13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

new purple poppy lasting in heat. sprouted everywhere i tossed the seed. all good things. the only question is what will this tall, conspicuous thing look like as it sets seed?

I thoroughly enjoy big, blowsy peony Bartzella being taught her place by a passel of unashamedly screaming orangey red oriental poppies. The effect is somewhat tamed by an increasing number of Aquilegia canadensis in the same colours, and cool blue from iris and catmint. If either the peony or the poppy would be an all summer bloomer, they would be gone before they knew what hit them, but for a fleeting week or two, I love the club.

Though admittedly the rain does not do the poppies any good :-(.

I also just found the blood red 'Beauty of Livermere', to be planted to smoulder in front of a stooled purple smokebush.

mjc_molie(z6 CT) , I'm sorry I have not gotten time to put the labels.

Thank you for allowing us to see your magnificent photographs. I am blown away by their beauty.

Posted by SunnyBorders 5A (My Page) on Fri, Jan 17, 14 at 22:02

This is not a big garden. It is a few small villages who grow these in Southern China. It is pleasant to see though.

NHBabs(4b-5aNH) , thank you.

Or any of the Camelot series. Look for perennial foxgloves and you will also come across d.lutea which will be hardy and, once grown, it will return every year.

You might also look for the new digiplexis cultivars, they are not winter hardy but are blooming machines.

Ooh Camp - I love glads in the vase! I don't have enough sun to have a cutting garden, but if I ever get that house on a couple acres that is my goal and start a cutting garden, glads will definitely be growing there! It is a joy when they start coming in for the season at the market, nothing like a large vase of glads to make a statement on the table :0)

penstemons are rather good too, Shannon, especially if you go for the finer leaved (and hardier) garden hybrids - such as the classic Garnet. Long season of flowering with minimal deadheading, flower earlier than phlox and seem to have none of the mildew/eelworm issues which can plague garden phlox. Super easy to propagate so just buy a couple and take lots of cuttings...which will also have time to put on a little show in a decent summer season. I rarely make suggestions as gardens are so personal and subjective but I am feeling pensive and remorseful after savage poppy venting on another thread.

I had to move two of my butterfly bushes this spring and after the long cold winter and 100+ inches of snow, I wasn't sure they would come back. They all did come back eventually, but they are a lot smaller than they were. So I am pinching the centers out to trigger more branching to get a good base on each shrub. I hope they will still be able to bloom this season. They are looking good at this point, just small. If they made it through last winter, I feel pretty confident about any winter we can throw at them.

Lilsprout, thanks for the great photo of 'Buzz Purple', I received one this spring and just know I'm gonna love it!

Another I'm excited about is 'Crown Jewels', the foliage is nice enough on it's own, never mind when decked out in purple blooms! Can't wait for this new plant to kick into gear!

I'm using a water-soluble Miracle Gro and the plants are scattered.

From the label:

• With a Watering Can: Mix 1 tablespoon of Miracle-Gro® for every gallon of water.

For All Flowers and Vegetables: Use 1 gallon for every 10 square feet of flowers and vegetables, every 7 to 14 days.

For Roses: Use 1/2 gallon for small bushes. Use 1 gallon for large bushes. Feed every 7 to 14 days.

For indoor plants, mix 1/2 teaspoon (not tablespoon) per gallon of water. Apply every 2 weeks. We do not recommend foliar (leaf) feeding for houseplants.

last year I got, on ebay, 160 starters in the end of august for about $28. the majority came back and I didnt get them into the ground until late november/early december.

Logisxti....great price....please share seller's name. :)

The size of the spread, related to things like the growing conditions and how long the plant has grown in situ, obviously affects the ease with which it can be removed.

I've found well-established chinese lantern and common mint not so difficult to remove manually from our clay soil. Well established spotted bellflower is more difficult to deal with.

As to spreads of (uncontained) goutweed, I've just refused the job. I'd feel the same about spreads of crown vetch, which has been sold here as a garden perennial (rather than just for erosion defence on a slope).

Personally, I would not use Round-up, especially gardening professionally. Beyond the farmers, there's also the consumers to think about with things like Round-up resistant corn and soy.

I strongly sympathize with others who feel garden centres should either identify perennials which are often invasive or just not sell them.

I'm reading these comments as I think about a good way to tell my wife that I bought her, and she planted, the devil! Along with cala lilies and fox glove

Thank you for your response. I don't think the issue is being caused by too much water. I live in Northeast Ohio and it has been on the dry side rather than too wet this summer. I did treat the garden bed with a deer repellant, could that be causing the problem?

I know some plants are sensitive to sprays, but I don't know about European ginger, and I don't know what was in the spray specifically.

I have asters that are single stems very leggy and flowers about 2 inches wide, if I cut them will they grow more stems and bloom again. It's June in Portland, Oregon

Are they annual or perennial asters? Annuals should bloom all summer. Perennials might bloom again, might not.

Martha