David, is pic 4 a close up of pic 5? Nice pics all!
FIRST FLOWERS OF SPRING 2015 'Mid Spring'
oh my gosh David and Pat, all of that is beautiful.
I'm (kind of) happy to hear I'm not the only one with dead Ajuga. I thought it was taking over, I had a huge patch under a redbud, next thing I know it's all died there, and common blue violets took over. It was totally unamended soil, little did I think ajuga would need any help.
fixed typo
This message was edited May 11, 2015 7:40 AM
Thank you, Sally.
David is away from his computer for a few days and I don't know about the columbine ID. Many have started from shared seeds. The original columbines were years ago from a nursery and seeds sprouted on the then gravel driveway and finally got planted.
Sequoia, the 4th rhodo is just about the only bloom on a far smaller plant. I wish the huge one had those blooms. I think that small one and the dark pink one in picture 3 were from Boyer's Nursery in PA near Gettysburg.
The Rhododendron in David's 3rd picture looks like a 'fantastica'. I have the same plant, or what's left of it after deer snacked on it :-(
Yes, that is what it is. One of the few rhodies with tags. Sorry the deer like yours so much. I guess we've been very lucky with it, as the deer have not hesitated to chomp on things that are closer to the house.
With rhodis being so abundant in the woods, you'd think deer would eat them instead...Lol
Hm, I wonder what it is about ajuga. I think critter has also experienced sudden ajuga death.
I'd be happy to save the seed from the Lupines if anyone's interested!
1 Deciduous azalea. I thought it might be a softer pink but it turned out to be a real bright shade of pink. It was a good deal at Lowes last year. ETA: 'Mt. St. Helens' exbury azalea
2 I suddenly forgot what these are called. Pinks? Correction: Dianthus!
3 Weigela Wine and Roses. First year it's bloomed for me! Correction: 'Midnight Wine!'
4 hardy jasmine. Two years old and pretty unhappy. Blooms sparsely.
5. Blue iris. Japanese iris, I think.
This message was edited May 11, 2015 3:22 PM
So have I and when what I am planting in the beds is dying the wild growing ajuga in my grass is just doing fine. When I try to transplant it (not that it is all that interesting) it dies.
SSG, I think those pink flowers are Dianthis "Neon Star". Very pretty !
And your Wine and Roses Weigela... I had one of those once, wow, it grew quite large in a matter of three seasons... like 6 feet high and across. Gorgeous shrub.
I don't think the ajuga is just short lived or smoething, eitehr... one spot where it's recently taken off in my yard, it had been barely hanging on there for 7 years.
SSG, your azalea looks like Mt. St. Helens Exbury. Quite a beautiful specimen too.
Heh, it's funny how I can't remember any plant names when I'm posting pictures from work. Talk about state-dependent learning!
Seq, yes, it's a Mt. St. Helens! I'm very impressed with this azalea. I had a pieris in this exact spot that sulked for a couple of years before it finally died.
CAM, yes, of course, dianthus! How could I forget dianthus??
Also, the weigela is 'Midnight Wine,' which I chose for its dwarf size, and not 'Wine and Roses.' I had a mini panic attack when you said 6 feet, because it's in a spot between a path and a fence and there's no room for it to get that big. Then I remembered the correct name. :)
No worries, SSG. When I hit 50 y/o a few years ago, it was like the part of my brain that handles long term memory just vanished. Hahaha
You lost a Pieris Japonica ? One of my very favorite shrubs and I've found them to be very hardy. Ever figure out what happened to yours ?
CAM, I've had issues with poor soil, the remnants of an allelopathic tree (that the previous owner cut down), newbie watering mistakes, and phytophthora rot. I've lost at least 3 pieris, and recently noticed that a 4th one is slowly dying, one limb at a time. I do have another pieris that's doing very well right now.
A lot of these issues have been solved via sheet mulching and proper watering, but I'm still losing plants, albeit at a much lower rate. I feel like my comments used to comprise mostly of lamentations and funeral rites, so it's fun to be able to post pretty pictures. :D
Wow, that's awful. I guess as time goes by, your soil will improve. But yes, those photos you posted are very nice, thanks for sharing!
Perhaps Ajuga didn't like the long, cold, wet winter any more than we did!
I used to have ajuga, but it died when construction workers left a pile of siding on it for a week.
OK, I'm making a mental note (hah, good luck with that!) to stick some ajuga into pots so I can share it in fall. Both my "regular" dark-leafed ajuga and a patch of 'Chocolate Chip' are doing very well. The regular one is blooming beautifully at present, and I noticed it had extended out into the gravel "patio" in the corner, so I'll need to get it back within bounds anyway.
I used to have a bunch of the variety with pinkish-purple variegation, but I'm not sure if there's any of it left in the side bed or not. I've tried several times to get that white-variegated one (thunder & lightening? some sort of exciting name) established, with little luck. I do have one little piece of it left in a pot, and it's blooming pink right now.
I killed a pieris once. Yeah, I planted it in full, hot, baking sun. It fried. Noob mistake for sure.
I killed a Crape Myrtle (of all things!) once. Yet another noob mistake - planted it like 2 feet out from the house. DUH.
Ssg, I'd LOVE some Lupine seeds please... when you get around to it. Thank you! =)
I'm really starting to think that I need to bring a Columbine home with me today.... someone, try to talk me out of it!! HA, fat chance of that! =)
Talk you out of Columbine? Not possible.
Confession time- bought Ninebark Summer Wine on clearance. Planted too small a spot. Moved 2X. Killed.
THen my biggest, literally, newbie goof- "Little" Gem
Speedie, I lost a Crape Myrtle just a couple years ago. Cold winter but it was in a protected area on the southeast side of the house. Shocked me, never expected that.
The one I just planted at this home is on the south side of the house too. Sure hope this one doesn't get killed off by a harsh winter.
The last two years in a row all my crape myrtles died to the ground. Pretty lame.
Why would we talk you out of a columbine Speedie? They are one of the essential plants of the daily plant pyramid...
http://www.edenbrothers.com/store/media/Flowers/Hemzaden-2015/ss_size3/Columbine-Blue-Star.jpg
Who could ever turn down a flower that looks like that ?
Exactly!
That flower just moved to my desktop--s I can look at it al the time.
G.
Yeah, stunning flower. Must have. :)
Beautiful, I was thinking I need to take pics of all my columbine and put them in my journal, even though I don't have name for them.
I was thinking it's about time for Lowes to put any remaining columbines on clearance... they don't much sell when the blooms are gone... of course, they're also pretty easy from seed, but I probably wouldn't turn down a flat of $1 ones LOL.
I was coming home from visiting a friend a few weeks ago and there was a huge area that was covered with native columbine. I've never seen anything like it, it's along a road where they cut the hillside out for the road and the whole hillside was just filled and it went on for a good 1/2 mile.
Time for a new thread, moving to here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1394178/