Another plant that's going - Lamium. What started out as cute silver-leaved pink- and white-flowered plants are becoming invasive unattractive weedy fillers that self-seed into mat-forming monsters with none of the original cuteness (?). Sort of like sweet woodruff that I regret planting years ago. By early July, they are definitely less than desirable. I only get a peak at a couple of the original flowers - definitely not worth the space. The roots are so invasive that I'll probably have to brush some weed killer on the leaves in order to save other plants, same as that nasty invasive Campanula I naively planted (I forget the botanical name at the moment).
Favorite Astilbe?
Been there with the Lamium - what a horrer! Houttenynia was another huge mistake. It took me three years to get rid of that. Another big mistake I made was Variegated Porcelain Berry - pretty vine. But Oh My Gosh, by the third spring I needed a machete just to get close to it. It grew close to 10' out and it was seeding all over the place. Now I research before I put anything in the ground. If I make an impulse buy of a plant I'm not familiar with I leave the plant in the pot and head for the computer. That's saved me after the local botanical garden spring plant sale. I was surprised to find two of the plants I purchased listed as "can be invasive". I threw them in the compost pile. One of them has taken over the pile! I'll have to Roundup the pile before I turn it, if I get around to turning it that is.
It sounds like you're off to a very good start. The upside to getting rid of the poor performers and just plain undesirables is that you get to choose new stuff.
I've heard that about Lamium. I'm getting rid of my sweet woodruff, too. I find it easy to control since it doesn't root deeply, but I only find it pretty in the Spring. It looks weedy to me once the pretty color turns to drab green and the nice flowers die. My garden is too small to have plants that don't look great all season, lol. Well, close to all season, maybe! At least astilbe foliage is still pretty when it's not blooming. The other aggressive ones I have are creeping Jenny, which I still sort of like, and Lily of the Valley, which I didn't plant but *hopefully* have contained by a buried plastic barrier. It would be a massive job to get rid of that one. I've gotten rid of about half of it, and I still have an ocean.
My DH's mother planted some lily of the valley in the 60s here, and we now have a meadow full of it. DH mows it, but it's taking over in a couple other gardens close to the house too. Hmmmmm - I didn't know that about the lamium. I got some from the RU last month and planted it in my new shade garden. Hmmmm, I may have to move it to a more "free flowing" location.
The only place it's safe to plant lamium is the median between a four lane expressway. It expands exponentially and the root system is massive and deep. Best wishes.
Every plant does have it's place. A horticuturist once explained to me that there are no bad plants, only bad places to put them.
Ok well I guess that settles that. Thanks.
Yeah, sweet woodruff does look cute in the spring but as summer wears on and the flowers are gone, it gets ratty and develops brown spots. It's thready roots have invaded Vinca minor and my woodland phlox. No way to really erradicate it except by trying the weed killer with a paint brush. The Lamium keeps trying to invade a very desirable patch of bleeding hearts, whose root system is way to brittle to be trying to pull the Lamium out from around it. Some of the Carex varieties get a little aggressive ('Ice Dancer' and C. siderosticha 'Variegata') but I can usually pull out the underground runners pretty easily. I do need to move 'Ice Dancer' since it's not giving me the punch I wanted. I think that one needs to be a little closer to the viewer to notice the variegation. My faves are the yellow grasses ('Bowles Golden' and the "Hak" grasses) but I'm not quite ready to toss 'Ice Dancer' yet. I'm also pulling out a patch of lily of the valley (I have more growing elsewhere) that's mixed in over the years with wintercreeper, creating a solid patch of boring green in the summer. It's held the soil well on a little embankment but I'm going to put in some retaining blocks and create a space for some more desirables. Due to rainy weather and other obligations, haven't started pulling stuff out yet but I'm ready to start tomorrow. The cool weather (which I absolutely love) will be a great enabler. DH is making me a new compost sifting screen this weekend (I will actually use the compost pile for the first time in years) so that I can pot up the pulled plants for passing on. My daughter has acres of bare yard to fill in.
Got my super phos for the Hydrangeas today at a local nursery and the owner had heard the same complaint about 'Endless Summer' not flowering reliably.
