Mistakes I have made in my gardens

Sofer, you either have it planted right to the top of your pot, or you let the long shoots go crazy. But, if that works for you it is great. I have had mine in now for 2 years and it really isn't doing a whole lot.

Yes I let it go crazy. I want it to take over the outside area.

My only problem with that scenerio, is what happens if 1.) you get tired of it; 2) you decide to sell your home; or any other thing like that that makes it undesireable to have it taking over?

And wait until after that 'third year leap'

I think I will definietly leave the hops out of my garden. No matter how tempting, I have enough stuff that I have planted that I am now really trying to keep under control....don't need one more! I have heard the same thing about the silver lace vine, but I have one climbing one of my cedars and I just love it...and it is perfectly well behaved. I would like to think that I could make hops behave similarly, but what if it doesn't?

Getting ready for the seed exchange next weekend, Mom and I have been sorting out our seed collections. This brough to mind another mistake that I know has been mentioned on this forum before, and it may have even been in this thread, but it is important enough to be said again.....YOU DON'T NEED TO PLANT EVERY SEED YOU HAVE! In addition, remember that all of the seedlings that are started inside will eventually need to be transplanted! I am still trying to temper my seed starting, but have had many many many many poor babies languish away in pots because I bit off more than I could chew. That said, I am off to start some of my more cold hardy annuals......

What do you guys think of the climbing hydrangea? I would love to have one growing in my perennnial bed and maybe up the cedar tree, but so far it doesn't look like the one I planted last year is going to survive the winter. Darn.

Sometimes I just get one thing that I keep trying and lose every one of them. So far I have lost 4 of a certain rose. John Cabot. I have lost 2 of the climbing hydrangeas. I will try one more of those this year. No, I am not planting them in the same place. I thought of that;

Lol Julie, planting every seed is not my problem. If I want 4 Early Girl tomato plants, that is how many seeds I plant. 4. And then I expect 4 to come up. Most seeds they do. If they are new to me, don't know much about them, I might plant one or two extra seeds, but will plant all that germinate. I don't ever recall planting an entire pack of seeds except for things like pelleted petunias where I might only get 15 seeds.

And, as much as I would love to have some of every pack I got in the piggy swap, I know that is not being reasonable.

Here's my stash from the Piggy Swap. Do you think I have a seed addiction? I sowed 58 packs of these seeds yesterday, lots left to sow, give away, and just plain admire their uniqueness from each other.

Jnette, I have a climbing hydrangea and I absolutely love it. I planted it years ago and as I recall it just sat for a couple of years and didn't do much (must have been working on a good root system), then finally took off. It is on the north side of our barn and if I allowed it to, it would cover the whole building. It is stunning in bloom - the barn lights up with the lacy white flowers. I do prune it harshly every spring, and have to control its growth throughout the summer so it doesn't cover the windows, crawl under the roof, etc. It also becomes a haven for birds. You definitely want to have a large enough area for it to grow on, I can't imagine trying to keep it too confined. Does not need any support, it clings with little suckers. The parts I do end up pulling off leave little scars on the wood, but it's old barn board and just adds to the character. I'll have to remember to get a photo when it blooms this year.

This message was edited Jan 24, 2010 3:18 PM

I will die in my home here in Montana. And it is in its 6th year of growth. It is separated from my garden by an access gravel road that it shall never cross. Yes I know about mistakes and Bishops weed shall never get in my garden again. Anything planted in Montana is pretty limited by our short seasons and harsh weather. No worries at this time.

Are those your hops? I like the effect. Why do you burn them in the fall?

That is a wonderful ground cover. How often does it root down? You burn them in the fall because they die back. They are definitely a deciduous plant. But really super. My daughter had one on her house in seattle. Golden on her dark green house. However, she said it was trying to take over her flower bed.

Seattle and Montana like 2 different planets.

bonehead, That is what I would like with the hydrangea. I know they would be gorgeous. Even with no leaves the bark is so cool.

Lynn, I haven't planted anything so my stash is probably almost double yours. LOL Maybe I should send you some for your swap. But, I like mine so much I won't.

Lynn, that is so funny. Now you have named my reason for having so many packets. To admire their uniqueness from each other.

I wait unto the rain starts in the fall. Then I burn the encephalitis and ground vines. The ones who rooted were crawling in the mulch for over two years. I wanted them to cover the area because the deer keep it trimmed.

What gets out of control and what doesn't generally begs the question of where it is planted. Julie, your silver lace vine is a good example. You have it planted underneath a cedar tree, which is a dry and shady or dry and sunny environment, depending on exposure. But it's generally dry, anyhow, and with a lot of root competition. So it likely keeps that vine under control for you. Soferdig has a large area to cover so he can afford to let the hops have their way with his land.

