Fall Planting

The roses I have to plant:
Shepards deligt
Paname
Queen Nefertitti
Lulu
Mme Butterfly
Invitation
Alec's Red
Proud Titania

2 my wild irish rose
1 caramella (now I will have 2!!!!)
1 Clair matin
1 Brass Band (grafted)
1 Golden Showers
1 Distant Drums
1 Crimson Glory

Camaxieux
Heideroslein

I'm digging up poppies and looking for an empty spot in a neighbor's yard. The darn things have gone native on me! Won't be any room for the daffodils to poke up through them if I don't. They seemed like such a good idea when I planted them . . .

I tend to avoid the forums on specific plants. People are way too opinionated and act like experts. And they're very cliquish. Other ones get very few posts. Two weeks ago I think the Japanese Maples Forum had 11 posts for the entire week! We have that in a few minutes.

Wanna invade the Japanese Maples Forum? We could be the JB of DG and eat them up!

Whoa! I don't think we really want to invade anybody's space. :-) I have found that folks on many of the specific forums have been very helpful indeed - and very patient with newbies.

I'm starting to crack here - was looking through Bluestone's catalog and was thinking, hmm, maybe my luck with fall planting *wasn't* that bad after all....

And to think I literally just came from posting about Seandor trying to resist cheesecake...

Dee

I would resist planting Bluestone micro-plants in the Fall, unless you want to put them in pots and move them inside for the Winter. As I said, Fall has only been a failure for me when I plant little wimpy plants.

Victor, unless I'm wrong, which has been known to happen :)...I think all Bluestone sends out in the fall are their jumbo pots??

Dee, I've been putting together a Bluestone order myself for a few fillers, now if I can either convince my husband that I REALLY need them or sneak the order in I'll be a happy camper! Of course I've got two different orders in mind - worked for a couple of hours this morning selecting a "few" !!! Alliums I'd like to add as well.

How big is 'jumbo'??

LOL! A "few" alliums? That will keep you busy for awhile! Should look gorgeous next year!

Victor, keep telling me that and maybe I'll listen... and maybe not, lol!

Dee

Victor, from their website: "Jumbo 3 paks are 2.25" x 3" deep, and sold in sets of 3 plants" Smaller than I thought they were, for some reason I had in my head that they were the "Larger Pots are 3 1/2" x 5" deep". I actually took a chance last October and planted a few cell packs of Heuchera and they did fine, although they would have been much happier (and bigger!) if I had waited until spring :( Problem is I have more time available to plant in the fall so I take my chances!

Dee, that's just my "wish list" - would love to try them all but will have to slap myself and just try a few this year. I've had A. christophii in the gardens for a few years and absolutely love it but I'd really like to try a few of the "big boys" :)

That's still puny to me! I wouldn't try anything under at least a 4 inch pot.

I agree, it IS puny, but the only reason I'll take my chances with them is because I can get them at wholesale prices, otherwise I'd pass them up. If we have another mild winter like we had last year (keeping fingers crossed) they should do fine as long as I can keep the "critters" away from them!

rcn, I tried to start some alliums from seed this year - aflatunense, cernuum, and christophii - but had no luck with any of them, unfortunately.

I did buy a few bulbs last year though, which came up and were spectacular this past spring - Globemaster. Maybe I will try some different ones this fall.

Bulbs I can handle. It's when I go nuts and buy all those darn sale perennials - for which I have no room to begin with! - and then don't get them in the ground, which drives me crazy. I really should know better!

Dee

I planted a lot of stuff last winter that really took off in the spring. The only reason I am not buying a ton of stuff is that I have run out of room. I have just enough room for a few more irises - then I have to move onto the terrace.

Gee . . . I wish I could show you the plan I drew up for a garden on the terrace. It is a 36 foot diameter circle divided into 4 quatants - each centred on a campus point. I started originally with the idea of roses and lilies, and after a couple of months of that nonsense, I have finally narrowed the plant range to those that will bloom for most of the summer, that are drought resistant (and hopefully disease resistant).

