Fall Swap 2013 at Sallygs Haves and Wants Discussion

Here is where we can discuss our Haves and Wants, ask questions about the swap and make requests.

I just posted my list of haves and wants.

And oh Catmint -- I have been looking for Liatris spicata 'Kobold' for about a month! I would very much love a division for my awful front hill. I would be so so pleased! (I think Kobold is a bit shorter than the species.)

This message was edited Jul 31, 2013 9:11 PM

Happy. I already have your Tinatia doing well from last year. And your strawberry begonia Is a good plant if any one is debating that. You can make a pot of Begonia grandis for me though...in the madness on casual thursday i never found one here lol

Happy, the Kobold is lovely. I have two of them and they both got to be between 2 and 3 feet tall. Beautiful purplish-pink spikes that the butterflies have loved. I ended up with 2 by mistake, since one apparently overwintered from the previous owner, so I'll keep one and re-home the other! :-) I'll put you down for it!

This message was edited Aug 1, 2013 6:00 AM

Happy, I would love some:

Echinacea "Magnus"
Hibiscus "Blue Satin" cuttings
Hosta Ginko Craig
Monarda "Raspberry Wine"
Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae

I have a large shady spot behind my shed that is currently fallow and I've been thinking of doing a shade garden there, so the Gingko Craig and Euphorbia would be a perfect starter! :-) I'm also going to clear away some boxwood hedges and a mini-rose bush left by the previous owner that I'm not in love with, so fresh garden beds to fill-- yay!

This message was edited Aug 1, 2013 6:10 AM

This message was edited Aug 1, 2013 6:20 AM

Happy, I forgot to pick up that sedum terantum from you this spring.

SSG, can you tell me more about your pink coreopsis? :-)

Sure! The seeds were donated (no idea from where) and the envelope just said "coreopsis." I wintersowed last year, and It bloomed pink through late spring/early summer, and stayed fairly short, about a foot tall.

I have pretty hot colors in my yard, so the light pink was getting lost. Since it's a very delicate flower, it'd probably look best in a pastel-y cottage garden.

I think it resembles this: http://pss.uvm.edu/pss123/corerosea.jpg

oh, it's a threadleaf! I don't have a consistent garden theme anywhere yet, so I'm sure it will fit in. ;-)

Hmm... is it a threadleaf...? I'll let you take a look at it first. :)

Happy, I'd like to try that Monarda. Is it true that they like a lot of moisture?

You guys and your funny social media jokes ;)

Sally: I didn't think I had given you enough to live. I think I also promised it to Terp -- I had forgotten -- so I'll put him down for it. I lost the two pots I had last winter because I never labeled them, and so this spring I thought they were empty! But a few sprigs have been quietly thriving.... I've got tons of Begonia grandis -- would you like more than a pot? I'll put you down for 3 pots, but I can bring more or less as you wish.

Catmint: I have you down! Caution on the Euphorbia: It is aggressive and a bit hard to dig up when you want to keep it in bounds. Still a good plant, but just saying. BTW, you can edit out the "edited" note at the end of posts you edit -- all but the last. It keeps the posts shorter if you do. No biggie here, but it becomes an issue on the "haves and wants" thread where people edit the same thread again and again and again....

Ssgardener: I have you down for the Monarda. Monarda are supposed to like a lot of moisture but I don't have enough experience with this one (Raspberry Wine) to say. Mine is thriving on my awful front hill where I don't plan to give much supplemental water, but I have been watering a bit this year -- plus there has been a lot of rain -- so my experience so far isn't very useful on that point. No mildew yet. It is very tall, and the flowers are plentiful but not huge. I like it a lot so far. I have it next to Shasta Daily "Becky." I know many people think Monarda is aggressive and can get out of hand, but I haven't had enough experience with this one -- plus on my awful front hill, I am looking for plants that will hold their own. It was a top performer on the Chicago Botanical trials. http://www.chicagobotanic.org/downloads/planteval_notes/no12_monarda.pdf What was the social media reference?

