Apropos of Nothing...

OOoh, I like that Ptilotus too! That would be fun for next year.

Separately, I still hope to get up to Heidi's sometime this season. Heronswood has one more open on Oct 4th. Maybe, maybe I can get up there for that. Anyone else thinking of heading that way?

edited for spelling-thanks Sharon!

This message was edited Sep 15, 2009 12:59 PM

Now I know,,,,it is ptilotus not ptilotis. Sounds like the seeds would be well received.

I hate the Department of Licensing. Hate. Hate! *stabbity stab*

I have such a headache.

I need espresso.

I have four kinds of Tradescantia if anyone wants starts. I have the one pictured above, a violet colored one and a lavender one. I also have 'sweet kate' It has gold leaves and the purple flower. I just dug it up today to move it to a better place with more sun. It is tiny.

Patricia, Katye and anyone else who has Tradescantia, do you cut back your tradescantia after the first flush of blooms? Mine flopped and looked horrible during the heat. I see they've given up on those leaves and are coming back from the ground now.

Sharon, the plant I thought I was talking about is Orostachys furusei (obviously very new to me). Here's a photo, but it doesn't capture the stage in between these two, where the plant forms little grey succulent towers: http://www.edelweissperennials.com/largeview.asp?id=215

Pony, I agree with you. DOL is frustrating!!

Here's a different pix with the dunce caps. :) I don't know enough about these to know if the name was changed or it's a different variety, but it's pretty cool looking nonetheless.

http://www.anniesannuals.com/plants/plant_display.asp?prodid=2620&account=none

I think I've done it both ways with my one tradescantia, cut back or not. They definitely do get kinda scruffy looking. They seem pretty well able to take what gets thrown at them and come back.

There we go. Yes, little dunce caps. That's exactly it. Thanks, Susy. I thought it was so interesting that I actually bought one for my neighbor, too. He loves succulents . . .

I will have to say that my tradescantia can take a lot and they are beautiful in the spring/early summer, but I think I'll forgo the scruffy period and see what they do if they're cut back.

The Orostachys looks great - i saw it in the Annie's Annuals Catalog, and forgot to order.
Kathy - I'll want to know how it overwinters for you. Edelweiss' write-up indicates that it made it through low double digit temps in not particularly well-drained soil. Will you pot it up or plant in the ground?


Tradescantia - I have cut it back, but in the fall I let it go.

This message was edited Sep 15, 2009 8:26 PM

I'm timid, so I'll probably pot it up to keep its roots on the drier side . . . at least for now. I may actually separate it and try a few things.

I have my little dunce caps planted in that bench planter in the front of my house, so you know they got plenty dry this year. They are slow growers, and after the little caps bloom, that part of the plant dies. But there are babies, so you'll always have some if they like where they are planted. It survived two winters in a row, and the last one it was in that bench planter so it must have frozen solid during the big freeze.

Regarding the Ptilotus 'Joey', even with our heat and sunshine mine did not do much this year. They never got very big at all and what I was hoping would be a focal point plant was hardly worth mentioning in the garden. I suggest growing them in the greenhouse with plenty of heat to get them to grow to size.

The violet one I have droops and is rather rangey. I do cut it back. The others stay well enough for me and in my beds you can't see the leaves so much.

I so need to be on "Design Star" next year.

I have a love/hate relationship with my changeover nights. :(
But I love lurking here and laughing/crying with all of you. :)

Welcome, LDFS. We're glad you're here.

Kathy

lady, are you a firefighter?

my favorite place EVAH to ski is Whistler.

Lady, we love having someone else to laugh and cry with.

Lady - you are a fire sign! Aries? Welcome

Funny, I've been thinking LDFS meant "Firesign" as in "Firesign theatre"


Anyway- Welcome! :)

*waves at Lady*

Hiya! :)

Found this big guy in the courtyard under a hosta leaf.

And my jacuzzi room all set up for winter. With a blooming christmas cactus. Over 25 buds.

This message was edited Sep 17, 2009 10:32 AM

What an awesome lumpity bumpity croaker!

I love your jacuzzi room. Wow. I wish I could have indoor plants. But the Insane Cat Posse attacks anything with leaves. :(

Winter? I don't get it. When is your frost date? Do you even have one?

Or the other fire signs, Leo and Sagittarius . . .

Pictures of last winter at my house, SK. Not sure whether Willow had as much, but it was a cold winter for us.

http://picasaweb.google.com/katiegirl2u/Snow2008DEEPFREEZE?feat=directlink

http://picasaweb.google.com/katiegirl2u/Snow2008DEEPFREEZEDay6?feat=directlink

Of course, not as bad as where you've come from and probably worse than where you live now . . .

Poor Ladyfiresign - we've picked apart her name already! I have no idea if it means she is herself a fire sign? I'm an Aries and that's as far as my knowledge goes, so that's what I guessed. Whatever, welcome Ladyfiresign.

Willow I love your jacuzzi room. That must be nice to have when there is snow on the ground and you can defrost in the hot water.

My yard is full of fallen leaves. It rained very hard last night for a few hours and today is sunny. The plants all look so happy. Next week's forecast is for the 90s! Crazy.

Have some kind of mild flu bug so taking it easy today. Not too bad so don't want it to get worse. Reading 'Animal, Vegetable, Miracle' by Barbara Kingsolver. Good book.

Yeah, I was on Mt. Hood the week after Christmas. That was a lot of snow by any measure.

Idon't go by frost dates. I bring in the tender plants from their vacation outside by the first week in September. That avoids big shifts in nighttime temperature that can cause problems.

We have harsh winters where I am, being so close to the Olympics and 600' ASL. Enough to delay my garden two weeks from the gardens at sea level. We had over 2' of snow last winter.

" Is dinner ready yet?"

How cute is that?

Bahaha! I know that look!

"Where's my dinner?" *orphan face*

willow ..love the toad and your puppy waiting for dinner. Pony your kitty is adorable. Bet she has you wrapped around her little "finger".


Feisty with her "baby". She love this toy and will pick it up and just cry and cry while holding it in her mouth. It's a site to see and hear!

Does Feisty ever get to her feet?

Yes when she jumps up on the furniture or walks to her food dish. She is a very laid back(lazy) kind of Kitty.

She has been known to stand up. Here she is in my daughters room on Feb 29,2008

Oh, so regal ....

She's gorgeous. I love it when they stand on their hind legs like that. Our Henry does that a lot.

Feisty's quite a character!

Hi all.....
Actually I am a nurse in a NICU and do shift work...sorry, I worked nights last night and again tonight but then yay! off for 2 weeks. Might be driving to Portland since a nephew is moving there at the end of the month. Never been to Portland before. Native of Wisconsin, long transplanted in BC, by way of Chicago. And.... I am a Leo, thx. :)
Off to sleep now. Have a great day, everyone!
Cin

Portland is nice. I don't get down there very often, but I always enjoy it when I do.

And they have a Powell's Books store there... it's definitely worth visiting if you love books. Just be prepared to spend hours and hours there. hehe. ;)

Pony, how is Tracy doing?

He's totally fine. Still no idea what happened. Waiting on the MRI and echoicardiogram results, but we fully expect them to be normal. I have a feeling this one will remain an unsolved mystery.