Please share! What are your longest blooming perennials? I am looking for perennials that take off in Spring and don't die down until frost! My favorite is probably my hardy hibiscus that I have in pots by the front door...
They don't look so pretty now due to a little neglet - I thought the rain was getting them after hurricane Ike and apparantly they were sheltered from the rain - oops!
These Stella De Oro's are in there 1st year and still small but are the most reliable bloom in my flower bed this year - they started in the spring and are still going strong!
Finally, this nerium Oleander hasn't let me down yet! I am just going to have to find a way to control the size in future years so it doesn't take over!
My Blackeyed Susans last and last. BEV
For me it's gaillardia. I have several varieties but Goblin is the most reliable. Mine started blooming in June & are still going strong. Salvia is another long bloomer, here are the two together from a month ago.
Hardy hibiscus here is late summer gem, they don't start blooming until September & only last a few weeks.
Yeah Gallardia is a good one. Bev
Bev: Your Gaillardia is so pretty. What cultivar is this? I might have to plant some of it!
I have no idea. They just came up all differant colors. I even have a yellow one. BEV
This is diff too
and this
LOL wrong pic. Sorry was just messing arround.
Hem, Send me dmail with addy and I will be glad to send you mixed seeds. BEV
Bev,
What's that in the wrong picture?
Lynn
It is the same Gallardia as the one under it. I was just messing arround with a photo program and I made it that way. BEV
Bev,
I thought it was probably something you did in Paint or something similar,but if there is really a flower that color I want one LOL
Lynn
Bev: All very pretty. Yes; I definitely want some. Have sent addy.
Anyone else is welcome to some too. I should have gobs of them. BEV
I love the butter-cream yellow ones - how pretty!
I am wanting to try some different kinds this year - greatgardenplants.com has a lot of options - I have my eye on the 'commotion tizzy' - ggp's seems pricey to me though and I have no experience buying from them so we'll see how it goes.
A friend of mine bought one of those 'tizzy' gaillardias this year. I saw it when it was new at the garden center & it was amazing! She said once she got it planted though, the newer blooms were less impressive.
Good to know - Thanks! Decisions, decisions.... : )
Bev,
I'd love some seeds too if you have extra! I've sent a dmail....
Thanks!!
I love the gaillardias too. I have a Fanfare, which I just love. It has been a reliable bloomer, but I moved it this year and it didn't appreciate it. I started 'Razzledazzle' this year, which is supposedly an annual unfortunately- but it was really fun to grow. Looks like a raspberry colored, taller Fanfare.
My longest blooming perennial is probably Blue Hill Sage. It was the first plant up in Spring and is still blooming just as gorgeous as it was in June. I deadhead it, but it would still bloom well even if I didn't. The bees love it too.
Art_N: How lovely! I will definitely be adding Blue Hill to my list next year. I have Black and Blue and it has done beautifully in Asheville, just have to divide it and move some down to Kannapolis. Maybe this weekend. I have Russian sage, too, and love it. The bees seem to love all the sages.
I love the blue hill! Gorgeous blooms! Thanks for sharing!
I really love the color of Blue Hill sage. You're right about salvias being really reliable, I have a bunch of May Night, which is much darker (that's it in my gaillardia pic above). This year I added Blue Hill & Rose Queen & also Vermillion Bluffs.
I love the May Night too- the darker color is nice. It seems a little stragglier than Blue Hill which seems more compact. Have you noticed that?
Wow look at that Vermillion Bluffs!! Hadn't seen that one yet. It's hardy to 5? Might have to find that one.
You guys have aroused my curiousity about the Vermillion Bluffs but I can't find it in the plant files. Anyone have a link?
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/ptlk/2035.html
You can click the thumbnail for a larger picture. I have been forever looking for a worthy, hardy red salvia. Glad to find this one!
As a side note, Plant Select is a huge help to us in Colorado and other areas with dry or unpredictable weather (maybe West Texas? :) I graduated from T. Tech) and if they say it's a great plant...then I believe them. They test plants for specific traits and recommend 6-7 plants each year and market them under the PS logo.
Thanks...especially for the side-note about Plant Select ...yes - West Texas definetely has unpredictable (and dry) weather!
I think Vermillion Bluffs is hardy to zone 6, so it may be a stretch for me. But I have it planted where it gets a lot of sun but is somewhat protected. There's one growing in similar conditions at my local garden center, so I think it will do well there. I haven't really had a chance to compare Blue Hill to May Night yet since the Blue Hill is new in my garden, but more compact is good :0). I do find May Night looks better if it gets cut back periodically.
I think Vermillion Bluffs is hardy to zone 6, so it may be a stretch for me. But I have it planted where it gets a lot of sun but is somewhat protected. There's one growing in similar conditions at my local garden center, so I think it will do well there. Mine's a little skimpy now but the flowers are the most fabulous red!
I haven't really had a chance to compare Blue Hill to May Night yet since the Blue Hill is new in my garden, but more compact is good :0). I do find May Night looks better if it gets cut back periodically.
These campanula persicifolia "Chettle Charm" first bloomed in early summer. And while they haven't been in bloom the entire summer, I was pleased and surprised to get a second, and this third rebloom the middle of October. To me this is quite a feat considering that I totally neglected them the entire summer. I rarely watered them and didn't cut off the spent flower stems, which you are supposed to do to encourage them to rebloom. I guess Mother Nature sometimes blesses lazy gardeners. ;-)
This is my first year for 'Chettle Charm'.Mine are a bit spindly,because I received tiny starters.At first I was convinced they were not campanulas,because the foliage is so different from all of the others I've grown,but it's very pretty and like most Campanulas they are very forgiving of shade and neglect,although I think they prefer a little more sun than some cultivars.
Lynn
Lynn, is the blue on the edge of the petals on yours any darker than mine are? You can see from my photo that the blue is so pale, it's not even noticeable from a distance. I was hoping they would turn out a little darker, the way they are shown in Bluestone's catalog. Do you think some fertilizer would make a difference, or is this as dark as they get?
Shebs,
Mine look about the same.I am hoping another years growth will bring out more color as well as more consistant blooms.Mine are on the east and may need to be moved to more sun.They are really shaded too much by other plants in the bed.
Lynn
Lynn,
Mine are in their 3rd year. They were so spindly, they had flopped over. Up until the middle of this summer they were in quite a bit shade from a nearby tree. Unfortunately, the city removed the tree in order to make some repairs to our water line. But at least now they're in more sun; so we'll see next year if they're sturdier and darker blue.
Shebs
Shebs45: Love the Chettle Charm campanula! That one's going on my list for sure.
Hemophobic,
They make a real nice cut flower in a vase or arrangement. They seem to last longer than most flowers do.
Shebs,
I went out to take a picture to post yesterday and got a nasty surprise.The stems looked extra woody and when I tugged gently the stems came out of the ground entirely.It looked as if they had been eaten.The roots are still there so I quess I have to wait for spring to see if they are alive.
Lynn
Lynn,
I think the same thing happened to me. Actually the picture that I took is kinda "staged".
The end of the stem the flowers were on was woody, and I tried to snap it off. Instead the whole stem came out of the ground, flowers and all. So in order to take the photo, I had to prop up the stem amongst the foliage. That's how I ended up getting flowers for my vase ... entirely by accident. I think yours should be ok.
Shebs
