Seed Swap & Chat # 56 Whacha planting ??

Your all over the place ... here, there, everywhere
Where in the world is tcs???????
Whereever she is, it's raining!

Does anyone have experience gathering Kale seeds?

I grew purple Kale last year for the first time. It didn't bloom, but I harvested the leaves to mix with salads. I cut it at the base late fall. It came back from the root this spring and is flowering. I am letting it go to seed, but am not sure if I will recognize the seeds. Some flowers have already dropped their petals, but I don't see a seed pod. I originally grew it from seeds, so it must make them somehow. I was thinking it may not have gotten pollinated, so I went around with a little paintbrush. The bumble bees also seem to like the flowers.

Your storm is headed here tomorrow, tofew. They are predicting a strong morning thunderstorm ushering in cooler water. Our town also has a boil water advisory starting today until further notice. They have lots of those here.

Today I planted daylilies from the newbie swap. So exciting. The people here are really wonderful.

LOL toofew.

>>The people here are really wonderful.

GardenQuilts.... i've met some of the best folks here on Daves.... all have been so giving, in plants, information and friendship.

We had storms last night and now the wind is blowing like November winds and it's 45 outside! We are back to winter I knew it would get colder one more time before it would warm up I stuck all of my seedlings in the garage that I had hardening off and zipped my five greenhouses up for the night one little greenhouse has seed trays in it that I don't think are ever going to germinate!

Yesterday I had the air on for my dog :) Today I feel like turning the heat on for Tony and I lol

Gnats:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2311758_gnats-off-houseplants-easy-ways.html

Thought this might be worth sharing we all have trouble with these I just came across it.

LeBug, I have heard about using the potato before, but when I had knats in my planting area, it was just too hard to try and put a bunch of cut potatos out. But it did seem to work with just a plant or 2 in a pot.

Yes, yesterday was a windy cold day, but I was outside for a little while. It felt good.

Happy Mother's Day to all of you mothers out there. lol
I wonder if Lowe's will be giving out a free small plant again to all Mother's?
I went to Lowe's yesterday, forgot to ask.

Oh, and I went to a local Greenhouse and found a Black and Blue Salvia for 2.99. Good price. Its an annual for me, going to plant it with the rest of my salvia's I started from seed.

Happy Mother's Day!

I finally took the time to shop the local nursery the other day. They had an amazing selection of perennial Salvias.. so I had to get some! One that they had a lot of was the "navajo" series. I looked it up at home, and it sounds marginally hardy here (down to 15-20°), but the tags say hardy to zone 7a. I wonder which is more likely... I guess I'll try to put those somewhere that I can protect fairly easily...

Cool here today (only up to 71). Looking forward to a day in the yard with my DD and DH. Even if I have to twist their arms!

Happy Mother's Day to all you Mothers of children and to also the Mother's of fur babies. They like our kids too. : )

We went from flooding and tons of water to a couple of days of high 90's and so humid you couldn't breath. Right now it nice and perfect wish it would stay like this all the time. Cool, nit to hot, sun shining and a gentle breeze blowing enough to keep the skeeter s away. : )

Twofew and Kl.. great on the score of plants. : )

I'm trying to decide if I want to be pure lazy today or get some work done outside. Got me a swing blade that supposedly was only used once or twice at a sale, so thinking I just might work up enough energy to get out there and try it out. Just hope the blade is sharp cuz sure don't look like there a way to sharpen it if there not, but til I get enough cups of coffee in me sure ain't gonna be doing anything. LOL

Oh forgot to ask. Did anybody plant Gaillardia Sundance Cream besides me? Right now I am totally unimpressed with the plant. Too small ad skinny of leaves, Not much height and tiny blooms. really pathetic looking seedlings. If they don't do something soon, will probably pitch them all.

Happy Mother's Day to all!

We have had winds so bad and it's been so cold at night I've had my little seedlings in the garage for a couple of days now and looks like it will be a couple more days yet :( They were just starting to harden off now looks like I will have to go thru the process again. Not sure what it got down to last night but I ran out after hearing on the weather that in Louisville it was getting down to 42 so I knew it would be colder out here and had to throw some row covers over my EE's can't let anything happen to them.

My neighbor grew some tomato plants and already had them in the ground and they are only a couple inches high lol I gave her three row covers to cover them up only neighbor I have ever had that has tried to grow plants I'm gonna like this neighbor LOL She's already planted some flowers that she grew from seed in the house.

Toofew, I may try the potato thing next year if I see any gnats, maybe put a couple extra seed trays under the lights and just put some slices on top of them I couldn't imagine putting slices of potatoes on all of the seedlings under the lights either!

