Teddy's plants

It is 11:32 a.m. I just gave all my plants a real good drink, I don't think the ones that my friend gave me are Rose of Sharon, because they are not doing anything they just look wilted. No brown spots or any that look like they are dying, they just are like I said wilted. I am not sure what they are, but they are sure not acting like ros should. I keep moving my geraniums so they get some sun, but it is hard when you have trees all around the property. I am VERY disappointed in the multiflora rose bush, before I read about them I thought it was a tea rose bush, it had a few little white flowers on it and that is all, they havent had any more. My morning glories are going crazy, and so is my Cosmos. Like I said I gave them a GOOD drink. We are supposed to get up to 74 today, I shouldn't have to water again for a couple of days, don't you think?

Can you post some pictures of the things you aren't sure are Rose of Sharon? If you planted them fairly recently, they could easily wilt some especially on a hot day. And plants often won't do anything for a while after they're planted--they need to work on their roots first before they'll start growing & blooming. Or--if they've been in the ground a while you might be watering them too much. From reading your posts over the last week it sounds like you're watering pretty frequently plus you've had some rain so especially if your soil is on the heavy side (lots of clay) you may be watering them too much which will also cause wilting.

I have 3 of these plants, there is no way I can get shade to them all day. Maybe I am watering them too much, I watered them a lot today, I don't know.

Teddy, not all plants/roots absorb water at the same rate. Also, the thinner the leaf, the more sensitive it is to water loss, i.e, cosmos. Overwatering can cause some of the worst damage and rot roots.

If that plant is as you surmise Rose of Sharon, it may need to acclimate, and the roots will have to adjust to the new location. Don't be surprised if the leaves fall off. Around here Rose of Sharon needs to be established and grows as a tree. You might also have what turns out to be a nice hibiscus bush. Different varieties of the same family with different needs.

Thank you cathy166, I really appreciate the help, I never thought of the Hibiscus bush, if that is the case, i will be pleasantly surprised. The Cosmos is doing great and so is the morning glory, they love the watering, but I have backed off of watering so much, and sometimes I water the other flowers and don't water the Cosmos. They are really getting tall, I just wonder how much taller they will get before they start blooming, one person tells me 36 inches and another says 4-5 feet, it is getting up there.

Got a question, we were working in the yard and somehow one of my Rose of Sharon plants got broke in half, it has been growing, is it still going to grow? It has greenery on it, will it kill it?

Just remove the damaged parts and trim the ragged broken stem and it should be okay. They are fairly tough plants.

thanks themoonhowl, one more question, my neighbor has a yellow rose bush, if I take a small cutting off of it and put it in the pot with the pink geraniums, will it grow or just die?

Teddy, I wouldn't try to start a cutting in the same pot as an established plant. Their water requirements are different. Here is some info on starting rose cuttings.
http://www.ehow.com/how_5390706_make-cuttings-rose-bushes.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwMOC7Zr5gs

http://www.weekendgardener.net/plant-propagation/softwood-rose-cuttings-070907.htm

http://www.rooting-hormones.com/rose.htm

I cut the dead stems out of the multiflora rose bush, did I do the right thing or the wrong thing, it was so thick I don't think the water was getting to it, so I guarantee that the water can reach it now! It thinned it out quite a bit, but I was just wondering if it was a good idea or not, obviously I can't glue the stems back on. So let me know what to do next, they are not blooming, they had a few flowers on it and then nothing, I really don't want them to spread too much that is why I cut it back, so please tell me if I did the right thing. I don't know anything about this kind of rose bush.

If the stems really were dead then they're not going to come back to life so there's no way that cutting them out is going to hurt your plant. If you cut back living parts too much then that could delay when you'd see your next round of flowers. I've never grown multiflora rose though so I don't know if it typically blooms over and over the way other roses can or if it's more of a one-time bloomer.

Every page I have gone to says different ways to kill multiflora roses, not very many say how to keep it alive. I am not sure whether I am going to keep it or dig it up.

If you really like roses, you'd probably be happier with some of the less aggressive & prettier roses that everyone else grows.

You also might find some good info here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1189760/#new

if you haven't already...

No one tells you how to keep it alive because invasives don't need much help to grow. If you intend to keep it, you must control it. As ecrane says, you might be much happier digging out that bush and replacing it with a more domesticated type bush.

