13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

it indicates that you have a non-sand soil ...

and it indicates drought at depth ..

and it indicates you lack proper mulch ....

increase watering .... increase mulch ...

and insure that it is deep thorough watering.. not some pistol grip spraying of the surface ...

ken

The soil here is more clay than sand and alkaline. It hasn't rain in a while. The area is in full sun and there is no mulch.

I have since install a soaker hose and ran it for half an hour to wet the area. I had plan to cover it with compost and then mulch, but ran out of time. It's suppose to rain today, so I suppose I can wait until after the rain to do that.

Paul

Sandy, happy to help. I too have almost an acre of perennials of which many need moist soil. They do fine in a normal summer season when thunderstorms bring soaking rain every few days. Last summer there were no thunderstorms--not a cloud in the sky anywhere in sight. It got pretty weird after three months but then got scary when September was just as parched as June, July & August. I dragged the hose from one end of the garden to the other filling jugs for 2 1/2 hours every evening after work. I have a well so I had to stop and let the pump rest every now and then. Last winter brought eight feet of snow and we've had so much rain I'm finding I have time on my hands this year with no watering to do!!!

Thanks so much for the tips. I have the same problem. Bought some beautiful astilbe, went out of town and forgot to tell someone to water them. They are now crispy. I will hope they will come back sometime, but my big question is - should I trim any of the plant? The large center stem that held the flowering part? Any of the leaves? I ask this because I had 2 totally dried out stephanandra that I put back in the earth "for fun" last year after they looked totally dead, and they are now flourishing - go figure!

Interesting. I have what I acquired as Walkers Low, which I see is listed everywhere as sterile. But though it looks and acts like every Walkers Low I have seen (obviously it is a common plant), mine seeds every year. So obviously either this is not Walkers Low or else mine has reverted (which still means it is not Walkers Low). In any case, I am delighted, because I have tons for my own garden, where it is a terrific groundcover, lots to give away (it transplants easily) and it is very easy to identify in the Spring and weeds very easily.

Another two plants that seed for me that I did not expect are Jack Frost Brunnera and Hamln Pennisetum grass.

Anyway, on the question, with mine I wait until the plant starts looking a bit ratty...spent flowers, sprawling habit, and so on. Actually, the plant itself generally tells me it is ready because as it sprawls one can seen the fresh new growth in the centre. Then I grab handfuls of the loose old growth and cut it all back. This leaves a small clump that quickly fills in. One can do the same thing with lots of different perennials (e.g., Pulmonaria (lungwort), Alchemilla (Lady's Mantle), Penstemon, some hardy geraniums, etc.).

I should add it seeds in a well-mannered way; always very close to the mother plant.

My current favorites are 'Merlot'

and Pow Wow 'Wild Berry'

I admit I am not an coneflower aficionado as I have only 5 different ones in my gardens but as mentioned just above I do like "Wild Berry". So many more stems and thus flowers on these compact plants; much more than the tall gangly coneflowers found so often in nurseries the last few years.

I know they are not being hateful, but boy they are annoying. I have actually attempted to deter them. The pot is layer with pepper flakes, the plants are sprayed with ropel. There are bird seeds in other area of the yard in the form of a bird feeder. The feeder has a baffle, but squirrels do hang around underneath to get spill overs. There's water nearby so they don't really need to eat the lily for water.

Next year, I'll put up some chicken wire.

Paul

Ropel did not work for me. The day after I sprayed the lilies, they were chewed to the ground. What DOES work for keeping squirrels from digging in pots is lava rock. Since I started using this, they walk on top of the pots, but have not dug or chewed a single plant. (I don't grow lilies in pots however) Because squirrels always have their noses to the ground, a layer of lava rock seems to be too scratchy for them.

My neighbor was having the same problem with them digging up her window boxes and since she started using the lava rock - problem solved.

Kevin

Anything balanced would be fine, either a liquid kind like Miracle Grow or a dry granular like 12-12-12. Just be sure to follow the label rates.