CindyMzone5 - Once you start tossing the under performers the enjoyment begins. This week I tossed the last of the hemerocallis. They had gotton some kind of a rust infection requiring spraying plus that's another plant that looks ugly for a lot longer than it looks good, although I must admit when in bloom they are really nice. I have some plants still coming mail order ( variegated sedum, ferns and huecheras ). When they arrive and get in the ground I actually think I'm done. My last major aquisiton, last week, was a Cedrus atlantica 'Pendula' . Major on the wallet too. Whew! Here's my 'Endless Summer'. Love that superphosphate.
Snapple - Now that's what I would expect from 'Endless Summer'. That area is definitely getting more sun than most of my shade-lovers and that probably helps a bit too. Your new Cedrus should be a real showstopper. Is it one of the bluer forms? I've given up on buying Heucheras at this time. Have had too many of the newer ones (especially those beautiful chartreuse varieties) up and die on me. Read a theory from Munchkin Nursery that perhaps some of our midwestern summers are a little too hot for some of them (although this summer seems to be one of the cooler ones). I need to do more research on them before I pay the hefty price for them. I started 'Palace Purple' from seed years ago and I get variable self-sown seedlings from them that can be interesting colors so that will have to do for now.
You're not alone in losing the lime/chartreuse heucheras. All the Master Gardeners I talk to say they have no staying power in the landscape. Three years maximum under ideal growing conditions is the best performance they seem to do. My favorite heuchera is 'Dolche Peach Melba' It just glows. This is the second season, planted June '08. It seems to be vigorous. Everybody comments on it. I may add more next year if it continues to do well. Yes, the Cedrus is steely blue. I might be able to grab the camera later today.
Speaking of huecheras I picked up 5 Purple Palace at a reputable nursery yesterday as filler for the last make over bed. I think they might have been mislabeled. They are an odd shade of red. Real red. No purple at all. Weird. I paired them up with Fescue "Boulder Blue". Looks like Christmas! They looked like they had been sitting for a long time in the nursery in full sun. New growth will tell the tale. Actually I hope they tone down a little.
You will get your 'Endless Summer' to bloom. They just need that superphosphate push.
My 'Palace Purple' seedlings do have a range of colors - some are even have a burnt orange cast to them that is an interesting change. I've lost 'Lime Ricky', another I can't recall the name of and even the "frosty" types like 'Snow Angel'. They'd come through the winter looking great with minimal frost heaving and even bloom but then quickly wilt and die. My favorite was 'Champagne Bubbles' - it was very floriferous and the flowers were actually very cute. It was a smaller variety. It lasted 3 or 4 years. Have even lost some of the dark ones as well.
Debating today about pulling Tiarelly cordifolia - the rambling type as opposed to the clumping variety. While I like the little flowering spires, I hate deadheading it. Hmmmm.
I only have the clumping form of Tiarella. No deadheading is necessary as you probably know. The old bloom stalks just seem to melt away. I have one green Heuchera - Pistachio. This is the second year for it. It isn't a vigorous plant. It's about 1/3 the clump size of its purple companion - Midnight Rose. Pistacho looks healthy, but small. I have one Heuchera that's the gift that keeps on giving - Amethyst Mist. If you want a frosty purple that's vigorous try that one. It has spread itself, in a very nice way, all over the gardens. A little root left in a handful of soil is all it seems to need to pop up someplace unexpectedly. It's no trouble to remove it if it lands where isn't welcome. The clumps get big in a hurry. I actually have too much of it, but it's so darn healthy I hate to pull it.
I'm glad to hear that about heuchera, Snapple. I've been wanting some for awhile, because I like the perennial coleus "look-alike" aspect of it. I love Peach Flambe, and I'm wanting some more feedback on the cultivars that die easily, because in retirement, I can't afford to buy plants that are fickle! LOL
Regarding the "invasives", I haven't found lamium "beacon silver" to be invasive (yes it does spread, but easy to remove), and I think it's one of the more attractive varieties. On the other hand, never buy the taller lamium with the yellow blooms. That stuff is completely invasive and almost impossible to eradicate. I also agree on the houttenynia (sp?). It's lovely, but will pop up all over the place. I haven't gotten rid of all of mine yet.
The Lamium that gave me hard hours of digging out was, Lamium maculatum 'Anne Greenway'. Very pretty to look at with the yellow and green leaves. But it was one of the worst things I've had to deal with. I volunteer at our local botanical garden. They have 'Silver Beacon' and it isn't as big a problem. Spring and fall they pull it back to it's original designated space without a lot of effort. In my garden 'Ann Greenway' pretty as it was, was a thug. I'm afraid of any Lamium in my soil.
