What\'s Blooming #3

(Zone 4b)

Hello fellow perennial gardeners. For ease of navigation I have continued What's Blooming #2

(http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1424463/?page=10)

This message was edited Aug 20, 2016 5:40 PM

(Zone 4b)

"Little Goldstar" in the background. (IMO, this variety is far superior, especially in a small garden, to say..."Goldsturm".)

And flopping almost horizontal in the foreground is some Platycodon (Grandiflorus or Fuji Blue?)

Thumbnail by rouge21
Anna, IL(Zone 6b)

Those shades of blue & yellow sure compliment each other. Beautiful! Little Goldstar does sound superior. Thanks for the photo.

(Zone 4b)

Thank you 'brenda'.

Quote from brendak654 :
Little Goldstar does sound superior.


It is compact, does not spread; no rust on the leaves and has at least the same bloom time as "Goldsturm". If in doubt I plant a LG ;).



This message was edited Aug 7, 2016 1:13 PM

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

Thanks for the info about "Little Goldstar" Rouge. "Goldsturm" is entirely too aggressive in my yard. Does the Platycodon usually flop, is it in full sun (it looks like it is)?

(Zone 4b)

Quote from Mipii :
Does the Platycodon usually flop, is it in full sun (it looks like it is)?


I do like Platycodon. (I think it was Donna who encouraged me to plant some). You can't help but be impressed by the symmetry of that flower. But "Mipii" back to your question. It is very usual for the big ones to flop. I am kicking myself as I forgot to cut it back earlier in the season and then all would have been good.

(I have several of the shorter ones which are good but they are in an area in which deer roam and so more often than not the buds get eaten :( )



This message was edited Aug 7, 2016 6:50 PM

Pequannock, NJ(Zone 6b)

Rouge, that is gorgeous! Is that Firetail in the back? I love the composition!

(Zone 4b)

Thank you 'Loretta'.

Good to notice that persicaria at the back. It isn't "Firetail" but rather "Golden Arrows". It is one of my fave shade plants. Excellent chartreuse foliage and dark pink spikes for 8 weeks. I will post a picture when it is at its best.

(Zone 4b)

And the early blooming Chelone (leniemienie) (this pic was taken at the start of August...about 4 weeks ahead of our "Hotlips"):

Thumbnail by rouge21
(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

It looks great Rouge, please take a photo of 'Hotlips' too for comparison when it blooms. That's the cool part of growing both or many...you get to see them side, by side! BTW, you've got a beautiful tapestry going there with the different foliage textures, sizes and colors. I love it!

(Zone 4b)

Hi Mipii,as always you guys and gals are kind.

"Hotlips" is much larger and the foliage is darker. It is an outstanding late summer perennial.

Do you have HL in your garden Mipii?

I have seen a couple of new varieties of chelone this season:

- chelone lyonii "pink temptation"

- chelone obliqua "Tiny Tortuga" (great name eh?)

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

Yes some of those names are great! I don't have any Chelone in my garden but I've been looking at them over the years and have them on my 'want' list. It looks really good in your garden...a perfect mound. But then again, what doesn't look good in your yard? I am not just being kind either! Being a late summer perennial is also another reason to purchase one. What a temptress you are! :)

Pequannock, NJ(Zone 6b)

I don't think I've ever seen that chelone because if I did, I would have it by now. Looks like a great mixer.

Elgin, IL(Zone 5a)

There are many kinds of lilies but one of my favorites is lilium speciosum 'Uchida'. Speciosum is the last lily to bloom during the year in my climate. Some lucky people have it in September. It used to bloom with a short stem until I realized that it needs soil that is a bit more acidic, so I used soil conditioner and it grows, not six inches, but about three feet on strong stems. Uchida is the name of the Japanese gardener who found a very special lily amongst all the other, took the seed and hybridized it. The really cool thing is that, since it starts blooming from the bottom, it can be in bloom, for me for about three weeks. And the scent is wonderful!

This message was edited Aug 14, 2016 6:49 AM

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(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

'Uchida' is very cool Donna. Late bloomer, fragrant, pink...what's not to love?

Anna, IL(Zone 6b)

Donna - Your "Uchida" lily is a beauty. Glad you shared.

I'm sharing a picture of a Crepe Myrtle Tree that I saw this morning in Paducah, Ky. This one photo was taken through the car window and the other not. The tree has apparently had some center breakage over time, but I could not believe all of the blooms. I have never seen a Crepe Myrtle with this much bloom going on.

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(Zone 4b)

That's ridiculous 'brenda'!

(As I never see this up my way I am assuming without googling that it isnt cold hardy.)

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

Wow!!! Look at those Crepe Myrtle blooms!

(Zone 4b)

I have just two hardy hibiscus. A standard form "Lucy" which is about 7 years old and this one pictured, in its 3rd season, is Blue River II which is now coming into its own..

(I was a bit worried about this BRII as I moved it lock, stock and barrel back in the spring but it has done just fine considering).



This message was edited Aug 13, 2016 7:06 PM

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Pequannock, NJ(Zone 6b)

That's a nice pure white. Can't go wrong with that.
Brenda, that is the biggest crepe myrtle I've ever seen. People are just starting to install crepe myrtles around here. There always been a few but I guess they get knocked back every few years over winter.
Donna, thanks for the heads up for Uchida. It is a cutie and nice to have a late lily!

(Zone 4b)

I wonder if others have this helianthus. It goes by the name "Happy Days".

In our garden it is a superb plant.

- incredibly floriferous for a good 4 weeks.
- not a spec of mildew or anything similar on the foliage
- extra sturdy

Right now it is in too tight quarters and I do plan to move it to a more prominent location this Fall after it has finished flowering.

Here it is today...with its best still to come.

I trimmed it back I thought a fair amount in late June or early July to limit its height but even so this plant right now is 4 feet tall and over 3 feet in width. (I have no doubt it could be 6 feet tall if I let it!)

This message was edited Aug 17, 2016 7:55 PM

This message was edited Aug 17, 2016 8:55 PM

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(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

I like it Rouge, I steer away from large plants -- only because my yard is small and I'd have to limit the number of varieties I have to go that route. My yard would look better if I went with the large displays but I'd miss out on all of that intimate knowledge.Happy Days is well named, it sure makes me happy looking at it.

Pequannock, NJ(Zone 6b)

Quote from Mipii :
My yard would look better if I went with the large displays but I'd miss out on all of that intimate knowledge.Happy Days is well named, it sure makes me happy looking at it.


Ditto on that sentiment! I wish I had two yards, one to grow out and one to arrange in the end. The idea of perennial sunflowers is something I only recently been into along with heliopsis. That is a striking plant.

Pequannock, NJ(Zone 6b)

I found this quilled Cheyenne Spirit so I couldn't pass it up even though don't need another coneflower.
I also found this heliopsis which I saw first at an arboretum earlier in the season. It is a bit floppy but hopefully it will come back next year in better form. Hopefully it will come back.
Here is Southern Belle echinacea. Common color but beautiful form. What I like most about it is nothing is chewing on it or laying eggs into the center like the open forms.

Thumbnail by Loretta_NJ Thumbnail by Loretta_NJ Thumbnail by Loretta_NJ
(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

Wow Loretta, did you find that quilled Coneflower as a mutant in your garden or did you buy it? Coool! Love your Heliopsis and your Southern Belle too!

Pequannock, NJ(Zone 6b)

I found it at the store among normal types. I looked on the echinacea photos forum on cubits and someone else posted a quilled Cheyenne Spirit so it must not be too uncommon. That is a very nice forum, btw. It has a lot of photos of all the different types of echinacea.I don't go on cubits too much anymore but it is worth peeking in on that one.

Anna, IL(Zone 6b)

Happy Days helianthus is gorgeous. Love it! I've never seen that one before. I'm about ready to dig out some of my single blooming helianthus as they are just not showy enough. They bloom a long time, but Happy Days would put on a better show and those blooms would be really pretty in a floral arrangement.

That Southern Belle echinacea has a beautiful flower - Wow.

It has been so wet here, my two rows of zinnia have grown together and my cosmo's have headed for the ground (heavy from water). My Wetland Garden has water again standing in the rows. Today was the first day that we could actually mow without it being too wet. Different weather for sure here for mid summer. Though I really feel for those with fires and floods. When the weather gets back to more of the norm for here, I'll probably have more flower photo's to post. Some of those many flowers I have planted will be happy.

Enjoying your posts!

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

I have Echinacea 'Pink Poodle' it was supposed to be an improved 'Doppelganger' and I find it doesn't look good for long. I'm thinking the 'Southern Belle' is a better deal (more bang for your buck).

Brenda you've had a rough season with all that wet, I sure hope next year is perfect growing weather for you.

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(Zone 4b)

Quote from Mipii :
I sure hope next year is perfect growing weather for you.


