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ego45

What have you lost this past winter?

ego45
16 years ago

This was abnormally warm winter and contrary to the expectations I lost great numbers of plants, some of them I would never expect to lose.

Some losses could be reasonably explained, but in some cases I'm still clueless what done them.

Here is the list of casualties (as of today, since I think there will be more in a perennial department):

-2 rhodies 'Minetonka' were burned to the point of no return (though they are from 'iron-clad' group, they were planted in a fall.) Reasonable.

-1 Rh. 'Baden-Baden'. Marginally hardy, but it was for 3 years in a ground already and finally gone after such warm winter. Somewhat reasonable.

-2 inkberry. Reasonable. Would be not a big deal if they wouldn't be a part of a 40' hedge. Now I'm in trouble.

-2 Hillery holly/ Ilex crenata. They were in a full sun position. Reasonable.

-1 Hydrangea macrophilla 'Nachtigale'. All top growth is gone, now sprouting from the grounds. Reasonable.

-3 hydrangea macrophilla 'Nikko Blue'. The same as above. Normally shouldn't happen with Nikko, but they were 1 y.old rooted cuttings. Reasonable.

-2 Hypericums 'Albury Purple' Second time in a 3 years. I'm puzzled, but done with them nevertheless.

-Paeonia biebersteniana, P. mlokosewitchii and P. tenuifolia all gone for no apparent reason. They had been in a same place for 3 years. Super puzzled!!!

-Whole patch of Fritillaria persica is gone.

-The same for F. imperialis. This and above frits are temperamental, so I was somewhat ready it could happened one day.

-Only one sprout from what was last year 35-40 alliums 'Purple sensation'. No clue why.

-Cariopteris 'Grand Bleu'. Dead as a doornail. 3 years in a ground. Strange.

-1 English boxwood. Surprised that only one.

What made you room for the new purchases? :-) LOL!

Comments (70)

  • siennact
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I lost one hydrangea, but I put it in late in the fall and it was a $3 pathetic-looking Home Depot clearance shrub...

    One peony is missing, but it wasn't established yet. The blackeyed susans aren't all there but there were too many anyway so it saved me some work!

    My ginkgo tree doesn't have any sign of leaves yet... I'm not looking too closely because I don't want to know if it's dead!

    tina

  • runktrun
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ego,
    As I have mentioned before I apply Wilt Pruf as a standard gardening chore. Believe me I would much rather spend my time and money (I think it is very expensive) on other things but I live in one of the highest measured wind areas in New England and after many years of consistent evergreen loss due to winter burn I started using antidessicants and the difference has been remarkable. To me the most outstanding example in my yard was after a miscommunication and final resolve with my local nursery at the very late date of September 30th my new 15' Bracken Brown Beauty Magnolia arrived. I knew this large evergreen wasn't going to have much time for it's roots to do much to support it's massive top growth so I watered, and applied Wilt Pruf (with a ladder) and crossed my fingers. I have to say that yes it did sustain some burn damage but not nearly as much as others in my community and I can't imagine it would have survived with out Wilt Pruf. kt On a side note all of my Eremurus Himalaicus that you recommended and posted a photo of (no longer available) have survived I am wondering I need a strong structural focal point in a garden, do you think this plant not in bloom offers bold interest?

  • aeiger
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    as usual roses. Marmalade skies, Tamora, scentimental, fragrant cloud, New Zealand, and many more. It was a very bad winter. My ajuga died also! Now that is peculiar and lambs ears. /Abi

  • jackied164 z6 MA
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I lost my St Patricks rose. I didnt like it at first when it was given to me but it really grew on me. I will miss it. (all my other roses seem more or less ok)

    Evening primrose....thought it was going to be a thug
    some globe thistle
    a small holly bush
    I was very concerned about most of my lavander but I dont think any are lost but many had significant die back
    many of the daffodils that poked up back in January are not doing well
    I lost a lot of rose campion but I think technically these are/can be biennials. Of course they seed themselves everywhere so there is no shortage

  • siennact
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I forgot the big one... my oakleaf hydrangea 'Little Honey' is completely gone, not even a dead stick! I think I put it in a spot where the dog walks by accident. :(

    tina

  • giboosi_alttara
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My Little Honey, which I thought was dead, has new buds swelling near the bottom. Maybe you can hold out hope?

  • circa1825
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It looks like maybe I lost 2 redbuds and 2 dogwoods. They are small trees that I was going to move into permanent positions this year. I will wait and see what happens, but if they are dead, I will just look at it as four fewer holes to dig.

