I have a couple forsythia which are happily providing an early beacon of yellow at the edge of my woodlands. Perhaps they are best where they can sprawl at will. They certainly are hardy. One I moved from my front yard by just wacking it back, pulling it out by the roots with the tractor, and digging it in to the mud in a too-small hole. Here it is just getting ready to open.
Thanks Pixy, I will check out the coop area and see what I find.
Jnette, Really odd about the forsythia as I have never met one that didn't bloom. Was it in bloom when you bought it? If not, I wonder if it was just like my "bad" mock orange... for some reason or another destined never to bloom? I should think that they would do well over there as most spring flowering shurbs seem to. Hmmm... add that to the list of cuttings I will put together for you!
Laurie, I am with Jan at laughing hysterically at your "enthusiasm" regarding forsythia. Sounds like you may have had one too many overwhelm your garden in your lifetime! I can empathize though, because if I had to dig up more than that one giant mock orange, I would be having the same rant about them.
Bonehead, you are right... the edge of a woodland is the perfect place for forsythia. It makes a good "barrier" to keep the woods at bay, is usually tough as nails, and the spring color is wonderful. Maybe the key to really enjoying it IS to have it in a spot where it can grow as it wishes.
Laurie has strong feelings about certain plants... LOL! Let 'er rip, Laurie! I tend to agree that as a whole, other than their cheery yellow blooms, they don't offer much.
By the way, even though this is not the apropos of nothing thread, just thought I would mention to you, dear Laurie, that there is a British Gardening forum. I will send you an invite if you are interested in checking it out. Have to say the folks on that forum are not exactly warm and cuddly like you, though. I stopped by to say a giant PNW howdy to them, reflecting on all the Chelsea Flower Show photos and posting a link to our own Weyhauser Bonsai photos because the thread owner liked all the bonsai at the show and I was completely snubbed. Ignored, nada. Wow. Maybe i did something culturally insensitive without knowing it in my bold American way.
Anyhoo, they look like there will be interesting threads about historical gardens, etc. Let me know if you want to check it out and I will send you an invite.
Maybe you wagged your finger at them?
please no yellow forsythia photos (she makes sign of cross) - PLEASE!!! I hate that yellow, I don't even mind once its gone, but it is the most garish, unsophisticated colour ever!!!!!!! Forsythia die - I HATEhate that yellow! EWWWWWW. And there are everywhere here! Ick.
On a gentler note - I'd love to see the new thread - and then scold them for being rude to Pix. How dare they. She is a fount of gracious hospitality and plant wisdom. they clearly do not know what they are missing. GET em girls, HIGH BEAMS on!
I'm going home now. Next missive from East Sussex on the High Weald. TaTah.
But, the yellow really does look nice in a daffodil bouquet!
LOL, Laurie. I feel that way about Photinia and, in some cases, Rhododendron. I think it's not so much the plants themselves, but the fact that they are way overused and abused here in untended industrial lanscape plantings where they don't even "go" with the other plants selected.
I like my forsythia because the birds love it so much, but I wouldn't plant a hedge of them or anything.
Protection
Fungicides are used in disease control to protect the plant from infection; thus, they need to be applied before the plant is diseased. In only a limited number of situations
can fungicides actually cure a plant once it is diseased. However, the fungus that causes powdery mildew is located on the outside of the plant and is vulnerable to fungicide sprays after infection has taken place.
Elemental sulfur has fungicidal properties,
and some organic gardeners are not opposed to its use. To be used as a fungicide, it must be very finely ground. Sulfur fertilizer
is coarse and will not act as an effective fungicide. Sulfur, available as a fungicide, can be applied either as a dust or mixed with water and applied as a spray. Plant damage can result if elemental sulfur is used when temperatures are above 85°F/29°C. (See warning for elemental sulfur under Insect
Management). Lime sulfur is acceptable as an organic material and is commercially available.
