Cat---
We have those at the HD!
PLANT ADDICT'S CHAT #1
I've been having very mixed luck getting new echinacea or new agastaches established in my garden.. I grow them along in a trade gallon pot so they have great roots when planted out, but they seem to vanish over winter. Weird, because potted ones survive, and older ones survive... I'll keep trying different things, though, because there are a couple of echies I really want (envy, raspberry truffle, and milkshake -- I think I can get a division of the latter from a neighbor, so I'll try that).
I've been resisting Santa Rosa this year just because I have so much catching up to do out there. But they do send lovely plants, and even their "clearance" plants look fabulous -- and are guaranteed to arrive looking great. Often, clearance plants are overgrown in their pots, meaning you can get a couple of little divisions to grow on and still have a nice plant to put out. :-)
Jill, do you think it might have something to do with being wet in the winter? Agastaches don't like winter wetness as much. I know the reds/oranges are less hardy than the lavender/purples.
I know the newer Echinacea cultivars are known to be short-lived. See, for example, http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/home/three-elite-perennials-for-the-summer-garden/2014/06/24/02cb2b50-f897-11e3-a3a5-42be35962a52_story.html .
2 of my 4 agastaches didn't make it through the winter, but both of my echinacea did. I agree drainage is probably key.
Yeah winter wet kills a lot of things. I'm pretty sure that's why Rudbeckias and Gaillardia are only annuals for me. Luckily, I don't have a problem with agastache. I lost an orange one but my red one came back, albeit 1/2 of its former self. I figure if it came back from this past winter, it can come back from any winter. The orange was a loser plant anyway, wasn't tall enough :)
I've been really good - thinning and transplanting or potting perennial seedlings and planting swap plants - but I ran out of soil. So, of course I had to go buy some, and I realized I "needed" (want has nothing to do with it ha ha) some annuals to fill in until the perennials are established.
I also needed 2 Mahonia aquifolium 'Compacta' (Compact Oregon Grape Holly) so that my "species" Mahonia aquifolium will produce berries, so I headed to Betty's Azalea Ranch, the only place I've seen a variety of Oregon Grape Holly cultivars.
I bought some Salvia farinacea 'Victoria Blue', marigolds and of course the Grape Hollies.
I'm not a plant addict, though: I can stop anytime I want -- really, I can, I know I can........
LOL Muddy! I know all about those 'needs'. ;-) Sounds like you got some nice things! You'll have to post photos once they're all settled.
Muddy can you tell me more about Betty's azalea ranch?
CatMint, I know you didn't post the photos on this thread, but I have to say - your flowers are gorgeous. You know how to pick them and plant them!
Terp, Betty's Azalea Ranch (http://www.bettysazalearanch.com) does sell Azaleas, of course, but IMO they're not a huge part of their stock in spite of its name. (Editing to say that I must have missed their Azalea fields. I had no idea the place was 16+ acres!).
It has a very large selection of trees, shrubs, perennials, etc., some of which are unusual or hard to find, and their prices are good. A month ago, I bought a Rhododendron Catawbiense Album in a 4 gallon pot for $50.
In addition, they're one of the best sources of pond supplies in my area, from vinyl pond liners to the baskets in which pond plants grow.
This message was edited Jun 27, 2014 9:52 PM
awww thanks Muddy, that is very kind of you to say! :-)
wow, I had not heard of Betty's Azalea Ranch but sounds like a must-go field trip spot! I'm not that far from Fairfax. Maybe we should plan a visit there sometime!!
Betty's Azalea Ranch sounds like a great place to visit, if I'm broke. LOL
Jill there are some neat ideas in ATP about building up beds that improves drainage and yet hold deep moisture, check out the permaculture forum. Hugelkultur, It may be a bit intense for you, but I'm thinking it is doable.
Muddy, Do Mahonias need other Mahonias to produce berries? I think I have the only one in my area and it does produce berries, not many so far but it did produce some. Maybe I need to be thinking about another one.
Any excuse will do to buy more plants. LOL
yeah, I could think up some excuses on the spot if necessary! :-)
I've never heard of Betty's Azalea Ranch, either. I hope I remember to check them out next spring.
