Teddy's plants

Hummingbirds tend to like things with tubular flowers so I imagine there would be other types of flowers that they would like better than cosmos.

I actually got all the weeding done today, the first part was the Iris bed, the next was the Sedum and the last was the bed in front of the fence. I really thinned out the seedlings of the ros, I did not get rid of all of them, and I am thinking of getting rid of the multiflora rose bush. I never knew the rose was so invasive. So my hubby is going to help me dig it up and get rid of.

omchodoy

Well that is really something about the tree not needing to be on a drip... I love learning about new plants and how they grow best in area's that I've never lived in.

Jan

Many plants that are native to dry climates don't do well with drip systems--I grow a lot of California native plants and many of them don't do well with drip irrigation either. Here's a website that explains things better than I could: http://www.laspilitas.com/easy/easywatering.htm

Any plant that would have this sort of issues with drip irrigation probably wouldn't do well in FL at all so you shouldn't need to worry about it.

The last of my Irises have bloomed, what do I do with them now,? Do I do anything with them or just let them die down? The blooms are still beautiful, they have just opened last night. I was just curious as to whether or not to do anything with them when they finally do die. Also which flowers are going to bloom next, the Cosmos or the Rose of Sharon? I left one seedling in the patch where there was a lot, it was beside the bush that I said was brown all the way through. That way if it really is dead, the seedling will grow in its place. Should I pull it up or just wait?

I just measured one of my Cosmos plants and it is 19 inches tall!

Well, all my Irises have bloomed, I have 3 blooms that are still pretty but all the rest are dead, I pulled off the spent blooms and threw them away, now what do I do with the plants? Just let them die down? I am anxiously waiting for the next flowers to bloom, since Rose of Sharon does not bloom until July or August, my Cosmos is probably my next flower. Like I said I have one plant that is 19 inches tall, does anyone have any idea whether it will bloom before it reaches 2 feet?

You need to leave the irises alone for a while--they need their leaves to store energy for next year so if you cut them back too quickly then they won't be able to grow/bloom next year. To be safe you can let them die back naturally, but if you really don't like the look of the boring leaves you can cut them back after a while--hopefully someone else who grows irises can tell you how long you need to leave them alone for.

thank you ecrane3.

teddy

I would recommend you just roll the leaves after they start to turn. then they are out of the way and still useful to the plant.

Jan

I just went out and looked at my Naked Lady plants, they look dead, does that mean I will get blooms this year, I read that they need a year off but I read that the Irises do too, and you saw what happened. Do you think that might happen with the NL plants? I have to think to remember where they are so I don't plant anything else there. My Morning Glories are growing, but slowly. They have not made any attempt to find the lattice. Which should bloom first, the Cosmos or the Rose of Sharon? The ground where all these flowers are looks dry, I am afraid to water them right now, should I just leave everything alone?

Teddy, I usually plant a couple petunias around my Lycoris (NL) to help "mark the spot". Gives color to the bed and doesn't disturb the bulbs.

I just watered my Rose of Sharon bushes, it is warm today and I thought it would be okay if I gave them a drink, did I do wrong? I DID not water my Cosmos or Morning Glories, I read that if you ignore certain flowers they will bloom better, so that is what I am doing. Please let me know if I did right or wrong with the watering, one web page says water in the a.m. one web page says water in the p.m. Help Pirl, I need you sage advice!

The best way to tell if you need to water is to stick your finger down a few inches into the soil near the plant--if it feels wet then even if it's a warm day you ought to hold off on watering. As far as time of day to water, unless you live in a really dry climate it's generally better to water in the mornings if you can--if you water in the evening, then the leaves stay wet for a lot longer and that can encourage fungal growth. If you water in the morning, the sun comes up and things warm up more quickly so the leaves won't stay wet as long.

thanks ecrane3 that is some good advice, now, one more question, as I told you before my hubby bought two tomato plants, the edges of the leaves are brown but it has blooms, is there something wrong with it, or is that because of the heat? I poked my finger in the dirt around it and it felt dry so I gave it some water. What would cause the leaves to turn brown?

Hard to say--it could just be that it was hot and they got too dry, but tomatoes have a number of diseases too. If you post some pictures someone might have some ideas. Your best bet is probably to post in the Beginner Vegetables forum though, you'll probably find people there with lots of expertise in vegetables.

I have a neighbor who grows tomatoes and I am going to dig mine up and take them over to him, I always get them of of his plants anyway, he comes over and asks us if we want any cherry tomatoes and then tells me to get all I want. So if I put our plants over there, they will probably grow a lot better. Where we live there is a lot of trees and they don't get enough sun and they get root rot so I will let him have them.

He came and helped me take them over and when he emptied the dirt, most of it was wet, so he has a spot where it don't get much shade except for a little bit from the trailer. And it is on a small hill so drainage is not a problem. And he said again that when the tomatoes grow just come over and get them. They will get plenty of sunshine where they are now.

Its been in the 90's today, and very sunny, should I water my flowers since it has cooled down a little? The dirt is looking very dry and cracking. I know the Cosmos is not supposed to get much water, but just wanted to know if I should give it any.

