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pippi21

Companion for Blue Flax

pippi21
13 years ago

What are good companions to plant with blue flax? If you have any photos of yours, please post. I started hardening off my blue flax seedlings today. They have their second set of leaves and are ready to be planted out.

Comments (8)

  • craftlady07
    13 years ago

    I have mine planted near some geraniums and yarrow (I don't think I like the leaf combo b/t these though, I didn't realize how similar they were when I planted them). They didn't flower for me last year, I wintersowed them but I can see them coming up and I think I'm gonna like it! I also have magenta rose campion and yellow threadleaf coreopsis nearby and I think that'll be a really great color combination.

  • woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
    13 years ago

    I assume you're talking about Linum perenne...? I have it all over the front garden, especially along the path in the main bed. I use it as a filler and let it seed itself (and I spead its seeds...) amongst other things. It goes well with everything - both when it's in flower and when there's just the ferny foliage. So I don't plant it with a specific companion - all the plants are companions for it!

    It's the blue haze on the left side of the bench in this picture:
    {{gwi:163308}}

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    13 years ago

    Flax (mine are Linum perenne 'Sapphire') are great fillers for those small spaces between other plants. I tend to let them reseed as they like and then move the babies around to various locations. Here is a un-planned combo with Knautia and Salvia 'May Night' in the background.
    {{gwi:668110}}

    I just love the unusual shape of this plant too, it is like a fountain!

    Ps. Woody, what is that big plant in the corner with the white, Astilbe like plumes?? It is purtty'!
    CMK

  • woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
    13 years ago

    That's Persicaria polymorpha - one of my favorite plants! If you don't have some, get some :-) In full sun it is tall and very upright. It grows in part-shade too but has a laxer/more open habit and blooms a bit later. I use it in both the front sun garden and in several places in the shadier backyard. It grows to about 6' tall and looks like a shrub by the time it blooms. But it dies back completely to the ground each year. It's a slowly expanding clump, not at all invasive but it is big so needs room.

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    13 years ago

    Thanks so much for the info on it Woodyoak. Couple houses down there is a HUGE patch of the invasive P. japonica (species name could have changed on that...), so I have always been a little leery of some of the bigger Persicarias. It is good to hear that you have not found yours invasive. I do have a bigger space or two to fill, so it may be worth looking into your polymorpha. Thanks ;-)
    CMK

  • woodyoak zone 5 southern Ont., Canada
    13 years ago

    I would not plant any of the other big Persicarias but this one is safe. It's a clumper - the clumps' crowns get wider with age but it doesn't spread from the roots. I've not seen any seedlings either. I do deadhead though because I don't find the fading flowers attractive and it will do a small amount of reblooming if it is deadheaded. It is easy to propagate from cuttings - as long as they are taken before the stems get hollow. As the plant grows, the stems become fairly large and hollow inside. Take cuttings when the plant is about 3' tall - that seems to work best for me. It used to be fairly hard to find but it seems to be more common now.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Persicaria polymorpha

  • bekcgarden
    13 years ago

    I Love my blue flax!! I have it in a front yard bed (full sun), with bearded iris. How do I post a photo, imbedded with the post?

  • christinmk z5b eastern WA
    13 years ago

    Thanks for the extra info and link woodyoak...

    -bekcgarden, here is what I do:

    Upload your pic from your camera onto your computer.

    Set up an online picture hosting account (many sites are free). I use Photobucket, but Picasa and picturetrail are some others...

    Upload your desired pictures from your computer onto the site.

    To post a pic here you need to copy the HTML code of the uploaded picture. In the Message box here (where you write your post) paste your HTML code into the text wherever you like it. It will come up only as a series of letters and numbers. It isn't until you hit 'Preview Message' that you will see your picture.

    Good luck! Hope to see some pics of your flax ;-)

    PS. if you need any extra help with uploading pics feel free to email me...
    CMK

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