I killed a couple of petunias by forgetting to water the hanging baskets. I keep forgetting that they dry out much faster then other containers. I was at the nursery checking out annuals on sale when I saw another thalictrum called Black Stocking. The leaves are bright chartreuse, much brighter than the pictures on line. It wasn't on sale but I had to have it! I have no idea where I'm going to plant it, but it had to come home with me. :)
I was walking past a couple hanging baskets today which included "Spider Plants" (Chlorophytum Comosum), and I noticed all these little babies on them.. so of course I had to take a closer look to see if the babies had any rootlings on them. ... and they did. ... so, of course they had to come home with me today. ... 6 of them! < =)
And later, while I was weeding out the shady perennials, I accidentally (I SWEAR it was an accident!!!!!) pulled out a bit of a Caramel Heuchera... which, of course, had to come home with me as well. =)
I figure winter drainage is my problem, and last summer I planted several replacement agastaches (from container plants that overwintered just fine) by cutting the bottoms off the pots and planting them just halfway into the ground, essentially making a more permanent "planting mound" of well-draining potting mix. Lost most of those last winter. :-(
The blue/purple agastaches seem to do better for me, so maybe I just got too "fancy" with those new terra nova hybrids.
LOL Speedie--a lot of accidents at work lately, huh? ;-)
Jill, 2 of my agastache overwintered okay: Purple Haze and Golden Jubilee. Kudos Ambrosia and Tutti Frutti didn't come back. It'll be interesting to see what happens next year!
Quote from HollyAnnS :
Muddy, Do Mahonias need other Mahonias to produce berries? I think I have the only one in my area and it does produce berries, not many so far but it did produce some. Maybe I need to be thinking about another one.
I've had my non-cultivar Mahonia aquifolium (Oregon Grape) for years and it has never produced berries, at least not that I've noticed. I had read, as this article explains better than I can, that "Mahonias only fruit if they can pollinate with nearby specimens of its own species, or with a compatible species": http://www.paghat.com/oregongrape.html
I'm hoping that the Oregon Grape 'Compacta' shrubs I just bought will cross-pollinate with it. If not, I'll just have to try another cultivar!
Quote from CatMint20906 :
yeah, I could think up some excuses on the spot if necessary! :-)
Have you ever bought a plant because it was so pathetic-looking that you wanted to give it a chance to live? Yep, I've done that...some because my DDs wanted to save them. I'm able to keep on walking now, though.
I'm up for a field trip to Betty's. My garden beds are filling up, so exercising some restraint won't be too hard (she says unrealistically).
well, we're around all summer except for maybe the last weekend in July! What's your schedule like?
Speedie, Just think of yourself as a plant saver. LOL
Muddy, Thanks for the info I will have to do more reading on Mahonias.
Yes, Speedie, how could you possibly let those plant bits go to waste? You'll probably end up with tons of plants at the end of the year. It's sad that garden centers have to throw out so many plants.
Holly, you're welcome! One of the cultivars I saw is 'Orangee Flame': http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/1834/orangee-flame-oregon-grape-holly. I had never heard of that one.
CatMint, so far the only time I'm away is the last weekend in July.
Is anyone else interested in a field trip to Betty's Azalea Ranch? If not, CatMint and I can D-mail to pick a date.
I'd be interested in a field trip to Betty's.
Cool! Maybe we can get a small group together sometime in July (except for that last weekend)?
Speaking of spent daff foliage, I just saw Mr. Robin out gathering long tendrils of it from the daff bed. He then flew off to a neighbor's yard with a bunch of it hanging from his beak, looking very proud of himself. Too bad the robins are not building their nest in my own yard, but with the ferals visiting regularly, I understand why! :-)
I'd be interested in seeing Betty's place.
Aspen and Terp, what weekends in July work for you guys?
Anyone else like to join us?
2nd or 3rd weekend?
The 12th/13th or 19th/20th? I have some restrictions on the 12th due to DD's schedule, but could manage it if it worked for others. Other dates are all good for me.
I'm open right now for either one.
I can't make a firm commitment now but let us know when you set a date!
Me too! Me too! Can we make iton a Sunday maybe?
Sunday works for me. What about others? SSG, I sure hope you can join!!
Interesting note on the Mahonia. I didn't know they needed another plant for pollenization. I'll have to check into that some more.
What fun; my first DG field trip! It sounds as if the 13th and 20th would work for most so far. CatMint, no sense spreading yourself thin on the 12th.
Sequoia, I'm learning that many fruit-bearing shrubs need suitable partners for cross-fertilization. Viburnum Valley explained this very well when I was lamenting the fact that my theoretically self-fertile Viburnum 'Mariesii' didn't produce any berries. This is specific to Viburnums, but I think many shrubs fruit better with compatible friends nearby: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/568744/
This message was edited Jun 29, 2014 8:50 PM
Muddy, VV has just about talked me into getting another Viburnum as well! Maybe that would be a good replacement for my dying cherry.
What kind of Viburnum do you have now?
Muddy, I currently have Viburnum x burkwoodii 'Mohawk'. VV suggested either another variety of Vxburkwoodii, or one of its parent plants like V. carlesii.