I'm tired of things getting out of control and requiring a lot of digging or pulling, plus crawling into plants is contraindicated where I garden with lots of deer ticks ... also I only get to garden on the weekend ... so what are your favorite clump forming perennials or moderate sized shrubs that look good year round and don't cause too much trouble? I like my wine and roses wiegela for one ...
All good points - I feel the same. Geranium macrorrhizum, daylilies, hellebores and hostas for shade, dwarf Japanese maples, Spirea thunbergii, callicarpa, fothergilla, enkianthus, itea, Physocarpus Coppertina and Summer Wine, some small viburnums all pop to mind right away.
Victor you are good!
Thanks Allison!
victor is that all you can come up with?
LOL you guys picking on Victor again? I agree with all his selections. My biggest low mait. thing is drought tolerant. I know most of you had way too much rain last year but in this section of NE we have had a summer drought the last few years. So any plant that doesn't need additional water very often once established tops my list for low mait. plants. Lavender, Russian sage, euphorbia, smoke bush,agastache,gaillardia, sea holly, and sedums.
Hee hee - that was just a quick list. I agree with agastache, gaillardia and lavender, provided very well-drained soil is available. I have had some spreading of certain euphorbia, sea holly and sedum.
Rose Campion looks nice with its fuzzy grey leaves and fuscia flowers. For me, oriental poppies grow just about wild. They green up in the fall, die back and then come up again in the late spring and bloom in the summer for about a week. They do make a splash.
I have to most definitely agree with AYC on the oriental poppies. They don't give a long show but it's dazzling for that week. And other than digging a hole they demand nothing else.
edit for spelling blunder
This message was edited Dec 31, 2008 5:19 PM
by the way, I also agree with Victor and Allison
Very agreeable, Weeze!
One of my favorites, which I think might also be often overlooked, is
Filipendula hexapetala
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/153/
I like the fern-like leaves, and the flowers attract butterflies, insects, and possibly birds.
I inherited a clump from my grandmother's garden, and whenever we got postcards from Nana in her travels she always signed them either Aspidistra (which dad thought was VERY appropriate, heeheehee) or Filipendula hexapetala.
Ah .... such fond memories!
Gee, after Victor has a go at it, it makes one hard-pressed to make additions! Well Done!!! Coppertina is definitely on my To Get List!!!!
Mine would be Dianthus. I started some last spring from seed and it grew great! Very low maintenance and it still looks pretty in my front flower bed.
I'm a fan of many grasses, particularly those only requiring cutting back in late winter. With the extra moisture this area gets, they truly are low maintenance.
Another benefit: able to suffer the abuse of large dog tails.
I'll add shrub and other low-maintenance roses. I think the lowly black eyed susan deserves credit too. Its kinda too easy.
Hey Victor -- what enkianthus are you talking about? I'm not familiar with it and there seem to be different species ... I have to say that I've found daylilies to be problematic ... I finally dug out my two big clumps from my big bed and put them along the fenceline where mowing should keep them in check ... the agastache I have spreads quite a bit -- my husker red penstemon and liatris spread like crazy too -- I guess I have to get in there and deadhead them ... I like them too much to get rid of them!
Thanks for all your suggestions ... I'm getting into hydrangeas lately -- just got baby grand and limelight ... love my rhododendron and spiraea anthony waterer -- absolutely no care ... I have the oriental poppies and love them ... japanese anemones too ... love hostas, neat and no care ...
Anything else?
WNY -- Filipendula looks very interesting -- I'll look into it. And Saanansandy I love dianthus too -- plan to get more of it ...
There are small varieties of Enkianthus campanulatus. Even the bigger ones grow very, very slowly. Mountain laurel (Kalmia) is care-free too. Oakleaf hydrangea Pee Wee is very nice. I have it. Pinky Winky is another nice hydrangea that can be kept small with pruning.
Okay folks - help me out here. I need some super simple, easy to grow and maintain flowers for the terrace. I won't be around for six weeks this summer, so I have to rely on others to maintain things.
I am thinking zinnias, marigolds, amaranthus - what else?
