Viewing comments posted by TheMainer

The unique beauty and sweet scent when they're in full bloom is a wonderful addition to my garden. I leave the spent blooms for the small birds to feed on the seeds. After that, I cut them and bring them in as a dried flower. I conceal the browning foliage with Electric Plum Heuchera, which gives a nice color contrast to the allium blossoms.

The flower of the Bleeding Heart gives it the nickname of Lady in a Bath because if you pick a flower and hold the white center pointing up, then gently pull the two narrow pink pieces away from the white center, the lower pink lobes form a pink "bathtub" and reveals the form of the head, arms and body of the "lady".

The Honeycrisp I've had for seven years finally had several blossoms last year. I have a nearby Cortland and a couple of flowering crabapples that are in bloom at the same time which are supposed to be the necessary pollinators for it; however, I haven't gotten any fruit from it yet. It hasn't ever had any disease and stays very healthy until the Japanese Beetles arrive. The beetles skeletonize nearly all the leaves on the Honeycrisp and don't touch any of my other apple trees. I'm not giving up yet.

In 2009 I bought a 4-inch pot and planted it on my dirt stairs leading from my back yard to the side yard. It grew very well there and soon covered all four stairs. Then it branched out into the flower beds to both sides and was escaping into the lawn and the side yard where it was definitely not wanted. After a giant fail in chasing after it, I decided to remove it all. I am STILL trying to get rid of it all. Each year I've hoped it wouldn't return, but somehow it does. There are lots of mistakes I as a gardener have made, but this is the biggest ever. I'm hoping next season I will win the war against this seemingly innocuous beauty.

I have one bush that was on the property line when I bought my home. My good neighbor likes it, so it stays. It attracts hummingbirds and lots of bees. I've read Lonicera blossoms are edible and can be used to make jelly, tea, and be put on salads, but I'm not sure if that applies to Tatarica. Persistent red berries appear after blossoming which I see are attracting Robins, Cedar Waxwings, and Starlings. Sparrows and Robins nest in this gnarly bush every year. It's listed as invasive, but it hasn't caused any problems here. It has a lot of shallow fibrous roots. Aphids found the bush a couple of years ago and have feasted on it ever since which causes the growth at the end of the branches to deform. Berries have a low toxicity level for humans.

I have several of these in varying degrees of sun and shade, and they all seem to adapt and do well. For the first year of the one facing southwest with an umbrella to protect it against burning in the afternoon sun. After that it hasn't needed any special care.

After the frost pushed up an established Silver Scrolls, I dug it up, roughly broke off pieces of it with no roots whatsoever and pushed them into the ground. Five of the nine pieces took root and quickly grew beautifully into healthy plants. Really easy to propagate.

It has certain microbial properties. This area has a puddle of water from melting snow in early spring for a week or so, and it doesn't seem to mind it at all. It is evergreen in my 4B garden.

Does not like to be moved. Deters rodents, aphids and even slugs. Bulblets form along the main bulb. Makes a good dried or cut flower that can last for several weeks. Will naturalize. Drought tolerant. Stays in bloom a long time. Heavy feeder. Leaves and bulbs have mild onion-like aroma when cut or bruised. Websites advertised that its leaves will last through the season, but mine did not.

I wasn't able to find much information about this peony, but I read on a couple of sites that it may have been known as 'Highlight'. If that is true, the hybridizer was Auten/Wild & Son in 1952. It stands up to rain very well with strong stems and two to three side buds per stem. My Armani reached 45 inches tall and 30 inches wide this season in its fourth year.

Sweet Harmony was a little slow to get started but does very well once it does. It needs staking because of the really long flower stems, large blossoms, and multiple side buds. Those extra-long stems make it a nice cut flower. The scent is sweet but not overly strong. I can't find much information about its background.

This is my favorite peony of my 32. This peony got 43 inches tall last year while it was in full bloom. It does need some staking, but it is well worth it.