Can you help me with plants that have stymied me?

[catjac1975]

And don't we have some newly appointed MASTER GARDENERS????

 

[so lucky]

I'll be the one to say this: The extension office, which drives the Master Gardener program here, stresses the use of plants that are suitable for your area.
Some dreams will remain dreams, cat.

 

[catjac1975]

GGGGRRRRRRR

 

[Smart Red]

Bear's britches is one of the plants I have on my list for Trey's Zoo Garden. Most of what I've read indicates it is easy to grow and hardy in zones 4-7. Haven't tried it yet.

 

[thistlebloom]

Bear's britches is one of the plants I have on my list for Trey's Zoo Garden. Most of what I've read indicates it is easy to grow and hardy in zones 4-7. Haven't tried it yet.

I haven't either but have been intrigued by it. A neighbor long ago and far away had it in her shade garden. It seemed so exotic to me then!

 

[ninnymary]

My grandmother had it for years and didn't do anything to it. It was in a shady carport area. I've seen it here in Alameda but it just grows too big for my pricey real estate yard.

Mary

 

[Carol Dee]

I sympathize. I have tried to get Dutchman's Breeches (which is supposed to actually be native to here) to grow in my shade garden for ages, and it never has.Why I don't know, the Bleeding Heart does just fine.

I have found that many native plants prefer to be left in their own enviroment. I assume the soil acidity in the old growth woodlands would be vastly different from our shade gardens. A few we have tried Jack-in-a-pulpit, dutchmen's breeches, blue bells, lady's slippers, trout lilies. All thrive where they are, we just must go to them and enjoy their natural habitat.

 

[catjac1975]

I'm pretty sure I saw it in full sun.

 

[Pulsegleaner]

I have found that many native plants prefer to be left in their own enviroment. I assume the soil acidity in the old growth woodlands would be vastly different from our shade gardens. A few we have tried Jack-in-a-pulpit, dutchmen's breeches, blue bells, lady's slippers, trout lilies. All thrive where they are, we just must go to them and enjoy their natural habitat.

Well, we HAVE managed to get Jack in the Pulpit and Trout Lily naturalized there (ostrich and bracken ferns too) It's just the Dutchman's that's been problematic, and I suppose our occasional forays into native orchids none of which grow either (well except for hellebore orchid, which grows like a weed, because it sort of is)

The one real baffler we have is with regards to the common blue violet. Or property has two types of this native, the standard purple one and the Confederate violet (white with a purple center). All well and good. The problem is that no other violet will really take here. The closest we got were the Labradors which lasted maybe two years. All others never even come up Dad claims there was a yellow violet that showed up on the side once just after we bought the house, but that was a one off and where it came from is one of the house mysteries (like the tiny horseradish plants that showed up on our side from time to time when I was a kid despite no one around here planting horseradish as far as we knew)

Now here's that real confusing bit. The "No other violet will grow" thing also seems to apply to any other colors of the Blue Violet itself! We've put in whites, and Delft's (white with blue speckles) but purple and Confederate are all we get.
It's so monotonous that in the early spring, when I'm wandering around the nursery collecting vetch pods off the weeds (besides the common hairy vetch, which I won't plant for anything, the nursery often gets in weedy stands of domestic or bird vetch, which I will (for the green manure) I also harvest the wild pansies if I find them with pod. That which others consider a weed and try and get rid of, I actively plant, just to get a little extra flower cover.

 

[Lavender2]

@catjac1975 , my friend does have the Bear's Breeches, this is one she has and where she got it ... Friends School Plant Sale
She said it is marginally hardy here, they have had it for several years in a somewhat protected area on the south side of a rock wall at the end of their septic mound. It gets part sun and blooms every other year. They cover with about a foot of leaves and pine needles for winter, but that's about it for special care.

She and her Dh (he breeds hostas) have gorgeous acres of gardens like yours, I sent them a link to your website. ... and also to another friend that is a total day lily addict!