Well maybe annual like Dusty Miller for the nice silver foliage, rudbeckias, annual salvia like Black and Blue or a nice red one, and portulaca for a ground cover or low grower. I'm sure you will get lots more suggestions.
Annual salvia! Of course! Are dusty millers hard to start?
Hyssop is another easy one and drought tolerant, but if people are walking through there you might want to rethink that one. Draws a HUGE amount of bees.
Dusty millers are easy/peasy warm germinators for me Seandor.
I've had them (dusty miller) over winter here at my old house.
CrockNY: Another I like is Coreopsis. Nice height and bright colors.
I wanted more Filipendula hexapetala (vulgaris), so I recently purchased seeds "online" from Pase Seeds, only to discover they are about 10 minutes down the road from here!! Although, this is the first time I purchased from them, I would recommend them and am going to place another order.
If you are the seed starting sort, here is what I experienced:
http://www.paseseeds.com/servlet/StoreFront
These are VERY tiny seeds and they took a while to germinate (maybe I didn't do it just right, plus, I let them sit a year before I planted them).
Once germinated, they are tiny and fragile sprouts, luckily I planted them in containers inside the greenhouse. I would also use a very fine medium to germinate them next time, as I lost a few of the seedlings when watering moved around the not so fine growing medium. This is probably why they do not spread very quickly.
Next time I will start them in sand with very finely screened peat and only mist them, I bet they will love it!
Here is one of the containers I started this spring. I have them over-wintering in the greenhouse to get some size behind them before I put them in the ground outside. I think there are 5 in this container.
Very nice WNY -- looks like you did well ...
Some of the other plants mentioned by others grow easily but also spread easily in my garden -- I have coreopsis all over the place ... I don't mind getting a few new plants but this is ridiculous!
Yes, Victor -- I'm very interested in the Pee Wee oakleaf hydrangea -- I have just the spot for it! Also, which enkianthus variety do you have? Would it be evergreen in my zone (5a)? It looks like a wonderful plant -- how come I've never heard of it???
Not evergreen. I have a number of them. Campanulatus, perulatus and some hybrids.
OMG
I have been using my last years picks of the gardens in Photoshop, and making plans for plants this year.
I just had to get a tighter reign on the gardens so I didnt over spend and keep better track of the space I have left after last year.
The gardens were so bare when I started I just ordered numbers willy-nilly and put things where they would look nice.
Now I'm down to graph paper to make sure there is room for whats on order now and I dont go nuts ordering more than I need.
I just discovered a good site -- Caryinstitute.org -- under Visitor Info -- Green Landscaping Tips they have whole lists of easy maintenance plants ... also other tips about critters and such ...
Are spirea easy care - cause a whole bunch of spirea seeds I received in trade just germinated . . .
I got this one only last year.... not much help to you
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/137039/
I think mine is a different kind - I did winter sow Caryopteris last year and they have the most intensely blue flowers!
I didn't see any mention of coneflowers (or did I miss it?) I have a beautiful clump of 'Ruby Giant' that I have had for 5 years and haven't done a thing to it. And there are so many gorgeous choices now.
seandor what kind on spirea is it - some are very invasive.
as for care they are very easy - i trim mine hard in the early spring to encourage more blooms.
The LAST orders go in Monday
Forest Farm Heucheras
Autumn Haze
Obsidien
Sashay
Big Dipper
Aqueligia Black Barlow
Liatris Purple and White
Bluestone (again)
Veronica Blue Carpet
Sedum Seboldi
Pictured topleft: siboldie sedum Astilbe Amethyst
Heuchera Sashay and Obsidien
Another nice list you have there JoAnn. You will really like the 'Obsidien' heuch. I have also ordered the astilbe and a couple of heuchs,'Purple Petticoats' and 'Peach Flambe'. I will be interested to see some pics of the heuch "Sashay'.
you will like the sedum as well!
I thought you mentioned that sedum last fall, might have had a pic too.
The Heucs are all shortwe ones less than 10 inches hi and 16 inches across.
I've had sedum sieboldii for many years - great plant. Obsidian is very nice.
