I was new to gardening last year, and spent most my time trying to repair the plants I had loved almost to death, one of them was an Astilbe. I babied it for the rest of the season but it never seemed to recover. Now in the same spot the astilbe was I see something growing. Could someone look at the pic I've provided and let me know if this a weed, a possible astilbe, or something totally different.
Thank you,
Vicki Jackson
That looks just like the plant I have growing where my alistibe was growing last year. I bought it as a more mature plant so I don't know what babies look like, but I think that is what is in your picture.
Hi Vicki,
Stop do not pull it...it is your astilbe...I will take a picture of mine later, it looks about the same. Mine always disappears to return in spring.
My two also look just like this. Take a look at the shape of the leaves-the serrations, the pointy-ness, and think about the astilbe foliage, and the way the stems grow, and the fuzziness.
Isn't it neat (once you know that it really IS astilbe) that it comes up being bronzy and then turns green? And, also, so great to know you didn't kill them after all? :) I thought I lost one of mine, too. I moved it and couldn't remember where I'd put it and could find no trace of it at all. Turns out I almost planted something on top of it.
Don't they need shade? I had mine in full sun and killed it almost immediately.
Us sun-deprived PNW-ers can probably get away with some sun, but for you, yes, shade, definitely. They also insist on moist soil.
I can't believe it. I thought I had killed the Astilbe months ago. I even tried to order another one from a nursery, with my order I'll receive next month. The funny thing is out of the 12 plants I ordered that was the only one, not in sock, so I had to pick something else.
Thank you all very much, and I am very happy that it will be back. Very unusal looking flower.
Vicki
susybell, I forgot I was posting out of my "safe zone" ; )
Thanks, Jennifer
Hi Jennifer,
Uh, lol, I think...: ;) We like visitors, though, even if they DO get warm sunny days.....;)
Sneaking in during a lull at work. . .Susy, how can Jennifer be in 8b (where it's probably sunny and warm right now) and I'm in 8b, where it's been snowing and really, really cold? Um...is this a parallel dimension kind of thingy going on here? (Although, because I am at work, it is sunny today!)
Hmmmm, maybe you just have more extreme weather than I do (which would be hard to do with me being in SE Louisiana).
It is 81 and partly cloudy here today.
USDA's idea of average minimum low temps...Doesn't really look at last frost date (As far as I know, anyway) or highs in the summer at all. Dallas has the same zones we do, as well.
Jennifer, we'll be very lucky if we hit 50 today-we've had snow, sleet, hail, rain, and nighttime temps in the high 20's-30's for the past week, daytime temps mid-thirties to low 40's.... The weather said something about two storms colliding off the coast sending us some unseasonably cold weather, all along the coast as far as southern Oregon and into California. We're really ready for a little warmth and sunshine here-if you get a little extra, feel free to send it our way!
Hi outta,
The zones are determined by the average annual minimum temperature. West Washington has very mild temperatures, therefore you would be surprised to learn that even some places in Texas and Arizona are the same or lower zones than you are...lol Sun plays no role but daylight hours do and you know we have plenty of daylight even if its raining...lol
LOL we must have been typing at the same time Sue!
Lol, Carla, at least our answers match-although you do a better job of explaining than I did! ;)
I was a nerd remember...lol
I think I prefer the parallel dimension theory...I want it to be 81 here today. ***waaahhhhhh*** =, (
cocoa - what kind of nerd? How can anyone with that great haircut be nerdish?
I was a nerd in school, loved my classes, loved to learn, loved the maths and sciences best....not social although I was a cheerleader freshman year because I love sports too! I disassociated from the group when they started telling me I could not hang with the friends I had...(nerds) I liked them much better than the cutesy blonds with all the make-up on...lol I was tiny and was the top of their pyramid so when I quit they had a huge missing part...lol and I could always do the splits without trying so I was an asset and when they wanted me to return to the squad and told them no you can imagine the problems I encountered! I had 3 brothers so it didn't take long for them to know I would not walk away and would fight to the depths to be allowed to walk the hallways and do what I needed.