I did not know that the word 'reasonable' and the words 'seed collection' were to be uttered in the same sentence. This does not bode well for me.
I spent much time today putting seeds into tiny ziploc bags and labeling them for the swap. Just because we collect seeds does not mean we are 'addicts'. I resent the term and refuse to use it anymore! Just say NO to that word! We are seed APPRECIATORS! We admire, gaze upon, etc. Julie, I have the seeds for several kinds of fast growing vines that will cover an arbor for you.
Jnette, no worries. We have plenty of seeds, believe me! LOL! I beg you to keep your seeds!

I actually prefer to reserve the word 'addiction' for serious stuff. It kind of bugs me when people giggle that they're addicted to chocolate or whatever.

LOL, maybe next year I will send you what I don't plant this year guys. I do envy you having your swap. Where is it, and when? Even addicts for plants isn't so bad. Could be worse.

Well, I sort of agree, to a point. Except that in the purest sense of the word,, the release of opiates that stimulate the pleasure centers in the brain are along the same lines for some people. Still. I pretty much agree with you, unless the word is being used in the loose sense. I would not compare an 'addiction' to chocolate with an addiction to alcohol, for instance. Not a bit. But I'm pretty sure that when people talk about being 'addicted' to chocolate, or seeds, or their daily tv shows, they are using the term loosely and it's not worth getting knickers all in a twist about.

Ah, now she is coming along with the program! The swap is next Saturday at my house.

"Seed Appreciators" - like "Plant Appreciators" they have great worth as they INVEST in the future, and are "Keepers of the Seed".

Holly - I have regained internet connectivity as of early this evening, so I was unable to answer your question about grasses. Please dmail me about your questions - I grow LOTS of grasses. Love them - they are underused, IMO.

How did encephalitis get on my statement? I am using my new I phone so I am not responsible for what I say. I am totally involved with stumbleupon though. Discovering this:

I once had a sparrow alight upon my sholder for a moment,
while hoeing in a village garden, and I felt more distinguished by that Circumstance than any epaulet I could have worn. Henry David Thoreau

I hear birdy epaulets can be a wee bit messy...

Even so, I concur.

Thank you, Steve. I was a bit worried about the reference to encephalitis.

Pixy, Don't tempt me with vining things..... weakness!!! You do NOT want to know how many varieties of morning glory I have !!!! But I love vining, twining things that can escape the slugs in their wee form. I do agree that where things are planted makes a big difference. I planted my SL vine in an area where not much would happily grow just for the purpose to keep it under control. Cedars are very agressive when it comes to soil space. I learned this the hard way when I dumped a pile of topsoil outside my greenhouses to use for potting, etc so I didn't have to haul from the road. Within two months, the cedar roots had come UP from what was bare ground and had taken over my soil pile! Now I can't get a shovel through it if I try. Have learned to put soil in something with a bottom or use it immediately after that.

Katye, I so love the term "Keepers of the Seed"! I do like to think that the obsession (used rather than "addiction" to be politically correct, which I am not very good at, so forgive me if I slip) with seeds and plants is an internal pre-disposition to maintain and preserve the beauty that nature has provided us with. If we do not nurture and protect, than other less concerned entities may in ignorance destroy such things. I will no longer EVER feel bad about just "having" seeds that I plan to eventually do something with!

This message was edited Jan 25, 2010 1:36 PM

You guys are making me want to forage in the garage & bring out my 3-tier seed-storage cabinet ... just to sort through them & feel rich ...

This "Keepers of the Seed" thing is the making of an epic novel. The world goes blank, for whatever reason, and in the PNW lives the only surviving culture - a small tribe of people who have hoarded seeds and are now able to subsist on what they can grow.......

"I once had a sparrow alight upon my sholder for a moment,
while hoeing in a village garden, and I felt more distinguished by that Circumstance than any epaulet I could have worn. Henry David Thoreau"
Sofer - that's beautiful.

Run your fingers through those seeds, summerkid. You will feel wealth beyond measure.

Julie: Morning Glory Mt. Fuji Mix. "4-6" silky and vivid pinwheels on 7' vines with green and silver marbled foliage. Words fail to describe the huge and magnificent display of exotic, jewel-tone flowers." It's in my basket, it has your name on it. MMWWUHAHAHAH!

Keepers of the Seed. Let it be written, let it be done. Stamped and approved by all.

Those nasty cedar roots will suck up everything in sight. At least yours grow in the forest where they belong and are beautiful. I am surrounded by them on two sides. I ended up putting a plastic barrier down to slow down the roots from the neighbor's trees from taking over my garden.

Maybe that is why my climbing hydrangea didn't make it. At least I don't think it did. The cedar tree took all of the soil from it.

