Hey toofew, there's been times when I could have used a fax at home but no smarts to figure it out lol Tony my room mate could have used it a few times the girl at the water co. will fax things out for him. Hope you are able to save seeds from the Cinderella this year I have so many aphids this year don't think I'm going to be able to. I don't need any but I've seen Cinderella on some want lists on here I've been peeking lol I planted my cinderellas together and man they put out a lot of foliage I have a couple of what I think are the prarie milkweeds and they just won't grow in this heat and keep taking cats off and putting them on the Cinderellas you can't even tell all of these cats have been eating on them they are still so full of foliage I like those!
I planted a nice hibiscus that's a dark pink with the red center wasn't sure what it was when I planted it and had some bloodgoods in front of it so it wasn't getting enough sun I cut the bloodgoods down in front of it yesterday to give it more sun had to go thru and check for eggs and cats on them first that was a job lol I've only gotten two seed pods off of it wanting more blooms so I can get more seeds :) I still have 12 hibiscus out there waiting on a bloom so I can see what they are! Guess I'm going to have to pot them up until next year.
Hey pamsue been wondering about you have you had any rain this year? Just wondering how your garden did :) I have daylily seedlings :) They were from bluespiral/karen three of them I think of you every time I see them too because you grow them from seed all the time :)
Kelly I've looked at a lot of printers here lately both in town and on line and haven't seen any with the seperate colors I'd like that too looks like it would sure be cheaper on ink not buying a color until it was out.
Does anyone grow the EE's? I've having so much trouble with mine this year with mold and black aphids I've never had this much trouble with them! Now I'm wondering if I'm going to have any to over winter in the house this year :( I'm trying to collect the different ones. They always do so good for me must be this dry weather we have been having. I was just wondering if anyone else grows them :)
Seed Swap and Chat #59 - dog dayz of summer
KL we have an epson cx8400, doesn't use the separate colors though. A nice enough printer for us ... and yes it has the fax option, but I've never used it.
Lebug, those 3 cute milkweeds you sent grew to 18-24 inches, then stopped. All were looking very healthy till the middle of August, then something started eating the leaves and now the aphids. 2 of them are sticks, the other has just a few leaves left. I hope they come back next year.
I have just the big green EE's and bring them inside each winter, no trouble with them this year.
I grew out the purple castor bean seed from the piggy swap last year and just love the plant. I'm thinking of trying to plant it next to my EE next year for a more tropical look.
Anyone else suffering from the sinus headaches right now ... this is my 4 day and counting .........
Here are Lebug's Begonias :) Planted them in planters up on the landing last year. Let them go majorly to seed... and a few must have escaped collecting!
Those begonias are hard to deadhead the seed pods are every where on them aren't they lol
I have tried to grow the 'Fire' begonias since 08' I think, George/Ansonfan got me started on those but they just won't do anything for me every year I just think it's the weather because it's always strange anymore, I grew them again this year and think I have seen about three blooms on them the foliage looks good on them so I think I'll bring them in the house this year and put them in my kitchen window it might be too cold in here for them but it's worth a shot anyway I keep it pretty cold in the winter. I was going to put one in the ground in my mini shade garden this year but with no rain I was afraid they would just die they don't like to be watered from the top but they do good with rain on them or as good as I can get them. I may give up on them next year if this one doesn't make it in the house.
At the first when I planted my milkweeds I had a lot of those little black and white cats on them had a big fight on my hands thought they were going to eat all of the plants finally got rid of them and only finding one here and there now but whatever laid the eggs sure did a good job on my milkweeds toofew! My red prarie milkweeds are like you are describing just sticks but I look for them to come back for next year. My Cinderellas are just beautiful for milkweeds and bushy I think you got yours in the ground before I did can't understand why they had such a rough time looking at mine think I planted mine too close together they look like one big shrub out in the middle of my flower bed I was just thinking about trying to move at least one of them for next year but with so much to do out there I doubt if I get it done.
