Long-lived perennials

I think 'Pia' might be short enough... some of the "Cityline" series are 2-3 feet, others are 4-6, which I guess is still short for a hydrangea?

I put in a Stoke's Aster 'Klaus Jellato' I think that I got on sale last fall, and it's blooming its head off now, definitely a new favorite... I'd guess 18 inches to 2 feet tall, but I don't know if it will come back taller next year... seem to remember they are full sun to part shade?

Daylilies, definitely! There are some shorter Bee Balm cultivars, too, and shorter coneflowers also. Next time we get together, remind me to get you a chunk of the Coreopsis 'Zagreb' down by the sidewalk... brighter yellow than 'Moonbeam' but just as tough.

Would Heucheras be tall enough? Hellebores? (If it's an area you can get to in winter, it would be fun to have hellebores close enough to pick & bring inside)

I have a really nice dwarf Rhododendron. Only gets about 12 in high. I picked mine up at a flower show but I have seen them at Lowes in our area. Also if you are interested in Hellebore babies I have a ton of them but they are pretty small and will take a while to grow up.

Holly--

Did that small Rhodo I gave you at he first Swap (2009) make it?
It had pretty, pink bloom clusters. if it did--do you have a picture?
Bought it at HD.

Happy--How about Shastas? They can multiply to look like a shrub.
Perennial Salvia?

Holly -- I crave your 12" rhodie! Do you know its name?

Gita -- I'll definitely add Shastas - thanks for the reminder; I've never been as fond of perennial Salvia as the rest of the world is. I don't know why. But it rots out for me so I don't have to feel too guity.

Aquilegia, Monarda

No Gita, It was doing really well, I planted it over in the Evergreen grouping and unfortunately it didn't get enough water that first winter.

Here you go Happy
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/63566/

I have it planted right near the front door. Looks really nice in front of the taller azaleas. Not the best pic.

Thanks, Holly. You've proven your green thumb again -- most of the reviewers said this is finicky. And no one is selling it now either.

I've put in several of those dwarf rhodies, and they've either died or halfway died... not the nice rounded shrub I purchased, but still works as a "filler" and gives a few blooms.

I saw one once that made my heart sing, and tried to get a cutting going but failed. I'd love to find it.

Next time we get together, remind me... I'll pull one of the ones from my front bed that are just limping along and being overgrown by other things... you might be able to take some cuttings from it, even if you can't prune/grow it into a better shape. We need to dig up some of my white yarrow & yellow ox-eye for you, too...

I was a bit worried about mine when I read about it. It is planted in a terriable spot. There is old porch foundation under it so it's pretty much sitting on concrete. It did bloom for me this year not heavily but there were blooms.

Hmmm--Holly----

Concrete foundation under your Mini Rhodo???? Concrete leaches alkaline!.
Rhodos like acid soil. Maybe you could give them a shot of something acid???

Lots of coffee grinds? Holly Tone? Pine needle mulch? Or some other kind of Soil Acidifier?

You know all that. I do not need to tell you.........Gita

Tete a Tete daffodils bloom at the same time exactly as the mini rhodis. :-)

Maybe to mention Anemone?

Be careful of uncomposted coffee grounds -- I've killed plants using that. Probably is ok on a shrub -- I think it was a Campanula I killed (among others) and they don't like it acid, so maybe that is the only reason for the deaths. But I don't use it straight any more (we just add it to our compost pile).

Thanks for that advice--Happy.

I have a couple buckets full of coffee grounds--courtesy of my local 7-Eleven.
A year ago--I had a 5 gal bucket there for just their grinds. I would pick it up every two
days or so. Sometimes they would call and say: "Your bucket is full!"......:o)

Geez! How I need a real compost bin! MY S.E.M. (Stupid Earth Machine) is falling apart...
Literally!!! Those Pill Bugs sure are busy in there--by the hundreds.....

Besides---it is NOT very functional--Can't turn anything over--can't get to the finished stuff
through that little drawer---It is black plastic--and cracks after a few years out in the sun---
DO NOT ever buy one!

