13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
I looked it up, and it does look exactly like Snowmound spirea - thank you so much! It has gotten NO care whatever for decades, and only winter rain (not much in CA lately). So, now I know it is a drought tolerant plant too - that's great.
Jackie
Jackie,
You're very welcome. At my childhood home (which was my Mom's childhood home as well), we had several big old spirea which never got any attention but thrived. Mom wasn't much of a flower gardener so they were one of the few that did thrive.
Rhonda
i dont like the media it is in ... it probably holds too much water ... and i suspect.. you over watered on top of that ...
and one thing for sure.. generally speaking.. bulbs and corms do NOT like being wet .. think of storing onions ... and you get the idea ...
put it in full shade.. where it will not get rained on.. and ignore it for a month or so ... lets see what happens ...
...oh my goodness where do I start... I love Cotinus 'Grace'.... in my last garden it grew huge and I pruned it late winter - easy to do, a pleasure to saw through or lop off... my plant was 10 foot by 8 foot and I tried to keep it that way...although you don't get all the smoky flowers with pruning...
...I like that woodland setting above there but this is my plant in this garden, against a fence and fairly exposed... it's young but it should be 8 foot or so by this summer... it's big and butchy but mine will have to be as I have clematis to support and now a climbing rose will be using it too, but it's strong enough for all that...with a good open structure....
...another plus is the long lasting autumn colour, and here I just think it's unbeatable in this country... I do hope you like it as much as I do...
junco, what a lovely setting! Good to know I can do some cutting--hopefully mine gets big enough to do that. Thank you.
Marlorena that Clematis looks great with the Cotinus! Also, the Fall color will be a welcome sight! Thanks!
I like the looks of that new growth and may have to keep it trimmed backin its new home---good to know it'll respond favorably.
I have several of the australis in my beds and another whose name I can't remember. I love the plants. They take little care and I have shared small seedlings with many folks. Once established, they are almost impossible to move so. Plan to use some foliage with cut flowers as some have suggested.
Campanula...I have a big bush of Ribes odoratum.... which I think is the same as aureum... it's just about my favourite deciduous shrub... I grew Rehmannia's years ago and really must do so again at some point...
...talking of buttercups, or Celandines I should say, what do you think of Ranunculus ficaria 'brazen hussy'...? it's self seeding all over the place here and I understand the seedlings are often inferior, so I pull them up.... I love it on one hand, but fear its seeding on the other.... this garden isn't really suitable for too much of that...
..actually...I'm going to get rid of them...
Guys according to some research getting your hands dirty in the garden can increase your serotonin levels ��" contact with soil and a specific soil bacteria, Mycobacterium vaccae, triggers the release of serotonin in our brain according to research. Serotonin is a happy chemical, a natural anti-depressant and strengthens the immune system.
Here is a link that might be useful: Why Gardening Makes You Happy
I never wore gloves while gardening until I got a cut and an infection. The dirt under the nails is another issue altogether. I wear fabric gloves now but they don't keep the dirt out. My solution is to wear a pair of the thin plastic gloves under the garden gloves. It's fussy but keeps your hands clean.
There's probably no way to be certain, though it could be covered in the Timber Press book on Agapanthus. Given the English name, it's likely just another selection of the Headbourne hybrids. But, IMHO, it would be incorrect to call it A. campanulatus 'Balmoral' unless it were 100% certain it was only derived from that species. The article linked above says the Headbournes started with a "mixed" lot of seeds from South Africa. Other alpine species could have contributed, like Agapanthus patens. I have an A. patens from the late great Seneca Hill Nursery I one day want to cross with some other Agapanthus.
The loderis were probably a bad example in some ways, as commercially they are referred to in every possible way: just 'King George', or 'Loderi King George' or X loderi 'King George'. 99% of American rhododendron collectors in discussion or personal correspondance would just call it 'King George'. The official RHS registration might well be 'Loderi King George', but that sort of a naming wouldn't be permitted these days.
Campanula. Biokovo does have a strong scent....very much like pine. I rather like it, but I can see where it might be offensive if located too close to the house. I love it for its form. The bloom period isn't very long, but the fact that it is evergreen makes up for that.
patty...not sure if you are close to Ashville but this nursery is great for Geraniums http://www.sandymushherbs.com/
-catkin, I believe she said it was Pomponette Mix Bellis. I totally forget what time of the year I sowed them. Perhaps late spring, after she gathered/sent to me???
I've actually pulled out a good deal of them. They are great in an open space, but bothersome planted near more delicate perennials. Those buggers are difficult to extricate once they've sown themselves in the middle of other plants!
CMK
Are these the same pretty little plants that my Mom gave me, I wonder...they were purple/blue and the neighbour had white ones....and they took over everywhere! They grew stoloniferously and digging them up in the grass was hard work.
Very cheery in spring and scented - lovely. Dave, yours are such a delight to behold.
I remember some deep blue violets when I was a kid in Germany. They don't seem to exist here in the US. The weedy ones are everywhere and I pull them out but would love to have some of those I remember from my childhood. My grandma loved them.