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erasmus_gw

Favorite new companion plants- let's see yours

erasmus_gw
16 years ago

Here's my favorite, new to me this year. It's Euphorbia "Diamond Frost" and as described on the tag it blooms all summer without stop. It reminds me of Baby's Breath. Mine's in a fairly large pot and is about 3x3'. If anyone else grows this I'm curious whether it reseeds.

{{gwi:288821}}

Linda

Comments (44)

  • bethnorcal9
    16 years ago

    That's an interesting one. I bet it will reseed and spread like a weed. I have several other euphorbias myself, and they can get waaay out of hand. But they do make very nice fillers, don't they? I don't know the names of mine, but one of my favorites is the one with the big green flower heads. I have those popping up all over the yard!

    Here are some of my favorite companions:

    ASTERS & SHASTA DAISIES with VARIEGATED ARTEMISIA
    {{gwi:1285283}}

    ECHINACEA (I think it's "White Swan")
    {{gwi:1285285}}

    ECHINOPS
    {{gwi:1285287}}

    SALVIA "Black & Blue" with CENTRANTHUS RUBRA in the background (that's another weed-like grower!)
    {{gwi:1285289}}

    LION'S TAIL
    {{gwi:1285291}}

    and here is the green-flowering EUPHORBIA
    {{gwi:1285293}}

  • erasmus_gw
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Beth, those are some great pics and such interesting plants. I like them all but especially the Lions Tail, the white echinacea, and the euphorbia. I used to have some echinops and they are neat.

    There's a type of euphorbia that grows around here and is very showy but spreads by runners. I had to get rid of it. There's a giant type that I'd like to have. I hope the Diamond Frost won't be too invasive but it would be ok with me if it would spread some. It's rated as hardy to 30 degrees, so I don't know if that'll affect reseeding..I know plenty of tender annuals reseed.

    What type of plant is that Lion's Tail? Looks like a great one to go with hot colored roses. I think the black and blue salvia is more interesting than the green and blue salvia guarnitica.

    Linda

  • jumbojimmy
    16 years ago

    I don't have a large garden like you guys. I'm renting at the moment, so most of my plants/ trees are grown in pots.

    That ECHINACEA and LION'S TAIL look great. And I do like that EUPHORBIA plant - nice green foliage. That Diamond Frost will make a great ground cover.

    At the moment, I'm growing lots of daisies around my roses - especially osteospermum (Afriacan daisies). They look SO CHEERY and they do flower for a long time if you deadhead them.

    My favorite is definitely this white osteopsermunm (serenity white) that I bought just recently. It took me a while to find this. I've tried several white ones in the past, but nothing compares to this - SW has this beatiful, prolific bright and immaculate white flowers that open in full sun and close at night. I remembered seeing this white one growing at my neighbor's front year back in my old house, and looked really great if massplanted.

    I also have japanese maples too - I especially like this Seiryu maple. Whenever I have a bad day, just looking at those leaves can make my mind calm and peaceful again.

    Osteospermum:Serenity White:

    Osteospermum:Starshine Purple:

    I also have lilies (Muscadet) and penisectum rubrum too.

  • gnabonnand
    16 years ago

    JumboJimmy, that Japanese Maple IS AWESOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Japanese Maples are the only plant that I like as well as antique roses.

    'Seiryu' is the variety, huh? Was it hard to find? Did you have to mail order? That is one of the most graceful looking Japanese Maples I've ever seen.

    This weekend, I bought a 'Bloodgood' Japanese Maple. I really like its relatively large leaves.

    Thank you so much for sharing that photo.

    Randy

    Below is a photo of my oldest Japanese Maple (12 years old)

    And this is my 'Crimson Queen' Japanese Maple, with Japanese holly fern growing below it (10 years old).

  • kathy9norcal
    16 years ago

    Daylilies were here first, so maybe the roses are the companions!

