Plants I will buy this year
1) Some catmint. I don't know which cultivar, but it always seems to look good without alot of maintenance.
2) 'Sea Foam' artemisia. I'm not sure if I have the name right, but I have heard it is like the catmint above
3) A boxwood that is naturally round (no pruning) and stays green in winter. Is that a fantasy? I've never had a boxwood before (don't judge me).
4) More 'Rozanne' geranium. Blooms forever and I don't have to think about it.
--Steve Aitken, Editor, Fine Gardening
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My favorite for awhile now is
My favorite for awhile now is 'Walker's Low'; it keeps a great compact habit and it's a reliable rebloomer.
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
I'll second the Walker's Low.
I'll second the Walker's Low. I got two at a swap a few years ago and can't understand why the original owner decided to discard them. They're out in the meadow with the baptisia and salvias. None of the wildlife bothers them.
I've got a dwarf boxwood called Morris Midget that has a great shape but may be too small for anything but a trough. I've got a couple of variegated ones and some that I've picked up from the Raulston Arboretum plant give aways. I don't know much about any of them but I'm always looking for evergreens that tolerate shade.
As for what I'm going to buy this year, I try to go on impulse as much as possible, but I'm sure there will by dyckias and salvias and hellebores in there somewhere.
North Carolina - zone 7
Think I will try Eupatorium
Think I will try Eupatorium Chocolate. There is a lot of shade in the gardens here. The dark leaves and white flowers are really nice.
I have that. I ignore it and
I have that. I ignore it and it looks great. It can start to look sad (i.e. look like it might wilt without actually doing so) in too much sun or if it hasn't had water in a while.
I also recommend 'Walkers
I also recommend 'Walkers Low.' It is strong enough to survive my 3 cats rolling around in it. I hide those wooden chopsticks that restaurants give you with takeout right against the stems so they don't damage the main part of the plant.
As for me, I am going to plant so many things this year because I am in the midst of a complete re-terracing of my hillside yard. Many things were saved but other areas are a blank slate, filled with amended soil. I wake up realizing that I have been dreaming about what to plant in a particular terrace.
So far I've planted...
Japanese maples, including Acer japonicum 'Meigetsu'
Magnolia 'Merrill'
Cornus kousa 'Satomi'
Pittosporum 'Silver Sheen'
an assortment of dwarf conifers
Fuchsia thymifolia
Prunus 'Akebono', more 'Teague's Blue' bamboo, and more sasanqua camellias are next. And a few hydrangeas, although the ones in the nurseries are looking pretty funky and poorly pruned at the moment. I'm thinking of an Endless Summer and 'Limelight.'
Steve, I've got some nice
Steve,
I've got some nice rounded boxwood that came when I picked up a few bits of branches from some that were being taken in to a very fancy place for a very fancy private party. I potted them up and they all came up and thrived. Wish I could tell you what sort they were.
As for what I want for next year, I'd like a daphne, an abelia and a clethra since they're all fragrant. I hope the fragrances don't clash.
Northern Virginia, Zone 7A.
More Geranium 'Rozanne' for
More Geranium 'Rozanne' for sure! I'll bet if I push back the snow I could find a bloom or two. Okay, that might be an exaggeration, but only a slight one.
I really want a witch hazel tree, one of the ones native to CT... And a few low-growing junipers for my front beds. Not sure which ones yet.
I need a pollinator for my Ilex 'Dragon Lady', which didn't put out many berries this year. My Viburnum 'Winterthur' needs a pollinator, too.
I also need a few variegated Solomon's seal plants--yes, NEED--for the very back. That has to be my all-time favorite plant.
However, I probably won't get any gardening done this year since I'm due to have a baby, oh, any day now. But one can dream, right?
Congratulations Kate! I'm
Congratulations Kate! I'm really sorry you ended up with our mess on your plate as your due date approaches (or passes -- I always hated the +/- 2 weeks part of that). Hope you have a relatively stress free maternity leave.
North Carolina - zone 7
Thanks! On the bright side,
Thanks! On the bright side, working on a project this size is making the time fly by.
Thank goodness for those
Thank goodness for those silver linings! It takes great vision to see them sometimes.
North Carolina - zone 7
Congratulations! We'll have
Congratulations! We'll have to start a new thread about gardening with children. It will be awhile until your little one is out in the garden with you, but that time goes so quickly. Before you know it, you'll have a 'helper' in the garden!
Thank you. :) That sounds
Thank you. :) That sounds like a fun thread... I can't wait till he can enjoy it.
Wow, you sure did not need
Wow, you sure did not need all this stress right now. I used to just set up a portable playpen outdoors when I wanted to work out. Babies love to watch the leaves waving in the breeze or the bright colors of the flowers. Best wishes on the new arrival.
I was thinking a playpen in
I was thinking a playpen in the shade somewhere would be fun. I just realized this means I'll have company while I'm gardening this year. Yay!