DonnieBrook - Heuchera Midnight Rose is a good performer. The bright pink blotches and speckles against the dark maroon/ black back ground hold the enitre season. It's attractive without being gaudy. All of mine is in the shade, so I can't say what happens in the sun. It comes back stronger each year. One plant can be easily divided after about three years in the ground. It looks especiallynice paired with a yellow leaved hosta. Mine is interplanted with Hosta 'Sun Power'.
I saw 'Midnight Rose' at a local nursery a couple of weeks ago and was very tempted by it. This nursery is more of a high-end dream-fulfillment type of place and they wanted something like $15 for it so the price tag aided my avoidance of new Heucheras. I know 'Amethyst Mist' has been around for a couple of years now and it sounds like it's getting a positive track record in your garden. May have to scout that one out. I counted up at least 27 varieties that I've tried over the years and admittedly some were not always sited correctly. I think I have maybe 10 survivors. 'Amber Waves', 'Frosty' and 'Snow Angel' are among the departed. I have 6 different dark ones planted with red Astilbe and my one 'Key West' - very dramatic - but I've lost track of all of their names. I used to use plant tags but they kept getting pulled up during the spring cleanup.
Perenniallyme - I absolutely agree on the yellow Lamium - isn't that 'Herman's Pride'? I have it in one spot in the farthest reaches of my garden, only because it was in my daughter's wedding floral decorations. It is very striking in bloom but I do have to vigorously rein it in. It's happy in a terraced area full of dry clay and the foliage holds up extremely well but I am not tempted to grow it anywhere else. The branches/runners root like crazy where they lay on the ground.
Cindy, I don't know the cultivar on the yellow lamium. Just looked in plantfiles and it looks like yellow archangel, but yellow archdevil would be more appropriate. I would absolutely never plant it again.
Unfortunately that price sounds about right for the Midnight Rose. I just saw it at one of my favorite nurserys and it was $16.99.
There are twelve vendors listed in the plantfiles and many of them are much cheaper. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/143482/
There's a good thread started on Heucheras here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/985442/
Take a look at the photos. I've posted Pistachio, Amethyst Myst, Midnight Rose and Peach Melba ( bottom of the thread) . You can more easily compare size and evaluate vigor. Ain't Dave'sGarden great?!! Learn from each other and avoid costly mistakes. I don't really recommend the Pistachio. It's a beautiful contrast plant, as you'll see, but I'm not at all sure I'll see it next year. If I have to replace it I'll probably use Coleus 'Dappled Apple".
Very cool pics, Snapple. I see you're liking the purple/lime green color scheme too. One of my favorites also. I'm not camera-oriented - leave that to DH and photographer daughter. One of these days I'll have to borrow DH's pics of the gardens and post them. Usually I'm too busy with the manual labor part. Have been busy the past few days pulling out and moving plants. Hardest part was pulling out wintercreeper and a badly placed Hosta after growing 20 years among tree roots. That gave me a workout. Pulled Geranium 'Rozanne' to make room for an Astilbe I finally divided. My real Astilbe challenge will be in the lower garden but I'm concentrating on the immediate yard area first. I've divided a Hosta, pulled Trycirtis to make room for an azalea transplant, pulled some German bearded iris. Takes a little extra time to pot up the rejects for a better home. I may run out of my compost pile this year - first time in years. That week off from manual labor was very constructive - all the things that have bugged me about my plant placement but never had time or focus to fix. Thankfully it's been a cool summer so the work isn't as miserable as it would be if it were hotter. 'Key West' is still looking fresh in bloom and 'Sprite' is looking very "dainty" back in full shade. Is anyone else growing 'Sprite'? Mine has stayed fairly small but it may be due to placement.
Yes, I have Sprite...it's in it's third year, I think. I bought most of them from Bluestone during one of their sales and then a few more locally. It's irritating to me that the whole group isn't blooming at the same time, but it's still a favorite. It gets no direct sun, yet blooms very well. It's about two feet high. Key West is looking teriffic this year, and peaks about a week after Sprite for me. Here is Sprite from today
Thanks, Sharon and Snapple, for that great info on the lamium and the heuchera. I appreciate it!
You're welcome, Louise.
