So sorry to hear about the flu. Glad you all are feeling better.
New Garden Projects This Year #4
Oh, I'm so glad you and yours are all okay after your bout with the flu. How awful that must have been.
Your work on the gardens looks great! Will look even more spectacular next summer.
Karen
Hi Mona. It's so nice to see you posting, and boy have you been busy! I'm glad to hear that you are all recovering from the flu and that everyone is ok! I don't know how you have done all that you have done with that complication! I really love your new beds! I want to try to do more with heuchera myself next summer. I like the colors you have selected. What is that pretty bright blue daisy-looking flower in your new Japanese lilac bed? The borders of your beds look so neat and crisp. What a nice job you've done!!
great job Mona!!!... the beds are so pretty!!!!... looks like a lot of clean up in that creek... never ends does it?
Wow great job Mona! Looks awesome. : )
thanks and yes clearing an area that has never been developed is hard we have been cutting and pulling all summer but it is looking more open now and since we are starting to cut up the old dead stuff for fire wood we have it done before winter ( I hope )
finished mulching the last new bed yesterday since I kept forgeting to do it kind of hidden by the shed it only took to bags and now i can at least say all the beds that we worked on this year are complete and mulched now I can not wait to see them grow next year hahaha
DH always says that I am always ahead of myself hahahhaah he's right
Time to do my coleus cuttings.
When do dahlias have to be brought in? Before the first frost?
I better take coleus cuttings too. What's better - to root them in water or directly in soil?? I have not been very successful with water.
I did them both ways and saw no difference, last year was the first year I tried it.
So you go both ways?
"I did them both ways and saw no difference, last year was the first year I tried it."
Oh man!! (How far away are we?? ^_^)
You are so BAD!!!
flowerjen you can bring in your dahlias and store them anytime. I like to wait til after hard f*r*o*s*t to enjoy every single, smingle bloom as long as I can.
Good, I want to leave them out there as long as I can. That plant I got the huge bloom off of has about 6 other flowers on it but no where near the same size.
The other plant that I potted up a couple weeks after the 1st one has it's first bud on it. woo hoo!
Hee hee. On the coleus - how long should the roots be in the water before potting??
I put them into a seed starting mix when there was a good number of roots growing(probably later than most do it, I was procrastinating)
Allison is the coleus expert I'm sure she'll chime in....I'm liking that word today(chime) for some reason
♪♪Now were together nearly every single day,
Singin, do-wah diddy-diddy down diddy-do
We're so happy and that's how we're gonna stay,
Singin, do-wah diddy-diddy down diddy-do
Im hers, shes mine,
Wedding bells are gonna chime
♪♪
Cousin Nut, you're funny!
Rooting coleus directly in potting soil is easy peasy, Victor. Just stick em in the soil, keep moist, and viola! Nothing to it. I've had them root on top of the soil, like the ones I've pinched off and tossed on the ground. Just like cactus and sedum pieces. Just break a piece off, put on the soil, and roots appear in no time.
Karen
Cool - thanks, Karen.
yes I am with Karen... soil is better... sometimes they rot in the water
Thanks, Allison. That's probably why I failed. I'll try soil. Seed starting mix or regular potting spoil?
Speaking of coleus cuttings - JoAnn, were those your cuttings so neatly wrapped in ziplocks with water? Well, I inherited some of them, and I carefully unwrapped each one and put them into a container of seed starting medium so that they should be rooted by the time they arrive in Florida. Just wait until you see the bed I'm going to plant down there, between those cuttings and the ones I just took today from my own coleus. It will be very colorful!
And dahlias too right DonnyB? ^_^
if I use regular potting soil I try to mix in perlite or vermiculite ... but you really don't need to bother Victor... any old thing will work ... but I use seed starting mix or peat as well.... or just straight up perlite... what ever I have on hand... it's all good.. just make sure whatever it is doesn't dry out
I just use regular potting soil. I get a brand sold at Ocean State Job Lot. Can't recall the name of it now, but it works well.
Karen
Thanks, ladies.
most plants do better with regular soil with a bit of compost
That's what I usually use for my outdoor potted plants, Mona. I add rotted manure, too, if I have it.
Karen
this is a new one only gave me three blooms this year but what blooms about 9 inches across
Very prettiful Mona ^_^
would be prettier if the earwigs would leave my dahlias alone used powder will have to do it again
I got these many years ago and I just love the color
Nice lemony one ^_^
Yes, Indeed, Dahlia! I just told DH today that I think I'll take some of my bright red dahlias and my mini's down to Florida since the dwarf dahlias did ok there last winter. Today, I dug up the full plants I'm taking to Fla.....my Pineapple coleus, that deep red plant w/ pink stem that I always call coleus (which isn't, but I can never remember what it's called), my white impatiens that I've taken back and forth each year (sentimental plant), 2 big vincas that were in pots by our front door, and on and on......oh, I'm in trouble! I decided to take the "matter of fact" approach when I "informed" Hank that my plants will just take up the whole back seat of the car this time. I just walked away as if that was quite a generous effort on my part. LOL
This is your caladium, Louise, which I loved....you can always take it to FL with you!
Pretty shot, Marilyn. That's Gingerland. I love it. Yesterday I dug up all of the caladiums and they are currently drying out prior to being put away for winter. I am taking the elephant ears to Florida to plant and leave there. I like these caladiums here at the farm, so they will go to winter camp in my son's dry basement. I have Pink Cloud and others in Florida. I love them all.
It sounds like its going to be a wonderful garden again this year DonnieB and I'm looking forward to your pics when you get settled in. Well of course the back seat will be full of plants. What else would it be good for?
sorry missed that the blue flowers in the lilas bed in the center is ensigns and on the outside are giant asters I just love both and since the bed was pretty empty since perennials are still small I planted annuals for this year
Mona, nice dahlias, and Marilyn, I love those caladiums. Both are plants I have yet to try. Not really into either one, but if I had to pick one or the other, it would be the dahlias.
Karen
I'm so with you Mona on that one. Annuals are great fillers will you're waiting for the perennials to mature. Because I grow alot of my perennials from seed they can be take a bit to get estabished (also hint, hint to those with a lawnpeople, annuals work great to disguise edging out lawn so a lawnpeople won't notice
edit crappola I was politcally incorrect. I originally had lawnguy oops.
This message was edited Sep 24, 2009 9:08 PM