Favorite Winter Combinations

I misplaced it too, that's why I just posted here. But the website is:
www.specialplants.net

oh, excellent, thank you!

Wow, I'm now friends with Derry Watkins - pity she doesn't know it! So glad you liked her list - and what did you order (I just want to make sure that I get them on my list, I am using you as a bench mark right now).

The hellebore - yikes, doesn't look good. I'm going over to Southease plants this afternoon - (I'm going to ask if I can take a photo - Adrian Orchard is Hellebore man!) I will ask.

Well, here's a combo that I'm kind of liking. It's in a bed that I just started this summer, so these two are almost the only things in it right now. The hebe is still a baby, maybe a foot across and a foot tall, certainly not bigger than that. The bamboo is a clumping bamboo and is also still small. I took this today, after the week of cold, and the hebe looks better than lots of my other plants that are looking kind of flattened by the cold.

that is a pretty hebe, they do stand up well in the cold, don't they? love the bamboo, too.

Sue, love the Hebe and the bamboo, I guess I should have found a variegated one when I was searching last spring, sooo pretty!

Thanks!
I kept reading that Hebe are borderline hardy here, so I've hesitated getting one until I saw this one. But I'm very impressed with its hardiness so far. I've done nothing to protect it.

I have one in my parking strip - the neighbor has had hers a few years and its doing very well!

Susybell - Your Hebe will most likely do well in your zone. Mine have gone through some fairly intense temps & recovered nicely. The one thing that is quite helpful for their overall appearance is to prune them back in spring - they can get a little scrawny-looking from our wet fall/winter weather.
I have lost a few to cats (urine depot - why???), so you might want to check that out. Well, maybe I've had cats that enjoyed plant sabotage...particularly in that nice fluffy loamy stuff that must be heavenly to dig in.
By the way - have you been on the receiving end of any frozen precipitation today? Can't say the 4-letter word!

I have several hebes and find them to do very well here. Good evergreen structure, and nice blooms with the bees love. That's a nice combo.

Here's the list of what I ordered from Derry. I'm sure she would be your friend, Laurie, if she knew you! She asked about Dave's garden and I told her how great we are. LOL Some of these I could have found elsewhere, but I just wanted to get seeds from her, like the sunflower and the dahlia, because I figured she would have the best colors. The Chaerophyllum hirsutum 'Roseum' has been sold by Heronswood starting several years ago when Heronswood was still real. It's really beautiful. She's sending double amounts of the Angelica because it needs to be sown immediately upon ripening for best germination. Same with the Hellebores and the Chaerophyllum. If my germination is poor, she will send more in the fall. The ageratum is one that is carried at Annie's Annuals and I've been coveting it. It's a hardy ageratum that grows fairly tall. Lovely! I almost got seeds for Agapanthus inapertus but I had to hold back!



Ageratum corymbosum
>> Angelica gigas (I sow these directly upon receipt, correct?)
>> Campanula vidallii
>> Chaerophyllum hirsutum 'Roseum'
>> Dahlia coccinea
>> Dicentra scandens
>> Echium russicum
>> Eryngium ebracteatum
>> Helianthus 'Velvet Queen'
>> Helleborus x sternii Pewter form
>> Helleborus lividus
>> Papaver somniferum 'Black Beauty'
>> Rumex flexuosus
>> Stipa tenuissima 'Wind Whispers'
>>

I was sure you were going to order the Nemophilia Pennie Black!

What did she say about shipping to the US?

Katye, no, none of that here yet, just very, very cold light rain.

This message was edited Jan 26, 2008 11:10 AM

Laurie,
If you are using Pix as a benchmark be prepared to buy "great numbers" of seeds, plants, tubers, corms, and lily bulbs, lily bulbs and more lily bulbs! FYI she is an ENABELER (sure Rach you should get that, here take this home and try it if it doesn't grow come back and I'll give you another.) She is the reason I am so incredibly hooked (most people would call it an addiction) on gardening! Her love and excitement for plants is highly contagious!!! Then there is her garden, well you have all seen pics, can we simply say "inspiration!" She may not be crisp and coiffed but she is one heck of a gardener! I feel so lucky to have dear friends that love gardening so much!

Ah, gee, Rachel. I thought you were addicted when I met you!! I'm trying harder to be coiffed, but I am never crisp.
susy, I am getting those from another source, so there! LOL! shipping to the US is just a flat rate per order, I think 4.00.

I very much "liked" gardening now I "loooooove" gardening! You are always coiffed when I see you away from the garden and sometimes even sudo crisp, that is until you get your hands on plants! As it should be!

Ah yes, away from the garden I can afford to be coiffed. It's hard to be coiffed when you are wearing a wool hat.

