Cat--
I do not know what Begonia Kaylen is??? Do you have a picture?
I always start my Ornamental Peppers from seed. They are easy!
You can leave the plants outside and let them get really ripe (red or orange)
and then harvest them, let them dry a bit (get all wrinkled) , and collect the seeds.
Wear gloves!!! They are SO "HOT" your fingers will burn for a couple of days!!!
This heat goes right through latex gloves...
I do not think they will grow well indoors....like, would you bring a green pepper
plant inside for the winter? Of course not.
As for fall mulching--usually it is recommended to allow the ground to freeze first and
then mulch over plants. This is supposed to keep the soil from heaving up.
I say "supposed to"--as we do not always get such hard freezing--not till February?
If I were you--I would mulch whatever you want to mulch to look clean and pretty.
Cat--aren't you lucky to have joined DG? Look at all the education you are getting...
That is what DG is ALL about!!!
I do not like these cold nights! Makes me nervous--with all the tender plants i have outside.
haven't really wrapped my mind around bringing plants in.
Need to treat them all first with Systemic. I always do that--to kill whatever has set up housekeeping inside the pots. I like my plants bug-free inside...
Gita
Yardening Fall 2013
hi, Gita. I'll attach a couple photos of my Begonia Kaylen from this summer once I'm home. It is a hardy wax begonia. The leaves are sort of a glossy chocolatey color, and the blooms are lovely pink. It has been a really prolific bloomer for me all season.
oh, yes, I'm definitely glad I found this group of DGers! :-)
We need to treat a bunch of stuff this weekend, so it can be moved in. I use a systemic spray as well as granular. I think using both kills any pest in the soil as well as what you can see. I also can bomb the GH when we have a warm cloudy day. You have to turn off all power and pilot lights to use the canisters, the propellant is isobutane, concentrated it can be downright explosive. I almost have the yard work caught up from being away for 2 weeks. We leave again next Tues. or Wed. till the 14th of Oct. I hope our DIL can keep up with the watering.
I am the Lorax! I speak for the trees!! And we all know how well that worked out for the Lorax. grrrrrrrr
Construction starting behind us (not unexpected... we kept the farmfield view a lot longer than we thought we would)... I went out this morning when I heard a chainsaw, told them a survey stake along the middle of our property line was not in the right spot and that I thought at least 2 of a cluster of 4 trees at the corner and 2 trees near the center of our line were on our side, not theirs, so could not be legally removed. The guy said he would just take some low-hanging limbs (on their side), OK, and we talked about some of the scrubby stuff he'd be removing (no problem there). I took Joyanna to preschool, returned to find the 4 corner trees chopped down. What the !!????!
So, he lied or his supervisor came along and said to cut them. Grrr. Another guy was doing the cutting/clearing when I returned, and I did get back before he reached 2 nice tall cherry trees that were near the line. Leaned against them, drank coffee, and read my kindle for the next couple of hours, intermittently arguing with various people who showed up. The problem is that if you sight from the corner marker to that middle survey stake, the trees in question are on the other side of the line (not ours)... but that middle stake is not in line with the corner stakes. I think somebody stuck it in along an old piece of wire farm fence that's there thinking, oh, this must be the line, and they didn't check... actual line is 2 feet away, I think. Jim thinks 3.
Anyway, I got in touch with a couple of the right people (1 county, 1 from the engineering firm), and I hope we have saved those 2 cherry trees. Once they are down, they're down, so I'll keep an eye out. They have big signs on them now that say "MY TREE / DO NOT CUT." We will also be pushing for compensation for the other 2 if they were on our side like we believe, but first I want to make sure they don't do any more damage!
UGH.
Thanks for letting me vent.
sorry to hear this, Critter! Sounds exasperating! Glad you got there in time to save the 2 cherries. Hope it stays that way! Fingers crossed.
Oh man Jill. That is rough, stay diligent, keep on the county and everyone. It is probably best to have some written complaint about what happened and why today. Perhaps there is someone else who could comment on appropriate steps to protect yourself.
