13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
I have a small garden and very limited space, but I also got four more Itoh Peonies last fall - will have to get rid of some regular Peonies to squeeze Itoh. They are perfect landscaping plants.
I have Peonies blooming for more than 2 months in my garden. Tree Peonies bloom in April, herbaceous in May and early June, and Itoh fill the gap between herbaceous and TP. They also completely deer proof. Love them.
mxk3,
How old is your white one? Can't wait till mine will be that big :)
Take the plant out of the pot and see the roots. If they are rotten, the plant will die. Overwatering can be one thing. Another can be a strong sunshine on the pot(usually roots do not like to be baked or boiled). Third thing- there is a fungus that causes wilt in Shasta daisies, but I have forgotten its name.
I assume you are talking about Rudbeckia hirta seeds? No, it's not too late. I have winter-sown these and they are hardy seedlings and sprout fairly early. I plant them out in May and usually have blooms by mid-July or so. You will probably get blooms later in the season instead. Also, some may act like a biennial and will likely over-winter and give you a good show next year. They like good drainage, and will tolerate some drought, but since this is a bird bath garden, it's easy to give them a shot of water when you're changing the water in the bird bath.
Just a note about bird baths (I am an avid backyard birder) - if you have cats or hawks that frequent your yard, bird baths need to be out in the open, where the birds are able to keep a good eye on predators that may be soaring or crouching behind a perennial. They also need some cover nearby to dash into in case a hawk attacks - a dense shrub is good.
Yeah they are rudbeckia hirta seeds. Actually they are from last year and I dont really know how long the seeds stay good but I will give them a try. I have been hardening off the coneflower seedlings for over a week now so they should be ready to go I believe.
The birdbath is also out in the open with plenty off nearby cover. That being said, I still still see Copper's Hawks trolling my yard from time to time.
Thanks for the advice!
Tree Peonies are more shade tolerant than herbaceous Peonies. The blooming is not as prolific as on a full sun spot, but the flowers stay longer.
That being said, shade is not the main problem. Planting under trees means root competition, so lots of plants will not be able to get their full potential. Planting under black walnuts is even more restricted - black walnuts are poisonous and not many plants will tolerate this. Definitely a bad idea.
Here is an Artical about Black Walnuts.
Not necessarily a bad idea. If you are willing to water them, peonies are on the list of plants that can tolerate juglone. I don't know if peony and tree people are interchangeable in that regard. But that toxin is what one must consider when trying to grow anything near a walnut tree. There are a lot of other things to consider also, which would be factors when considering planting under any tree, such as increased shade as the tree grows larger, and whether or not you can find a place to dig where the roots don't make it impossible.
Anytime, up to mid-July sounds about right. As an aside, I used to take my cuttings when I pruned and dip them in rooting hormone, and keep under lights and mist regularly...now I literally poke into the soil somewhere in my garden with my finger, put in the cutting, firm around it and water. About 75% of the time, I have a new plant. This gets harder as it gets hotter, of course, but even then some temporary shade and watching to ensure they don't dry out for a couple of weeks and still almost always a new plant.
Thank you all for your responses. The day I posted the question to you guys, I had just sprayed the bed with Bayer Advanced because just about everything in it was being devoured by baby grasshoppers. After some comments on the oil, I decided to skip that, as the plants that have these things are still young and small. I had also emailed my county extension office and he recommended using malathion. He said they looked like scales to him. I bought some malathion but have not used it yet, as it is my understanding that if they are scales and past the "crawling" stage that chemical treatment will not work anyways, am I correct? I will try the experiment suggested about trying to root a cutting of the monarda. The root thing does kind of make sense to me because some of the ones lower on the plant do look longer and sort of like roots. But the ones on the top, are just bumps like in the picture.
Yes, weed killers have been used in the immediate area. My husband is fighting a long battle with lawn weeds this year. We live in a neighborhood where many people grow weeds in their front yard for the pretty flowers (so they don't have to buy any at Lowe's) and are too lazy to mow and our HOA's sole purpose is to be loved, respected, and appreciated by most. So all those weed seeds continuously blow into our yard. The bed where the monardas and lilies does not get "treated" for weeds but it is in our front lawn so it is possible they did get some of the weed killer in them. None of those plants seem to be dying, though, they are still very green. They just refuse to "grow". My volunteer petunias and basil (re-seeded from last year's) seem to be growing just fine with no bumps, as are the daylilies, salvia, and various other herbs.