Hi Pixy I have the ch whatever roseum. I got them from heronswood. If your don't germinate I have a plant. I need to go to her website. I tried a couple of times and couldn't get on. I still have seeds coming fron tasmania newzealand and england. I gave you all a box full and still have 3 vegtable crispers full. I see a problem here. Select seeds is another good seed place in england.

You see a problem here??? LOL! At least you have a nursery so all of yours are tax deductible! What's my excuse? Yes, I've ordered before from Select Seeds. They have a lovely strain of nicotiana that is a greyish purple. It's in their 'perfect mix' seed packet. Wish they sold that color alone.
If mine don't germinate, I'll let you know. What's coming from New Zealand and Tasmania? There are some extremely cool plants from that part of the world!

so far I have had a few germinate from there. I probably ordered more psudopanax and acyphlla. I got rununclus baurii to germinate which is exciting. I also will have a bizillion leptopsermum 4 or 5 kinds. also some trees. Pretty exciting. I have probable 500 differnt seeds going so it is hard to keep track of. I am very lucky it is all a tax write off or I would be in trouble. Heidi

Rach - I have the same thing going on with Katye. Do you want it? Here, take it, I have more, I was going to move it anyway, etc. Count myself very fortunate as well!!

All 'experienced' gardeners like to donate to the cause! We must have people following in our footsteps, especially if we have children who do not garden..... yet. And who can bear to throw perfectly good plants into the compost pile? Well, I do admit that I am getting to that point sometimes. Anyone want more orange crocosmia??? LOL!

I am always happy to recieve! :0)

Ahh Pix, minds that move in the same direction -

achillea millefolium cassis
agastache rupestris
agrostemma ocean pearl
alonsoa bright sparks and peachy keen
anemone syvestris
arthropodium cirrhatum
fibigia clypeata roman shields
gaillardia Burgundy
Gladiolus Flanaganii (how can you pass up a plant called suicide gladiolii?)
glaucium coarniculatum flavim
helianthus velvet queen
Hellebo. sterneii; lividus
Lepechinia salviae
lobelia siphilitica
molucella laevis
nicotiana sylvestris; glauca
patrinia scabiosifolia
peucedanum verticillare
primula florindae;viallii
ranuculus aconitifolius
rhynchelytrum nerviglume savannah
rudbeckia hirta
rumex flexuous
salvia argentea
strip arundinacea pheasant grass
stip barbata
stylophorum lasio carpum
telekia speciosa
thalictrum delavayii 'album'
tigridia savonia white 'peacock flower'
verbascum blattaria albiflorum; cotswold king

uh-oh. long list. oops already posted.

And pix, I chequed with the hellebore man - he said that they should buck up immediately when the temps lift - that is just hellebore chill. But do cut the leaves back now - stop the spread of black spot.


This message was edited Jan 26, 2008 10:33 PM

I'm just adding, checked on my hellebores yesterday afternoon (needed to get a pot in the shed) and they looked just like that - so you're not the only one. I'll cut the leaves back today, unless they are covered with snow.

Oh, nice list, Laurie! I almost did get the 'suicide' gladioli, but I wasn't sure I had the right place for it. Let me know how yours do.
I'm still concerned about this hellebore. The other ones are bowing their heads, but when you lift the flower you can feel a bit of strength in the stem. This one is limp as a dishrag. And it started this before the extended freeze we've been having. Still, I will remain hopeful that your man is correct. I can't imagine what else could be the problem unless it actually didn't get enough water before the freeze. We haven't had as much rain lately as usual.

Well here is my list.
aquilegis chocolat soilder
athamantha turbith
boenninghausenia albiflora
cardiocrinum calhayanum
eryngium ebracteatum
echium russicum
euphorbia stygiana
fibigia clypetea
glaucium conrniculatum
helleborus gold bullion
hordeum jubatum
impatiens namchabarweinsis
kitaibelia vitifolia
molopospermum peloponnesiacum
myosotidium hortensia
nauplius sericeus
paradisea lusitanicum
rhynchelytrum savannah
stipa barbata
sutherlandia frutescens

Done for now. Heidi

I put on my pink camouflaged insulated overalls cmaera in hand to take a look in the garden to see what I could find with growth. Not sure these qualify as combinations but it showed me spring is just around the corner...

Heuchera 'Silver Scrolls'

Mama Hellebore orientalis and 2 babies

Ready to bloom

Spring is coming, wahoo!

Heuchera 'Snow Angel'

A daylily peeping through...

I like this combo...Rock n Moss, the moss is sure doing great this year!

Star Magnolia bloom

Tall Bearded Iris' popping through

I love the rock and moss. Can't you just picture a little fairy picking some of that moss to make a bed!

I should probably take a small towel and blanket out for her...it sure is wet out there...lol

Love the moss and rock. My favorite so far. Thanks forthe pix's

My still readable flower marker...

Sedum and Pansy

Agastache 'Tutti Fruiti'