Spring Report Card

Oh no...if those are flowers, they are a terrible disappointment then. I wonder what could have happened?? They are a pale, brownish pink color. Thick like a leaf, but shaped like a flower. The flowers are supposed to be hot pink...but if these are flowers, they were never hot pink. I'll have to get a picture tomorrow...

Thanks for the pic venus. That plant is growing from that old stick in the pic I posted. What i am thinking is that I bought that plant last year and at some point started thinking it was Delphinium. LOL
My memory is not too reliable. And last year my garden fever wasn't in full bloom, and tags were not a priority.
Anyhow, if someone around here recognizes that mystery plant let me know. Will also post it at the appropiate forum.
Thanks again!

Do you remember what the blooms looked like?

Dulci, thank Victor for the pic, wasn't me. But it kind of reminds me of a hardy geranium. Did you have any planted in the area? Cranesbill?

Don't think so, Weeze. Looks a bit too shiny and thick, but I could certainly be wrong. But it does look familiar.

I'm really happy that it looks like everything I have made it thru the winter, except for maybe one ghost fern that petered out before the end of last season.

My Hydrangea Macrophylla "Merritt's Supreme" has green buds all the way to to tips of the canes and it leafing out (I built a winter protection box for it, which I've been cursing, but it will be worth it if I get a lot of blooms this season).

Guardian Angel Heuchera was flattened many times under snow and ice, but that fluffed right back up and is looking great...better than all my other Heuchera.

I just counted 16 eyes peeking up on Hosta 'Regal Splendor', which I think means that it will look pretty regal this year! (and maybe it's time to divide?)

Didn't lose anything along the side of the house to mice this year, so that's good.

Last year, two Brunnera "Jack Frost" didn't make it thru the winter, and were planted in different areas of the garden. I went ahead and purchased one more last year and that one did make it, and is about to put out some flowers. No idea what went wrong with the two from the previous year.









This message was edited Apr 30, 2008 8:50 PM

Oops! Thanks Victor LOL... See what I mean?
The flowers were very very similar to this one even the color, which now that I think about it is the reason why I kept thinking it was a Delph, this is Mullein Vervascum. The leaves in this plant do not resemble the ones on my original picture either. But boy do the flowers look alike. What do you say?

No - not verbascum leaves either.

Noreaster, I lost about 10 Brunerra "Jack Frost" last winter (2006/2007). We had a very mild start to our winter, until early January, then it got much colder very suddenly. Did you have the same weather? If so, your Brunnera probably suffered the same fate as mine. I think they may not like wet soil in the winter. Because it's one of my favorite shade perennials, I replaced all of them last spring and they did all survive this winter.

Ouch, losing ten would really hurt! Yeah, I'm in Maine, so my winter was probably comparable to yours. I didn't know they were so fussy? I only bought one last year because they are still pretty pricey at nurseries and I didn't want to lose any more than the two I already lost. They really do light up the shade, don't they? I saw the variegated Brunnera at the nursery the other day and that also caught my eye.

I didn't loose any plants or bushes here at all... we didn't have much of a winter! More like a continuation of fall except for the intensity of the sun's rays. I barely went under 19°F and our most severe snow storm was 5" which was completely gone in 2 days! For the entire winter we had less than a foot of snow. ☺

We had some snow, but I can't really remember too many bitterly cold, frigid days...if any. Our snow melted off pretty fast too, especially in our yard as compared to the neighbors.

Victor, someone recognized it at the ID forum. Is called Sidalcea malviflora, and the first leaves are different than the leaves at the stalks, and the flowers are identical!
Thnks because otherwise I was going to mark it as Delphinium in the garden.
This case is closed! LOL

Venu if you remember that from last year.... someone or something has blessed you.... i started the journal for a reason.. i have crs

I lost my rhody capistrano, only 2 of the 12 thymus alba came back, only 7 out of 12 ajuga p torch made it, I lost 1 helebore(bluestone is replacing the thyme, ajuga and the helebore) my primrose didn't come back, my winter aconite was very spotty. All my dafs and tulips
look(ed) great. The phlox(orange perfection) I moved to a more sunnier location is coming up fine. The monarda and the aquilegia took off(couldn't be happier). I was a little worried about my trumpet vine but it started growing, Yay! My roses survived. I'm worried about some of the irises, since during the hot weather had began to really grow, but now looks a little stunted.
so overall I guess the grade would be a "B"

montauk daisy, crazy daisy, smoke bush, not sure how to spell it but the common name is torch flower, that is all I can think of right now.