  • ego45
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Tina, I got a weird feelings about LH when I got it last year (with your help, thank you again!) and didn't planted it at all. She spent the whole winter in garage in its pot and now being in a ground for whole 3 weeks already starting to leaf out.
    Would be interesting to hear from Sue and Monique how their youngsters did.

  • rockman50
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This post was started with the assertion that we just experienced an abnormally warm winter. This is not the case! Yes, the first 6 weeks of winter (December 1 - January 15th), were indeed very warm. However, the last 6 weeks from January 15th to MArch 1st were well below normal in terms of temperature. February was 5 degrees below normal in southern New England! MOreover, the coldest weather was accompanied by very strong winds and an almost complete lack of snowcover, particularly in SE New England. Thus, all of the ingredients were in place for lots of plant damage. It was not a "fluke" that plants died. It was a very cold second half of winter.

  • ego45
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    What about Brunnera?
    Is it just a late riser?
    I had 5 'Jack Frost' plants and so far is no show.
    Would be a sad loss.
    Also would like to know how your Iteas doing?
    So far I see some microscopic red buds on 2 years old brown wood, but last year's orange colored wood have no sign of life. There is no way to tell if it's dead or alive since it has just white tissue under the bark.
    I'm hesitant to prune it yet since it blooms on old wood, but while clethras already start producing fresh foliage, Itea show no real sign of life.
    How is yours doing?
    On a positive note, most of my hydrangeas doing great and only minimal number of terminal buds had been damaged.
    Since my summer garden is heavily dependent on blooming hydrangeas such good news makes me more tolerant to all other losses.
    Hope I didn't jinx it. :-))

  • terrene
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, Claire that newsletter is sobering. It sounds like they really got clobbered in the southeast US. Two weeks of real warm weather and then 5 nights below freezing. Yikes.

    Here in New England 5 nights below freezing in early April is not news. Especially this year - the first month of Spring seemed so cold and wet.

    I checked some pictures of daffodils from last year and they bloomed about 1 1/2 weeks earlier than this year.

  • giboosi_alttara
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My 'Jack Frost' is up, but not by a lot, and it's in a full-sun spot at this time of the season. Don't give up on it yet, especially if it's in a shadier spot.

  • gfult
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hardy Begonia
    Solomon's seal
    Sweet William
    Lungwort

  • WendyB 5A/MA
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    On a positive note, most of my hydrangeas doing great and only minimal number of terminal buds had been damaged.

    arrrrgggggg.... I have a young Oakleaf Hydrangea whose terminal buds were damaged but not by Mother Nature.. by ME. I was stupidly trying to pull off old leaves cause they were really ugly and right in front of a beautifully blooming amalanchier. They were ruining the view so I thought I would help it along. big mistake. I broke a couple of terminal buds and there weren't that many to begin with.

    My Endless Summer's lost most of their top growth. Some buds breaking halfway down, but no terminal buds made it, which is fully expected here.

    Other than that, I lost H.F. Young clematis, but that sometimes happens and is not weather related. Those clematis can be finicky.

    My Henry's Garnet is looking fine so far. Nothing much happening yet. last year when I lost about half of it, I recall that it was very obvious early on. You are probably okay.

    30 degrees here last night... that will mess with the startup a bit..

  • judyefd
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Several plants I'd completely given up on just broke ground (yippee!): amsonia, oriental lilies, several hostas, astilbes, cimicifuga racemosa.

    Even my balloon flower showed itself 2 weeks later than last year. I have one peony, planted last fall, that doesn't seem to be thriving, though it has slightly broken ground; and one rhodie that isn't looking too good.

    Still missing: my Easter lilies (that have bloomed for 2 yrs), one of my columbine plants, japanese painted fern.

    My hollyhock malva (mallow), which I adore and deadheaded to keep it long-blooming and also to keep it from seeding all over the place, isn't showing signs of life...except this morning I may have imagined the tiniest bit of green at the base of the brown leftovers from last year. Sure do hope so! (I may be regretting that I didn't let it seed)

    I have been thinking about replacements...

    Hope many of your plants are just late this year.

