13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
Before I planted some from seed last year, I had heard about the problems they have with rust. Since last year's plants showed no sign of the disease, I thought I was home free. I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing it was the terribly rainy, humid weather, we've been having. I will keep on spraying, but am not adverse to cutting the monster down. I don't know what I'll do about the soil. I am not moving it, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see!! It's such an ugly disease!!
my first thought was that you did not start the season by pruning them to one or two buds very close to the ground ...
in spring.. once buds start swelling.. so you know which are alive ... i would have cut them back ...
then.. there seems to be a lot of bare stalks.. and i am wondering if you missed some bug a month or so back ...
and since they need to be cutback multiple times during the year.. you might want to go whack them down to about 2 inches.. especially since you have so many ...
if it were me.. i would take an end one.. today.. and just cut it back.. and give it a week to see what happens..
if it rebuds vigorously.. in the next week or two.. i would finish the job ...
if not.. then report back.. and i will dream up some other remedy.. lol ...
also.. was the lawn sprayed with herbicide???
and were there any weird frosts or freezes.. because the under-canopy of dead hanging leaves bothers me ... but if i prune it back.. they will be gone ...
ken
Ken...thanks for the info.
I've officially cut the scraggly mums down to about two inches. Hopefully they'll come back out. If I recall correctly, my weed man came and sprayed the lawn for weeds about 2 weeks ago (and maybe even put a pesticide on some of the shrubs?). That being said, these random mums have been looking sickly for over a month now. Other mums in this 'hedge of 30' look just fine. Not sure what is up with the sick ones. We'll see if my hack job will result in them coming back out. If not...I'll be asking for more advice.
In my opinion 'non-flopping' is not debatable or open for interpretation. It means that it is taken into account that there is rain and wind in nature and they also can come at the same time. Non-flopping means that the plant can remain standing position after rain and wind in 'average version', nobody would demand from a plant to remain standing in the tornado or a flood. If a plant can't stand on its own it's called 'may need staking' or 'requires staking'.
What makes me wonder while I'm reading English/American catalogues what do they exactly mean when they write the words 'sturdy stems'. When I translate it with google it makes no sense. What can I use 'sturdy stems' for in a peony that is laying on the ground after the first rain?
When I use the term non-flopping I mean non-flopping.
(does not assume permanent laying position)
pbl_ge, I also purchased the Snowbanks from Bluestone last year (when they still sold them in sets of 3). I bought two sets of 3. I pinched maybe 3-4 times before July 4th and by the fall the plants were beautiful, about 4 feet tall, very full and impressive. I also particularly like the foliage on the plant as it grows. The plant is airy and "branchy" (if that is even a word) and with the light blue/green color definitely sticks out in the perennial bed. And in terms of flopping, mine only flopped after we got hit with Hurricane Irene (and that was more from the wind then the rain), but they even recovered from that. I think growing them close together helps them support each other as someone else mentioned above.
What I would be careful of though is your placement. Man does this plant spread rapidly. This spring I had to divide up both my Boltonia and my Woods Blue Aster I also bought from Bluestone last year.
6 Boltonia plants last year -> ~easily 30+ multi stem plants this year (all doing great after the move). I had to move them all over the yard, even made a long hedge since I was out of space. I am guessing next year I will be begging people to take some of them from my yard.
Same thing with my Woods Blue. 3 plants last year -> 27 plants this year. Again all doing well and filling in nicely.
Good luck!
I'm wondering if perhaps the "trailing carnations" description from Allwoods might simply be a marketing term. I have grown several dianthus varieties and a couple of them can be described as "trailing" simply because they have a tendency to flop and sprawl in a bed. There are others that have a more upright growth habit.
One variety I'm growing that trails is a pink Dianthus superbus. It's a very frilly flower that has a wonderful scent to it. I purchased the seeds from eBay and they germinated right away for me.
I didn't buy it, it's old and was here when we bought the Cottage, but Japanese Quince. UGH, it spreads EVERYWHERE within like 10 feet, includng my flower beds. I'm cutting suckers weekly and barely keep up with it. And to top it off, it has thorns. Sure, it's pretty in the spring, but it needs landscape curbing or something to contain the darn thing.
I'm also not so in love with the wild rose that we inherited, it's messy and isn't a rebloomer. But it was already here, so I'm trying to work with it. At least it's not as thorny as my Rugosa!
I am wondering why I brought home the Anenomes, they get completely lost in the garden because they are so small-you have to be right up to it to really see them.
I probably shouldn't have gotten the pee gee hydrangea either, since it really doesn't fit in where it is and I don't have anywhere else to put it (although this particular plant was a freebie so at least I didn't waste plant $$ on it).
I also could probably knock off adding more columbines...and I'm not completely sold on the peonies (they didn't bloom thsi year though so I'll reserve my thoughts on them until after next year).
I am happy with my knockout rose, I needed some color in that bed. I wish my Queen O The Lakes would bloom like it!
What about Honeysuckles? The lady at the nursery was trying to steer me maybe towards those. She said they should stay contained to the trellis. She warned me against trumpet vine though.
So was she right about honeysuckle? I can't have anything that will vine on the ground and takeover the Ajuga I'm trying to establish. I just want to cover that wall section in the back which is about 6ft wide and 6 ft tall.
If I could go with honeysuckle, which variety is best for what I want to do?
I've been thinking about this for days now.
If it was my place, I'd seal and paint or stain the sides of those steps a neutral color or match the siding of the house.
Then I'd plant a big old evergreen shrub there. You won't even see/notice the sides of the steps and will only have to prune or shape the shrub once or maybe twice a year.
Not being familiar with your area I have no shrub recommendations. Perhaps someone else might?
Hi nutmeg, see pics on link. Vitex/Chaste Tree was recently in bloom here and I snapped pics with my camera phone, sometimes a bit fuzzy, of vitex in bloom at different locations around town. It is used here in both residential and commercial landscaping, just as crêpe myrtle trees are used. In full bloom vitex is a favorite of mine to stop and admire.
It's a tree here, but a bush for you it seems as your cold winter will make it die back - die back at the very least!
Click "Next" to see all 5 pics
GW thread on vitex with happy ending, came back this yr for poster in z5 Ohio
That's a common plant where I live now but I don't remember ever seeing one when I lived in 5b (central OH.) Glad to hear some people are making it work! Beautiful shrub!