Happy, that anemone looks adorable. Can I take it? I'd also like a bit of that Carex too. Oh what the heck, I already look greedy: how about that Penstemon "Dark Towers"? Social media reference was in the haves and wants thread. Someone put a placeholder that said "My Space". Paul said "Facebook". I said "Google +" but mine is gone now.

SSG, I have that monarda too, and it's in the driest, graveliest, sunniest place in my garden. It's doing well this year and not spreading much. I don't know how well it will do in a drought year. But it's near the hose so not a big deal for me. Also, no signs of powdery mildew.

typwc: You've got it, with pleasure, but caution: The anemone is not "adorable" (which implies cute and small) - it is gorgeous but huge and, after a few years, a bit of a thug. Also, I just remembered that you aren't supposed to plant anemone in the fall because of low survival rate. I'll bring it anyway -- but if it doesn't make it, JLMK and I'll take another division in the spring.

Catmint, I can get you a little bit of Jasminum nudiflorum -- I just put it in this spring -- I got mine from SallyG this spring. SallyG mailed me a ton -- at the time she posted "There's a large bush in our little neighborhood play area. I am off work from college this week and can get some any day. They are skinny branches and can go in a padded envelope. There could be rooted tips, if I remember correctly how this thing spreads, and of course would get those if so."

You could check with SallyG -- she might be able to get you substantially more than the little bit I can. What she mailed me was indeed rooted tips. I put it in shade and it is doing just fine but not exactly growing its heart out. I wanted it to stabilize some hills in the back (we have a lot of issues with runoff and erosion).

Good to know about the Monarda. It's my first time growing it this year and it bloomed really well, but I wasn't sure if that was due to the wet spring we had.

Typwc, I'd like to try the Black Scallop ajuga. The plain no-name variety does well for me, but Chocolate Chip keeps rotting after spreading out a little bit.

Typwc, how do you like the Sunny Knockout? I'd love to try a yellow rose!

ssgardener: I've had the same problem with chocolate chip ajuga rotting out or just disappearing -- It isn't nearly tough enough for my yard.

This message was edited Aug 1, 2013 10:38 AM

Typwc: I'd love to inherit your Acanthus spinosus. I can give you little bits of Hakonechloa macra Aureola (not much though because I'm trying to spread it in a lot of places in my yard -- it is a lovely plant). I may have some short ornamental grasses I can divide -- I need to assess the awful front hill to see what is division-ready -- too wet right now -- remind me if I don't get back to you on that, please.

Happy: The picture from Google made the anemone look small and cute. I'll take it anyway. The acanthus is yours. I'll tell it to be nice to you. I've had it 3 years and it has not really done anything. It dies back in the winter and comes back to the exact same size. I do love the scuptural leaves though.

SSG: the Radsunny just doesn't do it for me. It has a pretty flush of flowers in spring which complement the Salvia 'May Night' beautifully. It does have a lovely smell which is not intense. I am bummed that it rests for most of the summer before a second, smaller flush in the fall (I was sold on the fact that it was a Knockout and would bloom profusely all summer?!). The flowers are dark yellow in the morning of the first bloom but then turn creamy-white. I wanted YELLOW all day every day all summer, not cream and only in late Spring. As with all Knockouts, not a really good cutting flower either. I am planning to replace them with something evergreen. Bottom line: it is a nice shrub with spring color, but it just doesn't pull its weight in my garden. Do you want 1 or 2 plants? Here's the plant back when we were still in love with each other: http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/4f/15/bb/4f15bb48d825d0b1d37d26c1e0082257.jpg

typwc: That photo makes the Yellow Rose of Silver Spring (humming now) worth loving.

what's the yellow rose of silver spring?

