Funny thing last time I did Brug cuttings- the stems above soil rotted, the stem BELOW the soil line looked fresh! Is that weird or what?
Pineapple lilies! Couple of us saw those leaves in the plumie pot and couldn't figure them out.
PLANT ADDICTS CHAT #4
Does anyone grow purple smokebush?
I've always wanted one but stayed away since I don't have the room for it. Then I heard that it's possible to coppice it every year to keep it manageable.
Has anyone tried this?
Oh, and speaking of sumacs, I'm thinking about getting a sumac and copping it as well. Maybe the Tiger Eyes variety?
The smokebush would be easy to maintain at a 5-6' tall height. In fact, it might even look better because the taller they are, the more spindly the can get. Tiger Eyes is beautiful! My neighbor a few houses away had a huge one. It was probably 10-12' high and the same in width. Sadly though, the past winter killed it. It's too bad because it was truly gorgeous.
ssg and Seq, I have 2 Sumac volunteers in need of a home! There are probably more that I haven't found yet.
I think Sumacs are gorgeous, but unfortunately the best places remaining for them in my yard are outside my fenced-in area, and they are deer candy. If I cannot plant them in the area I have in mind for them in the forest and so had to plant them on my property instead, I'd have to spray them with deer repellent every week and I'd really rather not do that..
Muddy, is yours Tiger Eyes? I'm looking for the golden sumac variety.
No, I think they're Staghorn Sumacs. Tiger Eyes is beautiful.
SSG, I got a smoke bush for $1.00 at the Mason Dixon ARS sale (Paul's Rhodo group) this spring. At that price, I couldn't pass it up LOL. Anyway, it is still too small and too new to me to give any advice on size, etc...
WOW, what a deal!
Wow, how big was it? --> a rooted stem? LOL
So I know I said somewhere that I'd post my final list of bulbs once I was done writing up the list. I figured this would be a good thread to put it in. I got way carried away this fall and I hope my eyes weren't bigger than my stomach so-to-speak.
Allium tall 'Purple Sensation' 25
Allium miniature 'Azureum' 50
Allium 'Moly' 25
Crocus species 'Tricolor' 25
Giant Mixed Crocus 25
Narcissi bunch flowering 'Martinette' 50
Narcissi large cupped 'Decoy' 25
Narcissi miniature 'Rapture' 50
Narcissi small-cupped 'Altruist' 40
Narcissi small-cupped 'Misty Glen' 40
Narcissi trumpet 'Tropical Sunset' 50
Narcissus 'Golden Echo' 25
Narcissus 'Quail' 50
Narcissus 'Suzy' 25
Geranium Daffodil 5
Narcissus 'Professor Einstein' 5
Dutch Master Daffodil 40
Dutch Iris Eye of the Tiger 40
Dutch Iris Red Ember 20
Dutch Iris Early Royal Dwarf 25
Dutch Iris Mystic Beauty 12
Asiatic Lily Orange Electric 5
Heirloom Species Lily leichtlinii 5
Asiatic Lily Royal Sunset 3
Oriental Lily Tessala 1
Asiatic Lily Eremo 1
Triteleia 'Rudy' 25
Calochortus Mixed 20
Sparaxis Celebration Mix 10
Camassia (Wild Hyacinth) 25
Gavota Triump Tulip 10
Apricot Impression Darwin Hybrid Tulip 10
Blueberry Ripple Triumph Tulip 5
Mariette Lily Flowering Tulip 5
Burgundy Lily Flowering Tulip 5
Exotic Emperor Tulip 10
Purissima Tulip 14
Passionale Triumph Tulip 10
Pretty Princess Triumph Tulip 10
Ronaldo Triumph Tulip 10
Don Quichotte Triumph Tulip 10
Orange Emperor Tulip 25
Algarve Single EarlyTulip 10
Daydream Darwin Hybrid Tulip 10
Lambada Fringed Tulip 10
Pittsburg Triumph Tulip 10
Candy Apple Delight Darwin Hybrid Tulip 10
Tulipa clusiana Tinka 10
Holy Moly what a list! Spring at your place should be a site to see. Happy planting :) Let us know how much time it takes to accomplish such a volume. I'd actually like to compare it to how long it takes me, although maybe it will be depressing to know how much faster it is for a young male whippersnapper than it is for an old 50+ year old woman LOL.
