Comments on: Three Neat Plants

By: kerri

kerri — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:49:23 +0000

I planted 3 ‘baby’ caryopteris plants this past fall – gifts from our son and dil’s garden (C x clandonensis ‘Dark Knight’). I like the fall blooms and love seeing the bees all over it. I do hope they live through the winter and thrive. I’d like to try that lovely variegated ‘Summer Sorbet’ too.
Love your other 2 suggestions as well. Neat indeed and quite unusual! Thanks for the always interesting plant ideas, Nan.

If the babies don’t make it, maybe you could try again in the spring? I often have better luck moving them then. But I hope yours return.
-Nan

By: Nancy

Nancy — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:49:31 +0000

Just a quick note: With respect to the Dutchman’s Pipe, plants are also available from my most favourite source for cool plants, Seneca Hill Perennials, and for considerably less of a cost then Plant Delights.

I appreciate your note, Nancy. Yes, Seneca Hill is awesome!
-Nan

By: Louis Raymond

Louis Raymond — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:57:28 +0000

Hi Nan: Wow: thanks for your speedy reply.

Cutting back the Catalpa TWICE. I’ll do it. (I do this w/ PG hydrangeas, by the way, so they get smaller heads that don’t flop over.) Maybe, like w/ the Ulmus g. ‘Aurea’ pollarding, coppicing the catalpa twice delays the foliage just enough for it to be out of sync w/ that buckshot malady. Delighted to try it out this year.

Thanks! Louis

Glad to help. I wouldn’t try the double-cut on a young plant, but once it’s well established (my golden catalpa is about 8 now), this trick seems to work. You might consider going back only halfway for the second cut, especially if it looks like you’re going to get a dry spell in June.
-Nan