Swapping & Chatting Ric & Holly's Swap II

I'll put you down. It'll probably just be a fresh cutting though.

Thanks, Jen. OK, Sally

Jen, I'd love a 'Cinderella' butterfly weed, please! I winter sowed several varieties, but I'm not seeing much yet in those jugs...

Sally, do you still have the white Asclepias going? If so, please check to see if it has a spare sprout or two... I did sow some seeds for the white, so I do have a backup plan for getting it back in the butterfly bed.

Pat, you totally cracked me up about the labeled plates for lunch! Label it, and they will come...

What a fun bunch you are turning out to be. Getting giddy with the nearing of the day it seems. LOL!!! I too am quite excited about the upcoming swap. I have truly never heard of so many different plants being exchanged. I never in a million years would have thought that I would get involved with a group of such warm and giving gardeners. Never knew I aspired to be a gardener either, but it certainly is a pleasurable pursuit.

I am not sure what the Salvia Black and Blue looks like, but I too would like to have a cutting please Happy. I noticed that our Knock Out Rose had several beautiful blooms on it yesterday. The Iris around the yard are really putting on a beautiful show too. I didn't really think that I liked Iris all that much when the only ones I was exposed to were the bluish ones. After seeing them come in every color imaginable and so many different ways they grow, I have become quite fond of them.

We are having more rain this morning. I am happy to see it and know that we can use every drop that falls, but I am also loving the days when the sun is shining brightly too. Am not looking at all forward to a dry and hot summer. Can it stay this temperature all summer? That would suit me perfectly.

Anyway....just rambling. Hoep everyone is enjoy their day.

Ruby

I've got you down for the Black and Blue, Ruby!

Jill- that swamp milkweed was great for year two but got a bunch of beetles. THen last year, either the beetles or something else destroyed it...If I see anything I will save it for you!!

Roses- the raspberries I dug are wilted at all the tips. Not sure I should be sharing them....

Sally, I had beetles on mine also ("milkweed bugs" I think), but they never seemed to do much harm... wonder if that's what wiped out my plants while I wasn't looking, though! I'll share my seedlings with you if my winter sowing amounts to anything... tried a couple of different whites and pinks, all A. incarnata. Between the two of us, we *will* host monarchs again in our gardens!

Jill---

My HD (and others--I am sure) got the most amazing plant in. I have never seen it!
It is called an "Orchid Primrose". Comes in tall 6" pots and costs $5.98. Three plants in the pot.
YUP! I bought it! Perennial--hardy to -20*.
The blooms resemble a "red Hot Poker's"--but are purplish- blue on the bottom and hot pink on top.
Wish I had brought my camera....then i could show you. People are buying it like crazy.

Sally---When I get the red underlines (misspelled) on words that i DO know that exist---
I just click on "Add to dictionary". That's all.

Pooped tonight! Worked in garden all day. 9-6. Running around with customers--a smile on my face hiding the pain.
Love being out there--but when your feet hurt--everything hurts....

OK!!! What shall I do????????

Holly. The pink NOID Brug I tagged for you is weird. It has a "dead growing tip" on it. It was the last one I had.
It is like the upward growth just stopped. Just a "nub" in top of the stem. The plant is alive--but I do not see
any new, upward growth anywhere. The leaves it had are still there--and green. I am sure it has a good root system.
I am thinking that--it has been a LONG time between October and May and some of the Brugs have stopped growing.
Probably pot-bound. All of them are OK--except this pink one.

Me thinks that--it could be cut back a bit--potted in a bigger pot and it would grow OK.
Holly--I could start you a new one. When I put mine out (soon!) I will cut back some of the stragglier branches.
Never did try to root cuttings in spring--but why not???? Spring is eternal...right? :o)
Then I could mail you the rooted cutting.
OR! You will get one in the fall to grow for next year. IF anyone cancels out coming to your Swap--
that also asked for a pink Brug--that one will be yours.

What would you like me to do?

