It has gone down this same path every year and I am still no closer to determining why. I had been keeping these in full sun so to mix it up a bit, I moved a few to a more “partial shade” area last fall. We’ll see if that has any impact.
Plant #2 is an ornamental grass that excited me like no other when I first read about it. The leaf color on Panicum (Switch Grass) ‘Ruby Ribbons’ looked fantastic and I figured “Hey, it’s a swtich grass, those always work for me.”
To date, the leaf color has been phenomenal as promised:
But it has never really bloomed in three years and hasn’t reached a height taller than maybe 18 inches. I had moved it a bit early on so I’m sure that played a role in it, but I have left it alone for two years now.
Here’s hoping year three is the lucky one.
Anyone have any feedback on either of these? I’m willing to try anything.
John
Have you tried Chelone lyonii ‘Hot Lips’? It’s got nice, thick, clean glossy leaves and I’ve never had a problem with it flowering. It’s pink, not white, and a great plant that the deer ignore.
Have you ever tried the fishing line technique to keep the deer out? You string some fishing line about 12″ off the ground all around the borders of your gardens. When the deers walk into it, it must startle them or something. It works great as long as you remember it’s there and don’t clothes line yourself.
Hi John,
I always found Cleome spinosa to be the toughest and most reliable. I’m not really sure what the problem with your variety is. Do the deer get close enough to pee on them (if you can’t eat it, spray it, often appears to be the order of the day with these animals). As for the Panicum, it sounds as though you are doing all that needs to be done, leave them where they are and give them more time to settle in.
I have Chelone ‘Hot Lips’ and it does well. It’s really pink, not what you’d expect from a name like “Hot Lips.” I also tried several of the natives, Chelone glabra (I think), and it slowly declined, bloomed little, and is now gone. Strange.
Hi John,
I used to grow Panicum but it liked its home a bit too much. It spread and spread and spread. I was growing it on my North side. I also live in Hunterdon so beware.
I have had the same experience with white turtlehead. Meh. I love Chelone ‘Hot lips”. I blooms profusely even in heave shade.
I was always under the impression that the Chelone species grew in partially shaded swampy-creek-like conditions? I see a lot of wild types when taking my dogs on a walk through Allamuchy State Park. So I always assumed that they liked to be in moist soil. Not dry and sunny. Maybe that’s the problem?
But I think the part-shade will help it out, tremendously!
Re Chelone glabra, I second what others have said in the comments above. I have had very little success with it, although it’s in part shade and a very moist location. It survives but does not exactly prosper. My chelone Hot Lips, on the other hand, does great. Maybe there was a reason they developed the pink cultivar…
Hi John,
I have both of these plants but my Cleone is Hot Lips, needs some shade and more moist conditions. It looked great even in our 100 degree heat last summer. I also have Panicum Ruby Ribbons and am not thrilled with it yet. Mine does not even look at good as yours so we’ll give it one more year!
Eileen
The Chelone likes shade and boggier conditions. It is slowly dying in the sunnier area. The clay is a no-no…
Ruby Ribbons seemed to be the perfect native perennial alternative to purple fountain grass but it didn’t get very tall this 1st year and was definitely floppy compared to all the photos