The return of the Delphiniums (most of them) were my greatest thrill. The one surviving clematis from a co-op, last year, is about 6" tall so that is more good news.

Daylilies I've bought over the last three years are the greatest disappointments. They return but never do nearly as well as the old reliables. Their bud count is certainly not true for the northeast and too many places play with colors so they're not what they should be. I never thought the day would come when I'd refuse to buy daylilies but the time has come.

Donating daylilies to a friend's project to earn his Eagle Scout badge gave me much more room for dahlias this year. They came back for another few dozen later in the day.

Great to hear, Dulci. Case solved!

Pirl, That is quite a gift and most likely going off to a good project. Is he going to to hybridize them?

I bought a mess of DL a couple of years ago and am waiting to see if they come up to snuff too. I am thinking that I love many of the older ones better generally as well. I always would rather have a sturdy and reliable plant than a fickle and fleeting gem in my garden, however I love seeing those wonders elsewhere. Here is an old unknown favorite that just blasts out the blooms each year. Patti

Yes, very generous, Pirl!

I agree that the oldies are the most reliable. I also prefer BIG clumps, like yours, and not these wimpy plants that have increased by one fan in two years. Phooey on that!

Yes, the plants are going to a church memorial for a beloved priest (whom I never knew or met). The true test of devotion will be how well the area is kept over the next few years.

Thanks, Victor. It helped me make room for dahlias so it wasn't all that altruistic.

Two birds...

Score!

I think this might be the crape I gave last rites to. Victor can you tell if it's emerging crape?

It does resemble crape foliage.

I agree.

Two thumbs up....cause for celebration. Thank you Victor and Pirl.

I started three hollyhocks last summer, only one survived the winter.
A few of the Lupine 'Gallery' (15") were ruined by deer hoofprints.
I put in four Blue Star Creepers in the fall, and it looks like none of them made it. That made me mad - I'll wait awhile, though.
Of the three primulas I ordered from Big Dipper, this one didn't make it
(Ken Dearman, a double):

That's a lovely color. They'll replace it, right?

I'm sure they will. I wanted to wait a bit just to make sure it wasn't sluggish. So I haven't contacted them yet. Probably this week.

I ordered a rose tree and a Floribunda and planted them April 12, after they soaked for two days, and saw nothing happening until Thursday, May 1. The Floribunda still hasn't changed from the original dead as a doornail look. I had notified them about both plants so there shouldn't be a problem.

Very nice, Sue. I never tried primulas.

I will take some photos of my primulas today... funny the ones i grew from seed i think it was 2 years ago maybe 3 still haven't bloomed

Pirl,
Your rose tree, is it from Dutch Gardens? I got the Yellow patio one and put it in pot....I drag it out every morning and back in every night. I finally have some new growth, but i've had it at least 3 weeks.

It's from J & P who is now owned by Wayside. The quality is not the same to me.

You did stake the rose, right?

No....it stood up all by it's self w/out a problem. Should I stake it when I transplant it outside?

These are the instructions I received from J & P about rose trees and staking for the two I ordered from them last year. This year there were no instructions in the package. You might want to write to Dutch Gardens to see if they recommend it.

No instructions like that came. Thanks Pirl...I'll look into it!!!!!

Speaking of roses.
I know there are 7,923,652 different roses but I was wondering about a "Tea rose" that we stuck outside about 4 years ago. It is one tuff little bush. Every spring I figure it is a goner and sure enough back it comes. Whats the deal with this little bush? I don't know the name but I would be interested in knowing if I should be doing anything for it.
Chuck