For example, digging 4 trenches for 25 tulip bulbs in each trench took me about 2 1/2 hours and wore my back out. Then on another day, Mike dug 8 trenches for the remaining 200 tulip bulbs in about 1 hour - double the bulbs and half the time with no aching back problem, just doesn't seem fair...
On another day, I dug 5 holes big enough for 6 orienpet lily bulbs in each hole. Again, it took me about 2 1/2 hours and again my poor aching back...
Oh man! I guess it's good I'm getting them all in now before I get older ;-)
Yep, but even knowing the work facing me to get everything planted still hasn't stopped me from acquiring more. Over the last week I tallied up my 2014 gardening season - OMG, 159 different kinds of shrubs, perennials, and bulbs. Yes, I am a PLANT ADDICT for sure. Should I seek help? You know, "help" could be interpreted as mental help or physical labor help LOL.
Lol...That's a lot!! Got to love it though :-) This was my biggest season yet and a little too much actually.
I can't seem to pass up a deal. Almost everything was acquired at 50% off sales, group buys, DG gifts, plugs, etc... There was hardly anything acquired at full nursery retail prices. I keep track with the ATP Plant Lists feature. Just for kicks if you want to check out my 2014 selections, this link is my Plant List with the 2014 filter selected...
https://allthingsplants.com/lists/view/aspenhill/?catid=1115
Oh that's a cool feature! Does it take a bunch of time to maintain? I'll have to look through your selection more at lunch. This year I've been keeping everything I buy on a spreadsheet offline but all swap plants were not kept track of, unfortunately.
Kudos for getting your enviable beauties planted!! Do either of you or anyone else have a way of keeping track of your plants/varieties once they are in the ground? My 'I'll Remember It' brain function seems to not keep pace with my procurement mode. lol Need in ground as well as in cloud tracking aides.
Yeah I hear that Coleup! Luckily I can remember most of what is in the yard without having to look. These bulbs will be too much for me to remember next spring though so I always have the spreadsheet to fall back on. I've often though (if I had the time) I'd make a spreadsheet for each garden and put what all is in each on the spreadsheet. That way I can always look it up. I would also edit it as necessary when something dies, gets moved, etc.
I just had an idea while looking at Seq's impressive list.
This full-sun half-barrel container is used to mask the ugly AC unit.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=9968543&extraimg=1
I was going to leave the container empty after the sweet potato vines die down, but now I'm thinking I'll plant it with early blooming tulips. By the time it's time to pull up the bulbs next spring, it should be warm enough to plant the EE.
Ugh, I really should have bought some tulips with the group buy! I know I could still get tulips and crocuses locally, but you can't beat ADR prices.
I didn't buy any wholesale tulips because I don't like to have many of one variety. I like a good mix.
That half barrel idea looks like it will be really nice!
Seq, where did you get your tulips? Did you get a good deal on them? I'm waiting for Brent and Becky's or Colorblends to go on sale, but they're sold out of a lot of varieties already.
This message was edited Nov 4, 2014 3:59 PM
I got them from all over. I bought from Lowe's and another local place. Also from B&B's, Tulipworld, and Holland Bulb Farms. Tulipworld's 3.95 shipping any sized order deal is pretty good.
Have to pass this on to you. I just posted this on the Yardening Thread.
This is a much more appropriate site.
I am c/p this from the other site i just wrote it on.
**********************************************************************
Have to pass something on that I learned today from a regular customer.
This is how he grows bulbs. Any bulbs--Tulips, daffs, anything...
1--Take an small empty water bottle--cut off ~ 2" from the bottom.
2--Have a bed or a Window Box (that is what he uses) ready for planting.
3--Invert the empty bottle--drinking end downwards.
4--Put some soil in the bottle and plant your bulb. Cover with more soil to the top
and dig into the bed or WB. even with cut bottom. That's it.
