13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
Mmm, I shocked even myself last summer with an outrageous combo of pink and orange - a gaudy, but continually blooming mallow - anisodontea El Royo (I think) and a very cheerful geum, Totally Tangerine and a couple of small, but very orange-ey daylilies. A libertia peregrinans and a bronzey, but fairly generic heuchera. several shrubby salvias....hellfire crocosmia (and citronella?), another very red hemerocallis and my rose, mutabilis....I like these hot colours with deeper plums/bronzes (think I might stick a chocolate cosmos in the mix this year). Enough slashes of green to keep some balance but, yep, I really liked that part of my flower bed..
Yeah, am completely in agreement with Annette (not about oranges, obvs,), but that any colour can be fabulous.
Suum quique - Latin for "To Each His Own' (Okay, be impressed: I learned that back in 8th grade, C. 1963).
I don't like orange flowers but don't put down other gardeners who do. My garden doesn't need to please anyone except me... and it does.
I like blue. Always have, I'm guessing I always will. Blue doesn't always lend itself to the garden but I appreciate when it does. Bronze colors don't interest me but that's a personal preference since it doesn't fit in with my vision of my garden beds. Can't honestly say the color offends me.
Black flowers hold no attraction in my mind. I acknowledge they may be dramatic to some and offer some contrast I can't see. I don't apologize for not finding them attractive or compelling.
I may not agree that any flower color can be fabulous, the originator must take into account that observers may find the color either offensive or unimpressive.
pinusresinosa, I agree about hollyhocks. The garden centers stopped carrying them because "they are your grandmothers perennial" or "they are not popular". So now people have not seen them and are re-discovering them. 20 years ago a red hollyhock was the center of my Gertrude Jekyll color border.
MBWD
My favourite of 2014 was a new coneflower, Raspberry Truffle - despite being new, it didn't stop blooming all summer and all fall until frost. Incredible!
Another surprise was an astilbe 'Fanal' that I almost threw in the compost last year because it had performed so poorly for 2 years in a row.
And since many of you talked about delphiniums; I only have one pic taken the day after hurricane Arthur - I was shocked at how well both the delphiniums and foxglove (in the foreground) faired out. Also, both the foxgloves and delphiniums bloomed 3 times after shearing them last summer.
Meanwhile, the biggest disappointment were the peonies! We had a very cold spring and so they bloomed later than usual, but the hot sun faded them right out.
Here is a nasty one. Dictamnus. Commonly known as gas plant. It can cause a nasty rash much like poison ivy. It is a lovely long living plant, with great clean foliage all season, much like peonies. I had it in our yard in Michigan and loved it. The vapor it emits will flash burn if a lit match is held very close, hence 'gas plant'. Dh, after a very bad reaction when mulching around it has forbidden me to have it in my garden beds in this home.
I have a gasplant - very pretty - but I think I'll be evicting it this spring for the reasons noted by others above! The rose population has been whittled down over the last few years too. I guess I'm getting to be a cautious wimp as time goes by... :-) I love those colourful and interesting cactus pictures above - but I'm content to admire them from a distance via photos!
not a sniff here - although, looking at the lunar landscape which used to be my spring border, it is entirely likely that any little bulbs are now mashed beyond redemption due to puppies insane burying habits (must starve the little sod) Have reluctantly bid farewell to a whole slew of erythroniums I planted last year and the one remaining yellow hellebore (which I mistakenly thought was hidden and inaccessible) is nothing more than a crushed stump. Since we seem to be going backwards in pee training - puppy shivers in garden, looking witless and pathetic only to pee on kitchen floor as soon as she races back inside, I am having deep regrets about the wisdom of getting a new dog in winter...especially since my only 2 warm jumpers have been either claimed for the dogbed (as if it ever stoops to actually sleeping in this rather than on my bed)...or chewed.
Am seriously doubting the wisdom of the internet which cautions us to 'avoid shouting at puppy, at all times as it will become confused and neurotic'.As opposed to incontinent and lazily triumphant?
I have had Minnie for three years and it has only spread modestly. Not really a problem for me. One plus is that it is disease free, which is more than I can say for a lot of my other Phlox, which I removed from the bed they were in. I had Franz Schubert, David, Nicky, and a seedling that resembled Delta Snow. I had moved all these from our last house so I know they were at least 8 years old. Some of the clumps got smaller through the years, and every year the mildew on them would get a little worse. Last summer, we pulled them all out and I'm starting again to add phlox to this area.