Personally, I wouldn't use manure on my vegetable garden. The worry about salmonella and e coli contamination etc has kept me from adding it. And it is often suggested that if you compost it you kill the potential bacteria and that is true, but you have to know what you're doing to produce a 'hot' pile of compost to kill the bacteria. Something I don't do. I use a passive compost pile and let it break down without help over a year and that is a 'cool' pile that wouldn't kill the pathogens.

So I stick to using yard waste. I have a TON of leaves in my yard and neighbors give me theirs, with that and the grass clippings and healthy yard waste, we have a pretty good size pile of compost that is great on the garden. And I sheet compost and make lasagna beds which become very fertile and full of worms pretty quickly.

I grow cover crops every year in my veggie beds after the veggies are done and then turn them in next spring and this adds fertility and organic matter. And I use liquid Seaweed / Fish Emulsion Fertilizer according to package directions. The plants really respond to that.

Sometimes strawberry plants have viruses and there's not a lot you can do. But if you buy from someone who has a good reputation then you should be good. Nourse Farms is supposed to have a good reputation for one.

I can't see why the soil would be a problem at this point after two years. It might be that the plants have been damaged or have a virus. I think I would probably call Nourse Farms and ask them to advice you. They grow a lot of fruit and someone there must have a lot of experience.

Here is a link that might be useful: Manure Safe or Not?

That's what I was wondering--whether it's better to pinch off the aster blooms as if they didn't exist or let them bloom and then hope they start over. I'll probably just have to live with whatever decision the caryopteris is making. : ) Thanks, Sandy.

Many plants seem to be blooming about 2-3 weeks early. The Miss Kim lilac, peonies and Irises are definitely early as they don't usually start blooming until the first week of June.

I gave a lot of the perennials a haircut yesterday, including all the Asters, all the Solidago, Helianthus, a lot of the Phlox, Agastache, Monarda, etc. Sometimes trim off just half the tops, thinking this will extend the bloom season by staggering the blooms. I try to trim the perennials before they are starting to make flower buds.

I usually don't do this until June but they were getting big already!

Any chance you have a groudhog?

nah, I would definitely notice a groundhog. as mentioned previously, we clipped the tips of the plants so they'd grow bushier (like we do every year). could that have exposed it to damaging agents?

Thanks gazania for further info on the Cherries Jubilee. I have not divided enough in my garden and hope to do more this fall. It is so much fun to turn one plant into four!

Alina, a new Copper King, I hope you enjoy it! Look forward to photos.

Alina, the iresine is not an annual in my zone. I grew this one from a 5" cutting, and it's very happy where it is. It has to be cut back a few times in the summer or it will take over the garden. I like colored foliage.

It depends what zone you're from. Here in Denmark zone 7/8 they are all annuals(except Zagreb). It is rare now to see anybody selling them.

Limerock Ruby would give a nice red contrast.

Limerock Dream is more of a peach/pink color. Sweet Marmalade is similar but more peachy.

Route 66 has a reddish center.

I don't think you can go wrong with any of these.

Of course you will post pictures when you get your first blooms.

I hope so. I'm getting impatient. They need to hurry. LOL.

Here's a patch of Marshall's Delight. Notice the deadheads on the upper right are not extremely troublesome.

why o why does my monarda suffer so...i cleaned off and out the yellow dead leaves (several times, have used neem to try and at least slow the disease/fungus. it is not mildew. spots on leaves, turn yellow and dies...help

The name fits perfectly with the flower.

I think they are just adorable. I love your plant, with it's unusual petals and easy movement.

I am always surprised when seeds here yield something I didn't expect. I had an Echinacea volunteer last year that produced a flower that looks like E. Tiki Torch. It has returned nicely and has just started blooming again. Definitely a keeper.

And in another area, I had a Centaurea seedling, again a volunteer some 60 feet away from a Centaurea Alba, that bloomed a lavender purple.

You definitely have a keeper there too.

Linda