Hormone weedkillers (the kind used on lawns) can cause all sorts of distortions short of death including the formation of adventitious roots. With your further information I suspect the weedkiller is the culprit and jeanne001a was right all along. Read the para under 'Symptoms' at the link.
Here is a link that might be useful: Weedkiller effects
This is a year of surprises for sure. My Mums are blooming. Still getting used to gardening in the south, but I'm pretty sure it was well into June when they started last year. I don't like to be too dictatorial to my plants, more of a caring observer, just enjoying the show. Pass the popcorn!
Mums can be affected by weird weather. Last year my mums were fully budded in June. I contacted the grower and they told me to cut them back hard - don't just pinch the buds off. Did that and they bloomed when they were suppose to - in autumn. I don't like plants blooming out of season. It messes with my head.
Kevin
Congratulations, I have never had that happen, despite always leaving the plants intact over the winter. I guess it is a question of how much effort it would be? If you have the space to let them grow to flowering size where they are, and you could use more mums, it would at the least be a fun experiment.
I'd like to hear about these extremely aggressive, even in zone 4, bamboos, please.
Years ago, I decided that it made no sense to worry about both a plant overrunning everything, and the same plant dying out. With bamboo, my experience has been the only side worth worrying about is the dying out side. Between the lawnmower and the climate, the poor thing barely stands a chance. Even after this winter, it looks like it was hit with a blowtorch.
I tried coreopsis 'Star Cluster' last year. It is among the "Big Bang" series, but this one is much shorter than 'Redshift' (which I also have). The 'Star Cluster' plants were tiny last year, but bloomed all summer long (zone 7b) until frost. The height was just under 2 feet and it is hardy to zone 5.
This year, the foliage tripled in width! These plants are the hardiest coreopsis that I've seen. Mine are planted in good soil in my cottage garden, but didn't flop last year.
The yellow is pale, not gold and it develops the burgundy "eye" as the weather cools. I have that first grouping planted with salvia 'Victoria Blue' and echinacea 'Pow Wow Wild Berry'.
I added another grouping with eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy' to echo the eye color and that group is backed by penstemon 'Husker's Red' with more echinacea to one side that is backed by monarda 'Raspberry Wine'.
Cameron
Cameron,
That combination sounds wonderful. You seem to have a knack to know what to put together. When the right plants share the same space, everything just pops! I am interested in the Big Bang series of coreopsis for myself, and I appreciate the feedback about the one that you tried.
I can report success - my friend called me from a gardening center today and when I told her about the Gaillardia, she was able to find some and she loved the blooms. They sound like they may be the regular Blanket Flower, and are nice, big hefty blooming plants. I know she is going to like these. Thank all of you for your help.
Linda
Nice suggestions folks!
Not sure what direction I really want to go. All I know is it has to be something that offers a different texture than the mini conifers.
Eitherway the three of you offered some nice suggestions worth considering.
Any particular mounding sedum with good purple foilage?
Calamintha nepeta 'Montrose White' is another one I just thought of.
How about any dwarf grasses that offer attractive plumes and or fall color?
You're right so many choices!
Yes, I love Delosperma, but haven't tried it in years...
Well Kevin, this is the spring/summer to try again. It seems every nursery is (over)hyping this new entry 'Fire Spinner':
Here is a link that might be useful: FIRE SPINNER
I really don't know what to tell you, but I appreciate your question. I am getting all kinds of ideas of what to do with my own back yard, which is quite barren except for a Chinese Pistache tree.
Thanks! I think we want to concentrate on the areas around the deck for this year and then add more next year. We definitely like the woodland/cottage feel. We already have salvia (I think) growing in two clumps approximately 20" wide each (which can be moved and divided I'd imagine) and the orange, common daylilies in the front (which I imagine can be divided). We also really like the black-eyed susans. That being said, and considering the potentilla get yellow flowers, I'd imagine we'd want other colors (no reds or pinks yet). I just don't want to block the hydrangeas and potentillas we already planted.