It's December - let's celebrate our gardens

Deck sitting, now that's something I haven't done in 4 years!! I went to the doctor this week and she told me that I had a vitamin D deficiency and that I needed to spend more time outdoors. What??? Must be a by product of shade gardening!! LOL

I have lots of red Monarda, but this year I finally found one that doesn't flop. I have a whole lot of Jacob Cline and also Fireball, which I love, but they always flop. This one was simply labeled as Monarda Didyma and stood tall and straight all summer.

The Monardas (with shearing) were great rebloomers all summer.

I have some and didnt know about the sheering.
My red is Colraine and I also have Raspberry wine,Both are floppers.
These are both looking alike but pix are funny that way.

Stormy, I've been reading where some members are pinching tall or flopping Monardas back for shorter, bushier growth with success. I'm considering only pinching the stems on the outside of the clump, thinking that may provide enough support for the taller, inner stems. I love watching the hummingbirds fight over them!

Good advise Gem

Gen, I've seen where folks have done that kind of pinching with tall Phlox, and it makes for a very nicely shaped clump. I'm hoping it will do the same thing to Monarda.

Gemini, I didn't completely shear them.. I selectively cut earlier blooming stems down to about a foot in height. I remember reading some years back, that you should always divide the outsides of the clumps to keep the centers from dying out. I have been doing that and spreading them throughout the beds. But also, I find the shadier the spot, the more they flop.

The deer ate some of the tops of my Phlox David this spring.The plant bloomed anyway ,the blooms were smaller.Looked good anyway.

GE, I remember seeing that Monarda & White Lily combo in one of your collages and thought how much I liked the two of them together.

Stormy, from what I gathered (from a thread on the Perennials Forum about pinching), it was a matter of pinching stems back when they were about 18" tall (before they started blooming), stimulating them to grow bushy side sprouts.

Stormy I believe they are looking for sunlight,mine flop in part sun ,they are at the edge of the border and I have a piece of border decore to keep them from overhanging too much.
I will try the pinch next year.

Those are gorgeous, Gen!

Gemini, maybe I'll try that with some of the ones growing in a lot of shade and see if it helps. Thanks for the tip!

Some bee balm from June

Crimson Pixie field

Crimson Pixie and neighbor 'Lorraine Sunshine'

Trumpet Lily towering over Asiatics

nice jmorth.I have terrible luck with Lorraine Sun It just doesnt like it here. I have killed 3 plants so I wont bother with it anymore.

OK jmorth, now you've really got us going with all of that sunshine! I love your bold vivid colors.

Is Lorraine Sunshine a Cosmos?

How tall is Crimson Pixie?

What's the name of your trumpet?

I have this shorter border lily which increases very well. I'm looking to add more of the shorter lilies next year, both in the Asiatics and Orientals.

Ge, sorry to hear of your results...if I rtemember correctly, mine started with a leaf cutting and it's been very successful here. It's a self-seeding perennial - Heliopsis helianthoides -'Lorraine Sunshine' (the longest blooming daisy in garden).
Crimson is appx. 18-20".+
Trumpet's name - not sure, someone once suggested 'Pink Perfection'.

here's another Asiatic 'field' - Lollipop.

Jmorth, that trumpet does look like Pink Perfection. I ordered some seeds from the Summerhill co-op for a variegated Heliopsis, but it didn't specify the variety. Yours looks shorter than the ones I've seen. How tall is it?

Lorraine Sunshine isnt a coleus.
Lily pink perfection.
I have Lollipops and am trying to keep up with the bulb explosion,they really multiply fast.

jmorth, Lorraine Sunshine with Crimson Pixie is a wonderful pairing!

ah ha! here,s why I hesitate to testify my 'Pink Perfection' is indeed Pink Perfection -

Thanks gemini.

Nice trumpets

Lorraine is taller than the Crimsons. Perhaps 24 to 30".

ge, how tall is your PP?

Its new had planted the bulbs this fall.J.Scheepers says its 4-6 feet.

Mines 6' plus.

Yipes.I had originally planned it for the end of the deck but didnt want to take any chances so put it in the garden.
This Deckend garden will be Lilies Samure,Mona Lisa(short) Algarve asiatic

These are some of the lilies.The Muscadets were moved.There are Lollipops in there

This message was edited Dec 11, 2009 3:32 PM

Gen, some tall trumpets could be really nice by the deck there- they'd be right at nose level when you're on the deck!

I have a note that Rosellas Dream is there also.
There are lilies crammed into that short spot.
I bought DL's from B&D half price sale this summer and there were 2 lily bulbs in with one of the bunches.They bare in there too.
I cant wait to see if they come up AND what color they are.
If the stars were aligned right when I planted them they will be pinks and whites.

I love Muscadet. Jmorth, Your trumpet could be Regale. Thanks for the info on the Heliopsis. I was worried that mine were going to be short. It didn't give any info, but I had never seen a short one.

Heliopsis also blooms fabulously all summer long in shade. We'll see if the varigated ones do too.

I mentioned earlier a Lobelia Cardinalis with black stems. I could only find a photo of a lone bloom. Here is "Queen Victoria".

This lobelia has purple /maroon foliage.

This message was edited Dec 11, 2009 4:05 PM

new thread for slow-dial-uppers?

This is Pirl's thread. Maybe she'll come along and start one.

GE, I have my Phlox David planted along side Phlox Starfire. This year I decided to add some blue Phlox. The blue Phlox brought mildew into the bed and it spread to the other two, which never had it before. It also could be that the humidity was so high this summer.

Someone told me to spray the blue with baking soda & water. I did, but I must have used too much baking soda as it immediately wilted the foliage and I lost the blue bloom this year. Luckily, the plants survived.

Yes please!!!! I'm having a hard time keeping up.

Willow

My - so much information - it's taking me awhile to catch up but great reading and beautiful pictures. I'm keeping a running tab on my notepad of all the flowers I'm seeing that I want. Wish I could really send this to Santa!

Here's my memory of summer gardens from today. We will have our last fresh bacon and tomato sandwiches tonight for supper. I always hate to give up that good taste and go to store bought. We can and freeze all we can, but you can't put that on a sandwich too well!

jmorth, I would really like to try "Lorraine Sunshine" here. Kansas was made for heliopsis, though the shade might be helpful with the varigated foliage. I'll have to look for some sources. I also really love the Crimson Pixie. Since they've formed a field I'm assuming they may multiply like the Lollipops. Like ge's mine have really gone to town. I'm not complaining though, they have such a bright pretty look.

This message was edited Dec 11, 2009 3:48 PM