Very tall stands of perennials at the retirement home garden
9 months ago
last modified: 9 months ago
I was visiting yesterday and was impressed with the height (over 6 feet) of these....liatris? (They had flopped in part because of a rainstorm earlier in the week.)
As well there was this vigorous stand of some variety of...helianthus? 6 feet tall for sure.
\
And up close. (What do you think might be the specific variety?)
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How can I support/stake Very tall 7 foot perennials?
Comments (13)That is a gorgeous picture - congrats on growing those beauties. Its too late for this year, but a couple of suggestions: Peony rings with the criss/crossed grid inside the round frame - will hold up the lower stems and the plant grows right through it. you can get these really tall. Tomato cages work also. Ditto the linking stakes that you sink in the ground and then have like a hook and eye attachment - you can make your circle any size. wooden stakes or green bamboo and string will loosely hold up the billowing stems and you can get them in place after the flopping starts if you have a helper. I use 8 ft green bamboo stakes and green garden twine to tie up some things like dahlias, Lilium Black Beauty - 7 footer. But the very best holder upper I've ever found is the plant itself. If you haven't read Tracy diSabato-Aust's book called the Well Tended Perennial Garden, she describes in great detail how to pinch or prune plants to make the plant more compact and delay blooming. I have started to cut my heliopsis in 3 layers, kind of like a wedding cake - shortest on the outside ring, then another layer that ends up about 4 ft tall. The center is left alone. This doesn't have to be so exact because I want the plant to look relaxed and natural, not rigid and defined, but it does prolong the bloom time and also the outside rings hold up the center on what has become a very large plant....See MoreIdeas sought for tall shade perennial
Comments (12)How about oakleaf hydrangea (h. quercifolia)? These have oak-shaped leaves which are deep green in summer when the long white flowers are borne. In fall the foliage turns deep gold and russet while the flowers gradually age to muted pink. Snow Queen is a reliable cultivar which will grow to 6', but there are dwarf forms as well. I grew this when I lived in the Midwest as well as in the Northeast, and it looked good year round. For perennials, my favorite flowering plant for shade is monkshood (aconitum), mainly for the gorgeous deep blue flowers which are produced from summer to early fall. I grew this in a shade border with astilbe, cimifuga, rodgersia, ligularias and fringed bleeding heart (dicentra eximia). Cheryl...See Morefaster growing, non-invasive, tall perennials for zone 5
Comments (39)I received 3 helianthus "lemon queen" for mother's day. Unfortunately 2 of them didn't make it, but the 3rd one did... just barely. Seems, as the plant was just taking off, a ball from over the fence broke most of it off. It has since regrown but hasn't bloomed yet. I also just received 2 replacements from the company my daughter bought the originals from and will plant them as soon as it stops raining. (I may just have to build an ark if it doesn't stop soon!) I've also acquired some Boltonia from a neighbor and bought a black sambucus. Let's see... from seed I started some perennial sunflowers and heliopsis. Most of the new perennials did pretty good this first year but I imagine they'll do even better in the coming years! In the meantime, to fill in the gaps until the perennials fill out I planted tithonia, annual sunflowers, along with scarlet runner beans. Next spring I'm going to transplant a clematis too. All in all it was a successful year keeping the little darlings at bay. They've also made friends in the neighborhood and, now that they're a little older, mom lets them go to the friends' houses so most of the time they're gone. Peace at last. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions!...See Moreshrub/tall perennial for dry sunny location?
Comments (21)The Miscanthus is behind the daisies which are Anthemis Susannah Mitchell, which is short with small button blossoms. If you can see a little pink on the right, that is a Knock Out Rose next to the Miscanthus, which hasn't had a yellow leaf on it through this dry spell and last year was the last thing blooming in my yard. The Pennisetum Hamlin is very tame and fits right under that BBush. There are a few others that are taller that are nice. Have you seen the pink blossomed 'Karley Rose'? It is just a little larger than the Hamelin. There is also one called Moudry which I think is gorgeous. BTW, here in zone 5/6 I have not seen a seedling from my Pennisetum. I saw a great combo in someone's front yard... Hardy Hibiscus, Shasta Daisies and Joe Pye Weed with Miscanthus gracillimus. It gets huge and probably wouldn't work for you dtd. But the pretty Pink Hardy Hibiscus, with the Joe Pye Weed was eyecatching. Here is that P. Moudry, wish I had room for that! :-) I just love tabs on a browser, don't you? [g] Nandina are very pretty. They have fall color too, right? Bluestem is great and I wish I had room to grow it. I also love Indian Grass which I didn't dare plant so I put it in a pot this year..lol. Not exactly happy there. [g] You know you are talking about prairie plants there dtd! :-) I see from your OP that you mentioned Joe Pye Weed there already that might be staying. I measured my 'Little Joe' just now and it is about to bloom and stands 45" high. First year in, so don't know if it will get larger. I also measured the bed my Butterfly Bush is in and it is 7ft deep at the point the BBush is planted. I did plant it forward, because my neighbor has an evergreen on the other side of the fence that hangs over a good foot and a half. There are about 5 trees right along my fence line behind that whole bed, so that BBush has to deal with dry conditions for sure. I just looked up 'The Blues'...isn't that so pretty! I came across a grass comparison chart in my travels and posted the link below for anyone interested. Here is a link that might be useful: Grasses comparison chart...See More
9 months agolast modified: 9 months ago- 9 months ago
rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a) thanked GardenHo_MI_Z5
PRO9 months agolast modified: 9 months ago@GardenHo_MI_Z5, Your's is a double form of Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra. Something like 'Summer Sunstruck, but there are a few cultivars out there. Rouge's plants are Heliopsis helianthoides var. helianthoides.
😍 'Bleeding Hearts'rouge21_gw (CDN Z5b/6a) thanked Jay 6a Chicago- 9 months ago
- 9 months agolast modified: 9 months ago
Update (2 weeks after the original post):
The liatris are wild though.
Take a look now @rosaprimula!
I was back again at this same retirement residence and I was blown away by this same stand of liatris...in full bloom now (click and see!)
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Jay 6a Chicago