13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

You can store them in an unheated garage or shed until spring - all you need to do is keep them dormant until spring. If they are hardy in your zone, they should be fine. Pack some snow on the top of the pots end of Jan/beg. of Feb so when spring thaw starts the snow will slowly melt and gently water them. Come March or so, start dragging them outside.

Like Al says, it would help to know what plants they are. In your area, I'd put them in ground. Like Ken says........pot management is iffy at best even with controlled environment like a sheltered perennial house. Storing in basements and sheds are your choice if there are no other options. If it's warm enough they break dormancy, they need light.

I cut back to about 2", then cut back again at the end of June to keep them bushy

I usually do a double cut back on Montauks as well. Normally after the last hard freezes around April, and again about July. If find their habit becomes really gangly if not held tight and distracts from the beauty of their flowers. I also propagate these with abandon because they really seem to do so well in odd and nasty places and they stay within bounds with little work when they are very young. Definitely an under-used and quite hardy perennial for late season interest.

I...quite often...wonder...
if you are awake...ken. ;)

Holly hocks and foxglove are iffy to move even when conditions are optimal. For sure wait on them, and dig them deep because they have taproots and don't like to be disturbed. Best time to move iris, you didn't say what kind...bearded? Is about six weeks after they stop blooming. You can move them in early spring, but they won't like too much moisture if the soil is still cold, and don't expect them to bloom.

Merry Christmas! :)

It's easy to be in denial this year! I still can't believe yesterday was Christmas day, or that it is almost January. Still relatively warm - days last week near 60 degrees! Although it's been cooler this week, it's certainly not December weather. And snaps and alyssum still in bloom, with other plants green and looking good! I still haven't put down my shredded leaf mulch because I'm still waiting for the critters to find their winter homes before they decide to do it in my mulch, lol.

But yes, probably best to wait till spring. Here's hoping it comes very soon!

Dee

Temperate weather for 2012 and beyond. No more earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, or devastating early-season snowstorms. We had 'em all this year and my little green acre really took a beating. I'd be obliged if Santa just brought more normal weather, while at the same time realizing that using the terms "normal weather" and "New England" in the same sentence is an oxymoron.

I would like a giant machine to come here , take the top soil up and shake/mix it well with some good clay, so it could keep some water. Some of my flower beds are bone dry after one day of strong sunshine when combined with wind. I could use at least 50% more space than I have now to spread my rhododendrons better and to make a special bed for late autumn flowering plants.

Hi Norma !

A fuzzy but attractive photo posted tonight on FB of our Saucy and Deanne at Sues Christmas party,wonder if I can figure out a way to post it here ?

I am optimistic that my Christmas tree will in fact be decorated by the close of the weekend tomorrow.I put up the bubble lights this year,still working on those electrical connections!

Here is a link that might be useful: Party Ladies !

Tree up and decorated... FIL seems happliy settled in for his 3 week stay.

On to Dec. Idyll....

I love monkshood and chelone for late color

Asters; Agastaches; Coreopsis; Gaillardias; Persicaria 'Crimson Beauty'; Western salvias like 'Ultra Violet','Raspberry Delight'etc.; Aconitums; Lobelias.

I have googled it and the first link that pops up leads to somebody who claims to have it

Here is a link that might be useful: Ryan's Pink

Thanks for the replies..I finally found some at a local
nursery.

I love it! Thanks for sharing!

haha! My favorite gift this year was a chainsaw! who needs diamonds?

Only 65 miles? Ken, you better watch your back they may be creeping up on you,lol.

I killed an established yucca by spraying with Roundup but by someone's advice, I added a little dish soap to the solution to help it stick to the leaves. I also had to repeat after it returned, then repeat again, then for good measure I put a big flat rock over the spot and it finally gave up.
It might be easier in the long run to transplant your desired perennials to another area while you're killing the yucca.

I did look at the catalog but on first pass nothing really new or exciting. Don't think Bluestone will get any of my money this year.

In going through all my Bluestone coupons, I know I'll order more than I probably would have if those coupons didn't exist. I still haven't gone through the whole catalog, but I'm sneaking a look now and then.

