All you ROS haters....I don't think ROS is a one trick pony. It certainly blooms longer than forsythia and is way prettier. I like all my seedlings and I'm starting to grow a mini colony. Plus the dried seed pods look pretty sweet in the winter and the leaves are fun looking too IMO. Poo on you all! When mine starts blooming you'll love the pics :D
PLANT ADDICT'S CHAT #1
I'm with you, Sequoia. I love them. However, I do see (just barely) David's point that 1300+ seedlings was a bit excessive. They have such a variety of colors and seem happy in our shade. Please do share your pics.
Terri pulled off a good one on him with the gift pot of seedlings, which I would have been delighted to keep.
No forsythia in this yard, thank you so much.
LOL Seq! I'm looking forward to seeing your ROS photos as well! :-) My ROS was a baby last year--I'm hoping I get some blooms this year.
hahaha. Seq,
To each his/her own!
I really like ROS too, but they are too new to me to have started seeding about, so I might change my opinion in a few years. My dad got about 30 seedlings about 10 years ago and planted them around the perimeter of his lawn where it meets the woods. It is one of my all time favorite garden features. I think because of the shade, they are more the shape of sky pencil hollies than huge full shrubs. Looks so pretty with the lavender blooms playing off the shade.
Yeah maybe I'll dig a bunch of my seedlings up and have them for the swap! Ours is the Blue Satin ROS. I don't have a forsythia either Ecnalg, I have two Arnold's Promise Witchazels instead :) The seeds are far less annoying than the 50,000 Silver Maple seedlings from my neighbor's tree....grrr.
LOL, I can just imagine David's face. :D That's a good one, Terri!
Have you all received your Santa Rosa plants yet? Or are they delaying shipment due to the heat?
I haven't received mine but tracking info says I should get them tomorrow. They were shipped Tuesday.
Jeff- "Yeah maybe I'll dig a bunch of my seedlings up and have them for the swap.'
( holding forefingers in sign of cross- NOOOO, Be gone! ) LOL
"The seeds are far less annoying than the 50,000 Silver Maple seedlings from my neighbor's tree...grrr."
TRUE, would love to wave a wand and change my silver and no-way maples to ....don't even know what but so many better choices. But we bought the yard with them already here.
Yeah SMs are big in our neighborhood for some reason. They're all over the place. Must have been the thing in the late 70's. Red Maples are as bad with the seeds but they have a pleasing fall color and stronger wood so they get a pass :) Norways aren't nearly as bad.
Maybe I'll bring a special 'Sally G' ROS seedling for you ;P
Silver Maple seedlings are one of my worst nemesis's!!! (nemisii? heehee) I find those darned things absolutely everywhere, Grrrrrr.
hahaha. My Norways sure give Silver a run for their money on seedlings - and the Red /Swamp maple...I think the previous owner got an Arbor Day special to start his landscaping, or just found them by the wayside. This spring rain has given me a bumper crop of ALL tree seedlings
One of the clems in the lamppost bed didn't make it this year for some reason. So I had to force myself to head to a local nursery that usually has some nice ones. I bought a Beauty of Worcester.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/342008/
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/343778/
Pretty new clem, Holly! LOL--I know--so torturous being forced to the nursery to select a new clematis! I can only imagine what an ordeal it was, fending off all those plants wanting to jump in your cart! ;-)
Aspenhill, the Behnke's Potomac location is now at 30% off.
I might take a trip out there after work tomorrow. :)
SSG, I'm tempted to join you tomorrow! What time do you think you'll be heading there?
Catmint,
so much depends
upon
495 traffic
... :)
I'm hoping to get there early, possibly by 3?
They had these gorgeous Begonias (Fireworks) I think. I didn't get any this time but I will probably go back for them. I asked Ric if he wanted them and he wasn't too interested in getting anything but did like them. He said we need to get what we have planted first before we bring more home. I had to agree with him on that. But I did get quite a few plants in the ground this morning.
Oh I love those big-leaf begonias. So pretty!
I lost a clematis last year, too. I have no idea why.
Sally--I am with you, and everyone else as well, on the "hate train" re the
maple seedlings. They are EVERYWHERE!!!! In every pot, crevice and bed.
I am "blessed" with one of each--A large Silver Maple and a Red/Swamp Maple.
The "Whirlybirds" of the Silver Maple are large. The squirrels eat the seeds for food.
The red maple's seeds are tiny. They find their way into everything!!!
Had I known better--I would not have planted these....YES! I DID!!!
To this day--I appreciate the shade--that is all I appreciate.
Jeff--the reason so many developments have maples is that everyone in a new
development wants shade--ASAP! And--the Maples are fast growers and oblige.
So--they are found everywhere.....
G.
Yes, I didn't have any idea why it didn't come back. It was an established Clem several years old and growing fine last year. All the other Clems in the yard came back but that one.
I could definitely join you there about 3, SSG! :-) I need to choose a smallll cart that very few plants will fit into, though, no matter how hard they try to jump in!! :-)
Ok, I'll let you know how my commute goes!
ok, keep me posted, SSG! It will be fun!
I know maples are fast growing but there are other good trees that are fast growing and less of a nuisance. Lol...as I'm saying this I'm thinking Sweetgum although I know some people find the spike balls annoying. There are some nice oaks that are faster growing as well as American Sycamore.
Yeah--BUT.....if a newbie goes to a Nursery and asks for a shade tree
that is fast growing--I bet you they will suggest a maple.
One way to sell what is not all that desirable--if the buyer is a non-experienced gardener.
Like I was..............G.