This seems to be a newer model than mine----but, basically the same....
They bring them in by the truck-load at some Shopping Centers--Mostly IKEA here---and advertise it heavily.
Man! There are lines of people just waiting to get theirs! If only they knew........:o(

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=202837860&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=202837860&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googlebase-_-D28X-_-202837860

We do have a compost pile, but it is "passive" -- we don't turn it. It doesn't get hot enough to kill weed seeds, so I have to be careful what I put in it.

hartzell -- is this your yellow sedum? I have some that has always been a little sprawly for my taste (it is in the shade), but I saw this in full sun and I really like it.

This message was edited Jul 10, 2012 12:50 PM

When mine gets too sprawly I cut it back. Regenerates very well.

That is sarmentosum Gold Moss, Stringy Stonecrop, Graveyard Moss
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1893/

This message was edited Jul 10, 2012 4:17 PM

Thanks, Holly; I may try moving some to a sunnier spot.

Juhur, I missed your post earlier... Anemone is one of those things I always figured I couldn't grow, but not for any good reason as it turns out... from what I hear, they are tough and long-lived once established. One of my favorite public gardens (in NC) has a line of them along a greenhouse wall, and they're really striking in late summer. When other plants have given up for the season, they're just hitting their stride. I'm trying to get a couple of them going here, now.

Happy, that sedum is tough as nails... a low sprawler, but really thick in full sun. It forms a plump "cushion" on the bed around my mailbox, in tough conditions.

I have heard and was looking at some of the Japanese anemone.Had heard they are long lived and quite nice in bloom. As there are not any and I have not seen any locally I am not sure.I might try one of them sometime for fall or winter bloom,it would be nice to have something in bloom when everything is or has gone dormant.
That might help with wintertime "grey sky" syndrome.I was looking at them with Hellebore and Witch hazel one season. Kinda window shopping and the like.
I have always enjoyed the grasses for winter contrast, some of the settings are wonderful.

Critter: I agree the sedum is tough as nails -- I've given it no kindness and it has survived -- I've just never liked it because it is a little thin. But I am learning that in full sun it can be a beaut -- though I expect it is invasive.

A caution on anemones -- they are indeed very long-lived, but they should not be planted late in the season or they won't make it through the first winter. So if you have designs on one, get it and plant it now! (They also like a good bit of water.)

juhur7: Our posts crossed. The only thing I'd add is the anemones (at least mine) don't bloom all that late -- more like July/August. I'd go with Chrysanthemums (like Clara Curtis) for really late bloom. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1938/ A lot of people don't like it because it is sloppy, but I do....

I have a Red Chrysanthemum that blooms from may through September sometimes into Oct. You believe that,hybrids do all kinds of unexpected things.


pics aren't good only here it is anyway. Two are the same had some trouble posting.

Wow - is it really that silver?

Unfortunately no, but I would really have something if it was!!Underside of the leaves do look that way.

Happy--
Several other plants are "that silver"----

--Rose Campion leaves
--Dusty Miller plant
--Artimesia--
--Lamb's Ear
--bottoms of the leaves of the "Chysanthemum Pacificym"


Can't think of any more at this time.
Just want to say that 'silver-leafed" plants blend with any other colors of plants as, a sort of,
neutralizing factor. They go with EVERYTHING!!!!

Gita

Happy, does that mean that the baby anemones I potted up after the swap should maybe be grown on in their pots over the winter (I do that with a lot of perennials, just put them all together in a sheltered spot) rather than being put into the ground in fall?

Happy, according to the list that Gita just shared, and wondering if you still plan to try and fill in your hilly spot, I can help you out with loads of the silvers that was mentioned. Also, the Sedum Sarmentosum would also do great on that bank too. Please say the word, and I can bring you a car load of these things to the next swap.

I am so very ashamed of the condition of my front beds, and the back ones too if the truth be told. Once again these horrid summer temperatures are making gardening quite difficult. Our front bed, the one that I used to work in so lovingly is now a weed patch, growing weeds taller than I am. I have been promised that this fall the whole bed will be dug up, plants and bulbs saved, the area treated for sedge grass and other invasive weeds and then replanted again. Don't hold your breath anyone....

I hope that everyone is having a lovely weekend.

Ruby

Critter -- I'd plant them in the ground as soon as possible. I don't have much luck overwintering anemones in pots. They can be almost thugs (albeit beautiful) once they settle in -- but they are hard to get to settle in, in my experience. I have killed off lots. One of the keys is to give them lots and lots of water in the summer.

Ruby -- You are so wonderfully generous -- a million thanks. We are going to plant the hilly spot in September. We have a lot of Sedum Sarmentosum; it is in a shady spot where it sprawls, but I'll put some in the front, so I'm good for that. I love the yellow look it gives. (I've fallen in love with yellow foliage!) I've got a lot of Chysanthemum Pacificum that I got from Sally many years ago (I think it was Sally; might have been Gita), and I'm definitely going to put that in the front. I have a good bit of Lamb's Ear, so I'm ok there. I'm not sure about the others (Rose Campion, Dusty Miller, Artimesia) -- aren't they shortlived, but carry on by reseeding? Dusty Miller is an annual here, isn't it? I need to go for stability in the front becasue we won't tend to it. (I do love the idea of prickly pear, and I'm really exciting that you'll bring me some of that!)

Yes, the Dusty Miller tends to be an annual here. I planted it the first couple of years of gardening here but haven't bothered with it since, even though I love it. The Artemesia is definitely a perennial, and not sure if it seeds or not.

Happy, I hope that after the planting in September that next year when things begin to green up and fill in that you will share some pictures of your hard work on this area. Will be very interesting to see what you come up with.

Hope that everyone has a very enjoyable Sunday.

Ruby

Artemesia here acted like dis-obedient plant, I think Holly pulled most if not all of it. LOL Ric

Happy---

"Chrysanthemum Pacificum" probably came from me. I have had it at least ..oh...22 years?
As it comes up and starts to grow--you can pinch off all the ends and root them. Very easy!
Then it re-grows twice as full and stays shorter. I bet you could pinch it a second time.
It blooms quite late--like in October. Lots and lots of new plants gotten that way.

"Dusty Miller" is a serious Biennial. So many seeds drop (can be collected as well) and start growing
into nice little clumps before winter arrives. At this time--you can move them around--where you want them.
Moving them in spring is a bit more risky. They are, sort of, getting established.
Somehow or other--they seem to pop up anywhere and everywhere. May be wind--or birds.
BTW--My sister from AK sent me 2 snall plants of the Rose Campion they have growing there. it blooms red.
I have it planted--but, I bet, it will be a couple of years before I have any seeds.

"Dusty Miller" WILL survive the winter and grow again the 2nd. year. But--it wants to bolt in the 2nd year.
Cut out the emerging flower spike--and you will have a nice, full plant again for the year.
I LOVE the color balance Dusty Miller provides! It goes with every other color in the garden. Complimentary!
SO! It is a kind of short-lived perennial.....Two years--great in containers....

"Artimesia"???? I have one--do not like it at that much. Will probably pull it up--plant something else w/color.
It grows about 3'+ tall and by this time of year--is all dying and drying and yellowing out.
May be just the heat--but it is not an attractive, long-term perennial. Nice in the early part of summer--then--BLAH!
Of course--mine is in my "YUK" bed--so some allowances need to be made.

Happy--Have you Googled "Silver foliage Plants"? I bet you would get more ideas.... Gita

Gita -- You are so right! I went back and checked my notes: "From Gitagal at Hart's 2007 swap -- she rooted tip-cuttings."

I wasn't actually looking for silver foliage plants, per se. What I do want are yellow-foliage plants -- so I'd love any and all suggestions.

The only thing that came to my mind--right off the bat--were that there are almost yellow-leafed Coleus.

That is all at this moment.....

happy: nice little link here;Gold-Foliage Plants > National Home Gardening Club
www.gardeningclub.com/gardening/articletype/.../gold-foliage-plants

Thanks, Gita! Gotta love those coleus!

And thanks juhur7. That link didn't work for me, but I found it at http://www.gardeningclub.com/gardening/articletype/articleview/articleid/67/gold-foliage-plants. This is a new obsession for me, but driving around town I find I am really drawn to gardens that mix in some yellow foliage....

May I put in an order for some Yellow Creeping Jenny for you Happy? Unless the summer has destroyed a patch of it that I have, it would look good on your back I would think. I shared some a the last swap with a few folks....how is it doing for you Sally, Gita and SSgardener? I know that I have loads of the darker green, but not so much of the yellow, but certainly enough to share a start or two of it.

Cannot wait to see the end result of this planned bed.

Ruby

Ruby -- you are very sweet -- let me check -- seems to me I have some of that, but maybe I don't have the yellow....