I was just trying to make a little play on the "Yellow Rose of Texas." Because I was thinking you were from Silver Spring, but it's Catbird (and ss) who are from Silver Spring. Oops. Yellow Rose of Parkville. Still falls flat -- sorry. Seemed funny at the moment! I was deep in some office work and ANYTHING sounds funny under those circumstances!

This message was edited Aug 1, 2013 3:00 PM

Typ, I'd like to try just one and see how it does for me. My red knockouts got really bad black spot but still bloomed very well.

Also, I have some green elephant ears that get about 3 feet tall. They were originally from coleup and have multiplied nicely.

FYI, I have some ajuga Black Scallop as well in case anyone is interested. It worked fine--it has not spread aggressively as warned, it has stayed healthy and compact. It had very long-lasting blue flowers.

Happy, I would love some of your Jasminum nudiflorum! Thanks!

Typ, I would love to try some of your monarda Raspberry *if Happy runs out* and also some of your hosta Guacamole! Is the Lonicera sempervirens at all invasive? Which Liriope is it?



This message was edited Aug 1, 2013 4:45 PM

Catmint you want Jasminum nudiflorum ? I kept some when I got some for happy. so I have a small bush (group of rooted trimmings) all ready to go- you can have it.

LOL @ Terp

This message was edited Aug 1, 2013 5:25 PM

Catmint -- I should have plenty of Monarda Raspberry Wine. How many plants would you like so Typ doesn't need to bother?

SallyG -- thanks for offering Catmint the Jasminum. I wouldn't be able to offer very much because mine is just barely taking hold!

Sally, that would be wonderful! I'd love the jasminum nudiflorum! would love to have something that stays cheery for me during the doldrum winter months. Plus I have so much empty fencing in my backyard and have been looking for something that's not too invasive to spread against it.

Did someone mention wanting hardy begonia? I have a begonia 'Kaylen' which is supposed to be hardy to zone 7. I got it this spring and it has been magnificent-- it has grown huge, and has bloomed full and continuously in the ground for several months now. It is in a partly sunny spot. I don't know much yet about cuttings/ divisions etc. but am happy to work with someone to learn more if anyone is interested. The leaves are almost a chocolatey color and glossy, and the blossoms are a deep pink.

I also have a rosa x rugosa (Moje Hammarberg?) that has thrown at least one offspring. I have enjoyed this shrub a lot--it puts out double blossoms, magenta, *very* fragrant. It is very resistant to diseases and has bloomed lusciously all summer long. Downside: it is exceptionally thorny, and the Japanese beetles love it. My mission now is to find a way to control the JPs so it remains full and beautiful till the end of August...

Catmint - my hardy begonia is Begonia grandis, which may be a different animal than your begonia, which is described as "a hardy wax begonia -- If you love wax begonias but hate planting them every year, this is the begonia for you! Originally from the University of Georgia, 'Kaylen' produces rose-red flowers throughout the summer and into the fall on plants with burgundy foliage. Unlike Begonia ×semperflorens-cultorum, 'Kaylen' has tubers which help it survive harsh winters down to 0°F. Begonia 'Kaylen' is a more open plant than typical wax begonias and can be grown in full sun to partial sun. Zones 7–11." http://www.ncsu.edu/jcraulstonarboretum/horticulture/connoisseur_plants/connoisseur_plants_by_year.php?year=2005 Mine is this: http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/gardens-gardening/your-garden/plant-finder/plant-details/kc/c843/begonia-grandis.aspx. Only hardy to zone 6, but doesn't have tubers. I have tons and tons, so I can bring you all you like -- JLMK.

The Monarda Raspberry Wine seems pretty tough. I bought maybe 9 plants for my awful front hill, many of which are exploding with new growth at the base, so I'm in good shape to supply a lot of demands. It has been really easy to divide -- I just yank a stem and out it comes with roots attached. I don't have to dig it up.

