Plants/Trees/Shrubs you can't live without

18 years ago

Since we have a thread on what was a disappointment, I want to hear what you guys can't live without and what grows well here.

I have only been here a month, so I should hardly be the one to post, but I can't live without my clovepinks. I love the scent. I love the blue mats they make.

Peonies. I especially like the festiva maxima even though it is an old variety, and my single Japanese white one.

Cimicifuga racemosa "Hillside Black Beauty" breathtaking!

Stewartia pseudocamilia.....well, you've heard me gush on this one before....

I thought this would help me in designing my new gardens....go for it guys! Trees/shrubs are especially interesting to me at this point.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

viburnumvalley
18 years ago
You might have guessed what I'd advocate: viburnums. Too many good ones out there; you must have at least a few, and certainly make sure you get good cross-pollination.

My current passion is the native range of the genus, and determining the tolerances of same. V. acerifolium, V. dentatum (and friends), V. molle, and V. rufidulum. I'm getting over my V. nudum insanity, now that I have a passle of pollinators around the yard.
storygardener
18 years ago
I think my garden/landscape would have to include at least one Japanese Maple, lilac, forsythia, hydrangea & hibiscus. Of course, shade trees are a must too.
Related Discussions
seed growing gizmos & gadgets you can't live without...
Q
Comments (37)
I agree a zillion times on the heat mats! I have 12 of them and need more of them. I do like the idea of using a heating blanket, never thought of that, it would be perfect size for starting flats of Caladiums this year, as last year I didnt have enough heat mats for them and it took forever for them to sprout. Lights are also vital for me, I have way way way too many of them in our home, occupying 4 different "grow rooms". Other gizmos, I use a large turkey baster for watering individual plants. The baster seems to let out just the right flow of water, as the watering cans seem to spill water into individual plants that dont need watered. This can be time consuming, but necessary until flats are all drying out at the same time. I bottom water all seedlings until they have been transplanted. I also use, well it isnt a gadget but it is a technique really, a gallon water jug where I mix my fertilizer at HALF STRENGTH with water, and I will use equal portions of this (as needed) with WARM water, which gives me a 1/4 strenght fertilizer for all seedlings/plants that get watered. As you know, you should never water with cold water, but if you mix a batch of fertilizer and then dont need to use it all right away (say, a gallon amount), it gets cold in its container. So, I allow the gallon jug to get cold and then just mix with warm water, whatever amount I think I may need. I just use a second water jug and mix equal parts. No fertilizer waste! I also use valve action markers in different colors that I use to right on my pots, so I know what is in them. I dont actually right out the whole name, such as Petunia 'Tidal Wave Silver', but I will simply write a small TWS on the pot, so I know what it is without using tags, because tags can (and do!) fall out. In the off season, after I scrub my pots, I use a black valve action permanant marker and mark over these labels so that the next season they are ready to go. I also have jillions of pie plates, muffin tins, and pot pie tins which I use for sowing seeds. These are the perfect depth for planting almost all seeds. Though, I am now beginning to use more commercial plug trays, I still use lots of the muffin tins for planting up to 25 seeds. I also use cut up sections of plug trays for "jimmying" up the different containers to reach the light. For instance, right now I have several containers with impatiens seedlings and several with petunia seedlings, which are about an inch difference in height. I jimmy up the petunia seedlings in the flat so that they are the same height as the Impatiens, and all plants are the same distance from the lights. My plants almost touch the lights! I also use little tiny baby toothbrushes for scrubbing plug trays and bottle brushes for cell packs and pots. My husband designed some "free standing" grow light racks for me for when my plants have outgrown the shelves. We drape several chains over a table and hang the lights under the table, and I can keep growing on my plants when they are quite tall. I can raise the lights up to two feet if I wanted to! Most plants dont get that tall though before getting hardened off, but the height is nice for getting containers going early. Anyone can build this, just get a good old sturdy table. I also do the wet toothpick trick! Works great for "smashing" pellets also. I like to smash my pelleted seed so that they all germinate at about the same time. Another thing to do with the toothpick--if any of you are like me and want to conserve every single seed that germinates, I get frustrated when I have a container of ready-to-transplant