I'm not expecting much out of it, so I won't be disappointed! I'd love to move it to a sunnier spot, but it might not make it because of the deep tap root.
FIRST FLOWERS MEMORIAL DAY 2015
Thanks for the tip on that as well. I didn't know they put down a tap root. Good to know!
It probably takes a while for the tap root to get to the point where it's not a good idea to dig it up, but I have no idea how long.
I started Baptisia from seed 7 years ago. Two of them have been blooming since the 3rd year, but the rest are struggling because they are in too much shade. The reason I have not dug them up and given them away is also that I have heard that they are difficult to transplant because of the tap root. Has anybody transplanted them successfully?
This message was edited May 29, 2015 8:21 AM
I transplanted my baptisia from Becky's garden a few years ago. It bloomed the first year, skipped the second year, and is sparsely blooming now. It's otherwise very healthy.
I don't remember having any issues with the tap root while transplanting it.
Aspenhill gave us a Baptisia 'Purple Smoke a couple of years ago. It now lives in a large pot on our deck and just finished blooming. It transplanted without problem even though it was of good size at the time.
Thank you for the info, SSG and David. I will see if I can dig them up. One of them is right by the path. The other 3 have disapeared in the woods. Need to go find them :o)
SSG, is yours in full sun? The two that are in full sun in my garden have bloomed reliably.
This message was edited May 29, 2015 6:41 AM
I got some from the swap from GT? and it is doing great.
Donner, mine are in about 5 hours of afternoon sun.
When I was digging up the baptisia 'Purple Smoke' for dividing and relocating, it was really difficult because of that crazy tap root. After struggling with it for what seemed like an hour, Mike's youngest brother Richard stopped by and finished digging it up for me. He exerted so much force in the effort that he actually broke the stainless steel handle on my Lee Valley shovel!!! My neighbor Mark welded it back together for me, so I wasn't out my favorite shovel, but that gives you an idea of what a mature sized baptisia would be like to dig up. The division that David was talking about that he got from me, was from that mature plant. I thought Richard and I managed to get the whole plant out because nothing was growing there last year, but this year I saw several places where it was shooting up from the original spot, and after a month it is now a nice size again and blooming. It is a really pretty plant, but I guess the best advice is to figure out where you want it long term considering how big it will get, and just leave it there for the duration.
If you have a small & struggling one, I think it would be happier if transplanted, even if it lost some root in the process. My 2 cents!
CAM, make sure you get to the FSK society rhizome sale this summer at Dutch Plant Farm, too... date is in July, will check to see when it falls this year. I'll be dividing some of the clumps in front.. I took photos but they're on my cell phone, need to get them uploaded onto the computer. I'm re-starting a lot of my iris area, so I should have more to share in another year or two.
Sally, the white iris you got from FSK is probably 'Silver Dividends' if it's the same one I got that year. Not sure about the purple... I only have names of the ones I kept... there were a couple of purple bicolors and then 'Honky Tonk Blues' which I think was pretty ruffly but more blue than purple (although that's subjective).
Here's one of the irises in my "pot ghetto" that bloomed last week, 'Vanity', a nice clear pink. :-)
Holly, you must have started the Cannas early. Mine are only sprouting, or were sprouting when I last saw them 5 days ago :o)
Pretty Iris, Jill. Speaking of white Irises, I gave away quite a few several years ago. I still have some more in my garden if anybody is interested. The flowers are fragrant. I am not sure of the variety though.
This message was edited May 29, 2015 8:58 AM
Not certain, but that could be 'Immortality'... or at least a look-alike!
I have a Baptisia that a friend gave me as a small rooted cutting almost 5 years ago.
I planted it on the E. corner of my Raised Bed. Best place I could find...
It's been growing--but no blooms yet. I may never see any anyway, as it only
gets the AM sun as it passes over left to right(E to W) over the raised bed.
I KNOW it does not get enough sun! But--that is where it lives.
The raise bed is 14-15" deep and it has a dbl. layer of weed block at the bottom
which may be all ripped up by now as I have dug the bed up a couple times.
I could attempt to dig it up--but where to re-plant it?
Option #1 would be in my small veggie bed by the shed. Full sun until 3PM.
The end of this bed--right behind my SEM--has an area that is usually unplanted.
It is big enough to do this. All it has in it is a long-lived clump of Chives a small Tomato,
and some parsley in front.
Hmmmmm...as I am writing this--it seems an OK place. May tackle it after I finish
planting all my containers and beds.
1--Here is the E. end of the raised bed. The Babtesia is all the way on the left.
The AM sun passes over left to right.
2--Closer up of the Baptisia as it is now--5 years after I planted it.
3--My glamorous Veggie bed. Only place for 3-and a couple of Tomatoes.
and a couple of cukes. They do OK here.
