Sorry herbsprit I directed my comments to Neal instead of you about the sundrops and rain :)
Thanks Kelly :) You know one year I had planted coral beans and had two plants well we have so many tree seeds germinate out front here I think all of them wash down from the hill into my front beds no I know they do lol I pulled my coral bean vines out thinking they were this one tree I have two more to plant this year lol I have learned to label my plants for the next year too! lol I want to see the blooms on those so darn bad!
Have any of you tried those grow bags these are called 'smart pots' I ran across some the other day I'm going to try a couple of pepper plants in them just wondering how much trouble they are trying to keep them watered looks like they will dry out fast maybe I should put some wal mart bags in them before I plant them? I finally got my tomatoes in the ground now I need to do a couple of peppers they have blooms on them already lol I am so behind this year had my priorties all messed up for some reason lol
Seed Swap & Chat # 57 - summer is upon us
Big hugs to you Terese! It is always so hard to loose a dear friend.
I too was wondering about cutting my husker's red back - if it would bloom again. It bloomed for the first time this year and I LOVE it!
I lurk a lot but think about you all every day as I look at my garden. Most of my plants have been started from seeds from all my friends here and it makes my garden so much more special than if I were to just buy seeds.
Now to get out the camera to share - I love looking at everyone's pictures.
I wouldn't have any plants if it weren't for my friends on here lol
Terese know it will be a while before you get on here but just gotta tell ya my Electric Blues are getting buds on them! ;))))) I've planted four so far in a pot with one of Neal's coral nymphs and have three more to decide what to do with I'm running out of room in my side yard bed so need to take the carpet up in the other side yard by my mini shade garden and start planting there lol Those blue skies hosta are under the holly where they don't get any sun at all and they still aren't turning blue they are still green!
We had really hard rains last night and I walked out in my new side yard bed and a mole has been working there well where he has been working is nothing but holes in the dirt now one hole is about a foot long and five inches deep right by my gaillardia I'm hoping it right by it and not under it the poor thang is going sideways it started raining again so I haven't been able to look under it it's so big lol
We're still waiting and hoping for rain here. Everyone's grass is getting brown. We have mostly weeds, so we're still green lol.
I have been planting away and still sowing seeds too. Many of our plants and seeds are a blend from the past 3 years of Piggy swapping ^_^ Calendula ‘lemon beauty’ (originally from Seandor) are sprouting and Seandor's passed on seeds for Marigold heirloom 1880 have become a favorite, that are blooming now.
Salvia sclarea ‘turkestanica alba’ (from tuink '09 oinker swap) is really gorgeous and blooming now. I planted them too close together, not realizing how gigantic they get.
Tithonia rotundifolia orange (originally from margaran) are sprouting. This year I'm trying the Tithonia with Cosmos 'Bright Lights' intermixed.
And, I can't wait to see the blooms of Poppy, papaver somniferum ‘Lauren’s Grape” (from grampapa '08 swap!). If they bloom, we will FINALLY have our first poppies. I have been trying for YEARS!!! I'm praying our huge, backyard bunnies don't eat them. They just devoured (looks like a weed whacker zipped through) all (every last one) of my started from seed -- 'Ace of Spades' -- pincushion plants!!! The bunny I saw this AM was really large, maybe the size (if not larger than) of Tango (our rescued, feral, garden cat).
Everything for me just seems to be going in slow motion for some reason seemed like some plants bloomed so early this year and some plants are taking their sweet time lol
I had one of those big fat rabbits out back Wind and now I have babies running around, yesterday I sent my outside cat after one of the babies and she chased it around the yard turning pots over as she ran thru chasing it lol The bunny would stop and Sophera would stop I think I feed her too well in the house or she would have been on it, it was a little baby now he'll probably grow up and eat my plants I never have them in the yard out front just in back and this one was under the holly tree right out front a little close to my plants for comfort!
I had a little female hummer yesterday that's two now :)) I'm going to put my fourth hummer feeder out now need to get some more ant things to put any more feeders out the store was out of them I'm hoping they have them the next time I go in. The one hummer loves the Jacob Cline out back I sure wished I had gotten all of my monarda transplanted out of the middle bed I still have so many plants out back I need to transplant still lol I'm beginning to think I just have too many plants but that's not possible is it LOL That’s why I’m so far behind this year on my planting of seedlings trying to get all of these plants out of two beds and will have to wait until the fall I guess to get the rest out.
Herbsprit, love this comfrey tea there is such a difference in my plants than when I put compost tea on them they like the comfrey a lot better!
