Thanks Ron!! Will do. I can always move it to a sunnier position if it pouts. :O)

Nursery owner where I got mine told me she is yet to have one that overwinters in her garden. So I am thinking they might be touchy. I know Crambe maritima is very susceptible to wetness of the soil- this one I grown from seed but it did not come back. I've yet to plant mine newly bought Crambe Cordifolia and thinking about full sun on the dry side.

I had several that overwintered in z5NY. tiffy, do not underestimate the width of this plant (4 to 6 feet). Also be aware that it does crawl sideways. It isn't rampant or anything, but it will widen. It develops a truly massive taproot, so wherever you put it, plan to leave it there. Moving it is possible, but is really (really) hard.

Mine did fine in both part shade (same kind of situation you have) and full sun.

leslies is right, they do move sideways, which came as a surprise to me, I'd never once seen it mentioned in any garden book I've read (and I've got a lot!). I've had them come up about 2 or 3 feet away from the base of the original, just one plant, so that's OK, and I wouldn't mind having more flowers!

Crambe maritima, which I also grew from seed, also bloomed this year for the first time. It's a plant native to gravelly beaches and stuff, so drainage is undoubtedly important. Mine are in raised brick planters, so that's no problem.

The other thing I never saw mentioned about either crambe is that they're quite fragrant! They smell quite a bit like the annual sweet alyssum (lobularia maritima), which may be a relative, I'm not sure.

Anyway, both are definitely worth having in the garden, one gets huge, the other not, but both do send out underground suckers in proportion to the size of the plant.

--Ron

Hummm, sounds like I'm going to have to put more thought into this one. I think I'll plant some Cimicifuga Racemosa in the spot I was thinking of. That would most likely be best.

Now to find a sunnier spot, poor soil (OK, right??), and a place where I can smell this creature. I'm glad it has a nice scent. Always looking for garden perfumes. :O)

Thanks a bunch for mentioning that it will send out sideways shoots/sucker. Much appreciated. Looking forward to it!

Question... Would a place where there's 1.5 feet of sandy soil on top of the hard pan be good? Probably not, eh...

The leaves get ugly and slug eaten. Hide it in the back where the flowers will rise above those ugly leaves.

Hi all. I think C. cordifolia is one of the few 'standard fare' (at least if you read British perennial books) perennials that I have never grown. In fact, I am not sure I have ever seen it in a nursery around here. I wonder if I should be growing this plant..........how long does it bloom for? And what does it look like after bloom?

I am a huge fan of C. maritima. It grows beautifully in a gravel garden/sand bed with no supplemental water and it seeds there too so I have plants to try elsewhere. It is one of the most common "what's that plant" questions I get in the garden. The foliage is beautiful even after bloom, a beautiful blue, and in bloom it makes a stunning 3 foot tall and wide shrub. A no-care, must-have plant.

We have lots of birds, plus roaming ducks that take care of the pests on our C. cordifolias, so the foliage is actually an asset. Tiffy, I think the sand over hard pan will be fine, we have that in parts of the garden here, too. I put mine toward the back of the border simply because the flower sprays are so huge (about 5' x 3'). My cordifolias bloomed longer than the maritimas did, at least 4 good weeks.

--Ron

I had to start mine from seed to get it, but 'touchy' it is not. S.E. Ohio and it has survived to at least -15 and is over ten years old now. I have mine against the south side of a stucco covered brick house, so it does get full sun and protection through thermal mass. The rosette of leaves is enormous now, but it has not spread. When it blooms, it is fragrant and looks like a huge, huge poof of baby's breath.