Hello- I am new to DG and new to gardening. I have a large 4 acre yard that I am beginning to landscape and it is almost all in full sun. I have seen the coneflowers and gotten interested in them because I love butterflies, and it seems they do well in the heat. Am I correct about them handling the hot summers well - I am in So Arkansas...... Also, if I plant seeds now will they bloom this summer or will it be summer of 09 before they do. Any special growing conditions needed?? I am looking at adding day lillies and lots of coneflowers and maybe a few other periennials this year..... suggestions ???
Thanks - and can anyone tell me if there will be any other coops or where I should start trying to obtain the coneflowers???? Is it ok to plant now??
Thanks!!!
Genna
Lots of newbie questions
Hi Genna,
I think there have been coneflower coops in the past, you could check there:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/groupbuy/all/
You should be able to plant now there I would think. They should do good there, their biggest enemies are extreme heat and dryness and wet winter. I love helenium also and they can take wet winters for a site replacement.
Genna, One thing to consider when doing a coop is the size of the plant you'll be getting. Sometimes these are very tiny plants that will need to be looked after closely before they go out into a hot,dry garden(even those native plants that are able to handle our hot summers once they get some size on them)So one question to ask before you buy any plant is how am I going to water these plants before they are big enough to handle things on their own? The drought is one area I have to think about each time I want to put in a new plant. When we moved I got my husband to put in a drip sprinkler system for my small beds. Best thing I've done in years...
Since you are lucky enough to have all this land to garden on, you might want to look into native wildflower seed mixes...
Thanks - I really had not stopped to think that they might be really small plants. Do you usually get yours established in pots before moving to beds?? It appears they can be on the pricey side - so I sure don't need to be killing them!!! :-)
Do you have your drip irrigation hooked to an outside faucet or timers or what?? Where did you get your supplies? I have been trying to convince my husband that we need to invest in this - especially with our sandy soil because it dries out quickly - I have to mulch everything to try to keep it from dying..........
Thanks
Genna
Genna, Our irrigation system was installed professionally when we had some other landscaping work done to correct some drainage issues.It is on a timer inside our garage on three different zones so the areas in full hot sun can get watered more than those that are in more shade.
As far as buyng plants I don't have much yard so I just buy the plant I want at the nursery. usually I only have room for one or two(I'm in a patio home) so i don't have to worry about having to cover large areas like you do. What some people have done is create a nursery bed close to their home,water etc, where they plant smaller things and let them grow.But things like coneflowers grow so well you may want to buy a couple of good sized plants of the old time varieties and they will self seed.(from what i hear the newer cultivars are hybrids that will not self seed true)That way you only have to "watch" a few plants out in your garden and they would be easy enough to water by hand while they are getting established this first summer.
Hi,
I grow quite a few of the newer colored coneflowers and one thing to consider is that even if they do grow in the hot sun, they colors in the flowers will fade very quickly. I have found that planting them where they will get shade in the afternoon helps maintain the color longer. In full sun, each blossom will probably fade in a day. The flowers still look nice, but most of the color is washed out. The one that did that the quickest for me was the Sundown. Now I plant them where they will get afternoon shade.
Kathy
Teach me about coneflowers. I love coneflowers, any color. I live in central florida and just can't seem to grow them so they come back after the winter. They are perennials according to what I have read. I can't even get them to sprout from seed. Right now I have two from last year that have come back out of ten plants. What is the secret to keeping and maintaining coneflowers especially in florida. Is it just too hot or do they need a certain kind of soil. Where I live is in zone 9. I would really appreciate any tips or information on keeping these beautiful plants.
Well, I am in Ohio, zone 5/6 and they really are carefree here. I am sorry I don't know anything about gardening in Florida, but try the Florida forum, they will be able to help you.
Kathy
Genna,
I believed you were talking about my place when you mention sand and all.
I love all the coneflowers but found a couple do better than others. First and foremost, the Purpurea will do best all the time as long as you don't have them sitting in a puddle of water. Mine are in hot dry sun and sand all year long.
Last year the purpurea got to be over 3 feet tall and bloomed all summer with minimal watering. Here are the first blooms on these this spring.
genna, fairy1004 will be starting a co-op soon for echies.
Also, with the purpurea, planting from seed will yield blooms the first year here.
Barberry, since you are down here in Fla these coneflowers I am showing would do well for you too, as long as you don't over water them. They like suffering with the drought.
Here's another hybrid, can't remember the name. They also seem to be survivors since I have 3-4 already returned and blooming from the winter.
I also bought from a coneflower co-op and after making it through the summer and winter, the report is not real good. I don't see any of the whites or greens coming back, some of which I bought at a local wholesalers.
Another suggestion in the next post to follow
I also found that certain hybrids of the Blanketflower, Gaillardia do well in sand and drought.
Here's one, I believe it's "Fanfare"
Oh yes, before I forget, Kim's Kneehigh is also another one that performs well.