    {{gwi:248136}}
    Comptesse de Provence and daylily, Little Lassie


    Priscilla Burton and clematis


    Outrageous and garlic chives

    {{gwi:332326}}
    Alpine Sunset and wallflower. I have several clumps of wallflower.


    daylilies and peruvian lily with Eye Paint and Honey Bouquet

    Verbena also is a good companion. I can't find that photo.

    Kathy

  • bethnorcal9
    16 years ago

    I have a few African daisies too. But some of them aren't perennial, unfortunately. And the perennial ones don't do that well after the first yr for some reason.

    The Lions Tail is "Leonotis leonorus." It's a woody perennial that can get over 4ft tall. It's a really trippy plant! I guess in some areas it's an annual. But for me, it's a very hardy perennial.

    I have a lot of Japanese maples too. My SEIRYU is really big. It's in a big clay urn in the backyard. There's a really good website for the maples. I've ordered lots of them. They're newly grafted and come in bands. They're only around $15. If you're not in a hurry and want more variety, it's the best way to buy them.

    Here is a link that might be useful: World Plants Japanese Maples

  • jumbojimmy
    16 years ago

    Randy - I got that Seiryu maple about 4-5 years ago at a nursey. Seiryu is the only upright dissectumn tree - whereas the other dissectum maples tend to cascade.

    It was LOVE-AT-FIRST-SIGHT. Very beautiful and very graceful back then. The first 2 years I didn't look after it, and those horrible ants nearly destroyed it. But luckily the tree managed to survived.

    I was planning to get Blood-good too on Saturday! But that tree couldn't fit into my car. So I had to wait for next year's autumn to get it.

    Kathy - that;s a magnificent color arrangement. I liked how you grouped the yellow plant with the yellow rose, and the pink flowers with the pink rose. Brilliant idea.

  • jean_ar
    16 years ago

    I am puting daylilies around my roses as fill ins I guess.I have some Porsalana comes up and grows every where,I keep pulling it out and it keeps coming right back.Don't have a picture of it at present,but it will take over a whole flower bed.Each plant will get 4 to 5 ft wide and just creeps across the ground and has yellow flowers,some times a red or pink pops up or a white one.

    Jean

  • gnabonnand
    16 years ago

    Kathy, that first shot, of the lavender daylilies and the pink rose is fantastic. Very nice combination you came up with.

    Beth, thank you for that great Japanese Maple website!

    JumboJimmy, I will keep you posted on how my 'Bloodgood' Japanese Maple does. I am so proud of it, I've wanted one for a long, long time.

    Randy

  • msmisk
    16 years ago

    Linda, I love Diamond Frost too. Mine has been swamped by the coleus it shares a pot with, but I sure hope it reseeds.

    Love all the gorgeous photos. beth, can you tell us more about the Lion's Tail ? Does it have a "real" name, did you start it from seed or transplant?

    I have lots of roses,and as companions I love daylilies, clematis and salvia, among others. I only have a couple pics of companions with the roses, both pink with blue:

    Carefree Marvel and pincushion flower

    Nearly Wild and vitex
    {{gwi:704853}}

    Carol

  • erasmus_gw
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Jimmy,
    I like the osteospermus also. I have one Japanese Maple and of all the plants damaged by the Easter freeze, I was the most anxious about whether that one would recover. I am glad to see the Japanese Maple site too, Beth.

    THat Priscilla Burton is amazing.

    Carol, I like the vitex.
    Linda

  • bethnorcal9
    16 years ago

    Carol, I did mention above the Lions Tail's botanical name.... "Leonotis leonorus." I guess it's considered a tender perennial, and is grown as an annual in some areas. In my zone, it is definitely perennial. The plant becomes woody and grows as high as 5ft, altho it seems to average about 4ft. It can get pretty wide too. My original plant is about 3-4ft wide right now. It doesn't spread and doesn't reseed itsself. But I crop it down almost to a nub every yr and it comes back nicely every yr. I've dug it up and moved it three times in the last 7 yrs. The stems come up and are dark green with several little green "balls" at the top. By July the balls start sprouting those (soft) orange spikes all over, and it continues to blooms and grow well into late fall. I read somewhere that some people harvest the orange "petal" thingies and smoke them for a slight "high." I think it would take an awful lot of them to work tho!! LOL Anyway, it's an interesting plant.