Jill, depending on the value small claims court can be a pain in their butt. Can you run a line from one corner to the other?
Jill, I'm all riled up just reading about what happened. It amazes me how thoughtless some people can be. Did you take pictures?
I agree, write and photograph as much as you can tonight and the next days. May put big flags on the end stakes and photograph from one end and the other, showing the line of sight?
Our neighborhood had a new neighborhood come along, there was a buffer designed in and we persuaded them to plant some trees in the buffer later.
Line of sight is an excellent idea, especially if you can flag the ends and the disputed area. Great deduction Wats..Oops Sally
Holmes gave me the idea about running a line; I just made it visual...
You are learning Grasshopper!
GRRR.... Hoping this gets resolved for you critter.
Gita, here are 3 different photos of my Begonia Kaylen this summer.
My friend's mom had wax begonias as potted plants only, not bedding plants. Those are pretty.
cat--
WOW! They do look just like Wax Begonias--except the blooms are more straggly.
Can't believe it is a perennial......G.
I appreciate the support!
The two cherry trees remain tonight! And the tree guy said they won't be coming back unless they get a contract for additional work. Not that I'm trusting that to be the final answer, LOL.
Jim picked up 200 feet of line; I'll run it between stakes at either corner marker in the morning. Yes, I was out there with my camera... I think that's part of the reason they didn't push the issue any farther today.
I agree about small claims court, definitely a route we're hoping to avoid. Also, they're going to be working behind us for some time... I don't want it to be a running fight. We'll see what happens from here. I'm sad about all the trees that went down today -- definitely don't understand why they were clearing everything to the very edge of the property line -- but I'm glad I preserved the 2 (at least for now) that are more in our line of sight from the house & deck.
Gita, et al, it may come as a 'shock', but wax begonias or bedding begonias are perennials..
Begonias only die here because they freeze, not because they complete their life cycle in one season. Variety Kalen is listed most places as hardy to Zone 7. Here is a description from the Rawlston Arboretum:
" Begonia 'Kaylen' (Begoniaceae)
hardy wax begonia
If you love wax begonias but hate planting them every year, this is the begonia for you! Originally from the University of Georgia, 'Kaylen' produces rose-red flowers throughout the summer and into the fall on plants with burgundy foliage. Unlike Begonia ×semperflorens-cultorum, 'Kaylen' has tubers which help it survive harsh winters down to 0°F. Begonia 'Kaylen' is a more open plant than typical wax begonias and can be grown in full sun to partial sun. Zones 7–11."
thanks, Coleup! yes, they are wax begonias! And I'm hoping that those tubers help it survive the winter okay as most of the websites say! :-)
Critter, glad those trees are still standing! I hope those guys stay away now and that you're able to get some compensation for the ones that were cut down. :-(
Jill, If you want a nice green screen, that grows quickly, is long lasting, and requires minimum care Leyland cypress planted on the property edge is the ticket. You should see the ones we planted as a screen to block the neighbors junkyard of a driveway. A side benefit is that it also damps the noise of working on race cars at all hours. LOL
Just a note on planting Leylands.....
You should plant them no less than 8' apart. They grow big and lush,
and will form a solid, green screen in time.
If you plant them too close together--they will 'touch" and those sides will
be dry, turn yellow and be unsightly....
G.
You're welcome Catmint
Wax begonias make great house plants in a South or sunny window. They like to dry out between waterings. Pinch back to keep from legginess. If your site for Kalen is well drained yours should come back. That sitting too long in wetness probably does in more of our plants that should be hardy in our Zone 7 yards than actual 'hardiness' of plant itself!
If you have two Kalens, leave one in the ground and bring one in. If you (lucky!) have three, leave one , bring one in and containerize one and store for winter in and unheated space not exposed to rain or snow. Good luck!
Jill, let us know if you need back up! I can be there in an hour or so and can probably find your house again!