Toofew, in about another week I hope to get the Cinderella out to you :) Not sure what this week is going to do with the weather almost had them hardened off last week then the winds and cold weather had to come in! I’ll dmail you when I can send them out.

I didn’t get very many annuals started this year so got bored yesterday and went into town to check some out at this nursery that was packed yesterday I might add wall to wall people lol They had some that I had never heard of so I picked up of few of those I’m going back either today or tomorrow because they are the ones that don’t get very wide but the colors wow one is pink and green variegated and another one is a blackish red so pretty! Figure I can put those in with my coral bells that I got from Ella’s coop to shade them a bit. I saw this one thought I had picked it up it had all kinds of dark pink flowers on it and read on the tag it gets like 48” tall now I’m going to have to find it again got to talking to a lady about her front yard and forgot it lol Bought annuals from three different places yesterday LOL Happy Mother’s Day to me ;P

Got a perennial ice plant too I’ve been wanting one of those for years! I’ve got a few seedlings from Carol Edds annual ice plants but didn’t know if the seeds were easy to collect or not or if it would reseed? I don’t have much luck with plants reseeding anyway unless we have a bunch of rain that doesn’t happen often enough here.

Ella hope you got things cleaned up from all the rain and your back is alright and I hope you got some help!

Ella what is a swing blade? Anything like a cycle to cut weeds with? I have no idea lol

It maybe be called a sickle too. It has handle then this flat blade that about 3" inches wide and maybe a foot and half long with like saw teeth on both sides that supposed to cut the weeds down as you walk and swing it back and forth.

Happy Mother's Day! Needless to say, it's thrilling to celebrate as both a daughter and as a mother today.

I picked up a trio of perennial ice plants the other day also. Lowe's had their 1 gal perennials on sale, 5 for $10... I spent $20 LOL.

We went to DeBaggio's Herbs yesterday afternoon and had a splendid time, found a lot of plants I'd been wanting, including some they hadn't had in stock for the past several years at the time we'd visited. So I splurged. But I told myself I'd been restrained, because I managed to fit all of my purchases (a dozen 4 inch pots and 10 2 inch pots) into a single flat for the ride home. LOL

It's cool and windy today but still sunny, so I might have to get in some garden time this afternoon. :-)

I've got three old cycles here all three are different one is long handled with a straight blade another has a rippled blade then I have the one that is a hand one that looks sort of like a half moon blade if the teeth keep you from sharpening it you can take it to a farm place and they will let you know where to take it to get it sharpened :)

I was looking for more herbs yesterday too Critter but ony found the annual ones I did get some stevia to try this year. Sounds like you got some good deals! Didn't find any of those yesterday :)

Lea, Is Stevia an annual or perennial for us? I'm so excited about the Cinderella milkweed. I'm hoping to send you a couple of the chocolate penstemons. They are doing well, but are still very small.
Talking of herbs ... I saw a varigated oregano the other day. Almost picked it up, but I didn't think it smelled all that much like cooking oregano. If you want me to pick one up for you and send it with the choc. penstemons let me know.

Son and daughter gave me gardening gloves for Mothers day, hubby gave me a raspberry 'brandywine' plant ... cause he wants me to grow it for him ... lol ... now I have to find a place to plant it. For now it will go into a pot.

Critter, I worked the weekend of the Lowes sale. I heard about it as I was driving home last Sat. But I wasn't feeling 100% and was pretty tired, so drove right by the store. Sunday was the same thing.

Oh, and Ella, can you believe that all the Double flowering Almonds were on sale at Lowes yesterday for the same price I bought that half dead one for! They were done flowering, so I guess they needed to get rid of them . Of course I bought another one to plant in my hosta bed ... the place where I had thought of putting the first one, then changed my mind. LOL

Kelly, way to go on the navajo salvias ... your going to save seeds for us right?????

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mothers!

I was out moving lilies today. Probably not the best time to do it, but they seemed to have multiplied over the winter. The have been plotting an invasion of my Grenada rose. Once the major plant moves are complete, I will put more of my seedlings in the garden. I planted some baby rhubarb seedlings this week.

I came in for lunch and to wait for the shade to return in front. I also have to tame the tiger garden in back. Those messy black walnut trees dumped all sorts of leaves during last night's wind storm. Luckily, none of my wintersown containers or baby flower pots were bothered. I had covered lots of things with blankets and beach towels and brought others inside. I put the tops on the wintersown plants and left them outside. They did fine. We will be getting night temperatures in the thirties for a few days. Typical for May. We were spoiled with good weather so far.