I WS some milkweeds but didn't have much luck I always plant them too deep then don't think about it until it's too late lol I had one silky gold and it's just starting to bloom but doubt if I get any seeds off of it either but the aphids aren't on it like the other milkweeds, I have tried to wash the aphids off several times but they just keep coming back and have only seen very few like maybe six lady bugs and way too many assign bugs!
Castor bean plants! I didn't grow any this year usually I have one or two to reseed that's what I'm missing this year lol The purple one sounds nice toofew :) I may have to try some of those next year.
This summer is just a bust for me will be glad when it's over! We were suppose to have rain AGAIN today and again I only have an inch of water if that much in my buckets and can't even tell on the ground that it rained and the winds are suppose to get to 25 mph! There's a chance of rain all day but don't look for it! Can you tell the mood I'm in LOL I'm wanting to plant and move plants and the ground is hard as a rock I watered a patch the other day so I could dig the next day and move some daylilies and that patch is still hard as a rock with two inch cracks in it!!!
I'm gonna brag for a minute ;) Here is what I have in EE's and will die if they don't over winter some it doesn't look like there is any bulbs or runners to over winter they look like they are on their way out I have never had this much trouble with them and want to collect them so bad I just love them!
COLOCASIA ESCULENTA MOJITO
Alocasia Wentii Varigated
Colocasia Multiflora 'MIDNIGHT'
Micky Mouse
Black Ruffels
Colocasia 'Chicago Harlequin'
'Illustris'
Persian Palm
one I lost the name too lol
I had 16 different kinds and lost the rest last winter :( I'm going tohave to start keeping my house a little warmer!
Well, we DID have rain all day, don't know how many inches but it was several.
Looks like the plants are loving it ... bad drive home though.
Lea, WOW, what a collection and you lost some ... :o(
I just may get some seeds from the purple castor bean plant. If not, I believe I still have a couple from the trade from last year.
Kl, love the begonias growing on the steps. "o)
Kelly I just noticed a begonia seedling in one of my seedling pots and know it's not one that I'm growing this year lol I think it's one like you have this year that's strange because I don't have any dirt left over from last year that I was using I'll find out here pretty soon but the leaves coming out on it looks like the pink begonia leaves lol
I have three inch pots with seedlings in them still because of the weather this year they just aren't growing at all and I have columbine seedlings and all the torenias that I sowed that didn't come up are in five of my pots of columbines Ha! They are only a couple of inches high and blooming ;)
I haver some plants in 3 inch pots too! I need to get planting but the weather hasn't been cooperating with my schedule.
Meredith, I have orange dogs for the first time this year and got to see a Giant Swallowtail :) I'm going to the dollar store today to try and find something for outside I can keep the cocoons in to over winter :) I'm so excited!
My one rue plant that is left out front is full of orange dog cats and the black swallowtails I've seen the little orange dogs when they were really small on the rues but just figured the birds got them but this year I have orange dogs almost big enough to go into cocoons and have a tree trunk full of heavenly blues right beside it that is going to get cut up this winter so have to save them I know they will go in there for the winter cause it's so full of foliage!
I had a Giant Swallowtail here for one day she must have left me some eggs before she left I hope I have more for next year now :) I couldn't believe how big she was!
Your so lucky! I don't get either one of those here. Must be so exciting! : )
It sure was ;)) There were so many butterflies this year of course my neighbors don't grow much in the flower department so I had all the butterflies on the block and they were just all over my yard I have never seen such a show of them as this year!
I had people stopping in their cars and looking at all of them a few people around here not in my neighborhood said they had more butterflies this year than ever before, got to have some of that Scarlet Magic annual too Meredith they were all over it this year do you ever grow it?
OK, I'll bite. What is an Orange Dog? :)
Here's our first monarch we raised! Came out this morning. So glad we did too, because it really looks like all the outdoors one's didn't make it. Can't find a chrysalis anywhere, and there are no cats left on the milkweed :-( But, we saved 9 of them, so that's something. Next year I'll know that I should go ahead and adopt out and raise as many as I can myself!
Ack, OK, and what is Scarlet Magic?
