FIRST FLOWERS MEMORIAL DAY 2015

Good point, Muddy. Although I could end up with hydrangeas that are half pink and half blue blooms in a month or two. ;) Wasn't sure if all hydrangeas can be turned blue. I had a Nikko blue before and it went pink but the aluminum sulfate turned it back blue again. Will see what happens.

Jeff--
I used to have the yellow Evening primrose long ago...
Someoe gave me a cutting...It sure multiplies quickly.

Below is what I also know as "Evening primrose"...in my DD garden bed
This one is so beautiful--like porcelain..
Does this one have a different name?
G,

You can call this Showy Pink evening primrose, and the yellow one is sometimes called Sundrops.

(Best we can do avoiding Latin)

Sundrops, got it. I'll have to remember that next time. I have the pink one blooming that you gave me G but it's so tiny, only one stem. In its defense though, it's in a tough environment. The little thing is wedged between a growing weigela, sprawling Persicaria affinis, knautia, and conoclinium coelestinum. Poor thing, didn't even spread from the original planting.

For those seeking Showy Evening Primrose, look for Oenothera speciosa.

I bought one of these from Bluestone last year: Oenothera versicolor Sunset Boulevard

It ended up failing because it was too needy in the water department, which was surprising for an oenothera. It was super beautiful though.

Roses and alliums

Oenothera speciosa. I gotta remember that. I visited a garden once that was dotted in light pink. It had a gorgeous, unifying effect. I found out later that it was evening primrose.

Holly, my blue alliums are looking exactly like yours; they look half-formed. I thought it was because mine were in too much shade (bad planning in my part).

In the picture above--the solid mass of "Showy primrose" blooms--is from my DD front bed.
I gave her some starts from my YUK bed--and it took off.

As you can see--it grows between the brick edging and the, mostly dry, bed.

Mine is in a VERY compacted front-of-the YUK bed. Always dry!
I see the green stems coming up, but it is a lost cause.

Underneath this small strip of nothingness are a clump of bulbs of the beautifully
fragrant "whatever" clustered Daff. See pic.

I will have to dig VERY deep to get them out, as I think this "daff" deserves a better
location. I may break my shovel digging them up. It's nothing but maple roots...

Project #2 besides digging up and moving the Baptisia.

My Showy promise from Gita has spread nicely and looks good. I may transplant some of it next year to in front of the stone wall and let it keep spreading.

Robin---
I bet the starts of it were from my DD bed. We were digging them up a couple
years ago--and I took them to the swap.

Aina (DD) says for me to come on over--I can dig up all I want....

G.

Edited to say we got at least 2 inches of rain. It was really coming down for a while!

Here's a pic of my Spigelia marilandica (Indian Pink; Gita I looked up the common name just for you!).
The yellow color on some of the leaves is just a reflection of the flowers; the leaves are pure green. This is the first year I've had these plants and I'm glad I bought them.

This message was edited Jun 8, 2015 8:20 PM

Thanks, Muddy---much appreciated..... G.

Awesome Muddy! I bought two this spring and the one will bloom any day now. The other is buried under spent FMN blooms. I'll have to go through that bed this weekend to find it...LOL

My 3 Spigelia are single-stem plugs, being babied in pots until they get bigger... I'll show them your photo to inspire the.m to greater heights, er, widths. I really do love the flower on these... looking forward to having them out in the landscape.

Yeah they look great Muddy. Where did you get yours?

Yee Haaaa! first lily has bloomed over night! Cutest little recurved freckled thing! Only problem is the yard guys messed up the markers and then I pulled out everything, reworked the bed two years ago and replanted everything so I haven't the slightest idea what it is. I do know everything came from thelilygarden.com so I quess I could send the pictures and ask for IDs. Its not that important to me though. Can you believe that one is already up to about 6 feet, covered with buds (looks like a chandelier) and still growing! Don't you just love Mamma Nature! Now if we could just kill the *))&in' deer, but they're her creatures too so I guess we just have to work around them.

I pulled out a mess of jewelweed volunteers and found this beauty (Siberian Iris). It's a deep velvety purple. I also noticed that the clump it's in is huge, so I'll be dividing it... will bring some to Yehudith's party if I can make it.

OK, found my list (WP page of labels) from 2008 when I planted irises along that edge... The one I posted is a Louisiana Iris, 'Black Gamecock', which explains the size of the clump, as it's supposed to be a vigorous grower.

That's a beauty dark color on that iris! I'd love some of it if you're dividing! :D

You got it! Definitely needs to be divided... it's either too crowded or in too much shade, as it only has the one bloom so far, and there are loads of fans/rhizomes. I had to hunt to figure out the name, as the label has vanished. *roll eyes* I think I need to just start keeping lists of what is where.

I'd love some too!

Here is mine Critter, Looking a little worse for the rain last night. I have two pots one marked Ann Chowning and one marked Black Game Cock. This one is in the Ann Chowning pot, between the two pots there is this open bloom and 3 buds coming on. I think they are all the same and I think they are all Black Game Cock. I'm thinking these might have come from TWL??
BTW anyone have curly rush that is going to Yehudith's party?

My LA irises all came from one order that wasn't TWL, but I'd need to dig up better records or find a label to tell you the source!

My curly rush didn't overwinter, either inside or outside. SR has Juncus spiralis and Juncus 'Big Twister' on sale for $3.99 minus either 10 or 25% depending on what codes I get working when I check out. LMK if I should add them to my box for you... I'll probably add them for myself anyway, and this time of year they should be splittable...

I'll look around locally, There are a few people in the area that sell pond plants at some reasonable prices. Mine overwintered but it is pretty sparse and I want a big pot of them so I thought maybe beefing it up a bit.

ok. I'll probably get one or the other, maybe both. I also have my eye on a tall straight rush. I'm thinking I should be able to use those as diffuser sticks -- yes?

