I am so thrilled my grape hyacinths have popped up. This is the first time I have planted them .They are in a partial shade bed. Can I safely interplant a perennial for summer/ fall?
Interplant suggestions with Grape Hyacinth
Bananna ~ I would say yes as long as you don't disturb the foliage of the hyacinth. That is how it stores nutrition for the coming bloom season.
Does the GH flower remain all summer?If so,if another plant shades it, will be ok?I'm not sure what you mean by disturbing the foliage.
I was more concerned about the bulb....wrong end!!!
The bloom is beautiful and fragrant but is short lived. The foliage collects and sends the nutrients to the bulbs to store for the next year. Unless you plant something invasive, I don't think the roots will compete or harm the hyacinth bulbs. On mine, the foliage yellows and dies down late spring ~ early summer. If you want to interplant, it would be best to do so early... pod
You could interplant with Carolina Phlox, it starts to bloom in June and lasts about 2 months with a wonderful scent too. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2081/index.html I have lots of it and i love it.
For the Fall you could put in Purple Aster, Symphyotricum oblongifolium http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/76317/index.html and you would have a wonderful bed.
Great suggestions. I didn't know there was a hardy phlox. I don't know if I have enough sun in that location Does it grow in partial shade for you?.It sounds wonderful!!
I do have Purple Aster and was thinking about zexmenia.
Yes the Phlox can take some shade, mine is in partial shade, and it is very hardy, but Zexminia is an excellent choice too.
I will keep my eyes opened for Phlox. I am curious about the scent .It is an added pleasure.
It certainly is, my perfumes the whole yard, be sure to ask for Carolina Phlox, not all of them are fragrant.
Just saw "David" phlox , tag said it was resistant to mildew....must be a new-fangled kind!!!II don't trust it without a DG recommendation.
I have never grown David Phlox so I can't say, my phlox rarely gets mildew, but if it appears, I spray it with a solution of 1 part low fat milk to 9 parts water, and that takes care of it.
Well, I would have never guessed milk can be used. GOT MILK?Why hasn't the milk board jumped on that for advertising?(I somehow find the lowfat part the most amusing)
Thanks for the info.Do you use it on any plant with mildew problems?
Yes absolutely, the low fat is because the high fat can leave a greasy residue on the plant.
bamnanna18, my 'David' phlox sometimes gets mildew especially when we have a lots of moist days with little sunshine. I have used Josephine;s milk solution to destroy the mildew on roses, rock rose and phlox. It works better than fungicides which sometimes can harm your plants and good insects. I have my grape hyacinth planted in part shade or filtered shade around the front edges of a bed that contains lantana plants which I cut back to a few inches from the ground each fall. Behind the lantana, I have daffodiles which bloom first and then behind them irises which bloom next. The lantana sprouts later and eventually covers the dying foliage of the bulbous plants which I trim back when it is fully dry. This lantana blooms well in part shade. For some reason, my grape hyacinth stayed green all summer last year. Beong covered by the lantana did not keep them from blooming which they are doing now. They have naturalized wonderfully.
That sound great...I could imagine it as a time lapse movie. I hope I will enjoy my grape hyacinth for years too.
I have a low-growing sedum (Sedum reflexum) growing amongst my grape hyacinths. They seem to prefer similar conditions. :-)
Sedum is a great idea too. I finally figured out sedum grows alot better in partshade than sun like all the tags say.