13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

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MollyDog(6 PA)

Wow, great minds must think alike. I was just going to recommend Nancy's site...very, very informative.

    Bookmark     September 13, 2011 at 3:18PM
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mytime(3/4 Alaska)

Great link...thanks! I have a few native shrubs I'll be trying this on!

    Bookmark     September 13, 2011 at 5:22PM
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toffee-el(Z8b Sunset Z13 Elev 4650ft)

Sounded like waiting a bit?

    Bookmark     September 13, 2011 at 11:49AM
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Cher(6 SW OH)

I personally would wait until they start their growth in the spring. I know mine will survive whatever I do to them at that time.
Cher

    Bookmark     September 13, 2011 at 4:58PM
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coolplantsguy(z6 Ontario)

'Visions' is easily 10 years old. My guess is mid- to late 1990s for commercial production. The other varieties within the series are indeed more recent.

    Bookmark     September 13, 2011 at 11:05AM
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aachenelf z5 Mpls

I can attest to the fact the plant I have is not very drought tolerant. We're now in our 5th week with no rain, temps have been high, but I have been watering. Within the last week, this one went totally crispy. None of my other astilbe have done that. I know it's not dead, but it sure is ugly right now.

Kevin

    Bookmark     September 13, 2011 at 11:51AM
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pam_whitbyon(6 Niagara)

I lost one out of every three I planted in zone 5b. Here in zone 6 I haven't lost any yet and they seem bigger but it maybe it was because like Holly, my zone 5 soil had a lot of clay.

    Bookmark     April 10, 2011 at 12:24PM
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punman(Zone 3)

I have had some for six years and still going strong. Once in a while one won't make it through the winter but compared to other perennials I rate its longevity at at least average.

    Bookmark     September 13, 2011 at 1:10AM
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aachenelf z5 Mpls

No problem.

GW doesn't allow you to post multiple replies in a thread if they are posted minutes apart, but you can get around that if you change the title in the: "Subject of Posting" box. For instance, the title of my thread was: "Astilbe ID please if you want to take a guess". All you need to do is leave off the word Astilbe so the title is changed to: "ID please if you want to take a guess" or change it to anything else you want. Then you can post as often as you like. Just keep changing the title. I learned that little trick years ago.

Kevin

    Bookmark     September 12, 2011 at 4:22PM
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christinmk z5b eastern WA

So, for the first part of your post, you said that the you divided a red blooming Helenium. Then one half of it bloomed yellow while the other is the red-orange? Could have been you a yellow seedling/plant growing in amongst the red one?

For the part about your red one turning burnt orange...I find Helenium to be quite changeable when it comes to color. My 'Coppelia' naturally starts out a dark reddish color that (as the flower matures and ages) turns a coppery orange. I also think weather and possibly temerature and even moisture can have a lot to do with it as well. In the late spring to early summer when my 'Mardi Gras' Helenium first starts to bloom the color is a plain light orange with some golden and orange hints. Then when fall rolls around the splashes of dark orange are more pronounced, which makes me think the cooler temps have something to do with colors changing.
Hope that has helped you some (and wasn't too confusing! ;-)
CMK

    Bookmark     September 1, 2010 at 3:26PM
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wieslaw59

Each helenium changes colour as the flowers age, except light yellow with yellow eyes.

    Bookmark     September 12, 2011 at 4:21PM
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echinaceamaniac(7)

Sounds nice. I have one called "Fireworks" that looks beautiful right now.

    Bookmark     September 11, 2011 at 10:59AM
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Tiffany, purpleinopp GardenWeb, Z8b Opp, AL(8B AL)

How true! I've never seen seeds for Kenilworth ivy for sale but love when one shows up in a pot!

Last year a Talinum showed up in one of my pots and it's back this year, from what looked like a seedling.

Apparently I have a Lady Banks rose growing along the fence that is too young to have been planted by the previous occupant and definitely on my side of the fence. Supposed to be a few years till it really starts to flower, but I'm patient.

Berry briars - really hate those for 49 weeks of the year.

Still waiting for a redbud to sprout at my Mom's in a spot where I can actually dig it up.

Not a perennial but I love the okra plant that was smart enough to show up in my veggie patch instead of any of the other beds.

    Bookmark     September 12, 2011 at 3:27PM
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

probably.. its all about heat ...

for me.. now .. its in the 70's during the day .. and 50's at night... warm for some root growing.. but cool enough at night.. to offset any intense drying from daytime heat ...

if you are still sneaking into the 80's by day .... and not cooling off at night.. you might want to give it another week or two ...

keep them well watered deep into fall ... not sopping wet.. but just consistent moisture ... none of this.. put the hose away at first frost [10/1].. and hope in the 6 to 8 weeks before full dormancy/ground freeze [1/1] ... mother nature will provide enough moisture ... eh ..

its not like they will need a lot of water, with cold nights ... you just dont want them to go into winter totally dry ....

ken

    Bookmark     September 12, 2011 at 7:27AM
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casi(5)

Thanks Ken.

    Bookmark     September 12, 2011 at 1:37PM
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whaas_5a(5A SE WI)

All thanks for sharing your experiences.

Good to know how to use this plant now.

Wieslaw, thanks for the addtional recommendations of 'Lynda and Rodney' and 'Postman's Pride'. A blooming purple foilage plant in September is a great addition in my mind.

    Bookmark     September 12, 2011 at 9:13AM
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aachenelf z5 Mpls

I think your plants look fine, however anything planted next to a building is going to lean away from the building because the side facing the building is not getting the same amount of light the other sides are receiving. This is especially noticeable with any plant that needs a lot of light like Sedum.

Kevin

    Bookmark     September 12, 2011 at 9:49AM
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

i claim to be no expert as to what comes out the other end of an animal.. though i have been accused of shoveling it around a bit.. lol ...

but it depends what goes in the front end ....

over your multiple posts.. it SEEMS ...you always talk of ONLY spreading it around ... though that is one way of doing it.. you might want to consider using a garden fork to work it in a bit .... throwing down what you call a gob ... and then forking the soil a bit to loosen it... and work it in ....

frankly .. if it smells to rich .. it probably isnt aged well enough to use in the garden ...

aged 'nure is more of a compost .. rather than just a pile of poop ... or what you call.. a GOB ...

sooo .. in summation your honor .. if your olfactory senses are over-whelmed.. it is probably not aged enough ... [of course.. since you own the stinkee animal.. perhaps you wouldnt be offended by the smell as much as us.. lol ...]

i would say at least over-winter.. and probably a year ...

all that said... you could start building a bed for next fall ... and work it into the soil ... letting it lay fallow .. rather than simply making a pile so as to age ... and then.. next fall.. you move everything in a current bed.. into the new bed.. and renovate the old bed ... there are many ways to do it all .. if you dont duct tape yourself into a box and not look outside of it ...

ken

    Bookmark     September 12, 2011 at 7:21AM
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wieslaw59

Actually, Achillea millefolium has a rather shallow root system , so it should be possible to control it's spreading. I think in many cases the problem is the seeding and not the runners. I cannot keep them alive for long, neither the spreading ones nor the clumping ones that I've bought. But I've got some seedlings that are MUCH better and now are going into their sixth year.The only survivor from the bought ones is Martina.

Besides, with so many clumping cultivars , why bother with spreading ones at all? All respectable growers always give information about the habit of the particular yarrow.

    Bookmark     September 11, 2011 at 5:54AM
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laceyvail(6A, WV)

I grow A. 'Moonshine' which never spreads at all and needs division occasionally to keep it alive; 'Terracotta' also never spreads, and 'Fireland' which spreads very slowly and needs digging around the edges every few years or so. I NEVER let any of them go to seed.

    Bookmark     September 12, 2011 at 6:27AM
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boday

Sorry, let's try that again

Here is a link that might be useful: Roses,Daisies,Agastache

    Bookmark     September 12, 2011 at 1:51AM
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a2zmom(6a - nj)

Three feet high, at least 2 feet around.

Extraorinarily hardy, never had any mildew.

I transplanted it this year in all the scorching heat and it never missed a beat.

Here's a picture from a few years ago (My July 2010 pictures aren't up yet).

    Bookmark     August 11, 2010 at 8:02AM
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wieslaw59

I agree this phlox is very resistant to mildew, but unfortunately it is not resistant to the wind/rain combination and get rather messy in my garden.It will be replaced by something else.

    Bookmark     September 11, 2011 at 6:20PM
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echinaceamaniac(7)

I think people should plant both of these plants! What was I thinking? They look awesome together. I added Black Pearl Ornamental Peppers too. What a plant! I leave the peppers and it comes up each year like a perennial, though from seeds. Highly recommended! Coreopsis 'Creme Brulee' looks great with them and really pops. I also recommend Penstemon 'Sweet Joanne.'

    Bookmark     September 11, 2011 at 1:40PM
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echinaceamaniac(7)

I think people should plant both of these plants! What was I thinking? They look awesome together. I added Black Pearl Ornamental Peppers too. What a plant! I leave the peppers and it comes up each year like a perennial, though from seeds. Highly recommended! Coreopsis 'Creme Brulee' looks great with them and really pops. I also recommend Penstemon 'Sweet Joanne.'

    Bookmark     September 11, 2011 at 1:45PM
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wieslaw59

My 'problem' is slightly different. Once I fell in love with Corydalis scouleri. I was not aware that it has a very aggresive running habit. Now I have it all over my north-facing part of the garden in shade. Love turned into hatred.

    Bookmark     September 11, 2011 at 5:07AM
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mxk3(Zone 6 SE MI)

Lamb's ear. Fortunately, is easily controlled, so every other year or so I do the spade and yank. Same thing with sedge.

My Japanese anemones always try to take over - I have to stay on top of this, yanking through the season as necessary, or else I'd have beds of anemone and little else. Can't imagine being without them, though. :0)

    Bookmark     September 11, 2011 at 12:57PM
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