I would try the finger test as I suggested above--if the area around their roots is bone dry then they need water, but if it's still damp leave them alone. The dirt on top can look dry & cracked but underneath can still be wet, that's why it's important to check with your finger. Once you've been doing it for a while you'll start to get a sense for how often you need to water, but until you figure that out it's a very helpful trick. As far as watering time, if you have things that are really in need of water then I'd water now, but in your area it gets humid enough that watering in the early morning would be ideal. If you water in the evenings, the moisture stays on the leaves for a lot longer and can encourage fungal problems.

Thank you for the hint, I felt in the pot where the pink geraniums were and they were pretty dry, so gave them a drink. It is still 82 degrees, and I watered them several hours ago. I read that if you water them too late, their roots stay wet too long, so I think I will water them in the a.m. I just watered them today, I will wait for a while before watering again. Its just this dirt looks more drier than it really is so using the finger is a good idea. Because if I just believed my eyes, it looks like the dirt is drier than dust. But I guess I learned something new, I never knew some flowers thrive on neglect, like the Cosmos.

Plants in containers don't hold as much moisture as the ground. Just make sure the containers drain well or the roots may rot. Always make sure the container is big enough for the plant(s).

This week I lost a ton of pansies (violas) due to the heat and probably lack of moisture to keep the roots cool. It has been unseasonably hot here.

This message was edited Jun 9, 2011 8:12 PM

It has been that way here, and just about everywhere, before, the farmers were complaining that they could not get into the fields to plant, now they are wishing for rain! I have been trying to make sure my flowers have enough water, but it is hard to judge, we are supposed to have cooler temps here the rest of the week and thunderstorms, so that might help.

What is my Morning Glory doing now?

It wants to vine anywhere.

Your MG is doing what it does best...getting ready to start climbing toward the sun so it can bloom.

I am certainly glad it is started to climb, I watered it real good yesterday morning and real good last night, I won't have to water them for awhile, it has been raining since about 4:30 a.m. So I think they will be watered quite well. I did not know they required so much water. I don't think I will need to water them this evening. It will be interesting to see which color will bloom first, the red or blue. The Cosmos is doing quite well, it is getting tall and very pretty with the fern-like leaves.

It is really amazing, just the little bit of rain we have had today and the sunshine we have now, the morning glories are popping up like crazy! The one I showed you before is twice its size, it is reaching out towards the lattice. Do you think that the red and blue will be mixed when they bloom? I mixed them together when I soaked them overnight, I hope they are just red ones and blue ones and not red and blue together. That would look strange. My Cosmos is really shooting up, the one plant must be close to two feet now, if not closer to three, they are tall, how much taller do you think they will get?

Guess what? The pink geranium I got from my dad's funeral has more buds on it, it is going to bloom again! I was so happy when I saw that it was not dead. It has two more clumps of buds on it. I am going to have geraniums up the ying yang!

This is the Cosmos, I would say it is doing quite well, wouldn't you? The others are almost as tall as this one.

And this is the Morning Glory that I showed you before, I told you it has grown.

Teddy, a general rule of thumb on watering plants in the ground.....they need approximately 1 inch of water per week. You adjust that according to how much rainfall you get in a week's time. If you get rain, then in a couple days, use the "finger check" method Ecrane explained to you. If the soil is dry down to the length of your index finger, it is time to water.

For plants in containers, it is a good idea to check them at least every other day. If the soil is dry to the second joint of your index finger, it is time to water. Always soak the plant until water runs freely from the drain holes. It is a good idea to check them again an hour or so after watering, as some potting mixes are harder than others to saturate. If it feels dry, add more water.

thanks themoonhowl.

You are too welcome. You just need to remember that your garden should be a place that brings you pleasure....Relax and remember to breathe....a little sun and water go a long way toward making a successful garden... and gardener.GRIN

I did the finger test on my geraniums, it felt moist, it is supposed to rain tonight, I have it in the ring I told you about from the lamp. Should I just bring it in or leave it out there? It is raised off the ground a little bit, so it can get air, what is your opinion?

I would let it get some rain water....as long as the container drains it should be fine. You would only need to move it if it was raining heavily every day and the plant was showing distress. Good drainage in containers is key to keeping plants healthy.

Ever since we got rain and I have been watering them, my Morning Glory is going crazy! It is just growing so fast you can almost see them growing with your own eyes. I kind of helped it by putting it on the lattice, but it is twining around. Some of the plants are kind of slow are coming up now, but this one has really taken off. I wonder which color it is red or blue.

As you can see my pink geraniums are getting ready to bud, I have quite a few clumps of buds that are getting ready to bloom. The next picture is a little more ready to bloom.

As you can see this clump is going to bloom pretty soon. This next picture is a friend of mine, as you can tell he has been working on the tree. I got a lucky shot, I was trying to get a shot of two of them at the same time, but the other one kept moving.

This one of my lucky shots, it is kind of hard to get a picture of a bird with all the leaves,