13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
Blue Sea Holly has to be the worst plant ever!!!!
we sold it last year and and as soon as it went on to the pernnial table every fly in the world came buy to hang out with these plants. it got to the point where we had to move it to its own table.
i think i rather sell cat poop on a stick!!! then that plant again...
I have grown them all, except maritimum, which belongs to sand dunes. After many years I've found out the only one worth growing is a hybrid with a name Forncett Ultra(from UK). It is reliably perennial, practically indestructable, unless the roots are eaten by something. Eryngium alpinum is very easy to propagate from seeds if you allow it, but big clumps are more succeptible to winter rot than young plants. So they are never really old to make a very big impact, unless you're lucky. Erygnium planum is a terrible flopper, don't waste your time on it(though there is a dwarf cultivar, don't remember the name), it is rather short-lived.
Warning though: after many years Forncett Ultra can send some short runners.
As far as the ornamental value of the flowers is concerned, none can beat really blue individuals of E.alpinum.
It was a mixed blessing Dee--the storm also knocked out power for 10 hours so no lights, no supper, no A/C or fans, no water or facilities that whole time. The storm hit just as I got home from work too so there wasn't even time to fill a kettle with water or grab a flashlight.
Not so good here in IL, one night I got 7 inches of rainfall in a few hours. This caused the ground to saturate so much that the sump pump weren't able to keep up, so the basement got slightly wet near the sump pump. We were fortunate, our neighbor's basement flooded. Some of the plants got flooded and died.
Paul
Beautiful Lupines! What a lush patch, with a lovely mix of colors. Phonegirl, if you'e around, how did you sow all those plants? Do you find that the colors seed true? Or is that just big mix of seed?
Sorry for all the Q's, I would just love to know how you grew them!
I have tried to grow lupines, this year I had three that were doing very well, but after a few weeks of 99 degree weather 2 died, I dug up the last one and put it in a pot and brought it into the house, I don't think it's going to make it, what can I do? I love lupines and the pictures are BEAUTIFUL OF THE LUPINES!!!
Cameron - Thanks for the advice. Mine are just lying on the ground. I even have a trellis in front of one to prop it up. I will post a photo tomorrow. I wonder if it would be ok to prune them now.
Sorry my rant was so negative yesterday. I just had a bad garden day.
Sometimes we all get tired of certain plants and if it doesn't work for you, by all means rip it out. I've done that with plants that I'm tired of fussing over.
For me, it's the drought-tolerance, deer and rabbit resistance and the fact that it is the greenest foliage in my perennial garden this time of year (as we hit 104 degrees today).
When cutting back amsonia, wear gloves as the sap can be irritating to the skin. I just slope the sides and mound the shape to keep it upright.
The main one that I trim is also supported by ground cover of eupatorium 'Wayside' that is lush and blooming those cute misty blue flowers right now. That amsonia is also hiding the knees of monarda 'Raspberry Wine' on the slope above it and is flanked on one side by persicaria 'fire tail' in front of eupatorium 'chocolate'. The other side are native Joe Pye and solidago. Just pack those plants in there around it. Since amsonia blooms so early, i shape it before the companions get up around it.
Cameron
I planted shasta daisies from seed indoors this past winter, set out the plants in a sunny composted enriched garden this Spring (zone 7). It is now July 29th and I have plenty of foliage but no flower buds. All the zinnias, asters, and sunflowers are doing just fine. Why no bloom? Should I yank these plants at the end of summer or hope for bloom in the second year?
mandorsk - many perennials, including Shasta daisies, won't bloom the first year from seed. I grew them via winter sowing last year and they're blooming this year for the first time. Same with ladybells, lobelia, columbine, blackberry lily, beardtongue, globeflower, carnations and blanket flower. All were grown from seed via winter sowing last year, grew into healthy plants that went dormant in the fall, came up again this year and bloomed.
Revert is not a correct term here. Revert means go to a previous state. Mutation would be a better word here, as it can go both ways: back and to something new. Happens a lot in chrysanthemums. I have a yellow chrysanthemum Nantyderry Sunshine which itself is a sport(mutation) of Bronze Elegance(brown). Some shoots mutated to pink, making it identical to Mei-kyo.
The typical reaction from the readers of such posts is a 'seedling-in-the-pot-version', as if the poster of the question is a child or something. Mutations and reversions actually happen.
If 'Peppermint Twist' returns to its original state which would be 'Candy Floss', reversion would be the proper term. Some mutations/sports have a tendency to not be completely stable and do revert back to their original state. This is often seen with variegated plants. You need to cull out the original non-variegated part because it will over take the sport and you will be left with nothing but the original version. 'Peppermint Twist' being a variegated flower sport could easily be doing that.
Now some sports being genetically unstable will throw off more new sports as with the chrysanthemum example above (I've seen this with roses also) that are not like the original cultivar. Then the term reversion would not be proper.
Remy
Remy
probably when they built the driveway all the junk soil that was around went to fill in the edge after pouring the concrete, after reading i think you need to dig out the clay? soil and put some drainage material in down deep, some gravel and a good soil mix with peat moss and other compost, the key is the drainage you got to get the base right just digging out the old dirt and replacing the top soil won't re leave the problem of not draining. we ran a excavating company and the problem with all planting beds start with the drainage, you should see what the contractors back fill with.
This sounds like a perfect recipe to ruin your basement, assuming you have one. I had a house in OH with the same setup and ended up having to have steel I-beams placed in the basement to hold the walls up. You should never pile snow around your house. (Not always practical if it snowed while you were away from home, but if you shovel before driving on the surface, salt isn't usually necessary.) Good drainage along the foundation of a house is a bad thing, especially in a climate with freezing/thawing winters. You want water to go away, not down. This area should be sloped so water runs away from your house. The best thing you could do is pave this area as part of your driveway.
I have Miscanthus 'Morning Light' and it is a very well mannered grass. Not too tall and doesn't spread very wide. I have purpurescens too which is often called "Flame Miscanthus" gorgeous fall color. Oh and 'Little Zebra' and 'Little Dot' spreads faster and grows taller. Both smaller than the big zebra grass.
Thank you BoS ~ for sharing I'm looking into them. There was a good sized/impressive *Zebra* I passed by yesterday from my favorite nursery ~ will have to check it out more!. *Morning Light* was the suggestion of another nursery person I talk to. Also saw lined along our local HS's corner sign very beautiful *K Foerster*!
In the mean time I was able to ask the young neighbor ~ the impressive clumps he has is called *Northern Switch* (spelling ?) he planted last season. He also named all the others he had around an old tree ~ the K Foerster didn't look as impressive even w/ the blooms ~ perhaps lined up along the fence might be better.
Again TIA for any personal experience, anyone can share on the *Northern Switch*!
The established ones should be fine next year, not sure about the baby hellebores.
Re: Bloodroot: They disappear for seemingly no reason (I have lost established clumps, which I've posted about before, and for the life of me can't figure out why...) so if you lose them don't be too quick to blame on the mowers.
I had one for a good long period, but inexplicably, it died last winter.
I liked it because it bloomed quite early and then put on another show in the late fall. Neither show was overwhelming, and it was never as floriferous as other cultivars, but I liked it a lot. The scent was wonderful and the flower colour unusual.
To be fair, it was also planted in an overcrowded bed, and might have produced a better flower show with the room it deserved. I think I planted it about six years ago, or even longer, when it was first released.
I have two varieties of Liatris and one has started showing growth but the other hasn't. I was thinking they have to just be late. They are supposed to be pretty hardy.
I have given up on them. They are MAGNETS for rodents.