PLANT ADDICTS CHAT #7

I like ornamental grasses and have quite a few of them, I just think she had too many in her list.

I like the looks of that Slimleaf Ironweed, too.

Carex pensylvanica (Oak Sedge) is one of the transition grasses I planted between a shrub/perennial bed and the lawn. So far, I like it; it blends with the grass well enough that I can mow right up to it rather than edge.

I cannot recommend Prairie Dropseed to anyone because I have tried to grow it in several different areas and it always dies during the winter.

I'll have to try that Carex pa...

My ironweed is blooming beautifully this year, just a few tall clusters, but what a wonderful deep bright purple color! It's in a mostly sunny spot but gets some shade. I'm sure it liked the extra rain this summer... we'll see if it's established well enough to bloom even if it's drier next year.

I was at this garden tour this summer one of the houses was all native plants. She had some kind of sedge in a mass planting. It was really beautiful, it swayed in the wind.

I love the look of carex grasses planted en masse, but I agree that list included way too many grasses.

I'm seriously considering planting liriope or carex in the shady/dry front yard where the perennials have been dying.

I like lirope because it has the added benefit of purple blooms late in the season.

See things really need the mass for best effect. I feel that way about Russian sage.

Sally---

We have beautiful, in bloom Russian sage at the HD, Pretty big too.
I am guessing about 1-1/2gal pots.....if there is such a thing...
Sometimes the Vigoro pots seem bigger than a gallon. Not sure on the price.

The Blue Spirea I was talking about from the "Md. Flower and Foliage" place
would also have a mass effect... $2/pot. Gonna put one on the Gift Table.
Also a Helianthus ...something Table....

I loaded up on the $1 and $2 plants there earlier this week. What deals!!!
Wrote about it on the "Yardening" Thread,

ALL annuals in 5" pots--$1----------------All Perennials in same size pots --$2.
All HB--$5
All great condition--in the Greenhouse and outside on tables.
May be worth a trip--if you are interested. It is right here in White Marsh-- where I live.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Maryland+Flower+%26+Foliage+Co/@39.3646208,-76.4264835,14z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x2885f574e68d6098

Gita

SSG, I can give you some 'Monkey Grass',( the liriope that runs )and I'll try to snap a pic of where mine grows and you can see if it 'lives' in any of that area. It will come up asa mat rather than individual plants, almost like a roll of sod!

I think using dry shade sedges could make for an interesting xeric front yard scape design along with some rocks and stone mulch and an area or two for some container groupings for some color without the possible root rot. So much variety in the sedges color and height and texture, much more so than a swathe of liriope that needs dividing and cutting back.

Dry shade is a real challenge! Some woodland Asters should work there though; they would look nice with Carex. I think I have Carex pensylvanica to share.

Today I stood in the middle of Ace Outback Garden Center to see which plants would draw the most butterfly action (skippers, cabbage whites?, Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, Monarchs, etc.

Agastache, Phlox 'Volcano', and these two that came home with me

Gallardia 'Grape Sensations' (Pic 1 &2) Beautiful deep purple!

Liatris microcephala Dwarf Gayfeather (pic 3)
"Defying summer extremes of heat, humidity and drought, Liatris microcephala is an easy care herbaceous perennial that thrives in full sun and poor soil. Growing from a woody corm, it produces a tuft of fine textured, grass-like foliage in spring. Then in late summer multiple 2-2½’ erect leafy stems, encircled by numerous ¾” rose-purple flowers, grace its tufted mound. Plants require lean, well drained soil, especially in winter. Small-headed gayfeather makes a vibrant vertical accent in a sunny border combined with Coreopsis delphiniifolia or Rudbeckia fulgida. Its diminutive size makes it ideal in the rock garden nestled with Silene regia, Krigia montana, Bigelowia nuttallii and Ruellia humilis." - Mt. Cuba Center
http://www.lazyssfarm.com/Plants/Perennials/L_files/La-Li.htm#PERJ026535

Pic 4 Tecoma 'Sparky' interesting trumpet flower sold as an annual..very pretty

these Eucomis Sparkling Burgundy are a nice alternative to the usual yellow. I've never grown Eucomis.

http://www.ballyrobertcottage.com/plants-beginning-with-e/eucomis-comosa-sparkling-burgundy

That Gallardia color is really nice, coleup! I haven't ever had any luck with Gaillardia; otherwise I would be tempted...

