Long-flowering plants.
By spritzhenry
23 comments
This week, I have been very busy cutting back the perennials such as the Phlox, Lysimachia and Japanese Anemones. My husband has emptied the middle compost bin and started a new heap in the right-hand bin. Just as well, as all the greenery I have cut back will half-fill the empty bin! I haven’t nearly finished the job yet. I now have loads of compost to spread around the garden as a mulch.
I needed a break this afternoon after trying to dig out some of the Lysimachia as it has spread a little too far. I also moved some Rudbeckia ‘Goldsturm’ into the space I made, and planted the Rudbeckia triloba that I had originally planned for that bed. I looked for the second Salvia forsskaohlei I bought last week to go in next to the Rudbeckias – but it has completely vanished! Ah well, it will turn up I expect. It looks like this – has anybody seen it anywhere please?
So what did I do in my break? I ambled around the garden with my camera and took photos of what was in flower.
Then I thought about the plants that really do give a long show of colour in my garden.
Penstemons. I have quite a selection of different ones now. If you dead-head regularly, they flower for months.
Penstemon ‘Geoff Hamilton’
Penstemon ‘Snowstorm’
A lovely deep red one – sorry I can’t remember its name.
Then there’s my hardy Osteospermum jucundum. They are still flowering and have been since late spring.
The longest flowering plant – and the most prolific – is Erigeron karvinskianus. It seeds itself everywhere, and has to be controlled, but I love it and I am encouraging it to grow at the edges of my flowerbeds to unify the garden.
I have three perennial wallflowers in the garden: Erysimum is their latin name. I’ve got an apricot one, a bright yellow one and ‘Bowles Mauve’. They have all been in flower since May and still have buds on them.
Two annuals that seed themselves are welcome in the garden, as is Nigella – which is finished for this year – but the Californian Poppies in various colours are still going strong and so are the Nasturtiums.
I could go on and on – I took over 50 photos – but I make no apologies for ending with a photo of my favourite hardy Geranium which also flowers for months – here she is – ‘Rozanne’.
Tomorrow I shall be back to chopping and mulching – as well as keeping an eye open for that elusive Salvia – but I enjoyed my break – I hope you did too.
12 Oct, 2008
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Comments
Lovely photos Spritz. I wish penstemons would germinate in my garden, but it seems they don't like Spain, or altitude, or stony ground, or me?
After years of talking of pelargoniums instead of geraniums I now find that "pelargonium" is unknown here but "geraniums" abound everywhere, so I have had to unlearn the fact that they are pelargoniums!
13 Oct, 2008
Interesting blog Spritz. Penstemons do seem to do better in your climate. Mine are alive but have only had a few flowers this year. I put in some hardy geranium plants this year (bought as plants in early summer). They are alive but no flowers this year, so I have hopes for next year. You have so much in your garden, I'd love to see it in reality not only on the screen.
13 Oct, 2008
I enjoyed sharing your break Spritzhenry. My erigerons are doing well now but I haven't planted them in the ground yet until I've sorted a bit more out and decided where to put them. I hope they'll spread.
It's nice to have plants that go on flowering up to the winter really. I usually find my fuchsias are better in the autumn when I want to get them ready for hibernation. They remind me of myself - never ready for bed. lol
13 Oct, 2008
Good blog with lovely photos.
Thought I would help find your missing plant by putting Salvia forsskaohlei into GoY SEARCH.
Good news. On 7th October, a good-looking Labrador by the name of Henry, was on the trail of this plant.
Labradors are very good retrievers, so hopefully he'll use all his scent skills to track down your Salvia.
However, Salvia is an anagram of Saliva, so let's hope Henry doesn't get diverted by any tasty titbits he might discover along the way.
Please let us know of Henry's progress :o)
13 Oct, 2008
Thanks for that Barbara - lovely pics. I'm surprised you are cutting back your japanese anemonies already - mine are still going full throttle! My penstemons were a bit of a waste of space this year tho. Yours look lovely still.
13 Oct, 2008
Sid - it's really a question of weather. The forecast at the beginning of the week was for two dry days and then wet and windy (yet again) so I decided to get ahead of myself and clear the bed in the hope that I can try to remove more Japanese Anemone clumps. They had finished flowering - at least a couple of weeks ago. I had a real go last year and thought I'd got them a bit more under control - but no. There's even a clump growing under the new obelisk! I shall have to deal with that with weed killer. I thought I had made room for two Skimmias but they got overwhelmed and only one has survived! They have become thuggish, I'm afraid.
