anybody near me (or near enough LOL) who "needs" more plants... I just placed an order with Santa Rosa Gardens... they're clearancing a bunch of stuff for $2-3... I got lovely plants from them this spring. I've already paid the flat rate shipping, and I can add to my order for another week or two (as long as supplies last!) since I picked an Oct. shipping date.
:-)
Sally's Plant Swap: After Word
Can't believe I even looked...28 pages worth of clearance/ sale stuff. Something for everybody!
No seriously I am not in the market.
Judy, thank you for mentioning the Coleus babies, I am new to Coleus cuttings and have no idea what "Lows" to be on the lookout for. I've checked my overnight temps for tonight... but now of course I don't remember what they are expected to be, so I will check again. =/ THANK YOU!! All but 2 of the cuttings are rooting well so far, they feel snug when given a gentle tug. The 2 in question got knocked over by errant skwirrells. Grrrrr. That's ok, not a bad rate, over all. =) (and besides, those 2 were from my own plants anyhow, heeheeheee).
Ok, off to check the weather again and respond accordingly. :)
EDIT: Low expected to be 56 degrees. Babies are now inside. =)
This message was edited Sep 22, 2012 6:36 PM
This is the potted plant that several of you nice people noticed, near the maple tree on the bench- Rattlesnake Plant
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/128778/
I'll be sure to divide next spring.
Sally -- it was really eye catching. I wish I could take care of house plants. I do ok until the holidays come, and then I get too busy and forget to water....
Oh yeah, raising hand for a slip of the rattlesnake plant.
Coleup, I didn't get a chance to read anything at Dave's until dusk yesterday. One of the threads I was reading there was much comment on how tender some Coleus are and so after spending most of the afternoon bringing at least half of my houseplants indoors, I had to head outside and take cuttings of the the Electric Lime and Henna Coleus and get them indoors. I have heard weather reports of being in the mid thirties here this week, so really don't want to take a chance on losing anything. Later today the remainder of the houseplants will be brought inside. I can once again claim to live in a jungle.
Happy, I recall some times last winter what a chore I had with watering my many plants. It is so easy when they are outside and I can just turn on the water hose and make everyone happy very quickly usually. About two hours in to indoor watering, I begin to question my sanity. I do admit to going a bit overboard on watering and could probably do bit less of it when the plants are inside.
I was thinking earlier that I wanted to mention to both Happy McComb and to Terp how happy I am to see them both posting. I missed you Happy for the while you were inactive and really like having you back. There are several plants at my home that came from you at pasts swaps. Terp, I wondered if you would return after meeting this crew at the swap. You have been posting, so I suppose we didn't scare you too badly. hahaha
Happy gardening all.
Ruby
Thanks Ruby -- the feeling is mutual!
Thanks Ruby. Scare me off?!? I felt very comfortable at the swap, it was great. I wish I was there longer so I could chat with everyone. There are many things to learn, experience, and experiment with. I was happy that I was able to contribute plants and inspire Gita to start Persian shield cuttings! I've got the bug to try and overwinter more of the coleus this year so that'll be interesting.
While I am here, does anybody have any experience with Abelias?
http://gurneys.com/fragrant-abelia/p/73970/
I am trying to redo a bed for a friend's mother and am looking for a good easy foundation plant, she shut down my late blooming azaleas which were extremely cheap. She claims the blooms don't last long enough. Of course they do, there are cultivations that bloom for a month putting out buds slowly and as we all know the encore series there are azaleas that bloom in the fall, and repeat bloom!! I apologize for the tangent, I wasn't very happy at the time. Anyway it is the bed has very rich soil and is pretty moist from a downspout that I'm diverting, faces south but it is shaded by old tree that is very holey. I wouldn't plant anything that needs full sun there and I wanted something easy and maintenance free. My other thoughts were a Viburnum.
Second question for all the shade gardeners. My neighbor recently gave up on a patch of lawn that just won't grow any grass. He is going to make it a shade garden but he is a big xeriscape person. I recommended the usual physcandra, ferns, and hostas but I couldn't really think of anything else. I think he wants more of a groundcover than a perennial bed.
My false shamrock bloomed somebody gave from the swap!!! Who was it!!! Check it out.
Aspenhill, I would LOVE your shade garden. Definitely my style.
Personally, I think Abelias look kind of mangey, but I know a lot of people love them.
I love Deutzias, though.
I wouldn't recommend Pachysandra for xeriscaping, because it needs occasional watering based on my experience: We had a big patch of it that looked awful. We never watered it -- I didn't think it needed it. I thought the reason it didn't thrive was that there was something wrong with the soil. This summer we started watering it (we weren't trying to solve the pachysandra problem but were watering some grass nearby) and all of a sudden the pachysandra is looking green and starting to spread. So I wouldn't recommend it for true xeriscaping around here.
Ajuga is pretty tough stuff.
Hmm..thanks for your input Happy! That's interesting, we never water our pachysandra and it looks great that's why it was my intial thought.
I have never seen Abelias. I just came across it and since it isn't my house or my money wouldn't mind experimenting! But that is good to know since all she wants is for it to look pretty.
Ajuga is tough stuff but the area is ~150 square feet, that's a lot of Ajuga. I just thought of foam flowers or Tiarellas mixed in with some ferns and varigated liropie.
150 square feet IS a lot. The ajuga that I have could fill that in a year or two, though. (Maybe my pachysandra gets too much sun (it doesn't get a lot, but it faces the street) for how much I was watering. Or maybe it IS the soil.)
There is always Vinca -- I like the pretty flowers in the spring.
Whatever you put there will take a few years to fill in, and he'll need to be prepared to weed in the meantime.
Liriope would work well, but one thing that comes to my mind is Plumbago, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides . Here's a pic of mine after just a year and a half. This started from 2 4" pots. It's in FULL shade, it gets maybe 1/2 an hour of first-thing-in-the-morning 'incidental' dappled sun (and I mean FIRST morning, like 6:30, if I hold my arms out just so, heehee), and I think I've watered it maybe twice the whole time it's been there. (I told you guys, I'm a very lazy gardener!!) =O
Sorta hard to tell from the pic, but the patch is about a foot deep by about 3 feet across. Just another idea. I'm hoping that one day it'll spread to dominate the whole neighborhood!! Muahahahahaaa. =D
Not an expert on this----but there IS a "Shade gardens Forum". Maybe that would help?
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/shady/all/
Also--you could go back to all the Articles that have been written--and I betcha there is some on Shade Gradening.
Hmmm--One plant comes to mind--and donner (Sally) has it. It is called-???????? (senior moment!....)
aka as perennial Forget-Me-Not. It blooms just like the regular F.M.N.--and the leaves are nice and heart-shaped...
and a muted green. It loves shade too.
You may have to think mixing different plants in that area--as it will be hard to fill a 150sf area with just one plant.
Good luck! Gita
Gita; Brunera?
Sweet Woodruff makes a nice ground cover in shade and does not need attention once established. A purchased pot of it can be deconstructed and many sprigs derived from it. Individual sprigs planted 6-8 inches apart can cover an area in a single season.
Ah yes I believe I got some sweet woodruff at the swap. Thanks for the ideas.
Well Gita I like to hangout here in the MAG forum but if you insist on me leaving...
We have a lot of Vinca that does not ever get watered and is in the shade. Sure workswell as ground cover, but it does spread. We could even spare some!
Terp - Whatever you talk your neighbor into should take into account how close your neighbor is. If the neighbor is next door you need to be more cautious for your yard's sake than if there is a street between you. ;-) By the way, ecnalg (Pat) is understating when she say we could "spare some". We could "spare" 150 sq ft and not even notice it gone.
There is acually common ground between us but I'm not concerned about his attentiveness to his beds.
I appreciate everyone's suggestions so far.
Sweet woodruff
Vinca
Plumbago
Forget me nots..
Great ideas.
Chuckling on sparing some vinca. That was sooo polite. Hehehe
I have admired sweet woodruff and mine must not like it's location. Or else it is just taking it's time settling in that spot. That is the neat thing about gardening. It's having fun experimenting.
Terp---
What do you mean by "If I insist on you leaving:????? Where did that come from?
Was it because I posted the link to the Shade Gardening Forum?? Just being helpful--
as if you would not have thought of that yourself.
I, kind of, take things literally....Hope that is all it was....Phew!
Gita
I was joking Gita...
I appreciate everyone's help and suggestions I think that is why we are all here.
Smile!
This message was edited Sep 25, 2012 9:35 PM
OK! I forgive you!!!!
Many people have different ideas of "humor"----many times I "fall for it"--and then think---
"What the H-ll did he mean by that????
Hope you DO hang around! I have been here so long--I no longer know what my life would be like
without Dave's Garden--seriously!
I don't Blog--I don't Twitter--I don't Facebook--or any other "Social Media".....Too old for all that.
I have DG! That enriches my life to no extent. Both the giving--and the taking...and the virtual and real
friendships that have formed because of it.
See? Now I started being serious.......Gita
UMD Terp, My whole yard is shade and some of it is garden. Just wanted to respond to your query on abelia.
I really like my two abelia bushes, which bloom from May til frost and most seasons stay evergreen for me. Butterflies and bees love the blooms. They are exceedingly easy care and deer leave them alone.
All of that being said, I think they were overused in public plantings because they survive so well with minimal care, but were trimmed into hedge form rather than let grow naturally into a loose form not unlike forsythia. As a beautiful foundation planting, abelia wouldn't be very formal or structural, but does well for me in dappled morning sun. There is a variagated form that I have just seen this year.
A good Knockout or shrub rose might do as well, Double knockout Red is the most shade tolerant and has continued to bloom (not prolifically) in limited sun locations in my yard,
Sometimes I think a well placed man made structural element with a seasonal vine or planters for annuals can do what no plant/shrub can do to add interest, color and 4-season appeal to a 'foundation', and help to ground a house to its lot.
And, while I'm rambling, sight and site unseen, 150 feet of what will grow where grass will not sameness is not in nature's playbook. But I await more info except to say plant bulbs, bulbs, bulbs to pop up in all that sameness! Good luck.
Coleup-
Thank you for your advice. I am going to plant some roses and I am planning to have some spring bulbs and annuals towards the front. Just can't figure out what to plant at the foundation. From your description the abelia is definitely going on my personal want list. It is what I had hoped, 4 seasons. Perhaps a serrata hydrangea and or viburnum.
Re the non grass wasteland, making it a mixture of bulbs is a great idea too especially since it is the front of the house. Thanks!
Paul, I'm glad you want to try abelia. Evidently there are many forms. Mine are old bushes I rescued from an about to be torn down house, so I don't know what mine are. If you remind me, I could bring a cutting from mine for you to the upcoming swaps.
Or, as an alternative, maybe a bunch of us could go in together and buy this nursery in the Charlottesville area!
http://www.nurseryforsale.com/
Or, just place an order
http://www.lazyssfarm.com/Plants/Shrubs/A-Ch%20Shrubs/shrubs_trees_A-B.htm
Judy,
Lazy ss is for sale, I know. That is where I first came across them. I would love to take you up on that offer of cuttings I'll investigate further. Very fun!
This message was edited Sep 26, 2012 9:52 AM
I didn't realize LazyS is for sale -- that's too bad. A nice company.
Happy-
I agree it is sad. I would hope that they have that up just so that they appear to OPEN to ideas and proposals and that they aren't seriously looking for a buyer. You never know though. I love their selection and service too, it would be a shame to lose them.
I wish I felt like running a nursery....
I agree...lots and lots to do, think about it, stress about constantly. The two largest initial hurdles are financial investments in land and a water. Simple enough!