seedlings and I look closely and see several seedlings that had just sprouted. Especially with seed that was expensive, like impatiens! What I do is, I keep an eye on the flats and I will use a toothpick to remove some of those tiny germinated seedlings from the container, and move them one by one into a new container. Since they have just germinated, there is only a very tiny root system, so you dont hurt it at all by moving it. If I did not move them, they would get ruined when I transplant the larger seedlings to cell packs. I also keep an eye out for ungerminated seeds,in particular with impatiens or seeds that I spent a lot of money on. I dont quite understand why they dont all germinate at the same time, but it happens all the time! I will use a toothpick to pick up the seeds, put them in a new container and back under the domes for germinating. This also keeps me from losing those baby seedlings I mentioned before. Tedious? Sure! But I strive to get everything I canfrom what I spend on seeds! Anyway, those were my gadgets! Neat post!
...See More
3 WS Flowers You Can't Live Without
Q
Comments (2)
I like winter sowing balloon flowers. Mine are already sprouting here in Nashville, even with this arctic chill.
...See More
Six Plants I Can't Live Without
Q
Comments (17)
I always have a problem with naming just a couple of plants you can't do without - each season presents it own favorites but I am going to look at this from a four season aspect and longivity of enjoyment Crepe myrtles - long blooming season, great fall color and interesting winter structure Lorapetaleum - keeps its leaves all winter - leaf color changes with the season, sporadic pink blooms all year and versatile enough to fit as a shrub or a tree Violas - I can get a good solid 3 season of bloom from them - good reseeder and they just pop up in the cutest places and always bring a smile to my face Hostas - while not 4 seasons for me - I can get close to three - my woodland garden would not be complete w/o them - the more I can get the happier I am - the range of size of cultivars is amazing Heucheras - 5 years ago this plant would not be on my list but the amazing range of new foilage can't be beat - again I can get enjoyment all 4 seasons. Dianthus - again usually 4 seasons of bloom - they tend to tucker out in the heat of the summer but I just shear them back and a month later they are blooming like crazy For just enjoyment regardless how fleeting..... Dogwood Clematis lilies larkspur gardenia columbine Lynne
...See More
When you finally find the plant you can't live without ...
Q
Comments (8)
Hi Lilyfinch, Yes that Mexican Shell Flower is a sight to see,..it does multiply to more than double the following season,..they are by no means a small bloom as my smallest are 4 inches wide and the large ones 6 inches,..i collected the seeds last year and have seedlings just now as well as the mature plants,..the only drawback is that the bloom only lasts for a day however next morning there will be more blooms,..i have red,..yellow and pink just now but they have produced cross blooms. Keep daydreaming about where you will plant your new beauties,..gardeners dream a lot,..smile. =============================================== Hi midnightsmum, Ah so you were also smitten with the Mexican Shell Flower,..now you can understand my longing to have some. I will check my seed collection for yourself and Lilyfinch,..i am sure i have some left as i gave away quite a good few at the start of Spring. About your Hollyhocks,..it is said they grow in almost any soil,..i grow them myself from seeds and sow the seeds outside in late Autumn just before the frost arrives,..they do thrive on moist rich soil and a sunny location,..i also use Miracle Grow and a must is to spray the leaves with fungicide to prevent hollyhock rust which is airborne,..i will keep my fingers crossed for you with your Butterfly Bush. Philip
...See More
storygardener
18 years ago
As for plants...clematis, daylilies, coneflowers, cranesbill geraniums, heuchera and phlox are plants I can't live without.
gardengirl_17
18 years ago
Trees - Serviceberry; Magnolia; Japanese Maples
Shrubs - Viburnum judii and tomentosum plicatum; Ninebark, boxwood, Weigela, Oakleaf Hydrangea
Conifers - Many!
Plants - Heuchera, ornamental grasses, clematis, daylilies, coneflowers, balloon flowers, Hosta, peonies, Lady's Mantle, Sedum, bleeding heart, Hakone grass
Annuals - Zinnia
Kymie17
18 years ago
Trees - Japanese Maples, doublefile Viburnum, cherry (both sour and sweet), ninebark
Shrubs - oakleaf hydrangea, mountain laurel, cotoneaster, leucothoe
Perennials - heuchera, peony, baptisia, ornamental grasses, dwarf iris, bergenia, hosta
Herbs - oregano, lavender, tarragon, chives, thyme, sage--lots of sage!, basil
Annuals - sweet alyssum, tomatoes, sweet peppers, fuschia
Magret
18 years ago
Tree - Bur Oak, Magnolia, Dogwood
Shrub - Beauty Berry, bit of a challenge, but worth it!
Perennial - Coneflowers, Salvia, Hyssop, Viola
Herb - Lavender, Oregano, Lemon Verbena, Basil, Melissa
Annuals - Too numerous to mention!
mrsgeekboy
18 years ago
Hmmm...