Guess the next one is going to have to be planted somewhere else.

Julie, have you ever grown Cobea? Cup and Saucer? I love the vine itself, it is such a strong grower. The problem is, I found out later, it is native to Mexico. So, in our short season it didn't bloom until late August I think it was, and it was near frost so I didn't get to see them much. But I would think you could grow them over there real well.

I tried the purple the first time and the white the second time. Both did the same for me. Too bad, 'cause I really like them.

When I was digging out the compost bin on Friday, the flowering cherry had taken over the bottom half of it with massive roots coming up into it.

That's probably what happened to your climbing hydrangea. Cedar roots are the worst competition ever. If you want to plant another one there, you could build the soil up in that area, as long as it's not right against the trunk. It would give the roots a fighting chance to get established.

Interesting info re cedar roots. I am regrading my back yard and relocating several leggy rhododendrons. I was going to try them in my back field at the base of some cedars -- perhaps I should rethink that... I really don't even know if they will survive the move. I intend to cut them way back (likely sacrificing most of the blooms this year) before I move them, but so far we don't have an excavator lined up, so who knows when it will actually happen.

Just when I though I'd have a shade garden... I was planning to use the space under the cedar trees at the edge of the yard for hosta, astilbe, hele, etc. I'd been without shade in NC and left a beautiful mature garden behind in DC/Virginia when we moved. I miss it! Please tell me it's possible here in the PNW to use the ground under the Cedars to brighten the forrest edge.

Fabric over roots and raised beds. I have used it before with good results but don't put the dirt on the the bark.

Think I will find a different place for the climbing hydrangea Pixie.

bonehead. When I lived in Seattle I moved a huge rhodie, 6 ft tall and the same wide, in full bloom, by digging a trench (shallow I might add, I'm not much on digging) around it because they have shallow roots, and then throwing a chain around it, pulling it with my vehicle onto a large piece of cardboard and pulling it from the front yard to the back yard. All on one of the hottest days of the year, and the plant in full bloom and it didn't even slow down. I watered it down every day with a :LOT of water on the roots.

The neighbors had company, and they were all standing in the window watching this, I am sure thinking I was out of my mind. That big rhodie didn't even wilt. They are very hardy when it comes to that. The lighter blooming ones are not cold hardy (I don't think) but the darker colored ones even do good hear in zone 5 (verging on zone 4).

Pixy, I would love some Mt Fuji MG's! Have grown them in the past and they are stunning. Will counter your diabolical scheme however with an offer of an exchange of Ipomoea Magnusiana, which has a lovely palm shaped leaves, pretty white flowers, and really cool little fuzzy seeds!

Jnette, I have a climbing hydrangea under a cedar (up against a lovely root of a fallen douglas) and it has done nicely for me, but like Bonehead mentioned, it took several years for it to do much more than sit there and make me fret that I had lost it. Now it is happily climbing, but I have had it there for about seven years. I have tried cup and saucer a couple of times, but I was in the same boat as you... only got a few blooms at the end of the season. Last year, it didn't stand a chance as the dogs were chasing something under the trellis it was planted on. Will make another attempt at it again this year, because the foilage was pretty.

Ladybug, I have lots of stuff planted under my cedars, and have done quite well with most of it. The toughest part is getting through the roots to dig a hole, and you have to water very regularly in these areas as the trees drink a lot and the canopy doesn't let much water through. Have been wonderfully successful with grasses, hellebores, azaleas, cyclamen, heathers, and groundcovers under mine.

Here is my back pond garden in the spring which is planted around two large cedars. It does have an underground spring that runs through that general area in the winter, and I run soaker hoses daily in the summer, but the effect is lovely and shows that it is possible. This is at the end of April last year

Rarejem that's a beautiful spot. I will have to see if I can take Sofer's idea of garden cloth under raised bed type amendments and your watering and make that work for me. The ground is not easy to work in that area and I have added material but it may prove to be an ongoing challenge that I'd rather move elsewhere... perhaps Douglas Fir cover. Thank you.

Cobaea scandens - one of my favourite vines. A pity that it's tender, but grow it every year. It has performed well for me; I planted mine out under plastic the first time to keep it on the warm side. it took a while - but August brought hundreds of flowers. I like it in all stages - interesting vine.

Katye, I was going to ask you when should I sow the Cobea scandens seeds that you gave me? Should I start them in the GH, or Wintersow them? I am so looking forward to growing them! Is that a picture of yours?

Hi Lynn! Looking forward to seeing you & everyone else on Saturday.
i would go ahead & sow the Cobaea seed mid-February, in the GH. Give it a skinny pole to help it up. Oh - sow the seed on its side, too. Here's another couple shots showing the changes of this great vine:

a waking bud...

1 - yes - 1 plant did all this: