tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post6874625538128234008..comments2024-03-24T10:06:36.115-03:00Comments on Bloomingwriter: Gardening in Nova Scotia: Buyer Beware: When a Perennial isn't, and other warningsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-50130529384276177922010-08-19T23:52:26.906-03:002010-08-19T23:52:26.906-03:00What a great article, I couldn't wait to comme...What a great article, I couldn't wait to comment. I haven't read the other replys yet, so forgive me if i reitterate (and misspell alot of words). I agree with most of what you have said here. I must point out that it is not always the intention of the garden center manager to mislabel plants as hardy. With the constant birrage of new plants, and with different zone ratings on the same Charles Harveyhttp://www.withrowsfarmmarket.canoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-73908824535924701672010-07-25T18:48:49.976-03:002010-07-25T18:48:49.976-03:00I planted coreopsis 'Limerock Ruby' and th...I planted coreopsis 'Limerock Ruby' and the salvia shown in your photo--just this summer. I'm in zone 7-A and won't be 'surprised' if neither of them return, but I'll sure be delighted if they do. I'm always a sucker for a pretty plant, and usually willing to take a risk.Janhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12844013803699228989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-9071770449065159042010-06-25T12:25:56.168-03:002010-06-25T12:25:56.168-03:00Great post, I also bought all the plants you menti...Great post, I also bought all the plants you mentioned when they were introduced & they did not overwinter for me either (z5 PNW). Tried Tasmanian a couple of times I so wanted it to be hardy here & thought I'd planted it in the wrong spot, but alas... Disappointing to say the least!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-74474146980718421392010-06-20T15:43:13.201-03:002010-06-20T15:43:13.201-03:00Another great post Jodi! Bishopsweed, crocosmia, v...Another great post Jodi! Bishopsweed, crocosmia, vinka... - I have them and oh, how sorry I am...Tatyana@MySecretGardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15230255354868127650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-43890500494879778162010-06-20T00:04:45.611-03:002010-06-20T00:04:45.611-03:00Yes...erm...reading Ediths comment about the Briti...Yes...erm...reading Ediths comment about the British Isles, I am thinking about this, and it has never crossed my mind that we shouldn't be selling things as this or that perennial in this or that zone, hardy* ** *** (star rates as we do in the UK.<br />The garden centres get a little of what you fancy, its I s'pose up to 'us' the consumer to seek advice ask a person or know Telegraph Tea Room Garden Schoolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02904794054708100325noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-87710599554232501412010-06-19T21:49:10.230-03:002010-06-19T21:49:10.230-03:00I am one of those who is willing to push the zones...I am one of those who is willing to push the zones, but I agree that beginning gardeners, or even experienced gardeners, can get despondent when a so-called hardy plant dies. Here in North Florida, I usually have the opposite problem - will it withstand the heat? Many so called "full sun" plants have to be grown in afternoon shade here. Some plants literally melt in our heat - Moonbeam Melodyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09908700492889879332noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-82151911421028315792010-06-19T20:14:42.529-03:002010-06-19T20:14:42.529-03:00Oh, Honey! Did you ever open a string of passion! ...Oh, Honey! Did you ever open a string of passion! I think EVERY gardener has been dupped by irresponsible nurseries that have sold them non-hardy plants or invasives. I used to design BIG gardens and I bought a lot of plants. One nurseryman talked me into buying a plant that he swore was fully hardy. Sucker that I was, I bought quite a bit of it and lost every one during the winter. When you'Emerald Windowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00728298203537429758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-48634011422437360192010-06-19T16:05:16.456-03:002010-06-19T16:05:16.456-03:00"I love your article Bloomingwriter, Gardenin..."I love your article Bloomingwriter, Gardening in N.S. We too on the West coast of Canada have this problem of purchasing things that are supposed to do well here, but, they aren't hardy to our zone. I purchased three "Hot Lips" Salvia, year before last, first year planted, fine, second year, I thought, what's going on here?? One died, third year winter finished them off. Maureennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-39486311056372201772010-06-19T14:04:29.177-03:002010-06-19T14:04:29.177-03:00oh Jodi, I have been away from this blog for too l...oh Jodi, I have been away from this blog for too long! I enjoyed this post even though I have absolutely no idea what the difference may be between Zones Five and Eight. Every time I read about them I thank my lucky stars that I garden in a country small enough to remain untroubled by such distractions.