Are you going to order some of that Eucomis, Sally?

We were talking about Carex pensylvanica (Oak Sedge), so I took this photo to show how I'm using it to "edge" my hillside bed. The clump on the far right is one of the 3 plants I planted this spring; the other 2 are on either side with a taller Carex grayii behind them. I like how they help hide the edging around my young Serviceberry and speed up mowing. It would look better if I did some hand edging around them....but I'd rather not : - )

no Muddy not planning to buy, just came across it.

Ooohhhh, I like that, muddy!

I love that Galliarda Coleup. I've never seen one that color before.

Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy' is one that ADR usually has in spring.

I love the soft effect of the Caryx pa, Muddy! I'll happily speak up for some at the swap.

SSG, please decide you want a lot of Liriope! Mine is clumping rather than running, but the clumps I have need to be dug and divided, big time. We could make a play date of it... :-)

Love the purple Gaillardia! I haven't had much luck with them either, though. I should probably try an old "standby" variety like Goblin... I wonder if some of the new fancy ones are just less tough, as with Echinacea

Thanks, coleup and critter!

I think I'd prefer the clumping type of liriope. Jill, I remember talking to you last year about the clumping variety! I can come dig them up. Maybe even on the day of the swap?

I have Eucomis 'Sparkling Burgundy,' which I got at the National Arboretum sale a few years back. It's a fun and carefree plant.

I think Donner has 'Sparkling Burgandy' on her HAVES list....

Grape Sensation Gaillardia is a native selection (three counties in Texas) and is said to be llonglived and long blooming. My two were grown by Sandy's Plants (VA) and Raulston Arboretum has trialed them. Since we are coastal plain or Easternwood land it is a trick to grow prairie plants! I love the color and will take a chance and see if these will overwinter as container plants. May stash them undercover to keep them dry til Spring, adding lots of grit and sand to soil. Can't do much about the humidity though!

http://www.plantdelights.com/Gaillardia-aestivalis-var-winkleri-Grape-Sensation-for-sale/Buy-Grape-Sensation-Blanket-Flower/
http://bethburrell.blogspot.com/2013/04/gaillardia-aestivalis-var-winkleri.html

Judy, Sandy's Plants carries a LOT of wonderful perennials, huh? I've loved their stuff for years, and it's one of the growers we've used at work back when we were under the previous ownership. I've still got them as one of my contacts, they're wonderful!!

SSG, I'd rather have a liriope dig after the swap, since I anticipate packing bulbs that morning. ;-)

Critter, I'll make sure you get some Carex PA. I added it to my Haves list in case anyone else is interested.

Thanks! BTW, I'm writing up an article on Horticultural Pruning, using you as a reference and using the photos I took when you were showing us how to help the boxwoods at Aspen Hill. Thank you for that inspiration! When I was at Reynolda House (historic estate turned museum) in Winston-Salem last week, I saw that they were doing extensive horticultural pruning... long lines of boxwoods that were 6 or 8 feet tall had been chopped to half that height in Feb and were already putting up new growth. So don't be afraid to really go at a boxwood that's looking poorly!

Never did get to the boxwood pruning on the to do list before the big event at our place last weekend. Is it too late in the season to do it now?

Well, the Winston-Salem boxwoods were pruned in February...

I don't know for sure, but I'd say that like any evergreen you could probably prune up to a few weeks before hard freeze is anticipated... you don't want cut ends or new growth tips subjected to harsh temps. That said, I've trimmed evergreens (spruce, pine, holly) plenty of times in the middle of winter, but that was just a few pieces for indoor decorations!