He said the bulbs grow very well this way--the roots go down through the spout.
If you have a large bulb--use a bigger bottle.
Other benefits:
--The squirrels cannot dig out the bulb--as they will hit the cut off bottle and don't like it.
--If you have to move it--just pull up the bottle and plant it somewhere else.
--If you want to share it with someone--pull it up, remove the bulb-babies to share,
plant the bottle with bulb back into the bed and it will grow out very well.
He said he can grow any given bulb this way for several years--always perfect and beautiful.
He also said he should patent this method...This man is a real character!
In our long conversation--I also convinced him that he can eat the red potatoes
that grow beneath the Green Potato Vine plants. He was skeptical.
Someone told him you can't eat them, and he said he threw out a pile.
I said they are yummy--and asked him to try it. Wash them--Nuke them--
get out the butter and enjoy!
He will try it.--I am sure i will get a report back whenever we see each other again.
What do you think of his method of growing bulbs?
Gita
Read more: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1368183/#ixzz3IBcwuFhj
It's interesting but seems very time consuming. It might be good for a few dozen but not on a large scale.
Now that I think about it a little more, what happens as the bulb grows and multiplies?
This message was edited Nov 4, 2014 9:50 PM
I agree; it sounds like a lot of work. I would get very tired of cutting up bottles. It does sound like a good idea when planting in areas where squirrels or moles are likely to eat the bulbs, though.
Sequoia and Aspen, I'm looking forward to seeing pics of your springtime displays!
About keeping track of where things are planted: last Fall, I took photos in the forest, printed them on paper and marked where I had planted things. Come to think of it, I should take some of every bed in my yard because I am positive I will not remember where I planted things, and plant tags have a way of disappearing.
This customer had made all raised(high) beds and mostly used
a window box to plant the bulbs in.
And--It is in my above post--he removes the newly formed bulbs and plants them
out further. He said he had hundreds of bulbs growing....
Maybe he only uses the bottles in his W.B.???? Will ask if i see him.
Some of this needs a bit of clarification.....
G.
Yeah Muddy, it's hard to keep track of where things are planted. I was gingerly planting some plants from the swap a few weeks ago because I knew bulbs where right around there somewhere. Also, in another area, I had to look at a pic from the spring to see where a grouping of bulbs was so I didn't dig them out by accident. It's good to take pics for that reason alone!
One of the "must do" things i still have to get to is marking all the spots
where I had a Glad. The foliage is barely hanging on....must hurry....
Re accidentally digging up bulbs--I just put them somewhere and give them away.
To be honest--as beautiful as the Daffs are in the spring--I am tired of
having to deal with all the dying foliage. I hate it!!!
There....That's what I think.....G.
I don;t have a lot of special things to keep track of.. Lilies, I try to leave a stub of the stem.
I planted daffodils under the trees 20 years ago so now there are huge clumps of bulbs and no way of knowing exactly where the clumps are or exactly which is which of 3 kinds.
Oh well G, it's part of the process. I guess you could always buy new ones each year and trash them after they bloom...LOL
Daffodils multiply so much And so do Iris. I figured out that my problem with tall bearded Iris is when the clumps grow huge. then THEIR dying foliage is awful in midsummer and leaves a big bare spot. Much better kept divided.
I've agonized for years about record keeping and plant location markings. I think gardeners either care about those things or they don't. I am overly obsessive about it, and feel some level of distress when I can't remember cultivars, etc... Crazy I know, but it is what it is.
I have tried numerous things from spreadsheets, hand written notes, attempts at drawing garden bed maps, photographs, etc... I am finally consolidating record keeping to Quicken for $s info and ATP Plant Lists for inventory and location info. I also broke down and have started putting those hunter green metal EON plant markers in the ground. I thought I would hate the disruption of plant markers, but I'm actually starting to like the way they look. So far those markers aren't disappearing, but only time will tell if they will stay put.
Yeah that sounds like too much work! Yikes! I don't think I'd ever be able to put plant markers in unless it was in front of shrubs or something. To do that with perennials would be painful and somewhat futile because I have plants on top of each other and 5-6 deep in some beds. As long as I can remember something about their name, i.e columbine, veronica, etc, I'm good. It is important to remember in the fall where the spring bulbs are planted though or you'll end up slicing through them with your shovel.