Every gardener's mantra ie there is always next year ;).

Anna, IL(Zone 6b)

Mipii - The "Pink Poodle" sure had the color and loads of blooms - though I like the orange one much better. I vote Southern Belle, too.

Thanks for perking me up. I'm not totally down for the count as I am gearing up for the county fair. I had to finetooth my entries this year and do a double take on what I would have that would meet the grade.

Interesting - as this eve the local weatherman informed us that we have had the wetest August on record for this area.

Hope everyone else out there has been getting at least adequate rainfall.

Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a)

Back from vacation - always interesting to see what happened in the yard while I was gone!
Thalictrum rochebrunianum Lavender Mist is still going strong.
Cyclamen hederifolium is just starting.
Cardiandra alternifolia is an odd flowering shrub related to hydrangea. Definitely in the odd category. Blooms never seem to fully develop, but I think that's the nature of the plant.
Finally my Ligularia denata Othello is blooming. To it's right it Ligularia japonica, which bloomed about a month ago and is now done. It's nice having them side by side to extend a very long lig blooming season. To the left is the amazing Caryopteris divaricata Snow Fairy - it's vigor is truly remarkable given the astonishing amount of white variegation. Not blooming yet - soon!
While I was taking photos, I noticed the ligularia was overwhelmed by black swallowtail butterflies, 3 or 4 at a time. A nice bonus.

Thumbnail by Weerobin Thumbnail by Weerobin Thumbnail by Weerobin Thumbnail by Weerobin Thumbnail by Weerobin
(Zone 4b)

Quote from Weerobin :
Caryopteris divaricata Snow Fairy - it's vigor is truly remarkable given the astonishing amount of white variegation. Not blooming yet -


Incredible 'robin! The variegation is so vivid it doesnt even look real! Amazing.

(Although I have not tried to grow one I have garden friends that tell me it is very difficult to get Caryopteris to thrive in our zone).

(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

All are breathtaking Wee, you certainly have an eye for the unusual and if not for that eye, many of us here couch gardening would really miss out!

Your Caryopteris divaricata is extremely white, do you have that and the Ligs in part shade? Do the black Swallowtails dine on your other Ligs or is that one special?

Saint Louis, MO(Zone 6a)

Mipii, my Snow Fairy is in a fairly open situation but tall trees at the western side shading it from late afternoon direct sun. I haven't seen even slight burning of the white foliage. My sense is that it's pretty sturdy with regards to sun injury. I also like it's late season of bloom, since so few plants are blooming this time of year. Here are blooms from last year (blooms late September here). The 2nd picture is the same plant 3 years ago - just about 18in tall. It's now a beast 4ft tall (some flowering spikes are taller) and 4ft wide. I suspect it's about full grown, but I don't know for sure.
As for the swallowtails, I'm not really sure - I just happened to notice them the other day.

Thumbnail by Weerobin Thumbnail by Weerobin
(Robin) Blissfield, MI(Zone 6a)

Boy it's impressive! Thanks for the extra info and pics, it looks like Snow Fairy has been a beauty all her life.

(Zone 4b)

"Shockwave" Phlox is in bloom a good ten days ahead of last season.



Thumbnail by rouge21 Thumbnail by rouge21
(Zone 4b)

Thalictrum "Splendide"

(I see no way when editing a post to delete a picture or add a picture...dumbo)

This message was edited Aug 23, 2016 4:16 PM

Thumbnail by rouge21 Thumbnail by rouge21 Thumbnail by rouge21
(Zone 4b)

I meant to include this shot as well...sorry for the extra post.

Thumbnail by rouge21
Jackson, MO(Zone 6b)

I have lusted after the Thalictrum splendide for a couple of years now.
Do you have it in full sun or shade? Please tell us how you take care of this gorgeous plant.

Edited to add:
Wee, I love your Cylcamen. I've had it several years now. It comes up with its lovely leaves, but it has never bloomed. I just enjoy the leaves.

This message was edited Aug 23, 2016 5:54 PM

(Zone 4b)

'birder', I have two established "Splendide" plants. One is in full sun and the other getting lots less (part sun?). Both do just fine but it is the full sun specimen that is extra showy in seasons that there is enough rain.

I have no doubt 'birder' that a "Splendide" in your garden would need to have an aspect with lots more shade than is the case for I who is much further north. It does need to have consistent moisture and rich soil to excell. But it is quite hardy ie easily zone 4.

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