Spring Is Coming, And I'm Worried About My Perrenials.

Factual Questions
1

Last Spring was the first Spring that my wife and I were in this house. After cleaning up all of the stray trash around the property, I formulated my plan for planting. Along the left hand side of the house, for the full length of the house, which is about 35 feet, is a 1 1/2 foot wide stretch of perfect gardening/landscaping space. It is bordered on one side by the house, and the other three sides by a cracked sidewalk that will probably be replaced sooner rather than later. This area gets ample sunlight and runoff water.

Last Spring, in this stretch of soil, I planted four Bleeding Hearts, four Catnips, and two Oregano plants, all evenly spaced. Why did I do this? I researched dozens of different possible candidate plants and settled on these three because they are all perrenials, two are quite pungent in aroma, and the third is just plain beautiful. My plan was to plant them once, let them multiply until the entire section of soil is covered in a neatly unkempt display.

I planted them all from seedlings, and all had a fabulous growing year. The Oregano alone grew ten fold during last Spring and Summer. When the sun would hit that side of the house, the Catnip and Oregano aromas would just waft directly through the windows above, filling the whole house. It was great.

Now we are coming into Spring again. So here are my questions.

What can I expect to see from these three types of plants this Spring? Flowers? Are they just going to pick up where they left off?

Can I expect to have lost a couple of these plants over the Winter?

I was told that all three of these plants are pretty hardy, which was a deciding factor, but I’m looking for input from other Dopers who have had experience with either of these plants.

Sidenote: This season, the Citronella goes in. This is possibly the ugliest and most useful plant both at the same time.

2

Well, I grow all three of these (maybe not the same varieties as you - I have the old-fashioned bleeding heart, Dicentra spectabilis in a clump that’s probably 10 ten years old, a flowering catmint and Origanum ‘Herrenhausen’, which is an ornamental flowering oregano) and have found them to be tough, hardy perennials in what is probably close to the same hardiness zone you live in (assuming you’re from the Chicago area). The catmint still has green shoots at the base and looks like it’ll spring into growth in the next few weeks.

A big limiting factor in winter survival is the drainage. Soil that stays soggy will kill plants that otherwise could take a lot more cold. So if you have significant winter-kill I’d look at amending the soil.

I have not grown citronella, which I believe is not perennial here and from what I’ve heard is overrated as a bug repellent.

3

Much the same climate zone as Pittsburgh, assuming I had checked your profile before posting the first time.

4

Oregano, of which there are several varieties, flowers abundantly, catnip a bit less so. Herbs are said to be at their most flavorful just before flowering. Both are good beeplants. Any hives in your area? If you keep them cut back you’ll lose the flowers and consequently the bees. I’m a melissaphile[apiphile?] so I let them bloom their hearts out. And speaking of hearts, Bleeding Hearts are one of the most charming perennials around, native to China, if memory serves. I know there is an all white variety, and possibly a yellow one. They are delicate looking, but hardy, and possess the good habit of disappearing cleanly after flowering. Just like Virginia Bluebells, another hardy favorite. As Jackmanii[BTW, did you take your username from the popular, dark purple Clematis variety?] posted, drainage is important. If you find you have wet or puddling soil, and have lost one or two of these plants, you can improve the drainage factor by working COARSE sand into the planting hole, and the soil you’ll be using to fill it in.

5

Ooooo, Virginia Bluebells. I may just have to incorporate those this year. Which reminds me of that blue flowering carpet like plant. I believe that that is a perennial as well.

But this year, the major plantings will be (Flowering) Lavender and Honeysuckle.

Mmmmmm.

6

Yep.

When I joined the SDMB I was asked to pick a username and that popped into my head for some reason. I suppose “Dr. Ruppel” or “Will Goodwin” would have worked just as well.
Come to think of it, Zootrophion Vulturiceps would have been a way cool username. :cool:

7

Isn’t catnip a mint?

Mints spread; they can crowd out everything else; watch carefully.

Type ‘catnip’ in the plant finder on:

http://www.bhg.com/bhg/plantfinder/