13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
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?
Aesculus pavia?
CMK
Hi carpathia, I am in Pittsburgh also and doing a hillside. I know the conditions you are dealing with and you will probably not have to terrace it to have plants survive and have a beautiful area.
I did throw all my fall leaves up there every Fall and it made the soil rich and that really helped to make the soil retain even more moisture.
I am using a lot of bushes. I will fill in as I go with some other plants but a large hillside I felt like it needed something more substantial than a bunch of little plants. I am using vinca as the ground cover.
I have so far....
Buddleia
Caryopteris
Cornus Arctic Fire
Hydrangea (hopeful with this because the deer love it)
Physocarpus Coppertina
Sambucus Black Lace
Sambucus Sutherland Gold
Weigela My Monet
Rose of Sharon
Check out Lowes Clearance rack in the back of the store. They have some awesome sales. I picked up a lot of bushes for 3.00 last fall for the hillside.
Hi Marquest, Thank you for the suggestions!! Where did you find the Sambucus Sutherland Gold? That one looks great. My only concern is if it will grow too tall. I may have to stay on top of pruning that one. I did pick up an azalea bush in clearance at Home Depot the other day for 3.50 and put it on the sunnier side of the hillside. Once I put it in, I was also thinking a few more shrubs would look nice. Which Lowes has the clearance in the back? I was at the one in Bridgeville the other day and didn't see it. Also, if you buy the bushes in the Fall do you put them right into the ground or keep them inside until the spring?
I have seen Immacule mentioned as non-flopping another place. Duchesse de Nemours is always mentioned as flopping.
Flame was the first peony ever that I tossed into the garbage bin and slammed the lid down. The whole clump was blooming for 2 days (two, in case you think it was a typo), losing the petals to a slight breeze and 3 drops of rain. Whoever released it on the market should be ashamed and put into the pillory for public view.
I guess it also depends on what you consider "too floppy". I think most peonies will bend somewhat without staking, but I don't mind that at all. I've learned to live with it because I really don't like the look of caged peonies. Yes, those that bend all the way over to the ground are difficult to live with, but a little bending isn't bad.
'Better Times' (on the left) has been a good one for me.
Kevin
Richter's in Ontario has one they call 'Carpet' and list it as M. p. 'Nanum' Would that work for you? They also have one called 'Spice Ball' that appears to be a creeper, but don't give much info on it.
They also have some other pennyroyals. And, they do ship to the U.S.
Here is a link that might be useful: 'Carpet' Pennyroyal at Richter's
For the downspout you can go to Home Depot and get the rusty wire panels that are to reinforce concrete. They are cheap and you can bend around the downspout. Yes, you can buy commercial trellises for this but the DIY way is less than half the cost.
Clematis are not the best vines at gripping their supports. I have them flop down or out all the time especially since Portland is so rainy and windy. They don't tuck in well either because they break off. They climb thin wires better than thicker lattice/trellises. They do climb rebar really well too. I've seen towers made of rebar that they do great on.
888 and woodyoak, so glad you are still posting- how helpful you always are! 888, how does that rusty stuff compare w/ what we have been using- panels of hardware cloth w/ 2" openings- nailed to our wooden fence? is it denser or does it have larger openings?
w oak, def will use that north side idea. i have a new blue clem i'll grow through a philadelphus aurea; great!
i think your point about sheets of flowers is a good one.
linnea, plse look at this and tell me if it looks like your polish spirit!
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/peren/msg0615475621365.html
thx to all of you,
mindy
There are no mutants in tissue culture??? You should definitely post it on the Hosta Forum!!! Where do you think all the distorted plants come from then? Yes, he can travel the world with the money he owns me and millions of other people who've been ripped off. As far as nice persons go: nearly all the serial killers were the sweetest neighbors.
This is actually a bulbous anemone, aka windflower, that typically is planted in fall at the same time other spring blooming bulbs are planted. Once the spring bloom season is over, the foliage does tend to yellow and wither away as the plant goes dormant during the summer months. It should be hardy to -30F but unlike some of the more common spring bulbs (like daffs and crocuses), is not a reliable returner.
Passion vine. Ugh. It's horribly invasive, and I never even saw a flower. I dug it up but too late... new shoots keep popping up, far away from where I originally planted the thing. The roots are under my whole garden.
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!