Anyway, the east quadrant is all soft pinks, blues, and yellows for the dawn

The south quadrant is bright golds, yellows, oranges, and medium blue for high noon.

The west quadrant is magentas, mauves, purples and dark blues for sunset

And the north quadrant is dark blues and whites for stars at midnight.

All I have to do is convince the neighbours that the project is do-able. - You see what a newbie I am - no sensible person would do this. lol

Transplanting; daylillies, thistle, phlox, asters, corrieopsis, cone flowers, scabiosa, asiatic lillies, ferns & tradescantia. Planting; hostas, asclepias, rudbeckia, kniphofia, phlox, crepe myrtle, delphineums, foxtail, hibiscus, foxglove, goatsbeard, columbines & orange glory flowers. So far, thats it. Oh, a topiarie, think thats it.

Wow, Daiseycat, sounds like you'll be busy.

Jen; I'm so glad Victor started this thread. Until I put it in writing I didn't realize how ambitious I was. I've hit a couple of snags already. My DH (poor guy is soooo busy) will not be able to build the shade garden this year. That is where I was going to transplant most "transplants". Finding suitable spots will be time consuming - both finding and preparing. If this weather keeps up, anything is doable. (?sp) Have a great day. :)

I had to try to keep my mind on doing just one area because my yard is such a blank slate I get anxious to jump in and do so much more.

Wow - that's a full load, daisey! Lots of perennials. Which Crapes? They're okay in your area?

I just planted a lespedeza and some reblooming daylilies. Although I put a net over them, a deer already pulled it aside and took a chunk out of two of the daylilies. Grr.
I'll have to think of countermeasures before my Bluestone order arrives (sidalcea, anemone, scabiosa).

Victor I believe we are in the same zone. (knew there was something I liked about you.) :) I have ordered the dwarf CM - Hopi, and Dynamite. Most of what I am going to plant is not here yet. Too bad, this weather is so energizing. Still learning to be patient. "Patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace, Grace is a little girl with a dirty face." I've just started giving gardening an honest try. Prior to retirement, if I had time, I just puttered, and put pretty plants here and there. That brought moments of joy, but the gardens have no bones or symetry (?sp). Trying to organize/optimize, and bring in some more trees and shrubs without losing sight of my budget. I truly need a Topiary for the front of the house. It has to be at least 4' tall now, maxing about 15'. I don't want to spend over $200.00. This may turn into a DIY project. So little time, so little $, so much fun. Have a good day.

Sounds like a great plan. I have Hopi - very nice. Light pink blooms. Don't have Dynamite. (Yet).

Three fantastic underused small shrubs - Fothergilla, Itea and Enkiathus. The last two have larger varieties as well. All have nice blooms in Spring and incredible Fall color. You can grow a small Clematis through them for Summer blooms.

I love the idea of growing a clematis through them. :-)

(behind in my reading, but...)
That sounds beautiful, Seandor - what a lovely idea! I hope you get to do it.

I'm guessing she meant compass point.

ah, i see your point.

Yeah . . . what can I say? George Bernard Shaw is my hero - he wasn't keen on spelling eiither.

Besides, we non-spellers are very tolerant and accepting people - we never give the spelling-advantaged any grief. :-)

(Thanks for helping me out, Victor)

This message was edited Sep 8, 2007 6:18 PM

This message was edited Sep 8, 2007 6:18 PM

Question:
Should I be cutting the brown leaves off of the foxglove now? They look kinda bad. And what about the flower spikes? Should they be cut, or should I leave them on? I realize that leaving them on the plant through the wsinter will make for some great 'snow' pictures.

Ugh! Even the word 'snow' gives me the shivers!!!!

I do if the seeds have all gone or you could harvest them if you want, I let mine just self seed. I also trim up the leaves and you may get some new green growth.

Thanks, ngam.
We do have some new green growth (very thrilled with that). I guess that I'll take my little clippers outside with me tomorrow on the daily garden walk.