Here you go Kelly:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/163257/
There is a picture if you scrol down the page of the orange dog it's a cat of the Giant Swallowtail:
http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2007/09/02/giant-swallowtail-butterflies-and-caterpillars/
I plan on having plenty of seeds to the Scarlet Magic :)
I keep aiming to raise butterflies but just never get around to it I'm always so cottin pickin busy! Maybe when I get in a wheel chair in my 80's and can't work as much out in the yard lol I've got to save the orange dogs this year though it's just a 'have to' case :)
Pretty! (the flower, NOT the caterpillar... ick :) I'll definitely be oinking for some Scarlet Magic!
Lea, here is the picture I took of your 3 milkweed plants with the monarch in August.
I think that cat is beautiful because I've been waiting a loooong time to see this one ;))
Here is a picture of the White Lisianthus I grew from Ella's seeds.
I managed to have about 10 of these.
This message was edited Sep 19, 2010 11:12 AM
And here is a picture of the white with purple tipped Lisianthus's ... also from ella's seeds. Only had 3 of these.
Those look nice toofew just can't believe they didn't get as big as mine for this year mine are out of control lol I was looking at how they branch out at the bottom of the plant last night and the branches of it at the bottom are over an inch thick! I'm going to have to try and seperate them a bit next year I've got them planted too close together.
Here is the purple castor bean plant that I grew from the piggy swap seeds.
In the background is my neighbors veggie garden.
And lastly here is the picture of just a couple of the japanese maples seedlings I grew from seeds from the swap. Since taking the picture I have separated them all into individual pots. I think I'm going to bury the pots in a very protected section of the garden.
Toofew I planted a bunch of lisanthus and find that the saved seeds just don't come true for me I got some white ones out of seeds so pretty they looked like white roses everyone here just loves them. I ordered some yellow and green lisanthus for next year :) Soo much for not ordering more annuals that the butterflies don't pay much attention to they don't care for my lisanthus here for some reason must just not have enough nectar in them.
That castor bean is really pretty I must have had the red one if my memory serves me right from last year no telling lol I have a couple of JP maple seedlings that bigred sent me I had to move them in the shade they are in five inch pots right now think I'll put them in a gal. pot in the five inch pots and put them in the ground for the winter too. Yours really look healthy! I have a couple of dogwood seedlings too that just came up around a daylily that I potted up but they are growing so well I'm going to wait until about Jan. and plant those that's when I planted my other one down in the back shade garden and it's till alive not growing but still alive lol George/Ansonfan suggested I plant it then.
Lea, I'm going to try and save some of the Lisianthus seeds for the swap, but right now the pods are still green.
I'm reading up on the Stevia I planted. I read when your days are around 60 degrees, that is the best time to harvest, so I guess I'll be harvesting soon. The leaves really are sweet.
I've been reading and all I can find for the home gardener is to dry the leaves and then soak them in boiling water when you want to use them. Use the water as your sweetener, just refrigerate the water if you don't use it all. But I cant find anything that says how many leaves to how much water ... or is it all just by taste??? Anyone doing anything with their Stevia? Maybe I should take this question over to a herb forum.
I also read to keep the stevia as a house plant and then you have it contiunually.
I've been wondering about the Stevia. My plants did really well, but I haven't done anything with them! We're no where near 60's yet, but they're going to seed. I wonder if the leaves will still taste good as they flower?
toofew, takes those pods for evvver to get ripe! They have a lot of seeds in them though really worth waiting on I'd say about two months!!!
Kelly I've only gotten about ten seeds off of my Stevia so far not many blooms on them either. Still haven't picked any leaves off of them maybe Wind or someone will come on here and tells us how to do it :) I just looked and had blooms and hadn't seen them lol I pulled some flowers up around it so it would get more sun about two wks. ago and hadn't noticed it's doubled in size since then too :)
Just did a count on my rue of how many cats I had on it :) four orange dogs about ready to go into the pupa stage, five little orange dogs that I thought were dead then saw them move lol, five BST cats. Just got back from getting one of those netted laundry thingies and put it over the plant I found two cats that an assign bug had gotten to, I took a mirror and checked every stem on the rue to make sure there wasn't another one of those destructive bugs on the plant first! Wonder if I should ease a couple of taller sticks in there for them to hang on for their cocoon, I'll look for a couple here in a bit.
