Debbie's Garden: Former Plants

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Former Plants

All of the plants listed here came up and thrived, but are no longer in my garden through no fault of their own. Sometimes I was out of space and wanted to try a new plant in its place instead, sometimes I just didn't really like the color well enough, and sometimes, the plants just died a natural death after several years.

2007
Plant: German Iris "Baboon Bottom" Source: Spring Hill Nursery Quantity: 6 Planted: 9/17/05 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: This is a pale pink iris that was shown in the catalog as being dark pink with vivid white striping. The striping is barely visible because the pink is so light. I finally removed it to make room for other plants and because I just didn't like the washed-out color.
Plant: Weigela "Carnaval" Source: Spring Hill Nursery Quantity: 1 Planted: 9/18/04 Blooms: Late May Notes: Planted in back garden. Bloomed for the first time in 2006. This really filled in well and grew quickly. Removed it because it grew too large for the diminishing space it occupied between a thuja and spruce, and I had nowhere else to put it since I have so many shrubs now. It's a very nice bush and I do recommend it.
Plant: Trollius "Lemon Queen" Source: Van Dyck's Quantity: 2 Planted: 4/26/05 Blooms: Late May Notes: These rebloomed in November 2006. They make a nice cut flower because they have very long stems. I had these in three different locations in the kitchen garden where they did fine but just didn't fit, height- and color-wise. I eventually removed them because they're not that thrilling and I really didn't have anywhere else I wanted to put them.
Plant: Pachysandra Source: Spring Hill Nursery Quantity: 6 Planted: 5/8/05 Notes: These were planted in kitchen garden among our oriental lilies. They were doing well and starting to spread, but they were boring and taking up space that I wanted to use for prettier plants. If I had a need for groundcover, I'd use these, but I don't.
Plant: Shasta Daisy "Highland" Source: Wayside Gardens Quantity: 2 Planted: 4/25/05 Blooms: Late June Notes: Planted in side garden. They look like standard Shasta daisies, but they are supposed to have much frillier petals. They bloom well and only get floppy after an extremely heavy rain. They really filled out their second year and were quite pretty, but didn't come through the winter of 2006 very well and finally died during the scorching summer of 2007.
Plant: Columbine "Songbird Dove" Source: Sundown Gardens, Wood's Edge Quantity: 3 Planted: 4/18/04 Blooms: Early May Notes: Planted three plants from Sundown Gardens. These have cream and white blooms. Their blooms are the largest of all of our columbines, but they are the shortest plants. Only one plant came back in 2005, so we added another one from Wood's Edge on 4/30/05. Only one came back in 2006, but it succumbed to heat in mid-summer. I bought some seeds from eBay to sow in 2007 but didn't get any seedlings.
Plant: Bi-color Blue Grape Hyacinths Source: Van Bourgondien Quantity: 70 Planted: Fall 2003 Blooms: Late March Notes: Planted 20 under tree in front garden. They are surprisingly tall; much taller than their white counterparts. Planted 50 more on 10/15/04. Most of these got disturbed or buried when we replaced our front tree with an evergreen in 2005, but several came back in 2006. I'm removing these as they come up since I filled in the area where they were with cultivar "Blue Magic" which doesn't match as well as I was expecting. Since Van Bourgondien doesn't always give cultivar names for their bulbs, I had no way of matching these other than guessing.
Plant: Firecracker Flower "Pink Diamond" Source: Van Dyck's Quantity: 10 Planted: Fall 2003 Blooms: Late May Notes: Foliage appears in early winter. These looked great just above and behind the purple salvia. They had very long stems that either require staking or the support of another plant the same height. After moving the bulbs in spring 2004, they never recovered.
2006
Plant: Centaurea dealbata (Cornflower) Source: Spring Hill Nursery Quantity: 6 Planted: 10/16/05 Blooms: Early June Notes: Planted in back garden, where they thrived. The foliage and the blooms aren't very pretty, and took up too much garden space for not being a very attractive plant. The foliage on these plants varies from very finely detailed on one to large on another, so it's difficult to believe that these are all the same cultivar. If you like the foliage and flowers, this is a great plant because it grows easily, but I just didn't like it.
