I have a new bed that is begging to be filled! I don't have a color theme. The bed is running along a 5 foot fence and is about 8 feet deep in full sun. Anything I should get in this year to have it flower/overwinter for next year?
On my list so far:
columbine
peonies
rosemary 'arp'
Joe Pye Weed
I also want some flowering shrubs in there... Did I mention the bed is about 40 foot long? :-)
-Kim
What is your must-have perennial?
i want the cone flower arts pride and orange medobrite,and some tall flox
Whatever one is in bloom when I'm asked the question!
Daylilies is my personal favorite but for fragrance, Orientals and for stunning beauty - the Japanese Iris with it's 9" wide flowers.
Sorry, I'm having a blonde day! I thought you meant the one perennial I couldn't live without!
The one I'd like is the Asiatic lily 'Purple Reign'.
Irises! They are just too beautiful to live without them all over the place.
Pins - And I thought you were a hosta person!
no blonde day. I do want to know your favorite - maybe *I* was having the blonde moment since the question does sound ambiguous! I am really wanting to get ideas and then research to see if I can grow them here. I am pretty new to zone 6 and gardening in general, there is so much out there I would never even think of!
I am also going to get a perennial book to further my gardening education!
9" flowers on an Iris!?! WOW!
-Kim
Kim - what zone did you live in previously to this 6B?
Ensata Gardens has an amazing site for Japanese Irises. The longer they stay in one spot, well watered and fed, the larger the flower becomes. You do have to divide (a chore if you let it go too long) every three years. All kinds of blues, purples, solids, veined, raspberry, etc. even yellow, white and pink.
pirl, I am a hosta fan, but this garden is in full sun! :-)
bluekat - if you're starting from scratch you might like Pamela Harper's "Color Echoes". She has great ideas for combining plants to bring out the best in each one. You can get it in the used book stores online.
Visiting local gardens would be helpful - you'll see what thrives and with a little luck you can speak to someone there and find out more.
I just remembered that there is a special publication from Fine Gardening that shows 65 plant combination designs. I just love that magazine.
Articles like that are keepers. When you see a wonderful coupling of plants it always evokes the same response, "Why didn't I think of that?"
I'm not a fan of one flower, mixed colors, in one area. The eyes tend to glance over it. When you match up the sedum with the red stems (maybe Vera Jameson) with the Purple Palace heuchera you can see they deserve each other: like a good husband and wife team! Each one makes the other one look better than it would have been if it were alone.
Thanks for the book/magazine recommendations, I will check them out.
I came from South Florida zone 10, grew up in FL. Grew nothing that someone else didn't take care of for me, killed lots of things on my own. Too hot, too many bugs, too humid, too everything and I was miserable outside. Still not in love with the heat but at least it is not year round!
I am also looking into perennial herbs.
-Kim
bluekat - do you have a favorite?
My current favorite is 'Mountain Bluet' that was a recent gift. Overall peonies are my #1 favorite but so short lived. I will have several kinds with different bloom timelines to extend my season:) I just ordered the Fine Gardening combination magazine. Thank you, you owe me $7 ;-)
As for perennial herbs: bergamot, betony, I have some Roman chamomile in the front beds, flax, germander, hardy geranium, Hyssop officinalis, lavender 'Sharon Roberts', maybe lovage, santolina, southernwood?, french tarragon, plenty of thyme, I have some white yarrow (thanks critterologist)
I am also investigating Alkanet 'blue angel', salvias and hardy geraniums.
Is there such a thing as a perennial sunflower?
-Kim
Bluekat/Kim - pins told you about the magazine: I told you about the Pamela Harper book so I would have owed you about $20.!!!!!
What kind of plant is the Mountain Bluet?
There is something some people call the perennial sunflower but I think it's a form of Helenium. If you look under that name you might find a reference to it.
The 9" Japanese Iris is totally different from a tall German Bearded iris. The flowers are flat and float in the slightest breeze. Some people call them Floating Butterflies. Try Ensata Gardens and check out their beauties. I think they have a March sale - any of the iris they select for $3.00. Well worth the wait.
Do you deal with any of those fantastic, unbelievable hibiscus sites on the web? How are they? The photos are to die for. I was really tempted but I'd have to bring them in for the winter and I'd really like to reclaim my indoor porch for DH and I.
Other than here at Daves, I've only dealt with one online - Dupont. I tried to do a co-op using them as the supplier. (It wasn't a pleasant experience.)
I dealt with Carol/Proplants as the supploer of mylast co-op. Of only all growers were as wonderful to work with....
I have looked at other hibiscus sites and may take a chance on a few of them over the next year or so.
Although the hardies aren't as flamboyant in appearance as some of the tropicals there are still some varieties that can make you go, 'Oooo!' And those you can leave outside all winter long.
Which varieties are "oooh" hardy. I grew up with tropicals so don't know much about any others.
You are right pirl, actually pins owes me $37 cause I got a subscription while I was there too!
Mountain Bluet or Perennial Cornflower (Centaurea montana)
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/381/index.html
-Kim
We've grown the Centaurea montana from seed. When I saw your note I thought it was the one we lost but that was 'Royal Ensign' convolvulous. I'm shocked that I could remember that one from at least ten years ago. The
Centaurea is lovely. Such a great blue for the garden!
Ooohhh, I'm like a kid in a candy store when it comes to shopping for plants! I just spent to much at my favorite nursery, Behnke's, on Clematis, they were on sale....how could I resist? Besides Clematis, let's see, there would be Columbine, Heucheras, Hydrangeas & Peonies (they're really shrubs), named Irises & Hostas, my list could go on and on....
Now I have an idea of what you like Kim. I'll have to look around my garden and see what I can tempt you with at our R.U. So happy to hear that you'll be able to attend!
P.S. Any books by Pamela Harper are excellent!
I ended up buying every book Pamela Harper wrote with the exception of the one she wrote (I think her very first book) about her garden in England, years ago.
A Japanese Painted Fern. Just saw it in the Parker web catalog and I sooo want one (or tons) Does anyone have one of these?
Yes I do! I have the Japanese Silver Painted Fern. Trade? Email me. Going to bed now but I'll write to you first thing in the morning. Also have Japanese Painted Fern called 'Ghost'. Can't dig too much so let's do just a small trade.
lol..wonder if she'll take money since I don't have anything to trade..It won't grow in our zone outside but I was thinking as an inside type or on the patio since I think it's not the heat here it wouldn't like but the rain. I just think it's fantastic. Also fell in love with the Japanese Silver Grass Far East. That will grow here and would be perfect along my fence. I'm going to try to stick with the reds/golds and the reddish/purple colors for my back and I think the fern would look great in a couple of big urns.
Here are a few I think are above the ordinary:
Fantasia - http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/53974/
Disco Belle Pink http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/24903/
Dream Catcher http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/49452/
Turn of the Century http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/25210/
Rose of Sharon http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/23312/
Confederate Rose http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/74748/
Plum Crazy http://www.gardencrossings.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/plants.plantDetail/plant_id/116/cfid/756204/cftoken/60358574/index.htm
Double White http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/53030/
Double Purple http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/50389/
Lucy http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/50509/
Aquarian http://www.flemingsflowerfields.com/gfx/13l.jpg
Sweet Caroline http://www.horticopia.com/hortpix/pix/U6A4J4.jpg
Lavender and White Chiffon http://www.colorchoiceplants.com/chiffons.htm
My favorite has to be Gaillarida 'fanfare'. I have one in each full sun bed and just love the colors.
I planted a "both sides of the fence" border about the size you're doing last fall. I decided that on own-root roses and clematis to climb the fence (6 of each in pinks,whites, and purples.) I put in some tall, rather narrow grasses for verticality - Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' and Chasmanthus. If i hadn't had daylilies in so many other places, I'd have put in lots of them, particularly reblooming, fragrant varieties. I have Alchemilla mollis, thymes, Sedum 'Neon', Dianthus 'Pixie Star', Monarda "Marshall's Delight' and 'Blue Stockings' planted in their pots to contain their rampant growth, Rudbeckia and Solidago of various heights and flower forms since I love natives, Caryopteris divaricata 'Snow Fairy', an Unnamed Heuchera that looks like 'Palace Purple', Gaura 'Whirling Butterflies' and 'Siskyiou Pink', Phlomis fruticosa, Malva zebrina, and some other things I can't remember. I also have some shrubs for 'inside the fence background' and one small shrub rose there, too.
I know it sounds busy, but there's a lot of ground to cover and I like to repeat colors and forms without using the same plants necessarily. Besides, this gives you lots to research since we're in the same zone! LOL Anyway, hope it helps.
Good "bones" that should perform well in your zone would be Santolina, Upright Sedum, and Lamb's Ears - I'm filling new beds this year too and these are the tops on my list for both texture/color foliage as well as for performance. Good Luck -C
I am completey amazed and in awe that hibiscus lives up here! The foliage on Aquarian is beautiful. A silly question...they die completely back in the winter, they are not a shrub? Disco Belle Pink and Lucy and and and, my list is getting longer!
-Kim
Thanks everyone, you have kept me in research mode. Daylilies really seem to bother my allergies or maybe just that one Stargazer one they put in flower arrangements. I do have a Rudibeckia and coreopsis that will go in.
I have some caryopteris 'grand bleu' out front maybe I can get seeds? will have to look up that idea.
What about lupine, delphinium, foxglove and hollyhock's? I love those vertical ones.
-Kim
Large shrub is good. I want a Meadowsweet 'Ogon' and tree peony. Henry Lauder's walking stick, a viburnum (don't know which one yet), conifer's maybe 'gold Mops'
Want, want, want.
I love the tall stuff too, but haven't had much luck with the ones you mentioned. I have had Delphiniums and Foxgloves here and they do OK for the summer but then don't come back.
I planted some Lupines last year after a lot of research and I thought they would be perfect here. I was sadly disappointed in them, though - they were scrawny, unimpressive little things. Out of 3, only one is coming back up, but they're not something that I personally would buy again, just not as great as I thought they would be.
I'm trying out some tall Phlox this year (I got potted ones since the bare-roots don't come up for me) , also Maltese Cross, Queen of the Prairie, and Blue-Leaf Poker so we'll see how those go. -C
There are two types of Hibiscus, hardy and tropical.The hardy variety thrives outdoors in our growing zone. The tropical Hibiscus will grow indoors under lights or in a greenhouse.
Lupine, Delphinium, Foxglove and Hollyhock's are grow very well in our area too!
Peonies
Hydrangeas
Japanese Silver Grass
Heather
Can't live properly without the above. :)
I'm with you on the Japanese SIlver Grass...I think Badseed has some so I need to pump her for pictures and info on it...
This is mine last year.....
How tall do they get? I found some that looked taller, we have such an ugly fence that I want something to use as cover...they say this does well in heat which is a must! The strain I was lookin at was called Far East.
I'm going to HAVE to get it...well as soon as they have it again *G* So that might be next year.
