13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
That ginger goes completely dormant. I let them dry out, dig them up, and winter them in a plastic grocery bag, with the handles tied loosely, not sealed or it can rot (I overwinter many things this way). It will take up about as much space as a large apple, and requires exactly NO care until spring. I store the bag in an 18 gal. rubbermaid tub with no lid on it. I can fit fifty or sixty large plant rhizomes in that tub in this fashion. Probably too late for your poor plant, but FYI for the future.
maniac, i've had it 2 yrs. not invasive for me; had no idea it was.
best,
mindy
ken,thx much for that note,
for the 1st time in 30 yrs, i actually lost interest in the garden for the past while.hence no posting. go figure.
it's coming back now, but a bit sedated.in the increased heat of july and august, i will not be out ; can't handle it unfortunately. so glad all of you generous and helpful posters are still out there being your good ol' helpful selves! GWers are so lucky to have you!
best,
mindy
www.cottonarboretum.com/
Here is a link that might be useful: cotton-arbo retum
Hand-weeding is how I really get to see how everything is doing - are the roses sending up basal breaks? Do the brown snakes still live under the hydrangeas? How dry is it under the big hostas? Then I bundle up most of the weeds and put them in the compost bin and feel very virtuous.
Because that article dealt only with agricultural crops, I don't know what impact these super weeds might have on we the home gardener. I guess it would be interesting to hear if anyone who uses a lot of Roundup or whatever is seeing some of the same results. Companies like Monsanto kind of drive me crazy, but that's too political for this forum.
I don't mind weeding at all mainly because weeds aren't that big of a problem. It really is true if you stay on top of them, you see less and less as the years go by. Weeding also helps me 'get in the zone' so-to-speak. If I'm having one of those days, where I just don't know what to do first, I start weeding. It calms me down, it centers me, it helps me focus.
Kevin
Yeah, quack grass is the scurge...sure feels good when you can dig up a huge piece that's a foot or two long, though.
I've been digging out golden raspberries from the edge of my flower bed. Years ago, I gave it a spot in my garden because it managed to overwinter in the pot (forgot to plant it). I was rewarding it for its tenacity; little did I know it would overstay its welcome. :)
I guess it's true about the saying, a weed is just a plant growing where it's not wanted.
That's a good point. It's not just what kind of weeds you get, it's the health of them too. I really hate pulling spindly tough weeds, the lush tender ones in good soil seem to be much easier to pull. I'm seeing a little of that as the soil improves but I still have plenty of bad soil areas.
This spring I had lettuce sprouting in a couple flower beds and in the cracks of the driveway. I forgot I let a plant go to seed last year! Also hosta seedlings are all over one of the beds on the side of the house.... I don't consider them weeds since I will try to find homes for them, but they sure are a nicer surprise than say quackgrass.
I have another Excel document that I start annually, and I label it with the year and SPRING. It should really be called Garden Journal, but for some odd reason I started it off with that title and have kept it that way. I just checked and I apparently started it in 2005. That is my most used document. I start it on the first day that I do anything for the next gardening season. For instance, if I make an order for seed in January that is when I start the garden journal for the year and end the previous year. I keep it very simple and use one column for one day and write down any information garden related. I like this format, because it keeps all my information in one place. Orders I make, items in a catalog I am thinking of buying along with photos, what is blooming, any ideas or plans I have, telephone numbers of local nurseries, where I bought mulch that year, to do lists, and on and on. I review the garden at the end of every growing season here. I always record full names, prices and where I purchased plants here first and later it gets added to the Inventory document. So I have a back up of that information. What I like about it again, is that it is searchable and there is one for every growing season.
I keep a master list of everything on my property.
If I am shopping for daylilies I might not want to duplicate cultivars and having a list of what I have handy is the only way I know to keep up as I am OLD and cannot remember anything any more.
I also keep rough sketches (very rough) of every section of the yard with plant names written in as I easily forget which orange is which, etc. and I am a bit OCD about knowing the complete name of everything.
I would love to get a spreadsheet together but for me that is one of those projects you save for when you break your leg.
aka I haven't the time!
the peeps at the link.. know how to edge..
it involves a shovel.. and a lot of work ... the straight edge at the grass line is about 4 inches straight down.. which is basically.. below the roots of the grass..
it should be done once a year.. in spring.. and a little cleanup in fall ...
if you cant find a utube on it.. i would be surprised ....
good luck
ken
Here is a link that might be useful: link
Hi Jan, my wife thinks the grass under the girl statue is called "Ribbon Grass".
As far as the lawn invading the Dianthus, yes, it certainly did. I have to take the full blame. The lawn really did creep in. If I was edging everything, don't think it would have happened. These planting have been in since 2004. We hired a local man last year to "clean it up". Then realized how neglected some it it was. And how nice the design is.
Thanks again for the all help!