Plant: Iris Reticulata Source: Lowe's Quantity: 30 Planted: Fall 2003 Blooms: Early March Notes: Very tiny flowers that lasted for several days mixed with white crocuses in a vase. I used a tall shot glass for a vase because the stems are only 4 - 5 inches long. These flowers inspired me to plant all of the other iris reticulata bulbs listed on the Irises page. They provided a huge splash of color very early in the season. I only removed them to make room for a patio extension, plus I have plenty of iris reticulata bulbs planted all over. These little bulbs are amazing and I strongly recommend them.
Plant: Hibiscus Moscheutos "Anne Arundel" Source: Meijer Quantity: 2 Planted: 9/7/03 Blooms: Early July Notes: These blooms are bright pink and huge. First sprouts appear in May, and quickly grow to full height within a month. I was sad to pull these in September 2006, but they were getting smothered by the weeping cherry tree in front of them and we didn't have another location for them. I do recommend these, though -- they're absolutely beautiful, even if they do require staking.
Plant: Hibiscus Moscheutos "Disco Belle Pink" Source: Lowe's Quantity: 3 Planted: 7/20/03 Blooms: Mid-July Notes: These plants produced dozens of huge dinner plate blooms. Planted in back garden. Deadheading extends the blooming season. Removed these in August 2006, because they attract too many Japanese beetles and can get messy quickly if the blossoms aren't cleaned up when they drop.
Plant: Andromeda "Blue Ice" Source: Lowe's, Wayside Gardens Quantity: 12 Planted: 4/3/05 Blooms: Late April Notes: Planted 10 at base of clematis on trellis to replace the lavender plants that didn't survive last year. Five of those died, and we added two more in September 2005. I finally removed them in September 2006, because they aren't thriving and they're competing with the clematis for soil and nutrients. In the right location, these would be nice little plants to have.
Plant: Hibiscus syriacus (White Peony) Quantity: 1 Blooms: Early July Notes: One of two large trees on the side of our house where we never get to see them. They gave the neighbors a nice show each summer, but they attract huge numbers of Japanese beetles and spawn a billion seedings in the spring, so we decided to remove one. This one stuck out over the lawn farther, so this is the one that got removed.
Plant: Hibiscus syriacus (Pink) Quantity: 2 Blooms: Early July Notes: These two huge plants were over 8 feet tall and were here when we bought the house. We removed one in 2005 when we redesigned the far back garden, and removed the other when we tired of the Japanese beetles and seedlings.
Plant: Lupine "Gallery Blue" Source: Garden Crossings Quantity: 2 Planted: 5/11/06 Notes: Planted in back garden. They were large, healthy plants, but their foliage was nibbled by rabbits. One produced flower stalks in 2006, but both died in an intense heat wave in August 2006.
Plant: Dutch Iris "Blue Pearl" Source: Van Bourgondien Quantity: 20 Planted: 10/9/04 Blooms: Late May Notes: Planted in back garden. These all bloom at the same time and are spectacular, but in a week they are done. After two years, I decided to use the garden space for a plant that blooms longer and looks better when not in bloom.
Plant: Dutch Iris "Van Vliet" Source: Van Dyck's Quantity: 20 Planted: 10/9/05 Blooms: Late May Notes: Planted in kitchen garden. Just like Dutch Iris Blue Pearl, these bloom simultaneously and are done in a week. They're pretty, but it's hard to recommend a plant that blooms for less than one week out of 52. I removed them in 2006 when I removed the other Dutch irises.
Plant: White Trumpet Daffodils Source: Don't remember Quantity: 16 Planted: Fall 2003 Blooms: Early April Notes: These are white with a yellow cup that fades to pure white after a day or two. Each stem produces a single flower. Only one bloom appeared in 2006 after two seasons of doing very well. I removed them in 2006 to make room for a patio extension.
Plant: Crocus "Tricolour" Source: Breck's Quantity: 25 Planted: 10/15/04 Blooms: Mid-March Notes: Planted near daffodils in back garden. Removed them in 2006 to make room for a patio extension, but I would plant them again.
