New Bees 05/06/11 friends - new and old...Come on in...

got to shut puter off love and hugs nettie, talk later storm comming.

We got about 1" of rain. Rained hard and went through quickly. Nothing bad

We didn't even get an inch - a lot of hype for nothing! Better than being blown away but we really needed the rain.

We got the hype but NO rain at all. Just teased us a little pretending to do something. Grrrr!
I ended dragging out the hose pipe and watering stuff myself. My maters were wilting.

mekos we got 3 drops of rain they said we could get an inch another fib. can,t trust the weather people. they do to much guessing. think they forgot what they went to school for.nettie

Hmmm, 3 drops more than we got. Suppose to get it everyday for a week too. Guess I'll be dragging the hose a lot .

must be my bed yimrcan,t see whats on tv just go to show i will watch anything.i was watching hall mark chanel. got into a wild movie need to turn tv off this thing is not worth watching.oh well i need to go to bed anyeay. love and hugs to all hope you have a good night.

Do you all have anything to catch water from your downspout/roof? I started years ago at my old condo and with this house have much more water to catch.

I just started buying garbage cans - plastic - with wheels (or not - once they're full you can't move it). I have a 45, and (2) 55 gallon cans under a single spout. I detached the downspout within reach and put one of those plastic "extensions" on it so I can move it from can to can as one fills up. While the particular can is active, I have it covered with a square piece of mesh screen. I have a 2" x 4" across the edge on opposite sides and a heavy brick on each board to keep it in place.

The screen is to keep critters out, particularly birds as they like to sit on the screen and drink the water once the bucket fills up.

After it fills, though, put the lid back on. Mosquito larvae like to live in there, but they get poured out in my watering can(s).

I have another spout or two that I could gather more water from. Time and money prevent me from doing it right away.

On dry dry days, I have 100+ gallons of water at my disposal. It does help to save.

A.

Good idea there Amanda

I have 2 or 3 volunteer Red Bud trees that are about 12" tall or so. If anyone wants them, let me know. Otherwise, I'm going to pull them up and toss them. Dmail me.

Crit, if no one else wants them, I would LOVE them! Can't find the darn things here anywhere! I'll dmail you!

You can't find them and they grow wild here - how funny is that!

I have several little volunteer maple trees about a foot tall - I almost hate to pull them up but they can't stay where they are. Was thinking about starting my own tree nursery. I have plenty of pots and dirt, maple trees and chinaberry - bet by this time next year I would be rich if I saved them all! LOL Thats what I have been trying to tell DH, that I will get rich selling all my irises; it is my retirement plan LMAO

Jan and Enid, those younguns are adorable!
I finally got my tomatoes planted today.They were getting so tall that they were top heavy and wanting to fall over in their 16 oz. cups.In the morning, I will put out a few peppers.That's the only veggies that I grow, cause it's only me and my DH and he isn't a veggie eater.
Al, that is a nice looking rain barrel.Love those tulips, too. I don't have any tulips, yet.We just moved here last spring, and I have been busy trying to bring back, what was once a beautiful yard.An elderly lady lived here for years,who was an avid gardener, but then some non gardeners lived here about 3 years.They cut down lots of trees and the flowers were getting choked out by weeds.Everytime I go on a weeding rampage, all kinds of new plants pop up.It's a fun adventure.
Here's a pic of one of the beds that had very few blooms last year. I have been clearing out and moving around and adding other things.I have taken lots of columbine out of this bed, and looks like I will be taking more out when they get done blooming....lol Only columbine and purple iris blooming right now, but lots more things coming on.

This is a shade bed that I started last summer.

And this is a tree peony. It is about past it's prime for this year, but it is beautiful!

Dee your plants are gorgeous! Nice to see you here. Thanks about my grandbaby. I bore people to death with pictures. She is my pride and joy! I babysit her a lot so lots of chances for pictures and the camera has turned me into a picture monster.
I love the idea for extra water barrells so how about a picture on how they connect? I'm thinking this might be for me. I have one but no top and skeeters are gonna be bad if I keep it this way so since my brain is dense, I need ya to splain one more time and show me a picture.

Dee, ♥ your pictures. I can't grow Columbines or Peonys here - waaaaahhhhhhhhhh! LOL

Jan, we never tire of your cutie pie baby pictures;o)

But, I bet you can grow lots of great tropical, there,Kelly.I love tropicals, too...Guess I just love about anything that grows...lol

Jan, I don't think any of us grandmas, get tired of seeing pics of other's grandbabies. We have a total of 11 grandkids, but only live very close to my youngest daughter's family. I watch them quite a bit also....the youngest is 7, and he is spoiled silly, but he is just so darn cute, the middle boy is 9, and the oldest girl, turned 13 today.Thanks, for the nice comments about the pics
Dee

Yeah Dee you're right - lol. I can grow stuff outside all year round that you eastern and northern folks can only dream about, or haul inside for the winter! I love to push zones though and see what I can make grow here. Like Delphiniums this year. Sowed the seeds a couple falls ago and I guess our colder than normal winter woke them up!

Oh Jan - remember the DL deal from your neighbor last year? First bloom on Mikado... and Ming Toy is full of scapes. These ones are in huge pots and seem too happy...

...and my first ever Passie bloom! The caterpillars are trying to take out the vine as usual but this year full of buds so hoping for a spectacular show. They smell sooooooooooo good!

OK - it's bedtime for me... 5 am comes early but at last it's Friday;o) Yay!