  • mayalena
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I didn't want to admit to myself (or my bill-paying DH) that I had lost so many plants, but now I think I must.... including 2 mature Oakleaf Hydrangeas, 2 kalmias transplanted last fall, 1 mature 'Jane' magnolia (and another seems to be on its way out -- which tells me something's up other than the weather but I have no idea what), several mature viburnums (?!?!?!), lots of asarum canadense planted last fall, lots of epimedium also planted last fall, a Black Adder agastache and Sundown echinacea planted last fall (only 1 out of 3 each), a variety of mature tall mums!!!, some lilies (voles devoured when they showed shoots -- but the beetles were going to get them anyway), all centranthus ruber (about 5 plants, which had greened up in Jan). O -- and a schlippenbachi azalea, devoured by bunnies. That's all I can dredge out of my memory. But being in the garden yesterday felt like being in a graveyard. As I was planting my Middlesex Conservation District plants, I was thinking they'll possibly be dead this time next year. Waaaaaaaaa. Feeling like a bad gardener. Got to cheer up and try again!

  • runktrun
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Mayalena,
    I don't want to give you false hope but my Oakleaf Hydrangeas looked deader than a door nail up until a few days ago. Sorry about your other losses and don't forget to check the wood of your shrubs before giving up all hope. kt

  • bartamy03
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I lost my prized tree peony.

    And 2 japanese hollies - they were doing so well!

  • prairiemoon2 z6b MA
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    camassia
    pansies and violas..surprisingly
    Harvest Moon echinacea planted in the fall
    Guacamole Hosta hasn't shown yet, but still might
    variegated mint..very surprising. They usually are hard to kill
    Half of our creeping thyme plants
    2 Joe Pye Weeds just planted in the fall haven't shown yet

    The most unhappy loss was all our foxgloves except one. They would have been in their second season and ready to bloom. *sigh*
    phlox subulatas survived but had so much winter damage on some that most of them are cut back to the ground.
    viola rebecca..it was so pretty last year
    1 virginia bluebell..planted dormant in the fall is a goner because the 2nd one I planted is already way up.

    Clethra is showing no growth...but it comes out pretty late
    Lost a little topgrowth and one branch on one of our two Oakleaf Hydrangeas.
    Clematis Duchess of Edinburg...survived but lost half the growth

    I am very happy to see so many plants and especially shrubs that haven't missed a step. I'm going to mulch thicker next fall.

    :-)
    pm2

  • gfult
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am happy to report that Solomon and William have appeared!
    So just hardy begonia and lungwort.

  • diggingthedirt
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I wonder if all these losses will turn out to be just delays in plants breaking dormancy. I was away when people were reporting all these unexpected deaths, so I wasn't able to worry about anything in my garden. Now that I'm home and out there getting a good look at the weeds, I haven't really noticed anything missing. Maybe a Merrill Magnolia that had been struggling for a few years, and maybe some crape myrtles that were transplanted last year, but it still seems too early to write off anything.

    Two years ago, it was July 4 before I saw new growth on one of my crape myrtles and on a vitex - both marginally hardy here - but since then I'm really slow to give up on a plant that isn't springing to life when I think it should.

  • millabird
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My first post!

    I am really suprised to have so many plants that haven't come up yet, and I'm not sure how long to wait this out. I'm relatively new to gardening; just started a few years ago. I planted all of these last spring, and they did great last season, but no signs of life now. Here's my "presumed dead" list, with the number dead out of total number planted last spring:

    2 out of 3 "Sunrise" coneflower
    1 out of 2 purple coneflower
    3 out of 3 "Mrs. Bradshaw" geum
    2 out of 2 "Arizona Sun" blanket flower/gaillardia
    2 out of 2 Christmas ferns
    4 out of 4 creeping speedwell
    1 out of 11 sedum (various types)

    In defense of all sedum, I planted this one oddball variety that I was skeptical of to begin with, as it had died back after flowering. Not surprised that it didn't come back this year. (Can't remember the name of it) In general, sedum seems to be tough as nails in my yard.

    I also planted around 35 daylilies last spring, and only one didn't make it. So a very good survival rate for the daylilies. Also coming through with flying colors were the following new plants: Black Lace elderberry, coreopsis, bellflower, variegated tall phlox.

    Of my older established plants, only one died: a very large old shrub, kerria japonica (pleniflora), is absolutely dead as a doornail! It should be close to flowering now, but instead it's a bunch of dead twigs. I am really surprised about that one.

