13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials
Well, I notice that I misread and posted before about something that bloomed where it shouldn't have, and so sorry about that. I can say that I have a variegated sage plant that has survived three years even though it was marked zone six.
Regarding Buckthorn:Can you ring them and paint some poison on the bases? Call up your agri agent and see what the controls are. I only deal with Mountain ash cedar.I have been out chain sawing and clipping for a week now. I bring in the new year every year doing this.
Basal bark application of herbicide would probably be easiest. You won't have to cut out the stalks from amongst your hedgerows. IYou need to use the oil-based version of triclopyr and paint all around the stems, then it will be absorbed through the bark. This can be applied during the winter.
If you do cut them out, you need to apply a small amount of herbicide to the cut stumps, so that they won't resprout (that is what I usually do).
Here's a recent thread on the tree forum with some info:
Here is a link that might be useful: Winter herbicide for buckthorn
This post was edited by terrene on Tue, Jan 13, 15 at 0:32
I planted a serious bulb garden this fall which included mixed lilies. The warm spell we had encouraged the lilies to reach a height of 6 inches. Then we got hit with a freeze for 2 nights in the teens and the parts of the lilies above ground were frozen and bent over as if broken. They were brown. Did I lose my lilies or will they try to emerge again?
You really should start your own thread and not hang on the bottom of someone else's.
The lilies will be greatly weakened and may or may not send up new growth this year, but should survive if undisturbed. It may take 2 or 3 years to recover from this and build up their reserves again though.
R. triloba is generally a short-lived, reseeding perennial. You can encourage perennial behavior by cutting bloom stalks to the ground when finished blooming and before stalks dry. However it reliably reseeds. Volunteers are easily pulled as it lacks a taproot. Great plant. Have had it for years here in Dallas, TX
i cant imagine.. why a guy in NC ... would bother putting anything in the garage.. you really dont know what a cold winter is.. lol ...
right now.. with 3 days of single digits... i have about 200 potted plants.. tipped on their sides.. sitting on the ground in MI ...
not to mention ... some of those you list.. are MI hardy ...
they are tipped on their sides.. because they freeze solid .. and we dont want water accumulating in a frozen pot.. during any freak warm spells ....
do not confuse air temps with soil temps .... as pots behave differently .. and mother earth is quite a buffer ... for any short term cold snaps ....
just never leave black pots in any winter sun ... they can heat up too fast ....
so if i were you .. i would just stack them.. on the north side of the house ... and ignore them until spring ... the house will buffer them also .....
there are different rules if you are zone pushing.... but i dont know why you would be doing so if you planned on putting them in the ground anyway .....
ken
Agree with Ken, zone 7 is not exactly a harsh winter zone. The plants you've listed are all pretty hardy, and would most likely be okay outside even in pots. Or you can just leave them in the garage until it warms up some. Just be sure to give them a little water every 2-4 weeks.
I overwinter 2 or 3 dozen plants in the garage every year. Some are tender, such as Salvia 'Black & Blue' and Magnolia grandiflora, and others are 1st or 2nd year seedlings that are still quite small.
I even brought in an Asclepias curassavica 'Silky Gold' and am growing it as a houseplant this winter! It's doing great, making some buds.
Nevertheless, I do have a few hardier specimens in pots outside in a semi-sheltered location (such as a Cornus alternifolia in a 1 gallon pot, hardy to zone 3).
Holly do replace dead leaves, but more slowly then deciduous trees. If they ever lose *ALL* their leaves they are probably dead. If they lose a few they will grow them back.
You could try using hollytone.
There are many species of holly, but I suspect some of the more common ones would be borderline hardy in zone 5. Shelter from the wind in the winter might help. (eg a tarp).
Thanks, mtnrdredux, but I do believe that mom is spelled a different way :) Thanks to you too, aftermidnight, for the link. I found another one which seems to imply that the seeds should be found at the bases of the petals. After tearing apart some of my shriveled mum flowers, I didn't find any seeds, but my plants probably just don't have time to make them here in zone 5.
Here is a link that might be useful: Plant Breeding As a Hobby
Mtrdredux- My mum gives me seeds every now and then. She's the one who started it all lol
I started a few mums from seed this spring, they did well in spite of my abuse and even put out a few blooms. Had I planted them out of their four inch pot prior to September I'm sure they would have clumped up and put on a great show, but I'm sure they will for next year now that they're in the ground.