I still have Minnie in another bed. And Eva Cullum is in another bed.
As far as disease resistance goes, I'd have to say that Minnie Pearl is very, very good. It's in full sun and does not get overly tall. It doesn't fall over in the rain either, which is another plus. My Minnie came from a garden friend who worked at a green house. She said that it was the only phlox there that didn't come down with mildew during the summer, even with all the abuse the help there heaped on the perennials. At times, workers would forget to water them, or they would get too much water on their leaves from the hoses. In spite of that, the leaves on Minnie Pearl stayed clean and healthy.
Linda
Great shot TR...I love seeing pics of trees.
I noticed yesterday the daffodils are up 4" tall and the peach tree flower buds are swelling
I am truly happy for you. Please be sympathetic to me as I look out and see this scene late this afternoon:
Ah don't get too downcast, white is prettier than brown. If you want to see a brown winter, come to Oklahoma. My brother made a trip to my grandparents farm where we used to spend a lot of time, its pretty typical of the countryside in winter. Their last name was-- of all things-- Brown.
you can not take greenhouse or indoor grown plants.. and throw them outside ...
w/o hardening them off properly ....
and if they are already in bloom.. let me suggest.. that as grocery store plants.. they were sold for immediate gratification on the flowers..and after they are done blooming.. they can go out to see if you can winter them over for NEXT year ....after hardening htem off.. of course ...
good luck
ken
Appears to be an interesting plant, for those that are able to grow it.
I suspect that a Hardiness rating of Zone 4, is a result of someone's misunderstanding or a vivid imagination!
Ligularia hiberniflora is endemic to the neighboring Japanese Islands of Yakushima and Tanegashima, where it is companion to Ligularia tussilaginea.
As a result of several high mountains on Yakushima, the climate varies from sub-tropical to sub-alpine, but as we have determined from growing Ligularia tussilaginea, it would not be reliably hardy below Zone 7. In fact, I make it a practice to protect my several different cultivars, when the temperature is predicted to fall below 10°F.
Let us know how your sun-burned patients progress!
In the meantime, I shall be on the look-out for them to appear at my local nurseries, who will sometimes offer something out of the ordinary!
OT...
I am of the old, old school and still prefer the familiar Genus designation of Ligularia!
After all, the change to Farfugium was ignored by the scientific community for almost 70 years, why the urge now to recognize it?
It is very hard to do but try to remember that depending on when you start you will probably have to pot them up at least once and need room under your lights for this. I like to plant large plants outside so I plan on having them in 18 cells/flat at plant out date.
There is no general rule as when to start, unfortunately. My last frost date is the same as yours and I just started some of my slower growing cool weather plants this weekend (Pansy/Viola and some bulb onions for example). I also sowed some of my perennials and roses.
morz8 gave you a great list for perennial seeds. I also suggest looking at a site like stokes seeds and it will tell you when they suggest the commercial growers to start for bedding sales. It often gives you approximate transplant and bloom times as well as what size pot to expect in the given time frame. Also it will suggest whether the seed needs to be frozen etc. I have found the info they give to be quite accurate, YMMV.
If it was me I would start at least a few seeds of each now. It will give you practice and any mistakes won't set you back considerably. Plus you will know what to expect from each plant. And it is a fun way to break the winter blues!!!
SCG
Hi Barbara,
I'm in IL as well - far NW Chicago suburbs. Last year I planted a bunch of Arizona Sun from seed - probably too many! Assuming they come back this year you are welcome to some if you are close to me! Also, if you are looking for good compost I really like the Organimix from Midwest Organics. Check the link for places that sell it.
Here is a link that might be useful: Organimix
From one website's description of the Campfire rose:
"Campfire Rose variety starts to flower in early summer and remains in bloom until hard frost sets in. Can a passionate gardener ask for anything more?"
Well, yes. Fragrance. This particular rose however is described as having a "mild" fragrance, which in my experience means you have to stick your nose deeply into the flower to possibly detect a vague hint of scent. Sadly, that's common in modern roses that otherwise have fine attributes. I have a carpet-type rose that bloomed steadily this past year when other roses had an off-season.
In terms of having hardiness, disease resistance, good rebloom and marked fragrance, rugosas generally score well.
Here is a link that might be useful: Purple Pavement
OK , I sent you an email.