..'this area was tilled last year'... A lot of weather has happened since last year. Preparation is never wasted in gardening, as in home decorating. Get the bed right first before you spend money on new plants. And in my opinion that includes deep digging and incorporating organic matter into the whole area (not just the planting holes). It really is such a small space it would take you no time at all to do it really well by hand and give your replacements a great start in life.
So.....I went to look at the Gallardia when I got home....to my amazement one of the two plants actually looked.....better!
Unfortunately some type of animal dug up the other plant for some reason....racoons maybe?
So now I'm curious why the perk up in the one plant? The difference today....no sun, and cooler temps. Very cloudy today and only in the low-mid 70s. Could this be why the plant perked up? I put my finger in the soil up to about my first nuckle, and it felt moist, but not saturated. I think I am going to skip watering tonight.
If the cloudy weather and cooler temps came into play today with perking up the plant....what should I do to keep it going? Should I shade the plants somehow? With what?
Also, the Ajuga soil felt sufficiently moist to me too when I put my finger in the soil. I think I will skip watering tonight on that too. It too seemed more perky....could the cloudiness be helping them too?
I am worried going into later this week though as temps are supposed to hit 94! And it's not even June yet!
How about daylilies? You may not get maximum amount of blooms, but you will get some.
I have 'The Fairy' groundcover roses that only get morning sun. They are in shade by 1:00 or 2:00 and they bloom wonderfully.
Another idea campanula 'Blue Waterfall'. I think it will not mind some shade.
Otherwise, I think your best bet is to focus on foliage. Jacobs Ladder 'Stairway to Heaven' or 'Touch of Class' are traditional shade plants, but I think they should do okay in some sun if the soil is rich and some irrigation takes place. Great foliage. Ditto Heuchera
There is a specific herbicide to kill grasses, called Ortho Grass-Be-Gon. It is safe to overspray on MOST perennials (generally NOT safe on anything succulent or with gray foliage -- there is a list on the bottle of plants to avoid). It works great.
There really isn't an herbicide to spray on broadleaved weeds over regular perennials. You probably could overspray patches of ornamental grasses that are infested with broadleaved weeds with a regular lawn type weedkiller -- probably? Maybe? I don't know, I haven't tried it, but I think it's likely that, if it doesn't harm turf grass, it probably wouldn't harm ornamental grasses. If anyone knows otherwise, please correct me.
Now, if you can CAREFULLY spray or otherwise apply the herbicide to the weeds without contacting the desired plants, that works. Perhaps something like this product would help you?
Here is a link that might be useful: Weedball Herbicide Applicator
I wish! Perhaps I could try to take a picture of one bed in particular. (I have 20 perennial beds). It is a bed of karmina geraniums with grass growing throughout the bed, not just on the edges but within all the geraniums even though they are densely packed. I don't know how it would be possible to spray the grass without affecting the flowers.
Interesting stuff about these excellently pretty flowers, thanks wies. I haven't seen any since moving to AL but am sure I would be lured by their beauty into giving it a shot if I see plant or seed. Not a mail orderer.
delphelf86, (cute name, btw) I have a shelf of various gardening books which I rarely consult except to browse the pretty pics, or to find a quote I want to share. The one that I've gotten the most use of is Botanica's Annuals & Perennials: Over 1,000 pages and over 2,000 plants listed (no author listed) by Laurel Glen publishing. At the time I bought it (1999 I think,) the internet resources were far less numerous and comprehensive than they are now. Since they've also started renaming plants due to genetic research, unfortunately reference books are becoming obsolete.
People refer to The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato Aust as "the bible." Written in a cooler zone but the general bulk of the info is pertinent, a comprehensive overview for beginners. One just needs to adjust the timing to suit the habits of the plants in a different location. I've not found myself with the need or desire to consult this book much after reading it through. Your library should have one and it should be easy to find one if you want to own it. The collection of pictures is excellently informative.
Comprehensive, narrowly-focused books seem to stand the test of time in conjunction with the WWW. I have one about variegate plants that I open often. And one about 'everlasting' flowers.
I used to subscribe to several gardening magazines (and collect others from stores) and didn't think they were worthy of moving at one point. Now I really miss them and realize it doesn't matter how old they are, the pictures are always pretty, inspiring, and most articles are timelessly relevant. They are an awesome resource if you don't throw them away! An easy way to collect pics & info in small monetary increments.
delphelf, if you are looking for a good book, there are always tons of gardening books at the library. A couple of years ago, they started a list of recommended books on the New England Gardening forum, maybe you would see something there that sounds interesting....here's the link....
Here is a link that might be useful: Recommended Gardening Books
Here is a photo from 2009 of the Baptisia in afternoon sun only with a peony ring around the bottom and not high enough up to keep it from flopping somewhat. Just to let you know what you get with the peony ring....
We've had wind in the range of 20-40 mph for 3 continuous days and evenings now. It's been horrible! Today I noticed all my Heuchera which were blooming are tipped completely on their sides - foliage and everything. Had I not staked the Baptisia, I can only imagine what I would be facing.
Kevin