Two questions:
1) Calla lilies: mine are overgrown and topple-y. Can I cut the tops off and start again?
2) I have a garden bed that almost nothing has fared well in, ever. It has some azaleas, and they are ok. And I planted daffodils this winter, and they fared beautifully. And I have some Spanish bluebells and they are ok. But I have been trying to get Begonia grandis, which grows like a weed in many spots in my yard, to grow in this bed to no avail. And some other plants -- I no longer recall which -- also died there. There aren't even a lot of weeds in it. And this March I transplanted a bunch of hostas to this bed, and 4 died, all in a row (I transplanted them from containers without disturbing the roots). I have never killed a hosta before. There is (at least currently) no black walnut nearby. It isn't near my house or anyone else's, and it isn't near any hardscaping, so I don't think there should be construction debris there. May years ago (25?) our back yard was leveled, so maybe just maybe used gas/oil was dumped there? I don't know. It is downstream of an in-ground pool, but I don't think that is ever drained onto our property. Any idea what could be wrong, or how I can "clean" the soil?
Yardening continuation May 2014
Happy, that's tough! Do you have a concrete wall nearby? I found this page called "how to kill your hostas". It's pretty straightforward, the only thing that I didn't know about was that concrete leaches lime and creates alkaline soil (higher than 7 pH).
"Hostas prefer an acidic soil of a pH from 5.8 to 6.8."
Further complicating things, you said the azaleas are doing okay there. "Azaleas have shallow roots, and prefer moist, well-drained soil with a pH between 4.5 and 6.0"
Which is even more acidic than what hostas like.
http://learn.hostasdirect.com/hosta-info/hosta-care/how-to-kill-your-hostas/
http://azaleas.org/index.pl/azculture.html
What kind of weeds are growing there? I think that you can tell some stuff about the soil by identifying the weeds that tolerate it.
Not very many weeds -- that is one of the giveaways that there is a problem. Our soil is quite alkaline; I haven't amended it for these particular azaleas in years (other than adding Holly-Tone occasionally). No nearby concrete.
I can do a soil test, though I don't know if that would reveal something peculiar that causes instant plant death.
That is good to know about concrete!
I think of azaleas as liking morning/dappled sun and hostas and begonia grandis as liking more shade. If azaleas (morning sun) and bluebells and daffodils (part sun) do well there, then is it possible the spot is too sunny for the hosta and b.grandis ?
If Azaleas, daffodils and Spanish bluebells are all doing well there then pH may not be the problem since these all like acid to neutral soil.
I have beds that fewer weeds grow in as well. Eg I get very few weeds in my shady moist bed but plants that like those conditions have done well there.
This isn't a matter of sun, I don't think. The hostas died after being planted in March, before even opening up this year. These are hostas I had had in pots for years and were doing fine. I think the problem is something in the soil causing allelopathy (like juglone from black walnuts -- except there aren't any black walnuts nearby -- see, for example, http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/fruits/blkwalnt.htm ). But I don't know precisely what the problem is. I don't have this problem anywhere else in the yard.
Sounds like it might be good to do some kind of soil analysis then.
According to this site -- http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1148.html -- azaleas are particularly sensitive to black walnuts, and my azaleas in this spot have been fine.
Yes, Catmint, I agree about the utility of having a soil sample tested, except that usually the testing lab asks me what it should test for, and here I don't have a clue what the problem might be. Maybe I'll call a soil lab -- they might be able to give me some insight....
A hard rain's a-gonna fall.
sure feels stormy out there! I hope it's good for the cukes, squash, and okra seeds I got in the other day.
Happy, would you post a photo of the area so we could see it? What do the plants look like as they start to die; e.g. wilting leaves, brown spots, etc? Also, how far from the pool is it? Even though they don't drain it onto your property, perhaps some plants are more sensitive to pool chemicals than other, and the chemicals might be making their way downhill.
A horticulturalist once told me that hostas are found in full sun in their native environment in China. But they apparently get get a lot of rain.
Happy, I didn't realize you had alkaline soil. I think I'd assumed everyone here had acidic clay. I think mine is something like 5.5 to 6.