The end, all the way to the right, is the spot I am thinking about..
4--close-up of the area at the end. Looks messy right now--but I will dig everything up.
What do you all think? I would love to see the baptesia bloom...been waiting too long...
g.
Thanks for that info, Jill. I go to Dutch Plant Farm every other weekend or more so I'm sure I won't miss that sale but would appreciate a reminder if you think of it. :)
Jill - remind me too on the FSK iris sale. I could use some more for the iris bed where I planted the ones we got from our WV Exline iris adventure a few years ago.
Exline had their signs out on Tuesday and they are taking orders on line. We have gotten some lovely iris from them. They are just across the Potomac from Hancock, MD, in Berkeley Springs, WV. Beautiful, tempting place to visit.
Fsk? Frederick... Society.... For.... Kangaroos?
Or Kahlua perhaps?
Weird goings on on DG. I posted here a few minutes ago and nada...
Francis Scott Key - Oh, say can you see...
Lol, Francis Scott Key! I never would have guessed that one.
Does anyone have a viburnum blooming right now?
I need a pollinator for my 'Chicago Lustre' viburnum, but it's such a late bloomer. I'm worried that 'Blue Muffin' doesn't overlap much with CL, at least in this area.
Donner Cannas??? Mine are just sprouting, too. Most aren't even in the ground yet.
Sorry, we have an FSK Mall just minutes away, so I've become used to the shorthand version!
Our local iris society seems to cover the north DC suburbs, Frederick, and east to some distance north of Baltimore.
Haha! Holly! I didn't look closely at your photos, and thought the yellow Iris flowers in the first pic were Canna flowers. My Cannas are still in the sprouting stage (I am home now, looking at them). They are only about 15" tall.
Ssg, we've got some Viburnum dentatum "Golden Arrow" planted at work that are just finishing up blooming now. Yes, the "classic viburnum" website says they bloom beginning early June, but ours started earlier.. about 3-4 weeks ago.
Hope this helps. :)
Thanks again, speedie!
aw I like Frederickans Sipping Kahlua
You're very welcome Sweetie. =)
LOL Sally!! How about "Freudian Slip Knots"? ;)
ssg, 'Blue Muffin' is supposed to be a good pollinator for 'Chicago Lustre':
http://www.ehow.com/info_12301677_cross-pollinating-viburnum-blue-muffin.html
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-08-16/classified/ct-sun-garden-0814-morton-viburnum-20110816_1_viburnums-trilobum-dentatum
I was thinking about this today as I was driving to Meadows Farms for soil and mulch (and came back with only soil and mulch!!). I have Viburnum dentatum "straight species", but they will need a V. dentatum pollinator as well. I decided not to even try to find one this year because mine are new and growing from bare root and probably won't flower at the normal time. In addition, the wacky winter threw off bloom times.
The best bet would be to go to a nursery when yours in blooming and see what's in bloom there....as long as it's supposed to be a pollinator for 'Chicago Lustre'.
You know, I've heard that there's a DGer named VV who knows an awful lot about viburnums...wonder if he'll chime in with his wisdom? ; - )
Yeah either that or send Gary Ladman at Classic Viburnums an email. He's great about getting back to you. I'm getting 7 new viburnums from Gary; they are shipping this Monday. His prices are pretty fair, maybe you get your dentatum pollinator from him?
Some fresh pics from today:
Scutellaria resinosa Smoky Hills
Echinacea paradoxa
Erigeron utahensis v. utahensis
NOID Calochortus -- the only one out of 20 that survived the winter
Allium 'Moly'
Raspberry Swirl Dianthus
Orange Pineleaf Penstemon
Yellow Pineleaf Penstemon
Centranthus ruber
Salvia
Dutch Iris 'Eye of the Tiger'
Geranium 'Johnson's Blue'
ooh fabulous.
Is Centranthus behaving itself? thinking I have read cautions on it.
Not sure but it doesn't matter. It's be great if it could stand up to the monarda and conoclinium coelestinum. I planted it last year but it was shaded by the aforementioned two. I like it's color; I don't have much like it.
Rose.Camelot
mystery. From David? Last year.
Gnome looking welcoming?
Blue man group checking out Silver Viola? From coleup
Sally, Prunella grandiflora 'Freelander Blue'
Oh I just couldn't figure out the remark, now I understand. Those are my water Iris, beautiful but only for ponds like mine where there is no chance of them getting loose in a real pond or stream like Aspenhill has.
Sally, Silver Gem Viola looking good.
Two containers planted entirely by Nature.
Seq, I'd never heard of Calochortus before. What a pretty bulb. Do you think it just got too cold for them? I like that Eye of the Tiger, too.
Sally, that's a gorgeous rose.
Coleup, nature arranged my favorite color combo! Purple and chartreuse!