Mid Atlantc Plant Shopping #4 End of season 2013

Coleup - that is fascinating. For my remaining unplanted ornamental grasses, though (I only have a few), I think I'm just going to try to get them planted quickly. I tend to forget to tend to plants over the winter, so if I tried to put them somewhere dry I'd end up not watering them until spring and they'd be dead. Maybe this would be a good time to use tapla's mix, since it is so quick-draining, for any I pot up.

There are many on that list that I'd get if I had the room.

I *love* Cryptomerias -- probably my favorite conifer. If I had the room for another full-sun conifer, I'd get the Skyrocket and Gold Cone. That coral bark JM looks beautiful, too. I could never grow a Kousa dogwood, so I just have to admire them in other people's yards. :/

why could you never grow a Kousa?

I don't have the horizontal space for a kousa. I love the horizontal branching, but the only place where I can give it that kind of room is right in the middle of the backyard, where the herb garden is eventually headed. It would be perfect in the middle of the front yard, if it weren't for the darn oak tree.

ah yes, space issues. I just wondered if there was some obscure reason why you couldn't grow them, some odd requirement of Kousas that Id never heard of.
I have such a supply of naturally occurring native dogwoods that I just keep them. They fit under the high trees.

If I had only planted everything from my last trip! We did get the Mountain Laurels planted -- I am so worried that they won't make it. I know they are finicky. To my delight, there were two Camellia Yuletide in the pot, so I separated those and planted them (one in a container, the other in the ground). And the Yoshino cherry (from Home Depot) is up in our front yard. Lots of azaleas. I can't remember what else we've gotten in - I need to check my notes. Mostly we've been madly cleaning up and organizing outside...

I've noticed that a lot of azaleas are double-stuck pots (2 cuttings/plugs to start with), but I've had mixed success trying to separate them, even when I've tried to choose pots where the 2 main "trunks" are as far apart as possible. At least I've never lost both of them, LOL. Hope you have better luck with your camellia!

Our Lowe's now has most of their few remaining shrubs, trees, and perennials at half off. There's not much left, but I got a few things anyway. I found a beautiful weeping cherry in a 5 (maybe 7) gallon pot for $25... too tall for the CR-V without major rearranging, so I'm picking it up tomorrow in the minivan. Also got 3 'Summer Snowflake' viburnums for $3-4 each, a $3 anemone 'Lady Diana', and a $2 butter yellow & pink "songbird series" columbine. In addition, we got 6-packs of violas for 33 cents and 9-packs of nice little kales for $1.

$3 anemone 'Lady Diana' is a steal! Nice finds.

:-) I might see if there are any more Pretty Lady Diana left tomorrow when I stop by to pick up my weeping cherry... let me know if I should snag an extra for you!

Owww owe keep twisting my arm!

Sureeee. Why not.

Paul -- The Pretty Lady Diana anemone is actually $4.27 with tax (mis-remembered the price). Actually, I think they were a sweet deal at their original $8... they're not in trade gallon pots, maybe those 1.4 gallon pots? anyway, nice size. I'm going to up-pot mine over the winter and plant it out in spring... spring planting is supposed to be best for anemones, but I can't imagine it wouldn't "keep" over the winter in my little "pot ghetto."

Terri is coming over in 15 minutes to pick up your amaryllises & hers; I'll send the anemone with her and hope you still want it at the slightly higher price!

Terp, if you don't want the anemone I'll happily take it.

Happy, the lady is all yours.

PLEASE VISIT "RIC'S ROAD TO RECOVERY" THREAD

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1340720/

Thanks for the link!

OK, Happy, you've got 2 of the Lady Di anemones (and I kept 2). I also sent a pink/yellow Songbird Columbine for you, that little Skypencil Holly, and a young weigela. I still owe you -- but not as much! LOL

Sounds great, and thank you! I can't use the weigela because I don't have a sunny spot for it (wish I did), so if anyone else is interested, please let me know! I'll give it a good home in the interim!

whups. maybe SSG talked Paul into it? LOL I sent it along bec. I'd mistakenly picked it up twice (only wanted 1). LMK if you want more than 1 of the Columbine, and I'll check for it when I stop by tomorrow and (don't tell Jim) possibly pick up a crabapple.