As long as I get the cultivars into a note (my journal) I so far don't have so many similar things that there's an issue figuring it out, IF I need to. I like to know which cultivars I have but if its lost...well I can't get too upset over it.
Chopped off some Brug stems today, made a vase of buds LOL. The buds on the Maya are insane! Dozens and dozens of developing buds!. She's staying out till the bitter end, which may just be over the weekend. But if it makes it thru this first frost and gets a few more weeks in, and another flush of bloom....
Mark was very nice when I expressed my reluctance to cram these pots and plants in the basement. "We've got room!" :^)
Sweet!! Mark is a gem to support his wife and her gardening (obsession)....hobby!
I second that, Sequoia! Well said.
I have so many new plants this year that I know I will forget where and what they are. Most are planted in groups of at least 3, however, so I just mark one of them. That way, I'll know what they are when they come up, and I won't have to post photos so I can ask you all if you recognize them!
This message was edited Nov 5, 2014 5:00 PM
Sally--
Not that i have done this before--but Brugs in our zone can take some frost.
SO--the tops get killed--but the roots stay viable for next year.
NOT left in the ground, tho.
I have never let my brugs go past the October flush--as by then, the foliage
is already getting crappy. I like to get my chores done--so I cut them back.
NOT sure there would ever be a November flush?????
You gonna prove me wrong?????
I worked today until 3PM. Beautiful day! Spent it watering all the Holiday shrubs
(in the red pots) all day. Gave them a big soaking...
Not much left otherwise. We have one table of perennials--50% off.
Lots of Hosta, which were clearance earlier @ $3. Now they are further reduced
to $1.50. Still have some Russian Sage--now grown big and bushy. 50% off.
Still a lot of ground covers too--all reduced.
Came home around 3:30--and decided it was so nice--I would dig up up my cannas.
These were in my Raised bed. 2 0f Wind's reds.--2 Dark leafed ones, and one Orange.
MAN!!! The soil in that raised bed was extremely dry! Not a drop of moisture in it!
Dry, clumpy, ugly soil! It was not hard to dig them up.
***Note to self---water the raised bed MUCH better next year.
The problem is with the soil I initially filled it with. Dark, heavy, not much organic stuff
in it. It even smelled stagnant.
In hindsight--It is all my fault (of course). Ignorance!!!!!
I ordered "top soi;"---and that is what they delivered. Had I known better---
I should gave asked for GARDEN SOIL!!!! Learnedd that too late!
I have added ooodles of organic stuff to it (remember my driving to dig Mushroom Soil?).
However--it seems it has not helped a lot....
I could top-dress it with some of the compost we dug out--but that would be just a
drop in a bucket. This bed is 16' long and 14" deep.
Maybe next spring, I need to go to the Landfill and bring home some FREE compost.
MAMa Mia!!! yOU HAVE TO DIG IT ALL YOURSELF FROM THE BIG HEAP!
My abilities for heavy physical work are limited.
Any other suggestions--keeping that in mind? How to refurbish a bed that long/deep
to make it all lush and organic??? The crappy soil is not going away--it will still be there.
NO! I cANNOT/WILL NOT empty and re-fill the hole bed! I can hear that as one suggestion
from some people here......REALLY???????
G.
What about dumping your collected bags of mulched leaves on top? They'll disintegrate over winter and enrich your soil.
Muddy--
Yes! i could do that--I have 2 bags from this fall--and 3 more from last year.
I still have to rake the leaves at lest twice.,,that will refurbish my supply.
How much difference will it make in a bed that big? I know I would
have to dig it in. Also--something I could manage...not easily!
What else could I throw in to help break down the crappy top soil?
Digging soething in14" down is a most difficult possibility.
Do you think some composted manure/humus would help?
I can buy the bagged ones HD sells-- they are cheap.
I have no access to a farm for the "real" stuff. Have never looked into it.
Thanks for the ideas... Gita