Plants and Seeds list 2024- 2025

Plants and Seeds 24-25

Plants

Phlox dwarf blue flame and Phlox dwarf white
Phlox Blue- 4 x $9   Phlox White- 4 x $9

Spirea Blue Kazoo- blue foliage, white flowers
    Spirea- 3 x $25 each Ordered July 28, 2024

Hydrangea- Blue Jangles
    Hydrangea- 3 x $23 - Ordered July 2024

Blue Mist Spirea- Caryopteris Beyond Midnight

    Spirea Blue Mist - 2 x $23 each

Royal Candles Veronica

    per plant - 2" Pot $11.98

Seeds

Maybe my penchant for seed starting can be filled by the wildflowers, since so many of the more exotic perennials are difficult to find seeds for?

Wildflowers                                                    Flowers

Rudbeckia hirta                                        Pearl Yarrow- front slope

Lupine                                                      Balloon Flower- front slope

Lemon Mint                                             Globe Thistle- new border

Spotted Bee Balm                                    Bells of Ireland- new border

Scarlet Bee Balm                                     Coreopsis yellow lanceleaf- garbage can bed

Ansie Hyssop                                           Hyssop blue- garden border

Pearly Everlasting                                   Zinnia Queen Blush (2) new border
Butterfly Weed                                        Veronica- garbage can bed

Milkweed

Veggies                                                     Herbs

Broccoli                                                    Dill

Zucchini                                                    Marigold (2)

Tomato cherry                                           Basil

Tomato Roma                                            Nasturtium

                                                                   Borage

                                                                   Calendula

                                                                   English Thyme

Wildflower bed

The seed mix from Hudson Valley Seeds seemed like a good idea, but really didn't give the look I was hoping for. This year, the second year of the bed, was much less showy. I realized by doing some homework, that the Rudbeckia hirta did not really come up, it is the taller and less showy Rudbeckia subtomentosa Sweet Black-eyed Susan. There are also many other plants that are too short or too tall. One random evening primrose sticking up looks weird. 

I think in the future I should choose just the flowers I want and only seed those. Also, continue to start seeds, both spring and fall. It seems the fall planting actually may get going quicker because the seedlings have a few weeks to establish in the fall.

Lupine did not transplant well, all died and even the ones sown in the fall came up nice and then died. Maybe I need to add sand to the bed and they will survive? Also more consistent watering... 

Prairie Moon- seeds 

* New- Pearly Everlasting- add to the wildflower bed, Full sun, Medium Dry soil, 2 feet tall. 

Lupine- wildflower, try again, add sand to soil, more consistent watering until established

Rudbeckia hirta- wildflower and guerrilla gardening, try fall planting

* New- Lemon Mint- The bright blooms range from lilac to magenta in color and will attract bees, butterflies, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and even moths, but deer and rabbits dislike and commonly avoid its especially fragrant foliage. The leaves have a strong lemon scent with a hint of oregano and mint when crushed, thus the name Lemon Mint. The flowers bloom in tiers from the bottom upwards.

* New- Spotted Bee Balm-  It is an eccentric beauty in form and color with complex blossoms topping 2’ stems in hues of pinkish-purple, green, beige, and maroon. These blossoms attract honeybees, bumblebees, and many butterflies, including Karner Blue butterfly. Spotted Bee Balm is also one of the host plants for Raspberry pyrausta butterfly. The scent of this plant is repugnant to mammalian herbivores so is rarely consumed by them.

* New- Butterfly Weed - This is a great Milkweed for a sunny location in a dry area. Mature plants in ideal locations can make as many as 20 stems at an average height of 2’. The vivid orange color, low mounded profile, and ability to attract and sustain butterflies make this plant a well-known landscape favorite for all types of gardens. Like all species in the Asclepias genus, Asclepias tuberosa is one of the larval host plants for the monarch butterfly. 

Back and edges of bed- Perhaps too tall for what I want?

Scarlet Bee Balm Outside Pride- Monarda Didyma is a

perennial herb known as Bergamot, Scarlet Monarda, Oswego Tea and Crimson Beebalm. It is very showy and will have everyone turning their heads. Scarlet Beebalm makes a great cut flower as well! The Monarda flowers are edible and the mint-scented leaves are used in teas or in potpourri. These flower seeds may be sown from early spring up until 8 weeks before the last frost in the fall.

Anise Hyssop
Wild Bergamot

Plants

American Meadows

Phlox dwarf blue flame and Phlox dwarf white- These will be the basis of the front of the border. You can only buy them in plants, so get four of each when finances allow. Hopefully this can be divided in three years.

