Has anyone had any luck with "exima?" I think I heard about when I first learned of "luxuriant."
Longest blooming perennial?
Vel, I don't have a lot of experience with Bleeding Hearts, other than the old-fashioneds and a white one in my garden, so I couldn't really tell you which may be better. I do believe white bleeding hearts are more sensitive to light than the reds/pinks. I haven't heard of 'exima' at all (but it's kind of a weird name for a flower!).
Mmmmm. Not sure which nursery I saw the plant at, but chances are it was our Lowes or Greenfield Plant Farm. If you don't have luck in Dayton area, I bet Bern's in Middletown would have it.
If you drive all the way down here, let me know!
Great thread. I love bleeding heart, but it's too hot for them down here. :(
The plant that blooms continually in my yard is Cestrum parqui (Hardy Willow-Leaved Jessamine.) It's covered in blooms now and will stay that way until frost (around Thanksgiving usually for us.)
Jenny
Tabasco, dicentra eximia is the fringed-leaf type of bleeding heart, while the old fashioned type is dicentra spectabilis. The cultivar people are talking about is dicentra formosa "Luxuriant."
Its advantage of the fringed-leaf varieties over d. spectabilis is that they bloom over a long period of time, whereas d. spectabilis blooms in the spring and then usually gets ratty looking and goes dormant in the heat of summer.
I've found d. eximia to be a little more fussy than d. spectabilis, but I know a lot of people who love them. I like my old fashioned bleeding hearts. I cut mine back hard (by about one third) after they finish flowering in the spring, and that helps me avoid the summer dormancy. I even get a very sporadic rebloom (just one or two stalks with flowers, but still--spectabilis isn't supposed to rebloom at all, so I'll take it!)
This message was edited Apr 22, 2009 7:23 AM
You are lucky to get a rebloom on the dicentra spect.
Yes, I think woodspirit asked about the Exima, which I don't think I've seen around the garden centers here. Although I did grow a few fernleafs a couple years back, but they didn't make it. I love the old fashioned ones and wish I had more. I can't wait until I can divide mine.
As for longest blooming perennial? Mmmm, for this year I would have to say my daffodils. I've had them in bloom since March 6 and still going strong. Of course not the same varieties so I guess that's cheating. And of course they are bulbs. (-:
I guess I don't have many true long blooming perennials...
For me, the longest bloomers would have to be four nerve daisy and salvia greggi.
Dennis
It's not a perennial here but in some zones it is and as an 'annual' in 7B - lantana just keeps going for us well into the late late autumn.
I like lantana but I think it's too cool up here in the mountains
I'd have to say that Japanese Aster (Asteromea mongolica) is pretty much my longest bloomer. It blooms from May to October and requires no deadheading. A close second would be Salvia 'May Night' which is already in full bloom. If dead-headed it will bloom into September, but not as hardily. And roses, too!
I would give anything to have aster. The deer love it though (me too!)
What about St. John's Wort? Anyone have experience with that?
There is a jasmine that does well here. It is yellow and is called Showy Jasmine. It blooms spring through fall, and the foliage is evergreen. It is a shrub that puts out long runners that can easily be trained on a trellis. It is a beautiful plant and a joy to grow. Another yellow jasmine that is grown in West Texas is Carolina Jasmine. It is vinier but does not bloom as long. Neither have the fragrance that is usually found in jasmine.
pen
Very pretty but i doubt it would survive our winters. I live somewhere around zone 6b - 7a. Yes it does look like the carolina jasmine.