I think they are the reason I still take very good care of my image, I wanted to prove you could be smart and look decent too!
Good for you, Carla - and I love your story!
Another factor is who visits us & when:
Southern zone 8 gets lots of visits by the Big Bad Wind.
Northern zone 8 gets visits by Arctic AirFlow, and relatives of Big Bad Wind.
I think we are due a long visit from Warm & Wonderful. Then we could direct sow, and get about the business of Tomatoes & Peppers & flowers that smell good.
Yeah - I know, it's a dream...
Katye ~ I'm right there with ya! I'm gonna have to restart most of my tomatoes, though all the peppers, even the ornamentals, are hanging in there in their little Jiffy greenhouses! I was planning on putting them out this weekend, but apparently will have to wait...oh...JUST a little bit LON-GER! Apparently, this is the coldest last day of March in Washington in 32 years. I really am beginning to think DH and I have something to do with this and may be starting to feel a little bitty guilty. . .maybe. . .just a skosh. . .sorta. . .
what the heck did you do?
did you pray for snow or something?
Good Lord! Hurry - Reverse engines!
As they say March is going out like a Lion.
Yes it is. I hope April does not charge in like a Rhinocerous!
OGFB
I can't take much more of this.
All right ladies!! I will do my ancient secret sun dance tonight!! It worked in the tanning booth, I am sure it will work again!! Close your eyes and think "I'm going to strangle Steve Pool if he is wrong!!". That works when I have one day off and want to golf. Now I just want one day off!!!lol
Believe it or not,I'm in the same USDA Hardiness zone as Kentucky-6b/7a.
USDA also doesn't take into account precipitation or average seasonal temperatures.
Gordo ~ hold that thought until Friday, at least for me! If it's gonna be yucky, let it be so for the next 3 days, THEN sunshine and flowers and birds and whatever! Workwork doesn't care if it's sunny outside but weekends do!
Ned and all ~ USDA is dorky! There's gotta be a better way!
OUTTA-The Sunset Western Garden Book has a good breakdown of microzones,but it doesn't match the USDA.Sure works better for the rain forest,though.
Vicky, Just took these today, these are my Astilbe's just coming up. do they look like this?
This is one that is growing fast.
That is what they look like : )
When they first start coming up. This is my first year with them, didn't know what to expect.
This was taken last year. Its first blooms I have 4 colors, red, pink, white and lavender.
oww, nice tils, and the dappled shade looks so inviting!
Hoping it will even look better this year.
OK This was weird. If any of you have been to my nursery you know I have mass stuff. Today I was in the middle of the nursery by the Hydrangeas and behind some taller hydrangeas and kind of below a table I had some astibles kinda of hidden there for a job. They were sprouted about 4 inches up and they had pretty leaves on them just a couple of days ago then today the little leaves had all been picked off. Look back at tilly's photo picture those stems but no leaves. None on the ground just gone. I think a deer would eat more of the stems. Plus I don't think they would walk into the middle of the nursery to only pick the leaves off the stems. I have my chipmunk who lives in the nursery and I caught him eating my dogtooth violet the other day while people were watching him. He didn't care. I don't think a squirrel would pick the leaves off. I'll get a picture tomorrow Any Ideas?
That is weired, slugs don't bother them. Chipmunks I have but with my cats, they don't come down to far, just scold from above. Maybe? Don't Know, All mine are coming up.
Probably the same thing that bites off the ends of my ice dance carex. I've decided that it's voles.
Voles!!! Aaaaaaaaaghhhhhhhh!!! I have been dealing with these sneaky little critters for 2 years. Don't know quite where they came from (I've lived here 10 years and they are more recent arrivals). They seem to really appreciate the vegetable garden. I have come up with a method of trapping that works fairly well. I put mouse traps in their runs, baited with a dab of peanut butter and a small chunk of apple, under upside down milk crates. They can get into the crate through the holes to get at the bait. They seem to like the extra cover, and the crate helps me locate where I have placed the traps around the yard.