I had been direct sowing some seeds that I didn't get wintersown, mostly rudbeckias so far. Also, direct sowing some Cosmos and Zinnias. I am saving some seeds to wintersow in the fall, just in case.

This message was edited May 9, 2010 8:04 PM

Oh toofew you are trying to get me a penstemon that is so nice of you I thought you were just going to tease me with them lol I bought seeds AGAIN to try since you had luck with them under lights it's just too much of a chalange now lol Who knows if I will get them planted next year though! No matter how many seeds I plant in the winter I still never get eveything planted that I want to. I still haven't planted my MG seeds I have got to get those to soaking today I'll have the same problem with my moon vine as I did last year procrastinated too much there's just so much to do inside and out!

I'll pass on the VO but thanks if I run across one here I might pick one up but my last regular one is so invasive I would have to keep it in a pot. I have a golden one and it's nice and well behaved that reminds me I need to move two of them to the side yard hmmm

Oh GardenQuilts, you just reminded me I need to do some cosmos, HH and the sunflowers yet too shouldn't we be done LOL

:O I know what you mean Lea... I need to get out my soybeans and corn yet! Meant to direct sow some Zinnias... and a bunch of others.

I will Definitely save seeds of the Navajo Salvias TooFew... assuming they're good to save? Also got two tall phlox, and a cuphea. All about the butterflies and hummingbirds this year, and trying so many new things! It's really fun!

Just about have blooms on the tuberous orange Milkweed from Lea... can't wait!

Here are the Salvias, hiding under the patio table until I can get them in the ground... they're awfully large for their pots, and drying out quickly! Hopefully planting will happen tomorrow... got waylaid today, of course.

Here is my lasagna bed, really filling in nicely so far... I actually stuck one of the milkweed in here... might get a little too much shade but I figured it was worth a try. I'd been seeing the occasional butterfly out here, and love to sit on the bench, best place to relax and observe in the whole yard!

Beautiful KL!

I direct sowed some gaillardia and rudbeckia that I didn't get wintersown. They will definitely get a cold treatment tonight! The next few days will be in the 50s by day and 30s by night. Then several days of rain. Hope my peony buds wait until after the rain to start opening.

KL, your orange milkweed if that's the one you have in that bed should be alright they grow wild on the sides of the roads here and in the shade a lot and still bloom their heads off :) So far I only have two I think from WS them but one of mine in the yard is coming up right now I have two and they are both in part sun and they both do well but they should be in full sun. They have butterfly weeds for part sun

Your bed looks good all that work and now you are going to have so many flowers in it good job! What kind of salvias do you have there the blue one looks like the patens almost. I can't wait to get my salvias in the ground but it's been so chilly at night like a good mommy I worry too much about the annual ones :)

I started some of my subrotundo salvia this year it gets about three foot tall and so airy but not sure if the hummers like it or not don't remember but I love it, the flowers fall when you touch it but flowers come back on just as fast I'll have to watch for them this year on it it's been a few years since I've grown it and I have the coral nymph from Neal can't wait to see that one either.

Another year and no camera :(((((((

I've had my hummer feeders up for a while now had one he must have been just passing by to somewhere else haven't seen anymore but yesterday as I was taking them down to replace them I heard the humming sound didn't see them though I'm ready to start seeing them lol My columbines are blooming and usually I see a lot of them out then but not this year yet.

In the front blooming I have Salvia 'May Night'. That one was in the ground in fall from a round up trade. It is so lush, I can't wait to see what the others look like next year!

I've put the Milkweed in a variety of spots. Will be interesting to see which ones do better. Doing the same with the salvias, to keep them separated so I can collect seed :)

Didn't end up making the bed back by the shed this year, out of time and energy for new beds. So, the bigger butterfly plants that I was going to put back there are being interspersed in my other beds... the whole yard is a butterfly garden now! Kind of a messy one, but I doubt they'll care ;-)

Lea
Reading about your worrying about the salvias. I moved my plants outdoors about a month ago and have taken them back and forth a few times. These cold nights; and days too right? I have some coral nymph that is sitting there looking terrible. I finally planted the Lady in Red and it looks a little better. Much too cool for these. Today I put out my vincas and now we are supposed to get rain ( which I think I need) and maybe a storm. But I get so impatient when it gets this time of year. The vincas are really nice so keeping my fingers crossed. I am so proud of them. My profusion zinnias are also pouting about the weather. What is a mother to do? I am madly planting LOL

Anyone have a pic of the lavender Salvia coccinea? I'd love to see what they look like, I'm trying to decide where they will look best. My Salvias are all in their milk jugs this year, and looking good. I only had one Yvonne's germinate, but the rest wintersowed well.