Finally got a moment to try and catch up.
Tcs... Sorry to hear about your friend. My condolences.
herb....I feel for you. Been cleaning up mess here from rains too. Lots of seedlings been pitched from damage and to late in season to try and save them.
Your Peony,won't rebloom again, unless it is a cultivar that is a rebloomer. I would only trim those branches that broke off off of it. If you can stand to leave them stay on a bit I would. That way the sugars and nutrients that were in those leave s and branches will go back to the root s for next year. I didn't even get to see mine bloom this year. Was loaded with buds that all got destroyed.
Now we have gone from weeks of rain and flooding to excessive high temps and that is now sourcing everything.
Wind. Soak some hot pepper seeds in water and then go out and spray around those plants and that area. Will help keep your bunny away. Or very carefully with glove son you can collect the small itchy weed with the white flowers and make a tea from it and spray it.
Here are some of my flowers and new beds. Almost everything in them has come from DG in one way or another! (Piggy swap, mum coop, summerhill coop and some trades) Oh, and self collected seed, which I wouldn't know how to do without you all!
Here's my new 'driveway bed and terrace' that I made as a lasagna bed last fall. This time last year there was a bradford pear and bermuda grass here!
This is my 'butterfly/hummingbird garden' in an attempt to look like TooFew's bed that she's shared with us. Didn't quite get it, but I'll keep trying! It is still under construction, but had to stop and just get stuff planted!
It's actually an add-on to an herb bed that already existed, now I just have to turn the little paths in the herb bed around a few degrees to line up with the new bed, and get the stone up! Probably not happening until it cools off at this point :-)
Some of my pots (and looks like I need to weed the patio... grr)
More pots, the morning glories have been absolutely gorgeous! Loving the 'Kew Blue' Salpiglossis from Lebug and the Angelonia from Lala, and so many others! I'm still learning the habits of many of these plants. Next year things will go in more appropriate locations, be staked properly, etc. (I hope!)
The deck, with a few of my WS containers still to be planted, but really making progress!
Speaking of which I guess I'd better get out there and get some more planted before it gets hot... and the lawn needs mowing, again! Hmm, wouldn't it be much better just to have flowers everywhere... I could go for that!
KL- these look awesome!!
Kelly, your pots look lovely! I keep trying to grow that one morning glory, the blue and white one, and it never turns out it always ends up being something else I've tried it for years this is the first year in a long time I haven't tried to start it :( I still haven't gotten my morning glories in the ground waiting for them to bloom so I can see what they are first.
Thanks guys!
On the morning glories, I should have plenty of seed this year, but I also have that pink one next to it, so who knows on the pollination. Last year it was the only one I had, so the seed came true... sent some to a few people... I think it would look great with the kew blue (Staked this time! Weird how the blue got to be about 3x as tall as the scarlet!) and some white petunias... I have got to start making notes for next year.
I guess just some colors are taller than the others in the slapiglosiss I planted the casino mixed and the bicolors are taller than some solid colors in the mix. They are pretty but I like the solid colors better. I'm one that needs to pinch more and that one really needs to be pinched I think they are so lanky! I cut the tops of mine off when I planted them in pots now I'm waiting for blooms again lol I planted them in the ground one year because I had to stake them and they didn't do any better.
TCS, my condolences too; I hope your trip brings you peace as you remember your special friend.
Thanks Star, I'll keep that in mind. I usually let the bunnies do their thing. I should have known from the last time I tried to grow pincushion flowers. They ate them too!!!
KL, lovely flowers and gardens! I've always wanted to try using flat stones somewhere.
Hmm, yes. I read that they needed to be pinched... did OK on the scarlet for a while anyway, but was so excited to see the Blue bloom that I didn't pinch them at all! Now I don't know if it's too late... will see. So gorgeous whether they're floppy or not! Will just have to save seed and do better next year.
Wind, the flat stones ended up being pretty easy to work with. I'm no where near a pro, but I'm happy with the results I got. Getting the ground and then the sand under them to slope nice and smooth in the right direction was the hardest part (was adding a lot of top soil to one area but then had to slope down to meet the driveway), after that it was a piece of cake. Well, heavy cake ;-)
I clipped the tops off of mine just the other day lol They will still bloom it will just take them a while I've grown these Salpiglossis so many times you would think I would know to pinch by now! I need to start taking notes too!
