13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
Thanks, purple! I will let it be for now. I have decided columbine is bordering weed for me. After trying to control it in a smaller box (half of 7 or so feet by 2 or so feet), I pulled it all out today. I put it on top of my dog's grave (who died 5 years ago today)...I hope it likes it there, so it can be free!
I think I will give it a good drink of water today and see. I've never had issues with this plant in the 5 years it's been in the same spot. We've had a dry spring with major temp. fluctuations. - 80's in March and 40's in May. It's in dry sandy soil and I do water it, but maybe it needs more. It's in partial shade, but it's been there for several years. I might check to see if there is something going on with the stems that I can't see from the surface.
wiselaw wrote:
Plants Nouveau advertises a new selection called Freya, which is supposed to be non-invasive, but personally I do not believe in such things before I see them with my own eyes.
FWIW I have recently planted a front border this spring alternating between "Freya" and "Gaillardia Arizona Apricot". I actually made contact with the developer of this plant and he stated quite clearly that it was a compact non spreader.
Of course Campanula does not necessarily equate to 'spreader'. I have the Campanula "Summertime Blues" and it plays very nice with others around it. I am sure there are lots of other examples.
Thank you, everyone. I'm not sure what to do with the plants. They're in small pots, and I didn't spend that much money on them, but I hate to toss such healthy-looking plants. However, I've already had to deal with goutweed, wild violets, and scilla, and I don't really need another invasive plant. Even if they aren't that invasive where I plant them, I hate to waste precious space on something that will look shabby after it finishes blooming.
I swear these plants have gotten bigger in their pots since I bought them five days ago. That might be a bad sign.
I've lived in Houston, TX; Nashville, TN; Orlando, FL; Los Angeles, Fresno and now Sonoma county, California, and I'd definitely prefer any California climate over anything in the SE. I used to be very interested in tropicals, but got over that after a bad freeze in Orlando wiped out practically my entire garden. It's weird, temps in Orlando that would wipe out a lot of plants (like Citrus) can happen in California and they are untouched. I think it has to do with the gradual cooldown typical in California compared to the SE, where weather fluctuates too much.
The weather here is the best I've ever had, overall, for growing plants, though I'd prefer it rained a bit more and stayed cooler (our nights are cool, but some days get warmer than I like). I think around Eureka and Ferndale might be closer to what I'd like.
I never want to live in a hot humid climate again, summers are just too miserable, and none of the perennials I like survive there.
--Ron
I am curious as to whether or not you moved somewhere. I too commuted once to NYCX, where I worked 5 years. I went back to Ky, about 120 miles north of the Asheville area that manyh of these people recommend. I like Ky. a little beter than NC because, when I lived in NC, it sometimes got unbelievably humid. In Ky., there is a temperate zone -- it is compared to San Francisco sometimes. Land costs tens times more around Asheville, and it is more biodiverse n the woods here. Just not as muh culture.
If I meet the right friend(s), I would share land with them. I am trying to farm more than I can handle.
I agree, Liriope spicata 'Silver Dragon' (formerly, Ophiopogen spicatus).
It has a tendency to spread more than it's variegated cousins. In my garden (mod moisture, rich well-drained soil, full-sun/part-shade) I found it sent out runners that popped up 1 to 1.5 feet from the main plant.
the link, which I lifted from an earlier epi. post, is
http://home.earthlink.net/~darrellpro/
I think that email address listed must get to the new owner, as well. She worked with Darrell for years, and clearly has some sort of on going arrangement.
idabean
I will include another great epimedium source - Naylor Creek Nursery here in WA state. A superior shade plant mail order source (very highly rated by the "Other Place") with an excellent selection of some pretty uncommon epis as well as a full selection of the standbys. And a whole bunch of other neat shade stuff!!
Here is a link that might be useful: Naylor Creek Nursery
Ruby Glow should stay put without worry. It is not the most robust euphorb I've grown (IME, the darker the foliage, the less hardy the plant) and doesn't seem to produce any stoloniferous growth. Robbiea, on the otherhand, spreads aggressively via stolons, especially in better soil and plenty of irrigation and is often sold as an evergreen groundcover for difficult situations. There is some thought that robbiea is a distinct species of its own, since its growth habit is markedly different from other amygdaloides selections.
weeeeellll! It is a funny blue. Hard to describe - it has slatey overtones and looks slightly grubby. I dunno - if you are addicted to novelty, it is rather extraordinary...but it does not look like a particularly vigorous plant (but I am finding that quite a few of the recently hybridised verbascums are a bit puny). At the moment, I am content to wait a bit and see how well they perform over time (and get a bit cheaper too as it absolutely needs to be grown in generous drifts - it is not a penetrating colour). There are better blue spikes out there.
I bought 2 candytufts in July last year well after they would have flowered. It was clear from their growth that by August they were well established in my garden but were looking kind of 'ratty'. At that point I trimmed them severely and now this their first full year in my garden they are doing superbly i.e well over 2 feet across and covered in blooms for now over a month.
Here is picture of one plant 3 weeks ago.
(Since the time of this picture it has had more and fuller blooms...a mass of white now. I am impressed with Candytuft in that it blooms for at least 5 weeks starting in April for my location and seems to be a pretty tough plant).
I've sheared mine for years with no problems. They do get ratty if you don't.