If I could make a suggestion, why not look for a climber that is a rebloomer that you can trellis. It's probably a little more old fashioned, not the knockout or tea hybrids. Every year I cut down my Fourth of July rose, and it comes back and blooms all summer for me every year. I know it is a grafted bush, very hardy. I think it only has 2-3 rows of petals, but it continues to produce all summer long. I have a couple of other similar climbers that I trim down every year. Lots of blooms, all summer long.

That is a very good idea, I am going to dig it up and get rid of it. I will try to find a rose bush that is either free or cheap. I found out some things about the sick looking plants that my friend gave me, he did not want them, did not water them, and sprayed weed killer on them to get rid of them, He did say that the ones he gave me should be okay, but if you spray weed killer close to another bush, could it affect that one too? Is there anything I can do for these poor things?

If weed killer was sprayed near the plants but didn't get on them it wouldn't hurt them. But if they got some spray, then that would have damaged them to some degree. If they got too much spray, then they would die but if they just got a little then they could recover. And if he had gone long enough without watering before he gave them to you, they also might not be able to recover from that. Assuming they all still have some green on them all you can really do is care for them properly and wait and see what happens. Since they're probably more stressed than a normal transplant would be, if you've got them in a sunny area I'd see if you can rig up an umbrella or something to give them some shade during the heat of the day and that'll improve their chances of pulling through.

My pink geraniums are popping, as my hubby says, isn't that color pretty? I thought it was gorgeous, looks like pink bubblegum!

Teddy - I live in Georgia and all of my iris's have already bloomed. Your plants look healthy so I'm sure they will bloom beautifully next year. Your cosmos seedlings look perfect. Cosmos is one of my favorite flowers. Rose-of-Sharon trees grow like weeds down here in the South and nothing keeps them from blooming! lol! Very good luck with all your gardening!

This is my Cosmos plants, what do you think of it? It is about 3 or 4 ft tall. Any advice on how soon it will start blooming?

My neighbor came over yesterday and dug up the Rose bush, maybe he will have better luck than me. I just did not want it to invade all my other plants. I made a mistake, I planted plants that do not bloom until August! My patience will be at its end before that. That is one part of gardening that I hate! WAITING! But hopefully the Rose of Sharon and Cosmos will be well worth the wait, the Cosmos is really getting tall, and do the Naked Ladies come in August as well, if mine decide to pop up. I planted them last year, so hopefully I will have them up this year. What do you think? HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ALL DADS OUT THERE , I lost mine but I still wish him one too.

My Geraniums are blooming like crazy, I love taking pictures of the blooms when they open. They are so pretty.

Most early bloomers are perennials or bulbs planted in the fall. Besides early bulbs like daffodils and tulips, there are tons of small bulbs that bloom here in March, like grape hyacinth, squill. Perennials like centaurea, oriental poppies and tree peonies are usually up in April- May. Herbaceous peonies started blooming here May 24th. Bulbs that get planted in the spring are starting to bloom now, but even if they're not blooming, they are growing, like dahlias.

You'll find that most DGers,despite the number of plants we have, are all combing through catalogues and visiting garden centers. It's an ongoing thing!

By next year you'll figure out what has reseeded, and it will probably grow and bloom earlier than this year's seedlings. When you work out your budget, you'll decide what can be seeded by you and what needs to be purchased to give you the biggest bank for your buck. Small annuals can often be bought in flats of six or twelve for small amounts. The garden centers start early and so do the big box stores and supermarkets.

Keep in mind that perennials require little attention but usually bloom once during the season and then are finished until next year. Take a walk/ride around your neighborhood to see what is growing in neighbors' gardens. It will often show you what grows best in your zone/climate in the immediate area. As it gets later in the season, you may find some plants on sale.

It is worth your while to start composting produce waste from fruits and vegetables. It is free, and rewards you with beautiful, wormy soil in future years. You can also compost grass clippings and other vegetation, but be careful not to compost invasives.

I buy lots of bulbs at Costco; they're always a good buy and a great place to start. Maybe you'll be able to trade one of those beautiful red irises for an everblooming rose bush. Don't forget to plant some of the herbs you like best. Many are perennials. Oregano and sage last through the winter for us. Dill, however, just continues to reseed.

It's a trial and error, learn as you go exercise. Just think of what next year will bring!

Marcia

Two questions, should I water my geraniums until the water drains from the holes in the bottom? And how do I get all the buds to bloom at the same time, should I put some Miracle Grow on it? I have some, I don't know how old it is, should I put some in the potted Geraniums? This is the pot they are in, and the next picture like I said there a few blooms but not all at once.

