13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

I bought one about five years ago. It was not happy with my garden for some reason, dropped leaves, discoloring, etc. so I gave it to a friend who had a more shady spot for it. It's still not spectacular but it is alive. She said it bloomed better this year.

I went back to HD this weekend and all of them were gone. There will be a lot of test gardens in PA. They had about 50 of them. I guess everybody thought like me that for 4.00 give it a try.

They are gallon size and look very healthy. As I said I will see how they perform. I will put one in some morning sun and one in deep shade in a protected spot against the house.

I divide mine when they are larger than a dinner plate and I want to grow more for myself or sell. I don't do it for the health of the plant. I have some that do well, and some go into decline. I blame the voles for tunneling under and destroying the roots for the ones that do badly. And usually when I dig them I'm right. If you have tunnels a few inches down that are NOT visible on the top (not a bump like a mole tunnel), then you might have voles too.

If that's not the case move the unhappy ones and see if they do better elsewhere in your yard. Try to change up the amount of light and water with this second placement and figure out what yours are missing. It will take 'til next summer to see the difference if you move them now.

hope this helps.

Thanks for posting that video - was helpful. I'm heading outside for an afternoon of yard work, will work on the Heuchera. :0)

I've had good results growing Obedient Plants in part shade. They get several hours of morning sun then dappled shade the remainder of the day.

Here is a link that might be useful: Physostegia virginiana

Physostegia has squarish stems, which you may have noticed. I think that plant looks very happy. Unless it's in the way of other plans you have, or behind something taller that is hiding it, I wouldn't move it. I've had pink ones before which I wasn't crazy about since the flowers got lost in the shadows and were much smaller than those on your plant. White flowers are the best for shade, IMO. They show in the gloom and glow in the dark. Looks great!

The only significant seedling variability I typically see is when raising seed from hybrids. Often, even named varieties are stable from seed (reflecting the probability that whoever introduced the cultivar merely slapped an attractive-sounding name on a particular species).

So I wouldn't let fears about unmatched plants inhibit raising perennials and annuals from seed.

The run of the mill bedding plants I can buy for $1.99 a sixpac, when ever I want them, so I don't waste my time growing them from seed. When I bring home a flat of sixpacs, I will immediately pot them into four inch nursery pots for about six weeks before planting them in the garden. It is very rare for me to lose a plant this way. For most other plants I will order the seed and start them myself. If I order a live plant it is only because I can't get it any other way, so I don't complain about the price. Al

I believe I have the summer carnival series...

Here is a picture.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hollyhocks

That's a beautiful hollyhock. I read up on Summer Carnival and it does indeed flower the first year. I don't know if it grows tall and gangly like the hollyhocks I grow. As Ken, our resident curmudgeon says, try pruning it and see what happens. I'm going to try to find seeds of this lovely hollyhock.

I believe you are looking at the castor bean plant. I have one small palm which is only outside during the summer.

Surprise! My Raspberry Surprise has put out a couple of new blossoms.

Thank you for the ID's gardenbug.
The color of your Vitex is wonderful- I've only seen the cream/white ones (though those are lovely too!). Bet it stays nice and compact in a colder zone.
I'm going to have to get that phlox. I saw one several years ago but didn't get it. Keep kicking myself for it!

Oh, that Roscoea is beautiful. Pale yellow is a favorite of mine, especially in the garden.
Thanks again gardenbug! Truly inspirational garden...
CMK

Vitex starts from zero every late spring in our climate. It is about5 feet tall by August/September.

Below I'll give the URL for the Feelings series which includes the names of several varieties. I haven't seen them for sale in ages. They grow on you, but I'm afraid the nurseries didn't dare wait around for people to change their minds!

Enjoy your garden, CMK!

Here is a link that might be useful: FEELINGS

I love my Russian Sage. It can spread all it wants.

I have noticed mine do the same... After it gets out of hand and the flowers are done blooming I just cut it down... I have noticed that Sage grows back pretty darn quick.