A lot of my "must haves" seem to come from my childhood, things my mother and grandfather grew in in our yard when I was growing up: lilacs, roses, sweet alyssum, petunias, lilies, tulips, daffodils. Old favorites, but that doesn't mean they aren't BEAUTIFUL. I did, however, learn from them that you should grow mint in a container!

I also love daisies, black-eyed Susans, coleus, caladium, Japanese maple, hosta, dusty miller, daylilies and pansies.

I grow culinary stuff in containers because my yard is all clay and I just have to have tomatoes (my husband is allergic so they are mine all mine!!), rosemary, the aforementioned mint, basil and chives. Not that I wouldn't plant more, but that's what is minimally necessary. :)

And it just wouldn't seem like summer without pots of geraniums (the annual kind) on my porch and deck.

Sigh...I hate winter.
mrgpag SW OH Z5/6
18 years ago
narrow and dwarf conifers is sort of my passion including taxus, picea, thuja, juniperus, chamaecyparis, and pinus. Some of the smaller growing acers including a. palmatums along with an assortment of carpinus for trees. Weigela, hydrangea, and viburnums along with some shrub type cornus are my favorite shrubs, and diervilla for dry shady soil.
alison
18 years ago
Yikes! Tough to choose.

I don't do much with shrubs or trees, but I'd have to include lilacs and Rose of Sharon. I have several trained as trees, and while the 8 million seedlings are a pain, I just love the flowers.

Peonies, and my roses. I like those big, blousy, over the top flowers. Paperwhites and hyacinths and my orchids when they bloom.

For years I only grew vegetables and herbs, and herbs remain among my favorite of all plants. The basils, lavender, lemon verbena and the scented geraniums, especially Lemon Rober. It always makes me think of my grandmother when I smell it. And the mints; applemint, pineapple mint and chocolate mint. I experiment with other herbs, but those are the ones I must always have.

The one annual I discovered last year that I will never be without again is night blooming phlox, Matthiola longipetala It's small and weedy looking, and the small, floppy, star-shaped flowers aren't even open in the day. But at night, they have such a sweet-scent they perfume the entire yard!
bushwacker5495
18 years ago
i'm new to gardening,but i love the butterfly bushes and my japenese dwarf red maple.i had it for about 7 yrs and just moved it to our new house. right now i'm planting anything i can get my hands on to see if i'm going to like it.If anyone lives in the madison area and wants to do some trading let me know. i haven't had good experience w/ getting things shipped in the mail. good luck gardening.jeanne i'm also experimenting w/ ponds.
granny57
18 years ago
My passion is Hydrangeas.Anyone interested in the Hydrangeas?
Meijers has one called Lady in Red and it's just beautiful. The stems are red and the bright green leaves are veined in red and it is just lovely and the price is right.$12.00.I had a friend tell me she saw the same plant in KY.for $40.00. Go figure.I also bought one last fall called All Summer Beauty and the name suites it perfectly. Every bloom was different colors on every stem.And the colors changed all through the year.It's a beauty.
Bushwacker,Do you live near the Bluestone Perennial Nursery?
It's in Madison Ohio and they have a wonderful plant sale in June every year.75% off anything you can fit in your flat.Just wondering.I try to go every year and take a friend with me or 2.If your just starting out gardening that's the place to buy all your perennials.You won't be disappointed.A flat of whatever you can fit in is $25.00 and there is a special blg for certain kinds of plants that are $58.00 a flat.It's about a 5/6 hr drive for me.If your already in the Madison area it should be pretty close for you.(Closer then it is for me)LOL,Have fun
bushwacker5495
18 years ago
i missed it this year. we had a yard sale and my husband said he'd sell everything for a dime if i left,so i didn't.we just bought our first house and my husband wants grass and i want flower gardens. well guess who won????me.i guess blue stone even had there hospital section open this year.$.50 for a 3 pack or $5.00 a flat and most of the flowers looked good. they had stopped doing it cause people would say they got the plants from the hosp. and they didn't. talk to ya later. ps there is a little nursery on rt.20 that sells large leaf hostas for$8 a gallon and many other types of plants and srubs cheap. email me if you want the location. jeanne

Plants/Trees/Shrubs you can't live without

Comments (12)

viburnumvalley

storygardener

Related Discussions

storygardener

gardengirl_17

Kymie17

Magret

mrsgeekboy

mrgpag SW OH Z5/6

alison

bushwacker5495

granny57

bushwacker5495

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US