Saffron crocus growing in my creeping thyme bed. These are kind of blown but I wanted to show you the saffron. It is the red stamins(?) hanging down out of the blooms. They get much smaller when they are dried. Now you know why saffron is so expensive!
Blue monkshood. I love this plant because it blooms so brightly in the Fall when there is so little color.
Yankee, great monkshood! (I just planted one because I was missing it from my last house)
And the saffron thing is VERY interesting!
Hey Dave - I heard you the first time. :{>
It was worth repeating.
I adore monkshood. I wish the one I had would expand generously so I could divide it. Its still going very strong right now in that gorgeous color.
I need a suggestion for next time I have enough energy to go dig up a huge expanse. I need a groundcover that is dense, gets no direct sun, doesn't let weeds through, will grow in horrid stoney clay soil that is wet during the rainy seasons and bone dry otherwise and wont' spread by seed into a waterway. We have a dangerously steep ditch along the road way and the soil is so poor that the grass rips out easily when you walk on it. Makes it dangerous when wet to mow. I want to plant it with something that will look tidy and neat. I hope to avoid daylilies - with that low light I don't think they will bloom much. I was thinking about lirope but not sure it will spread fast enough in that bad soil to avoid weeds. Any suggestions?
Oh gosh everything in my garden is pretty much dead at this point....I think our winter is way ahead of you all :( Nothing to report here but your reponses are hilarious....
Al you need a new LOOK LOL
Yank, the saffron crocus are interesting, but what I really like is the idea of the crocus coming up thru the creeping thyme. I have a lot of creeping thyme. I'll have to think about some little bulbs under. love the blue monkshood, such a different color for fall. i've been looking at them for a while.
here's the latest on my heathers. the upper right is my one Cornish heath, which is still blooming. I'm going to have to look for more of these. it's really doing the best of all of them. but the foliage colors on some of the Scotch heathers are amazing, if I could just get the plants to grow a little :0)
took pics of a couple of sempervivums, too, because I like the way they change color when the weather cools. these are Rose Queen and Ruby Heart. I think you could make Christmas decorations out of them, they're so pretty
My monkshood is in flower too, but I always have problems with it. Part of it turns black and dies? Any ideas?
Aly ~ My suggestion for ground cover would be Lamium Purple Dragon. It chokes out weeds, has purple snapdragon like blooms,variegated foliage, can tolerate moist or drought conditions(once it's established) and it looks good year round. Here's a link if you want to check it out.
http://www.waysidegardens.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10151&catalogId=10151&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=46053&PrevMainPage=advsearchresults&scChannel=Perennials%20AS&SearchText=p16.v229;p4.v9&OfferCode=SH3
Another one that might interest you and is unique looking is Foam Flower Jeepers Creepers. You can read about that one at Wayside Gardens too. Last but not least, Blue Plumbago...love the blue flowers and foliage on this one too! Glad it's your decision!! Good luck!
This message was edited Oct 22, 2006 9:15 AM
I have Moonkshood too but mine is different than both of yours. It blooms in July-August and is bi-colored.
I think I like the solid color and the fact that it blooms now!
Aly ~ Another good ground cover is Vinca Minor....if you decide on this don't buy it, let me know i have plenty of it to share! It is only suppose to bloom in the spring but it lies! This picture was taken a few days ago....it's been blooming off and on since late August.
Aly, I also like lamium although I have different varieties (orchid frost & pink pewter). They have thrived in dry shade with tree roots and I don't think a wet season would bother them.
Pixie: I never heard of a summer flowering monkshood. And Anita, I have no idea. There is an aconitum thread on the Perennials forum, though.
Dave ~ May have been off a few months, not sure why it has bloomed in July/Aug. for the last 2 years. But I did go to the perennial forum and found a picture of the one I have. Cammarum 'Bicolour' http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=2625633
Ooooo - that's pretty! Any luck starting monkshood from seed? I just have one patch that came with the house and it seems to stay about the same size and I would like more.
Yankee,
Check this forum out: http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/638461/
This guy has 25-30 different ones, even red and (yes Gram) PINK!! Thats how I found out what the name was of mine. He has an amazing collection!!!
BTW...some are even climbers!
This message was edited Oct 22, 2006 6:49 PM
Pixie, I've been following that thread. I wasn't familiar with aconitum before. it's so pretty.
Hi everyone, just getting on Alyrics, choice of ground cover: any chances any of these would grow under pine trees??? I have an area that the grass is dead and the big roots of the pine trees are visible...
