Shes about too... #48

Don't know about Debra, but the tubers are not solid at all. Some are slimy and some of the bulbs just collapse and moldy. So sad and so stupid on my part......

So I am going to buy a white one first it was my favorite.

Joyce I did the same thing one year with over 100.00 worth of caladium bulbs. At the time I knew even less than I know now about gardening, :)) and I ordered them in the Fall figuring to start them inside over the winter. Needless to say that didn't work out.

I think we women have far too much on our minds most of the time and the things that matter to us are the things that get short shrift.

This year I'm definitely going with my gut with the Cannas. I'm pretty sure I've lost three big boxes of rhizomes I dug last Fall. Stupid me kept them in our unheated garage instead of storing them in a closet. They're still rigid though and aren't mushy so maybe there's still hope. My neighbor gave me four Wally World bags of rhizomes last May. She didn't know their names but had sorted them by color and height. Over the Summer I was able to ID two of the four and believe now that all of them are hardy. Red Indica stayed in the ground but I dug the other three. Talk about a bunch of wasted work digging when I could have just covered them with a thick blanket of mulch.

I hear that... I did dig up alot too and even potted them up and brought them in, now I have some cannas struggling and some smaller sized dahlias raching three feet to the light. I have decided I am crazy addicted to gardening and totally unorganized. It is snowing here and I am ffreezzing and supposed to go to work in 5 hours. I have been spraying spider mites, killing mealy bug things, and re arranging in my garden ever since i came home tonight. sheesh! well guess I will try for three hours of sleep.

Those mealy bugs have sucked the life out of me this winter. I knew when I brought them in on the coleus I was in trouble. I've lost more than half my varieties and yesterday I threw away more. I just can't fight it anymore. I need to get them outside and blast them with Sevin or something. I hate pesticides....

I had the mealy bugs last year on my hibiscus, and they were a pain to get rid of.

I am so sorry you all have done the same thing and lost plants . I LOVE caladiums and would be really sad losing those. FOTV I bet your cannas are fine, in fact I thought in zone 7 you would be able to leave them all in the ground with mulch. Course I know all of us have had really strange weather (63 at 5pm and 6inches of snow by 10pm here), but I bet if your cannas are still solid they are fine. I have some cannas growing at the base of one of my ee's so those are the only ones I have left. But being unorganized I don't remember what color they are...LOL Pics are the only thing that save me.

Debra, I am so glad you "crazy addicted gardner is on here", you know that birds of feather flock together....LOL I don't have anyone in my Master Gardeners group that is even remotely crazy about gardening like me, so I really appreciate you all....LOL

I can sympathize with you all about the darn bugs on the plants.
I fought those hard sucking hard shell brown things on a palm someone gave me and like you all had to just pitch it before I spread them onto everything else. Spider mites and making me crazy this year.

rvnsbrk, I have what I think is the coolest coleus growing in the garden room. I am going to take starts and if they survive I would love to send you some starts, it is my favorite now and so darn tough! I really like coleus also, ok so there aren't many I don't like.

Have a great day guys!

All my mealy bugs get squished.. tonight I didn't find any. I strip the leaves and wash them and then make cuttings. The salvias, coleus and one brug were affected. now I have a whole bunch of electric lime cuttings of coleus leafing out, and a whole bunch of salvias of diffferent sorts leafing out. all my coleus in the front area are clean and big and producing huge flowers with seeds. The lantanas are blooming like crazy. I am so glad I brought them in. My dallas red and mound gold and trailing lavender are all very healthy.



here is a salvia I started as a peeled cutting stick.

They look really happy Debra. Did you get alot of snow? My car is stuck in my very long driveway......don't need it until tomorrow morning...LOL

You're looking good, Debra. You go girl!

I'm a sad puppy after I lost every one of my Coleus. They were doing great at Christmas and were tall enough to take more cuttings. So I did but still don't know what I did wrong. I'm so sorry Joyce and Nita. Both of you sent me beautiful cuttings and I was hoping with those I'd taken from my garden that I could reciprocate. Just checked my Caladium bulbs yesterday. They look & feel fine. I'm going to plant them in pots this week and see which ones come back inside over the next few weeks. My fav last year was Mrs. Arno Nehrling, Joyce, that you sent me. Last month I ordered 100 #1 mixed Caladium bulb assortment from Bill @ Caldiums for Less, haven't received a shipping notice yet, but it's about time and will have have plenty to share. Anybody want a grab bag?

Don't laff at my new greenhouse addition... dollar store 1.00
I still need to put the other hook on it..

here is the top row, I started to decorate it but got called away..

here is the next row

row under that..

I had a beautiful bloom on one of these rows

Looking at that pot of Salvia, I thought you were using a multi-pocket shoe bag. Nice touch with the Mardi Gras beads for decoration...what a hoot!

I have so much stuff around here.. I just like to use it to where ever I look I like what I see.. That shoe bag made alot of space for me for other things..

I just donated one of those shoebags to Goodwill.....if only I'd have the foresight you do.

Edited to add: Happ, I planted Candy Lilies and "Little Business" Daylily seeds today that you send me in the Robin. What color(s) are your Candy Lilies?



This message was edited Mar 21, 2010 9:22 PM

Debra, how funny, makes perfect sense using the shoe bag....so clever!
FOTV, I lost the majority of my coleus also. I have 3 or 4 left. It is weird, I have a couple in pots I have had forever! Then others just go along really well and then croak!
I have I believe yellow candy lilies and pink candy lilies so I am not sure which you have but I am guessing yellow, I have more yellow than pink. FOTV if they don't start let me know cause I can send you both of those plants, I have alot of them.

