13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

Also very effective for slugs and organic as well are Sluggo and Escar-Go.

A thin layer of sand will discourage snails.

I have never seen Kerria with 2 inches thick stems. Besides, it always makes a thicket (running habit)

try the name that plant forum.. should we not come to a consensus ..

1 ... rose of sharon above a peony .... peony need full blistering sun ... and i suspect.. years go it was in full sun .... and now it is in too much shade ... probably needs to be moved .... you can just tell.. its thin .. rather than a nice clump ...

2 ... forsythia ...

3 .. seedling of the potentially invasive ROS ...

ken

Lots of minor spring bulbs will do well around larger sedums. They like the somewhat dry conditions that sedums favor. However, most of them bloom quite early in spring and are quite short. I would suggest Ipheions, Chionodoxa, and Anemone blanda. They bloom when the sedums are just small green cabbage like nubs low to the ground. They also have quickly evaporating foliage. Taller possibilities would be Fritilaria meleagris or miniature daffodils, such as Tete-a-tete. Both of these have larger and somewhat more persistent foliage. All of these have done very well for me in the drier areas of my zone 5 clay soil gardens.

I have found that Scilla, Muscari (Grape Hyacinths), and to some extent crocus, are a little too aggressive for interplanting with perennials, but do well for paths or around shrubs or sub-shrubs.

I do have a ring of Sedum alboroseum 'Mediovariegatum' (a mid-size variegated sedum) in front of my planting of Allium Globemasters & giganteums, originally 6 plants I think, with golden pennywort, Lysimachia nummularia Aurea for groundcover. The dryness of the area helps keep the pennywort in check. However, the sedums are not really big enough in early June when the big alliums bloom to hide their foliage well. Keeping with the yellow theme I also have some originally self-seeded pale yellow echinaceas in this area and some small pale yellow daylilies. The daylilies seem to do the best job of hiding the foliage of the alliums.

BTW, the large alliums are not all that persistent for me so I usually add a few every couple of years to keep the stand going. The sedums are a little brittle to crawl over, kneel down, or even to get your feet situated to use a standing bulb planter to plant the large allium bulbs. So I would suggest leaving a little path behind the sedums to work in.

One more thing - though I really love my Alliums & Lilies - little minor bulbs are so much easier to plant and they also do really well in shady areas around trees & shrubs, since they pretty much come an go before the trees leaf out.

I have the type of sedum you are growing in my garden. They are growing with Daylilies, Spring Bulbs etc. They are a full sun good garden soil plant.

I do not see any reason you could not plant bulbs with your sedum just not under them.

Thanks -- I know it's hard to judge colors on a computer monitor, but I think I maybe got the wrong cultivar. Mine doesn't have any white center either. But just in case I'll wait to see a few more flowers (I've got buds) before asking Bluestone for a replacement!

I planted nine healthy Rosanne Geraniums in North Georgia this past spring, seven in full sun and two in afternoon shade in North Georgia. They seemed to be doing well until mid summer when we had a very long period of hot weather (from June until now at 90 degrees plus each day and high humidity) at which time the seven in the sun became, as one member said, longer stemmed and rangy, though continuing to bloom from their ends. As summer progressed, the plants looked more and more stressed until they finally died off. The two in shade are still alive but looking more scraggly and tired. The many other plants in the (wood bark mulched) flower plot have survived the summer reasonably well, except for several coreopsis. I did keep the plot watered during dry spells. I am wondering if the heat may have stressed the plants until they died. Can anyone advise as to why the Rosanne Geraniums gave it up - I had read they were heat and drought resistant so am disappointed with this experience. Thanks for your help.

Dick in Georgia

Here's another report from Western PA. Very, very few JBs in our area this year. AS a matter of fact, I would say that there were fewer in my area than there has been in many, many years. And we have not used MS in our yard. Keeping fingers crossed for next year....

Linda

I attract many birds to my yard. Never had a problem with JB's ... I only pick them off by the 1's and 2's. Don't know if that is why my issue is minimal, but it sure can't hurt. I grow roses, cannas, rose of sharon...all the things they love.

I have two of the garden phlox which are shorter than most (about 2 ft tall) and are supposed to be "compact" varieties. I don't know about specific mildew resistance, but they are fine in my garden.

Franz Schubert is a beautiful light purple-mix one, hardy and forms a slow-growing clump. It can fade a little in very bright sun but mine gets just a bit of shade from the hottest part of the day from a large rose bush nearby and is a beautiful colour. It almost glows sometimes.

Watermelon Punch is my other compact variety ... a pink, fairly bright. Very healthy and hardy again.

These are the two compact varieties I have, but there are quite a few others out there. They are basically the same as the tall garden phlox in every other way, just about a foot shorter :)

Thank you czig et al for all this good information re such PHLOX. I did decide to 'go' variegated with SHOCKWAVE.