This is what is growing here in Framingham....
oops forgot the picture....
Sweet Hannah
Sequoia Gold with some lavender I just cut today...
Gram, you are going to be proud of me... no more ordering this year... and my list is almost done.... I will email you what I sent Zuzu so you can take a look and give me your opinion... the other thing is that, let me know how many will fit on the beds you have in your design... thanks...
now my next step is get a list of all the little plants for under the mini roses... well thyme is one of them...
the last bouquet of the season... unless all the marigolds survive tonight's frost...
Kassia, Very nice!
I never tried lamium under pines but I'd give it a try.
Kass, how pretty! I had little bits left on my lavender, but nothing like that.
I have lamium silver beacon (beacon silver?), that is doing ok but not really spreading. I think I have it mulched too well and it can't. what do you guys with lamium think? should I keep the mulch away from it? I kind of planted it thinking I wouldn't have to mulch any more in that area after it filled in.
I have about a quarter acre of lamiastrum - blooms yellow and is silver variegated. It covers my entire leach field so we don't walk on it. My concern about moving it over to the ditch is that it is so invasive and I'm afraid of washing seeds down the ditch to the river below.
Under pines Comfrey will grow, and you can also try lambs ears. Boy I must be really tired, I am blanking on the Latin names.
I have Stachys - thats it - a long sweep of it along the driveway in horrible soil and it is up under the pine trees too. There are also prostrate spruces - like a rug juniper but spruces, miscanthus, a pocket of Japanese Anemone that I put the soil in, and Sedum Autumn Joy, which doesn't get very big but has spectacular color right there. There are variegated Comfreys that have nice flowers or you can use the plain green. It looks a little like the basal rosette of nicotiana, or a pulmonaria, it has hairy leaves.
Comfrey??? I will give it a try... Sedum Autumn Joy sounds good... it's on my list thanks
Gram, I got 4 lavender plants this year... 2 I killed and the other 2 I planted on a pot and did well,,, and I planted and let's see if it will survive the winter...and I have 2 french ones that I am bringing inside...
They are so beautiful ~~~
Well howdy, no wonder you all disappear once in a while! You're N.east... :) Does zone 6 VA qualify? :)
Kassia, Autumn Joy is great. I have 3 and love the color show. Are we still showin what's growin? No pic yet, but I have Toad Lilies blooming. thought those were done. And roses, and all the dahlias are down .... so sad to see them go. Brought in my hibiscus this year. thought I 'd try to winter it over in the house. And some ferns. The DH is a little skeptical but oh well. He got a new computer this weekend ... he planted that immediately!
I am trying to get some more pictures of what is growing... too boring to take picture of the same things... I need new plants...lol....
hard to believe but I have one more rose coming!!!! yellow Golden Glow... I just saw the bud... that plant is like me... doesn't like to sleep....
a good sign ... roses don't love everyone...
Kassia,
I have old white pines with the bottom branches pruned off. Last spring I put some astilbe under them. They're doing OK, but too early to see if they'll thrive and multiply. I also put a few autumn ferns there and they're doing well. I'm thinking of planting holly glabra right between the pines to fill in the gaps between me and my neighbors.
pegdog - this forum covers folks from all over! Welcome.
Hi, Peg. you can be honorary NE. if you're a 6a there's a ton of us here. just think snow ;0)
gram
hi, ok here is what is growing in Framingham....
lavender still going strong....
rose that refuses to go to sleep
marigolds and more marigolds....
collage... all today's pictures... I think some of my plants are thinking spring... I have nasturium.... coming out now!!!!
Oh, Kassia, I have nasturium growing too! What a strange time to bloom. Good to eat though. :)
Mine are going crazy too. I've never eaten them, are they good? How do you prepare them?
you can actually eat flowers??? Oh I would love to do it... maybe the turtles will also like it... I gave them a piece of brocolli yesterday... oh they were so entrataining... they attacked the brocolli with a vengeance... so funny...
I planted these nasturiuns from seeds... just too late in the season... I am going to get seeds at Autum Ridge or value seeds by Christmas (yes, I am giving my family and friends a list of plants they can give me for Christmas...)
have any of you planted black eye susan vine from seeds??? are they as easy to plant as morning glories???
got to go to school.... talk to you guys much later today.... see I don't go to bed early anyway....
The only real flowers I have left are the Malva Zebrina. Frost only deepens the colors.
The broccoli is the last and only thing left in the veggie garden.
Andy P
