Dahlia plants too tall & too much foliage
DinahG
12 years ago
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pdshop
12 years agoRelated Discussions
too many plants - too much variety?
Comments (1)For claiming not to have much of a sense of design principles, I would say you have hit the nail on the head with the problem with the design as proposed. Repeating some of the same shrubs in different areas of the garden, using layers of different height shrubs juxtaposed against each other in the deeper areas, are all tried and true design approaches that make a garden more interesting. You might also consider the use of smaller perennials that combine the same foliage color or texture to knit the garden together. As a example, you could pick up on the foliage color of the Loropetalums by using some of the same foliage color Heucheras as edging, or contrast them with some chartreuse foliage such as lime green Heucheras or Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' or similar. You could also bring these same foliage and flower colors into the tree level by including a specimen Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy' as part of the mix. You could work with flower color in a range of the same color, picking up on the magenta flowers of the Loropetalum with complementary pinks, reds and purples or closely related flowers of the Azaleas, or Verbena bonariensis or things like Salvia chiapensis or Dierama pulcherrima. The only info you haven't given, but that does enter in to the equation, is what will go in sun or shade, and whether the plants as located are appropriate for the amount of sun. I would suggest that you relay your concerns to the original designer, and have him/her give a whirl at tweaking it. If they just don't have that certain "it", it does sound like you could probably spot the plants yourself and do your own design using the plants you've already selected, if upon reading up on them, they work with your sun/shade patterns. As an example, Loropetalum is unlikely to be as happy in full hot sun as it would be in bright shade or morning sun, and lantana doesn't bloom nearly as well without full sun. If your conditions radically vary around the yard, plants that will tolerate either conditions may be the best "glue" to hold it all together, and things like Nandina and Pittosporum tobira, while perhaps not the most fascinating shrubs, work well this way. I'd suggest dwarf forms of each as a lower level, using Nandina domestica 'Harbour Dwarf' and/or Pittosporum tobira wheeleri as lower edging, or combining with the equally useful Trachelospermum jasminoides, Bergenia crassifolia, etc. These may not all work as well in your area, but are classic dependable shrubs here in northern California. Perhaps a visit to your local botanic garden, or looking at gardens in your neighborhood that you enjoy will give you better ideas of how you could tweak your planting plan......See MoreWhat have you planted too much of? Too little?
Comments (17)I have not been on much this year...have had a summer full of family visits and a long vacation in Europe while DH was working, but came home refreshed and ready to put my heart back into my business next year. This year I had too much Neon Dianthus. I sell to a very small group of people and after about 3 weeks of a flower no one wants it again, thay want something different. So once again my problem is not to plant too much of any one thing, but to keep different varieties coming on. Spring bulb flowers start us off about the first of March, but this year most of my beautiful tulips were virused. They were beautiful Colorblends tulips so I think the virus falls out of the madrona trees that form the border between the street and my garden. I think it is just a plain garden variety of Botrytis, rather then the Dreaded "Tulip fire", and so I am cutting way back on tulips and mostly growing the viridifloras that seem more resistant. THe few others I plant will be in crates(Prefereably early tulips to force) or in sunny spots completely away from any trees! Clarkia and neon dianthus were big space wasters this year. I think about a dozen plants of white clarkia to use for fillers....another dozen neons, and more white lacy things would be a better use of space. I also have poor luck with the annual chrsanthmums "Merry maids" but could probably sell all I grow. I grow a lot of dahlias and they are my mainstay in the autumn but I need more fillers to use in their bouquets. Favorites I never get tired of are Delphinium Blue Bouquet, the cloud larkspurs, and snapdragons. I grew 3 kinds of snaps this year and will do the same with possibly a 4th kind next year. The Madame Butterflies open the season for me and give me buckets and buckets of lovely azalea type blooms in wonderful color combinations. THis year I tried "Snappy Tongues", not sure where I got them, but they have a white trumpet with bright colored crown,,,very striking! THen the wonderful Costa II'S, that have lasted, rust free, until frost. We had a cooler and greyer summer then usual here so the zinnias did not do well...but even what we had were very useful. I will move them to the sunniest spot available next year and plant lots! I need more summery foliage and fillers like dill, fennel, etc. And much as I Love Cosmos they do not sell well here at all. OH yes, I use lots of lilies, roses, and other bulb flowers and plan to plant atleast 500 butterfly glads next year. And I will be opening a stand at my home, and trying to switch my customer base to buying direct, and enticing in "Cut your own bouquet" customers. Also more advertising about subscription service (I deliver) and about doing weddings and parties....See MoreToo soon to plant dahlia tubers?
Comments (8)If they have little green sprouts coming out of the eye that are about an inch tall, then they definitely should be potted up. Then give them a good watering, put them under lights or natural sunlight, and watch them grow. Don't over water them. So after the initial good watering, I would let them go for about a week before watering again, but that depends upon the medium in which you plant. Don't let them dry out completely, but don't overwater. Watch the leaves. When they START to droop, they are telling you that they need more water. Here is a link that might be useful: See other discussions about potting up....See Morefoliage, like cleavage, can be too much
Comments (6)Maybe you're looking for taller daylilies? (I don't like daylilies that bloom down in the foliage either.) In general, tetraploids have bigger leaves than diploids. Although, for me, Mokan Butterfly (a tet) has relatively the least foliage. Its foliage stays low and its scapes are tall. China Veil (another tet) also has taller scapes and smaller leaves. However, both of these daylilies are relatively slow to increase and don't rebloom, so maybe having smaller leaves makes them not as vigorous. For me, Magnificent Rainbow has the most foliage vs. flowers - it has short scapes and large leaves. I love the flower but always wish it had taller scapes. Grace Stamile has bred her minis to have smaller foliage to match the small blooms - if you like minis, maybe you could try some of hers. Juliet...See Moredavidinsf
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