Happy, I DO feel like running a nursery! Since I have had the privilege of working for three similar to Lazy S nurseries (One mail order, one retail and one wholesale specialty grower supplying local big box outlets) I've learned some of the requirements first hand. All three 'retired' and only one relocated to VA with a significant downsizing.
Buying Lazy S to me would be like buying an old family farm. I don't want to start from scratch or reinvent the wheel but I sure could carry on some good traditions especially if the owners/operators would be 'on call' even if not on site. The wonderful thing about Lazy S is think of all the wonderful stock already in place to propagate and increase and enjoy !
Growing perrenials and shrubs. etc that do not need a professional greenhouse as part of the mix lessens the year round stress immesurably as the nursery can be put to bed much the same way we put our gardens to bed for the winter.
I've also looked at a pick your own blueberry farm in Vermont, a small campground with pick your own apple orchard and 3 greenhouses to supply fresh veggies (mostly tomatoes) to area restaurants also in Vermont, and a number of other schemes and dreams through out the years. Just need some like-minded folks to join in with....So, if anyone is interested in say growing garlic for fun and profit, let me know!
Coleup -- I think you'd do a fabulous job with LazyS's. They offer so much variety -- I don't know how they handle it. They must have a huge workforce -- people who are worried about losing their jobs.
Garlic for fun and profit...mm, sounds interesting. Where do we start? one clove at a time I suppose.
One clove at a time... LOL... I'll let you know how I do with mine this year!
OMG, I would LOVE to see Coleup with an outfit like LazyS. Wish I lived close enough to submit a resume... hmm, I could drive down for major shipping or propagation events, help with internet sales... keep me posted! :-)
That would be so cool, coleup, if you could.
I ordered from LazySS earlier in the summer and saw on their web site that the business was up for sale - owners want to retire. I spent several weeks dreaming the proverbial "chucking it all" and running away to take on a nursery. Sigh..... reality bites and although I dream about having a job that is also my biggest hobby, I am not adventurous enough nor do I have the $s to go for it. So, sticking with the day job for probably another 5 years at least...
Paul, I have mostly shade but I haven't weighed in on the suggestions yet. I never really have a plan, I just spot things that appeal to me and then try them out. The gardens have just evolved over time - some things make it, more don't, and I move things around if the original spot just doesn't seem right. Things look great in the spring but then really fizzle out in the summer when the drought hits and the weeds take over - almost embarrassed to have my gardening friends see it in that condition (not really, we are usually all in the same boat LOL). My favorite saying, is you should have seen it in earlier... Well getting back to topic, I don't think I could put something together as a design to be incorporated all at once.
I do have some favorites - helebores, ferns, epimediums, tiny white daffodils, oriental lillies, clematis, phlox divaricata, old fashioned bleeding heart, lily of the valley, virginia bluebells... As far as shrubs, I'm so lucky to have native mountain laurel everywhere, so haven't experimented with many shrubs at all. I do have a few lacecap hydrangeas - I like the delicate blossoms better than mopheads for my setting. Another shrub that I really like is Lespedeza thunbergii 'Gibraltar' - again, delicate blossoms and added bonus is it blooms late summer and into the fall http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/56720/
I think happy mentioned deutzias - I don't have any yet, but I've seen pictures and discussion posted over in the shade forum and will defiitely be adding these at some point.
Ooooh -- thank you for the suggestion of the Lespedeza thunbergii 'Gibraltar' - I can think of at least 3 places in my yard that would work. Do you know if it roots easily?
I don't know if it roots easy, but I do know it grows fast. I originally picked it up in a perennial size container - it was blooming, and I thought "how pretty" without ever even realizing it was actually a shrub. No research, just plunked it in the ground. Needless to say, it rapidly outgrew the spot I originally had it. But, I sure do like it when it is situated where it has room to grow - forgot to mention that it has a nice weeping/arched branches habit.
Great plant. I would be interested to find out what it takes to reproduce it as well! Yay shrubs!