I want to plant some perennials next to the road. The problem is that they will have all the road snow dumped on them.....as well as salt and dirt I suppose......They also can't be tall as that will block road view. So, here is the question.....is there any short flowering perennial that is hardy enough to live under these conditions??
A real test - any suggestions??
Have a tough question
How about the old favorite "ditchlily" they can stand up to King Kong or even Mighty Joe Young!!!! hehe
I have some down near the road for the same reason!!!!!!
sue
Ruby, you beat me to the answer. I completely agree that the native dayliies will be the most hardy to withstand the bulk of the snow weight and the salt.
sorry for ignorance....but what is a "ditchlily??..
"Ditchlily" is a name applied to hemerocallis fulva variety 'Europa' which is a non-native plant from Asia though naturalized over millions of acres in the USA. They generally bloom in June or July in the NE states and have a 2 week or so bloom period, though each flower lasts only 1 day Flowers are orange (fulvous colored, hence the name) with darker markings on top branched scapes about 3 foot tall. Six segments (3 sepals and 3 petals) all similar in size and color. It is a non-fertile triploid clone of the species, and thus does not form seed but spreads rapidly and invasively by wide ranging rhizomes. As mentioned above it is nearly indestructable and will resist even poisons like 'Roundup' in many cases. Only insect problems in this area is a mild susceptability to spider mites and thrips. Foliage is excellent if it gets enough water. Excellent to hold soil on banks, but impossible to eradicate so don't plant it in a garden.
George
ok - great idea - but I need some shorter plant ideas.....3' would block road view.
Any out there??
I planted a small plug of "ditch lilies" a few years ago, and they spread about 1000 Percent.
Last year and the year before that I received a letter from the road commission that they were a visual obstacle for people turning out into the main traffic. They said that if I did not move them they would cut them down. Nothing happened during the first year.
Last year I was advised again, and after they had about finished blooming, they were mowed down. A couple of years ago I moved a small plug of lilies on to my property, and they are thriving.
This year a neighbor came to the rescue and dug them up and gave some to other neighbors. So now we have grass by the mailbox.
These lilies do survive all kinds of winter weather which is probably why people plant them by the road.
I don't know of any specific plant, but I would expect that anything that grows native along the oceans would work as they probably get alot of seaspray.
Maybe you can do a search with that information.
LimeyLisa Kay
ok - will try - does anyone know of creeping phlax(not sure of spelling) would work....also what about lavendar??
Kg, there are daylilies that grow only 18",,,Stella D'Oro, for one. Maybe not quite as hardy as the *ditch* ones, but hardy nonetheless. Creeping phlox is difficult to get established, and I don't know how large your area is, but the phlox would take alot of plants. I've never found a lavender that's very hardy in my zone 5a, and you're even colder. Good luck.
using LimeyLisa's idea, I thought of Sea Thrift. Wonder if that would work?
http://plantsdatabase.com/b/Plumbaginaceae/Armeria/maritima/
Cheri'
Anyone have any idea about Sea Thrift??
hmmm, kg6040, I read a little more from the link I posted and I see that on http://plantsdatabase.com/go/61/
gardener_mick wrote:
Armeria maritima is a perennial in zones 3-8. It has round clusters of small flowers held above tufted mounds of narrow, needle-shaped leaves. They grow from 6 to 12" tall. The flowers bloom from May to June and need full sun and well-drained to sandy soil. The plants will rot if planted in fertile, moist soils.
Extra water is needed during dry spells and mulch of straw or pine needles should be used in winter. They do well in hot, humid areas and are tolerant of seaside locations.
Plants are great for rock gardens, edgings, or massed together.
I can't tell you, because I'm in zone 9, and sure enough, it died. =(
Cheri'
I purchased and planted two Astible plants in May of this year and I would like to move because I think they're getting to much sun. Is it best to move them now or wait until spring? Thanks, Denise
Cheri', I cant be sure but think that armeria blooms in spring (way before May this far south!) and then dies back and re-emerges the following early winter.
