13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

I have a varigated weigela in my flower garden and I have trimmed it down the last two years. The last few years the leaves are getting all green and I am losing the varigated look. What can I do.

I've heard cutting out the green leaf branches and let the varigated ones grow. Is there some fertilizer or something I can use to bring back the variegated leaves?

I have been growing Weigela as a hedge for 5 years with just one issue: pill bugs feeding on the bark during winter. Planted in the autumn, the first plants bloomed the next spring and have been blooming ever since. Weigela will root directly from stems. Just cut off a branch and stick it deep (remove any bottom leaves, if necessary) in well-moistened soil during the growing season or at least 6 weeks before winter and the plant will bloom the next spring if the the soil moisture is maintained. For issues with blooming, make a winter feed topdressing using 1-cup each of alfalfa meal, bonemeal, and greensand and gently work a half-cup into the top soil near the plant in late autumn; water it in. Alfalfa meal can be created from the pellets (rabbit food) or, alternatively, made into a tea by putting a cup of pellets into a 5-gallon bucket to seep for about 3 days and use this water with the bonemeal and greensand. The vitamins and active ingredients in alfalfa meal (phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, carotene and other minerals) helps to turn on a plant's biological timer, leading to a healthier blooming plant.

A very common double clematis Multi Blue is just a sport from just as common The President. Soil chemistry(or other unknown factors ) can change colour on some Azaleas. I bought Azalea Gibraltar 3 times, with flowers on them, only because they were distinctly orange. In my garden they are all distinctly red.

Here it is on the right. When I bought it, it had the same colour as the orange eye of the yellow one.

Thanks guys. I did notice today...the third bloom is the right color...so who knows????. It wasn't fading...the first two looked different right off the bat. And no cold snaps here. Unseasonably warm winter.

Whatever the case...I'm hoping the rest will keep in line with this third bloom.

Does anyone have any experience with the "Dark Knight" variety? I'm wondering if it's hardy in zone 5. Also, do you know of a good reputable source for this plant? Thanks much for any advice/suggestions.

None of mine die to the ground. They all come back along the stems. I cut them back hard, but not to the ground.

Hi Keith, sorry to hear about your bushes and hope they make a comeback. We also had freezing temps in Minnesota 3 nights in a row. I have five butterfly bushes and just put pots over them each night. I wasn't sure how much protection a 'pot' would offer but they all looked good yesterday. Hopefully the freezes are finished! Tony

I agree with most of the posters. I have two butterfly bushes that popped up a little early this year with all the warm weather, then wilted with the cold snaps we had last week. I saw something similar happen with them last year, except the wilting was caused by a considerably higher than normal rainfall all spring. Both bushes seemed to be smaller than usual and produce fewer flowers than usual during the summer, but I think that was caused by the excessive spring rain AND excessive summer heat. The long and short of it is that you shouldn't worry too much. I'd be willing to bet that they will return healthily when the time is right. Good luck!

Gardenweed, I would love to have that list. I have been meaning to put one together but have not gotten around to doing it as yet so your list will be a big help.

Thanks!

Ken_Adrian, how do I admit to DH that he was right in saying that the the tree has to go? LOL.

==>>> just give it to him.. i am sure he loses most other arguments ... why is YOU WERE RIGHT.. the hardest 3 words for married couples.. lol ... and.. since it was his idea.. ask him to remove it.. with malice .. lol ... there is a downside to being right.. lol ...

i am not happy to see a giant maple there ... that tree is going to be the bane of your gardening happiness no matter what you do ...

roses are probably not going to work with the maple.. and the lack of full sun ...

i am happy .. to have focused you on the right way to do it ... i will leave it to those more inclined to design.. to take it from here ...

ken

ps: do you still need the private property sign on the maple????

OMG, the chipmunks wreaked havoc last year! I had no less than 3 yellow jacket nests in chipmunk holes last year, maybe more in back where I don't go, as well as 2 holes burrowing against the foundation. They can indeed enter your house and cause major damage, just as mice and other rodents can. I got stung by yellow jackets 3 times last year while mowing the lawn, kept forgetting one of the friggin' nest holes was in the middle of the front lawn!

This year the chipmunks are scarce. :)

As for voles, I just went and exchanged the 1/2 inch HW cloth for 1/4 today. It was a bit more expensive, but I already have some 1/2 inch anyway. I want to protect the special Echinacea seedlings I started last spring and have over-wintered very well (Pow wow wild berry, Bravado, and Primadonna white). Think I'll go down 6 inches with the wire.

There is still a vole hitting a plant here and there in the front garden. Discovered most of my Phlox 'David' in the decimated! Ugh! At least I have other 'David' plants, including a small clump from last year's swap, some seedlings from 2 years ago, and some sprouts from this year.

PM2 the squirrel/raccoon baffles I have on the feeder poles also keep off chipmunks. I enjoy watching squirrels or chipmunks go up a pole, up under the baffle, and a minute later, come back back down the pole. The baffle probably "baffles" them!

Oh and so far the voles have not touched the Peonies or Foxglove - of course, probably NOTHING eats Foxglove. Another totally poisonous plant. So one can always have a garden made up of daffodils and Foxglove and nothing will touch it.

I'm always amazed at how many times I think something is dead and it shows up later than I expected. This year, it was Hydrangea 'Incrediball'. I bought a very small pot from Bluestone last year and it sat around for a couple of months in late summer, forgot to water it a few times, finally threw the whole pot into the vegetable bed in November and it looked half dead. Sure enough, this spring, it looked dead. I could also see that it was a quarter of the way out of the ground too. Sure enough yesterday I noticed that it is pushing up new stems. Very happy about that.

Same thing with Weigela 'Midnight Wine' Same situation as the Hydrangea. No sign of life then noticed today one that looked dead last week, is now covered in leaf buds. The other still looks dead. But like Babs, I will probably wait until June before deciding something is dead.

Some things are actually easy to declare dead, and in such a case there is no reason to wait to June. If you put your finger into the place where the plant is supposed to be, and everything is rotten, it will not resurect just because June has come.

Be careful on how much shade. I planted several plants in a shade area, heuchera appears to be the only one that died. They definitely need more like than Hostas.

I generally see it grown in full sun or partial sun in my area.

Paul

Sun versus shade depends on the type/coloring of the heuchera in question. Most are going to be happiest in quite a lot of sun, although part shade is generally fine. The darkest colored purple/maroon/black colored ones like pretty much full sun - they fade out in much shade. Those that have very golden or light chartreuse foliage appreciate at least some shade in the hot afternoon or they scorch.

I'm not sure how these got such a reputation as a shade plant - just like hellebores, who share that same reputation, they are shade tolerant; not necessarily shade lovers.

Thanks! Is it too late to move these clumps this year?

I do not think it is too late. Just dig them up with a clump of soil, so that they do not notice being moved.

ok, it's a cloudy day so I've just been surfing and found this old thread. All I can say is "so that's what's wrong with my coneflowers!" When I first saw them several years ago, I bought them from an expensive nursery, was fascinated by the colors and had them order more for me. I don't believe they were from Stacy. Lo and behold over the years the plants have stayed miniscule amongst several old purple variety that a friend gave me. The petals always look shriveled and I was thinking maybe I was killing them even tho, the purple were fabulous. Thanks for posting these opinions as this spring I will just rip them out and put in something else.

I have to laugh now when I read this thread. I learned so much from this experience. The main thing I learned is just to plant Gaillardia if I want yellow, orange, or red. If you must go the Echinacea route, stick to the Pink or White. LOL.