Plant: Daisy "Clara Curtis" Source: Spring Hill Nursery Quantity: 2 Planted: 4/10/04 Blooms: Late June Notes: First flower buds spotted 6/6/04.Trimmed them back hard in July 2005 when they got too tall, and they immediately produced a new set of flower buds. This photo shows just one of the plants, which grew and spread extremely quickly. I removed them in February 2006 when they started to spread into my beloved clematis. They're too invasive for my taste, but would be perfect for someone wanting to fill a lot of space quickly and cheaply.
2005
Plant: Lupine "The Governor" Source: Spring Hill Nursery Quantity: 6 Planted: 4/10/04 Blooms: Late May Notes: I love these flowers and was thrilled to see them growing wild all over Iceland. They bloomed in 2004 and 2005, but the extreme heat and drought in summer 2005 killed these, unfortunately.
Plant: Coral Bells "Magic Wand" Source: Sundown Gardens Quantity: 3 Planted: 4/16/03 Blooms: Late April Notes: This was originally three plants planted in spring 2003. In spring 2004, only two of the plants remained. The third did not survive the late summer transplant. The second plant died in 2004, but the remaining plant was so healthy that we divided it into four smaller plants and replanted in the side garden. Only three of the four survived the winter, so we transplanted them again to the kitchen garden on 5/8/05 where they promptly died. It was a nice plant, and the foliage looked great all season. I would plant these again if I had a better location for them.
Plant: Gaillardia "Burgundy" Source: Spring Hill Nursery Quantity: 6 Planted: 4/10/04 Blooms: Early June Notes: These are more reddish-orange than burgundy. These six plants produce dozens of flowers on two foot long stems. Moved several times because they don't match any other flowers in our garden. Finally removed them because they are so large and floppy.
Plant: Peony "Festiva Maxima" Source: Sundown Gardens Quantity: 6 Planted: 5/19/03 Blooms: Late May Notes: These did fairly well in 2003, then came up strong in 2004. After the first two blooms appeared, all other flower buds turned brown and died. Moved to the back garden on 10/15/04. We sprayed them weekly with Bordeaux in spring 2005 and they bloomed very well for a week until the buds started to rot again and we decided to give up.
Plant: Peony "Duchesse de Nemours" Source: Sundown Gardens Quantity: 3 Planted: 5/19/03 Blooms: Late May Notes: We purchased three of these, but they didn't do well in their original location. We moved the three and combined them into two, and neither one is doing very well. Small flower buds started to form, but then died. The foliage looks fine, though. Added a large, blooming plant on 5/31/04, but its buds also turned brown. We sprayed them weekly with Bordeaux in spring 2005 and they bloomed very well for a week until the buds started to rot again.
Plant: Canterbury Bells "Calycanthema Pink" Source: Spring Hill Nursery Quantity: 3 Planted: 4/10/04 Blooms: Early June Notes: Did not bloom in 2004, but foliage was healthy. It produced large, pretty blumes in 2005, but the plants were so floppy and messy that I pulled them on 6/17/05. Here's another gardening lesson I've learned -- if the plant is described as being perfect for a cottage garden, it's a messy, unkempt plant that will require staking or should be squeezed among other messy, unkempt plants. That doesn't work so well for me.
Plant: Mediterranean Pinks Source: Spring Hill Nursery Quantity: 6 Planted: 4/10/04 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: These spread quickly and are covered with tiny pink flowers when they bloom. On 7/25/04, we moved them to a location where spring bulbs were already planted. They turned out to be a little too invasive for my taste, so I trimmed the foliage back to 3 inches and moved the plants to the spa garden where they promptly died like nearly everything else in that garden.
Plant: Columbine "McKana's Giants" Source: Spring Hill Nursery Quantity: 12 Planted: 4/10/04 Blooms: Mid-May Notes: This is supposed to be a mix of colors, but every plant but two was solid yellow. The exception is a purple/yellow combination. In 2005, I removed because I just don't like them. I'm not crazy about the pink/yellow combination, and they're too tall for the places where they were planted. This would be a great, sturdy plant for someone who likes these colors.