Kelly, I love that first picture! Which one is that, if you know, cuz I can grow delphs here, lol! And Dee, I love your columbines! Do you have any idea which ones they are? Are they doubles? Awesome! Gonna have to get me some of them, as I only have yellow and yellow & white. The purple ones would look great with my yellows.
I love seeing everyone's flowers all in bloom, especially since most of mine aren't even up yet, or just barely! It's great seeing all the wonderful pictures! You all have such pretty beds and gardens!
And Jan, I'm with Dee on the grandbabies pictures! I love seeing all the cuties! Don't matter whose they are!

Kelly, that's a beautiful delphenium, great color.I have never been able to grow them,so I grow larkspur. won't be long before they are blooming.
Love the daylily pics...some of my favorite flowers.There are a few here, but I think most are yellows.I have the old fashion lemon lily, the orange lilies that look like double ditch lilies...forget the name... and booocoo stellas.All very common, but beautiful in their own right. Would love to add some reds, and some ruffled ones with eyes..Oh, I forgot that I have some seedlings that a lady sent me a couple years ago.Hopefully, there will be a red or 2 in there.
I don't know the name of the columbine, but I know that it is a very old variety. I have had this variety before...tried and tried to re-seach and ID, but never was able to. It is very double, and dark purple.I'd be glad to save seeds for you, or even send some plants for postage, when they get done blooming.Here is a close up that I took last year, the day we closed on the house.You can see how overgrown with weeds the bed was.

Oh I didn't notice they were doubles in the other pic - lovely! Sandi, I have no idea what kind the Delphs are. Got the seeds from a swap couple years ago from a DGer in southern AZ. I'll see if she might know. I'm trying to save the seeds - it's tricky to get them before the pods pop - lol. I'll send you some if I can collect them!

Off to work - TGIF!!

kelly id love some of those purple seed or plant i don,t care love nettie. what ever is easy for you.nettie

This message was edited May 13, 2011 5:30 PM

kelly would you save me some seed from the tree peony i have a book with inst. on how to start them i have a large purple tree peony im gona try some of them this fall. would love to try pink also. i will pay postage what ever just let me know.love nettie.

Miss Nettie - are you wanting my pink Delphinium seeds or Dee's Columbines and Tree Peony?

dees peony and columbine ill get it wright sooner or later. sorry nettie, ive been crawling around on my hands and knees all morning just had to plant a flat of perrywinkle. it blooms from spring until fall drops seed i like them. nettie ill pay for the crawling in the morning al i also potted up my log it has two green arms and plenty of roots. hope i did it wright. still going to keep the bottom warm.

This message was edited May 13, 2011 5:43 PM

Nettie,I was wondering the same thing as Kelly. If your talking to me, I'd be glad to share with you.I know that I will have enough Columbine seeds for anyone that wants some.lol The peony makes seeds, but I don't know how many. So, nettie, the first tree peony seeds go to you! If you would rather have a clump of the columbine(instead of seeds), and want to pay the postage, that's fine too. I will be digging some out anyway. It doesn't matter to me at all.
Got mulch put down on the front bed today.This evening I went out to admire it, when what did I see, but grass thrown all over it from DH mowing.Nope, I didn't complain a bit, cause I know it will dry up and turn brown.....besides, I was afraid that he might suggest that I do the mowing. When we had a small yard, I did all the mowing with the push mower, but now that we have an acre, he uses a rider and I use the pushmower around most of the beds and in the tight spots.

Oops took me too long to post. I started the post then got side tracked.So, I didn't see your post, til after I posted nettie.Like I said, I'll be glad to share.

Mekos: I will post a picture tomorrow for your viewing pleasure.

Here's another time saving trick I learned while I was working at a native plant nursery on the Chesapeake Bay:

At set intervals the nursery tests their stored seed for germination rates and to determine how long the seed in storage remains viable.

A girl would put a number of seeds on what appeared to be a paper towel, slide it into a ziplock baggie and put water in to moisten the paper towel and seeds. She wrote on the baggie important stuff.

The seeds germinate pretty quickly this way, and there's some high math involved in figuring out the germination rate, but I have used it for 2 varieties of Asclepias this spring, and some tomatoes and large cherry peppers this past week.

The trick is to get the sprouts into soil quickly so you don't miss your window of opportunity. At least, that's my opinion, for what it's worth.

Of course, the sprouted seeds at the nursery were tossed. But this is my new secret weapon since I haven't had enough time in the garden lately. I haven't got gobs of potting soil either right now, so it saves that plant and wait and see step.

There's so much chatter about propagation on DG, I thought you might find this interesting.

A.

Dee, I'd love some seeds or babies or whatever of your columbine! I've never seen any like that anywhere here! Thanks!
Kelly, when you get some seeds from the delph, let me know! I'd love to plant some of those with my blue one. (Yep, 1, lol!) I just keep hoping that it will reseed, and I'll have a bunch, lol!

dees how much would the postage be and do i need to pay in advance. im excited about the tree peony as i said i have a big purple tree peony just let me know. nettie.

I'll let you know Sandi;o)

kelly we need another thread this one is getting long please thank tou nettie and thank you dees

This message was edited May 14, 2011 10:54 PM

Kelly I love the blooms. My Daylilies have skapes too and I can hardly wait for blooms to open so I can see my beauties in color! I have 1 delphinium in bloom though and will see about a picture shortly. My Jacobs ladder is trying to make seeds already and I missed the flowers! I have Kaylee quite a bit during the week now and don't have much time OR energy to go out much and it must have bloomed during the week days when I was inside. I cannot believe I waited all year to see it bloom and MISSED it! Does anyone know if it will bloom again or is that it for the whole year? This is my first one and I know nothing about it.

My delphinium

Black Calla lilies

Red hot pokers

My red yucca

Cat mint