I love how the blooms on this Hydrangea Little Lamb are now taking on pink edging.
September Blooms
Gosh, thanks for the heads up Onewish. I was just about to order some more. Maybe I'll wait until next year.
Jan & Onewish, thanks for the comments about my Crape. I love those two bushes and they really stand out when you pass the house from the street. That whole side of my house is white stucco, so it really breaks up all of that white.
I planted a few more AG's this spring... in hopes they can get there roots set before the cold.... that TF was planted in fall.. and I think that was the problem... well besides are crazy cold winter last year
Stormy, I'm loving your September blooms. That crape has been on my list for awhile now, one day I'll get it.
LOVE the black and blue salvia.
Here's a little cyclamen
Black eyed stella still going....
Sad little knock out rose(part of my anniversary gift from hubby)
Still waiting for this dahlia to open
Butterfly bush just planted a few weeks ago was supposed to be white. Oh well
Thanks, Jen. Oh but Jen, That's a beautiful color on that Butterfly Bush. If you do go for a white one, look for White Profusion. It has the biggest blooms that I've ever seen on a BF Bush.
If you want, if there are suckers on the Crape in the spring, I can give you one.
I love Hardy Cyclamen. I had some but think they became vole food. The white ones are particularly nice.
onewish, thanks, I think I will wait and see if the Tutti Frutti overwinters. Your area is somewhat cooler than mine, but I'd rather wait till next year.
might be a smart move Stormy
Ah, Stormy I'd love a crape sucker! Thanks
I love the white cyclamen too but got a deal on the pink. I wrapped chicken wire around the bulbs.
Beautiful blooms every one!
Jen did you get your Butterfly bush from Holly's swap? I brough a few seedlings that I grew, I got the seeds from a Round Robin that were marked "Alba" which I assume are white. Usually they don't bloom the first year but some times one will surprise you.
Stormy, My Black and Blue Salvia did not return this year, I really missed it.
Picture of my seed dahlias
Here is Zinnia Distance Scarlet, I am saving seeds from this one. I did not grow any other zinnias this year so they should come true from seed.
Yes, Chris I got 2 of them(from you) at Holly's*thanks* and one bloomed the other didn't...and they're only planted 5' apart...weird
Thanks Jen for replying. Mine have not bloomed this year. I am also trying for a white one. No garantee on seed swaps that is what makes them fun. Maybe the late blooming one is white, keeping my fingers crossed.
For what it is worth, I have had better luck growing my butterfly bushes from seed, they seem to have a longer life span then the ones I spent big bucks on at the nursery. And the butterflies don't seem to care, they love them.
Lady, that Zinnia is really pretty. I love orange flowers.
I'm not sure who got the 2 White Profusion Butterfly Bushes that I brought to the swap. Last March I bought 5 seedlings for $2 each from Holly Hills Nursery in the Poconos. The 3 that I kept are 4' tall and 4' wide. They have been blooming their hearts out. If he offers them again in January, I'll reserve a half dozen.
I sure am enjoying all of your fall flowers. We are just begining to think about starting cuttings and such. If anyone has not become aware of a product called Oasis please take a look. In a nut shell it is a foam like product into which you stick your cuttings. It also provides a high humidity micro climate. So far this year not a single cutting wilted. The roots form more quickly. For instance most of my things were ready to pot in three or four weeks. That little cube or plug of oasis pulls out easily and moves very easily into the pots. By this time the cutting is also showing new growth and needs no more high humidity to continue its growth. You have to snoop about a bit to find a company that will sell small quanities. There are a hundred or so plugs in the $6.00 tray which is included. Cost wise it is far less expensive than what I have normally done to get my rooted cuttings up and growing. I will use nothing else this fall for the above reasons.
Hi ladygardener, Are you ready for the big fair?
Nice flowers everyone. It's hard to believe fall is just weeks away.
Photo........'Herbstone' Autumn Sun Coneflowers.
early_bloomer
Black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, sedums, etc. blooming around the old hog kettle.
early_bloomer
Thanks for the info Doc.
Very pretty, Early_Bloomer
Thanks, Doc that's great info. Where did you buy them?
Early_Bloomer, your beds are looking wonderful. I like what you did with your Hog Kettle.
Give the word Oasis to Google. Snoop it out from there. I can't remember but that is how I did find them.
