This has been my first year growing Rose Campion. I love it and would like to wintersow more in 2012..This morning, I deadheaded it, now are seeds inside those pods, like for a marigold? It was 6 am so they still had dew on them, I'm going to let them dry out in the sun today. Do I open up that pod to look for the seeds? Can I direct sow them? When would be the best time to transplant it to another location? It's planted in the wrong location, needs to be in back of border because of its height.
Rose campion
Pippi,
Rose Campion is a biennial, and the original plant usually doesn't come back up the year after it blooms. What I do with mine, is instead of deadheading all the flowers, I let a few go to seed, and allow them to do their thing naturally in the garden. Then in the spring, when tons of babies come up, I just transplant them to where I want them. But, if you want to collect some for winter sowing, I would still wait for the seeds to form on the plants themselves, and then collect them after the seed pods have dried out on the plant. If the seeds were already ready when you deadheaded them, I'd go ahead and direct sow them. They really are so easy to grow. I'd think you could transplant your original plant now if you want, and you might get lucky and have it come back again next year. Just give it some extra water, and sprinkle some of those seeds around it after you transplant it so that if the original doesn't come back next year, some of it's babies will. And, if you don't get any next year, dmail me, and I'll mail you some babies. I always get more than I need :)
Pam, thanks for that all this information. How long do those plants usually bloom? It sure is a pretty bloom color and the silver stems/foliage is striking. So it probably wouldn't hurt to wintersow some more in 2012? What about direct sowing now? Gosh, gardening really is a trial and error experience. I was always so used to going and buying my starter plants at the garden centers/nurseries and never paid no attention to their growth habits,etc. Planting from seeds really does give one another type of education/learning experience, doesn't it? It really makes me appreciate the grower's skills and knowledge.
Even if I try to deadhead the Lychnis, I always miss a few and they come up everywhere. I've trying to cut them back, kinda like petunias to encourage later blooming, but it didn't work. I like them around the budlia. They are finished blooming when the budlia overpowers them. I have had them live longer than 2 years. I had the Ragged Robin L. flos-cuculi, once. pretty, but glad I got rid of it. No such thing as one plant after the 2nd year
Herman
? what is a rose Campion ?
Here's an old pic of mine, Okyo. You can barely see them behind the foxglove. They are tallish flowers with the really bright pink small flowers. I love them mixed with roses and foxglove. You can't really see the foliage in this pic, but they have fuzzy silvery leaves almost the same texture and color as lamb's ears.
Perty color flower. Thanks folks for the input. I think I will get some, if I can find them in my area.
I could get seedlings from the lawn. I'm sure they will live but won't bloom til next year. Not a true biennial but takes 2 yrs to bloom.
Herman
I do the same....let them pop up somewhere the next year and transplant them to a spot I'd like them to be!
I am so proud of myself..this week I figured out how to gather the seeds from this plant. Everybody kept talking about they reseed and to look for their seedlings to pop up. Over the weekend or maybe Monday, I noticed that some of the spent buds looked a different color and it appeared to be more dried up than before and it seem to have a small hole at top of bud..I went to the garage and got a paper bowl and picked some of those dried pods off and held them upside down over that bowl and all these seeds started coming out. Oh, I was so excited! Now, another question: Once the dried pods are picked off, do they rebloom in same place or do I cut the plant back once there are no fresh blooms?
Although they are purported to be a biennial, they can come back it cut back all the way to the ground. Once one plant goes to seed, you will have them all over your property for the rest of your life. it will be hard to get them all, LOL!!!
Sort of like sundrops, Johnny Jump-ups and columbines and forget-me-nots. Their seeds get scattered everywhere by the wind and also the birds. Where we lived for 27 yrs. before moving here in 2005, my next door neighbor had her rose garden right next to the split rail fence we shared. One winter we had a lot of wind and in the spring, she started noticing these pretty blue flowers in her rose garden. Also creeping yellow sedum and Johnny jump-ups another year. She loved it the first year because it saved her money. She'd only buy maybe 3 (six packs of petunias and plant along the edge of the rose garden)but when they started multiplying year after year and choking her rose bushes, she started pulling them up and throwing them in the yard waste bag with the grass clippings. Maybe some of the grey fuzzy plants that I found when I moved here were not lamb's ear like I thought. I didn't know about Rose campion then. Thanks for the warning.
Maybe I'll just save those seeds I've collected and use them to trade or put in the WS swap. Maybe somebody will have those on their wish list.
Yes, the lady who originally gave them to me called them "Lamb's Ears" - NOT!
Oh, well...she meant well, I think....
At this point I just want ANYTHING that will prosper and be easy care. This move to this house has me overwhelmed with work and very little time to give to my flowerbeds and no money for it! OH well...
pgt, I thought I was growing Wooly Lamb's Ear. I'm glad to find out the name of this plant. I got 1 (one) plant from a neighbor's yard years ago and have had volunteers ever since. Thanks for the picture. Luciee {;^)
I hated leaving my plants behind in Idaho... I'll have to get another for here.
