13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
I knew you would like them woods tea. It blooms all summer then the plants just sort of shrivel up and sort of self trim themselves at ground level into oblivion by mid September after doing super duty all spring thru summer. Each year the bulb gets bigger and after two or three years it will make a big mass of succulent foliage that looks like a miniature tree surrounded by lots and lots of babies that bloom the first year or are easy to pull. On a scale of 1 to 10 --one being easiest to sow and grow-- they are a one becoming what you would call a pass along plant.
I had two plants that are competing for supremacy in this regard. My Snake broom weed or is it Broom snake weed ( Guiterezzia sarothrae) And Havana Snake Root( Eupatorium havanense, Shrubby boneset, white mist flower, Barba de viejo). The honey bees, 5 types of native bees , butterflies of every sort, honey bees, wasps, praying mantis and spiders were all on it at the same time with their haunches loaded in yellow pollen. After it bloomed past its time they all congregated across the yard on the white Havana Snake root and exchange their yellow jodhpurs for white ones. They made me laugh with their activity. The Havana snakeweed bloomed till late November /early December. Its popularity with the bees might be because there is not much else that is in such full bloom at that time. I am encouraging more of them around the land. They are both natives and can deal with the worst of the worst weather that is dealt out here.
Broom Snakeweed
.Havana Snakeweed
See, this is the part that kind of scares me off - the storage and moving of tubes and houses, etc. I admit to being a negligent gardener (although part of my defense is my working 3 to 4 jobs, so it is a time thing to some extent) and I don't want to kill off anything because I don't get around to storing things properly. Same reason I don't feed hummingbirds - I'm afraid I will kill them because I didn't get around to cleaning the feeder properly!
We have lots of mason and bumble bee's here. Their quite docile actually and erratic in fight. They never watch were their going. We bump into each other on a regular basis. Have never been stung by either. Their rather humorous when they encounter a structure in their flight path as they can't quite decide what to do about the problem.
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In a cool(er) climate, it'll probably hold its color. I've had a P.F. "Pink Beauty" for a handful of years now. It stays a clear candy pink until the temp climbs over 80 degrees - then it fades to a creamy peachy pink. But the same creamy flowers will go back to pink again as the temps go down. I'm fairly happy with it... as we have most summer days here with temps in the mid to high 70's.
Perhaps the same could be said of the mycorrhizae fad. Maybe it helps get a new plant off to a better start maybe not. I do know that any plant I've transplanted does already have micorrhizae colonized on their roots all on their own. The tougher the spot from which they were moved the more mycorrhizae they have.
container wise...unless you had to take an axe and shovel to chop up roots so you could remove the plant from the container. could not pull them out....you have not had a good dose of mycorrhiza on your plant...eggplant, pepper plant and tomato plant...you can capture your own from virgin forest soil...it cost very little this way....but takes a little time and studying, but simple...chemicals, kill the good stuff....keep your soil full of worms, then you are headed natures way....the forest knows how to grow giant trees....the indian
I didn't see serviceberries mentioned. Not at all rare, but given the horrified looks I've been given when grabbing a couple off a shrub at the park and eating them, "average joe" doesn't know that contractor special is also edible! And I THINK I read somewhere that some hostas and peonies ( or parts of them?) are edible. Double check of course, but if I am remembering that correctly, then joe would definitely not be likely to help himself to a hosta salad. Don't forget edible natives. Ramps are a lovely ground cover if your soil is right and fiddleheads are great when they mature into ferns.
river, thanks for the scoop on the Hosta Library, I will check the links out!
Thanks, Babs. We don't get super hot her in the PNW. I think I'm in your camp of the *half day sun* thing. I may have taken the shade suggestion too literally! I have lots of deep shade. We're remedying that as we're able.
mx and Sherry, do you cut the Bergenias to the ground? I've seen pics (UK)of them thriving in (seemingly) full sun and they are gorgeous, IMO. Anyone in GW UK gardeners grow them--in sun or shade? Got any pointers? Thanks for chiming in! Camp? Flora? Marlorena?
ken, what can I say, thanks for the awesome reply--it made a lot of sense to me! Good to hear from you.
tex, thanks for weighing in on this. Interesting that the sun lovers do well in your version of shade.
peren, thanks! Your garden is drop dead gorgeous! I have one Rodgersia that is being choked by Alchemilla--must move it and give it room! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hey rouge, I'm guilty of the too close thing, too. I have to laugh at myself when I see examples this in my garden, saying to myself *What was I thinking?* Mind if I ask if you're male or female? Not meant to offend, just curious.
purslane I appreciate your advice, thanks! It's apparent I need to more experimenting.
I just ordered some bees and a few supplies from Crown Bees. The bee house is from Gardeners Supply. The project set me back about $80 total, but I figure if I'm successful the bees will return every year for nesting, so it's just the initial layout (plus some new tubes every year). I've been thinking about doing this for a few years now, this thread finally jump-started my motivation! :0)
Actually I think coral is a good description for the poppy in Dave's photo too. It is a pretty color, especially combined with other deep blue flowers or deep purples. Photos can be deceiving, especially pale ones, but I see that poppy colour as having an orange undertone - like a drop of orange paint, perhaps half a drop of red, with lots of white added. For me pink can't have any orange undertone. Pink would be a drop of red paint with lots of white with no orange undertone. When it comes to calling anything mauve or purple or plum I think - a drop of red paint, 1 or more drops of blue and lots of white and / or some black for darker shades. Forgive me if I seem picky - I trained as a florist so I think in pure colours from the colour wheel.
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thanks for the list, d-boll, but I don't grow Hostas. It's like saying to the deer, free lunch here. Over 95% of what I grow, and it's a very large garden, range from somewhat deer resistant to highly deer resistant. I just don't have time to spray more than a few tempting plants, and hosta a simply too tempting.
One of my very favorite nurseries was Seneca Hills Perennials. the owner carried a number of unique strains of uncommon perennials (i.e. spectacular strains of Arum italicum pictum with highly unusual markings on the leaves) and a few woodies. I miss that nursery very much.