13 Oct, 2008
spritz - I'll add two more long-flowerers to your list.
Viburnum tinus has started and will keep going until April. And abutilon megapotanicum - I can't even remember when that was NOT in flower. It went right through last winter and is STILL going strong
13 Oct, 2008
Go on then - before I look it up, break it to me gently that Abutilon megapotanicum likes acid soil! You know that I have Viburnum tinus - several in fact! But I couldn't post all the photos I took - there were so many!
13 Oct, 2008
You know, I've read lots of times that Japanese Anemones are invasive, but my clump just refuses to spread - I wish it would as I love them - I've even taken small divisions and planted them elsewhere in the garden, but still they refuse to spread! Maybe the conditions don't quite suit them. Feel free to send all your 'spares' to me!! ;-)
14 Oct, 2008
If you come down in June and look around the garden, bring your fork with you and you can have as many as you want, Sid! Now there's an offer you can't resist....
14 Oct, 2008
Have you found your Salvia yet ?
14 Oct, 2008
It's a deal, Barbara! lol
TT - I bet Kev's got it....
14 Oct, 2008
Sid ~ I bet you're right :o)
14 Oct, 2008
No, not a sign of it - I went to the College and bought another one - I thought that would be certain to make it re-appear, but no. I think you may be right, Sid.
KEV! bring my Salvia back, please!
14 Oct, 2008
Abutilon megapotanicum does NOT need an acid soil, just reasonably well-drained in full sun. It is a floppy shrub so better trained - I am growing it against some trellis and tying it in from time to time.
Japanese anemones do not transplant very well and often take at least a year to settle down.
How can you lose that salvia? It self-sows as soon as your back is turned
14 Oct, 2008
Andrewr ~
Are some Japanese anemones less invasive than others?
I like your Anemone x hybrida 'Whilrwind' .
Under your photo you state : Not as vigorous as most.
Sid ~ Which Japanese anemones do you have?
14 Oct, 2008
Andrew, I have a habit of placing new plants in their pots to see if they will 'fit' in the designated spot. One got planted but I just can't find the other! Maybe it'll turn up as I continue to cut back the perennials. Or, as you say, I shall suddenly find lots of babies next year and THEN find it!
14 Oct, 2008
TT - Japanese anemones have tubers that as Andrew says can take a while to establish. Yes they can eventually become invasive but these in very mature long established gardens.
They are a beautiful plant but it takes years to get in the position like Spritz who can offer to give them away.
17 Oct, 2008
I wouldn't call them tubers, BB, more like rhizomes. I HAVE watered on some weedkiller on the clump under the obelisk, because I dug that area deeply last year and thought I'd got all of the 'roots' out - but obviously not.
I can't just leave them all to grow back next year as they simply take over and swamp my other plants and so in the spring I'll be back digging again. They need a lot of supporting, too, as the tall leaves and flowers would flop everywhere otherwise. Invasive is definitely the right word for them!
17 Oct, 2008
My Japanese Anemones have been in the ground only a few years but have spread far too much underground. They surprise me by coming up in odd places !
I think some types are less invasive.
You are right BB in that their flowers are pretty. :o)
17 Oct, 2008
Ok long and thin that grow downwards thought rhizomes then thought irises but I digress really didnt know what to call them.
Oh not explaining myself very well am I ? If planting for the first time then going to be many years before getting to your stage - that sound fair? Having a woodland garden I m very fond of them but can see how they compete with all that goes on in your garden, Spritz.
17 Oct, 2008
TT - you will HAVE to get a new camera for Christmas - or sort the old one out - here you go again, telling us that you have this or that plant in your garden, without a photo of it in situ! I can't wait to see more of your garden - it sounds so lovely and that one photo of the front garden with Bonsai posing was very pretty.
18 Oct, 2008
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Lovely shots as usual Spritz surprised you notice a missing Salvia amongst this glorious selection. My slugs do like the colour purple however.
Yes I too love hardy geraniums get a bit miffed with pelagoniums being called geraniums as think this does them a disservice.So tough so accomodating will tolerate most sites can be split and divided easily resist high levels of abuse - I ve cut them lifted them forgot about them for weeks .Looked dead but forgiven me as I planted them out to eventually recover.Great plants .
12 Oct, 2008