(Although echinaceamaniac I did pick up a couple LORD CLAYTON and BLUE PARADISE for other areas)

It happened to me too, but with Tomato Soup. I overwintered it in my basement, so it did not even lose its basal leaves. These year all the big shoots are ordinary purple. To top this all, some flowers are distorted and some have quilled petals(as in Big Sky series). You can't really imagine my surprise.

Here are my pictures what happened to Tomato Soup.

As you can see, the form of the flower (except distortion) and the habit of the plant is like Tomato Soup.

Russian Sage would work. It's a plant that would let light through. It's not a very thick plant and can be pruned as needed. If you're worried about the Russian Sage getting too tall, try the cultivar "Lacey Blue." I plant Russian Sage with Baptisias and Roses. Neither of those has suffered any. I'm sure a Peony can tolerate its presence.

mx gave teh answer ....

plant taller things behind .. shorter things in front.. and give them enough room.. that you are not digging in the peony roots ...

if you damage the large sweet potato roots structure of the peony.. it will take a long time to recover .. if at all ... i would not dig within 12 to 18 inches of the peony ...

mine.. by late summer.. they are covered with morning glory that is supposed to grow up the fence 2 feet behind.. by then.. energy storage is completed ...

ken

This slow to get going Li'l Chip finally produced a few measly sprigs & a couple of blooms! So disappointing for such a pompous name!!! I too shall dig & pot up or throw him w/ the big guys ~ see if he gets the idea!

Has anyone tried digging Blue Chip back up to containerize? When would be the best time to do it ~ this Fall or wait 'til he wakes up in Spring.

I'm very disappointed in his performance in the ground this 2nd season. He is blooming & all, even manages to lure a few butterflies but nowhere near the size he was last season nor the # of B visitors!

Appreciate any experience anyone can share! TIA!

I have been quite pleased with plants from Lazy S's Farm Nursery. Plants are quart sized and well rooted.

They are supposed to issue me a refund. I hope they fix the problems with shipping. They do have a nice selection and are nice people.

Frederick Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids.

Based on your travel route, you might be driving right past Pine Hill Nursery on US-31 about 10 miles north of Elk Rapids. (20 miles south of Charlevoix - Antrim County). If so, might be a good time to stretch your legs and take a look around. This isn;t a 'must-see' but is probably the best garden center /nursery in NW Michigan...And like most, it makes a better visit in spring or summer rather than toward the 'end of season'.

Let us know what gems, if any, you pick up on your trip.

http://pinehill-nursery.com

Beth
Z5 NW Michigan near Traverse City

I agree, it looks like it could be a double-whammy. Baking most of the time, with occasional drowning conditions from the downspout, although it's hard to tell how fast the water would flow away from there or if it would pool in the area before doing so. What direction is that wall? If it's north or east, baking might be less of a factor than not enough/consistent enough moisture to establish, or poor drainage which can be common next to a wall. I see green on a stem. Certainly worth trying to save.

Really appreciate the feedback. And I will say I think you guys/gals are correct with it baking. This spot gets almost full sun from morning til late afternoon. I also think I should of watered it more. I almost was thinking about letting it die or if it does end up dying planting something else. What kinds of flowers would be good for a spot like this??

Not sure how hardy they are for your zone, but if you have some shade and moisture, Astrantias do really well in heavy soil...as long as they get some shade and the soil doesn't dry out.

astilbe do great in my heavy soil, full sun bed. Also Filipendula 'Kahome', Campanula poscharskyana Blue Waterfall

If the soil retains water well, you can get away with typical shade plants in a sunny area. I have Hosta On Stage that gets HUGE and gorgeous in that environment and never a sign of dryness. I also have a blue one that doesn't stay too blue, but still does really well. Its nice to have large-foliaged plants mixing in with the regular stuff.

My backorder just arrived. Only one plant, a Clematis, was alive. All others were scattered in the box. They didn't let them take root before shipping.

I do hope that everyone is taking pictures and emailing them to Bluestone...

Thanks, Chris! I was afraid I'd have to move them :( I moved some Monarda from that bed just a little while ago and the soil's so nice there that I hate to abandon it, but I think that's the route I'll have to take. I have Iris over there too and only one bloom this year. I think I'll give everything one more season just to make sure and the move it if needed. The notes about the watering are helpful, too, I'll certainly keep an eye on that.

- Rachel

I agree. They are not getting enough sun. All mine are in part to full sun and the one red hibiscus I have (name escapes me) has gotten over 5 feet tall. These are such free flowering plants I don't have to do anything to them. They emerge very late in the spring and bloom very late. Mine started a few weeks ago. You might want to stake them now so you don't forget where you planted them next year. I don't think you need to second guess this advice. Once you move them you'll see a tremendous difference.