Which perennials should I cut back to induce a second bloom?
cutting back
Hi Gloria,
Nepeta for sure. Yarrow, aster, sages, ornamental oregano, shasta daisy, delphs. This is just to begin with.
Consider getting the Well Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy Di Sabato-Aust for lots of great info about pruning perennials.
polly, Thank you; I have admired that book for years in the stores, but I wasn't ready to spring for the $$. I think I will try to borrow it from the library
system and then order it if I feel I can't live without it. It's a beautiful book.
Right now I have one Olympia (Greek) verbascum which must be 8.5' tall. I plan to cut it back soon to encourage a few side branches to grow.
http://www.amazon.com/Well-Tended-Perennial-Garden-Planting-Techniques/dp/0881928038/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250426075&sr=1-1
I got the book 'used' (although it was unused/new) from Amazon for a very reasonable price and I love it.
Your verbascum sounds incredible! Any pics?!
Tobasco, The plant called Sixteen Candles is just like Olympia verbascum but shorter. If you google either, you would see them. I don't know how to post photos and don't take them. But I plan to plant Olympia and surround it
with tall, single black hollyhocks. I am going to give a friend those plants too.
I think since they bloom at the same time, it should be spectacular.
Your plant pairing idea sound wonderful. I love interesting combinations like that!
I have V. 'sixteen candles' and V. 'southern charm' in our garden and I enjoy it very much although it never stands straight and strong like the pictures. It probably needs more sun that I can give it. I got it originally from Bluestone Perennials.
I did google your verbascum the other day and for some reason I couldn't find Olympia.
Here are the Bluestone selections: http://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/search.html?mv_session_id=gySyF9UB&co=yes&ma=yes&mc=1&tf=name&to=f&rf=*&sp=results_pics&st=db&fi=products&mv_value=nametype%3Dscientific&ml=45&mv_value=srchtype%3Dkey&from_search=1&user_specified=1&sf=%3Acode%3Aname%3Acommon_name%3Ashort_desc%3Adescription1&se=verbascum&su=1&op=rm&sf=is_coupon&se=1&su=0&op=ne&sf=disc&se=0&su=0&op=gt&hide=1&submit.x=10&submit.y=9
Yep, Olympia looks very much like that but it is closer to 7'-8'. It blooms a very long time. I think butterflies like it. My single O. verbascum is surrounded by single hollyhocks in the pale pink, apricot, and bicolor combinations of those colors. It just looked spectacular IMHO. I am hooked
on hollyhocks. Just today I received seeds from www.hardyplants.com for
tall white verbascum and phoenician violetta (3') I have a very weepy stemmed verbascum which has apricot, tan, and pale pink flowers. It might
look nice planted inside a tomato cage, because it can't stand up on its own.
Verbascum germinate readily from seeds.
"The Well Tended Perennial Garden" is so worth the money. I've learned a ton from that book. As a new gardener it really took a lot of the guess work out of gardening, and helped me to be brave. I cut back almost all perennials when done blooming in hopes of a second bloom. If I don't get a second (or third or fourth!) bloom, I usually at least get refreshed foliage. I don't have your variety of verbascum, but do have "southern charm". It's now in it's third round of blooming, after cutting back to it's basal foliage each time it's done blooming. Good luck, and have fun!
pgt, I did buy The Well Tended Perennial Garden and another that Polly mentioned (but I can't find where.) Using www.betterworld.com, I was able to buy both (used) for $17, including postage (not bad for two wonderful books. I have the Well Tended Perennial Garden also waiting for me at the library. I may pick it up tonight. Betterworld has tons of garden books for $3.48 which includes postage. That's the way I treat myself when I feel I deserve a treat (I do deserve a lot of treats!)
It was in a private dmail, Gloria, and I recommended Pam Harpers Time Tested Plants.
I treat myself to garden books when I feel the need too. I finally gave in and ordered The Siberian Iris by Currier McEwen. It's out of print and almost 200 new, but I got a used one for 24. Still not cheap, but I had to have it, and I'm worth it, LOL.
We think alike Gloria!
Gee, Polly, I ordered that a month or so ago, but I didn't pay that much. It was to make a pair with my Currier McEwen Japanese Iris. aside, years ago
when I saw an article on Currier McEwen and his hybridizing J. iris, I wrote and begged him for seeds. He sent them to me, and I started my first J. iris collection.
I know I am crazy, but www. hardyplants.com has seeds of J. iris from a fine collection in Japan. I would get two packs = 100 seeds. Now, I need those like I need a hole in the head, but I will probably get them anyway. I guess I could sell some at the farmer's market
Oh, thanks for telling me that Gloria. I might need some of them, too.
That's the cheapest I've ever seen the Siberian Iris book, and I've been looking for years. If you recall where you found it cheaper, please let me know. Just for future reference.
Gloria, they have a lot of bad feedback on GW, so think I'll pass. Watch out!
Polly, Abe books has Siberian iris for $$5.95 and his Japanese iris for $5.99.
The Siberian iris book is not that good (it is written for the iris society.) But the Japanese iris book by McEwen is just beautiful. It is $5.99.
Gloria, The Siberian Iris I just had to have is also by McEwen. It's out of print, and I know it's been very costly. Abe and Alibris are the first place I usually check. This time Amazon had it listed for about the same price, and I like dealing with them, quicker shipping. This is the one here. It's truly the bible of siberians, and I sell them, so it's actually a business expense I suppose. Doesn't that make me feel better!
http://www.amazon.com/Siberian-Iris-Currier-McEwen/dp/088192329X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250631988&sr=1-2
Mcewens The Japanese Iris is the bible for Japanese. Lots of good info in that book, too.