First there's the 15% off if ordered by mid Feb.
Free shipping coupon
1 plant - any price - free
$2 off any full sun plant
$2 off any plant in coconut fiber pot
$1.50 any white flowering perennial
$2 off any one plant - anything
$1.50 off any phlox
Free plant with $100 order - my choice
Free surprise plant with $85 order

and the list goes on and on. I still have a whole stack of other coupon offers. For me, these make a difference as long as I'm getting plants I really want.

Kevin

I keep a tall (about 8 feet) hedge of Loropetalum formally clipped that serves as a backdrop for my front perennial border. Plants really pop against the dark foliage. The one drawback is it has to be sheared about every six weeks to look its best in summer. But, it is evergreen, blooms spring and fall, has interesting autumn leaf color, and is absolutely bulletproof. Plus, I have found that virtually every color works with dark purple.

Camellia has evergreen glossy leaves and large blooms. They take several years to reach mature height.
http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/sasanqua-camellia-and-japanese-camellia-identification/

Camellia sasanqua grows to 6' - 10' and blooms fall through early winter. Partial to full sun.

Camellia japonica can be up to 15' depending on cultivar and blooms mid-winter through spring. Does not thrive in full sun.

Gardenia could be considered if you want something not quite as tall, with some cultivars 4' - 6'.
http://www.walterreeves.com/gardening-q-and-a/gardenia-varieties/

Both Camellia and Gardenia like our acid soil. Give them a little hollytone or ironite.

If you find someone with a bush that you like, both can be rooted from cuttings. I have some Gardenia cuttings in the process of rooting I have seeds and seedlings (open pollinated) from Gardenia jasminoides if you are interested in trade.

Here is a link that might be useful: UGA Downloadable Plant List Publications

Given the unusually warm and temperate conditions all fall and so far into December in my zone 5, a transplant or planting even in this last month of 2011 might have been viable!

Can you transplant in winter?

It depends:

If you are working near the South-facing exposure of a home or building, the sunlight warms the surface and radiates heat that keep the soil from freezing year-round.

In Denver, CO, there was a deep freeze that reached a few degrees below zero a couple weeks ago. Two days later, while snow was still on the ground in most places, I checked an exposed spot near a South-facing wall; the soil was not frozen at all.

Everywhere else, though, frozen solid.

So if you are working in a shaded or partially-shaded area, near a North or East exposure of a building, or in a flat unshaded area far from any structure, don't transplant this late - the roots won't have any opportunity to grow into the soil and the plants will dry out over winter.

If you are working in the narrow, ideal kind of spot I described - which despite being in a Zone 5 area, is more like a Zone 7 microclimate - it's risky but not impossible.

gazania, what is that yellow flowering thing in the bed behind your alliums? Wouldn't that work? It looks tall enough.

melvalena, that yellow is a cushion spurge. It is actually just about 1 foot tall. If I cut the damaged leaves on the allium to the ground, I suppose it might work.
gardenweed,I have baptisia in another bed. I think it would be too tall and obscure the blooming allium if planted in front. But I wonder if I could get the allium to come up in the center area of a baptisia so that they intermingle. An interesting thought. I'll have to go back to some old pictures to see what the baptisia does and when it does it.

I'd put hostas in there. Just my idea.
Duane

I think I agree with you Duane. I will try a hosta and or some heuchera.

Yes, but since there are dwarf varieties of castor bean that only grow to 4 or 5' high, it could be from one of them. If the rest of the plant got wilted down from frost, you could have seed pods looking like they were at the top of the plant, but in actuality they were in the middle of the plant on the part of the stalk sturdy enough to still be standing.
Remy

Thanks for your responses. It may be castor bean or a related plant. The seed does look similar but not as smooth or polished-looking as the castor beans I'm used to. The plant was small - only 2' tall - and even though it was dead and droopy, I think I might have recognized the large leaves and shape of the castor bean plant. Unfortunately I didn't pay that much attention to the foliage because I didn't know I'd be trying to ID it later.
The seedpod (shown) is hairy and rough, but not spiky. Castor beans have 3 seeds per pod I think and that's what this had.
I'll plant the seeds in the spring and see what I get. Surprises are always fun!