  • triciae
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Of the original list I posted feeling sure were dead a couple weeks ago only the following are really gone:

    1.) Ilex 'Sky Pencil'
    2.) A few phlox subulata (most have recovered albeit smaller than last year...lots of browning)
    3.) Lemon Thyme (oregano has recovered)
    4.) Lavender (probably from the wet April as opposed to cold/wind)

    All 3 clemetis are growing & have buds. Lamb's Ear has returned strongly, BES's are now growing, 'Joan Senior' DL is sending new growth (I'm going to move these to a colder spot in the yard so they don't come up in Dec./Jan. hopefully), ajuga is back, caryopteris has sprouted after I cut it down to about a foot, peony very late but up about a foot now with leaves.

    So, it wasn't as bad as I'd thought or feared. Just really weird. My spring bulbs bloomed fine & summer bulbs are looking normal. Off to a slow start & it's still in the mid-30's at night.

    Oh, I've got 3 'Blue Angel' hosta that haven't shown yet. They're always slow but really slow this year. I need to dig around & look for them. They're in a cold pocket & I doubt the ground has warmed much with the night temps being so cold.

    I've decided to plant more for late summer & fall interest. Our location seems to be experiencing much better late fall weather than spring so I'm going to attempt capitalizing on that trend.

    Tricia

  • Marie of Roumania
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    prairiemoon2, please accept my sympathy on the loss of your foxgloves. i lost seven or so, too, in different parts of the yard, so i'm pretty convinced it was weather-related. the only ones that made it are the rusty foxgloves, so yay for those tough guys. hugs.

  • prairiemoon2 z6b MA
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks MofR...Sympathy to you too. I don't have rusty foxgloves, but I just googled a photo and they are very pretty. I will have to try to start some from seed next year. I'm happy for you, yours survived. :-)

    I feel I escaped fairly unscathed in comparison to some of the losses reported here. George and Tricia and Mayalena...I really feel for you. I agree, some other parts of the country have had it even worse. These climate changes appear to be here for good and gardeners will have to adapt as best we can.

    Definitely will plan on increasing my efforts to purchase more plants that are hardy to lower zones. I am also happy to be winter sowing because it gives me an opportunity to try plants very inexpensively and experiment with what will survive the weather.

    George, I am glad you mentioned the Itea, I have one in a location I don't go past too often and I just went and checked and it has probably 2/3 dead branches with green leaves already out on some of the lower parts. It was ready for a good pruning at least.

  • ginny12
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just a thought but I never remove anything til the Fourth of July. Many, many plants have years where they are very slow to break dormancy after a difficult winter of one kind or another. I have even had a few perennials not show up at all one year and then return the next. Go figure.

  • Marie Tulin
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    don't bring out the funeral meats yet, but so far pulmonarias Ensign and Benediction are not visible
    a clematis
    a lot of phlox stolonifera
    a good sized redbud
    some beautiful unusual oregano from High Country Nursery
    And a tree peony.

    I am sad
    Marie

  • diggingthedirt
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    OK, start the bagpipes; I think pretty much everything that's going to leaf out has done so. I'm still going to wait to see about a few things that just might come back later this month, but it's not looking *too* bad.

    This will be my first year in a very long time with NO blooming gaura. I've got plenty of seedlings, but meanwhile two areas where this plant was the "main event" will be sporting annuals - every one of the adult gauras bit the dust, including some old timers. I have to assume it was the weather, since they've been so reliable here in the past.

    My "hedge" of common thyme was decimated, but there are lots of volunteers that will fill in the gaps by next month.

    I think one of my Franklinia alatamaha bit the dust; it was probably in too much shade and didn't get quite enough water last summer. That was one plant I seriously overbought, because I don't really have enough good spots for something that gets that big, but I'm mourning its demise anyway; at the same time I'm not removing it since there's still a chance that it'll leaf out.

    Definitely probably most likely dead: my Merrill Magnolia. We put in a brick path last year and chopped into its roots, not a nice thing to do to a Magnolia. This one had been struggling for awhile anyway, and I left a couple of small sprouts at the base - just in case.

    Funeral meats? Oh ... that doesn't sound very appetizing.

  • storey3
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My garden is very young and incomplete so I didn't have a lot to lose in the first place but I guess I didn't do horribly. However, I lost both the Forever and Ever Hydrangeas I planted last year. I'm so sad about that. I can't find my Lowes receipt either! I think I lost a holly and a very young Japanese maple is just holding on. So sorry to all of you who lost loved ones.

