Honestly, it’s more like Perennials I’ve Given Up On
and Ripped Out. That’s because I hadn’t yet learned this
little ditty about
them: "First year sleep, second year creep, third year leap." Unfortunately, it’s true and really bad news
for impatient gardeners like myself. So truth to tell, I’ve given up on plenty of perennials before
giving them enough time to show me their stuff. Others have honestly
underperformed for me:
- Monarda up and died after 3 years.
- Euphorbia ‘Martinii’ – they’re dying one by one.
- Foxglove – famously short-lived in much of the U.S.
- Geranium ‘Johnson’s Blue,’ which seem to do well for everyone else, so it’s
an unsolved mystery. - Stipa tenissma – a gorgeous short ornamental grass that I had high hopes
for. - Artemesia ‘Powis Castle’ and others. They hate humidity.
- Plants I started from seed which never had much impact in the garden:
Campanula carpatica, Veronica spicata and Catananche carentea and Linum perene
(Blue flax).
Photo: the Euphorbia x Martinii that dazzles, until it up and dies.
{ 7 comments }
I have had luck with Stipa in my Anne Arundel Cty riverfront garden with neglect – they seem to like it dry and mostly sunny. They even self seed. Maybe you pampered yours too much. The others you mentioned, I either haven’t tried or share your opinion.
Monarda and I just don’t get along. They seem to last two year and only bloom one of them, but I keep trying. Not sure why, but perhaps it’s because I hate losing.
Susan..I’ve just recently discovered the Garden Rant and now your own blog– I really like your approach to gardening, especially the honesty. Gosh, I thought I was the only one who routinely loses perennials that the how-to books and magazines make look so easy. It’s taken me awhile but I am slowly learning the fine art of micro-climate assessment and plant placement and the fact that sometimes, no matter what, there are just varieties that will bomb out in my garden regardless of the effort I make. Keep up the great work !
I once dropped a large rock on a Cypripedium formosanum that I had just bought for an unseemly amount of money.Oh, the horror!
I agree with your comments, with the exception of blue flax. It doesn’t last long, but while I had it it was delicate and airy and a lovely shade of blue. (Though my own comments remind me of cooks who speak about “delicate flavor,” which means that unless the ingredient is exquisitely fresh, you can’t taste it…)
If you want to try Artemnesia ‘LimeLight’ instead I got a few monster plants you can have – it’ll never die and spreads like crazy
Some perennials are just short-lived by nature. Anise Hyssop dies out for me – but occasionally comes back from re-seeding. I also find that my Yarrow (white and pink, not common yellow) gets choked off by other surrounding perennials and can die off if not looked after.
Susan – don’t be so quick to give up on artemesia “powis castle”…I live near you in rockville, MD and I’ve been growing that one for years and I find it to be very hardy and have no problems with it in humid weather…what it HATES is wet feet – keep it in a well drained spot (or a pot on the patio) and it will/should do fine…
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