Sorry! I feel so bad! Gita

Go away overnight and this place lit up like a Christmas tree!!! Heehee

Gita, I insist that you give Holly the pink brug I requested.!

The Dr Seuss can be someone elses, too as I would be just as happy with another canna or an angel wing begonia.

Judy

Judy---

I have a Dr. Seuss tagged for you. Your pink Brug I tagged also had the dead end.
I think I threw it out.....You still have a Dr. Seuss that is doing great coming to you..

Holly had asked for the Pink NOID Brug. I have none left! All gone! Except the one I tagged for her.

To think I started with about 25 rooted cuttings!!!. It was overwhelming!
Mailed some to FL and a few other states. Geez! They are perennial in FL!!!!
Why ask someone in Baltimore for cuttings???? I always wondered about that.
BUT--I mailed them out anyway.

Judy--You rock!!!! Thank you for your selflessness. Love Ya for it! But I do not
have a pink one any more. I also do not have a pink one tagged for you as it "died".
I have faith--that the pink one will still grow for Holly. I will bring it anyway.

OR! I will do the necessary "surgery" on it--cut it back a bit and pot it up in a bigger pot
and see what happens. YEP! That is what i will do!!!!!..........:o)

If it all works out--everyone will be happy. Gita




Gita

well I finally started looking at the lists... sorry I do have more to post .. just want to see how a few are doing before I do

but here are some wants please
Gita - any canna starts would be great
Teri - a blushing susie vine, and agastache bolero
Greenthumb99 - any foxglove would have a wonderful home here
Wind - hollyhock bicolor (sounds wonderful)
Happy_macomb - Tiarella cordifolia ‘Eco Running Tapestry’ (if you still have any)

I haven't checked my mints yet... to see if they woke up.. but I think I have orange mint & a mojito mint that I can take cuttings from.. let me know if anyone is interested in those.. I will see what I can get growing.. having an off year this year with the plants for sale taking a lot of time up.. sorry I am a late slacker!!!

Allison, do you have another start of that French Pink pussywillow available? If so, I'd love to try it... thanks!

happy_macomb, thanks for the black and blue

Jill, I'll put you down for a Cinderella

hhhmm maybe Jill.. I have one on the side of the house that rooted to the ground through the pot.. can always try and re pot it and see how it does.. pretty tall one though... or I can just stick some more for you.. shoot if I cut some they usually root in water... wouldn't be a problem either way

I added a few more to my list of haves ... sorry to say I didn't over seed much of anything this year.. just didn't have the room .. if anyone wants me to root some coleus cuttings let me know.. I can do them now

onewish---

I put you down for some Canna start(s). Not sure which one???? Have to see the leaf colors
IF and WHEN they come up.
Even though they have been potted, none are really growing yet. Blame it on the weather????
BUT--I promise you, the roots are in there--in the pots. Hope they grow soon.

Gita

which ever you have best hopes for .. I love them all.. thanks!

Yes please on the mints, Allison! I'll swap you for 'Pink Candypops' and 'Hilary's Sweet Lemon'...

Gita, you couldn't have posted about the orchid primrose *before* I went back to HD? LOL Now I have to look it up and probably go back; what a shame. ;-) I didn't get any more of the quart perennials this time, but I did pick up a couple of Encore azaleas in smaller/cheaper pots ($10, not a bad price, and they were double-stuck, so I have hopes of separating them into 2 little shrubs).

Thanks, Jen! I've got to get more milkweed out there again for those flutterbyes. :-)

Allison, no worries if it's too late for new cuttings of the pink or if you can't pull up that one you mentioned; I can "hit you up" for some another time.

ok no problem Jill... I can see if the orange woke up yet... and the mojito is only a couple of small sprigs in the house.. but I will see what I can get out of them

oh if you have any grape or cherry tomatoes ... I completely forgot to start any seeds for myself :(

Sally, don't worry too much about the raspberries, there will be others coming to me. If they don't make it, thanks anyway.