Love, Lavanda
Denise: I moved my astilbe in the heat of 90 degrees. I had to because it was crisping in the sun. Although I think most people would not recomend moving any plant in that kind of heat, I'm happy to report the Astilbe is sending up new shoots now in its new (partly shady) location.
kg6040, two plants come to mind that will withstand anything... Rose mallow will grow great in ditches. Pretty pink hollyhock like flowers, but smaller, and rugosa roses. They grow all over in coastal areas, and thrive on salt. Never tried it myself, but they are pretty and smell great, and need almost no care.
Lavanda, maybe so, but mine never came back. Course, it might not have been the heat that killed it ... I've killed lots of plants. lol
Hate it when I kill a plant, especially if it's supposed to be easy to grow, and later find out it's not heat-hardy to my zone. If I know that ahead of time, it's fine ...
Cheri'
Sue_Wa, Thanks, being that I'm a newby to all this, it's quite an investment in all this gardening and still have a long way to go, but don't want to loose what I have. Seems like the ones that say full sun part shade really prefer more shade than sun. Denise
I confess, I am guilty of being a plant assassin too. If you dont believe me, just come look at my porch right now!
When I hurt my back in June, I prayed over those thangs, but the heat and drought and not being able to put things intot he ground.
Now, it is hard to go wrong with uscculents, especially if you dont over-water them.
And bearded iris.
When I was growing up we lived in an area like yours and irises came up year after year in our ditches.. They weren't a tall variety. There are some that are quite hardy, however they wont last all summer. Maybe mixed with one or more hardy bulbs that bloom at different times. And many bulbs do spread. Some more rapidly than others.
I also agree about some of the other types of lilies available. It seems like there are hundreds to choose from some of which do not grow as tall as the orange variety that was mentioned.
I would suggest that you look along roadsides in your area for native plants that have survived these conditions. Choose one that is the height you want. Some plants will remain shorter if they don't have to fight for the canopy of sunlight. If you pick an agressive spreader, nothing else is likely to take over. Just be sure it is not a recognized invasive for your area.
kg6040 - Just a suggestion...a couple years ago, to find out what they all were, I contacted our state roads department, as they had planted some beautiful wild flowers on our roadsides: black-eyed susan, prairie coneflower, blanket flower, pitcher sage, dames rocket, white oxide daisy, & blue flax. With our cold sometimes very snowy winters, and hot dry summers, they take much abuse but are always beautiful. Judy
Here's some of my roadside garden in bloom. Rudbeckia & Daylilies - I don't ever
water them and they just are gorgeous every year!
Tam
Tammy,
I love that combo of colors!
Molly
:^)))
Beautiful, Tammy!
Oh, Tammy -- the lucky people that drive down your road: What a vibrant display! That's just gorgeous.
I love seeing something like that in August, when everything starts looking parched and bleached-out. Some parts of my garden are looking downright ugly, with only the dry tops of Coreopsis, Shasta Daisies, Yarrow, and Lychnis visible. They're so tall that I can't see anything else. I've got to cut those down so I can stop looking at them. I sure wish I had something like your Rudbeckia and Daylilies there instead.
Creeping phlox will take awhile to get established but the will work near the edge of the road. Lost of people have the near the road/sidewalks here in NH. I would wait till spring to plant I think.
When I lived in Utah we all had creeping phlox next to the roads just because of the conditions you originally mentioned here. No matter what got plowed onto it in the winter they were beautiful in the spring and no one could complain about them being too tall, that's for sure.
If your soil is any good at all, I would hesitate to plant Hemerocallis fulva. My soil is loose and sandy and they are my worst weed and have been difficult to erradicate. If nothing else will grow there, I would only recommend them as a last resort.
Gaillardia (blanket flower) is quite tough, and they don't get too tall. I've seen them growing in the Carolinas in the sand of the beach, so they should tolerate most anything. Good luck.
This message was edited Sep 5, 2005 7:26 PM