How I came upon this plant many years ago...a neighbor who lived up the road from me, gave me what she called lamb's ears....not! Last year I gave an aquaintance over 100 plants and there were still more coming up. I dug up the ones that were in the new bed, but there are some really nice ones in another garden. I think I might transplant them before the first snowfall. Last year it rained and snowed since the middle of November. This year we have not had any rain for over a month. I guess there is no way of predicting....
Evelyn - one of the plants you sent to me bloomed over the weekend. She is lovely. :)
Thank you!
A.
Oops! (Double posted!)
This message was edited May 2, 2012 7:24 AM
Oh good! Save some seeds and you will have all you want, and then some...LOL!! My husband weed-whacked a clump of mine, but I think they will come back even stronger. It is hard to kill them, actually.
That's one of the many plants I loved in my gardens in Boise. I haven't yet planted any in these gardens!
Hi All:
I just bought some rose campion at the nursery today. Haven't planted it yet and not sure where to put it. I always buy way more plants than I should. It sure is a pretty flower in your picture pgt.
Apparently, once you have rose campion, it is there to stay. My sister moved into an old house (built in the 1930s) and rose campion popped up everywhere, It is beautiful ... she just lets it wander and cuts what is not desired to the ground.
Well, it will only let me send one photo at a time ... will try again
And one more ...
I LOVE that stuff and it's on my list "gotta buy" for the new house.
I have one plant that was sent to me last year, and it is gorgeous. Wonder why it seems to suffer wilt midday - does it want shade?
I have grown them in medium shade. First try thorough watering and mulch to keep the roots cool.
Herman
shade would help, but first try thorough watering and mulch to keep the roots cool
Amanda ~ I have some in sun for about 6 hours a day. They are well mulched and watered and do not wilt. They were the self-sown ones. (Still, it isn't in the middle of summer yet, and Steve weed-whacked them twice already!!)
Last year I moved some around and wherever I put them, they wilted in the middle of the day. Maybe save some seeds and sow some where you want them to grow. They are easy and if you don't save the seeds, they will scatter everywhere.
Finally got a chance to post on this thread. First full bloom this year. And a closeup with coral bells.
Herman
Beautiful! That's the first time I've seen white ones.
I have never seen this before and I already love it. Both my daughters have Tourette's syndrome. The oldest had a lot of sensory issues when she was a child. I would plant lambs ear in the garden for her so she would have something to touch whlie I was weeding and working out there, so I am a bit partial when it comes to soft follaged plants. Another plant to add to my wish list. :)
BTW My oldest is 13 now and if I'm out working in the garden near the lambs ear when she is looking for me she still has to "pet" it. :)
I have a few small plants available in a couple of weeks.. I will have seeds later. They just started blooming.
Keep me in mind for when they are ready, I would love to have some to put into the back garden which I am dedicating to my girls. It's all soft textures, or things that smell really nice, white, pinks, corals and pastels. All the things that say little girls to me, and this soft fuzzy plant would just be the prefect fit. Already transfered a bit of lambs ear into the border. :)
Hello Dcart - how about hoary mullein? Forms giant rosettes the first season and second year sends up a flower spike. The leaves are all fuzzy just like lambs' ear. It also has medicinal value as a remedy for sinus problems.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/849/
Also - this year I started what is supposed to be Rudbeckia maxima - Giant Rudbeckia. So far a soft fuzzy clump of leaves that seem almost identical to those of the mullein. I sure hope that trade was for the right seed! Ha ha - in fact, most of the rudbeckias have soft fuzzy leaves.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/83/
I received a ground cover in trade - which also has the soft fuzzy leaves. Can't remember the name of it offhand, my friend had mislabled it and only recently corrected her ID. Will post another time.
That hoary mullein is interesting and sure looks a lot like lambs ear. I actually cut my lambs ear flowers off and just keep it as a border plant. :) I can not keep Rudbeckia alive here. I think maybe I have been planting it in an area that gets to much hot sun in the summer and no shelter in the winter. They had some small pots for $1 at Menard's so maybe I'll give it another try in the girls garden that gets a bit more shade and sits on the south side of the house so has less winter exposure. I have kept a rose bush alive two years back there and I always kill roses. :)
I'm think I'm going to pick up some yarrow, they have that soft fuzzy silver foliage also. Anyone have a favorite that will be zone 4 hardy.
Yarrow I remember is stinky!
Is it? :( I keep reading that it makes a good plant for a cottage garden, but I don't want one that stinks.
I like Yarrow because it is a native plant, but it does spread uncontrollably - a downside for someone like me with not a lot of space.