they will tolerate drought. I've never had a mildew problem and it's a pretty thick stand at this point.

Here it is, last July:

Yes, and it started growing and flowering very quickly after planting. I don't find it as upright as I would like, but the flowers are pretty and some are even double. We have barely had rain and I try to water the base of the plants in the bed, and it was only twice I used a sprinkler when I didn't have time and they flopped some. I have to wonder how they would look if it rained a lot this year. More flopping? It is it's first year, and I wait to decide whether I love them or not until after a plant is established. So the jury is still out.

prairiemoon2, I know that you intend to give it another year at least but depending on the characteristics you want for a Heliopsis right now I highly recommend 'Tuscan Sun'. Earlier this spring I was looking for a recommendation for a sunflower which is floriferous through the summer but (much) less tall than many other sunflower plants. Someone on GW mentioned this particular Heliopsis. And as I have already written in other threads and will likely write again when the summer is over TS is a bloom machine which even in its first year in a very full sun location has not needed much supplemental water. So *thus far* it is my favourite new plant in my garden (I have planted *5* of them as part of a border).

Mine look the same and cutting them back next week is on my list. I think it has something to do with 90-107 degrees temps for 2 weeks..They were so beautiful last year and before the storm on 6/29, they were looking nice and healthy.
I didn't think the storm hit that bed, it did flatten larkspurs and other coneflowers in another bed. I can't tell if there is mildew or not.

Those plants need water. They are shallow rooted.

If the photo you posted is representative of your problem - you don't have one.

Yes, you started this garden during the worst possible time of the year. Combine that with the drought and heat and yes, you're going to have problems. But I'm sure you realize that.

I would say from what I see, this plants reaction is simply do to stress. Get it through this year, allow it to establish a good root system and you'll probably be in better shape next year.

Kevin

I would bet it's the rabbit spray.