Viewing comments posted by jvdubb

I winter-sowed this plant in winter 2012-2013. Excellent germination. I planted out four plants. They all were about 20 inches tall, lush, and prolific bloomers. Bees love the amazing blue blooms. They produced an overwhelming amount of seeds. I did not want them to reseed because this is a hybrid, but I also thought the birds would benefit from the seeds in winter.

All four plants survived winter 2013-2014, but the plants were disappointing this summer. They got leggy, over 30 inches, and sparse. Definitely not attractive. I was quite disappointed.

I will winter sow them again this winter and possibly treat them as annuals. Final verdict TBD

I love the color of this grass in any season: pink, blue, copper. I have had this grass in zone 5 and zone 6. No hardiness issues in either zone. My one BIG complaint is that it is a flopper. I always see pictures of it upright. It never is for me. I have struggled for six years to find a support system for it that still allows it to look somewhat natural. I still have not found one. Grrr, this grass is beautiful and incredibly frustrating at the same time!

The blooms of this low-growing Coreopsis are the most interesting shade of yellow. It is almost as if they pulsate with a tinge of orange, but I have never been able to capture this color accurately in a photograph. While they are stunning on their own, the blooms are even more amazing when paired with blue flowers, such as Centaurea.

I find many Coreopsis plants to be aggressive reseeders. 'Nana' does not reseed for me, but my clumps have grown to a nice size without being overwhelming. It also sports pleasing chubby leaves.

This plant is a prolific grower in my zone 6 garden, as it was when I grew it in zone 5. I purchased a very small pot back in 2006. It has multiplied a million times over, but it does not reseed, at least for me. I have taken it with me through two moves. When a patch of it becomes too large, I pull it up and simply drop it in another area where I want it to take hold. NO digging or soil loosening required, or even watering! It turns the most lovely shade of reddish orange in the winter. I did have trouble with deer decimating it the winter of 2012-2013, but it grew back just fine in the spring and the deer have not bothered it since. No matter if they do. I have plenty!

I purchased three plugs of this Kudos Agastache from a co-op sale. I potted them up in one-gallon pots until I could figure out where I wanted to plant them. They grew in the pots faster than I expected. I transplanted two out into my flower beds. They settled in very nicely, and like all Agastaches, they are drought tolerant once established. I absolutely love it that they stay short. It is so nice to have an Agastache for the front of the bed. The color is so striking that it makes you stop in your tracks. I am interested to see how they overwinter for me. Even though I am in zone 6, I often lose some of my Agastaches every spring due to dampness from snow melt, despite their location in well-draining raised beds.

I also purchased three plugs of Kudos Ambrosia, Kudos Gold, and Kudos Mandarin. I thought there would be a clear favorite color-wise, but I really cannot pick one over another. They are all amazing!

I purchased two of these euphorbias in 2012. I was blown away by the way they looked the same that winter as they had in summer. I only cut back a few branches or part of branches late in spring 2013. They delighted me all through the growing season in 2013. Then came the winter. Deep snow and bitter cold temps. I lost both plants. I promptly bought two more in June 2014. I hope they survive this next winter, but if they don't, I will buy at least two more! Other than the problem with winter, these plants are drought tolerant and carefree in my zone 6 garden

I got Queen of the Prairie from my grandmother nine years ago. I have taken it with me through two moves. Currently I grow it in full sun and full shade. The plants in full sun multiply rapidly via runners. Every year I have to thin them. I do use supports to keep these tall stems upright. The blooms are so much fun. First, pearls of pink sometime around the beginning of July. Then they explode into cotton candy! They only bloom for about 10 days in my zone 6. Not long enough for these wonderful blooms! I have noticed that Japanese Beetles love all parts of this plant. However, they never seem to kill it even when they strip most of the leaves.

The plants in full shade do not multiply and do not get taller than 30 inches. They also do not bloom well.

In my zone 6 yard this plant is a NIGHTMARE! The previous owners planted it in a northside bed. It completely took over, to the extent of choking and killing shrubs. Then it jumped the metal edging and started into the lawn. When I first moved in I did not know what it was, just that I wanted to get rid of it. I sprayed it with Roundup over and over and it just kept coming back. Then I decided to dig it out. Awful! It has a horrible smell that is nearly impossible to get off your hands. There are very deep runner roots that sustain this plant, so merely removing the top growth will get you nowhere. It took me two years to relatively clear this bed. I literally dug out the bed two feet down and sifted the soil to try and remove every piece of root. I still find a bit coming up here and there. But I remove it immediately. I suspect it will always be there!

My mom grew this penstemon from seed for me five years ago. It started with a bang and has continued every year since with a bang! Next year I am going to have to downsize it as it has taken over quite a large area. I find the blooms have an almost iridescent quality. My only complaint about this flower is that it only blooms in spring. It is so pretty I wish it would go all summer long!

I purchased this plant from Lowe's four years ago. It has been very prolific for me. The plant itself got huge and I had to thin it out several times. It blooms in spring and will bloom two more times until fall if I keep up on removing the spent blooms. Other than dead heading, I find it requires no special care.

My first year growing this dahlia. I started it in a pot and transplanted it out in June because we still had frost in May this year. The first bloom had very little white mixed in with the red, but subsequent blooms had a nice mix.

I just purchased this grass. I was drawn to it because it is supposed to top out at around 12 inches. However, I am confused because I have seen some pictures of supposed 'Northern Lights' that are three feet tall! I plan to situate it near the front of my bed. I hope it stays short. I will have to report back later after I have had it for a season

Beautiful flower, but unfortunately it is a thug! I winter sowed this and planted out late in spring. Flowered all summer in my cottage garden. Doing fall clean up, I found it had spread dramatically up to two feet in every direction. It sends out deep runners underneath and through the root systems of other plants. I removed all I could, even digging up the plants it invaded and surrounded. I'm sure now I will be fighting to eliminate this for years to come. Pity, it is a pretty flower.

I have had Apricot Sprite overwinter in my zone 6 garden for three years.