  • hipchick
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    reading these lists, I guess i have gotten off pretty lucky. I lost
    2 different gaura
    a golden goblin gaillardia (that I didn't really like anyway lol)
    mourning widow geranium - that one made me sad :(
    a papaver I have had for years, I did find some self seeded ones on friday so at least I still have some.
    horehound

    so all in all, nothing too bad. I did have a couple hostas that the voles found, but they didn't get all the roots, so I think they will be fine with a year of nursing.

  • jant
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow..so many of you lost such tough plants! The only thing I lost (as it seems everyone did) were 3 Jack Frosts and a Looking Glass Brunnera. Oh, and a redbud that wasn't established....a "stick" pretty much, lol.

  • jant
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh, to the person who lost the Kerria....I don't know where you have it but it needs a protected location out of the wind during winter. I have 5 that are doing beautifully. I planted them around maples or other large shrubs and on the south side....or wherever they're more out of the wind.

  • PRO
    Nancy Vargas Registered Architect
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    As usual, many of my herbs. I can't seem to make thyme and sage perennial. They are annuals in my garden.

    Then, to voles, I lost a bunch of hostas and many of my echinacea and balloon flower from my "blue garden." The bulk of my allium, tulips and hyacinth went to the same voles in that location. I need to do a better job of protection in that area when I plant bulbs this fall.

    That's it for me. Nature was kind. No huge loses.

    WG

  • ellen_s
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I expected a lot more loss due to the weird winter but I only lost the following:

    All my garlic - came up in the January heatwave and perished in the later cold snap

    Hardy Ageratum (from Bluestone)
    Heuchera Firefly
    Anthemis tinctoria
    Highbush blueberry and Ilex glabra seedlings

    I did have a lot of dieback on Clethra this year but they are all alive.

  • ego45
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Update on original post,
    -hypericum 'Albury Purple' all of a sudden sprouted from the ground just last week...and volunteer seedling of it just appeared about 20 feet away of its place at the same time. Go figure!
    -presumably dead Rh.'Baden-Baden' all green with a new leaves after being cut to 6-8".

    Not previously reported, but definitely goners 3 out of 5 brunneras JF and remaining 2 are barely alive.
    Another unplesant surprise is complete demise of substantial colony of Tassel fern which was TRULY evergeen for me while changing leaves every two years. Only 2 out of 8 clumps show some minute greenery at the base. I'm not touching this area with a slight hope and a big pray for recovery.
    One of the 3 large and established Clethra barbinervis (in a 10-12' range) which was grown as a two trunks tree half green and half brown, though I begin seeing some green buds start pocking thru the old bark, but not at the tips of the branches as it suppose to be. Another two plants are in a full leaf and not a single branch on them has to be pruned due to the death. Strange. Will wait and see.

  • mayalena
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Probably beating a dead horse here, but I know that my magnolia was sick last summer, so I can't blame its death on winter. Likewise, the kalmia I transplanted in the fall, and probably should have kept watering them thru Jan. I stopped in about Nov, thinking it was winter. And the viburnum have some other problem. Still TBD. Not beetles, tho! So I don't feel too bad about the weather, at any rate!
    ML

  • Cady
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm dredging up this old thread because I have a question for Wendy.

    Wendy, you wrote that your Ilex 'Helleri' are doing fine after the miserable winter we had. Are those hollies planted in a sheltered location? What are the conditions they're living in? Curious minds want to know. :)

  • WendyB 5A/MA
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Cady, not me. wrong note???

    I lost an Ilex crenata a couple years back after two consecutive brutal (stretches of -20) winters.

  • ego45
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Cady, I have two rows of Helleri planted on a both side of the driveway.
    Left side in a part shade the whole summer and the right side in a full sun the whole summer. Both sides are in a full sun in a winter.
    Part-sun planting is full and lush with just ocassional dieback of individual branches here and there while the full sun counterparts experiences substantial dieback/burn almost every year and now about half a size of the part-shaded ones.

  • runktrun
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Cady,
    I didn't want you to miss the thread linked below, oh and by the way it wasn't me who wrote those posts it must have been the other kt you know the one who has a tendency to be a Wise A$$. To make up for her hi-jinx I thought I would through out my 2 cents about Ilex crenata. Although I do not have I. crenata 'Helleri' I do grow a number of other varieties under varying conditions and I will say as much as winter burn can occasionally be a problem, aphids/mites during hot dry June/July cause more problems. Are you perhaps just noticing damage now as opposed to in April/May? Below is Ilex crenata 'Lemon Gem' (a real gem in my book) note how even after being sprayed with Wilt Pruf the Yak Rhodie to a bit of a beating but the Ilex (Wilt Pruf as well) new to the garden last fall without established root system had no damage.
    a href="http://photobucket.com"; target="_blank">

  • diggerdee zone 6 CT
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    "...it must have been the other kt you know the one who has a tendency to be a Wise A$$..."

