Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
General Subjects => General Forum => Topic started by: cohan on September 15, 2009, 07:05:26 PM
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2 recent purchases--much to my surprise, i recently saw a big box home store with a garden centre full of plants--most places here close up all outdoor stuff by mid-late summer;
the downside is that this place clearly stocks more or less the same plants across the country, which is not the same climate all the way across!
anyway, i picked up a couple of small items cheaply, not knowing if they really have any hope outdoors here:
a couple of sedums, one labelled 'ogon' which i have since read is a cultivar of S. makinoi (sp?), the ohter i havent figured out, maybe a form of cauticola... will post a pic when i get one processed... 'ogon' sounds like it probably is not hardy here, just wondering if anyone in a cold area (-30ish) has any experience with it? i may bring it or pieces of it indoors..
(this reminds me, i also have some pieces of Prometheum/Rosularia aizoon from overseas--any thoughts on the hardiness of this?)
the third is Potentilla nepalensis Miss Wilmott.... hardy to/below -30C? this i cant realistically bring in, so its live or die ;)
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well, i did keep digging, and finally found more info on the potentilla--most of the initial sites were UK, and 'hardy' there doesn't tell me much ;); others were saying zone 5-8, which is where most gardeners in north america are, so that's standard!
finally found a reference that says hardy to -45C! now we're talking ;)
http://www.richfarmgarden.com/potentilla.html
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Potentilla nepalense is hardy here, and the more-available cultivars seem to be pretty widely grown through zone 2, so it should work out for you.
I'm pretty sure I don't have Sedum makinoi, but S. cauticola sure looks familiar so I'll check my plant list tonight if I get a chance.
(I have a Rosularia spp. that has made it through 1 winter in regular soil, not the one you mentioned... can't recall the species off-hand.)
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well, i did keep digging, and finally found more info on the potentilla--most of the initial sites were UK, and 'hardy' there doesn't tell me much ;); others were saying zone 5-8, which is where most gardeners in north america are, so that's standard!
finally found a reference that says hardy to -45C! now we're talking ;)
http://www.richfarmgarden.com/potentilla.html
Cohan, I cant believe that i can actually give you some info on hardiness of Potentilla nepalensis 'Miss Wilmott' as I have grown it here in my rockery for 4 years or more and it has survived everything thrown at it in terms of extremes of weather and exposure and still comes up each year smiling to seed itself demurely - I love it as it has a bit of everything: pretty leaf, lovely coloured flowers that it holds high over other plants, flowering all summer and still now in third flush, doesn't mind being pruned, attractive to insects....what more can I say? My label in French from my tin says it's robust and rustic and that's good enoough for me in this wild mountain ;D ;D ;D
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Gathering a collection of sedums too that are all hardy and will let you know if it's true next year - certainly the beginnings last year survived very harsh winter - only trouble is the snails like two of my new grey leafed ones which is really annoying :o
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It is the birds who are playing havoc with our sedums right now..... little bits lying all over the place. Normally this happens earlier inm the year when the young birds are out exploring the garden and testing everything for edibility and fun value..... don't know what the attraction is now.... unless there are bugs and slugs in the plants and the broken pieces are just a by product of the birds' hunting technique :-\ :(
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thanks for the input...
looks like the potentilla is safe, assuming it doesnt mind such late planting, i'll prob try to disturb the roots as little as possible.. you all know i'm not so fond of hybrids/horticultural forms, but these purchases show i'm not a real purist-- mind you, if true species were as generally available, i'd likely turn up my nose...lol
i like the odd colour of this potentilla's flowers.... robust and rustic are good things for plants here too ;)
there are rosularias that should be hardy here, but i'm not sure about this species... i have 2 separate little chunks(and i mean little--each rosette is well under a cm, though i havent measured) from the same source, so likely i will bring one in, leave one out...
i really like sedums, and prob have more than a half dozen already (just garden centre stuff, not good species), several i know are fully hardy, several new ones i will be watching for next spring!
re: slugs--oddly, we seem to have a number of slugs here, i see them in the mornings in the cat's dish outside, and have run into an occasional one elsewhere, but have not noticed any damage on plants, not even in the vegetable garden..i imagine all the birds in the yard in summer kept them under control a bit, but the birds arent out at night!