Granted I haven't looked it up in any Georgia plant book, I've been gone for over a week and just noticed Beebalm (2nd year in my yard now) is HUGE!!! No kidding, spread out but also tall. Should I trim the top or should I have done that already and is it too late to split and put a chunk somewhere else???? Does anybody know..?
Any advice appreciated, yard looks a mess, I cannot remember this from previous years.
I'm innundated with some weeds inspite of the fact I have inches of mulch. Could they have been blown in with all the storms we've been having.? They come out pretty easily, root and all.
Too late for downsizing Beebalm??
It's not too late - go for it.
We've laughed that all the gardens would revert to nature and disappear in two years if we weren't here battling weeds.
Re: advice. I rarely do this but it seems to give you more of a sense of accomplishment to stick with one area, the most visible, until you make some progress - before moving on.
Good luck. Here's a foxglove I grew from seed last year and it's blooming: Pam's Choice.
Wow Cedar, I think I'll plant some foxglove seed I was about ready to throw out! That is pretty.
I'm growing bee balm for the first time. I received some in a trade but they aren't that big yet.... ~Susan
Thanks Ra - I also have some others, I think it must be D. purpurea. I love Foxgloves but it seems not too many people grow them; maybe because you generally plant them in the fall and wait....
I love Bee Balm though they do spread. Butterflies and hummingbirds visit them often. I have 'Raspberry Wine', 'Jacob Cline', 'Blue Stocking' and 'Petite Wonder'.
Sorry tuliplady, didn't mean to hijack your thread.
No, that's quite allright cedar. I'll try tomorrow and replant in back where I hope to have a "haven" for butterflies and such. One can only try, yes?
I love your Fox glove. I fact I have some that came back, I thought I'd lost it cause it didn't do well last summer. Probably too wet a spot, with about 4-5 hours of morning sun. I'd forgotten about it and suddenly its there.
The weeds: yes, I tackle them qsuare foot by square foot. Whenever I'm in yard fron or back! I'll do just a bit but very acurately then go back next day for different spot. Otherwise you'd go crazy. They're easier to hold on to when somewhat larger anyway. But it is a pain!!!
I also have what I think is Four o'clock!!!!! Man, sombody warned me at my fist RU in May 2006, and they are right, nice plant but way too invasive for a "normal" person. Again I'm waiting till the seedlings come up to about 1½-2" and then I'll yank them out. But this year the motherlode will go too!
Tuliplady, yes 4 o'clocks are a mixed blessing. I was fortunate to see them in action at my dad's and the huge tubers they produced and how they spread.... so I said no thanks. I have enough 'plants in the wrong places' aka weeds.
I would think the few hours of morning sun would be idea for foxgloves. They don't seem to like full sun. I don't know about wet feet though.
Better dig deep with the 4 o'clock. they have tubers the size of potatoes. I had some growing already at my mailbox and could never get rid of them. so I just work with them. Now I keep in them control by sending my daughter out to collect seeds! She loves it. Someday I'm sure she'll be looking for money to collect all those seeds! There are lots of seeds and they'll bloom again and again and produce tons of seeds.
This is my 2nd year growing bee balm and 1st year growing foxglove. Can not wait to see my blooms next year, if they come back....
I have only planted two 4 o'clocks, and I have them every where.
Here is a beauty I grew from seed, and it was three years from seed to bloom.Baggy says he is the one who scratches around it, and fertlizes it.
Mike
This was the real question.I want to move some of this monarda, and will it be OK now? Mike
Hi Mike, I see your Monarda is very tall already too! It almost seems too tall for its own good.
Tomorrow I', going to split the Monarda and then also kneel around and try to remove about 6ooo small 4 o'clocks. They are grabbabale now! And then I'll dig the tuber out as well as I can. When I got the plant in 2007 it was a mere 2 inches tall and a meager thin. Who could have known???? Cute... but very aggressive.
Mike, I would try it. I'm always moving plants. I'd cut it back by half and move it, giving it plenty of water for a while. I just found out recently that Bee Balm does prefer decent water supplies.
And if you can shade it temporarily, I find that helps plants establish after being rudely ripped from the ground! I mentioned on another thread some of the quite unattractive things I use to provide this shade. Well, in addition to the very nice shade cloth A-frames my DH made me. I'll have to take a photo of them too.