Do you think it could have been voles or rabbits?
that's interesting, SSG. Most of my hostas like a little sun. I didn't realize they were originally from Asia. Found this interesting article:
http://clark.wsu.edu/volunteer/mg/gm_tips/HostasAndFerns.html
"Most hostas will tolerate and even thrive in a site with morning sun. It is the hot afternoon sun that can burn their leaves. The natural habitat of hostas, originally from Eastern Asia, is at the edge of woods, not in deep shade. They grow in openings in the forest canopy and along sunny banks and open grasslands where they get plenty of sun early in spring, but are shaded later in the summer season by taller growth around them."
By the way, my 'Little Miss Sunshine' did come back! At first I thought it was a 2nd 'Guacamole' but then the more it grew the more I realized it couldn't be and finally it clicked--ohhhhh, that must be Little Miss Sunshine--LOL! I had moved it last season trying to find a spot it worked in, and didn't quite remember where it finally ended up. Also, it's more of a lime green right now but apparently it will get more yellowy as the season progresses...
I'm still ambivalent about my Sum and Substance. Typ, I think you've talked about wanting Sum and Substance? I like it okay, but it's just sort of large and bright green, and I don't seem to have the creativity to match it well with different colors. I think I really like variegated, yellow, and blue hostas better than solid green ones. I've been thinking maybe I should send it to a home where I can see photos of it looking beautiful and artfully arranged, as opposed to looking boring and green in my back garden... Typ?
This message was edited May 15, 2014 6:15 PM
Pretty puleeeeeeeese, Catmint?!
I promise to be a good hosta mommy for S&S!!!
okay, Typ, you got it, one still-young Sum and Substance, and I look forward to all the beautiful photos! :-)
Thank you!!!!!!
I have been wanting S&S for so long!
You made my night!
This message was edited May 16, 2014 9:24 AM
I'm so glad I have it to offer you, Typ! :-) Once this rain stops I'll go out and get a photo of it for you.
My neighbor's fig trees are alive!
It looks like most of the old wood is dead, but leaves are emerging from the new wood.
Don't give up hope on your fig trees!
great news on your neighbors fig trees!! no sign of life on ours, but our vitex is alive and finally showing signs of growth ^_^
Harry planted 19 cannas and 9 dahlias yesterday as a border in the veggie garden! The hummingbirds are going to be in canna heaven
wow diana- all the tall red one or mixed canna? I have a chunk of your tall red one, courtesy of Gita.
They sure will. Bet those cannas will make a nice looking boarder. I don't think I would have thought of doing that.
Wind: Are Cannas hard to dig out at season's end? I've always grown them in containers....
I have planted my cannas as well---
Two of Wind's red
Two of my dark-leafed ones--trying to re-generate these. Almost lost them.
One of my neighbor Olga's orange--also the only roots I had.
I will have plenty of roots of wind's red one available. Big and small...
These will grow huge from the smallest chunk...
Having company has made my gardening very sporadic.
This morning--there is a monsoon rain going on out there....all wet!
On my Caladiums......
I have ALL the corms in pots--and none of then have sprouted yet.
It has been over 2 weeks...maybe three?
Now this rain!!! I am starting to worry if they will all just rot..........:o{
May have been better if i had just planted them right into my beds--
but I still do not know where I will plant any of them???
Trying to, at least, get my perennials situated--and my containers planted...
G.
Gita, same here on Caladiums. I keep looking...
My dark leafd Canna survived that is up against a south brick wall
Happy---
Happy--we cross-posted....
IF you plant Wind's red cannas--they will be VERY hard to dig out--as they form
massive clumps of roots, all intertwines, whose tops will be visible above ground
--like shiny, red apples.
Look here!
--This is from 3 plants...
--The clumps dug up. The table is 5' in diam.
--One of them from another bed....
Be prepared!!!!.....Plant them at least 2' apart or more.
I remember when Dianna brought her roots (at Holly's Swap ??) in 2 BIG buckets full.
you guys make me smile ^_^ it sure is a very hardy canna variety whatever it is!!
