One of my references says it is a perennial, but mine sure looks dead. It survived winter 2005 without incident, in fact, it didn't die back at all. But winter 2006 is another story. It's just sticks. what is your experience with BD?
What can you tell me about Blue Daze?
Mine didn't last the summer, much less the winter. LOL It was pretty while it lasted.
Hi Vossner.
I have lot's of it. It is perennial. Mine came back this year but I covered it in pine straw over the winter. It looked dead until about a month ago and is now filling out nicely. I trimmed all of the dead branches off and let it come back with mostly new growth. There were several small branches that still had a bit of greenery on them so I left those. The plant also creates runners and makes new plants. I actually have a few blooms already.
I have it planted with white verbena behind it and red pentas behind those. It's my red, white and blue bed.
Oh, I also have some planted around pine trees with yellow cosmos behind those. The ones planted around the pines did extremely well and are much larger than they were last year.
combos sound nice. I noticed some green among the sticks but I just assumed it was weeds, they're everywhere else!
I'd better take a closer look tomorrow. thanks.
I had some planted down at the cemetery and it came back year after year, until last year. But then I didn't do anything to it for the winter.
I think it's kind of like lantana. It looks dead and horrible over the winter but it comes back. I was impatient and took a whacking to it in mid-Feb. Can't say whether that was a good thing or a bad thing but it has come back just wonderfully well. I'm curious what it would look like, or how large the mounds would be had I not whacked it. Would it have greened on it's own? I just don't know. An experiment for next year. But I think I will cover it again with the pine straw once temps. get cold.
I did water it well once a week from the time it was originally planted (last June) until the temps got into the 30's. After that, I let nature take over. We had two or three freezes after I had cut it back in February and I was worried about freeze damage so I covered it back up with the pine. Unfortuntately I pruned everything a little too early this year. I had no idea we were in for such strange weather.
I love it. Mine lasted several years with no problems, but the freeze this year got most of it. I've replanted because it's such an easy plant. No pest or disease problems. Extremely well behaved and long flowering. I haven't had the winter uglies with it like lantana. It starts blooming in early spring and mine was still blooming in December of this past year.
Crowellli, we grow it & also, the Mex Flame Vine. Both as perennials. Just for future reference. lol
Thanks, Smockette. I always figure on most of these being perennial. It's like an unexpected bonus when we have a mild winter and things survive. I lost a lot of stuff, as did a lot of people, with the long freezes that past winter. Just gives me an excuse to try new stuff. I know I'm spending too much time at the nursery when last week, as we left, the guys said "See y'all next weekend". My husband just looked at me and grinned. I figure gardening is cheaper than psychotherapy and it keeps me sane!
That is funny, Crowelli. I showed your posting to DH and told him: "see, I'm not the worse one out there" Thanks for making me look good in front of hubby, lol.
This message was edited May 6, 2007 11:08 AM
Oh Lord, now I'm being used an "the extreme example" by which others can prove to their spouses that it could be worse! LOL. Until someone else does the flashlight dance with a grasshopper up your nightgown and then falls through the rose bushes, I guess I'll have to concede to "the most extreme" title. Checking after dark with a flashlight to see what's eating the plants is something I won't soon do again. I may be stupid, but I can lean a lesson. Never a dull moment around here!
Sorry, Crowelli...I'm gonna have to show my DH your post as well.
I had a chrysalis on a new milkweed I had just bought and in my excitement, I guess I did a little happy dance. DH said, "Do you realize that you just 'skipped' across the living room over a caterpillar?"
Yup...he's gotta read your post.
ROFL.....have you heard that Lowe's commercial where the wife says, 'Honey, we just need to go to Lowe's for some begonias for the kitchen window box" and the the husband says, "Last time you just need begonias for the window box we ended up with a wheelbarrow('I love that wheelbarrow' she says), mulch....this and that (I don't remember)...and he says we'll take the truck this time. lol Whenever we are driving and that comes on DH just cuts his eyes at me and smiles. He says thats me. He purposesly takes me into HD or Lowe's through the builders side or else we will be there all day he says.
BTW, gardening is good for the soul! I was talking to a girlfriend of mine about how I've become obsessed about gardening and she told me she read somewhere that gardening increases endorphins....and then she receited some line form Legally Blonde about happy people not killing people or something. lol Anyways, point is, yes it is cheaper than pyschotherapy, so garden away!!! My friends at work laugh at me because I always go to the nursery for lunch. What better way to spend an hour of free time huh?