13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
as long as there are tiny buds on the stem you can cut back very far, well till to those buds. And thinning out in the process. I treated 3 very overgrown specimen that way, pruning in spring with the occasional frost at night. I reduced them from almost 3 feet diameter to about 8 inches , and they all came back with great new shoots.
prunig harder will give you bushy plants for quite a long time. Some swear the best time to do it is right after flowering. If done regularly, you then just take off about a half of the new growth (of the stuff under the flower stalks) .
Not sure about the timing in your region.
Hope that helps, bye, Lin
only to make sure they are the tallest.. and not too closely surrounded ... etc ...
and only water the soil ... with a breaker bar aka watering wand.. and not shoot them with the pistol grip ...
there is always something you can do ...
whether or not you succeed.. is what is left to the fates.. good luck ...
ken
I have been growing John Fanick for more than 10 years and never had any problem with mildew until early summer last year because of severe drought/heat in my area.
I never did water it much because it had become HUGE and I didn't mind if conditions limited it's conquest to take over the yard. It recovered from the mildew and bloomed beautifully. Nothing wimpy or spindly about this phlox, and on a warm summer evening it's fragrance fills the air. It's kind of dark pink and light pink and blooms constantly with no deadheading.
They seed here too. I've been digging the little buggers up for years now. They are in the lawn, all around the house, between stones, in the crowns of other plants. I'm sorry I planted them. I hate their foliage in the fall, it smothers more desirable plants. I do not have the big amount of open space that Ken has.
I leave mine by the side of my house until they stop blooming and then i usually mow them. im surprised the seeds havent shot all over the yard.
i would like to relocate some of them to the front of my house where i have a spring bloom area, tulips, daffodils and irises. the only problem is im afraid if i dig to put in the hyacinth bulb, ill hit some other kind of bulb. maybe i should wait until everything has sprouted this spring and then dig around?
Well, I'm a little late to this party, lol, but agree with most of the recommendations. The first two plants that popped into mind were agastache and sedum. Mine are just covered in bees every year.
Another plant is a shrub, pieris. I have two large ones in front of my house. Came with the house so I don't know what kind, and they are magnets for bees and other pollinators. The big woolly bees that look like they are wearing fur coats and sound like incoming helicopters LOVE them (sorry, don't know my bees very well!).
I've been meaning to remove these shrubs for well over five years - serious case of wrong plant to put in a foundation planting in front of a one-storey house! I have put off taking them out all these years because I love the bees that they bring, and I know the bees love them. I just keep whacking them back, which kills me. Even had a landscaper or two come see if they could be moved, but it would be way too much money. I keep saying, okay bees, one more year....
Dee
I also garden for native pollinators, my favorite are the bumblebees. Last year the bees were all over these plants in my yard:
Wild geranium ( spring)
Salvias (bumblebeees love blue salvia .... never the red ones)
Monarda (bee balm) - bumblebees Love it!
sunflowers, annual and perennial varieties
Joe pye weed
This year I've expanded my offerings to blue lobelia, agastache, liatris, serviceberry shrubs, hypericum, cleome, among others. These are all supposed to be excellent for native bees. Check out the book Xerxes Guide to Native Pollinators. Great resource with lots of plant lists and ideas!!!!
I have them, started by wintersowing. They do get to about 8 feet, after being cut back twice during the season (it will help control the plant) and I do have to tie them up to make sure they don't fall over the path. I don't have any problem with reseeding.
2nd year last year and I have it in a tight space. It did double in size and last springhad to cut the root ball in 1/2; neither plant had ANY problem after the fact with the pruning.
That being said, I am keeping it but will continue to cut it in 1/2 every year.
Dear Linaria,
I didn't know Helianthus Maximilianii so I looked it up and based on what I found, I think you would prefer a Helianthus that gives you more flowers, bigger flowers and isn't as tall and is easier to grow and maintain. That said, I highly recommend Helianthus Helianthoides "Summer Sun". Go ahead and grow your H.M. but then grow H.H. S.S. at the opposite end of the garden as a control. It will be an interesting experiment for you.
I have been growing HHSS for over 25 years now. It is my favorite perennial. It is the easiest one to grow and requires almost no care, but looks so good. If you deadhead this perennial, it will bloom for you into October. If you decide to cut it in half in July, the flowers will not be as tall as they could be, usually 5', now they will be 3' instead. I like a tall flower toward the rear of my perennial border. My neighbors like the yellow flowers and tell me they look so cheerful from across the street. Yellow is very visible from afar, but blue and purple recedes. Once you get a HHSS going, it will return every year. To make more plants, I usually just push the deadheaded flowers whole into the ground 2' away from the mother. In the spring, et voila! -- babies!
Good luck on your experiment!
I live in Medina. It's about 15-20 minutes from Jackson. You really should look up Randolph's. It's my favorite place. She is very picky about only carrying plants that do well here. That variety of Pulmonaria was doing well under a tree there.
I also grow Hydrangeas. The variety called 'Twist and Shout' bloomed twice for me last year. It is becoming my favorite because it repeats so well. Bleeding Hearts are awesome to put around Hydrangeas.
I know where Medina is.A few of my co-workers live there.
I looked up Randolph's and I'm going to check them out!
I grow hydrangeas and have one bleeding heart but never thought of growing them together. I bet that is a striking combo! My have to try them together. Thanks again for all your help.
ken - the link nhbabs gives to Paghat's garden explains that 'Burning Hearts' is not a species - 'its primary parents appear to be the Japanese bleeding heart D. peregrina with its intensely blue-grey foliage & the western bleeding heart D. formosa, though like 'King of Hearts' with the same well-defined white lips, it likely also has a dash of eastern bleeding heart D. eximia in its heritage.'
So the name Burning Heart Bleeding Heart pretty much describes it. But it could be written as Dicentra x 'Burning Hearts'.
If you can get them in the ground (it's not frozen) go ahead and plant them out. Your problem will be sunburn on the leaves, I suspect right now they are pale green.... plant them or place them potted in a sheltered location and cover up well with mulch. Over the next couple days pull the mulch back an inch or two and slowly expose the foliage to the sun until it begins to green up.
I also potted up a couple last winter and kept them in the garage. About two weeks ago I put them out alongside the foundation. It's been in the 40s, but whenever it drops under about 28 I cover them up with some old hay for some protection. I would plant them out in a bed but I'm waiting for more bulbs to show so I can find the empty spots!
Funny, they are not as pale green as I expected. They actually look normal looking. May be enough light gets into the garage.
I stated to put them outside during the day and then putting them back into garage at night. I figure they may be able to make do with more light.
Paul
thanks to both of you for the info. i think i am going to take the chance on these and get one or two. if the color is "right" -- towards a blue tone in the red as the photo shows, i will be very happy! if, on the other hand, it is not, i will just locate the plants in a better area, colorwise... now to find an online supplier!
another bump up ...
i believe it speaks for itself.. anything to add???
ken
Here is a link that might be useful: there are a bunch of other newbie posts that i created over the years.. but i am not going to bump them all up myself .... but you can ... old posts do not hang in GW forever.. unless they are bumped every now and then ...
Well said Ken! lmao! And so true! Sit back and enjoy the time you have left to do nothing because pretty soon you'll have way too much to do and wish you could be sittin' back!