Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Slow Growing

When the first one grows so slow, the leap phase is skipped - I think it needs more sun -





















Buy two more and plant them in sunnier locations. I figure if my first Aralia cordata 'Sun King' is surviving, doing pretty good and slowly getting bigger in pretty deep shade, the plant has some merit and possibly some vigor. Instead of moving the slow one, why not get more? More is always good.

So I did.





















Most of my plant purchases of late have been about about foliage and texture. I have plenty of flowers and plenty of access to more. The Mukdenia rossii 'Crimson Fans' is looking good its first year of return in the garden. It seems like the leaves were bigger when I bought it though. They survived the hail storm without much damage, way better than the hosta.





















This is also the Shredded Umbrella Leaf's, Syneilesis aconitifolia, first year of return in the garden. They too survived the hail way better than the hosta. I bought two and it looks like I have two distinct leaf forms, one is much skinnier than the other, and even the flower heads are looking different.

I keep meaning to fetch some of the native Umbrella Leaf, Diphylleia cymosa, for the garden out of the deep forest and never seem to get around to it. There is a lot of it in there and I know it does fine in the deep shade.





















I planted the two new aralias in sunnier places and the next morning this one had been dug up. That is a fairly common occurrence. Some varmint, I suspect a possom likes to search through freshly dug holes for snacks. The plant is always dug out and tossed aside. Sometimes the varmint has to dig the plant up twice before it is satisfied that this loose patch of dirt has been thoroughly examined.

As long as it doesn't hurt my new plant much I can handle that. Once established I am expecting two new patches of big, bold foliage, color and texture in the garden. A sun versus shade experiment is now under way.





















Some times things go just right. A late freeze doesn't zap them, some varmint doesn't dig them up or eat the bulb, a boring insect doesn't tunnel into the stem and topple them, a hail storm only scratches the leaves and a full compliment of lilies manages to bloom. All my lilies are going to bloom this year baring any unforeseen developments.

The lilies grow pretty fast. They just have other issues.


5 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

What are your lily issues? My lilies don't seem to have issues. Your lilies are pretty.

Christopher C. NC said...

Lisa most often thy have been hit by late freezes, but bulb eaters ans stem boring insects have also prevented them from blooming.

Unknown said...

Your lilies are a beautiful color. I like Turk's Cap Lilies. Had one bulb.....it bloomed one time with a single bloom......nothing since has bloomed. I suspect the bulb died in the winter. It was surounded by a tomato climbing cage. Maybe a small varmint ate it. I so much want another. Is 3,100 ft. elevation too low?

Christopher C. NC said...

Dana I don't see why a Turk's Cap Lily would not grow at your elevation. Sun is the most critical factor for them to bloom. There are hundreds in the deep forest that never bloom up here. I need to relocate some of them to more sun too.

Lola said...

Love those Turk's Cap Lily.