Garden

[skuggles]

mine are in full bloom.... they get larger ... don't you just love them! Mine are so hardy. Enjoy!

[mousiegirl]

---

@BirkiLady wrote:

@mousiegirl  Have you tried Coral Bells? (Can't remember the latin name. It also begins with an "H")  Lovely colorful leaves from almost black to vivid limes to rusts to deep burgendy and flower stalks about 20-24" high with delicate white or sometimes pink flowers. They are great perennials with year-round interest in some areas. Prefer a partially shady location. I have them with hosta plants, ferns, etc., and am in Zone 5-B. 

---

---

@BirkiLady wrote:

@mousiegirl  Have you tried Coral Bells? (Can't remember the latin name. It also begins with an "H")  Lovely colorful leaves from almost black to vivid limes to rusts to deep burgendy and flower stalks about 20-24" high with delicate white or sometimes pink flowers. They are great perennials with year-round interest in some areas. Prefer a partially shady location. I have them with hosta plants, ferns, etc., and am in Zone 5-B. 

---

@BirkiLady  Yes, I have at least thirty plants.  I also have hostas, ferns, ajuga, all sorts of shade plants for the one shady area I have, the rest is in blazing sun.

[MillCreekPat]

I cut all the leaves off in late January.  That helps the blooms last longer!

[Trix]

---

@mousiegirl wrote:

---

@Trix wrote:

@Lilysmom Your photo is beautiful.  My garden space is urban city highrise so the garden design in front is more like what you would see for commercial buildings.  The patio can be more expressive, but I don't have the same lighting issues there.  

I tried Primulas several years ago and they did not work to my satisfaction. I already have ferns in the area, so do not want to add more.  I want something low to the ground as this space is the front row of a large area and the design is a typical short to tall from front to back. I also need the front section to be the flowering part of the space since the hostas, ferns, and the tall shrubs do not.  I can always just continue to use pansies early until it's time for the annuals, but the older I get the fewer annuals I want to bother with.  

@mousiegirl I can't do preseason pots for growing things because I don't want to turn my apartment into a greenhouse. Everything I plant has to start outside and stay outside. 

---

@Trix  Outside is where I grow all plants, but I start them off in garden center pots or clay pots outside.

---

@mousiegirl Thanks for the suggestion, but the only pots I'm allowed outside are decorator pots.  The plants in those pots have to be thriving when I put them in.  I live in an apartment building, so doing things I would definitely do to start plants in a private single family home are out.  

I think since last week the problem has resolved.  The Hellebores planted last year are up and out of the ground.  Therefore the new plan is to add more Hellebores and I've found a petite Astilbe to border around them.  I'll pop in some begonia or impatiens for summer color along our fence, and with the background of lush hostas and shrubs the section will be lovely. 

[Lilysmom]

@Trix, sounds very nice.  Post a photo so we can see.  LM

[sfnative]

I'm on the Landscape Committee at our rather large townhouse community and was introduced to helebores by the Chair.  Went to the Home and Garden show in February and saw some for the first time:  Simply Gorgeous!

Since we had everything but our Japanese maple removed from our backyard last fall, I'm seriously considering a helebore bush, but haven't yet decided on a color.

[mousiegirl]

---

@sfnative wrote:

I'm on the Landscape Committee at our rather large townhouse community and was introduced to helebores by the Chair.  Went to the Home and Garden show in February and saw some for the first time:  Simply Gorgeous!

Since we had everything but our Japanese maple removed from our backyard last fall, I'm seriously considering a helebore bush, but haven't yet decided on a color.

---

@sfnative  I live south of you, born in SF, schooled through grade school in SF, and raised on the peninsula.

Have you googled helebores, so many colors.  Mine are still blooming, but eventually they will stop and just be green for the rest of the year, then die back.

[mousiegirl]

---

@MillCreekPat wrote:

I cut all the leaves off in late January.  That helps the blooms last longer!

---

@MillCreekPat  By dong that, you are removing the food source for the next year.  The leaves should die back normally, but maybe you havn't noticed an issue.

[sfnative]

@mousiegirl

Small world!  My husband's family had a great place quite near Emerald Lake in Redwood City, so he spent many happy years in such a wonderful hilly, adventuresome area.  I loved SF when I was growing up, because there was no crime to speak of, lots of empty lots to play in, well, I could go on and on.  Went to Laguna Honda Elementary on 7th AveBet. Judah & Irving, then onto Hoover and Lowell.

I've only seen varities of pink and gorgeous purple, so must google them.  Thanks for the suggestion!  Honestly think I must make sure to include at least one helebore in my backyard.

[mousiegirl]

---

@sfnative wrote:

@mousiegirl

Small world!  My husband's family had a great place quite near Emerald Lake in Redwood City, so he spent many happy years in such a wonderful hilly, adventuresome area.  I loved SF when I was growing up, because there was no crime to speak of, lots of empty lots to play in, well, I could go on and on.  Went to Laguna Honda Elementary on 7th AveBet. Judah & Irving, then onto Hoover and Lowell.

I've only seen varities of pink and gorgeous purple, so must google them.  Thanks for the suggestion!  Honestly think I must make sure to include at least one helebore in my backyard.

---

@sfnative  Yes, the helebores bloom when nothing else does unless one has bulbs growing, but they last longer than the bulbs, the flowers on mine are still looking good, so months and months of bloom, though each plant seems to produce all the blooms they will for the current season at one time.

I remember the names of the schools you mentioned.  My Mother worked in SF, so I had to go to a private school which would accept me very early in the morning, and kept me until 5:30 or so, then a very long drive home, I hated it.

I threw a huge hissy fit regarding High School, telling my Mother I would bleach my hair blonde and run away from home if she forced me to go back to that school for High School, LOL, so she let me go to the neighborhood High School.  I never had to study much for any test due to the load of homework I had at the private school, it was an excellent education, all girls, probably one of the reasons I hated it, lol.