    (Snort!)

    Good to see you here again Cady!

    :)
    Dee

  • cloud_9
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    ...and a pricey Wise A to boot!

    Cady - did you get married yet? Say hi to Mike! Let us know when he starts giving classes in the area!

    Deb

  • Cady
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi all, it's nice to be back, and comforting to see that even our resident Smart A$$ is in fine form (Hi KT!). :-) The thing about gardening, is that when the season finally gets here I have so little time for GardenWeb! I have not just my own garden, but my clients' to occupy my waking hours.

    Oops- my mistake... I was paging Wendy2, not you, WendyB. I didn't make that distinction, and apologize for the confusion. Wendy2 is in Zone 6 as I am, so her report about surviving 'Helleri' hollies was comforting.

    George, thanks for that information about your 'Helleri.' It corroborates some of the things I've read on the Internet. I just planted a row of 'Helleri' in amended soil (lots of organic compost and Holly-Tone), but it is in full sun on the top of a slope with a due-Western exposure. In the nursery where I bought them, they had sat in full sun in #3 plastic pots on a 22-acre site, so I figured they could handle the exposure as long as they have adequate water.

    They are clipped into low, flat-topped "buns" so maybe they will be low-slung enough to protect in the winter, but I was most concerned about soil moisture. There are boxwoods growing across from them in the same conditions, and those have weathered at least two winters.

    I read everything I could find about 'Helleri,' and got too much mixed information. Most sources said "full sun," while some said "tolerates part shade." The more detailed sites pointed out that they don't tolerate hot, dry soils, but many sites said "needs well drained soil and full sun." Then there was the ubiquitous "does best in moist, well-drained soil..."

    I'll water these heavily, put more organic matter in, and hope for the best.

    Deb,
    Mike and I have had a very long engagement! lol. When you get to our (middle age) stage of life, the pressure to seal the deal doesn't seem as urgent, but now we're talking "his-and-her rings"... :-) He'll definitely be teaching classes. He did a free workshop on making kokedama (a type of moss bonsai) at the Smith & Hawken store in Marietta, Georgia in May, and I'm guessing the one up here in Hingham, Mass. would be another potential workshop venue. He'll post when we have a better idea.

  • ego45
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Cady, everything is right in the passage, 'In the nursery where I bought them, they had sat in full sun in #3 plastic pots on a 22-acre site, so I figured they could handle the exposure as long as they have adequate water. ' except small detail: where they go for the winter?
    And find the answer to that question will be your major concern, I think.
    At least have a Wilt-pruf ready for the first winter.
    Good luck!

  • runktrun
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ego,
    Speaking of Wilt-pruf I can't believe how expensive the stuff is and I am thinking of doing a DG co-op for Wilt-pruf are you perhaps a member? kt

  • ego45
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Kt, what is the DG?
    Yes, it's indeed expensive.
    Do you use concentrate or pre-mix?
    I might (very big might so far) have a chance to buy it wholesale in August-September. I'll have to find out some particulars in a week or so.
    Any other takers?

  • runktrun
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Ego,
    I paid $54.95 a gallon concentrate last year at Ma honey's garden center and used a minimum of 1.5 gallons, twice a season for a total; of three gallons concentrate for somewhere around $165.00 plus tax concentrate. DG is Daves Garden and my reference is to their co-op forum where I have purchased many discounted items. I wasn't sure whether you were a member over there as well. I hope I didn't cross a boundary by asking this. kt

  • Cady
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh... the Devil is in the details, isn't he, Ego45? ;) You're right. Those containers of shrubs go in the hoop house in the winter. No such luck for hollies in the garden.

    Wilt-Pruf will be liberally applied throughout the winter, and fingers will be crossed...

  • ego45
    Original Author
    16 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Kt, no, I'm not a DG member, but at least I know how to get a 5G for 168.50 and NO TAX, hehe.
    Link is below.
    BTW, for those who need to use smaller quantities, their special offer is very good
    http://www.wilt-pruf.com/wilt_pruf_special_rtu_.htm

  • runktrun
    15 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    George,
    This is a great thread. kt