Clipped mine this morning. Was cutting flowers to bring inside and thought that might be a good way to console myself. Not sure how long they'll last, but figured it was worth a try, and better for the plant :)
Sorry Ants I somehow missed your post about your loss. I checked out your thread in the pets forum, little one was so cute and sounded like a sweety! I am so sorry that you had to lose little one. : (
I too amhaving to deal with the loss of my kitty who was 13 years old and I had since he was 8 weeks old. I am so sad and not sure what happened to him which makes it even worse. He just disappeared on me. He never usually strays far when he's outside and always would come to the door by the time I was going to bed. I haven't seen him since Thurs. He will missed so much, I can't hold back the tears thinking about snuggling him and his soft fur and cute little sounds he'd make when I'd talk lovey dovey to him.
(((Meredith))) Whether we have them for weeks or decades, they sure have a special place in our hearts. I'm praying your sweet kitty may yet make it home. When you're checking around the neighborhood, ask neighbors to please look in their sheds, garages, vehicles, anywhere he might have been mistakenly closed in.
Oh Meredith I hope you find your kitty so many times I have closed one of my garages and couldn't find Sophera and that's where she would be where the mice are please do as Critter says and ask the neighbors to look in their garages and sheds, I hope you find her!
Thanks so much for the kind words! He is still missing and I have a terrible feeling he is gone on to kitty heaven. My husband has been warning me for a year that he isn't going to be around much longer. He was an old 13 due to his weight. I've been trying to mention to neighbors I see to let me know if they see him. I just think my husband has a little bit of a second sense with these types of things because he sensed something wasn't right with his kitty he had for about 12 years. He was saying, "she isn't going to be around much longer" almost every day, shortly before she died of old age.
I wonder what it is that makes animals go away to pass it leaves us with such an empty feeling when they leaves us like that it's the not knowing that is so worrisome, going out several times a day to see if you see any glimpse of her. Hope you find some kind of peace there Meredith if that's what happened to her but really I'm hoping she will show up for you :)
Meredith - Thank you. I'm really sorry about your kitty. I know it hurts terribly when we lose our furbabies. I do understand the added desperation of not knowing what happened & worrying that they may be in trouble & needing our help. Having furbabies throughout my entire life, I have been through a lot of different situations with them. I really hope you find your kitty, & if you don't, I hope that you can find peace in knowing that you did what you could & that he had a wonderful life with you.
ants
I had a baby snake go in between my potted plants last night had to hurry and take it to the middle bed where all the weeds are to get it away from momma cat outside lol She would have put a big hurt on it! I was so excited lol I would have loved to have kept it I've got three tanks but with three cats in the house it would never have any peace or me lol I think it was a baby garter didn't even try to bite me about 10" long. I've been here since 2010 and this was the second snake I have seen here since then we used to have all kinds of snakes here when I was growing up.
The only Victoria Blue salvias that I've had have been the purple, I planted some seeds of mine that were a couple of years old and only got two seedlings out of them and they are just now blooming and one is purple and one is white I thought that was strange I've never seen a white one I know they have them but I've never had one...
Terese, hope you and your friends family are doing alright my prayers are still with you and them :)
I found this web site and it has a flower on it that I want but can't find the name to it can anyone tell me what it is it's the one in the right hand corner of the banner that looks like some kind of daisy???
http://www.my-gardening-and-landscaping-makeover.com/garden-perennials.html
Lea, I don't know for sure, but it resembles some 'spoon-tipped' mums I recently got in a co-op. But then I've not seen a blue mum...
here it is: http://plants.max-superstore.com/daisy-soprano-lilac-spoon-annuals
I kind of wondered if it was the spoon daisy that every one wanted a while back on here it sure looks like that mum doesn't it? I searched on that web site and couldn't find it, clicked on the picture and that didn't do any good either looked for a 'contact us' link and they didn't have one of those either lol I've got to have it! I don't care what color it is and some white would go with my coral coneflowers I've been looking for more white perennials for those but almost $12 plus shipping I think I'll look for some seeds I just needed to know what it was or how many different plants I could find that are like that to see what my choices are :)
Thanks :) You'll have to show us pictures when yours bloom! I think most mums are grown from cuttings aren't they? I probably wouldn't be able to get seeds any where? Maybe I can find some spoon daisy seeds this fall...
Looks like it is the spoon daisy. But that one would be an annual. The mums are perennial, so that's better for me... if mine do well I can always send you cuttings!
