Indian Pinks for Hummingbirds

fnf, these grow wild in my woods. I have to keep an eye on my "axe man" He likes to chop and ask for forgiveness later. He has gotten better in the past couple of years..LOL I'm not sure how well they transplant.. I didn't see my hummers on these, but will watch more closely next year. They spread from runners, so your 'roots' may surprise you. Just be sure and not overwater them once they get started. They seem to thrive in loose, leafy mulch. I won't promise right now. But after Christmas, I could send you plant,
Elaine

Carol ~ sorry you misunderstood my post. It was not to give them a bad rap but to contact them and if all else failed....
Good luck with your Spigelia... Hope to see photos of lots of blooms come spring!

Podster,

I understand. :) Spring is going to be beautiful this year. I have gotten so many new plants, it's going to be like Christmas for me when they bloom.

Carol

EFGA, are your Indian Pinks blooming now?? Wow, that is a nice healthy plant you have there!!

I am happy to hear that Indian Pinks are thriving in the wild in your area. I thought they were more hard to come by or getting rare. I suppose they have made a comeback like the eagles.

Gee, thanks for the plant offer. If you do have any extra plants, I would love to give it a home....I am crossing my fingers on the new transplants and hope they get established.

Oh,, no my I. pinks are not blooming now, but if we keep up these 70 degree temps, they might.. I took this picture a while back. Will write myself a note for later.
Elaine

I just saw this in Park's new perennial catalog y'all, in case anyone was looking.

I planted two in 2006, one appeared to die, but both came up in 2007. One was only a single stemmed plant. From what I understand they are slow to establish, and do not transplant well, so if they appear to be dead do not disturb them and they will probably come up the next season. They need moist soil so be prepared to supply them with additional water during dry spells. The seeds are very hard to collect, because when the seed pod is ripe they explode open. I tried collecting some before they exploded and I could not find the seeds. I’ve read the best way to collect them is to bag the seed heads. The picture is from my garden this past summer; they bloomed at the end of June for me. Mine are in a good amount of shade, but I’ve heard of some people having luck with them in more sun. However I think this would only be the case if you have a moist sun situation.

Hmmm, I wonder if they would survive zone 4? My yard is fairly protected and I have a perfect spot . . .

wellllll, I am not sure about that zone. Are you near all those nice golf courses near Brainard??? My DH says "above Babe the Blue Ox"??? I could send you a root/stem if you want to try..
Happy New Year,
Elaine

Our cabin is near Babe the Blue Ox (Brainerd). And yes, there are a lot of golf courses up there! (My "other house" is closer to Minneapolis-about 1 1/2 hrs south. I'd love a root/stem, but we would have to wait until spring-this is really bad shipping weather for live things. I would gladly pay for postage and packaging!
Happy New Year to you, too!
Deb

ahh, yeahp..on that weather.. it is going to be in the 20's here this week.. would not ship north right now., let me know later. Stay warm.
Elaine

To our Minnesota gardener--DMurray--the website I referenced at top of thread indicates Indian Pinks may survive Zone 4--it is worth a try. Considering their other needs, you might have a better chance at success if yours gets more sun in a protected area, surrounded by other bigger evergreens which block out the onslaught of chilling blasts. Also, the Pinks need good drainage, so snow shouldn't accumulate and stay iced over until a thaw. A soggy area during dormancy will surely kill them. Maybe a sloping south-facing area will be best. Good luck.

To all--Happy New Year!! May your 2008 gardens get off to a spectacular start!!

Thanks for the information Foxnfirefly-I'm always up for a challenge!

We are so pleased all are enjoying the indian pinks. We are the old school more personable approach. We email all planting instructions so all know that they receive them and there is never any questions as if they are in the box or not. We love to run it this way. We dig them fresh daily and work very very hard in filling all the orders. Bobby has done this for many many years since a child. 3rd generation working with wildflowers. We pack safely in peat mix and Yes, place them in a zip lock bag and all are labeled. They are all and only blooming size bareroots as stated on the site. We pot as well. We have been loved by nearly 12,000 customers in the past 3 years on ebay and finally graduated to selling on our very own website. We are a family based business. We are not an assembly line or send you old stock roots or bulbs. We send only the best. We put our blood, sweat and tears into the plants rather than fancy elaborate packaging. They are not pre-paged. They are freshly dug. I am proud to say I would much rather keep the orders orders going out on time, describe accurately what you are receiving, take photos throughout the year so you know what you are getting and shipped at the right planting times per the customer request and as well the quality than the fancy wrapping. This is very cost effective and safe for the plants. You know you are getting only the best from Viola Valley.

Thanks for giving me the time to explain why it appears that they expected more but we have always done our best and only our best. VV