I got the last of the Digitalis planted today. I get obsessed with certain flowers and want every variety offered, LOL, and Foxglove seems to have been one of them this year. All I had already set out are plumping up nicely. Penstemons were another I went hog wild oinking for, and have got most of those in the ground now. I had terrific luck with germination on all of them by wintersowing. Got the last of the Diathus varieties planted today too.

Lavender might be the only one I haven't tried this year ;-) My 'Wild Thing' is finally looking like it is alive and growing in the ground. BOY is it a slow starter... at least here.

Here is my latest obsession. So excited this guy hatched (is that what you call it?) from his chrysalis today. Have another one that looks like it might be ready tomorrow, and one more that is in about it's 4th instar or so, that we've actually watched since it was an egg. What a fun experience!

What a beautiful, perfect butterfly!

I planted tomatoes in my freshly tilled bed today. Splurged and had "Big Ben" (son of "Digger Dick") fluff up my beds with his tractor tiller... I can just scoop out planting holes with my hand.. awesome.

"I can just scoop out planting holes with my hand.. awesome".

Wow Critter, I can vision that and I like it! I am ready to plant but the weather is not. I will plant next week if the weather gets back to normal around here.

Lea, Wish I knew you were looking for penstemon.
I have more seeds than I can plant- barbatus and smalii.
Keep me in mind if you need more.

Had to bring everything still in flats in last night - we had a rare May
frost warning. I have to check my lettuce & maters to see if they
made it through ok as they are in the ground. Not worried about
the root veggies or the spinach as they like it chilly.

Having a terrible time with lupine. They seem to grow & look
healthy - then they just keel over.

Most everything is really coming up nicely though. Smaller
than I thought they'd be after starting so many early but as
long as they're healthy I'm happy.

Ella, I had galliarda last year & wasn't impressed either. Didn't
bother growing them this year. Guess they'd be good for window
box plants. OH ! speaking of which saw this bizarre "garden" site
which suggested canterbury bells and foxgloves as window box
plants! Even I'm not that dumb!!

Sounds great Critter! My veggies are in a raised bed (most of them) and I was really surprised to realize this spring that the soil has really compacted over the years.. will need to pull out the mantis next year for sure!

Yikes! Foxglove in a windowbox? Maybe a huge on that sits on the ground? Just proof that we can't trust everything read on the internet!

KL, went back to the nursery yesterday hmmm lol I saw some Navajo Salvias and thought of you and got a couple lol Those are pretty little plants didn't read the tag yet to see how big they get it's too windy and chilly out to go get it but after while maybe this afternoon I'll check the tag out better no seems like it didn't say how big they grow I'm thinking not much higher than what they are in the pot and that's only about 18"? I'm going to google them after I get off here do they reseed? Looks like I'm going to like the foliage on them there are so many salvias that I don't.

I grew some Dahlberg Daisy this year only have about 7 plants and was suppose to give my neighbor about six of them and now she isn't going to plant anymore baskets so I gave one to another neighbor and get to plant the rest myself :) I love the little blooms on those plants! I just googled them and see that they reseed and looking forward to that for next year cause I know they will probably be prettier next year reseeding. Daisies are my favorite flower :)) I bought another annual yesterday that they didn't have the other day that is a bigger yellow daisy too lol I'd have this yard full of daisies if I could I have crazy dasies on the other side of the yard and a few starts to those to move with the others. One side of the yard will have mostly salvias and dasies in it the way it looks LOL Not enough salvias though didn't plant as many as I thought I did.

Veronica, we are having such winds today looks to be 60 degrees out there but seems a lot colder with the winds. I just hope my babies are ok out there I put them all out last night and that's where they are staying now I did put them in between the truck and my car because the wind was suppose to be so bad today and sitting here wondering about my tomatoes if they are alright. I have some hibiscus that shot up real quick and wondering if they are still standing too!

Cris, the barbatus are the taller ones aren't they I have them coming up in the back but think it's a little late to move them they are so tall but the smalii are the shorter ones aren't they I had one to come back so I should be good on those if I'm right the mex tex I think are the ones I lost this year the way it looks would you happen to have any seeds to those by any chance? I couldn't get them planted this year I still have seeds I'm trying to get planted now and not doing a very good job getting at it lol

Cris that's what happens with my lupines everytime I grow them! They don't like pots I know that or they don't for me they die before I can even get them in the ground :(

Canterbury bells and foxgloves as window box plants???? LOL They have got to be kidding LOL Makes you wonder what kind of windows they have! I just lost the last of my canterbury bells that I planted in the jug :(

It looks like everything survived last night's frost. Hope everyone's seedlings fared as well. Heading out to get some seedlings in the ground. I think they will like the rain this week. (I would like to reclaim my patio. It is filled with soda bottles at the moment.)