You know I never never have any luck with mums so it looks like the spoon daisy is the way to go for me I couldn't tell you how many perennial mums I have bought and they never come back for me lol I have no idea why I have so much trouble with those! One time I got a white one in a trade by mistake the other person didn't even realize she did it and it did come back the next year but was gone the next lol
Thanks anyway Kelly :)
oh btw, I did plant I think three of the blue morning glories like you have in your picture this year I was going thru the names and found them wanna bet they don't turn out I think the very last time I tried planting them I ended up with pink ones lol I remember giving them to my neighbor last time. I give them bloom buster until they bloom in their little pots so I can see what color they are going to be always seems to be so late by the time I get to plant them then, I don't have any buds on them yet...
Lea, I think it's an osteospermum (sp?), which I think is also called "painted daisy" and is annual here. Also, the petals start out looking like that, but open up to become more like daisy petals. They're very pretty, and become very bushy, the way mums do. I used to put 1 or two in my garden, when I still had room for annuals.
[when I still had room for annuals.]
I'm waiting for that day again now in the side yard lol I've been reading up on them and it doesn't sound like they will like the humidity here did you have any trouble with them do you have the humidity there like we do here?
Where did you get your seeds from Sharon? Seems like I ran into some seeds last fall and thought twice about it and didn't get them I'm going to try them for next year just to see what they look like the pictures are so cool and hope I can grow them :) I had the Tizzy gailardia and they had blooms like that but lost them in my middle bed from all the weeds and my burgundy and fanfare I might add lol I saw a glimpse of the goblin last night but I have plenty of those! I do have a coreopsis that have petals like them but the daisies look so flat and cool! How big are the blooms on them they look like they are about three inches.
Lea, we have plenty of humidity!!! I don't know how much you have, but I never had any trouble at all with them, (except that they didn't come back after winter). I never started them from seed. I'd usually just buy a small plant or two at a garden center, and by the end of the season it would be a small bush. I really liked the ones that were white petals with a blue center. Can't remember if the other ones all had blue centers or not. I'd think that seeds wouldn't be hard to find. I think the blooms are probably more like 2 inches, but the plants get covered in them.
I wouldn't ever find them here just need to get seeds this fall I guess I wouldn't know what to do if I found a garden center here that had something other than all the old stand bys lol I liked to had a heart attack when I saw black and blue salvias the first year at this one nursery lol When I sold plants at home no one wanted anything new they still bought what everyone else sells!
I remember a couple of years ago every one was talking about the spoon daisy and how hard the seeds were to get they may have more of them around by now.
Our humidity is pretty bad!
I did a search, and most of the major seed companies carry them, however you'd think they were gold-plated or something - packets of 10 seeds for over $4? (also called African daisy.) Maybe get them at an end of season sale?
T&M was suppose to have them and sold out of them I checked a couple of places a while back and they were sold out. Just think by the time you pay postage too how much those seeds will be lol
Shouldn't it be the end of the season about now :) Maybe someone will have some to trade here soon but I've never seen anyone offer them.
It's my son's birthday today time to go in and wish him a happy birthday he sure is making me feel old Ha! He's 38 today! I've got to tell him to stop it lol
I'm cleaning a bunch of mag pye columbine seeds out of this one bed today and have a bunch :) Don't feel like saving them until the swap because I still need ot organize my seeds from last year that are left over don't want to even thing about collecting seeds but I have collected a couple so far lol I just figure most of us have this one anyway.
If anyone here wants any of the mag pye dmail me then send me a sabe and I'll send them to you if I have more left over I'm going to offer them on the seed trading forum for newbies. Make sure it's enough stamps to return them if you send me too much 'in stamps' I'll send it back with the seeds :) They are in a bed by themselves without any other around so I know they will come true.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/153554/
I have a few of a tall white one too 'no name'. Same with the white columbine I only have one plant of it but it should be true too it's the only one I have in that bed :)
I always plant my columbines far enough apart so they don't mix if anyone has a taller one that is pink with long spurs I would love to have seeds for that one but I want it to come true and it has to have long spurs that's the only kind I grow for the hummers the mag pye doesn't have the long spurs and can't remember if the white does or not it's just that I've had these so long I just don't get rid of them you would think I would remember if the white one has the long spurs I don't think it does or I would have grown more of them lol
Lebug.... Why don't you see if any of these Dg'ers who posted pic s might have any seed left. Never hurts to ask them or see where they got seed cheap from maybe.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1923/
Hope your son has a happy birthday and many more to come.
Did you have the decorative mums or the cutting mums. The decorative ones are sometime s hard to get to come back , but the cutting ones, they will just about grow anywhere and under any conditions. I think I have some of the spoon cutting mums still out there. if I do when they bloom can send ya some cuttings of it.