I lost my Handy Andy, *sniff* dang it. I just started some purple ruffles. Can't wait until they pop up. What is a Candy lilly?

Is Handy Andy a coleus?
Candy Lily is kind of like a small orchid blood on a iris looking leaf, the best I can describe it....LOL
It blooms much later than an iris, doesn't really remind me of a lily at all.
It reseeds or spreads

Fruitinstuff I ordered caladiums too from Bill. He said they would ship beginning of April to us. Sorry about the coleus. I feel your pain believe me. Been dumping them here right and left because of the bugs.

Debra that is too clever with the shoe bag. Been meaning to tell you that the crossandra I got from you is doing great. Blooming already. You really have the touch kiddo! Is that a morning glory vine? I so want to grow those. They really struggle here and get so leggy because of the light. I loved Handy Any too. Lost it a long time ago.

Oh well despite the rain it's off to work. I should be a muddy mess in about 10 minutes and then get to stay that way all day. Great first day of the landscaping season.. :(

Debra, I love your shoe rack, that is so cool!

Juanita, sorry to hear you lost a lot of your coleus, I took cuttings from all you sent last year, and not one made it, they all shriveled up! So I am hoping, maybe they will come back from the roots I left in the ground?

Someone told me you have to take cuttings from coleus when they are still growing which means earlier in the summer, but then you will have to keep them from getting too leggy and keep the bugs off of them, all winter, which neither is an easy trick. There has to be a better way. I get tired and broke from buying them new in the spring. But I love them. Wonder if on a heat mat all winter would work.....? Course bugs are another problem.

I bought caladiums from Bill? I didn't get all I wanted cause some were sold out. I am going to buy a bag a white/green ones from Costco.

LK I doubt they will come back from the roots. I suppose it is possible, but not real likely.

What a fun day in the rain. We worked for about 4 hours until we were good and wet and then called it quits. Wonder if I'll be able to move tomorrow? :))

Sounds like you need a nice hot shower?

You got that right LK.. Went straight up and did that. i feel human again.

I bet that is why all mine died on m e. I cut the coleus at the bottom of the plant, some were quite big, and woody. Guess we live and learn!

guys, my cuttings from the tops are struggling, but the cuttings from the bottoms are all good. ( Coleus) I just cut them above and below the nodules and shove into potting mix almost to top..
My checking account/debit account got hacked by someone and they went on a shopping spree online, the bank called me back on sunday morning to tell me they tried two more times, but when I saw the activity I went to the drive thru and withdrew everything in it cept ten dollars, so that is why they were declined the other times, I looked up the websites and they were really gross and the bank security called and said they saw the unusual activity.. so now, I have to wait until bank puts money back in and wait for another debit card. Bleah..

Hi All

I have a ton Hibiscus Seed
All I need is for you to send addrress


Tubby

Debra, your the second one on DG, that said thier bank account was hacked into this week-end. So sorry it happened to you!

Hello to all...sorry I've not been here lately, but have been very busy in the yard...All the dump truck load (10 yds.) of mulch is down. will have to have another load to finish. Also seems like there is a church meeting to go to every Mon. night and C.I.A. on Wed. nights.
Most all my coleus didn't make it.
I love that greenhouse! why didn't I think of that...don't answer please..lol I already know the answer. My brain is like the rest of me, old as dirt.
So sorry about your card being stolen and glad you didn't get wiped out.
Going to bed. Hope you all will have a good sleep.
Love and Hugs
Faye


This message was edited Mar 22, 2010 10:40 PM

Oh well, I will be okay.. it just freaked my hubby out.. he is a cash only guy, no checks no credit cards no cell phones we are lucky he has a tv LOL.... I am the one who has problems and he just says to throw them away.. ( plastic cards) gee... wish I could be more like him.. but then I would never be on here, cuz he doesn't do computors either.

Oh Debra, what a pain, having someone do that......dang

OK, I went to the coleus forum and they said that coleus need warmth, do better started in soil, and to put a plastic bag over the top to keep it humidity in until they develop roots. Think I will try that and put them on top of the frig and see what happens. Oh yeah under classified, rosie dawn is doing a special sale for DG'ers on coleus for all us who lost ours...LOL

See ya all in the morning, have a great night.

Hi Faye. Thanks for the offer Tubby. Just curious, Debra, how you're watering the plants in your shoe bag? Are you moving them to the shower or have you found another way? Hope you got your card ordeal straightened out, it's so sad nowadays how some people get their kicks.

I don't know if this method is suitable for Coleus cuttings or not, but in veggie class today the instructor told us he grows tomatoes from seeds in coarse masonry sand, the kind that's reddish-orange color not the real fine play sand, keeps them on heated maps under 40 watt lights 16 hours a day and said in the last 4 years he hasn't lost a single one to damping off.

You know I've known other people that swear by that too. Never tried it. Right now I have most of my coleus cut off and in water where they are doing very well. Unfortunately with that method they are all crammed in vases with no ID's so who knows what is what. But at least right now I don't have bugs on them anyway.

FruitOfTheVine


Do you want some of those seeds



Tubby

Are they hardy Hibiscus, Tubby? I'll d-mail you.

I just water with a spray bottle, since most are all cuttings, and the vines and plants are staying damp inside the plastic there.. I had another bloom on another vine a really dark almost black purple mg bloom, but I didn't have my camera and now it is spent.. dang it..
I am taking the day off tommorrow, altho it is supposed to rain..

Have any of you ever ordered from NC Farms? http://ncfarmsinc.com/store/index.php

Here's their profile in Garden Watchdog. http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/2829/