Here is the geraniums that I was talking about, these were the ones from dad's funeral and I would like to know how to have all of the buds bloom at once instead of a few here and then a few there. Any advice would be extremely helpful.

You can't get all the buds to bloom at the same time--you may have times where you have more blooms than others but plants by their nature don't have all their blooms open at exactly the same time. If your plant has just recently started to bloom, chances are it'll go through a phase where it has more open at once than it does now, but there's really nothing you can do to control that.

Thanks a lot ecrane, I know sometimes I ask the same question in another form, but I appreciate your expertise and advice.

Teddy, this is a lovely planter. You will need to take it in for the winter. It requires very little effort. It looks like a small asparagas fern. Don't forget to give it some light indoors (a sunny window is good). I see 3 plants, and they all have different requirements. I think geranium is the hardiest. I would not worry too much about watering it, but when you bring it inside, it would probably be a good idea to mist it between waterings.

If the geranium were to bloom all at once the pleasure of constant blooms would be lost. Incidentally, there is probably more than one geranium in that pot.

thank you so much, cathy166, I thought it was one plant, I did not know what the other plants were, but I saw the fern and the long leaves. I guess I still have a lot to learn about patience, can you recommend a good place to go to learn a little more about the flowers I have? I would appreciate the help. By the way, the Rose of Sharon that my friend brought me are still green, but some of the leaves are turning brown and dying. I am not sure whether they are going to make it or not. But I do thank you for all your help.

I left it outside so it could get some rain water, I don't think it will need watering for quite some time. As you can see,it is blooming quite well.

As long as the Rose of Sharon stems are green (at least inside), it does not matter if it loses its leaves. If they curl up and dye, it may very well produce more leaves.

You can check out the forum on Beginner Houseplants and the forum on Indoor Gardening and Houseplants. Read everybody's posts; lots to be learned.

In my earlier years I used to visit every greenhouse around/nursery around. As the weather gets colder, they are filled with great houseplants, terrariums and dish gardens. All the houseplants are well labeled by the growers, and there is a wealth of knowledge. Eavesdrop on the questions of other shoppers. Don't be as anxious to look for flowering plants as foliage plants, and learn which ones start easiest from cuttings.

Summertime visits to nurseries bring and entirely different kind of plants. I think my favorite most versatile is Heuchera. Many are hardy to zone 3 and winter very well. I always bring in at least one for the winter, and it does fine indoors, but it just bursts forth with new foliage when I put it outside in March. Indoor plants generally require some amount of light, so learn what is available indoors. You may want to start some seedlings indoors, an experience unto itself. And there is nothing like experience. Some seeds like to germinate in the dark while others require light. Usually there are hints on the seed package.

If you look at the online catalogues, they list every plant they grow as the hardiest and loveliest. If you find things online, make sure to go to the DG plant files. Look for areas where the plants are grown and members' comments. They are worth their weight in gold. Just keep in mind that if your garden does not measure up to some of the posts, you are probably competing with gardeners who have already walked your path. And their growing conditions may be much different as well as their budgets.

One final word. Plants like Coleus and Sweet Basil (herb) and many others are grown for their foliage. The send up spikes of small blooms that should be pinched. If allowed to bloom, the foliage gets old. Pinching encourages branching and nice, bushy plants.

Hi Teddy. A suggestion for you. This thread is getting quite long and folks with dial-up internet connections will tend to avoid really long threads because it takes so long to load to their computers. You may want to start a new thread (just like you did this one) to enable more knowledgeable folks to see and comment.

Also. you can use Google to help you gain more info on specific plants. Check out this link for example.

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=hW3&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1600&bih=728&q=fittonia%20verschaffeltii&gs_sm=c&gs_upl=122236l124836l0l8l8l0l0l0l0l396l2238l0.2.2.4l8&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=iw#hl=en&sugexp=ldymls&pq=rose%20identification%20guide&xhr=t&q=cranesbill+geranium&cp=11&qe=Y3JhbmVzYmlsbCA&qesig=djZI3RiloRXmH-U8SikIpg&pkc=AFgZ2tnv6oN2ksreBM9LYtwbmnuhmbrdRI2huB6ahLcQ8FTbEviFKjIZDWMhlmhJ8y5L-ZiPoGuYbcYNiTDGfimKCR1bilwK8g&pf=p&sclient=psy&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&source=hp&aq=0&aqi=&aql=&oq=cranesbill+&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&fp=951dc7972bfd90fb&biw=1600&bih=728