<br />Even though we cannot grow water melons nor do we have the excitements of neck high snow James A-Snoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-34388041596100266232010-06-19T09:30:04.081-03:002010-06-19T09:30:04.081-03:00So many tags give very little info, and as MMD say...So many tags give very little info, and as MMD says, it's a balancing act that nurseries must perform. It's such a work-intensive business and hard to concentrate on all the little details...as important as they should be.<br />I'll let you know if Coreopsis "Ruby Frost" survives our upstate NY winter. <br />Gaura is definitely an annual here but I grow it because those Kerrihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18362584475435433892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-53412157263480450312010-06-19T09:15:33.474-03:002010-06-19T09:15:33.474-03:00Hi Jodi. My friends who are successful in the worl...Hi Jodi. My friends who are successful in the world of gardening shelter their plants from my presence and refer to me as the kevorkian of the plant world. That said, we recently moved to a new location and I want to try and create a wee mental oasis in the back yard with shrubs, plants and fixtures that shelter me from the world at large. I also want a place where I can write and make Images by Cecihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04397280034033739033noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-27438071664798237582010-06-19T02:41:57.305-03:002010-06-19T02:41:57.305-03:00You've made some good points here. Really the...You've made some good points here. Really there should be a much better system or at least perhaps a bit more integrity. Here in Victoria we can go for years keeping plants for our climate zone and then bam! we get a nasty winter with many days of -10C degrees and suddenly lose all sorts of things. I'm reconsidering quite a few plants now.Helen at summerhousehttp://summerhouseart.com/blognoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-53518603567560790872010-06-18T16:59:12.618-03:002010-06-18T16:59:12.618-03:00The trouble is that students are hired for the sum...The trouble is that students are hired for the summer at these nursery places and they do not know the plants or their growing habits or the zones they belong in. Many are a tender perennial. I was at a big nursery once as a Master Gardener. A woman came by me with a cart filled with aegopodium. I stopped her before she got to the cash and asked her if she really knew the plant she was buying.Gardening in a Sandboxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06637549836563211475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-46688701607809502752010-06-18T15:34:27.437-03:002010-06-18T15:34:27.437-03:00This is such a wonderfully helpful post, Jodi, esp...This is such a wonderfully helpful post, Jodi, especially as we're in the same zone. :) I've heard you speak of goutweed so many times and admittedly, never actually knew what it looked like until today. After reading your post, I googled it and the first link that came up (HowStuffWorks) stated this:<br /><br /><i>How to grow goutweed: Goutweed adapts to just about any garden soil...<Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-33509667311559475722010-06-18T11:59:01.455-03:002010-06-18T11:59:01.455-03:00Hi, Jodi!
Love this. It's particularly bad in ...Hi, Jodi!<br />Love this. It's particularly bad in my little town because we're stuck with Homer Depot and Walmart (2 of only 3 local places to buy perennials.) They pay no attention to our true growing zone, stocking the flowers that grow well in the valley and will not survive in our mountain terrain. It makes gardeners up here feel like total failures when they die....Kate/High Altitude Gardeninghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06690999267357525527noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-59492557392109945282010-06-18T11:35:12.464-03:002010-06-18T11:35:12.464-03:00All the time. Funny thing is that when I called th...All the time. Funny thing is that when I called the nursery seller on selling gardenias listed as hardy for my zone she replied, "Well it is hardy here-in a greenhouse." How's that for misleading the public? I agree with your on the bishops weed and all the other invasives. They at least should come with a warning.tinahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17415302577518111227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-30348533814975907062010-06-18T10:54:15.995-03:002010-06-18T10:54:15.995-03:00Great post! I am also in zone 5b and had the anoth...Great post! I am also in zone 5b and had the another Limerock Ruby experience with Coreopsis 'Sienna Sunset'. Loved the orange color and not a single one of my 5 plants came back after this mild winter.