Maybe three years ago I had mum seedlings coming up that had self sown off potted mums siting on the front steps. The parents died but the seedlings bloomed beautifully the next year!
I might even have a few seeds leftover in the packet I sowed this spring. They're not all that small.
A fun project I like to do, now and then, is to make my own sawhorses. I figure if I'm wanting to do so many wood projects around the place, I should be able to make my own wooden sawhorses, right? And then make more for friends, family, etc.
But also, I used them (and other standing objects that fit the role) as the things I can put around my garden area and drape any cloths on it to help protect a particular area if it gets an unexpected cold temperature, especially in early spring when late cold temps might roll through as plants are starting to come out of dormancy.
I make a living building furniture for others so I know my way around tools. I think starting with some saw horses is a good idea. Keep your eyes on craigs list for scraps of wood, and rock and MORE TOOLS.. Things are often given away. I got all the rock for free and half my wood. I did get the 4x4 wood at 1/4 price on craigs list.. The cedar planks I got for hauling away. The rock i got from a ranch that was being torn down and made into a mall. here are a few pics of different projects. I am not a professional rock person and I do this by myself. Things have to be done quickly and cheaply. I am a bottom feeder. I keep things simple.
I call this the Backwards garden because I planted the garden and then built the deer proof fence and raised beds. Still not bad for a middle aged broad.
I think you have Mercury Rising confused with one of the other Galaxy series--might be Start Cluster. Mercury Rising does not change to white, no matter what the temperature or time of year. Tthere is one that does (Star Cluster?), but not MR.
On Mercury Rising it was the outside edges of the flower that would turn white. Perhaps I was sent the wrong cultivar. Thou a picture on Monrovia site shows this fading to white edge. It was very healthy here but did not survive wet winter. Star Cluster did live threw same winter and came back strong.
Here is a really good place to get seeds in bulk, complete with growing instructions that you will also want to provide your guests. This is a great idea, by the way. Anyway, these seeds are fresh, they have an exceptional germination rate and I think if you call this company directly, you may be able to work a deal with them. I've called and talked to them on occasion and they were always helpful. Using a trusted vendor is important for your guests to have success growing their seeds. On the seed bar...say how much sun the flowers need, how much moisture, how big they get and provide a good picture. I think you can copy the pics off this site to use on your seed bar. Have fun with this! Another idea? Maybe buy plants that are the same as the seeds to have on the seed bar instead of just photos...though to have them all blooming when you want them to could be problematic and one more thing to worry about while stressing over all the details of a wedding...but a though. Enjoy!
Here is a link that might be useful: Source for seeds and advice
For my medical school graduation, my mom used live pansies as table decorations and let the guests take them home, if they wanted. You could wintersow several favorite perennials and have them in Dixie cups with growing instructions paper clipped to each plant. I love the seed idea, but I agree that many guests won't go to the trouble of planting them, especially since June is a bit past ideal planting time for most folk. Best wishes for a wonderful day.
Martha
I have noticed a common thread here today. Plants that have caused injury are generally not invited. For me that means barberry and roses, yes roses. I love them in other yards but not in mine. To me not worth the blood sacrifice to have them.
I get texas ranger liking his grasses alot. If I lived in Texas they would be my favorite, cactus would take some serious thought, blood sacrifice whether accidental or not.
The older I get the less a like the free seeders like echinacia( spelling) and similar plants. Lower maintenance is my favorite now. I am also a fan of plants with few pest problems.
I hate yews. A bad winter here gives them winter burn and you have brown foliage to look at forever.
Sherry
I have had Chocolate Chip Ajuga for going on 7 years and it is well behaved. If it moves more than you like, just pull it up or dig up around the outside of the area where you want it. I have no problem getting rid of extra pieces since the neighbors like it too!
Plants that I don't want here are some of the usual suspects:
Bouncing Bet - still pulling and spraying starts after several years
Species Hardy Geranium - also pulling out new seedlings several
feet from the original plant. It only blooms for a short time and
then spreads its seed and runners all over the place.
Obedient Plant - never tried Miss Manners yet though
Bishops Weed
Older Variety Purple Coneflowers-I grow the newer different colored ones and do not have a problem pulling the few volunteers that come up. The older pink ones were a disaster to keep from seeding every where.
Goldsturm Rudbeckia-a few plants tried to take over a whole bed. In two years, I had several plastic garbage bags full when we dug them up to give away.
Linda