I just returned from a weekend in Park Rapids. While there I discovered a surprising death toll among the plants I put in last year. Varieties that are reliably hardy to Zone 3 disappeared and others that are reported to be marginally hardy down here in the Cities are flourishing. Included among the missing are: Sapphire Flax (Linum) and Blue Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa). They were combined with the Borisii Geum for a spectacular, long-blooming, front-of-the-border display in orange, soft blue and lavender. When I head back up in two weeks, I’m bringing more of the Flax and Pincushion Flower to try again. In speaking with friends and neighbors in that area, I learned I wasn’t the only one who suffered some losses. Well-established, hardy plants like the Magnus Coneflower (Echinacea) and Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) were lost. And if you can believe it, a few daylilies even disappeared – and not due to deer browsing. The surprise was the Blackberry Lily (Belamcanda). The risk seemed worthwhile last fall and the reward is stupendous. The plant is flourishing at about a 16” diameter after one year. Granted, it was heavily mulched with straw and planted in a very protected area; what a specimen. It promises to be a spectacular show of orange and yellow, orchid-like flowers later this summer.
We’re chalking the losses up to a very strange and difficult winter. Little to no snow cover during a few very cold snaps early on were part of the problem. Down here in the Metro, we experienced other meteorological challenges that seem to have taken a few plants from our gardens. The heat and drought of the summer last year, continued as a very dry fall. So as they went to sleep, our gardens were already stressed. I don’t know about you, but that late in the year I’m not thinking of watering. It’s something I’m going to keep in mind from now on, I assure you. Then, to add insult to injury, we had a three-day stretch in late March above seventy (including one day above 80) which was then followed by a week of lows in the teens in early April. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a miracle to see as much survival as I do -- both up north and down here in West St. Paul.
So if you, too, are pondering why it is you may need some replacements around your yard after what seemed like a relatively moderate winter, these may be a few of the reasons. But don’t lose heart – we northern gardeners can’t afford to.
Erik Carlson
Perennials