Based on what I've read, you shouldn't prune in the fall, so it probably would be a good idea to either prune by late September or wait until Winter/early Spring. February in Winston-Salem probably translates to March here.
Edited to add this link http://www.usna.usda.gov/Gardens/faqs/BoxwoodThinning.html

This message was edited Aug 25, 2015 7:43 PM

Thanks for that link Muddy. It says the best time to prune is in early winter. That boxwood I have really needs attention. It was already pretty bad when you guys saw it in the spring. I think it is something that can be salvaged though with some work though.

just found a cool metal planter on Gardeners Edge site... who has welding skills? simple design for multiple planters, would look good in wood or painted MDF, too.

http://www.gardenersedge.com/garden-multi-pot-galvanized-metal-planter/p/92337/

Terri--

I have some old friends who bought a house out in Fallston (out in the country).
This property used to be a Boxwood farm. There were Boxwoods EVERYWHERE!
Eventually--they just did not want to take care of them all--so they started selling them off.

Loads of BIG ones, by the house and in the woods, that fetched $300 each .
There was a client (a landscaper) that came to buy the big ones. He had a big truck
and one of those "things" they dig up trees with. Then--each boxwood was crated
and, carefully, loaded on the truck. The destination for these was a Mansion of some sort
in Southern Maryland. Wonder just how much the landscaper charged the clients????

There were smaller ones (or not so small ones!) scattered all through the woods in the back,
that also sold for good money. My friend said, in the end, he had made around
$3000-$4000 from all these.

We used to get together around the Holidays and make live, Boxwood wreaths.
Decorate them with Junipers and pine cones and anything we fancied.
Just for the fun of it...then have soup and dinner and desert, and just sit around and chat.

Now I get to the reason i am writing this......
Did you know that these clusters you cut out to thin the canopy are called "HANDS"???
Like--if you look at your open palm (the wrist would be the stem)--they do look like "hands".

My friend--Annie--used this event as a reason the thin out her many Boxwoods.
She said that, for them to thrive, they needed to be thinned regularly so air and light
would get to the lower part of the shrubs. SO--she would cut out the clusters of top growth
the "hands") that we used them for the wreaths.

That's it! As always--many things i write have a story attached. Why not?

This is a nice You-Tube clip that will show you how to prune a Boxwood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsfZnMPAqZQ

G.

Aspen, you're welcome!

Gita, that is a really great video; in fact, I liked it so much I decided to subscribe to all of his videos! Thank you! =) I'm having trouble finding one that shows how to selectively prune an Otto Luyken, have you seen one of those? ;)

No--Speedie--i have not. I don't even know what a Otto Luyken" is....
But--maybe some of the general directions would also be useful for rotting your "luyken"

I did just watch about 8 more of the U-Tube things on this site. Very addictive...
Pretty educational.

I bookmarked it--but there must ba about a hundred bookmarkings under my
"Garden" category. Pretty hard to find something if I need it....

G.

Great resource Gita, thanks! I'll add a link to the article I'm working on now, on horticultural pruning of boxwoods. (Big shout out to Muddy, also, for her impromptu lesson at Aspen Hill.)

Ahh...I'm blushing.

Japanese Painted Fern or Cinnamon Fern- which would you use as an accent in a bed of perennial vinca? It's a shady place that should have enough moisture for either to be happy. I'm worried the JPF won't be tall enough. Cinnamon fern is beefier and was nearly ever'green' last winter.

My choice - use both LOL.

ENABLER!!

Cinnamon Fern. The JPF and Vinca will be too close in height.

Cinnamon for sure. Plant the JPF too, just somewhere else ;-P

Agree... I have JPF in a corner that's filled up with "Snow on the Mountain," (have to look up the name on that one, just remember what theh lady called it when she sold me a 50 cent start at a yard sale!)... anyway, the JPF is pretty overrun and doesn't stick up much, and I don't think Vinca would be a much different companion.

Also, to me JPF seems less vigorous than other ferns, like it needs its own special spot to thrive. Is that just my perception because it "looks" fancier?