Peonies & Heuchera!

15 years ago

Thanks to this forum I learned about Timberline Gardens in Arvada (CO) -- within the past fortnight my two year-old and I've made three visits. It's expensive, but I love that all the plants I've thus far purchased have been grown by them, so there's a better chance they'll do well plus they're small, so I only have to wrestle a smaller hole, not one for a one-gallon pot ....

I bought five Heuchera Plum Pudding to replace the ones the dry winter and ignorant me killed:

and four Lamium Orchid Frost:

I also took some Sedum, a hollyhock (one didn't make it through the winter), a Gaillardia and four Digitalis. Getting dirt under the fingernails is so fun!

I was also so grateful for the wet snow and rain -- weeding is so much easier when the ground is damp .... And while weeding, I found that you all were right and my previously-thought-lost peonies are, in fact, still alive and kicking! I just cannot believe how excited I was to see those nubbins popping up!

Thank you for all the hand holding!

Next are mulch and some tree planting in the backyard, but you all have given me such encouragement and inspiration.

Thank you!

Comments (4)

Skybird - z5, Denver, Colorado
15 years ago
Oh, not ignorant, Kitchen! Just somewhere along that same learning curve weÂre all on! :-)

Thanks for the new pics. Everything is looking great! And everything you have, old and new, should have gotten that good, really, really deep watering it needed with this last storm. I got 2Â½" of rain up until Saturday morning when I had to bring the rain gauge inside because I was leaving town and I didnÂt want the water to freeze in it while I was goneÂbut it was still raining when I left, and I figure I probably got at least 3" total by the time it stopped. When I left home, some of my sedums and iceplants were in a little pool of water, completely underwater! By the time I got back 3 days later the sun was out, the pool of water was long gone, and everything is looking wonderful! WellÂexceptÂnow my grass REALLY does need to be cut! Let the games begin!

If you want more hollyhocks, donÂt spend anymore money on them. Just let me know and IÂll send you some seed. ItÂs incredibly easy to start, and weÂll get you hooked on something else! Starting things from seed! And if you want any ground cover sedums, let me know and you can stop by some day and get cuttings of any or all of 6 or 7 different types. Any chance you can come to the swap? IÂm bringing small rooted sedum plants of some different varieties, and I could bring cuttings of some of the others. All my sedum cuttings come with "complete directions," and sedum is an absolutely fail proof plant to start with if youÂre rooting cuttings for the first time.

One question! You mention "wrestling" a hole to plant in. Is the soil youÂre planting in hard, heavy clay? If so, you really should be digging a hole AT LEAST twice as large as the pot the plant is in, and then be improving the soil with organic matter before you backfill with the soil. That gives the roots some improved soil to get started in before they get out to the really tough stuff. And if you keep doing that every time you plant something, youÂll find your soil will slowly keep improving.

Happy nubbin watching,
Skybird
jnfr
14 years ago
Those pictures are lovely! Nothing makes me happier in the spring than seeing the peonies shoot up.
Related Professionals
Benbrook Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Saint Matthews Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Signal Hill Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Deer Park Landscape Contractors · Downey Landscape Contractors · Middle River Landscape Contractors · Morrisville Landscape Contractors · Paramus Landscape Contractors · Peoria Landscape Contractors · Vallejo Landscape Contractors · Whitehall Landscape Contractors · Downers Grove Solar Energy Systems · Fort Lee Solar Energy Systems · Maple Grove Solar Energy Systems · Tarpon Springs Solar Energy Systems
greenbean08_gw
14 years ago
Our house in MT came with a beautiful Peony that was white with a dark pink center. I divided it one year and got dark pink flowers on the new plants. It was so pretty. Sadly, the people who bought the house ripped out all the peonies along with most of the flowers I planted.

I have a peony in my garage right now (and a bleeding heart), waiting to be planted. I've missed seeing them in the spring.
davies-cc
14 years ago
I've had a 'Bowl of Beauty' peony for years and it's been a dependable bloomer, although the pink color washes out too much in the sun. If I were to replant some or all of it I would look for a spot with afternoon shade. Anyway, last summer I spotted what looked like a baby peony growing about 4' away from it. This year the baby is back and bigger - although still too small for flowers, it most certainly is a new peony seedling, and fortunately for me, it's growing in the partial shade of a Rose of Sharon bush. So now I hope I live long enough to see some blooms - does anyone know if they usually come true from seed?