Donna, since I don't have any pix of the other varieties of thyme, check out the thymes listed at High Country Gardens or Arrowhead Alpines websites.
As I recall, I got most of mine from the old Heronswood nursery, which changed hands a long time ago. They used to have an astonishing variety of plants!
Plants for terrace wall
Thank you for the wonderfful images. My set-up is based on the accelerated propogation units from Garden Supply. I am so impressed by the number of cells you have - probabbly 30% more than I ever grew! You could probably teach me a lot, and I've been doing it for ten years!
I know that the old Heronswood was sold. I thought it a shame. I have bougt many things from Forest Farm, and I understand that they were comparable.
The trick with alpines here is that the soil required is often sharply draining. I learned that the hard (and expensive) way when I tried to grow certain penstemons - Stapleford Gem, for example. Just about the only penstemon we can grow is digitalis Husker Red, which I do like very much and have. High Country Gardens does a very nice job of addressing soil differences.
Hi Birder---great to see how this thread has come back to life. I don't have time to read and respond to the new stuff at this moment, but I will soon. However, I'll post pics of my slope from 2011. Arbor photo was taken in 2010, so you can see how things progressed in one year. I took a look yesterday, and everything will be even better this year. These pics are of the same slope, but of the additional staircase area that eventually leads up and around to the arbor. For some reason, I didn't photograph the arbor slope in 2011.
Close-up of some of the plantings. This is how the slope looks April/May. Lithodora 'Grace Ward', (blue) Aubrieta 'Dr. Mules' (purple), and a hot pink creeping phlox.
Same slope in June/July. Nepeta 'Walker's Low' and a variety of groundcover roses take over the show and bloom through October. Scotch moss planted on the stairs. Has since tripled in size since this photo.
Warrior: Thanks for all the suggestions. I will need to research some of them. I have the Dianthus grantianopolitanus. Although it does spread slowly, I didn't think it would hang down below the terrace wall? I will post a picture of my Dianthus g. It just doesn't look like a "hanger"? I also have the Verbena canadensis. I really like this plant and hadn't thought of it for my terrace wall but think it would be a good one. Thanks for the tip about the Iberis sempervirens "Autumn Beauty" That's a neat plant. Has anyone tried propagating Iberis s. by cuttings?
WR: Love your thyme! It looks so relaxed and calming. I have some sort of thyme also, but it's not a pretty as yours. Again, didn't think of it for the terrance. I have "a" Verbena that does come back every year. It's more of a red purple rather than the V. Homestead Purple.
I have read about Origanum 'Kenty Beauty" twice recently on this website and how much gardener's like it. I may have to try it. I am surprised it is perennial in zone 5. I don't know why, I just figured it wouldn't make it--kind of like rosemary.
I also have a blue-purple verbena, (different from the above mentioned one - this one is much more blue vs. the other one more red) a white one and a rose pink one that I bought last summer. They are so pretty and bloomed all summer. I am "hoping" they will hang around until next spring! I noticed some of them have some little green leaves at the bottom of the center of the plant. We have had a very mild winter thus far.....crossing my fingers! I potted some of the stems that had rooted, but they quickly died. Today, I pulled weeds in one of my gardens. The weeds were just sucking all the nutrients out of the soil. It feels good to have the garden bed cleaned up.
DM: You should be able to grow Penstemon cobea. It is a native here and quite pretty. I started a few from seed last year. They are still green with tints of red and doing quite well. Also, I am trying Penstemon digitalis this year. I "think" it will grow here. (Hoping!)
Kosk, your landscaping is very pretty. I really like Nepeta but am a backyard birder and a little hesitant to use it. Thank you for posting your pictures.
Here's the Dianthus g. I said I would post:
Edited to say: Thyme is at the bottom of the picture.
This message was edited Jan 10, 2012 8:34 AM