Paradoxa didn't bloom at all last year but spent the winter settiling in and may be give a bloom this year. This is Paradoxa
And then back to those blanket flowers, Burgundy does very well here in the dry and hot.
The blanket flowers don't seem to bloom continuously through the summer like the coneflowers, but do come back and bloom sporadically.
Hope this helps some
Molly
Wow - thanks for all the pics and info Molly - they really look great. I love the blanket flowers too and tried some last year- but so far, it appears they did not survive. But then my bed was so overun by nutgrass last year - that very little survived..... I finally have it in better shape this year (and started MUCH earlier) because I was planting too late in the summer here for things to get established last year...... so maybe i can pick up somemore blanket flowers to add in. Haven't seen any yet- but they should be in the stores soon.....
JordanKittyJo - please tell Fairy I am definitely interested . I will TRY to watch for the coop.....but I have trouble keeping up with all of them!
Thanks for the great info!
Genna
gen, will let you know when it starts, but in the meantime check out TNN, part of the co-op will come from therer
Some of the new ones will not come back true from seed if those are some of your choices.....Like the Big Sky series the Saul brothers are marketing: Sunrise, Sundown, Twilight etc....or the Meadowbrite series....Mango etc....and one other thing that I think guspuppy mentioned that was my experience too with the new pastel colored ones....they fade in the blazing full sun.....fading varies but they do fade so if you got a tad of partial sun or a tree around near by etc. so much the better for better color fastness......I hide mine sometimes behind taller stuff in the border depending on view and they do well there color wise......In my photo I'm sending look at how I got them kinda nustled into a 'Blue Fortune' agastache.....I tuck them where they might get a tad of shade so to speak....the flowers in the pic are Sundown, Sunrise and a Twilight or two, them are from the Saul Brothers I mentioed earlier..........even some of the purple ones will get a dusty look in full sun down here in Alabama about August, hey I get mighty dusty myself........:)
I'd trade my soul or at least my car for a 4 acres yard.......:)
Paul from Alabama
Sorry bout that, wrong pick.....You'll think I'm crazy looking at the one I sent with the explanation.......but that's OK, I am.
Paul from Alabama
what is TNN that is mentioned alot on here?
Kathy
Thanks for the suggestion Paul.... yes I am really interested in the Big Sky series and others. If I can ever get some plants large enough in my bed, it will be a good idea to try to place them on the East side of the larger ones...... right now, my bed is pretty pitiful looking because it is so large and the plants are TINY..... Eventually it might look nice - but it is hard to envision something like you have when you have 1 twig of this sticking up ,,,,and one twig of something else over here.... ^_^ Just wondering how long before they start filling in..... And, remember that with a 4 acre yard there is a LOT of mowing and weedeating that must be done!! But, slowly we are adding some beds and some specialty plants like crepe myrtles and magnolias and snowball bushes, etc to take up some of the space and add color. I also have a small rosebed that is new this year....and I went with the Heirloom Roses from Wa state and so they are tiny too....LOL but at least they are healthy looking!!
I love having the big space, but trying to plan it all for a good overall look has been difficult for me. My back yard is a totally blank canvas except for a chain link fence and a shop that is inside the yard. ...... My goal this year was to have a bed that is right off the back porch and visable out my kitchen window since I can't see my front yard from there (where most of my other plants are)......I wanted a source for butterflies -- cannas, butterfly bush, butterfly weed, agastache, salvia, etc..... but I haven't managed to get it done. I have managed to complete the small bed between the sideway and my garage that was new this year - and revamped a bed by my concrete pad where we park..... and I have TRIED to redo my big bed out front and it certainly is better but has a LONG way to go.....but no back bed that I can admire yet. :-)
My current attention has been diverted to a LARGE veggie garden that my kids are attempting to raise as a truck patch - we are behind in planting due to weather and other complications and we are trying to finish all that so my flower beds have had to be put on hold ...... hopefully after this weekend, I will be able to get back to my project in the back yard.
TNN is an online nursery. I believe it stands for Terra Nova Nurseries, but I am not positive. I always have a hard time remembering what it means......
Genna
Genna...
The most pitiful thing in the world is a new perennial bed just planted but planted correctly or what is deemed correctly in spacing etc.....and the nicest thing in the world?.....A mature perennial bed where each and every plant hits their stride right there in front of you, whether it be for a week or a month or a season.......Nicest thing in the world of gardening I mean, hey I ain't crazy.......:)
Paul,
I love your border. You truly have a green thumb.
Thanks pennefeather.....don't know about no green thumb but its dirty most of the time.....:).... For gawd's sake don't think I'm being preachy or pontificating, lord knows I get enough of that from my wife (I know she'll read this....:)....but it ain't green thumbs, though I know its just a figure of speech and you're being nice, but its preparation, consistency and feeding the soil first, making sure your soil is healthy and then the plants will take care of themselves, well with a little help from me in the weeding and mulching department......:)
Paul from Alabama
Amen on the weeding department ..... the nut grass is driving me CRAZY!