Last year I noticed lots of perennials blooming earlier than usual, but this year it's even worse.
I could swear that my taller asiatic lilies didn't used to bloom til mid-July or later, but they're almost all blooming, or about to. My helenium didn't bloom til late July (or later?), but it's blooming now. Even some of my japanese anemones and aconitum (usually August/September) have buds. What's going to happen - a garden devoid of blooms by August?
Is your garden going crazy too?
My bloom season's off too. Some plants that bloom faithfully for me haven't shown any signs og buds even.
P
I agree, perennially me. Most things have bloomed much sooner than usual, and my gardening friends in northern VA report the same. Does this mean fall & winter will come earlier?? Please, no; have lots of fall planting planned. And a longer winter sounds horrible.
Ruth
Peggy, sounds like you're having the opposite problem. That's very strange. Have you had cooler than usual weather? Ours has been much warmer than usual, so maybe that's confused the plants. What plants are you talking about?
Ruth, I certainly hope it doesn't mean that! We have way too long a winter as it is. I'd love to have your extended growing season. My folks are down there near you- in Pisgah Forest. They retired down there partly for that reason - a long gardening season, but they're mostly into the wildflowers and shade perennials that bloom really early anyway. I don't know if theirs were earlier than usual or not.
I do wonder if some of these plants, like the helenium and japanese anemone, that usually keep going until the cold stops them, will be able to keep blooming for an extra month or two, or if the garden will just become devoid of flowers early.
Things are blooming earlier here too! My favorite lilies Coral Sunrise are in full bloom right now and have been fro at least a week, usually they don't bloom until the second week of July. I also think it is really early for Balloon Flowers and Monarda to be blooming already? I hope we don't have an August devoid of blooms, I'll have to cry myself to sleep! lol ;)
The area around Pisgah Forest is beautiful; good choice for retirement. Will be interesting to see what happens with our plants for the rest of the year; like you, I'm curious to see if the long-bloomers keep going and hope they do. Noticed today that I have a chrysanthemum blooming already; what's up with that??
I'll cry with you, Meredith. My balloon flowers and dwarf monarda are blooming too. Not much that isn't except stuff that's already stopped.
Ruth, that's very sad about your chrysanthemum. One of my aconitums is now in full bloom and another has buds (last year didn't bloom til at least September). Most of my japanese anemones have buds. I just collected astrantia seeds. Waiting for the leaves to turn color and fall.
Is the Chrysanthemum a Clara Curtis by any chance? Mine bloomed about this time last year too. I remember people saying it's normal for her and to just cut it back if you'd rather have it bloom in fall. Or they said you could let it bloom then cut it back and she'd bloom again. I am always so behind on gardening and never got around to cutting her back so she just bloomed when she wanted and didn't get any blooms later on. Except maybe a few here and there.
No, Meredith, I don't at the moment recall the name of the variety, but it's a yellow cushion mum that usually doesn't need to be cut back; has always been a reliable Sept. bloomer. I'm beginning to fear it's going to a bleak late summer/fall, with all the late bloomers jumping the gun in early summer. Not to mention that I dread the thought of a possibly longer winter. Winters here are characterized by high howling winds that go on and on for days at a time: pretty depressing and darn hard on the garden. And I'm still planting a couple new areas, which normally works just fine here at this season; but this year, who knows?
Ruth
I think you all will end up being quite happy by the end of the summer. So many things I see in that picture are going to bloom for a longer period of time this summer. Things like gaillardia will bloom 12 months of the year down here. They're definitely not going to mind having an extra month or two to bloom. Rudbeckias, echinaceas will bloom for long periods of time, so they won't mind either. Bulbs, for obvious reasons, will be done early, but you'll have plenty of color to keep you very happy.
Jon
Just noticed last night that my hydrangea tardivas, which usually bloom in late August, have flower buds. September Charm anemones are looking to be July Charm anemones this summer. Lilies and monarda are blooming, astilbes are shriveled and dried out, everything is going at a madcap pace this summer. Thank goodness for the annual geraniums (pelargoniums) that bloom into the fall, because they may be the only thing left with flowers by the end of the month!
I sure hope you're right, Jon!
Me too! The longer things bloom the better! :) A couple of my coneflowers are starting to bloom now, I am pretty sure it's much earlier than last year, but I had moved them in spring... I think the more stablished plants are the more likely they will bloom early if conditions are right. My Karley Rose Grasses definitely seem way ahead too now that I'm thinking of it! : )
Some things keep going non-stop down here, if they are plants that can survive during June-August when the sun is really really strong. Some Salvias are everblooming, gaillardias are everblooming. Coneflowers start blooming in April and continue, off and on thru September, depending on variety. Rudbeckias bloom from April-October, depending on variety, except for "Tiger Eye Gold". That one will bloom off and on all 12 months if its cut way back when blooms slow down. Gerbera daisies bloom continuously and are considered perennials here. All your annuals should have no problem blooming for the extra period of time. Many of your typical Northern annuals are sold as winter plants down here. Most all of them will bloom from October-April in South Florida. If they can bloom for 7 months here, there's no reason they can't bloom as long as the weather permits them to in your areas.
Interesting viewpoint, Jon, and I too hope you're right; the logic is compelling. Echinaceas and rudbeckias have been blooming here for several weeks, and the gaillardias have been blooming their hearts out since May. I'll keep deadheading them, maybe give them a bit of Osmocote, and hope for the best.
Me too, Ruth. I'll definitely be vigilant about deadheading, and think an extra fertilizing is in order, so they don't wear themselves out with all that blooming.
You're right. Should have mentioned the "deadheading" and fertilizing thing. I'm a bit over obsessed with the deadheading thing and tend to do 2-3 times a week. It helps to keep the flowers blooming well and picking up the dying plant material gives you fewer insect problems. They love decaying plant material. If you pick yours up many of the insects will go elsewhere looking for weaker plants to feed on. We don't have to battle deer, rabbits or any four legged creatures down here, which is a very good thing, but we do battle a wide variety of insects.
This is where the DG garden diary would come in handy. I've noticed some members notate when specific plants start to bloom and any other problems/plant success in their garden diaries here. I have asked two people to put the date feature on my digital camera, and still hasn't shown up. I will stop by Ritz and get some copies of the latest pics taken and ask one of their employees to show me how to do it or have them to set it for me.
Didn't even think about the "date feature" on a camera. I do name the photos, starting with the date when I download them and save them on the computer. At least that way they're all in order and I immediately know the date of a picture. An typical example of a saved photo would be "Pictures July 16 2010 Rudbeckia Cappuccino".
Jon
Everything here has bloomed way earlier than normal also. Even with diligent deadheading, there's no way I'll be able to prolong the blooming too much. I'm seeing several of my fall flowers beginning to get large buds--things like mums, sedum and japonese anemone which usually bloom very late. It's going to be a rather drab late summer and autumn in my garden, I'm afraid.
Mine too, mom2. My japanese anemones are starting to bloom too, and some of my aconitums are in full bloom. Maybe some of the tricyrtis will wait?
I hope so, for you. Mine are blooming now. It's been a terribly warm, humid, rainy summer here.
Which ones? My yellow ones are blooming, but they're always earlier, but not the others. We've had the hot muggies for a few weeks now.
