General Forum

Description

a forum for any general garden topic or question

Peonies 2013

Submitted by Lori S. on Sat, 06/01/2013 - 19:25

I don't think anyone has posted much about peonies yet?  Perhaps they are already done in most areas?  Here's the state of affairs on the peony front here:
Paeonia anomala:

 

Paeonia intermedia:

NARGS Forum Error: 503 - Service Unavailable

Submitted by Mark McD on Tue, 05/14/2013 - 08:05

For almost a week, the NARGS Forum (and NARGS.ORG mail web page) has been phasing in and out of service erratically, at least my my location. It's the only web site I've been having problems with. The site will be unavailable for a minute or two at a time, then back in service, and do this all day long.

Any other forumists seeing this problem? If so, just post a quick response here saying "me too".

Thank you.

The 34 "seasons" of the New England Garden - USA

Submitted by externmed on Tue, 04/23/2013 - 09:55

?For the more beginning gardener:
As has been said of Paeonia mlokosewitschii: "it flowers for about a week, but looks it's very best for 4 hours of that time". (I know this critique is much too severe, but I'm getting to my point+ it can have glorious early foliage)
Our flowering season in E Central New England USA lasts from about March 15 to Nov 1. Some flowers only last about 2 days, but I think the average plant looks really good for about a week. So to maintain flower interest in the garden, we almost have to have plants with 34 different bloom times.

Cultivar Conservation ?

Submitted by externmed on Fri, 04/05/2013 - 17:23

As rock gardening undergoes a bit of contraction and nurseries here and there close, I wonder about the preservation of commercially unimportant cultivars. Here I'm thinking about Daphne, Phlox, Penstemon and many others. Would it be useful to make a list of such cultivars, we wouldn't want to loose; and to try to find 2 people willing to maintain them? How many people out there might be willing to sign on as a cultivar foster parent? Wonder what the membership would put on such a list?
Charles Swanson. Massachusetts USA

Information on tufa gardens

Submitted by Novak on Sun, 03/24/2013 - 17:17

During my planning of a new tufa garden, I've come across a variety of information sources on the design and construction of tufa gardens. I thought I'd share them here. My focus here is in-ground gardening, as opposed to container gardening.

Lowe, Duncan, Growing Alpines in Raised Beds, Troughs and Tufa. Batsford 1991. [I haven't actually seen this book. Have any of you?]

Control of Arum italicum

Submitted by Gene Mirro on Mon, 03/04/2013 - 14:08

They are coming up everywhere. The bulbs are very deep. I'll destroy a lot of good plants if I try to dig them out. Is there an herbicide that works? I've tried Roundup. It doesn't work. Maybe the waxy leaves don't absorb it, as is the case with ivy.

Those of you who can't grow it should be grateful.