Polly, I don't know how I copied down $5.95 for the price. The copy I have does not have a beautiful cover. It is maroon cloth bound. I will have to look it up in my books. Like you, I have been searching for a few minutes; I have
no idea of what site I was on to get those prices.
It's a different book, Gloria. Apparently there are two books named The Siberian Iris. The other one is a publication of the American Iris Society, I think. And there have been many reprints of that one.
Does this look like the one you might have:
http://www.alibris.com/booksearch.detail?invid=9691513181&wquery=%22the+siberian+iris%22&qwork=6074235&qsort=&page=1&cm_sp=inventory*listing*title
Polly, I found the book Siberian Irises by Currier McEwen (about 6"x11") brown classy paper cover.
75 pages (including index,) a publication of the Society of Siberian Iris, 1981,
a color plate at the beginning and several in the middle. A number of pen and ink illustrations of the parts of the plant and method of hybridizing
Perhaps the new book is a revision or republication of this first book? I don't think he wrote two. Of course, I could be wrong.
He did write two. He wrote 'Siberian Irises', and 'The Siberian Iris'. 'The Siberian Iris' is the comprehensive newer one. But they are definietly two different books. The first one was written by him for the American Iris Society, and the second was not.
Confused yet, LOL.
That makes sense; there is the subtle difference in the titles (which is necessary.) I am not going to try to get the second book. I think I am about Iris booked out. Do you hybridize them
yourself?
I'm going to introduce four of them next year, hopefully.
I don't really have a collection; I buy from Ensata.com. Usually I buy their collections. I am waiting for a delivery of ten Siberians I chose from those on sale. Unfortunately, I only caught the tail end
of the sale, but I did order some beauties. I have about 12 varieties already. My number of varieties of J. iris is small too. I moved 11/07 and lost a lot of plants. I didn't have time to replant them, and the collections (along with almost all my roses) froze. But I do grow iris from
seed too. I think they are such cute, sturdy little seedlings. I fell in love with J. iris because of
Currier McEwen 20-25 years ago. I have a few LA iris growing from seed too. Only three varieties survived the move so I have ordered a few more from Iris City, and I have seedlings of about 7 from my own. I do really admire your crossing the Sibs; I am one who loses the tags so easily, and I am too old to ever consider the process of developing and testing a new variety.
I hope your new varieties are a great hit in the iris world. I have very little room to accommodate many more. I have a disappointing muddy pond which is not ideal for waterside
marginals.
The collections from Ensata are nice. And I love Iris City. Louisianas don't do so well here, unfortunately, as they're so pretty. They grow well, but don't flower well. And only about 60 miles from us is a park where they have a gorgeous planting of them.
Yes, I love the Siberians, too, and order from Ensata. I also ordered 5 Japanese Iris from them a couple of years ago that came into bloom this year, and I wish I had ordered more more more! They werer stunning and bloomed when not much else in our garden was blooming. I was afraid they would need more water than I could provide, but they did just fine in the same garden as Siberians.
About 'Specialty Perennials/Hardy Plants' for seed buying~~I buy from them because they offer so many interesting hard to find varieties, but I also know I can't count on the people there to send out their seeds in a timely way and several times my seeds came too late. So if you are OK with that, they are an OK source. (I've gotten into some very frustrating situations with them, but now I've learned how they do business and that I can't do much about hurrying them along.)
I've got over 200 Japanese cultivars now Tabasco. They are addicting to me. You're right, they don't need a ton of water, especially once established.
I just can't imagine 200 cultivars of Japanese iris. Your yard must look wonderful in S. & J. iris
seasons. At one time, I dreamed of something like that.
tobasco, I agree about hardyplants.com. They can really be frustrating. In a way I have managed to get around some of the problems by starting seeds inside in summer as well as winter, using the coffee filter method and putting the germinated seeds immediately outside,
and winter sowing. They always come through sooner or later. I have also found that most
seeds will start when they are over a year old.
t
It does look wonderful at iris time.
Gloria, did you ever look at the thread on beardless irises on the iris forum? Sometime when you have nothing better to do, LOL, take a look. I think it's four parts. Here's the first thread. You'll see how the beardless progress from the siberians through the Japanese and everything in between.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/985796/
Yes, 200 japanese iris is mind boggling! Must be very pretty to see them in bloom.
gloriag, I too am trying to develop my seed starting skills and have been keeping track of the Propagation forum a bit. I have had some success with the 'Deno Method' and find it quite a convenient way to get perennial seeds started. Wintersowing, too, and of course I've become addicted to that like everybody else!
By the way, did someone already mention on this thread that Bluestone was having some very nice specials on perennials?
And also, I have been watching the 'Classified Forum' here and also the DG Marketplace for interesting additions to the garden. But does anyone else buy from either of those sources?? I haven't purchased anything yet, but some of the offerings look interesting...
Happy gardening today....I am clearing out a lot of my perennials that are 'done' for the season...summer seems to have gone too fast.
Cleaning out? Our summer has been so wierd here in CT that my butterfly bush only started blooming two weeks ago and has just hit its peak. Judging from the number of buds still developing, it's planning to keep going right through October!
Crabgrass, you are having a late season! What is your zone there in New Milford....?
Our weather this summer has been strange, too, but not quite as wet as the Northeast. My buddleias are on their last legs as far as bloom goes. Zinnias are ablaze and tall and strong. A few other things in bloom, but the garden is winding down here.
Depending on which map you look at, my house is either in Zone 5, Zone 6 or right on the line. :-D
Summer here didn't start until the last week of July. And not only was it cool, it rained nearly every day for weeks. I demand a refund!!!