Perennials Forum

Thanks,

Sandyslopes, I do add perennials to the beds, mostly in spring and some in fall, in order to maintain plant diversity from year-to-year. I move things around in fall (especially in renovating a section of a bed). I think that cutting things back is the most important thing to do here in late summer.

For me, the main reasons to move a particular plant is to give it more access to sun or to prevent it limiting another plants access to sun (both, for next year). Plant division also often necessities moving (if not disposing of) parts of plants.

I try to limit the number of runners (like Monarda) that seem to move to the front of a flowerbed. I avoid seeder, in part, for the same reason.

Our summer monkshood hasn't been so great this year, Maureen, but, as you suggest, I do have high hopes for the Arend's (fall) monkshood. Such a useful plant in a mixed perennial garden!

So beautiful, thanks for sharing.

Annette

Purple coneflower tends to germinate better after a prechill, though some will certainly germinate no matter what or when.

If I start some from seed would the young plants be big enough to survive winter in zone 5?

==>>> i highly doubt .... outdoors ... that they would sprout in fall ... soils cooling .. sunlights declining.. etc ...

if you are asking.. can you force them indoors ... and will they harden off at a big enough size .. to go outdoors this fall ... i highly doubt it.. in z5 ...

besides.. they would probably frost heave right out of the ground in mid to late winter ...

i thought you meant.. could you fall sow seed ... and sure you can.. its what the plants are doing right now .. but none of those self sown seed.. will germinate in cool/cold fall soil ..

an easy way to think about this.. is you need 3 basic things for germination ... usually warm soil ... a viable seed ... and sunshine, for sure after germination ... you have the seed

but in fall.. in z5.. you have cold soil ... and weak sunshine as the sun is in decline ... [and keep in mind.. no matter how warm the day ... if its falling into the low 50s at night .. then that is not 24/7 warm soil .. not much germinates at that soil temp]

ken

We have two identical threads going. See Maureenś Late August Bloomers

There are some pictures there as well

Recommended reference: The Garden In Autumn by Allen Lacey

See New England Forum continuing thread ¨What's blooming in your garden¨" for

a few pictures

new york iron weed (very tall)

aster Jin Dai

eupatorium sp or Little Joe

grasses even as they turn buff are lovely until they disappear mid winter

dont discount annuals; some of them don t hit their stride until mid-late august and can withstand frosts.....thinking of salvias

lobelias great blue, cardinal flower

chelone, particularly Hot Lips

agastache, in my experience, purple haze

fall cyclamen

autumn crocus

the fragrant august blooming Hostas, derived from h. plantaginea or plantaginea itself. Plantaginea flowers are 6" long but on short stalks so when the flowers pass there aren't those foot long stems that scream "cut me back" every time you look at them

hereś a link that might be helpful

https://www.hostasdirect.com/learn/hosta-info/hosta-types/fragrant-hostas/a

trycirtis esp a tall white one I've not often seen in the trade

Frosty Morn is a variegated foliage sedum that has good vigor

hardy hibiscus

shrubs their color and substance carry the season: amazing foliage on

itea, fothergilla

..amongst others...Sedum 'Matrona'... as loved by Mrs Bumble...or is it Mr.. I never can tell...

I can appreciate the questions....not all native soils are as stable as ours, with its tons of rocks....heavy clay soil might present a drainage problem....those issues you brought up might be a problem for this type of wall somewhere else. :-)

really stunning! Thanks for sharing pictures of your lovely garden :)

I could not have torn myself away if not for moving to a much warmer zone. And like wantonamara I knew what I had! All the love I put into the perennials, the elderberry, paw paw, wild flowers, steeled me against all low offers. My realtor balked a little but she thought I would break down after the first month on the market. I got my asking price in five days. It was a fair price so I did not need more. Two gardening seasons have almost passed and when I just saw the google image of what the new owners did, I figured the best plants removed ended up somewhere else on the same block. It was a street of opportunistic gardeners probably circling around with potato forks.