    Here's a pic of the whole bush:
    {{gwi:1285312}}

  • phylrae
    16 years ago

    Oooh Beth-I have SO wanted to grow Leonotus Leonurus...I planted some seeds from a seed exchange a few years ago, but didn't get any results. How I wish I were in a warmer zone..it is such a cool flower! :0) Phyl

  • cupshaped_roses
    16 years ago

    My favorite companion plants are hardy geraniums ...Here "Rosemoor" and Allium Christophii:

    {{gwi:1285314}}

    I have ordered more of these bulbs this fall and usully plant them in groups of 3 many places in my garden. Guests love these alliums. I have also sown some annuals(not hardy here) "Salvia patens". Very similar to Beths Black and Blue. Only mine are much more intensely blue. Kathy are these the flowers of garlic chives? And I really like that daylilly Little Lassie! I have also for a wile wanted those blue Pincushion flowers of Carols (We call them blue Scabiosa). They are able to grow here on poor soils(with good drainage) since they hate clay soils.

    Jimmy your maple is beautiful!!

  • erasmus_gw
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    That's a pretty allium/geranium picture.
    Here's a brilliant blue hardy plumbago that blooms several months and grows like a groundcover.

    I like spider lilies also

    I noticed that leonotis leonorus seeds are available on ebay. I wonder how easy they are from seed or where plants can be found.

    Linda

  • devon_gardener
    16 years ago

    Linda, this is a pretty thread. I love looking at all the
    companion plants people are using. I often don't think too
    much about the companion plants, but they enhance a garden,
    very well. That blue Plumbago is electric. I can imagine
    that one by mini- coral roses, like Electric Blanket.
    Thank's!!!

  • brandyray
    16 years ago

    Erasmus- Great thread! Getting some ideas for my new rose garden. I really like your geranium and spider lilies.
    Beth- I love the Lion's Tail. I never heard of it before. I have some red hot poker and I like it a lot. I just ordered some eremurus, too. I might look around for some of the Lion's Tail- looks like a good-sized plant. There is a nursery here in NC that sells a red hot poker plant that gets 5 ft across! Wish I had enough space for it in my bulb garden.
    Kathy- Outrageous is a winner in my book! What a sizzling color! Brandy

  • erasmus_gw
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Devon, I was especially interested to hear what new plants people are happy with. The plumbago is an old one for me but it sure is electric. I like it near Morning Has Broken which is a bright yellow. I got some different sorts of lavender this year which have done well in the drought. The plumbago is also very drought tolerant. So is my favorite, the Diamond Frost euphorbia.
    Linda

  • erasmus_gw
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Here are a few more that are drought tolerant. The Ruellia, or Mexican Petunia makes a big clump and doesn't kick in till later in summer.

    Ruellia

    {{gwi:643568}}

    Angelonia

    Powis Castle artemisia..I like this one for its billows of silver, contrasting with all the green.

    Linda

  • cupshaped_roses
    16 years ago

    Please stop posting more gorgeous blue plants that are not hardy in zone 6 and below (Heck can´t even grow Perovskia here!!). Now that plumbago ....sigh...but I do have other blues, that might give you the blues too:

    I like the checkered pattern of these bulb plants in the spring: Fritillaria Meleagris:

    Eryngium/ Sea Holly: "Sapphire blue":

    {{gwi:1285325}}

    Veronica Austriaca:

    {{gwi:1285326}}

    Campanula ( Porskchyana ?) As ground cover for these:

    {{gwi:1285328}}

    And 2 blue clematis with a long flowering time:

    Multiblue(flowers...spring and Autum!!):

    {{gwi:331732}}

    {{gwi:331734}}

    A unknown clematis I think it is clematis texensis variety (Blooms July-September):

    {{gwi:331729}}

  • erasmus_gw
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Yum! Those are fantastic pics cupshaped! I have wanted to try those Fritillarias..I must. Those others are intrigueing also, especially the nodding clematis and the eryngium.
    Linda

  • jumbojimmy
    16 years ago

    My goodness - that Eryngium/ Sea Holly looks brilliant. Hopefully I could find it.