Hey, I love my maple trees! Yes, I planted them on purpose. And yes, I know they may eventually take over that half of the back yard (as they have at my parents' house)... but that's OK. I have visions of tapping them one day, as my dad does. :-)
Hmm... company here, but still tempted to take a road trip out to Behnke's tomorrow afternoon! LOL Maybe they'll still have some goodies left on Monday?
...plus maples must be cheap to produce. And everybody 'knows' maple.
Sycamore = too big for normal yards (ask me how I know) loses twigs and branches pretty often and huge leaves are more raking.
Sweetgum, I love the fall color but would get sterile to avoid the balls , and then I'm depriving birds of seed. And has surface roots.
If I was lucky enough to be buying trees I'd do lots more research. Yellowwood sounded great when I read about it. But I suppose not native to East Coast.
I have one oak, two Sycamore, 8 maples, multi dogwoods, one ash. In my dreams I morph the maples into something else. The ash is nice, has small leaves that you hardly have to rake, and not that many seedlings.
I'd take a Mimosa any day of the week over a maple... but, that's just me.
Not exactly a "plant" addict thing but.. while cleaning up the perennial tables yesterday, I found myself with bags handy... so of course I had to "deadhead with a purpose" a few things, which meant coming home with seeds! =) I just can't seem to help myself!! < =/
Does anyone know anything about Salvia seeds? When/how to collect them, etc... I don't recall now which ones I brought home, but the bloom stalks were done blooming, so I figured I would just snip them all into the bag and bring them home.. just in case. ;)
Hey, Critter, you should join us at Behnke's this afternoon! :-)
Maples: I *love* the big sugar maples that have such gorgeous fall color. Unfortunately, my yard isn't big enough for such a tree--maybe that's why I still like them? LOL
My house came with a redbud and a pink dogwood. I have added Nellie Stevens holly, ROS, magnolia Jane, 2 Japanese maples, the weeping cherry, and a crape myrtle (on the curb strip in front). I've also added some large shrubs which are sort of tree-ish, like the serviceberry and the spicebush.
Speedie, isn't salvia wonderful with its sweet fragrant spikes! The DG plant database has this disclaimer about the cultivars I have:
"Collect seedhead/pod when flowers fade; allow to dry
N/A: plant does not set seed, flowers are sterile, or plants will not come true from seed." If the seeds you collected don't grow, I'd be happy to share some of mine with you come fall swap!! My Mainacht in particular is getting quite big. I'd also be happy to share 'Caradonna' with you.
I could swing by Behnkes on my way home from work today like I did last Friday. Would put me there around 3:00 also. SSG and Cat, I'll see you there if the timing works out :)
I'll be interested to hear what they have left. I can't get there until Monday.
I'm looking for hostas but will go just to look.
Speedie---
I have collected seeds from "lady-in-red" salvias. Since I lost my B&B salvias this winter--
I am not sure if they make seeds. I am not even sure I HAVE lost them.
I think they are coming back...will see when they bloom.
The large salvias multiply from the roots, as you will see bunches of new growth
in the spring at the base of the old plants. You can dig away one or two--carefully...
Anyway--in the L-I-R Salvias--wait until the blooms are gone and the stems appear dried.
Then--collect the dried bases where all the flowers were attached--along the stems.
They are like very small rice grains. In there--are a couple seeds.
A tedious job collecting them...but a pleasant pastime..
Collecting seeds is fun--but can be time-consuming. Also--you gotta know where to look.
G.
I hear you Sally on the research thing. I did plant all the trees in my yard except for our Blue Spruce. Unfortunately, I planted most of them when I was more of a newbie and thus didn't do as much research. The only one I'm not happy with is my Gingko tree as it grows too slowly for my tastes. All the others I am very happy with. Here's our roster:
Loblolly Pine
Katsura
Blue spruce
Giant Sequoia
Tamarack Larch
Sweetgum
Sunburst Honeylocust
Golden Chain Tree
Gingko
Blue Atlas Cedar
Dawn Redwood
Red Sunset Red Maple
I love Sweet Gum Trees but the balls are a huge pain in the ...... My daughter has a huge one in her yard and they rake up the balls and drag them out on tarps we take a trailer load of them to the dump. It is a bigger job than the fall leaves are.
Jeff---
Do you know the Ginko is one of the oldest trees in existence--if NOT the oldest?
It was around before the Dinasaurs...
It is so well adapted to the worst conditions, drought...smog..car exhausts..
it is planted in cities along the sidewalks.
There are 2 Ginko trees on each side of the entrance into the parking lot
of my HD. Lovely colors in the fall....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ginkgo_biloba
If I had unlimited space I think I would like to plant one of those huge weeping willows! :-)
Wonderful Aspenhill! See you and SSG around 3--maybe Critter, too! Anyone else want to join us for a nursery field trip this afternoon to Potomac Behnke's closing sale?
Great additions, Catmint, and Seq!
speedie, some DO grow pretty easy from seed, nothing to lose!
I was a newbie when I put Little Gem Magnolia in front of the house, in front of the window. I am not ready to chainsaw prune it though!
being on a court, my particular lot has a tiny front yard, but I sure like that my oversized trees give us shade on the house in the afternoon. If the Sycamore ever comes down, everything will change drastically.
I wish more of my neighbors added trees to their lots. We are naturally supposed to be a woodland, sigh. Specifically, I see places that could well support big trees.
Sorry, didn't mean to be a downer on the salvia seed! :-( I think it does depend on the variety/cultivar. But I'm definitely happy to divide my May Night or Caradonna with you Speedie if either of those appeals! :-)
Yeah I hear you Sally. The one house on the corner of our street has only a Crimson King maple and they have about 1/4-1/3 acre. I am always thinking that the lot is begging for trees :) The house is up for sale now so who knows if the new owners will plant something.