Sally, they were all the same huge red cannas and hopefully somewhere in there is Gita's dark leaved one. I lost track of it. I had hers in a pot and did dig it up, but I bet it got mixed in the batch with all the others
Happy, we have no problem digging them up because they are actually in the garden where it is weeded and the soil is somewhat decent. It used to be a pain digging them up from the yard. And, btw, I looove the deutzia. It's blooming away now
Just FYI--for those that have not seen these.
1--Wind's red canna
2-3-and 4 My Dark-leafed Red/orange canna.
I sure hope I can get some good roots again from the dark-leafed Canna...
G.
Wind - do you leave the cannas in the ground all winter? Are they that hardy?
I'm glad you like the deutzia. We adore ours -- and we have a lot. Garden writers don't like them much and consider them a lot of work, but ours is one of our favorite shrubs. We have never pruned ours -- even though they are supposed to be pruned annually, after blooming, to remove dead wood. This year we are finally going to start, because two of ours aren't as floriferous as they used to be, and we peered in and did see a lot of dead wood. But the one we looked at has been in our yard over 20 years, so it is hard to complain.
My mom had Deutzias, they were extremely dense with twigs and stems. I valiantly and naively thought when I was about twenty that I would thin them properly. CUz -see - I had been reading and I knew better then Mom..hardly pruned them
PFFFT
Impossible.
And they bloomed fine with Mom's way!
Happy, I didn't mean hardy in that sense. Maybe they would be up against a building with southern exposure like Sally's. We dig up about half every year and get plenty from that. The ones left outside rarely ever come back. Every now and then we get one or two, or a new canna sprout from fallen seed
G. nice pics and love your dark leaved canna
The peonies I planted at the wrong time are coming up!! So are my oriental lilies! The figs I ordered are growing like crazy - so I'll probably plant them in the ground sometime this summer...it's amazing what fish emulsion will do to plants!
Heya Bec, I'm so glad you are posting - cool to compare what is going on down south to what is going on here.
I bought this pair of antique urns years ago. They were really rusted, but Mike had said he could sand blast them and repaint them. It was one of those little projects on the "to do" list that we never seemed to get to. Well, he surprised me yesterday with them all fixed up. I wish I had a before picture to show the comparison... Don't know if you can tell, but the pedestal part are swans. I'll get them planted with something this weekend and moved to either side of the conservatory deck steps.
This message was edited May 16, 2014 6:01 PM
wow Terri, perfect for your place!
Wind, YAY on your Vitex showing signs of life!! < =D
Aspen, those are beautiful urns, whatcha gonna put in 'em? Really look forward to seeing pics! :)
Ric's hard work today. He weeded the Evergreen Group. This is the area where we removed 2 large trees a few years ago and had to limb up several others. We have been working on a new plan and look for this area. The new Pagoda Dogwood will be planted in this area. I have several large hosta that are going in there too.
looks good- it was lovely out once the rain stopped and sky brightened
I have Australian cannas that are hardy. They don't have many flowers in this photo because it was taken in late October.
I've had them in the ground for several years now. They're slow in coming up this year and look a little ragged, but they made it!
Aspen, the urns look great. I sort of can make out the swans, but I look forward to seeing them up close. You have such a knack for garden art.
Holly, what a beautiful spot for your Pagoda Dogwood. The contrast between the various leaves and needles of plants in that bed will look super!
Muddy just love those Australian cannas. The original Evergreen group had Norway Spruce, Black Pine, White Pine, Hemlock, Blue Spruce & Austrian Pine. It was done for privacy and color and texture were key in choosing the trees. First one lost was the Black pine, it broke badly in a snow storm maybe 20 years ago, then the Austrian Pine some kind of bore beetle about 7 years ago and the Blue Spruce some type of mite I think 2 years ago. Now the Hemlock has wooly aged and the White Pine encroached so badly on the road that it needed to be limbed up. Our fault for planting it so close to the road.
The evergreens have taken a beating they are about 35 years old.
New plan is to hope that we don't loose any more evergreens. We have planted Rhodie, Azalea, Hydrangea, Oak Leaf Hydrangea, Gold Dust Acuba, Drooping Leucothoe, Blue Star Juniper and a Mahonia. We let some self seeded Red Buds grow, last year we got three different types of Japanese Maple and now this new Dogwood. I have several different large Hosta and there is a bed of Vinca Minor.