Allison, I have you down for an Agastache Bolero and a Blushing Susie Vine.

thanks Teri

Some new additions:
Wide-Leaved Mt. Mint – Pycnanthemum muticum
Lyre-Leaved Sage - Salvia lyrata
Downy Wood Mint, AKA Pagoda Mint - Blephilia ciliata http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/315950/
All natives, full to part sun.

And an embarassing revelation: :-o

On close inspection of the several flats of seedlings I had moved outside, I discovered that what I had sown as Digitalis 'Candy Mountain' did not look very "foxglove-like", and in fact appears to be some Penstemon. Since I had collected the seeds myself, I figure that I mixed up the indetification on the envelopes. At any rate, while these plants are very robust, they are not what I thought. I do have plenty of D. 'Candy Mountain' seedlings in a window box where I left a flower stalk to winter sow, but these are tiny and just now working on producing true leaves. I will bring these but do not expect them to bloom this season. Sorry.

If I can ID the mystery plants by the swap I will bring them too. They are 7 inches tall or so and should bloom in a month or so, whatever they are.

Jill--et al---

This is the Primrose I was talking about. Found it on PF on Page. #2.
They call it "Poker Primrose"

Striking!!! Gita

http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/64489/

edited to add that there are 3 plants in each pot.
From some of the pictures in the PF link--it can grow quite tall

This message was edited Apr 29, 2012 6:45 AM

Gita mine from that photo.. only lived 3 years out there... I tried to grow it from seed this year... think they met there death when I slacked off watering

:(

GT - any Penstemon would have a happy home here ;)

Onewish

My one wish from you is for any rooted cuttings (or just cuttings) of any 'named' coleus you could pass my way!

The reason I joined Daves Garden in the first place was because of the coleus forum! And you were one of my heroes there. Even my name here 'Coleup" comes from coleus. They make me happy. I can give a good home and lots of love to any you care to share with me. Will be glad to share any I have that you don't at the swap.

Woo Hoo doing my happy dance of anticipation here.

Joining Cole for a happy dance. Woo hoo y'all!!! Sounds like a really huge shindig gonna take place soon. I haven't checked the food thread yet, but will do so and I am sure will have more reason for anticipation.

Gita, the Primrose pic is absolutely gorgeous. I can tell why shoppers are buying it up. If I had reason to go to HD, I would be there too and standing in line for a pot of them. We have the regular sort of Red Hot Pokers flourishing this year. Supposedly, these are descendents of the one grown at Monticello, according the person who gave them to us. Along with some of the Montpeliah Day Lilies, a person could truthfully say they have a historical garden if they receive some things from us. Sallyg, may be the only one affected by the term Montpeliah....hahaha.

I look forward to also meeting some of the folks who are coming that I haven't yet had the pleasure of meeting. Gonna be a good day for all, of this I am sure. See you good folks soon.

Ruby

Roses, my raspberries have spread like wildfire! I can dig up lots more. They've invaded the lawn and my neighbor's lawn. :-/ My fault for not taking care of the tiny sprouts when they first showed up. I have a huge gallon pot dug up, but I can dig up quite a few more.

Gallon pot will do just fine SS. Thank you.

From a comment in PF, looks like Poker Primrose is a "short-lived" perennial, so you probably have to let it self-sow in order to have it continue in the garden.

Allison, keep those sprigs of 'Mohito' so you can get it established... just the orange mint would be appreciated... thanks! LMK if you don't have Chocolate Peppermint or Kentucky Colonel Spearmint, and I'll put your name on those, too.

Greenthumb, I'd be happy to have some mystery Penstemmon -- haven't met one yet I didn't like!

Thanks to Allision's comment, I just realized I totally neglected to sow any cherry tomatoes, and I sure meant to. I'll try to get them started today, adn they should be ready to transplant before the swap. They grow faster than regular tomatoes and start producing earlier, so that should work. I might just pick up a grape tomato plant at HD, but I also want to plant some currant tomatoes and let them just ramble around in my perennial beds to provide garden snacks.

