Sorry about your odd weather.
I have such bad luck with seeds.I only direct sow flower seeds of the hardiest plants.
Shade Garden Inspiration - Show off your garden!
We shouldn't have another freeze. I think that it would be safe to put out seeds depending on their individuality - like don't sow caladiums for instance. YOu must have good earth if you are direct sowing. I'm jealous.
No good earth here,clay and rocks. I have mulched and used compost for the 3 years I have been here. I direct sow easy to germinate plants like annual poppies and Larkspur.I will also sow cosmos as soon as its warm enough.These are self propegating plants anyway.
Oh I see. How wonderful that you can sow those beautiful plants. I love cosmos particularly.
It's been awhile since I visited this thread and I've been missing out - so many great ideas!
Terri, that slope of Tiarella at Longwood is stunning!
ge, always the enabler :) Your collages often give me TOO many ideas! LOL I've been thinking about adding Lilies to the list of plants for my new garden but now I'm wondering if I'd just be inviting the deer! So far they haven't touched the Daylilies that border this area but giving them more choices to munch on might be too much temptation for them :(
Weerobin, your photo of 'All Gold' Hakonechloa inspired me! I have always loved the bright foliage of Heuchera 'Citronelle' in this bed but late last fall discovered the blasted weevil has probably killed at least 2 of the 3 planted here :( I tried 'All Gold' last summer in another bed and loved it - more vigorous than 'Aureola'! I'm thinking AG might be a perfect replacement for the Heuchera :)
KaylyRed, I was successful keeping my "plain ol' Dicentra spectabilis' going strong through late summer in my Maine gardens by cutting them back but no luck here in the warmer climate of VA. It took me several years to find a good match to mask the bare spot left when 'Gold Heart' goes dormant. It might not work for you, although there is one report of success growing it in Z5a in PF, Hardy Begonia (Begonia grandis) http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/722/. It's a perfect solution because it comes up late and by the time Dicentra is beginning to go dormant, the foliage of the Begonia quickly fills in the bare spot and is a gorgeous late summer bloomer! Still in bloom in early September...
beautiful
That begonia is beautiful! My dicentra usuallly stays the summer here in WI when I cut it back, but I'm tempted to give that begonia a try either way, because it's lovely. Don't recall ever seeing it around here before, but I'm all about zone pushing. :)
Lovely garden, rcn, and that begonia is stunning.
The best part about the Begonia? It self sows everywhere! :)
I too, love those Hardy Begonias. As Debbie says, they spread very easily by dropping seeds/bulbils and are very easy to dig up and move or remove if they spread too much. Mine were blooming up into November this past year.
Doug
RCN,
Thanks for posting your pictures. It is very inspiratonal. I'm new so this was the first place I stopped. Nice to "meet" you all.
Doug, I live in Somerset. Can I grow begonias like yours here? Do you have to dig them up for the winter or just mulch them and leave them in the ground?? I'm planning a shade garden and am looking for some color besides green ferns and hostas. Any body have any suggestions.
Welcome to DG, weare6ponders! You're bound to enjoy the people and the variety of topics covered here.
i'm going to go ahead and start a new thread here. It's getting too long.
Here we go!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1085822/