I'm getting ready for RU season!! A couple of weeks ago as I was cleaning up my flower beds, I salvaged volunteers in the hopes of having stuff to trade away. Who else is getting ready for a RU?
Thinking Ahead
I am. I like to start early so I will have something going well by the time the RU gets here. wish I knew this early what people are wishing for.
I have taken a bunch of my rain lilies out of the bed in anticipation of RU's. Separated my curly airplane plant in anticipation of the RU. I have several rose cuttings in dirt to seee if I can get them to root but I don't think it will happen. Guess I don't have the rose touch.
Marty, can I have some native narcissus?
Gee, I feel slighted by nature. Nothing other than wild flowers are volunteering yet, not even my asparagas. My perrenials are poking their heads back up, but alas, nothing from seed yet.
I've been potting up volunteers, too. I guess I had better start putting together a wish list!
I am up to my chin in plants, and I have a lot of places to take them to, but our swaps are always my first consideration.
I guess I need to talk to Sheila and we have to find a good date.
Not sure what I will have yet but I always work with the spring RU in mind.
This Guy was keeping me company today.
This message was edited Feb 16, 2013 12:56 PM
As I've been cleaning up my beds and thinking about what I want to keep, I've been potting up. Of course, I have some things coming up that I have no clue what they are and others that have sprouted outside their boundaries that need to be pulled out. I'm sure I'll be overrun with passi plants again this spring.
I have about 6 elm trees potted since last year. Is there a possibility someone will want them? I also have a lot of 4 o'clock volunteers maybe 25 or so. I hate to throw them away. Dennis, did your ten petal anemones survive? They are popping up here just now. I know I will want R. hirta, blackfoot daisy, black and blue salvia, white yarrow and purple coneflower again this year.
I'll have to get back to you about the ten petal anenomes since our spring runs a bit later. Do they have distinctive foliage?
yes, Dennis. Look in plant files. I have a photo of the foliage there.
Joy, my asparagus just sent up the first shoots so yours should be along shortly. Im a zone below you. Yes you may have narcissus I have put red knock out rose to root. Hope some of them root..
I need a plant to be larval host for question mark and red admiral butterflies. anyone have seeds or plants that would work?
This message was edited Feb 17, 2013 2:21 AM
Steadycam - your elm trees are host plants for the Question Mark butterflies. If you're looking for something that is a host for both Question Mark and Red Admirals then you'll need either Stinging Nettle (Urtica sp.) or False Nettle (Boehmeria cylindrica) or Hops (Humulus lupulus). In my experience, the nettles, either stinging or false, are used more than the hops. If I can make it to the round up I'll bring some False Nettle.
Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com
Wonder why it repeated?
This message was edited Feb 17, 2013 5:46 PM
A small start.
Marty, you can have all my stinging nettle. I have never seen anything eat it and work at eradicating it every year. Ouch
Thanks, Dale. Ive seen one question mark in the whole time Ive lived here, (20 yrs) and Ive never seen a red admiral. Juhur7 sent me some stinging nettle but it is not looking like it is going to live. So Joy, Ill take you up on the offer also of a plant at our roundup.
Red Admiral larvae make "nests" of the leaves and stay hidden and Question Mark larvae typically feed on the underside of leaves to avoid being seen by predators. If you want to see the adults of either of these species put out some fruit that's gone bad -- banana, plum, pear, peach, whatever you have and they'll show up to feed on the fermented juices.
Dale Clark
Dallas County Lepidopterists' Society
www.dallasbutterflies.com
Cheryl, are those winecup seedlings? I think mine died last year.
Yes they are.
Ok, that's it, I'm not pulling anything else up in my planters. At least not until im sure it's a weed!
I have to do that in my flower beds, Lisa. That's why my beds always look horrible the first of the spring. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
Lol, I think I've been pulling up a weed but now I'm not sure. We have discussed this recently and I think what I've pulled has a pink flower but....
I do hope to get with Josephine and compare open dates. It is getting time to start thinging about spring for sure.
Dale I do hope you make it and share the false nettle, I for one will be in line.
I can say definitively that I only killed part of the booty we took home last time!
Potted up some more stuff today. Mild winters make for a more exciting spring RU!
Where will the spring RU likely be held?
Will there be a Fort Worth Roundup? And when? I have some Queen Elizabeth pink rose cuttings in a pot. I have Turks Cap I need to further evict from a front flower bed, the clump is very large. I like it because Hummingbirds love it, but it had taken over and I have moved a couple of small pieces into ground elsewhere, I could pot some up.
I have pink and yellow lantanas I potted last fall when clearing a bed, they are coming up in the green house in pots.
and I divided my Amarylis and have a couple of pots of that I could part with.
What I'm looking for: passionflower vine, fruiting (but I do have seed coming in from Florida)
Butterfly weed, the likes of which I haven't seen in 20 years, yellow, smells like honey, just gorgeous, seeds in a linear stem. I had a few but they were 15 years old and they didn't start.
anything interesting, native, drought hardy, that blooms and bees like.
Someone said last year that the RU would be back in Arlington this year. Dont know if that still holds true.
Arlington is fine. Any idea when?
Gypsi, Sheila and Frostweed usually are the ones to plan the date. Keep a look out for the announcement.
And maybe get some things ready to swap or give away?
Sure! The more the merrier!
It will be in Arlington at the Randal Mill Park this year. Jo and I are working on details this week. Keep an eye out for the announcement.
Hooray!
I can do any weekend except April 6th.
Go vote here everyone!!!!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1299457/
Excellent!! let us get busy, we need to reserve the pavilion.
Uh, I think we've got TWO RUs in the works here.
I'm polling in for Joy's RU in Hempstead...
For those interested in one nearer to Houston check out our interest thread as well
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1297396/
The N Central RU is a fun one. I don't think I can make it this spring Josephine, I am trying to get a pup qualified for our Nationals and need to hit a trial that weekend I will miss all of y'all. I may have to send a substitute so I can enjoy the swaps.
Joy
We will miss you Joy, but you must take care of all those adorable kids you have.
Take care and have fun!!!
Joy and Gymgirl.......Life gets so full during the spring, it is hard to find time to have fun sometimes!
I had seen that before we started selecting dates, also saw ilovejesus' post about one. Our dates are different, but also not many make the long trips for RUs unless they can drive in one day or have family in the areas.
Yep.