<br /><br />I also picked up about 10 Euphorbia 'Ascot Rainbow'. I read somewhere that it was surprisingly hardy in my zone, and they weren't lying this time! Every single plantSprouts, Shoots, and Sunshinehttp://www.sproutsshootsandsunshine.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-62666484615277533412010-06-18T09:41:27.772-03:002010-06-18T09:41:27.772-03:00I've encountered the same problem here, and I ...I've encountered the same problem here, and I am a zone 8. It is unbelievable the number of tropical plants that are passed off as hardy in our area. Another problem I have noticed here is the selling of cool season annuals too late in the season. I see inexperienced gardeners buying them (or being advised to buy them by nursery personnel), and I know when those plants die in just a few Janhttp://alwaysgrowing.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-19861372645486290912010-06-18T08:02:54.872-03:002010-06-18T08:02:54.872-03:00Asking your garden center for advice on hardiness ...Asking your garden center for advice on hardiness is just like asking your banker advice on how to invest your money. You may get good advice but they are also sellers and won't advice you to buy something they haven't got in stock :) I definitely feel your sentiment - luckily we have the internet :)Garden Muchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08762977407717629802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-52244705582412114362010-06-18T04:23:39.680-03:002010-06-18T04:23:39.680-03:00Our problems are slightly different, with cold-har...Our problems are slightly different, with cold-hardiness not an issue but heat- and humidity-tolerance the biggie. I lost a 'Lochinch' buddleia a few years ago after a hot dry period ended with a couple of weeks of rain -- I think the plant died of shock!<br /><br />My prize for least-useful labelling goes to a nursery aisle full of azaleas, helpfully labelled "tall", or "Chookiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07230973711859964063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-5536291045266884502010-06-18T01:28:35.697-03:002010-06-18T01:28:35.697-03:00I always take zone recommendations with a grain of...I always take zone recommendations with a grain of salt. As the late Christopher Lloyd once said, I don't count a plant not hardy until I've killed it myself. I garden in zone 6b, but we have plants here that are rated for zones 7 and 8 and they do well. And some plants that are rated zones 4 & 5 don't last long enough to get them out of the pots and into the ground! Part of this Sandyhttp://chaosinature.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-38230795413444110962010-06-18T00:02:37.274-03:002010-06-18T00:02:37.274-03:00A really good post. I wondered why one of my new h...A really good post. I wondered why one of my new hybridized coneflowers didn't come back - I figured it was me. After all, I have all these other coneflowers that are happy in my yard. I'll be more skeptical from now on.Jill-Ohttp://jellyfishbay.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-35491855173895797782010-06-17T23:02:13.684-03:002010-06-17T23:02:13.684-03:00This was the first year here in Edmonton at a repu...This was the first year here in Edmonton at a reputable garden centre that I saw plenty of plants in the perennial section with no zone mention on the tags at all! (not tags from the garden centre - but from the breeder) Most disheartening. <br /><br />Also, goutweed - my nemesis from under the fence - is still available in many places and is taking over our back lane and getting down into the Northern Beauty Seekerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07805215769692200647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-41594334988257150782010-06-17T20:30:31.279-03:002010-06-17T20:30:31.279-03:00Thank you all for your comments. I see I've st...Thank you all for your comments. I see I've struck a nerve with this discussion. <br /><br />What I wonder, sometimes, is if breeders aren't going a little TOO overboard with introducing new cultivars, be they annuals or perennials. Regular readers know that I'm a huge fan of echinaceas, but just how many coneflowers do we need? I have somewhere around 15-18 different types, but Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12107236871193698777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20831949.post-20254856548086386202010-06-17T19:46:32.984-03:002010-06-17T19:46:32.984-03:00It happens all the time (sigh), I understand somew...It happens all the time (sigh), I understand somewhat with borderline hardy plants (none of my zone 4 shrubs came back well this year :( ), but I've seen much higher zone plants sold here (6 & up). It's infuriating. Fortunately for me I research EVERY variety before planting, so I have a better idea of what to expect, but as you said, most people don't do this. <br /><br />The Rebecca @ In The Gardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17513002032328432666noreply@blogger.com