Happy, sorry I get it now. I know how it is to be super-focused on work stuff. Sometimes things get so absurd at my job that all I can do is laugh. or cry.....
Can you send a pic of this "awful front hill" you keep referring to? It can't be that bad if you've got so many beautiful plants on it.

SSG, I'll put you down for just one then.

Cat, got you down for the Hosta 'Guacamole'. I love this hosta. Lonicera sempervirens is native to the US and much better behaved than the japonica. But as with many vines, it needs maintenance to keep it manageable. I cut mine back to about 3' x 3' in late winter and it seems to delight in this treatment. I have quantities of the good ole solid green liriope with little lavender flower spikes. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56769/ That stuff is bulletproof. I also have the variegated but only one division available of that right now.

typwc -- thanks for inquiring about my awful front hill. I'm afraid I've bored MAG to tears with it. It doesn't look like much now -- I dug it up and planted it last fall and this spring, and many of the perennials are ones that will take a couple years to come into their prime. It is very steep (at least to walk on), and the soil isn't very good. Plus the deer know my address by heart, so I had to be very careful about what I planted.

Typ and Catmint, IMO pictures of Happy's front hill don't quite do it justice, because it's hard to capture the massiveness of it in pictures. it's so very steep and high (20 feet?). I'm so clumsy that I don't think I could stand on it, let alone weed and plant for hours as Happy has done.

It looks so different now from only 12 months ago. I think the final product is going to very impressive, and it's fun to see the progress.

Typ, does your lonicera have any scent? I got a baby one this spring and it's been blooming sporadically, but there's no scent at all.

happy- I'd caution you on trying to divide those young grasses. I have killed many grass divisions- and I think I read that many should ONLY be divided in spring.

Ok Cat, the lonicera and liriope are yours.

SSG, no I haven't noticed a scent. but then again it's far away from my door so I may not notice. I'm not much for smelly plants, though, so I like it that way. ;)

Happy, please don't risk your baby plants on account of me!

SallyG: You are right -- I lost a bunch of (really, most of) my grasses over this past winter from planting them too late in the year, so I should be careful -- I've divided a lot of the grasses as I've gone along this summer, but they were divided and immediately replanted, so not too much shock there. I divided a bunch of Pennisetum "Piglet" just yesterday. I used a garden knife to saw them in half and immediately replanted them, aiming to get them in just before the rain started. I think they'll be ok. Grasses turn out to be a lot more finicky that perennials. So typwc, let's talk, but maybe I should wait until the spring. On the other hand, I don't want to wait too long -- once grasses get really big they are a bear to divide.

ssgardener: Thanks for being supportive on my awful front hill project. It has taken a ton of time this summer -- and the rest of the yard has been completely ignored and is overrun with weeds. Right now the hill looks pretty silly -- not much is blooming, and a lot of plants are so small as to be almost invisible in photos (things like Amsonia Hubrichtii and Baptisia Australis will take a long time to thicken up).

To keep my place on this hill I am treating it like a giant excel spreadsheet. It has 26 columns (A -Z), each a yard wide (more or less), and about 10 rows, each a yard high (though the number of rows decreases as you move to the left). So to keep track, I painted broken flagstones white, and then painted the column and row numbers on them. I've put out the column letters across the top, but I'm holding off on the rest -- to be honest, I'm a bit cowed that the neighbors are going to think I've gone completely mad if I put out the rest! But without them, I get lost!

To make matters worse, I had divided it into grids (each grid corresponding to an Excel cell) using green surveyors tape, and that was bad enough, but we ran out of the green (and only had yellow, blue, pink, etc.), so to spare the neighbors the look of those colors, we used white string to finish up the grids. That wasn't a good idea because I keep tripping on it, so the string is still there but not in nice horizontal and vertical lines.

I'll take updated pictures tomorrow -- it has been a while since I've done that. You'll see that at this point, there isn't much to admire..... "Next year", I keep saying.

Hi,fellow gardeners.I just divided my 'Karl Forester'. into three clumps.I think that they will survive?