13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
If you are talking about the pink flowering mimosa tree that is so common in the south, it is actually Albizia julibrissin, not native to North American but actually an exotic from Asia. It's hardy to -20F but sometimes the top can be killed even though the root is hardy, and will come back from the roots.It has become invasive in some states. I love the fluffy pink, sweetly scented flowers in summer.
Sometimes you can find it in a nursery, but more often it has to be "passed along" by someone who has one growing and doesn't mind sharing a seedling. They grow very quickly, and can be 20' tall in three or 4 years. There is a burgundy-leaved variety that has become available at nurseries and garden centers in the past few years. Hummingbrds love mimosa flowers.
There are true mimosas which are native to the tropics but I don't know of any that will survive north of zone 9, except for the trailing mimosa pudica, or sensitive plant, which has thorny stems, pink fuzzy ball-shaped flowers, and leaves that fold up when you touch them. I have that on my ditch bank in my zone 6 garden.
Sandy
if this is buddleja davidii, the general recommendation is to prune them really hard, leave about 3 pairs of leaves. The framework of branches tends to be brittle if left too long, and the flowers are larger and not too high above your head.
Well then, bye, Lin
I just cut mine down today. The voles ate the roots on over half the big 'Black Knight', and those stalks were blown out of the ground (it's in a very windy spot). I cut the remaining half down to the usual height, about 12 inches. I want it to balance out with the new growth. Also this one gets pretty tall, about 6-7 feet, and I deadhead it regularly so I've got to reach the flowers heads.
The Pink Delight is much less vigorous, but has lots of green shoots and a better form, so I cut that one down to about 2 feet, so it will hopefully grow taller this season.
Thanks to the previous owner, I have a big Silver maple in the front yard too. Its roots are unbelievable. They have heaved the sidewalk growing towards the gutters, grown into the septic tank, and grow right into the roots of the perennials and grasses in the nearby "Xeric" garden. This garden became a xeric one partly because of that Silver maple! It sucks the moisture out of its entire root zone. Vinca minor grows under mine as well. Orange ditch lilies manage to do okay too.
Acer saccharinum is naturally a very thirsty tree; its native habitat is usually wetlands. I love Silver maples, they are fabulous wildlife trees, but I would never plant one anywhere near a structure, garden, pipes, etc.
yep, ipheon will increase fairly quickly but it is always better to buy a named hybrid instead of plain old ipheon uniflorum. Wisley Blue is not as deep as Rolf Feidler and the flowers are a little smaller but it still has impact....but only in spring. In summer, the foliage will disappear completely only to reliably return in Autumn. There are two other good ones I am familiar with Charlotte Bishop, a clear and bright pink and Alfred Castillio,a really good white with the largest flowers of all. They all increase wqell and are trouble free bulbs. You need to plant about 100 per square metre.
I planted about a dozen Ipheion uniflorum about 20 years ago in my woodland garden. They have done really well, colonizing all over the place until there are now thousands of them throughout the woods, and put on quite a show in the spring, blooming with the daffodils and if the weather stays cool, last for weeks. I love them. They sort of "glow" in the garden at dusk, and have, to me, a kind of sweet, talcum powder smell. My daughter thinks they smell like freshcut pumpkin, but whatever, they are very fragrant. Maybe my favorite spring bulb.
Sandy
Jelitto has released them in 2010, so I doubt that many people have experiences with them. In my catalogue it says perennial, but you never know what it means in practice. Aquilegias are sold as perennials too, but many are not.
At a comparable variety Las Vegas,released this year, it says 'lives longer than traditional', but what does it mean really?
-campanula, it reminded me a bit of 'Chettle Charm' too! I do like the unique pale bluish color of my false 'Prichard's Variety', though you have to be up close to admire the subtle coloration. It was just a bit of a let down design wise, since I had my heart set on it having a dark purple-y flower to pair with a certain orange/pink rose of mine, lol! ;-)
CMK
I've ordered twice from Santa Rosa Gardens in Florida and both times have been impressed not only by the quality of the plants they ship but also their outstanding customer service & great communications. They're also a top 30 seller on that watchd*g site we're not permitted to mention here.
Bluestone was also my "go to" place for mail order plants until their prices went through the roof. Santa Rosa Gardens has a couple of half price sales during the year and lots of special deals.
Gaura is incredibly easy to grow from seed. I winter sowed mine but they don't need cold stratification.
I have acid soil (loamy fine sand), enough so that blueberries grow wild. I add compost to my perennial beds and use wood shavings as mulch. I grow all the plants you named (though fern is quite vague as some like acid and a few more alkaline soil) and have yet to have any issues. If you have soil that's too acid for what you are growing, the plants will let you know that they are unhappy. I don't try to grow ornamentals that need pH above 7 since I don't want to fuss that much over plants in a situation they don't like.
However, I do lime (or more usually use wood stove ash) to raise the pH of my veggie garden since my soil is too acid for many veggies to be happy. It is pretty easy since I do it annually when the garden is empty, most often in spring since that's when we have the most wood ash, but sometimes in the fall.
Ken - you are correct in saying that pH is exponential so that 5 is 10X as acid as 6.
I live in North Carolina and my mums overwinter in the ground. I started with a large pot in the fall and kept those in the pot, but in a sunny place outside all winter, then divided and planted in the garden the following spring.
My mums are now in their fourth year and I just keep dividing each spring to keep the plants flourishing. Division is a good thing. I also keep mine clipped back through July 4...then let them grow to bloom in fall. They never disappoint.
As for overwintering in the ground, the basal foliage remains green. I do leave the dying stalks in cold winters. This year, I cut back the mums in January instead of waiting for late February or early March.
Added bonus: the deer, rabbits and voles have never bothered my mums. They've survived drought in summer with minimal watering, including 2010 with 90 days over 90 degrees.
Cameron
We had a rare mild winter in north central CT as well when the lowest temp I recall was nearly 30 degrees above last year's lowest mark. The leaves on all my butterfly bushes, both commercial & seed-grown, remained green right through the winter.
Here's what Bluestone Perennials says to do:
Plant Care:
Flowers form on current growth. Should be cut back to 12-18" each spring. Will quickly grow back with many flowering canes.
I bought 'Black Knight' from BP a few years ago and it's done wonderfully well. I cut it back to 8-10 inches in spring/March when I see new growth at the base. I'll do the same this year since I don't care to see it grow to massive proportions where it's situated. I see no point in leaving the old growth since it won't produce blooms this season.
I grew several butterfly bushes from seed via winter sowing that will also be cut back the same as 'Black Knight' since they bloom on new wood. For me, the whole point in growing butterfly bushes is the flowers that provide nectar that attract the butterflies.
When I lived in OH, I would wait until the BB's were growing well and there was no danger of frost. Unfortunately, that's still a few weeks away for you. You could risk instigating a growth spurt that the plant is not yet ready for, or succumb to a late freeze would have been more easily handled if the plant had not been prematurely spurred into speed-growth mode.
Wherever I am, I only trim them down to a point where all of the branches are very sturdy, which varies from plant-to-plant, anywhere from a foot to 4 ft. Stick the trimmings in the ground or pots for new BB's.
I think it depends on where you are.
It wouldn't survive full sun in Texas. We can only grow it in shade.
Thanks! I was also told that the small-leaved variegated vinca is not terribly invasive.