I'm going to watch it real close for when the cats from the BST hatch out so I can let them go then guess I'll keep the cage over them until spring...I think I need a bigger cage though maybe I'll find one in town next time I go. I'm just trying to keep the GST from going to the trunk where the heavenly blues are to make a cocoon the neighbor is going to cut that trunk up this fall.
I was at a Bday party today, so I see the thread got a little busy since you asked Lea. But I did try those scarlet tassle flowers last year. Not sure if they just don't like my yard, but they were very small flowered. Were yours? The flowers on mine were maybe half an inch. I didn't get any reseeding from them. I never saw a butterfly on them but only a couple plants made it to bloom, so I could have just not had enough.
Yes they are a small flower Meredith but the flowers shoot up like crazy my butterflies just love them I'll save you some more seeds if you want mine are reseeding and flowering again too :) I wasn't impressed with them the first time I grew them but planted more of them this time and it made a difference in the show of butterflies I think.
Man! I was reading on the butterfly sticky and think I'm going to have to get some more material to put around the laundry basket so the bad bugs can't get at the cats in it now I have to go to town tomorrow lol
Lea and Meredith, I never knew what you were talking about when you mentioned the Tassel flower. I finally looked it up and I found out it is the flower weed that grows at our cottage. It is sooo true about the butterflies loving it. Too bad my husband insists on cutting it down. Earlier this summer I left a patch by the driveway and told hubby to not cut it. Well, the neighbor though she was doing me a favor (thought I had missed a patch of grass, LOL) and cut it. :o(
I've never seen it go to seed ... it must though since it comes back every year.
Lea, could you save a few seeds for me and then I can try to grow it here at the house.
I ended up with some Brazilian Bachelor Button seeds from Margaran as an extra in the swap, and didn't know what to make of them. Well, they're blooming now, and such cute fuzzy blooms! On top of that, I saw them in the butterfly house at Brookgreen Gardens, so now I know exactly where to put them! Says they're Z8, hope that will mean they live here this year... depends on our winter. Surprises can be so much fun!
Thanks Lea! : )
Hey everybody!
Just a heads's up. In abut a week my membership here is up. At this moment I do not plan on renewing it. I am busy with other things and places.
If you want information for on this years piggy swap, send me a dmail with your email addy, or you can send me one. Just do it before the 28th. If ya seeing this after the 28th than just ask, somebody here wil have my email addy. : ) Hugs to everybody!
toofew how could your neighbor mistake the tassel flower for grass :) Glad she isn't my neighbor but sounds like her heart was in the right place :) I'll save you all some I'll have quite a few seeds of them in the swap.
I bet those will reseed for you Kelly.
Your welcome Meredith :)
>>I ended up with some Brazilian Bachelor Button
Kelly -- aren't they just the cutest?? The first year i grew them, i lost the plant tag and had no idea what they were. They are not hardy up here, but do send up volunteers... though they bloom later and are much smaller plants than if they were WS'ed.
I won't be renewing either mine comes up at the 23rd of October :) Too much going on. Same here dmail me if you want my email :) Please do :)
Look t , did you know there is a milkweed that looks kind of like bloodflower that is perennial to z6:
http://www.georgiavines.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_11&products_id=609
Here is a green one too:
http://www.georgiavines.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_11&products_id=130
I doubt if they would attract many butterflies I've had the milkmaid before and it wasn't much for attracting them never saw a butterfly on it and had no cats. I sure would like to try that other one though. Sorry Meredith didn't see any for z5 that I didn't know about :(
Here is one that I hadn't heard about for your zone Meredith have you seen it?
http://www.georgiavines.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_11&products_id=517
I don't think I've seen this milkweed vine either wonder if it's invasive like the other one?
http://www.georgiavines.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9_11&products_id=516
I'm putting this site in my favorites it even tells you which seeds to give cold treatment for better germination :)
http://georgiavines.com/Seeds/asclepiaseeds.html
I won't be renewing either mine ends the 23rd of October :) Too much going on. Same here dmail me if you want my email :) Please do :)
It's Carolyn/MDREAMS01 birthday today :) Happy Happy Birthday Carolyn ;) Hope you have a good day and without any ache and pains and enjoying your flowers!