Copper fungicides also are acceptable to some organic gardeners. Bordeaux mixture (a mixture of copper-sulfate and lime) and fixed coppers (such as Microcop) are available
to home gardeners. If you choose to use any of these fungicides, be sure to follow label directions and precautions and use them only on plants indicated on the label.
There are nonfungicidal methods to protect plants from disease. These generally involve avoiding situations that favor plant disease development. - From the Washington State University Extension Organic Gardening Guide
I read about the elemental sulfur in the Insect section they mentioned and it said that it can also be a protectant against spider mites in very warm weather........they warned against using it in canning foods but since I only am using it on some ornamentals that did not bother me too much.... I am using the finely ground elemental sulfur. Sorry about the length of this post!
Do not excuse yourself for providing such good info. Or for any other reason I can think of right now.
Thanks, Willow. Laurie's question about the sulfur made me look further so I just googled "Organic garden sulfur" and ran across that guide. I thought "How apropos!" since it was Washington State University! I would have been horrified to find out that I was contaminating everything with the sulfur and this put my mind at ease ...for now. (LOL) I have to admit I was bit mystified as to how an inorganic element such as sulfur could be organic but my mind does tend to get stuck on that sort of thing anyway........ ;-)
Julie, was the name of the coleus grower Gephard? I have his name somewhere. He has quite nice plants. Look thru these. Maybe you will see something that rings a bell
.http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/coleus/all/
How about this?? GebhartGreenhouse.com
Rosy Dawn. It was Rosy Dawn. http://www.rosydawngardens.com/
Ok, for some reason I was looking for a man!! Don't know why. LOL, Wouldn't be the first time..
**giggling*** thanks guys!
LFS!! Thank you, no apologies needed for doing such fine research!
Now now! There are some nice forsythias for foliage color- Forsythia 'Kumson' is by far my favorite. I am not a fan of the flowers, but boy! Bring on the foliage!! http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/76554/
Mine shows heavy variegation and I love it.
NOPEnopenope - not having it. No.
Sometimes digging them out is just traumatic enough that there's no going back - that's how I feel about salmon berry . . .
Interesting info re: Sulphur Thanks.
Salmonberry is almost as evil as horsetail. But they are pretty and nummy IF they are in someone else's neck of the woods!
Another money waster that came to mind in my yard is the large flowered Ranunculus, that are supposedly a perennial. Unless you intend to plant them as an annual, I woulnd't spend the $$. I have NEVER had one come back.... EVER. I have fallen for their sunny blooms time and time again, and planted them in several areas of the yard.... only to have them melt into nothingness.
Isn't that ironic, when it's the other ranunculus that is so rampant around here . . .
I'm torn with the Salmonberry as it's such great cover for the birds, takes to pruning just fine and produces berries. But it moves on you and takes over if it likes where you are!!
I agree about some of the Echinaceas. Harvest Moon and Raspberry Tart have been very disappointing for me.
I have never seen a Forsythia with that leaf. Very unusual. I really like mine for the shape and growing habits of the plant itself, other than the fact that it doesn't bloom. Maybe just Laurie's type of plant. :o)
Jnette - I wouldn't trust it, I'd get a cutting from you, grow it on - plant it out, and it would be polite for 3 maybe 4 years, and then one morning I would wake up to find a drunken party of wild forthysia all decked out in emergency clothing yellow waggling their limbs at me and propagating like mad!!!! What a nightmare!
ROFLMAO!!!
Okay ladies. No one is allowed to say that 'f' word around Laurie.
LOL, in your dreams!!
I am now thoroughly warned off planting any forsythia, though I must say that one with the variegated leaf is tempting. Regarding yellow emergency wear....I bought my son a waterproof neon yellow jacket with silver reflective tape to wear when going to his job in the evening down a very windy, narrow road. At first he screeched he would never put on such a garment in a million years, it would be so embarrassing. So there must be something negatively visceral about that color. Later he realized the jacket was quite warm and comfortable on a chilly, rainy day and even wore it to school.
