Perennials in the garden setting...show us your pics #4

Stu,

That gaillardia, a new hybrid going around this year. Called Torch-Red Ember. I had one, it thought it was an annual. But it threw off lots of seeds so I expect next year, lots more of the Red Embers.

Molly
:^))))

thanks Molly. Trying to upload this picture again. It seeded here again also, though it was sold as a perenial.

Stu,

Excellent shot of the nest. I did some shots in the spring of 2 baby blue birds. They were in a little bird house. Love getting good shots of things like that.

Molly
:^))))

Stu: Excellent!
Boojum, the CA poppies were beautiful.
Tammy, Great work.

I think its been a long time since I posted here but I've been keeping up
Dave

So many pretty flowers! Andthat blue ginger - astonishing! What a gorgeous color.

Patti, the Helianthus salicifolus is very interesting. May have to try it. FluStu, wow, the orchid is wonderful. You have lots of plants that would never grow here. Your unknown Gaillardia looks like my Sundance bicolored one. It did very well for me and is still blooming heavily in Oct. The Ca poppies and the oregano are both beautiful too. Wonder if the oregano will continue to bloom if you bring it inside? Here is a foxglove that is just starting to rebloom.

Susan

And the mums are having a great year.

dahlias still blooming...

ooooooo just gotta love those brilliant colors....

here's a spiranthes in bloom now

Tam

Susan, one of the things that I miss about cooler climates are the Dahlias. While we are supposed to be able to grow them here, I've had very little luck.

Here are the only Coreopsis that I had come up this season from all the types I planted last year.

Stu, I always assumed dahlias would be great down south because here we have to lift the tubors due to the cold and start them indoors to give them enough growing season. I guess I don't really know that.
Dave

Dave47, you're right. They should grow well doen here. But, unfortunately, I've not had any luck with them. There are a couple of plants that should be a cinch to grow that I can't and there are some that are supposed to be difficult that I find very easy. I guess my green thumb is picky and takes out its frustrations on certain plants.

As to those Dahlias in Fl. I am going out on a limb here, but I don't think as a general rule they will do well here, because it's just too hot, all the time.

Out of a 1/2 dozen dahlias I received earlier this year, 2 broke ground. One is still just 2 inches tall, the other is 14 inches tall, bloomed once. None of the rest showed up.

I am not talking the patio variety, those will do fine here if treated like an annual. It's those nice big beautiful hybrids that the collectors grow that I am talking about.

I tried some in Ft Lauderdale too, and none of them ever game up. I had thought when I moved to zone 8b they would do better. So for me, I give up on Dahlias.

Molly

Thanks Molly........I know that I have problems with a couple of typesof plants due to our summers even though the catalogues say good to zone 9. There's a difference between a Florida zone 9, California 9 and Texas 9. So, maybe they don't grow well here and I'm not to blame......Lord knows I'm to blame with a few other plants biting the dust.

Stu,

Someday maybe the Heat Index zones, or whatever the name of that is, will be more widely used. This could be important for growing (or not) a lot of plants like Dahlias, TB Iris and so on.

Sometimes we just have to face it, no matter how hard we try or baby our plants, somethings just don't like Florida.

Molly
:^))))

Stu & Molly,
That is a surprise but not unusual. For me, it's not only true of zone, but soil type, or even one part of my yard over another. Plants like it some places and not others. And if we're smart, we go with it.
I wonder were dahlias come from were they don't have cold winters (like here) or very hot summers (like FL)?

Hi, guys, FYI - dahlias seem to love CA. However, mine are doing very well this year. So colorful and friendly. :)

edit: I know this one's been posted, but I just love it. I harvested about 10 very similar this weekend. So cheery.

This message was edited Oct 16, 2006 9:26 AM

yummy. you can post that one as many times as you like!

hi all heres a pic of one of my favorite perennials its a lavender beebalm and smells sooooo good.

I think I have that one, too. I have it mixed with ferns. I have huge clumps of the red, too. I just cut it down and the bergamot smell is a great incentive.

does it like shade? my beebalm turned silver and died this season. and no smell except dead plant smell. I guess I should move it, eh?

Here's what's still blooming in my yard - even in mid October! Spider wort

button dahlia...

gerbera daisies, ferns and ornamental peppers in the container pots ...

the red dahlias ... really great red, eh?

And my roses ... awhhhhh

boojum, here are those harvested dahlias ... they are yummy. :)

Peg nice photos! You sure do have a lot still blooming! Your dahlias are really pretty - and that rose too! Love the lime colored foliage on the spiderwort - makes the flowers really stand out :-)

They are beautiful!

Peg, Wow! Very nice. Zone 6a sure is different here than there.

Thanks, all. It is amazing that our "Zone 6a" sits way below the rest of zone 6. I thought my area was zone 7, and some nurseries still say that we are, but zone 6 perennials don't do well here at all.

Now, we had almost no winter last year ... that may have helped a bunch.

the spider wort came from a local wholesale grower. we have an arboritum and it hosts plant sales twice a year from local growers and high school FFAs, etc. Usually i see s.wort that is dark green. this one caught my eye b/c it's so bright. That is sweet william around it as ground cover, the little white flowers in spring, against the s. wort looks great.

Rann, I don't remember the rose name. I'll look it up. I know they aren't "perennials" as discussed in this forum, but i had to show it!

Garden designed by Piet Oudolf

Peg - the rose is very pretty even without a name - can't be any harm in sharing it with us - they are in a sense perennial ! ;-)
Kevin - very pretty garden - great color combination!

OK, that pale yellow/white rose is Gertrude Jekyll. small and compact this year - new in the bed.

KevinMc79 is that your garden? It is beautiful. What are the tall dried seed heads behind the helenium?

It has been more like Nov. than Oct here. Down in the mid 20's a number of nights including last night. This Butterfly Blue scabiosa always amazes me the way it can just keep on blooming inspite of the cold temps. Still has lots of buds that are still opening. Most of the annuals were frozen the first cold night, but the alyssum just keeps blooming away too.

Susan

Sigh. I'm putting my beds to sleep now-cutting lots down. Hate to say good-bye.

Me too, boojum. dahlias gone. :(

The dried seedheads are from Echinacea paradoxa. The grass is Molinia Moorflamme. I am the caretaker of the garden, but unfortunately it is not mine. It's the company I work for.

there's a request for a cottage garden forum and I wondered if anyone here would be interested

here's the link

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/652468/

Gram, Do my gardens qualify as cottagey?