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Re: [SG] Need suggestions

Well, Pottsey, doesn't sound to me like it's "wet feet" territory if the
water drains away in that short a time, but does sound a good place for
plants that like moisture.

So, what about one of the Rodgersias?  R. aesculifolia has huge leaves
shaped like a Horse Chestnut, that stay nice all season, if they don't get
too dry, and spikes of cream flowers in summer.  I'm not exactly sure when
they would bloom for you; mine do it in mid to late May, into early June
(depending on weather).  Can get 3 to 5 feet tall and about 3' around -
have large rhizomes that expand slowly into a colony and loves moist soil.
R. pinnata looks somewhat similar to me and has pale pink flowers - also
has a white form and 'Superba' which gets bigger and has bronze flushed
leaves and spikes of pink flowers.  The only one I've had trouble growing
is the really neat R. tabularis who has huge round pale green leaves like a
dinner plate and doesn't like my heat/humidity much.

While the native black-eye susans will grow about anywhere and can make a
really cheery splash of color for a long period in summer in a group, they
really prefer as much sun as you can give them, as do the more highly bred
members of the Rudbeckia family.  In too much shade, they get really floppy
and have smaller flowers.  Plus the natives get fairly ratty looking after
bloom, IMO - they act more like self-seeding annuals than true perennials
for me.

Another you might consider is Aruncus dioicus (Goatsbeard).  These are
tough guys and put out plumes of white flowers in summer - sort of like an
Astilbe on steroids - can get 4 to 7 feet tall, although mine, planted in
total shade immediately beneath a large maple stay about 2.5 to 3' tall.
They should get larger in moist soil, which they prefer.  Foliage stays
nice all season. I have a photo of mine in my current article on the Suite,
if you want an idea of what they look like.  URL is in my SIG.  It's about
half way down the article.

Another that you may prefer over Aruncus (since I think I saw one of your
posts saying you didn't care for Astilbe) is Ligularia stenocephala
(sometimes called L. pzrewalskii) 'The Rocket'.  Mine is blooming now -
spikes of a nice yellow on plants with nice large sort of triangularly
heart shaped leaves with toothed edges.  These guys like it moist and will
bloom in a good deal of shade.  They can reach 4 to 5 feet tall and about 2
to 3 feet in diameter.  Mine don't get that tall, but, again, they aren't
getting the moisture they prefer.

Just as an aside, realize that just about any perennial will have a bloom
period of only a few weeks, so pick something that has good foliage for the
rest of the season.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@clark.net
Editor:  Gardening in Shade
current article:  Planting Under Trees - Part 4
http://www.suite101.com/frontpage/frontpage.cfm?topicID=222
Gardening Topic Index for Suite101:
http://www.suite101.com/userfiles/79/gardening.html

----------
> From: venies.place <venies.place@MCI2000.COM>
> Date: Friday, July 24, 1998 6:37 PM
>
> Marge,
>
> I am a "virgin" this year, so I don't know what type of soil I have.  It
is
> definitely not clay or sand.  I don't know if it is acid or alkaline.
The
> water drains from the gutter, but it is eventually, within a few hours,
> absorbed into the soil.  As far as height is concerned, I would like it
to
> be about 3-4 feet tall and the same diameter.  One of my co-workers
> suggested black-eyed susans.  Do you think they would work?
>
> Pottsey
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