13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
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.
If I could only have one plant, it would be my salvia greggii "navajo". It blooms all summer with successive shearing, is a butterfly and hummingbird magnet, is fragrant, drought tolerant and mostly evergreen in my zone. I received this plant from a trader on the plant exchange several years ago. Since then I have rooted it successfully several times to increase its presence in my garden and to share with other gardeners.
I'm thrilled with whatever is growing well this year. That seems to change from one year to the next. When you say 'Favorite' that seems a little different to me than 'Best'. Only because sometimes my favorites don't grow as well as I would like and my best plants are those that do grow the best with the least amount of attention and fuss. I can't imagine narrowing it down to a single plant. I love so many, but these plants are the most dependable performers for me that I enjoy very much.
Right now, it would be Dicentra the pink, but especially the white. And I love it paired with Lunaria which blooms at the same time. Those come back every year and get bigger and better and look lovely together and NO fuss at all. Then they disappear into the background while others start blooming.
I love Japanese Painted ferns with Epimediums. Easy, dependable, lovely together and I don't seem to feel I ever can have too many. And after the Epimedium bloom, the pair looks great all the rest of the season.
Later in the summer, Perovskia, Pennisetum 'Hamelin', and Echinacea are three of my favorites that really perform again without attention and they also look good all season.
If it's shaded by a maple, I am surprise that it's moist. Perhaps because it's raised. How dim is the shade?
How long did you give for the hosta to be established. Small hostas are very slow growing and may take a while. You mentioned slugs, what's causing the current plant to fail?
Paul
I have those, they're pretty trouble-free and easy to grow. Bulbs of the common species are available in the fall from the larger bulb vendors, such as Van Engelen.
http://vanengelen.com/catview.cgi?_fn=Product&_category=Best:Camassia
Here is a link that might be useful: You can eat them, too:
Ah yes, some plants are such fleeting beauties - Peonies, Amelanchier, Filipendula, my Miss Kim lilac (SPECTACULAR and fragrant blooms for like 2.5 days), etc. I solve this problem by planting so many flowering things in succession that that there is always something to enjoy! :)
And I agree with Ken, that plant is spectacular! Ken your post is rare form...I have an image of your tree peony floating down the river in a basket like Moses and being rescued Mxk3.
Ok - I agree that my tree peony is pretty spectacular right now, and we haven't had a storm to take it down this year. And it does look healthy all year and demands absolutely no care except a bit of pruning of some of the old woody branches. I've had it since about 1980, so I guess I take it a bit for granted. Thanks for the new perspectives. But I'm using my space for hostas these days, so I'm not planning any more - not even Ken's free one!
Jan
Obviously, dmoore' is trying to figure out why they're not flowering or not yet showing signs that they will flower.
Could you please provide more information? How long ago did the foliage emerge? Have they flowered in the past? What kind of soil/sun/moisture conditions are they planted in?
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.