I'm waiting for people to post more favorite astilbes, especially with pics, as I only realized last year how much I like them, especially as I have sooo much shade. I already have several varieties (still haven't determined favorite), but do have room for a few more.
Noreaster - Your 'Sprite' is way bigger than mine and it's probably as old or older than your's. I think I bought mine locally. Guess I need to think about moving it although it is cute in it's smaller size. Mine's in total shade and my soil isn't the greatest. It tends to be really fine stuff on top of clay even though I amend the soil and mulch about every other year. I guess I've always hesitated planting them in more sun as I'm fearful they'll crisp up if I don't watch them closely.
I've got some Astilbe that get nearly full sun. It's seems to be all about the water. If they get enough they don't crisp. If you can keep them watered they will do fine. If you rely on Mother Nature alone then it can be a problem.
Watering is a necessity here and I try to minimize when I can, especially since we have city water. We have so many oak trees in the yard with far-reaching roots that really suck up any soil moisture. Plus the leaf canopy really deflects the rain unless it rains pretty hard. I'm always surprised after a rain how dry the soil is below the top couple of inches. Have soaker hoses but the rain barrel doesn't provide enough gravitational force to get the water really flowing through them. Have two more rain barrels to install at some point and hope to improve the flow from them. Rain isn't as reliable here as I would have thought and I always wondered if Lake Michigan has an effect on how the rain storms break up as they get close to this area. On the other hand, the more rain we get, the worse the mosquitoes get since our lot backs up to a wooded wetlands.
We have a ton in common. The meteorologists, ie the weather guy, says that we are often in a "dry slot". Rain storms coming from the west break apart and half goes north and half goes south leaving us dry. We are 10 miles west of Lake Erie and I blame the lake. I too, have a yard dominated by oaks plus excessively sandy soil. When we get rain it whooshes through the soil. It's so sandy that It's taken me over 15yrs of composting the beds to get a soil that will form a ball in my hand. About 10 years ago I started double digging all new beds. Skim off the sod and throw it on a tarp. Dig down one spade depth and throw that soil on a tarp. Then I bury the sod under the second spade depth. Back filling with 1/3 compost and 1/3 peat moss by volume produces a nice raised bed that plants go crazy in. Or sometimes I truck off some of the sand if I don't want the bed higher than ground level. (Luckily I have a neighbor that wants all the extra dirt to fill in some low spots.) It's absolutely back breaking work, but the results are so worth it.
From what you describe your gardens are much, much larger than what I have here. Managing all that you have with rain barrells has got to be difficult and also affect your plant choices and plant placement. Because my lot is only 70 x 140 I put in an underground irrigation system about 10 years ago. It sure makes gardening a lot easier. It's not perfect though. Not all plants like getting hit by a rotating spray, especially some conifers. Also water with chlorine in it is not the same as rain water. There are maintenance issues too. Not that the system breaks down. It doesnt. But if I add a new bed or plants get tall and block a spray head then changes have to be made. Sometimes my husband and I can DIY it. Sometimes we can't and the company has to come out and change out a head or shift a line. It's not budget breaker but something to consider. The company is really good and the guys who work on my system are almost friends!
The hose is still my best friend for new shrubs or trees. Giving them a weekly 1" soak at the roots until established is a drag the hose affair.
It must be very pretty having a lot that backs up to wooded wetlands. My scenery is not nearly that nice. I have neighbors with ugly storage sheds and who believe that a yard is meant for parking recreational vehicles, like big ugly boats, skidoos, old pool ladders and slides and other junk. I'd gladly swat mosquitos not to have to look at that stuff.
I think you're right about the dry slot! Chicago gets a ton of rain but once it hits the state line, it splits up going north or south. I didn't quite double dig my beds but really worked hard on amending the soil. Sand doesn't work here with the clay so I used a lot of wood mulch and peat moss to add organics to the fine silty soil that sits on top of tan clay (which can also get very dry and fine. My original bed put in almost 20 years ago is not bad but I think the amendments end up composting down over time so amending soil becomes a continuing process that I'm not always "up" for. I'm experimenting with "spot" composting of kitchen scraps (fruit, vegetable, egg shells) but first I have to free up some vacant spots to do it and hope I bury it deep enough that the raccoons don't raid the scraps. We do have a great view straight back from our lot but my next door neighbor has 5 cars and an RV (which is parked about 8 ft from my family room windows) so I feel your pain. Even though that's on the north side, it does block a lot of light. I try to look at it as a wind break in the winter. Consequently, I haven't done anything with the north side of my house except keeping the leaves cleaned up and the lawn mowed. As for an irrigation system, we've dreamed of one but I can't imagine how the pipes would get laid with all of the tree roots here.