Foxglove and Canterbury bells in a window box sounds way wrong, I like to think outside the box, but just can't make that work in my mind's eye, LOL. Speaking of Canterbury bells, I'm just sick over losing mine. First a chilly night did a few in, (while things I thought of as more tender were fine, like Coleus and Begonias) and I lost about half. Then we got the torrential rains last weekend, and the rest bit the dust.

We got some rain last night, and today its been mild and overcast, so the newly planted seedlings look happy. Good grief, space is becoming an issue already, and I've barely even started with tender annuals!

Hmmm...I have a really crappy looking front porch, that we don't really use (accept in winter to keep firewood handy). I'm really the only one who ever sees it, but I do like to sit there and gaze out over the gardens. It's not very conducive to using it much, because it faces mostly west, and gets lots of bright, hot sun in the evenings. It's covered, but most of our rain blows in from the west, so the roof only provides shade and shelter in a very limited fashion. I've been considering some potted, flowering stuff out there, and have these 'Pinto Salmon' Geraniums (from Lea) that I believe would do well out there. Now I'm considering other things that might grow well there. I'm wondering about Portulaca, Dahlias, Salvias, and maybe some dwarf Zinnias. These would get morning shade, and loads of sun from 2-3pm till sunset. They'll get quite a bit of wind, but at least air circulation is good even if it is shaded in the morning. Any ideas? Do y'all think those plants would do well?

I've had Zinnias and Dahlias on the West side of my house. They both did great (had some mildew on my Zinnias, but they were crowded). I bet the others would do well too. Sounds like you have a plan!

This cool overcast weather is really throwing me off, but the plants like it just fine :) For some reason I just can't get going though! I should have had half a wall built while the temps were low, instead I just puttered around and got not much done, inside or out! Did plant a few things, and watched the butterfly warm up in the 10 min. of sun we had and finally take off. (It emerged yesterday and spent the whole afternoon, night and morning on my deck!) I'll count it as a day well spent... sort of :)

I'd like to know too Neal I planted some coneflowers in a spot like that and I'm planting more perennials along with some annuals until the perennials get to going everything I've planted so far seems to lean toward the sun in the morning my Inoxia datura leans so much toward the side walk that I planted hosta there for it to shade :) My wild blue indigo right by the front porch and steps to it leans over half of the steps toward the morning sun and I dare someone to step on them not even the foliage cause I love it lol I have the Stella daylilies along the walk on both side of course they don't lean, my veronica doesn't lean and it's pretty tall about two foot. I'm waiting to see what the coneflowers are going to do but I'm wondering if it's going to be enough sun they say 6 hr. in the afternoon is like full sun but what happens when they lean toward the morning sun that gets part of it. My side yard is as confused as I am, I'm tired of worrying about it and planting it anyway this year! We will see what happens ;)

If it were enough sun I think my coneflowers would be doing better I planted them last fall. A couple are about a foot tall others are only a few inches right now not leaning though :) I plan on putting some annual geraniums and petunias in the side yard too I hope they do good I always plant the lavender petunias from Tunic in my moon garden out front but they don't do that well and my profusion zinnias lean and don't even get the morning sun because of the big holly tree being in between them!

I wish you luck Neal :)

Kelly, that is good to know- thanks! Forgot to say, I love the butterfly and that you're watching them from egg to adult- very cool!

Lea, I've seen Echies grow well in partial shade, sounds like they should do well there. Something is eating my Echies, I thought they were pretty pest resistant? They're in bud, can't wait to see what they look like.

Hey All, I'm wondering if anybody grows a penstemon with a soft, strappy foliage? I have a couple of mysteries going on, and people have been able to match the flowers, but not the foliage. I also have no idea where they came from. Either I grew them from seed from the piggy swap last year, and didn't note it very well, or I picked them up at the Park Seed flower show and they didn't have tags.

The first one here is solved, its the other two that I'm still looking for...

http://cubits.org/ellasgarden/thread/view/22163/

my foxglove penstemon hasn't bloomed yet, but the foliage is pretty strappy on it.

Hmm, could that second one be a Monarda? except that you said "viney"