Critter, My local HD has crabapples for 22.49 Varieties are
'Profusion'
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c122

'Calloway'
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b286

'Robinson'
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c124

Also for 22.49 Yoshino Cherry

For 11.49 Kv Plum
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=d541

And--if you all get a chance---notice all the new red/pink pots all the shrubs
and trees are in at the HD. That is from the new supplier of shrubs and trees.
I think I already mentioned that Bell will no longer be in charge of those items--
just all the flowering stuff.

I am hoping that (????) company will be doing more mark-downs and sales of plants
than Bell did. Bell was really chinchy...

For starters--last weekend--the "New Folks" brought in 2 carts-full of KO Roses--
in 7gal pots, in full, glorious bloom, healthy as all get-out. Twice reduced from $24.98
and now were $6. They FLEW out the gate!!!
They had only ONE beautiful pink one--th Garden cashier snagged that one.

Jill--You and Joyanna should likethem --PINK everywhere......well, a darkish pink...
Red bows on every single evergreen. Looks festive.

I'll have to take a picture next Sunday... G.
.

Critter -- if the columbine are really $2 each, and you do go to Lowes again, I'll take more happily....

I bought a pink-flowering crabapple (makes little red apples but I don't remember the name on the tag) tonight, originally $40, for $10.60 with tax! Very few trees/shrubs remaining at the Lowe's on our side of town, but what is left is now 75% off.

My neighbor Martina got 2 of those crabapple trees (pink for the back yard, white for the front). She also got a pair of 'Wine & Roses' weigelas (the last ones) and some heucheras. She's excited about all of them and will probably have them planted before I can blink. LOL

Yes, the columbines are really $2 each but just the one color (pink & soft yellow). Not sure of my schedule in the morning, but I'll stop if I can, just in case that Lowe's is also now 75% off.

I'll have to check out the new folks at HD, Gita!

can tell Martina that Wine and Roses is a very well liked choice in Weigela- I was reading about that after the discussion n the other Weigela.

Yes, I told her she'd found a choice one! The one I picked up at the other Lowe's is 'Java Red'... I looked for another Wine & Roses at the one she went to, but they had only 'Java Red' left. *shrug*

I did tell her it would get at least 4x4 feet, so she's putting it back a little further from the front walk than she was first thinking. She's got this neat little rock-lined two tier island bed in front with a J Maple, but she wanted a "real tree" in front too (something to hang bird houses or decorations from)... I think we found just the right placement for it to occupy essentially a 3rd tier addition to the bed without blocking the view of/from the front door. :-)

lol Critter, local enabling!!! Can be so much more fun than long distance or virtual enabling!

I'm offering to buy some trees for my neighbors to plant in their yards to screen their yards from mine! Oh, yes, comes with several suggested placements too, to maximize my view!

"A little more to the left, now turn it just a tad, YES right there! Perfect!"

Haha, coleup, that's the best! Use your neighbor's yard to plant more trees!

I picked up a tray of Liriope muscari at Meadow's. It was a good deal with their 50% discount. I had thought about using Liriope spicata, but I like the growth pattern of of L. muscari better.

Happy, the one that I went to didn't have a lot of perennials left, but there was still a large selection of grasses.

In case I am not the only one who had no clue about which is which
http://homeguides.sfgate.com/difference-between-liriope-muscari-liriope-spicata-42534.html

SSG, from that description it sounds like the liriope I have is L. muscari... it certainly is clumping rather than creeping, and it's not thuggish -- it took 8 years to grow to that "low hedge" you saw edging my back bed.

My in-laws have M. spicata, I'm pretty sure... and I've seen it send out little creeping rhizomes. The ones I have don't do that.

Sooo... if you want any more of it in spring, it'll be here for the digging! All my clumps pretty much need to be dug & divided, and anybody willing to help with that can go home with 3/4 of the plants. :-)

Jill, I changed my mind (again!) and decided I wanted liriope that made individual clumps, and not the arching variety. Let me find pictures...

I found Liriope muscari 'Big Blue,' which clumps like this: http://www.performancenursery.gardenideaswest.com/PlantMaster/Photos/381c.jpg

vs other types of muscari which have a cascading pattern of growth like this:
http://plants.gertens.com/Content/Images/Photos/F364-09.jpg

But I will still come help you dig up the muscari! I think that border would be so pretty once it's filled in with more of it.