I planted 2 native mock orange (philadelphus lewissii?) about seven years ago. I got them bare root at a plant sale for our local community land trust, so they were pretty small when planted, little sticks with a few roots. Only one grew satisfactorily, so I finally took the other out, and neither bloomed at until last year. I had them out in what might be considered a 'wild meadow' area so they were not mollycoddled but they did get watered in the dry season.
Another Yellow story: A year ago I had my first daffodils coming up and I was sorely disappointed with the results. I had carefully chosen a variety (Quail) that was supposed to hold up well in heavy rain ,which they do, but the color was egg-yolk yellow, not the coppery color that I had envisioned while looking at the on-line pictures. I am giving them a second chance, but if I find them too much this year, out they will come. I have another kind of daffodil (Yellow Cheerfulness) in another bed that is really beautiful, a creamy yellow on small double blossoms.
But Holly, you have the perfect property for a wild forsythia shrub! It would be actually really pretty at the edge of your property! The one between my neighbor's house and my greenhouse is in full bloom, with a birdnest right in the middle of it. It's very cheerful! I'm not crazy about the color in general, but it does brighten up a rather dull corner, and I don't really worry about landscaping that area anyhow, since it's not my yard! LOL! It just hangs over my fence.
Yellow Cheerfulness is a lovely daff.
This message was edited Feb 20, 2010 8:21 PM
Anything I plant at the edge of my property had better be a survivor. It would have to outgrow the tall pasture grasses, not need too much in the way of watering, and be able to withstand muddy clay in the winter and dry clay in the summer.
I like the color of Yellow Cheerfulness, too. I agree with Pix, Holly. You could also grow Salmonberry if you don't already have it. That plant is a survivor. The blossoms are darling, though, and the birds love it. Good thing I'll always have some [not].
When I lived in Seattle, I had a Honey Locust tree in my front yard and every time I looked out my living room window it looked like the sun was shining. That was a perfect tree for a rainy day in the Pacific Northwest.
Oh, I totally agree with you, Jnette. It has to be one of my favorite trees - sun or shade, it's just cheery looking.
Do not waste your money on: For me it was Moutain Laurel... bought a very healthy 1-gal plant, placed it in what I thought would be an ideal spot (great morning and early-afternoon sun, good drainage), and it went belly up right away.
Also, could not believe the nursery would sell Bishop's Weed... I was almost ready to pay someone to get rid of mine.
Bought a nice-looking Gardenia plant at Lowe's 3 years ago, before I knew anything about plants besides that I loved the smell of Gardenias, thinking that they would only sell plants in the outdoor area that were hardy for our area... silly me... that was a waste of money.
Good to see you again, Catgal. I feel the same way about Bishop's Weed. I was skeptical about that Gardenia, too. I noticed that while they called it 'frost tolerant' or something like that, they wouldn't actually list the zones or minimum temperature (shame on them).
Do you like the word 'cheerful' - I do when I think of it in a big hearty, men clacking porters of beer together - that needs a big 'coppery yellow' (thank you MHF), but I don't when I think of twee little old ladies with nothing else to do other than hang out the laundry and 'get through the time nicely' - that is a bulk obvious yellow. (And before anyone slates me for the obvious gender-ness of that statement I am using my descriptions as 'Dickensian lively visuals' rather than genericity, and I love pegging out laundry, but not as raison d'etre of my twee little old ladies).
AND - a porter is not a reference to people who carry things but rather to the old english large measure of beer/ale/porter.
Laurie, you lost me. I have read, re-read, and re-read your post 3 times at least and am still trying to figure out what you are saying. First I thought she REALLY does not like the color yellow. Then I thought, she REALLY prefers men over women, ok. Then I thought, maybe it is the shade of yellow she is talking about.
Please enlighten me. Which is it? Or maybe NOTA None of the above.