Sorry you are faced with the 'patrol your property' watch not only for property line violations. I know for me the 'having done it once with or without knowledge' raises lots of red flags for what else will be done, not only behind you, as 'development' begins. Plans should be available for review somewhere in your County. In this county 'buffer zones' and replacing trees cleared and minimization of clearing of a site is Standard Operating Procedure at least on the books.
Trees are one thing those old farms did not have many of to begin with! And diversity is the way Ma Nature plants, not a line of Leylands. And leylands do not support the critters and creatures that the trees taken out did.
Stay on that tree company...they will do it again. Angies List?
Judy, I know Leylands don't provide for critters as well as natives, but if you have space and want to block out the world of noise and unsightly vistas, they work great. They do however provide deep cover for a wide variety of birds and small mammals.
Not disputing the usefulness of a good screening tree, windbreak or living fence, etc. or that there are superior choices for same purpose than Leylands. Just remembering a quick tour of Jill's back yard and her saying she did want to grow trees back there and not Leylands!
Each year I have white oak, red oak and pin oak seedlings if anyone wants! Glad Jill was able to keep those wild cherry trees standing.
I worry about an area that has a higher population of Leylands than oaks, cherry, hickory, ash, etc.! And after seeing all the big trees taken out in storms and dercheos all around, I hope their replacements are not lawn or Leylands!
Well crap Jill. I know you were expecting development behind you at some point, but it has been so long with out it that I started thinking they would never get around to it - kind of believing that the swing in the housing market made them decide to bag it. Don't worry, we'll all help you figure something out to screen your backyard from new houses and open field. It will give us something to chime in on, and will probably look great in the long run.
Not to worry, I've got some screen left... and with the poison ivy almost under control, I can start adding "understory" trees, maybe also a bunch of those Rose of Sharon seedlings along the rear edge. :-)
When my mom and dad came to live on the property adjoining mine, my dad bought about 50 Rose of Sharon bare root twigs and planted them along the transition between his yard of grass and the wood line. Over the years, the twigs have grown into full grown bushes and are probably my favorite things in their whole yard. Sure are pretty when they are in bloom.
Yea Rose of Sharon! Good reminder to pot up my volunteers for relocation and make note of the color of bloom!
Since mine grow in lots of shade they tend to be tall and lanky and less bush like so I'm hoping pruning them back will encourage bushiness.
My "transition" line between yard and fence row (trees) is being planted up gradually... the azaleas & rhodi's from Coleup will help! I've got some other azaleas and lilacs along the edge, and I've also started planting heucheras, hellebores, hostas... LOL, apparently I'm putting in anything that starts with "H"
I'm hoping to avoid the need for a fence, but we'll see. We've been saving up just in case.
Ha Ha Ha Hydrangeas?
All of my swap plants are finally in the ground. I only have 3 chocolate eupatoriums to transplant, then I'm done with transplants for the year. Woohoo!
That is, unless I can't find a good spot for the redbud...
Coleup, you beat me to it!
SSG, did you get the redbud? which kind did you get?
We planted a Forest Pansy at Holly's Moms house, I really like the color of it, and next year it should be mature enough to flower. We have a lot of natives here in and around our yard. We just love them, I wish they were longer lived though.
Ric, are redbuds generally short lived trees?
Catmint, I was actually looking at the Forest Pansy also, but decided on Rising Sun.
I just looked outside and saw 2 more things that I forgot to plant. Sigh. I guess I still have some more digging left.
I think I would have decided on the Rising SUn as well! Love the color.
Love those dark-leafed redbuds!
Yes, Hydrangeas! I've got a few in toward the back right, and I have a couple growing larger in pots (including that so-pretty 'Endless Summer' from Gita and a compact hot pink one, 'Pia', that's especially eye catching).
Heucherella, also. :-)
SS, Holly tells me we had to remove the one I had in mind because of overcrowding not disease or pest as I was thinking. It was probably 20 years old. I apologize for my faulty recollection. I have since had to cut the blue spruce and Austrian pine that it was crowding due to petulance. :-{