    What about delphiniums and lilies? Delphiniums and lilies look great with roses.

  • niecey
    16 years ago

    How did I missed this thread.
    Geranium (Orion)


    Black Beauty


    Coneflower
    {{gwi:315611}}
    Hibiscus

    Niecey

  • erasmus_gw
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Niecey,
    That geranium is a beautiful color. Also really like the Black Beauty...is that a rudbeckia?

    Here are some foxgloves and larkspurs:

    I have grown delphiniums a couple of times but they don't live long here due to heat..even the New Zealand hybrids that are more heat tolerant. Here's a lone delphinium though..I was thrilled to have it for a short time:

    Linda

  • cupshaped_roses
    16 years ago

    I like hardy geraniums. Especially those who have a very long flowering period. My favorite blue is "jollybee". It blooms from May-November!!!. It is good to prune it back in the beginning of august and it will keep blooming. I have seen few hardy geraniums with more blue flowers like this variety. One of the best ever!:

    {{gwi:1285342}}

    Jimmy I am sure you can find some sort of Eryngium where you live If you can not find the particular variety I grow there are a few others. Some can even be grown from seeds, even though it is a bit difficult (since they need cold stratification ... 3 weeks in the refrigerator in order to germinate).

    Linda: The Nodding clematis is Clematis "Hendersonii". It blooms from may to September. And it is wiltproof. You can grow the fritellaris from bulbs/or better as plants. I have sometimes planted the bulbs and did not succeed, but sometimes they would come a year later (I thought they were dead). They need shade, but are a nice flower in April/May here.

    As for delphiniums have you tried the magic fountain delphiniums?? I like the dark blue. They return year after year here and are reliable perennials.

    May I also compliment you on your beautiful Garden. It looks very European and has elements of the modern Cottage style gardens that I like very much. You have a very good sense of mixing plants with beautiful results. Your foxgloves are amazing. Did you grow them from seeds yourself? I just collected the best one year seedlings, and placed them where I wanted these spires next year. Amazing that they survives the winter!!!. They can flower 2 years if they are cut back after flowering but I prefer the 2 year rotation of sowing seeds and make the seedlings from this year flower next year.

    Roses may be my favorite plants but a garden with roses only looks bare ... I love all the companion plants too. All the Annuals, biannuals, perennials, bulbs, and Clematis. It really takes skill and knowledge to get to know different plants and what type of sil and amounts of sunlight they need to thrieve.

    BTW. Does any body grow something we call Rosemint? Showy calamint, beautiful mint (Calamintha grandiflora). It is an amazingly fragrant plant that blooms from June to November here. (even though this article says 6 weeks ...mine blooms 5 months!!!!) I have seeds of these if some want to try it.
    Very easy and not invasive , like other mints.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Calamintha Grandiflora

  • msmisk
    16 years ago

    Thanks, beth, I did see you had given Lion's Tail's latin name after I already posted. Thanks for the whole bush shot, too. I want to try that one next year.

    cupshaped, your blues are to die for, especially that Multiblue. I have a new baby one that I hope grows up to look just like yours.

    Carol

  • erasmus_gw
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Thanks, Cupshaped...that brightens my day. Before I got interested in roses I was a perennial and annual gardener for about 30 years. This thread reminds me that companion plants aren't just incidentals.

    I did grow the foxgloves from seed..ordered them from J.L. Hudson rare seeds. They're Shirley giants I think. I have a couple more plants coming along now that I'm amazed have made it through our drought. I've seen tons of them growing wild in the Pacific NW where it is cool and moist.