I've been very good about not buying anymore plants, and we have nearly everything planted. I did stop and buy some flowers though. Did I mention Holly gets home tonight? Tee Hee Hee

I'm sure you've got a nice "welcome home" planned!

FWIW, the liriope I had here was in attractive clumps for several years... I totally neglected them, and eventually they grew together. But I do think mine might be a little less upright than that 'Big Blue'. The smaller the clump, though, the more "upright" it looks, since it has a greater proportion of upright central leaves vs. arching outer ones.

There are also some grasses you might consider... I'm going to try a couple of the variegated Carex sedges, which tolerate some shade.

Regarding shopping, Behnkes.com is having a sale - y'all should check this out :)

I did a quick scan of this info, so feel free to correct me, but there was a line of Camellias bred for better bud-hardiness farther north than the older Japanese types, by Dr. William Atkinson who lived in Maryland, that is particularly suited to Maryland and some areas farther north: the Winter series of Camellias, and Behnkes.com is selling them at a 50% discount through tomorrow.

Snowflurry has been flowering in our garden for a few years into December in a shady spot protected from winter winds. N or NW exposure is said to be best by a Brooklyn Botanic Garden handbook. They can survive dry periods after they've been established with enough watering for consistent moisture, but not boggy (I never did that - evidently our clay amended with compost was enough). Buds form in May so keeping them properly moist from May on is recommended, and I don't do that either. Maintaining 3-4" of mulch is recommended, since soil-born fungus can be a problem.

If you don't do anything else, be sure that when you plant these that you work in some kind of sharp-edged gravel or grit around the root ball, which has been proven to diminish vole activity - they like to chomp on the roots until the plant is killed.

These are large (to me), well branched, thickly budded plants that cost about $21.50, which is normally infinitely more expensive.

pics of the Winter series of camellias - http://www.usna.usda.gov/Newintro/camelli1.html - these are fall-blooming C. sasanqua , but in recent years this line of breeding has extended to the spring-blooming April series which bloom from late winter into early spring.

The roots of the Japanese type of Camellia would survive our winters, but often not the buds, hence this particular type of Camellia, which was created by hybridizing the old Japanese types with the species C. oleifera (sp?).

Hope y'all try one out, if you haven't so far - wonderful for a shady winter garden.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Ric - wishing you a speedy recovery and lots of winter garden dreams :)

Bluespiral, I've heard that fall-blooming camellias are better suited for our climate. We always get a freakish warm spell in February or March that signals the blooms on spring-blooming camellias to open up, only to have them freeze when the weather returns to normal.

Jill, carex is now my favorite ornamental grass! You can actually see them in my picture in the other thread. But carex likes even moisture and gets brown tips in full sun without enough water. The liriope is for further out from the building, with intense summer sun and dry soil, and where it'll get some foot traffic. Carex doesn't like to get stepped on at all.

SS--
Mine is hardy no matter what comes it's way. The variety is "Bob Hope"
it is a pretty old variety.
Get it if you can find it--you won't be sorry!
I have had it for about 14 years. It blooms in March/April.
The buds for the blooms form already in fall. anf very slowly enlarge as spring
approaches. Before blooming--they start to split open showing red.
As in Picture #2.

It is beyond beautiful--with large triple blooms in red.

G,
1--This pic is from 2005. It was still young then.
2--This was taken this year in April

Thanks for the tips on Carex! I divided out a couple of crowded clearance pots of variegated varieties last week, so I'm hoping they won't have the same trouble overwintering as grasses in containers. Not much $ wasted if it doesn't work, and if it does work I'll have a nice "sweep" to plant out!

Gita, that's a gorgeous camellia! I got 'Yuletide,' which has similar colors but the blooms on yours seems to be much bigger. 'Bob Hope' is supposed to be a mid-season bloomer, which is probably why it performs so well for you. I was told to stay away from the early-season spring bloomer, which are more susceptible to early heat waves and last frost damage.

Jill, I have a carex Evergold that needs to be divided in the spring, so let me know if your variegated carexes don't make it this winter!

SSG, I have Yuletide as well. Right now it's in a fairly shady spot. I wonder if they like more sun? It hasn't been blooming much since I got it, so I wonder if it would do better with more sun.

Catmint, my yuletide's still in its container! It's blooming nicely, though. Yours may just be getting over the transplant shock.