Hi Early! Long time no see! Well I got my booster button so I'd say I'm ready. I'll miss out on Saturday as I am going on my annual fall bus trip to Holmes County to buy all my baking needs for the fall and Holidays. There is a bulk food store that is even lower cost then Chupps.
It's a full shopping day ending up with an Amish Dinner. YUM. It's healthier then Fair Food. But I'll have to get my share of Fair Food before Saturday. I do go for one healthy meal and that's the Buffalo Burger, I never miss it.
I'll have to move my potted plants off the front porch, don't want them to come up missing Fair Week.
Doc. I thought Oasis would be too dense for rooting cutting? I always used it for fresh flower arranging.
Oasis is indeed the finest rooting medium I have ever used. A greenhouse owner got me started on it last fall. I reserved opinion untill I had all my early spring plants rooted. My friend buys cases and cases of the trays for all his spring and early summer starts. This year he made up a couple thousand shrub varietys and went straight from Oasis rooted plugs to lining them out in the field. Maybe the consistant rains helped but he does this every spring. He has acres of broad stem pussy willows from which he makes rooted cuttings this way. He ships truck loads of trimmings to flower shops all over the East. He has been rooting cuttings of all types for ten years or so.
I have not tried violets yet but I see no reason why it would work. The major advantages are high oxygen, high humidity and being all synthetic there are no hiding or piggy back pathegons.
Doc, I just had a DUH moment. I've used oasis for cut flowers for years and just never thought of using it for cuttings. I can see it being an ideal medium for all those reasons. Guess I couldn't see the forest for the trees. LOL Ric
Ric...........I got a shipment of Christmas Catus rooted in that material.
At that time it looked very strange to me on first observation. I ordered again and had occasion to speak with the grower. He gladly told me he had used Oasis for quite a few years. I got to yapping with my greenhouse grower friend about it. Next day he handed me a tray to play with last fall. This person said I could throw away my stone trays because they were filthy and now not needed. He was right on both counts. I really like the product. Doubt if any other product will turn out to work better for rooting.
Hey, Holly---If it is the same Oasis you buy in craft stores--you can always use the weeklu 40% off coupon and load up.
Doc--do you then cut them in little squares and pit them in a seed tray made of cells?
Can you also use this for seeds--or is it mostly for cuttings?
Gita
I purchase trays of ready made plugs. They come from a firm I found using Google to locate. The trays are about 16" X 24". I cut blocks of them to fit various sided baking tins. Two trays used this way will last me several years. The holes are molded in the plugs. You might need to punch the hole to handle plants like your begonias and fill the left over space with a product like vermiculite. Seeding is done directly into or on to a filled hole. They snap apart easily for potting or lining out in the gardens. When rooted or germinated the small roots will grow into and through the Oasis in perfect shape for lining out or potting. The trays are made to fit dimensions commonly found relative to commercial greenhouse benches. I did not count the plugs but estimate about a hundred in a tray. My grower friend gets them about one third this size at a higher cost for handling ease in his set up. Go with Google and the word Oasis to find a distributer selling to retail.
Here is just one source for Oasis Rooting Medium. I do not remember exactly whom I bought mine from. This will get you started if you are interested.
http://www.homeharvest.com/seedstartingrootingmedium.htm
I'm impressed. Even comes in a nice earthy brown, how nice. I have sen a few items I bought initially rooted with green Oasis
Gosh, anyone visiting our forum might think there is hardly anything blooming in the MidAtlantic. We can't have that.
Here's a new Geranium that I planted this year. It's called Pink Penny although the blooms are a more deep rosy lavender than pink. Notice that the Black Walnuts have already started to fall.
The Asters are open everywhere. These are unamed varieities from the produce stand that were planted last year.
The Galliardia are still going strong.
The Daphne Cneorum is putting out a few blooms. A heavenly scent.
This unnamed Lacecap Hydrangea is starting to put out some fresh blooms.
This Aster Nova Begi is the one that I gave out at the swap. Last fall I dug up the two outside edges to make this a 2' wide clump. I gave a lot of it away and planted some of it in other spots. Then this spring I further narrowed the clump to 1' wide and gave those out at the swap and to neighbors. As you can see, it is now over 3' wide again.
And here's one of the transplants from last fall. It was about 6" wide when planted, now it's almost 2' across. This thing may become the Aster that ate Philadelphia.
This is an Anemone whose name I can't remember. This came from RCN last summer.
The Hardy Begonia that Happy gave me is doing wonderfully.
The Phlox David is still going strong.