    What zone are you in? Somehow your pictures look like it is cool and moist in your summers. I appreciate the info on these wonderful plants you've shown us..especially the clematis..sounds like a great plant.

    Happy gardening,
    Linda

  • tnangela
    16 years ago

    I'll start off with roses...

    Here's a Robin Hood climbing a Crepe Myrtle. I love using Crepe Myrtles because they don't become too tree-like and they provide dappled shade.

    I like the blue and white combo of gardenias and hydrangeas.

    Purple fringe flower and purple peonies....

    Last, butterfly weed (roadside weed in TN) and a lilly.

  • devon_gardener
    16 years ago

    I keep coming back to this great thread, Linda has created,
    because of all the beautiful companion plants being talked
    about and the photo's. I'm taking notes. Especially love
    all the blue companion plants.







  • karenforroses
    16 years ago

    I'm sorry for posting this picture again (summer replays?) but I wanted to say again what a great companion plant Portulaca, or Moss Rose, is in the garden. It blooms nonstop all summer, even when the roses are between flushes, so you always have such a nice bloom. They come in all kinds of colors. Wish it were a perennial here, although it does self-seed too (but not as well as alyssum).

    {{gwi:211295}}

  • carla17
    16 years ago

    WOW, what a great thread! Everyone's companions are so pretty, I am a sucker for blue anything.

    Carla

  • cupshaped_roses
    16 years ago

    tnangela: I have never seen gardenia grow outside before! And the foliage of that fringde flower looks very interesting.

    Carol: I hope your multiblue clematis will do well for you. It is a group 2 clematis and needs light pruning every time it has flowered. It blooms in May/June and again in September (fewer flowers).

    Karen: this part of your garden is very pretty. I have never heard of Portulaca before.

    I have to look up some of the plants mentioned in this thread, they would not stand a chance here in Scandinavia!! I might want to try out growing Angelonia from seeds in pots. They are not hardy here.

    Those Canterbury bluebell are huge! I love hollyhocks but they are a bit difficult here (Gets rust) and where there is enough sun for them I grow roses. Many campanulas makes excellent companions plants for roses. You may want to look up Campanula Pyramidalis. (make a google picture search) It is fairly easy to grow. Tall like delphiniums and foxglowes but more airy.

    I did grow Rose campions (The pink variety) another biannual (self-seeding! But Easy to get rid off the plant I did not want to bloom next year.

    It really is interesting to grow a great variety of plants .. roses are actually easy to grow... And companion plants are important. Many roses gardens are boring if there are roses only.

    I live in a climate that can best be described as mild coastal climate ... most winters are mild but sometimes we have weeks of temps below -15F. Summers are cool and rainy, with temps between 65 and 80 degrees F (Occasional heat waves with temps to 90F for a week or 2 ). We had a drought in 1992 ... Temps were above 85F and no rain for 7 weeks (All of June and July. I have very heavy clay soil, so all plants that do not like that type of soil do not grow well here. I amend the soil with lots of compost and coarse sand and gravel.

  • erasmus_gw
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Cupshaped, your climate sounds pleasant except for the -15 part. I think roses like soil on the clayey side rather than sandy. I'd like a little more clay in mine.

    I don't know why my hollyhocks and roses don't get rust as I have it on my apple trees.
    Linda

  • sherryocala
    16 years ago

    Mums were beautiful until the heat set in, but they're coming back.


    I loved the Gaura but it got more huge than I expected. Echinacea, Caladium, Canna Lily, Liriopi.

    Some kind of Sage in the background.

    Sherry

  • erasmus_gw
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Sherryocala...I love the guara with coneflowers.

  • tnangela
    16 years ago

    Wow! I love everyone's pictures. Karenforroses, your rose garden is gorgeous. I love the picture of Carefree Marvel also. Because this thread is getting so large and long to load I'm almost hesitant to add more pictures but I'm going to be selfish and do it anyways.