Also realized I hadn't asked... who is gardening just in containers now? Catbird, I think. Anybody else? Because I've got 4 extra tomato plants that do really well in a container or in a big hanging basket... not much height, really sturdy stems, and long lateral branches... salad-size red tomatoes... appropriately named 'Hanging Basket' Tomato LOL. 'Sweet Pickles' pepper is also a good container plant.

oohhh Jill I would love one of the hanging basket ones please!!!...

oh Jill the mints I have outside and just starting to wake up.. are chocolate mint, variegated mint, pineapple mint & orange mint.. so for the rest of you... I most likely can get 2 or 3 small pots of each .. I container grow them so it's not like it's a huge patch.. but it recovers quick when I dig some out

Jill -- I'd love one (and only one) "container" tomato to try on our patio, which gets a tad bit of sun.... if they aren't already claimed!

Some orange mint would be wonderful, please, if you could spare it. Thanks.

ssgardener,

Do you know what kind your raspberries are? Depending, I might like a pot of gleanings of same, too. Thanks

Ruby,

There are over 1000 named varieties of coleus! I'd be happy to rehome some of your well tended over the winter ones and if we can't figure out the name, I'll call one 'ruby' and the other 'john'! I prefer cutting raised coleus to those from seed. Here is another place to look and drool: http://www.rosydawngardens.com.
In the meantime, a reminder that I requested some of your named daylilies (not stella or happy). The ones from two years ago are filling in nicely now.

Critter,
I would like a baasket tomato also and a pink pussywillow, too..

This message was edited Apr 29, 2012 12:18 PM

Thanks, Judy! I bookmarked that site too.
Looks better than the one I posted,,,,,
G.

Jill--
I saw that comment--re "short-lived perennial"--but I do not, necessarily,
believe everything that people post. Someone may have had a bad year--or was neglectful
re watering and other care--and thus posted that 'observation"....
Donner wrote me as well--saying that you MUST keep this plant uniformly watered.
IF you let it dry out--it is a goner. So--many aspects may influence what anyone posts. IMHO....

I just planted my 2 Poker Primroses in the small bed by my A/C. Good, filtered sunlight.
As in all my beds--it is amazing of what they hold.....There are also Irises ans a Peony at the left end.
Also--two OLD Roses, and, of course, a lot of Foxgloves.

I have destined this bed to become my Hummingbird Bed.

Not much showing yet--but in the vary back is old stuff ----Lavender and Rose Campion and many
of the Foxgloves going gang-busters. All good background plants.

Besides all that--NOT too visible YET--In front of all that back-stuff are also now planted:

--3 divisions of pink Cone Flowers (from Donner)
--Two clusters of Cardinal Flower from my neighbor.
--3 starts of my Clustered VA Bellflowers--I just dug them up from my YUK bed.
--3-- 5" potted red Pentas (hummer magnets!--according to Donn--my old Mgr.))

If I had more room--I would stick a couple of Bee Balms in this bed. Not sure!

Still need something small, colorful, and "filling in" type for the front. Petunias will do OK.
Maybe some Dianthus? W#hat other small plant would attract Hummers?

I plan to hang a Hummer feeder in this small bed and see if it "works".......:o)
I have NEVER, EVER seen Hummers here.
All the above flowers should entice them---I think.

Are they in our area yet? Who here keeps track of the migration thing???

Here is the whole bed. I will take more pictures after the sun goes away.
Playing with my NEW camera. haven't read the manual yet.....It is hit-or-miss....

#1--The bed I am talking about
#2--Donner's 3 Poker Primroses I drove back to my HD (at 8:30AM) todaay to buy for her.
She is still in China--visiting her sister. She sent me a D-mail and asked if I could get her 3. I did.
#3--My amazing "Koromo Shukibu" azalea.....Wowsa! This was taken w/my new camera. I see the
difference in the color tones...........:o)))...Happy Face!!!!

Jill, I would like to try one of the hanging basket tomatoes too if you still have one available.