Thank's Lebug ,
spent some time fighting with the over growth in my lily bed's lol couldn't hardly find my poor lily's hope they are forgiving probaly take me a year to catch up.
But was nice to be out there doing something. Got to try and get the most done before ole man winter settles in.
Carolyn
I am finally back. I have not been feeling well plus I had computer problems. I was able to upgrade the computer and set up a backup internet machine, so I'm back.
I got fed up picking up after my neighbors's dogs, so I extended my garden to the sidewalk with a little fence around it. I am still working on the plantings. The heat and everything slowed me down this year, but the plants liked it. At least, I don't have to pay extra for water. I had so many nice plants from the piggy swap, I will share pics once I get caught up!
Gnats are terrible here, also. I spray my clothes, especially my ankles and hat, with a deet spray and rub a natural spray around my neck. (I don't like putting deet directly on my skin). I always wear a hat, long sleeves and gloves in the garden, so this works. I follow the shade around when I garden. Using a bug zapper at night if the gnats are bad (and during Japanese beetle season for the roses) helps a lot.
Thanks to everyone for sharing their seeds. I am saving up lots for this years swap!
Happy Birthday (...little slow here :) Carolyn! Hope it was great!
Carolyn I have some tiger babies from Suzy on the first piggy swap we had that she brought me when she was here and that was when at least three years ago? I never have seen them bloom and this year I thought was going to be the year and Tony cut over them with the lawn mower, after all this time I hope they are just multiplying and I didn't lose them LOL I dug three up from across the street when this girl moved and looks like only one is going to come back for next year only one has foliage at the bottom of it anyway the other two are just sticks I've never had lilies before this but think they are beautiful flowers!
GQ, we had a family move in up the street that their dogs get loose all the time with their tie out I'm just waiting for the day one of them go thru my bed out front I can hardly get thru it little lone a dog with a 15' tie behind him! Then we have these little brn. dogs that come and crap on my plants all the time why don't these people take better care of their animals! There are too many ways for the dogs to get into my bed and would cost a small fortune to put even a small fence around mine! I just wish I could keep the cats out they are bending all of my plants over trying to catch the moths at night and butterflies thru the day I'm always on watch thru the day and they know when I pick the water spray bottle they better boot and scoot LOL
I've been collecting those huge big green horned tomato worms (?) from my neighbor’s that turn into big moths trying to get a bunch of those big moths for my daturas and moon vine and keep finding those moths on the ground where the cat next door kills them and just lets them lay for me to find in the mornings so sad!
Thing is I get those worms here and the parasite wasp lays their eggs on them then they die because I have so many plants over here I guess I find them across the street and they are just fine she doesn’t have many of those wasps over there with hardly any flowers. I hide them on the daturas that is covered with heavenly blue mgs hoping the wasp don’t find them I know they eat that flower lol I just hope it’s good camouflage for them! By the time I find mine over here they are covered in all of those white eggs :(
It's so windy today the wind is blowing my EE's loose in the pots! Gotta get out there and do something!
I just wanted to let some of you gals know that know me that I just had my son. He was 7 weeks early, but is doing well. He is 16 days old today and just has to learn to take all of his feedings from the bottle and he can come home. My water broke on 9/8 (due date was 10/28), they gave me meds to hold off labor until 9/10 at noon so that the steroid shots they gave me to his lungs would have time to take affect. I couldn't dilate past 6cm, so I ended up having a Csection. Jonathan Gabriel was born at 8:54pm on 9/10, and he was 5lbs, 8oz and 19" long. He is perfect and looks more like me than DH:) We are hoping to have him home by this time next week...he is now at 6lbs, 5oz and growing by leaps and bounds!! Lea told me I needed to come tall you all-here is a pic:
