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Showing posts with label perennials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label perennials. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Collect & Divide in August
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| Divide your peonies in late summer/early fall. |
For example, August is a great time to divide certain perennials and collect seeds.
Spring is the best time to divide most perennials, but poppies, peonies, and iris have fleshy roots and are best divided in late summer. If the plant has had a weak flowering season and or has a dead center portion, it should be divided. Another sign is if the plant is spreading rapidly and beginning to invade other plants' growth areas.
To divide your plant, dig up the clump and use a sharp spade or knife to break it apart. Keep the divisions moist while you prepare new planting spots. Make sure the newly planted divisions are well-hydrated.
For seed collection, follow these steps:
-Identify the plants you will be collecting from and research their needs and habits.
-Collect the seeds before they are shed from the parent plant.
-Loosely tie a paper bag around seedheads to collect seeds as they are shed.
-Separate the seeds from other plant parts before putting them in storage.
-Store seeds in airtight containers in a cool location that will not freeze.
-DO NOT collect wild seeds. This will deplete the wild population. Collection of wild seeds is illegal for many plants.
Share the seeds or divisions of your favorite plants with friends and family! Enjoy the rest of the summer!
Information in this post taken from the University of Illinois Extension and William Aldrich and Don Williamson's Gardening Month by Month in Illinois (available at Whispering Hills)
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Superb dry-weather plants
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Hummingbird-friendly plants
Hummingbirds are able to assess the sugar content of nectar and prefer flowers with higher sugar percentage, so there's a limited selection of plants that will invite them to your yard.
Hummingbird-friendly Perennials
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| Hummingbirds are "suckers" for Morning Glories and other sweet flowers. |
Achillea
Aquilegia
Aster
Buddleia
Campanula
Delphinium
Digitalis
Iris
Heuchera
Lobelia
Monarda
Penstemon
Phlox
Shrubs
Clethra
Hibiscus
Itea
Lonicera
Weigela
Whispering Hills stocks many of these varieties. Call 847-658-5610 for more information.
Friday, June 15, 2012
Drought-hardy plants
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| OK, it's not this dry. But it's really dry! |
Indeed, as local meteorologist Tom Skilling notes, we've seen much, much wetter Junes in Chicagoland. Skilling reports that this June could be a record-breaker in terms of consecutive 90-degree days, but what's worse for the region's plant material is that it's been hot without rain.
It's been at least a dozen days since the last heavy rainfall, and with no moisture and sweltering conditions in the forecast for the next five days, proper watering habits may mean the difference between life and death for many of your plants.
For instructions on how to water properly, please view our watering guides (one for annuals and perennials and one for trees and shrubs). Before watering mulched areas, be sure to move the mulch aside with a rake so the water can soak directly into the ground. Once replaced, the mulch will keep the soil wet.
There are many varieties of plants, however, that are designed to beat the heat. Below you'll find a list of the most drought-tolerant plants we carry at Whispering Hills.
| Perennials |
Shrubs
|
Trees |
|---|---|---|
| Grasses | Limelight Hydrangea | Evergreens |
| Tickseed | Tickle-Me-Pink Hydrangea | Crabapple |
| Baptisia | Rose | Sugar Maple |
| Cotton Candy Stachys |
Viburnum | Hawthorn |
| Nepeta | Barberry | Serviceberry |
| Salvia | Weigela |
*Tolerance depends on establishment of plant. Well-established plants will have optimum tolerance.
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