Here's Rodger earlier this season:

I've read they're slow to establish. I planted 2 this year and it took months before additional stems appeared. Both were small plants from 1 gal pots and are in 2 different locations. They have multiple stems now & are 18"-24" high. They like lots of watering through a dry summer, so I've tried to remember them in their shady places. :o)

Becky has only reached about 18 - 20 inches here in it's second year. So far it has not been a spreader. I'm usually just thankful to have Shasta's survive the winter here.

I shovel pruned my Becky as it was a short bloomer and foliage looked ugly after bloom.

I loved Silver Princess the first year but the next year I had SP everywhere and am still pulling up random plants before they can go to seed. So no more Silver Princess.

Snow Lady has done well for me with bloom all summer if it is deadheaded. This is a favorite and the one others ask for a piece.

Snow Cap has not done as well. It stayed small but had short bloom time.

Broadway Lights is a beauty with the pale yellow blossoms that change to white. Unfortunately I have not gotten it to rebloom even though there are buds further down the stem. Anybody have suggestions on how to get this one to rebloom? Today I moved, divided and cut back several plants but still have one clump that I can experiment with.

Fabulous pictures of a fabulous garden. I enjoyed your blog entry as well.

OMG is right. Simply stellar garden Deanne! I think I let out a gasp with those last two overall garden pics!! I need to bookmark this page for when I get the winter blues- it would be a sure pick-me-up ;-)
BEAUTIFUL pictures and garden!
CMK

Thanks "ctc" for posting!
I asked 'ctc' to post because I appreciated the reminder that beauty in the garden can be hard won! And, to remind me to stopmybellyachin' about weeds and running out of space, and practice gratitude.

Now to go look up thalictrum 'splendide' as my thalictrums go black or yellow before they bother blooming.

idabean aka Marie

They are gorgeous! Such hard work, I'm sure! What do you do with them over winter?

My problem with plants in pots is their roots, they get huge, I can only root trim or upsize so much. Then they get potbound enough that they need so much water. I wish I could stunt their root growth (and no pot is small).

Yes, an excellent solution, worth the work, when space is limited. Plus, it helps to keep the rabbits away (many of mine in ground had to be moved to pots due to this issue, or the deer, or the....etc).

THanks for sharing

Oh wow. I'm sorry. I guess I'll be more thankful for just the squirrels. They do make me laugh, especially when one certain squirrel and I play peek-a-boo around a tree. They can be comical.

Karen

This won't help you, as I don't know what to say. I, like you, am against chemicals.
I've been internally frustruated lately as on one side I have the neighbors barberries they never prune and I'm eventually stuck with doing some pruning and being jagged as they've reached so far into my garden (plus the numerous seedlings everywhere in spring). The same has in different spot vicious thorny wild blackberries (or just jaggers) I finally had to cut back yesterday, again they just neglect and they were reaching 3 feet over into my side, over fence. Then there's the ivy, the weed shrubs with some disease, the "wild" Rose of sharon (common name) that reseeds everywhere that's now more on my side then theres, etc. General neglect of their side, and the weeds, 2-3 feet tall, full now of seedheads that blow. The neighbor behind me, never gardens. Has grasscutters once/month. The weeds are incredible. The ivy and whatnot strangling everything. The other side has the paranoid husbund with the woodpile, uncovered compost, (unknown critters) who complains, and complains. They just have the ivy, clover, weeds... and his eagle eyed view of what he may need to complain about. And their maple, which loves to clog all gutters. Their shrubs on other end they decided finaly to cut back on their side, but left mine (sounds so funny, "my side, "their side"..!!) untouched so now it looks... rough. He was venting on how all these animals are probably hiding in them, and how snakes are probably hiding in my garden (not possible), etc. He watches my rainbarrel, to be sure it's covered. Paranoid, military man.
I'm too timid to approach, but I retreat. Not a good approach, to avoid neighbors....No easy answer.

wieslaw, absolutely gorgeous!! What are those yellow flowers with the dark maroon leafs called??!!

AdamKR, it is Ligularia dentata Britt-Marie Crawford. If I remember correctly it was a sport on Othello. It needs a lot of water. It colours best in sun, and keeps the colour well through the season.