Kate, Such wonderful news,
Kate, Such wonderful news, you are going to be a mommy! Sorry for all your troubles lately. I hope everything clears to sunny blue skies soon. You can always wear a baby sling while doing some garden chores and your son will better bond with you and the garden!
Oh, Varigated Solomen Seal is
Oh, Varigated Solomen Seal is one of my favorites too. I planted two patches a couple of years back and we had a horrible drought. Nothing returned the next year and I thought I lost them. Well, This year they came up and were beautiful. They held on till late fall with no damage from bugs or climate. Love them.
I know, it's so exciting... I
I know, it's so exciting... I just can't bite off more than I can chew, like I do every year. :)
I used to love all types of
I used to love all types of Solomon's Seal. So did the deer in my area. Now I don't grow Solomon's Seal.
I'll try to remember that the
I'll try to remember that the next time I complain about living in the city... I don't have deer problems, but I long for a wooded backyard.
My biggest challenge is never
My biggest challenge is never what to buy, there is plenty of choice, its WHEN.
In the Spring there is the Botannical Garden's sale with lots of weird and exotic stuf ffor cheap, but later in the summer there are so many deals to be had as the garden centres pack up.
For my "Freaking Huge hedge" I know I'll be buying Diabolo Ninebark out the wazoo, Probably around 20 plants. Now, will th edeals be better at the BG sale, at springtime "beat out the competition" sales around Victoria Day, or at fall clearance sales. Being both cheap and broke, it is a conundrum.
If it can die, I can kill it.
Certified Brown Thumb, 4th degree
WHEN is an issue for me, too,
WHEN is an issue for me, too, but for different reasons.
Each spring I find myself drooling over all the spring-flowering trees and shrubs, but I only like to plant trees and shrubs in the fall. By the time fall rolls around, I have a completely different list of must-have plants in my mind (usually summer or fall bloomers) and end up forgetting about all my favorite spring bloomers, which are either looking pretty tired or are impossible to find.
So, for three years I've meant to get a snowball viburnum, but I keep forgetting. I should suck it up and plant one this spring, but then I'll have to baby it all summer and I hate that!
Kate, have you got a working
Kate, have you got a working plan for your yard? Like a blueprint for your gardens?
I always forget how long a Mat leave is down there, but up here, if its in the right season a lot can be done with one person home to care for the house.
Here's a suggestion. Once the Christmas rush is past, go to a local greenhouse, and ignore the wind and snow outside. Sit with a coffee and cookie, and plan out your yard.
Now not only will you have an idea of the kind of plants you want, you'll have a reason for them that gives context and a defined role.
Instead of "those viburnums are beautiful, I should get one" you can say "I need a viburnum to fill out th elow spot inthe front garden, and to shade the Hostas I am going to put in there." The plants will start to mean more when they are part of an imagined landscape, and then they become easier to remember as they gain context.
If you see somethign that you like, you will start to think of where it fits into your design, or what it could replace. This can make your garden be more or less expensive, depending on what you see, and what its purpose is. It can also lead to heartbreak when you see the perfect plant (for me its Styrax Japonicus) and it won't fit your landscape/zone/budget/abilities.
If it can die, I can kill it.
Certified Brown Thumb, 4th degree
To Karen- I would not trade
To Karen- I would not trade living and gardening in the woods for anything.
To Dagwood- Did I say you are a true gentleman and a scholar? Well, you certainly are and I for one am glad to see you posting here.
Thanks Southernsoil. I have
Thanks Southernsoil.
I have to poke in every now and then. I try to keep abreast of things, what kind of person would I be to say I didn't like something without giving it a chance.
If it can die, I can kill it.
Certified Brown Thumb, 4th degree
I am back and forth on the
I am back and forth on the forums checking and posting a little. Ha! I've posted more lately than I ever have in the past. Y'all are bringing me out of my shell. I am gardener hear me roar.
I'm glad you are. Now we have
I'm glad you are. Now we have a NC contingent. You know, I think I must have driven right by you last summer when we went to Emerald Isle.
North Carolina - zone 7
Yes you did Karen.Before
Yes you did Karen.Before marriage I worked on the Island a little father up at Pine Knoll shores. I took care of two properties next door to each other and also a property at Atlantic Beach. It was full time work and I loved doing it. Now I take care of my own place, the pay isn't great but the side benefits are awesome.lol
For starters, Eryngium
For starters,
Eryngium 'Sapphire Blue', Penstemon 'Dark Towers', Pulmonaria 'Moonshine', Paeonia mlokosewitschii (Molly the Witch), Filipendula camtschatica, Paeonia rockii, Phlox 'Sherbet Cocktail', Stachys o. 'Pink Cotton Candy', and Diascia integerrima.
Re the Catmint...'Walkers Low' is excellent. It's dynamite with Kniphofia 'Flamenco'.