13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
So many factors that goes into play when you play something. As an example, stuff I planted the first year died because I planted them in the wrong spot. Generally, the plants are in the right place, their roots will grow and they will be bigger next year. The best example of this is the butterfly weed and woodland poppy that I planted. Both were tiny and didn't even flower the first year. The second year, the leaves and the plants were larger. If they are not coming back bigger, there may be an issue (root competition, soil defficiency, etc).
Paul
gotta love feed stores.. lol ..
you can also get generic fertilizers.. in 50 pounds sacks for under 20 bucks .... why in the world you need a brand name is beyond me.. but then peeps pay for lexus.. when any old car with a working motor and 4 tires.. will get you where you want to go ...
ken
HI
Reporting back, I found generic corn gluten meal at a local feed store for $26 for a 50 # bag. - they had brought in a couple bags from somebody's request. I also found a bunch of online sources but the prices plus shipping were out of this world - like up to 10x as expensive including shipping. Sears carries one brand in stock that is cheaper than Espoma that you can ship to the store for free and pick up, and a bunch in their online storefront.
( I never knew Sears hosted a storefront for other companies) So my next question is when is it safe to put this over lawn that has been seeded? I suppose as soon as the seed germinates this would have no effect. This bag is marked 60% protein so from other posts on Gardenweb about lawn application I got the good stuff. I'm really hopeful I've found a good organic lawn fertilizer. I had thought about using Milorganite as I have a friend who used it completely through extensive amazing ornamental gardens, but never could get myself to pull the trigger on the thought of human waste in my lawn.
PS about using corn meal for foliage diseases - I experimented and got an effect from store bought corn meal sprinkled over hellebores and Euro ginger that had black spot - it worked for about half the season. It reduced azalea gall a little, however, you're right, it is not a solution to disease that is carried on the wood. The bother is you have to keep applying it.
Yesterday's Fine Gardening newsletter carried an article about soil amendments. Same old story - they recommend greensand and other amendments that no garden store has ever heard of. How come they aren't reading the same articles!?
Calamagrostis/feather reed grass 'Karl Foerster' grows to 5 ft. tall but is upright and has a very small footprint. Mine is 5 years old and is just about 12 inches in diameter at the base. It's a very elegant grass, low/no maintenance. My plant is growing in full sun and gets no supplemental water. I've linked a photo below.
Pennisetum alopecuroides/dwarf fountain grass 'Hameln' is gorgeous but it has an arching, mounded habit that doesn't match your stated requirements. I do leave the plumes/seed heads on my grasses through the winter as food for the birds. Each spring I cut down the prior year's growth.
Here is a link that might be useful: Google image Calamagrostis Karl Foerster
I put 4 of them in my garden last August. Two of them bloomed very nicely even this late in the season. Unlike some other variegated plants the blooms of Shockwave do not clash with their leaf colour.
As well I like that Shockwave are less tall than many other phlox.
(I notice that all 4 have survived their first winter)
I have several Walker's Low catmint and 30" is about the size mine get to each year. They are several years old. I live in New Mexico and they recieve intense sun and heat all day with no problem. I do give them supplemental water. I am in zone 7b and they bloom all summer long, right up until it freezes, at which point they die down to the ground. They are one of the first things to pop up in the spring and have been blooming for about 2 weeks.
Nothing new about 'Hino Crimson'.....one of the most popular older varieties of evergreen azalea. And I'd not consider it particularly adept at self-cleaning. The spent flowerheads are easily caught in the dense foliage but also easy to remove with just a gentle shake or raking.
This is an excellent choice for a foundation planting as it is quite a compact shrub that tends to grow wider than tall with time. Height will be variable with age but you should expect 2-3 feet and 3-5' in width.
Thanks Ggal - The guy may have said it was "newer" than the older variety that gets all brown and ugly...possibly my mistake.
But excellent news about it being a good foundation planting. That size is EXACTLY what I have been looking for. Think I'll go get them in the ground NOW !!! Lol. Have been waiting since I have to move a plant to make room.
Thanks again!!
I started my Spring clean-up too. I cut last years stems off of the mums. We had a very mild winter here in SC Kansas. My mums were already growing back in late January. They are now 6-7 inches tall, so I pinched them last night. I will be transplanting some of them this Saturday to fill in some gaps and to give a few away before I pinch them again.
I also tilled a garden spot for the lanatanas I will be moving to make room for some Weigela 'Wine & Roses' shrubs and a Ninebark 'Summer Wine' shrub.
I haven't seen my Blue Angel hostas emerge yet, but I did clear the mulch away from where the eyes will eventually be emerging.
I love this time of year. It's so nice to see everything in the gardens starting to "wake up."
I finished my whole clean-up yesterday after a couple of weeks of marathon days. Pulled every single weed by hand and tossed them into a big old garbage can I drag along with me. I must have emptied that thing into the compost 200 times over the course of the last three weeks- the weed heap is enormous. I don't think the first one even died during what passed for "winter" this year!
As I go I trim out dead bits, shape up things that need to be shaped, and hard prune things like hydrangeas. Of course some pruning needs to wait but by and large I try and cover every square inch of my ornamental beds on my hands and knees at least once a year so I can keep my eye on things.
Once I get the weeds out I feed what things the time is right to feed and toss a bit of Preen down in those areas I think it might help, then start tossing mulch.
We have used five truckloads of hardwood mulch so far and may need one more to top off some areas. When we are putting down mulch I always tell the husband to spread it thick but make it go far, LOL, and the last areas done on any given day can be thin because he wants to get the whole zone done and I am too tired to nag him about how he is doing it. Then we have to go back and top it off, haha.
I am SO thankful that I got this early start and am hoping for the chance to just sit outside and look at things without my eyes automatically going to whatever needs done.
This is only my fifth year in this house/climate (I was subtropical before) and I find Spring to be the most amazing and wonderful time! Every day brings a change and I love seeing everything come back to life.
I have around a dozen astilbes planted here and there in my various flowerbeds, both in sun and shade, named varieties whose labels disappeared long ago. Even the extended drought in 2010 couldn't kill them although they weren't looking their best by mid-summer. Last year's frequent rain made them all happy since they do appreciate moist soil. I've never fertilized any of mine but they return and bloom every year.
the issue may be the juniper.. depending on how large they are.. and how long they have been there..
i had some that you could barely put a shovel into the soil around them.. which would suggest severe water problems ...
how big are they.. and how old.. just take a guess ... and are they the old monsters..??? a pic would make it easy ...
ken
My in-law has a 30+ year old silver maple. What appears to be growing underneath:
Vinca Minor
Lilies of the Valley
Siberian Squill
Further away from the tree but still within the canopy
Hyacinth bulbs (recently planted, so who knows if it will work).
Osterich Fern (from last year).
Columbine (from last year).
Paul
I've had a similar problem that I solved by having my husband make a large (3'x6') planter. You could make a nice retreat by mulching out the area, add planters, even for your hostas, some chairs, stepping stones. Rather than fighting with the area, make lemonade from lemons.
Hey...thanks for the heads up. I was not aware of it and being that I'm right on the VA coast and think I'm 7b but could never tell since I'm in a little tiny transitional spot on that darn tiny map (LOL), then I may have changed.
Am trying to find a map that I can zoom in on with my tablet but not yet, so can't tell.
However, when I googled it, did find various links to other maps that you CAN zoom in on, however it's quite blurry. But also links to specific states, sometimes via a local paper, such as NJ, WS, oh....and now I just found VA. I goggled the subject but added "for VA".
I'm still 7b but that's still very important info !!!