    Someone mentioned Va.Bluebells. These came up "wild" in my yard. It took me twice to transplant the successfully.
    {{gwi:201827}}

    The previous gardenia picture I posted was 'Mystery'. Not all Gardenias are hardy in TN (I've killed several). Mystery, Daisy, Chuck Hayes seem to be alright here. Here's another closeup of 'Mystery'

    Here's 'Daisy' on the left with 'Carefree Delight' on the right.

    These are my pride and joys this year. Seedlings from Daisy:

    Carefree Delight again:

    And I just have to throw this in. Camellia Chekiangoleosa with Purple Fringe Flower in March:

  • erasmus_gw
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Angela,
    I'm glad you included some lovely, clear pictures of Virginia Bluebells. What a special plant it is. I always look forward to it.
    I especially like your snowy picture also. Thanks!
    Linda

  • rainbow_2007
    16 years ago

    tnangela, How did you propagate the daisy gardenia? Is it difficult?

  • tnangela
    16 years ago

    When I did it I searched all over the internet for pictures of gardenia seeds or information on hybridization and didn't find any. I used a q-tip and went around all my gardenias spreading pollen. I ended up with two fruits. These got about 1" around and turned orange and mushy in the autumn. Because these didn't have the large seeds I expected, I didn't take much care in planting thinking they weren't fertile...little did I know the seeds inside the fruit are just very tiny. I put one fruit in the yard somewhere and one in a flower pot and left outside for the winter. The seedlings (17 of them) in the flower pot sprouted in June (quite late) and, as you see, I successfully transplanted about 15 of them in pots. Hope that helps.

  • rainbow_2007
    16 years ago

    Tnangela, Wow!! You're amazing....you make it sound like "luck"...you're obviously an experienced gardener..you did the work of the bees!!!

    So..you left the fruits on the plant to ripen, then in autumn you removed them and planted the seeds inside the fruit. Amazing. Thank you so much for sharing.

    Erasmus, nice thread...I looked up Euphorbia and it said that the milky substance in the stem is poisonous. Wouldn't want that near kids.

  • jumbojimmy
    16 years ago

    Clematis look really nice with roses. I'm new to clematis, and after doing a little research on them, I ended up buying this clematis called,'Snow Queen. I'm really glad that I bought this variety. One of the buds opened up two days later since I bought it at a nursery.
    For some reasons, the flowers of clematis reminded me of how my mother used to make embroidery patterns for table clothes, and hankerchieves for me and my brother. The flower shape/texture has this 'warmth' feeling to it when I looked at it this morning.
    Now my interests are roses And clematis. I'm intending to add more clematis.
    For those who haven't tried growing clematis - I suggest you should give it a try.


    BTW... my opinion on osteospermum being a good companion plant has changed. Those African Daisies are Thrip magnet, and the foliage has this pungent smell and would not be a good idea to plant close to those light pastel color roses. I didn't get rid of the plants because they seem to be doing very well. Instead I had to spray them with pyrethrin, and cut off all the flowers in the hope those thrips would go away.

  • erasmus_gw
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Jimmy,
    That's a pretty clematis..it looks kind of ruffley. It's nice that it reminds you of your Mom. I guess amaryllis reminds me most of my Mom because I gave her lots of them and she always went crazy over them. Where she lived, on the gulf coast, they could be outdoors all year.

    I like clematis too but mine don't seem to get as big as some people's. I think they like cool roots. I think I'll try Multi Blue as it is vigorous and as Cupshaped's picture shows, is very pretty.
    I had planted a Jackmanii near Crepuscule which I later regretted as I think the dark purple with orange would look too halloweenie.
    One great new plant for me this year which I don't have pictures of has been a tender sky blue plumbago. I bought a little plant of it and it grew big and bloomed constantly. Is still blooming. I am going to buy more next year. One lady near me overwinters it inside in a big pot.
    Linda

  • mamabuttbutt21
    7 years ago

    Love this site. Im looking for s ok mething to plant I nfront of ny knockout rosebush that will "mingle" with the roses. I have purplw speedwell on either side of the rose bush. Everyones pics are so beautiful. Love the daylily with roses.

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