You can use the curly ones as diffuser sticks, too.

true! I'm going to poke around and find those dead ones, put them to use!

I finally went around and took some pictures. The astilbes are in various stages of bloom and are gorgeous right now. I'll have to try to retake astilbe pictures tomorrow - the colors on the ones I took tonight seem so washed out and doesn't do the reality of it justice. I do have some other ones that turned out ok though.

#1 and #2 - Clematis 'Niobe', wow, blooming for weeks!
#3 - Noid Siberian iris, bloomed alongside the 'Niobe' for about a week, nice combo, but the Siberian iris is nearly done while the 'Niobe' is still going strong
#4 - Campanula 'RingsaBell Mulberry Rose'
#5 - One of the better astilbe pictures

A few more

#1 Heuchera 'Stainless Steel' and Athyrium 'Ghost' - I really like this combo
#2 Silene armeria (Sweet William Catchfly) - closeup
#3 Silene armeria (Sweet William Catchfly) - can you believe this started out as one or two plants from David and Pat? Prolific self seeder, but easy to pull out the unwanted ones
#4 Schizophragma hydrangeoides 'Moonlight' (Japanese hydrangea vine)
#5 Noid hostas looking lush - deer haven't gotten to them yet :-)


This message was edited Jun 9, 2015 8:07 PM

Took some new pictures today---The Lilies are popping....all kinds...

1--One of my Clivias decided to bloom. It did the same last summer.

2--C. Elizabeth next to my KO Rose. Hmmm--i DO like it!

3--Tall, pink DL growing in front of my Clematis. This Clematis--"Lady Betty Balfoure"
needs an 8' + trellis. The vines are growing into all the surrounding plants...
If they all bloomed too--it will be spectacular.

4--More of the Tiny Ghost Lilies popping blooms. That is ONLY 3 plants!

5--YOO--HOOO David!!! All my Rose leaves look like this.
What is eating them and what can I (or could I) have done about it.
Customers at the HD come and ask me what to do--and what is causing it--
and all I can say is that mine are the same. usually I sell them the Systemic Beyer
Rose and Flower spray....or tell them to do a Systemic drench.
Is there anything better to use? NOw--it seems after the fact. They are all shot.

I never see anything on the leaves during the day--so the culprits must be tiny
and do their nasty deads at night.
It is not Slugs--as they could never climb up a 6' tall Rose--and--the holes in the leaves
are too tiny for Slugs to have caused them.

Please advise! I need to help my customers too.... Thanks- G.

Gita, I think that's rose sawfly larva damage. The worms are green and small and pretty hard to see.

All my roses look like that as well, but I don't want to use any harsh sprays so I'm just living with it. The red Knockout is such a workhorse that it doesn't seem to be bothered by it. The yellow Knockout, on the other hand, is looking pitiful.

Aspenhill, that sweet william catchfly is so pretty when massed!

SS--not everyone wants to "live with it". I still would like to know what can be sprayed
on the leaves to keep them from being all chewed up.

Would early in the Spring treatment with a Systemic keep the sawflies from chewing
up every single leaf?

Would water+dish Soap+some alcohol help? NON Chemical!!!

Anyone???? G.

Dish soap is a detergent, hard on plants, and does not have the fatty acids that are effective on insects. Instead, mix a tablespoon or so of Castile liquid soap such as Dr. Bonner's in one quart of water and spray on all surfaces of the plant. One can instead purchase the same thing. Look for Insecticidal Soap at your local garden/home center. Spray must contact pest while still wet.

Hydrangeas in the same part of the yard, all with varying shades of pink/blue.

1 This blue hydrangea is a noid from Wind.

2 Coreopsis Zagreb.

3 astilbe Visions in Pink.

4 hydrangea from Muddy. What's this called again?

5. Hydrangea from Wind. This one is supposed to be Blue Billow. Hm.

SS--
your Astilbe "Visions Pink"--is that the one I bought a bundle of and shared
with you all? Remember--they cost $3 each. I know you got a bunch--
and so did David and Pat. I kept 2--and they have grown really well
and are about to bloom. The buds are all there--but not yet open.
I planted them in the bed-by-the-Shed facing West--but no direct sun
at all because of my trees.


David:
Thanks for your advice--however---not all dish soaps are detergents.
Liquid Joy is a soap--and, amazingly, that is the ONLY thing the people use
to spray all their plants at Rawlings--especially their orchids--which can
get a lot of mealybugs. Diluted in water, of course.
I was a Volunteer there for close to a year--and I know that is what they used on everything.

NO Chemicals there.....Need to take a trip there again--it has been a few years.

Gita

Yes, that's the Visions in Pink I got from you!

I also got Visions in Red, which has pretty dark color.

The ingredients of Joy Ultra Dishwashing Liquid are: triclosan, methylisothiazolinone, surfactants, sodium laureth sulfate, cyclohexanediamine, PEI-14 PEG-10/PPG-7 copolymer, sodium lauryl sulfate, PPG-26, biodegradable anionic surfactants, alkyl dimethyl amine oxides, enzymes, phenoxyethanol, alcohol denatured, water and sodium chloride.

Gita, that Clivia is a really nice shade of orange.

Aspen, I really like that combination of Heuchera 'Stainless Steel' and Athyrium 'Ghost' too, and the Silene armeria looks awesome around those steps!

ssg, I think I gave you one 'Nikko Blue' and one 'Red 'n Pretty'...is that the Red 'n Pretty? It was never red for me, but I got one to turn a spectacular shade of deep purple one year by OD'ing it with aluminum sulfate.

I don't think that either my remaining 'Nikko Blue' or 'Red 'n Pretty' are going to bloom this year - the second year in a row - so they might be shovel pruned soon.