My buyer, even though he liked my garden , was not much of a physical worker and the neighbors dove in like vultures. My garden has good bones and I think the neigborhood gentle pilfering has kept it "weeded". It still looked good till this year. He has let the siberian elm and pecan seedlings get away from him. It is gone over the edge in messiness. I almost got out of the car to do some weeding. Some people are not in their physical space. We had a chalkboard out by our shop for clients and it still says that we will be back by 11,....... 11 years later!

My motto is "If it doesn't look good, you can always move it!"

In my zone and with my native plantings, the sneezeweeds, the rudbeckias, the milkweeds, goldenrods, lobelias, and salvias are blooming happily. The pollinators are happy.

OMG, rouge, what town is he in that he can grow brugs in the ground?
mindy
supposedly you don't put them in the ground until the soil is a certain temp; same for cannas. did he tell you if he puts them in a pot and brings it in in the winter? Maybe they are already in a pot that he just sinks down in the soil?or does he just grow on cuttings in water? thx rouge (she sighed, w/ her glorious but SINGLE pink brug bloom because she didn't give them new soil or fert. them enough.)
mindy
My brug motto is:
"Paying the Price for lack of due diligence."

UPDATE:

Our first colocasia because of this thread from last season.

My partner doesn't like it as the proportions to the container are all out of whack but I like looking at it and seeing each leaf slowly unfold just in time to take a dying leaf's place.

Welcome, Jadelite. I had wanted opinions on more southern conditions. I appreciate your chiming in. I really am not accustomed to growing shrubs, just roses. We have had an unusual year this year, and I really need to know how to take care of my plants.

Sammy

Texasranger, thanks for the picture.

Sammy

I think I will yank cherry brandy. I would like to select the mother strains from now on. How does one know what it is?

It's probably about the root system as well as which one is dominant.

A few summers ago when we had drought conditions (100+ days with no rain and many days over 100-F), 1 of my 2 Japanese yews croaked. They were a similar height, planted about 2 feet apart. Their growing conditions should have been very similar.

One began to get brown leaves and eventually dried up. I didn't do anything at the time (water it) because I thought it may be a normal sign of low water conditions, didn't expect it to actually die.

After it was dead, I pulled it up. The roots were very shallow, less than 2" into the soil. It was a spreading type of root system. I'm sure the other one is also...so then why did they both act differently?

Besides the shallow root system, and each plant's own disposition to handle the weather conditions, I think that some plants which were able to dominate in that area will defeat the other nearby plants. In this case, one of the yews probably took up more resources than the other one nearby.

You can see this also in the cases when you have seedlings or even adolescent plants near each other. Conditions of light, water, nutrition are all that same, for the purposes of how seedlings grow together. Yet one or some of them will always seem to take over and make the other nearby seedlings reduce in vigor.

This year, I have a basil and jalapeno plant that I allowed to continue growing with their more dominant sibling. The bigger basil is as large as I typically have grown basil, and the weaker basil is still about 6" tall. The bigger jalapeno is a bit stunted from what I normally have seen, but the smaller jalapeno plant is about 8" and has about 5 leaves.

Late bloomer due to moving it around a couple times last season...I love the rich color and ruffled edges.

Jazzberry Jam

Our new patio is half finished and I am planning the "Autumn garden" I want near it. I am so glad to be reminded of hibiscus.

Do they attract hummers and/or pollinators? Do you notice any colors or variety is more popular than others?

Plants in this spot have to earn their keep.

YES .. I have them. Planted in April and it's August and they are STILL BLOOMING. I live in the Front Range of Colorado. I love them. Will they come back after our winters? I'll let you know in the spring!

Unfortunately not hardy here. I settled for this white summer bloomer...

Festival Star (new baby's breath)

Stunning in all aspects!!

Really breathtaking. The hardscape and plants play off of each other perfectly.

Great color combo in the first pic - love the dark blue lobelia! I have never grown that plant, I'll have to look into it :0)

Thanks Mxk.

Part shade mixed bed..slowly getting established.