<p>Well, the Wayside Gardens catalog arrived today and I’m smitten. Can’t seem to help myself. Does anyone have firsthand experience in growing Caryopteris x clandonensis (Summer Sorbet), Coreopsis rosea (Heaven’s Gate), or Pennisetum alopecuroides?</p>
<p>any one ever bought bulbs and had them be either lightly dusted with green mold or be soft and kinda empty at planting time?</p>
<p>I got some at Costco this year, and was really sad to see them when I planted in November.</p>
<p>My Costco bulbs are still OK this year. The year before I did manage to kill one bag of tulip bulbs by storing it too close to the water heater.</p>
<p>That actually reminds me that I have the last bag of squirrel food to plant tomorrow, and there is snow in the forecast! H keeps promising that he’ll make cages for the bulbs so the furry pests could not get to them, but if I wait for H’s promises to materialize…</p>
<p>BB: I planted over 200 bulbs last week and they were stored in the garage all along, so I would not think got too warm, but maybe that is it, I will check where they were stored and see if there is any stealth heat!</p>
<p>Worrywart - I have worked with all of the plants you mentioned. The easiest to recommend is the Pennisetum alopecuroides (probably ‘Hameln’). It grows very well here in zone 5 and looks nice for most of the winter, too. It does get to 2.5 feet or so in height; if you want something shorter, look for the cultivar ‘Little Bunny.’<br>
Caryopteris x clandonensis is a big butterfly and bee target. It also reseeds itself and can be bit of a problem that way - the seedlings are tough. It looks like a slightly unkempt bush, but is nice in a naturalistic border not too close to the house. It will get to about 4 feet tall and 2.5-3 feet wide.
Coreopsis rosea was a complete bust for me - out of a dozen plants, not one survived into its second year. I love the look of it, though, and so may try again!
For more plant opinions, look at the site for the Missouri Botanical Garden - [Missouri</a> Botanical Garden](<a href=“http://www.mobot.org%5DMissouri”>http://www.mobot.org)</p>
<p>Somemom- the light mold is not a problem if the bulb is firm, but if it is soft, don’t bother with it. You will get much better bulbs by buying from an online wholesaler like Brent and Becky’s, or Van Engelen. Their variety is astounding.</p>
<p>Thanks for such a helpful response, midwesterner. I did hope to use the caryopteris in a naturalistic border but am leery of anything that reseeds itself. I want to call the shots in my yard ;)</p>
<p>I love my caryopteris – I think it’s ‘Longwood Blue.’ Mine doesn’t reseed, but someone told me a tip – when cutting back in the spring – any twigs pencil-thick can be stuck in the ground and will likely root. I’ve given many people offspring!</p>
<p>I’ve just come inside from cutting down the Pennisetum alopecuroides that I planted last year on the advice of midwesterner. It’s hard to tell whether they made it through the winter. They definitely look dormant, shall we say? Anyone else chomping at the bit to start spreading compost and planting annuals? This time of year I can’t tear myself away from the catalogs that come in the mail but I’ve taken a pledge to only purchase at the garden center this year. Poor track record with mail order the past couple of years.</p>
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<p>Oh yes! On Sunday, Ciscoe and Meeghan (the local TV gardening show hosts) were screaming that it was time to plant bush peas. I ran to Molback’s to get some seeds, but did not get to do any planting. The weather is back to 40 degrees and frost at night. 
At least my green onions and leeks that were planted last spring are going strong, and H and I will be finishing the installation of our greenhouse.</p>
<p>Ciscoe gets alittle ahead of himself I think.
I did go buy some seed potatoes, but I haven’t planted any veggies.
- a greenhouse* so jealous.</p>
<p>It is a *very tiny *greenhouse! But I have big plans for it 
I also planted several new bushes of blueberries closer to where the dog hangs out (hoping that the rabbits will have a harder time getting to the bushes).</p>
<p>It is traditional to plant peas here in SE PA (zone 6) on St. Patrick’s Day. One week to go – but there is still snow on my planting beds!</p>
<p>Thanks for the pea planting reminder. Planted some salad greens and spinach today. I can’t wait to see some little green shoots (that aren’t the usual weeds)!</p>
<p>Does anyone know why only half of my witch hazel blooms? A few branches are beautifully in full bloom, other branches showing not much, just tiny brown buds(?) that seems waiting to open except they never do!</p>
<p>Igloo -</p>
<p>A couple of questions. Do you know the variety of witch hazel? Does it bloom in fall or winter? How old is the plant?</p>
<p>H. virginiana flowers in the fall and others in early spring. Witch hazels are often grafted - is it possible that you have a different variety grafted onto part of the shrub? I’ve seen this happen with fruit trees. Another thought - witch hazels take several years to mature enough to flower - how recently did yours start to flower?</p>
<p>What kind of witchhazel is it? I have a Hamamelis virginiana and I think where I planted it the soil is too heavy- I may have to amend it alot more.
[Newly</a> Planted Trees - Strategies for Survival](<a href=“http://www.clemson.edu/extfor/urban_tree_care/forlf17.htm]Newly”>http://www.clemson.edu/extfor/urban_tree_care/forlf17.htm)</p>
<p>Oh I better get my potatoes ready!</p>
<p>I’m new at planting potatoes this year. They say the soil needs to be 50 degrees, which it probably is, but right now it’s all waaaaay too wet. When do mid-Atlantic gardeners start potatoes usually?</p>
<p>Goumetmom - I don’t know which variety. It blooms both Fall and Winter(Feb). Leaves turn yellow in the fall. It was planted quite a few years ago, 7, 8, 9(?) years ago. Grafted sounds right. There’s something else that made me suspect that. The part that doesn’t bloom grows fast while the blooming part hasn’t changed much since I planted. Anything I can do?</p>
<p>Igloo - </p>
<p>I’m wondering if you have a situation where the rootstock has grown up and around the original witch hazel shrub? Grafted plants usually send up “suckers” from the rootstock and these must be regularly trimmed back. Left unchecked, these suckers can take over the plant so that it eventually doesn’t resemble the original shrub at all. This portion will not bloom or fruit true to the species of the graft. </p>
<p>Is it possible to prune away the non-flowering portion of the shrub? This is a good time of the year to do it. If after pruning, the flowering portion looks leggy and misshapen, wait until it has finished its winter bloom and prune it back as well. Try to remove some to the interior canes to promote fuller growth towards the ground. Good luck!</p>
<p>By the way, Igloo, the non-blooming portion of your shrub is growing faster because it is much more vigorous than the grafted plant, which is why it was chosen as rootstock. It is also why you must prune it away, lest it overtake the entire shrub!</p>