Plant: Trumpet Lily "Regale" Source: Van Bourgondien Quantity: 6 Planted: Spring 2004 Blooms: Late June Notes: These were eaten to the ground by rabbits in 2004, so we pulled up all of the bulbs, or so we thought. Three bulbs returned in 2005, and one survived the rabbits long enough to bloom. These are pretty enough, but they are so freakishly tall that they don't look good in small numbers and they are out of place in their location, so we removed them.
Plant: Coreopsis "Sweet Dreams" Source: Sundown Gardens, Lowe's Quantity: 6 Planted: 6/14/03 Blooms: Late June Notes: We purchased four large plants from Sundown Gardens and liked them so much that we purchased two smaller ones from Lowe's later in the season. This plant just bloomed and bloomed but was sometimes bothered by parasites. We moved the plants to the side garden on 5/25/04, but they didn't return in 2005.
Plant: Daffodil "Double Tresamble" Source: Van Dyck's Quantity: 18 Planted: 10/9/04 Blooms: Early May Notes: Planted in small garden behind spa. These are the latest of our daffodils and were worth the wait, but we dug them up to redo the spa garden and these rotted in the bucket while they waited to be transplanted.
Plant: Colchicum Cilicicum "Rose" Source: Van Bourgondien Quantity: 2 Planted: 9/10/04 Blooms: Mid-September Notes: Planted in back garden among feather hyacinths, and the spring foliage prevented half of the hyacinths from blooming. Beware the very huge foliage of the colchicum! We removed these bulbs on 9/24/05 to make room for the hyacinths.
Plant: Lilac Bush Planted: Original to house Blooms: Mid-April Notes: This bush did not flower very well when it didn't get much direct sun, but it did much better after we cut down the tree that was blocking the sun. During an unseasonably warm winter, this shrub actually sported a couple of blooms in December 2004. We removed this when we finished landscaping the back part of our yard and replaced it with a small dogwood set farther back.
Plant: Crabapple Tree - white Planted: Original to house Blooms: Mid-April Notes: We struggled with leaves falling off too soon due to fungus for many years, and finally decide to replace it with an evergreen instead. Crabapples are notorious for susceptibility to diseases, and as lovely as they are, it wasn't worth raking up diseased leaves all season.
Plant: Crabapple Tree - pink Planted: Original to house Blooms: Mid-April Notes: This was a beautiful tree that we didn't get to enjoy as much as we'd like because it was close to our neighbor's property line on the side of the house we rarely see. We removed it, which gave the grass beneath it a fighting chance of living, and planted a line of arbor vitaes between our house and our neighbor's instead.
2004
Plant: Winter Aconite Source: Van Bourgondien Quantity: 12 Planted: Fall 2003 Blooms: Late March Notes: Planted under tree in front garden, along with grape hyacinths and snowdrops. These little flowers are like blossoms on sticks, and they appear out of nowhere. They're cute, but really don't go with my pink/purple/blue garden, so I removed them once their blooms faded.
Plant: Narcissus "Golden Bells" Source: Van Dyck's Quantity: 8 Planted: Fall 2003 Blooms: Early April Notes: These are very tiny flowers. The single orange cup is less than an inch long, and the stems are about 6 inches long. These were a free bonus for placing my Van Dyck's order online. They were planted in the front garden, but they clashed with the pink, purple, and blue color scheme up front so I removed them.
Plant: Triplet Lily "Queen Fabiola" Source: Van Bourgondien Quantity: 35 Planted: 4/3/04 Blooms: 7/10/04 Done: 7/20/04 Notes: Planted in front garden. These did better than the "Corrina" triplet lilies we planted then pulled in the back yard, but only 6 - 7 plants appeared, and only 2 of those bloomed. Since these were the same color and weren't as nice as the Blue Chip campanula next to them, I removed these on 4/8/05.
Plant: Asiatic Lily "Monte Negro" Source: Van Bourgondien Quantity: 6 Planted: 5/27/04 Blooms: Early June Notes: These were much more orange than I was expecting, so I pulled them at the end of the summer to make room for other plants.