    Phlox Blue- 4 x $9

    Phlox White- 4 x $9

Bluestone Perennials

Blue Mist Spirea

Provides late summer and fall color. Misty clusters of rich purple blue flowers envelop the glossy, dark green foliage. Butterflies, hummingbirds and bees all welcome this nectar source. Once established, this drought tolerant plant is virtually maintenance free. Caryopteris Beyond Midnight™ has a dense mounding habit. Long blooming.

    2 Spirea Blue Mist - $23 each

    

    Early May

Spirea Blue Kazoo

Cool blue foliage provides a perfect backdrop for sparkling white flower clusters. Hints of burgundy in the newly opening foliage foreshadow the rich red fall color. A neat mounded plant, easy to grow. Outstanding tucked into your existing border or plant in mass for a showy low-growing hedge.

    Spirea- 3 x $25 each

    Early to Mid September- Ordered July 28, 2024

Hydrangea- Blue Jangles

This is the showpiece of the bed. I hope I can keep it alive and flowering, and also add the correct amount of acid to keep them bright blue. It might need more water and less sun that this spot has.

    Hydrangea- 3 x $23 

Early to Mid September- Ordered July 28, 2024

Fall Chores 2024

   

August

• This is a good time to order and plant spring flowering bulbs (Alium) for next year's early flower display. Plan for different flowering times to extend the season.
• Continue deadheading flowers which will allow plants to use energy reserves for a final flower display.
• Some perennial flowers and bulbs will start to go dormant this month. Marking their location with a stick or drawing out a map of your bed is helpful come spring so you don’t forget where things are.
• Remove old plants which have stopped producing to eliminate a shelter for insects and disease organisms.
• Every weed that produces seed means more trouble next year. Control weeds before they go to seed.

September

• Pull tomato plants in mid-September and plant cover crop. Then plant garlic in the same bed in mid-October.

• Fall Planted Shrubs front slope: Spirea Blue Kazoo and Hydrangea.

• Keep harvesting second plantings of the cool season vegetables including broccoli, and the other cole crops. 

• Allow plants to finish the summer growth cycle in a normal manner. Never encourage growth with heavy applications of fertilizer or excessive pruning. Plants will delay their dormancy process that has already begun in anticipation of winter in the months ahead. New growth can be injured by an early freeze.

• Fall is a good time for improving your garden soil. Add manure, compost, wood ash  and leaves to increase the organic matter content. Wood ashes contain phosphorous, potassium and calcium. They can be placed on vegetable gardens and flower beds as a top dressing that will feed into the soil all winter.

• Be sure to keep strawberry beds weed free. Every weed you pull now will help make weeding much easier next spring.

• Take cuttings from herbs to propagate inside: basil, mint, lavender and rosemary plant after the flower has finished blooming in late summer. 

• Move potted plants, thyme, lavender, salvia, etc... inside to overwinter.

• Clear more of the  new wildflower bed, add compost and sow seeds. Overseed the existing beds as well. 

• Create new strawberry bed with cover. Transplant strawberries and fertilize.

October

• Plant spring flowering bulbs. Once your daytime temperatures are in the 60’s or lower consistently, this is a good time to plant your tulips. 

• Drain the hoses and empty the bird bath before a hard frost.

• Cut and dry or freeze remaining herbs.

• Harvest seeds from last cucamelon and dig tubers for winter storage. 

• Remove, chop, and compost asparagus tops after they have yellowed and died for the season. Wait until the ground has frozen to mulch.

• Cut strawberry foliage down to one inch. This can be done after the first couple of frosts, or when air temps reach 20°F (-6°C). Mulch strawberry and asparagus plants about 4 inches deep with straw.

• Mulch lavender plants about 3 inches deep with straw, chopped leaves or pine needles.

• Save seeds from favorite self-pollinating, non-hybrid flowers such as marigolds by allowing the flower heads to mature. Lay seeds on newspaper and turn them often to dry. Store the dry seeds in envelopes in a cool, dry, dark place.

• Comfrey cuttings make an excellent bio-activator in the compost bin. If you have a large amount of dried brown material—such as fall leaves—layering it with comfrey cuttings is an efficient way to balance out the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio and jumpstart decomposition.

• Make a note of any particular productive or unsatisfactory varieties of vegetables that you planted this year. Such information can be very useful when planning next years' garden.

• Protect Hydrangea- May benefit from winter mulch in northern areas, mound shredded leaves or bark mulch around the base of the plant to about 12 inches or so. Put the mulch mound in place in late fall after the ground freezes, and uncover plants in spring when temperatures begin to stay above freezing. Easiest pruning is to simply remove any dead canes after the hydrangea sprouts in the spring. A slow-release fertilizer recommended for shrubs and trees may be applied once a year. Spread around the drip line of the branches, not the base. Lightly cover the fertilizer with soil to activate and water well.
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