If you ever decide that you want an irrigation system don't let tree roots be a concern. They won't cut any big ones. They easily go under/over them where necessary. The trenches aren't deep. That's why you have to have the lines blown out before winter freezing. I can honestly say not one single shrub, tree, or plant skipped a beat in any bed that they dug through. It's amazing how they route that stuff. Mine is a Rainbird. The heads seldom have problems. I think I've replaced maybe three due to a malfunction in all the time I've had it. I dont like the controller panel ( in the garage ). It's really hard to figure out how to program it. I would replace my controller for an easier to program model in a heart beat. I need to go out and make some changes right now and I dread it. My irrigation guys say that some of their clients won't even do their own but call for service instead. My wallet isn't that deep! I get out the manual and grit my teeth.
It is all about the compost isnt it. Every new plant gets a handful. Every other fall after the first hard freeze and the leaves are raked up I put down a couple inches over the perennial beds. I don't do it every year because my compost pile is slow and I don't have enough. I dont like to put down the real chunky unfinished stuff. Raccoons. Backing up to a wooded area you're a prime target. They are not my favorite animal as they have on two occaisions dined on my gold fish. Hate the masked bandits.
I did stare at an RV for 2 years out my dining room window. That was just awful. They were a partying, drinking kind of couple who eventually moved. Then I had a party and drank in celebration. No more RV!
I'll pass the irrigation system info on to DH. I have a hard enough time learning how to use the digital camera (as evidenced by my lack of photos). He's all about having grass while most of our lot is in garden beds.
My compost pile is a slow one too. It's mainly oak leaves which take forever to break down if not shredded and it's in shade so it really doesn't heat up. We usually don't collect grass clippings as a rule so the pile probably doesn't get enough nitrogen to get it going.
Our town has been talking about a new ordinance about RVs and such and how they are to be stored on private property. I guess that can be a good thing and a bad thing.
I was an elected councilwoman for the town I live in for 12 yrs. ( retired December 2007) Storing recreational vehicles on a residential lot is ALWAYS a hot button issue. People either own them and think they are the most gorgeous things on earth or they don't own them and consider them metal monstrosities. We ( Council) never found a compromise controlling ordinance that satisfied both camps. I fell into the monstrosity camp but wanted to be fair to those owned them. The last ordinance we passed required them to be stored behind the most rear edge of the residence and 10' off of any property line. That forced a lot of them to offsite rental parking and seemed to quiet most of the monstrosity camp. My old neighbors managed to still squeeze their's in. If you have an opinion let your elected official know. Most elected officials want to really serve the public and appreciate input, offered in a polite, factual way.
One valid point you might ask your elected official to consider about RV storage/parking on a residential lot is fire. If parked too close to buildings they can help spread a fire from dwelling to dwelling and they can hinder fighting a fire.
This message was edited Jul 25, 2009 1:30 PM
Funny you mention fire. Same neighbor also races stock cars. He's got a suspicious 55 gal drum in back yard marked racing fuel. Who knows where he stores the nitrous oxide. Based on your experience, I reckon that would put his RV right in the middle of his back yard. Then he can look at it every day like I do. Since he doesn't have windows on this side of the house next to his driveway, he never has to look at it. We did mention the newspaper article about the proposed ordinance as a gentle hint but whoosh, right over his head.
I'm not surprised the mention of the proposed ordinance didn't register. If they had any common sense they would recognize how rude it is to put an RV out of their sight and into the neighbors in the first place. Do you happen to know any of the specifics of the ordinance? They do vary from community to community.
Sharon - here's a shot of my favorite astilbe, although I do love all of the colors I have from white to pink to peach to lavender to dark red and this fuschia hot color!
and some of the darker red growing with the fuschia....
pink.......
Last one....red astilbe in a favorite vase.....
Louise, do you have a name for that fuschia one?
I'm afraid I don't the names of any of mine, Sharon. I'll take a look in Plantfiles and see if I can get a name for you.
Louise
Sharon -The photos in the Plantfiles are not like mine. Let me see if I can find it somehow on Google.