Haha, I understand what you mean. I don't like things getting in my mashed tots either. It's a little tougher to control that Ag when you have a cottage style garden though. Thus, removal is necessary.
Yardening October 2015 - Waitin on Joaquin
Yeah, I love the cottage style gardening but it just doesn't fit my personality. I line my shoes up in my closet according to style and color, I alphabetize my spices... yeah, just not my personality even though I admire those gardens a lot !
Isn't it great that gardening is NOT a onesizefitsall type of activity? Also, that it changes over time!!!!!
That's funny CAM because I enjoy looking at gardens that are neat and tidy but in practice, it doesn't work for me. I'm more of an au naturel type when it comes to the garden, which is why I can't stand green meatballs and topiaries.
Haha... yep ! There is plenty of room in the world for all sorts of people and all sorts of gardens. Cool that we both like other styles just prefer our own. :)
Absolutely! Either way, it takes a lot of time and hard work, which can be appreciated by any gardener ;-)
Agree with every word ! :)
I started moving our tropicals to the GH today. I had a 4x8' trailer full to start. I'm weeding, feeding (osmocote), and treating them with Preen as I move each to it's winter home. As soon s that is done it's on to pulling all the geraniums for winter storage and digging cannas and dahlias. There's no rush for the tubers though, since a frost can't hurt them. We also have a few OSPs to dig and save for next year. Here's a good video on saving geraniums overwinter. http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/overwinter-geraniums/
For anybody needing saucers as they bring big pots inside... I just stumbled on some great ones at our dollar store! They are actually "drip pans," for changing oil I think, but they are 4 inches deep, 14 inches across the top, and 12 inches across the bottom. They're black, but you could always spray them with some krylon paint for plastic (even a light spatter-coat would be decorative against the black).
I think I might dig some into the garden, also, either "as is" to give a moisture-loving plant its own mini-bog (with lots of polymer crystals) or with holes drilled so it's a "bottomless" planter, sort of a raised bed in miniature. I wonder if it could also be a good way to provide a moisture reservoir beneath a container out in the garden... I always like the look of containers "out there" but hate having to water daily.
I generated more ideas as I typed, LOL, so I think I'm going to go back and buy the whole stack tomorrow on the way to Joyanna's ballet class. I'll share!
Has anybody overwintered Plectranthus 'Mona Lavender'? Or just taken cuttings? My mom has 2 huge pots that she really enjoyed this summer... thinking of cutting them back and trying to keep them in their basement by the sliding glass door (reasonable sun, especially in winter). They'd only get watered every 2-3 weeks there, I bet... Should I try to make room for them by a window here instead and just keep them growing like house plants? Hmm, they are good looking enough that they'd probably show off well in our living room... I don't usually put plants by those windows in winter, so there's space.
Critter, I have two nice big plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' that I want to try to overwinter too, so I'm interested in what you come up with. Earlier in the spring, David and Pat gave me a small one that they had overwintered or had restarted from cuttings (not sure which), so we can get some scoop on how they did it.
If you've got room in your conservatory, I'd just pop them right into there! They shouldn't "need" to be restarted, although that might be easier than trying to overwinter them with limited light & water. I'm pretty sure Plectranthus are tender perennials, even the ones like 'Mona L' that are sold as annuals.
And what about callibrachoa (Million Bells)? I have some that are still going strong... might try adding them to hanging baskets and see what happens.
OK, I googled about the Calibrachoa... most suggest rooting cuttings rather than trying to transition the whole plant indoors, but it sounds like cutting it back and then treating it like a houseplant should work. I didn't see any reports of success limiting light & water to get it to go semi-dormant, although I didn't do an extensive search. Tapla wrote on GardenWeb about having 4 year old BONSAI specimens growing "with adequate light and humidity."
Our plectranthus 'Mona Lavender' will be coming in again soon. It lives in a fairly sunny window and just keeps blooming almost all winter. I don't recall if David started it from seed or not, but I rooted cuttings for Terri. Just had them in water. It has just started blooming again now on the deck.
Plectranthus can root easily, I think I would make smaller plants for winter. But that's me and my space limitations.
Tapla could keep ANYTHING alive! I would not try Calibrachoa.
In addition to Mona, I have a white flowered one and another kind with blue flowers. I over winter them on my unheated front porch each year with little to no care and cut them back in the Spring when I put them outside again
If anyone wants cuttings of either, LMK.
Sally, I'm with you, I can't keep calibrachoa alive during the summer!
that one with blue flowers and triangular leaves, coleup, you shared with me.
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/66029/#b
I have overwintered both by bringing the whole pot in, semi dormant, and by cuttings. It's rebounded faithfully.
I like that phrase Sally, 'rebounded faithfully'! Other large containers I treat the same way are my taro/ elephant ears.and Dragon Wing Begonias. Thats 20 containers ready to go when temps warm up each year. Easy peezy.
Lucky you with a good place to do that! My biggest black Taro is out in the veg garden right now, I'll have to dig it and cram into much smaller quarters.
Love Taro in your 'edibles' garden! Wonder if Poi and Asparagus go together?
At the nursery where we grew tropicals and tender perenials we dug up the bananas and taros rootballs, wrapped them in plastic or strong garbage bags to keep roots from drying out and stowed them in a cold greenhouse. They really don't need light, just freeze protection. I stick mine under a table on my porch so not much light at all. I trim taro back to 2 feet as I feel absorbing the moisture in those big stalks and leaves keeps right amt of moisture for my situation. (This is also my reasoning in not cutting back my Plectranthus or Dragon Wings. I just trim them back before I set them out again in late Spring.)
You might try stashing one in your shed (up off floor and protected from drafts) as an experiment. We planted them out in the same hole in Spring, just clearing out the leaves we temporarily used to fill in the hole. our minimal dig secret!
Critter, I'm loving my 'Mona Lavender' as well, but I don't think I have the room to save it this winter.
I have dusted all of my tropicals with diatomaceous earth and sprayed the leaves with neem oil. The most tender houseplants will be brought indoors tomorrow/Saturday, ahead of the cold spell.
I'm waiting for the tops of elephant ears to die back first before bringing them in.
I have just two bags of bulbs left to plant. Whew!
I just loved that Mona Lavender when we saw it at Terri's house. Just beautiful.
So we had a lovely meal last night with friends and one of the highlights was the salad we ate with Ric's lovely veggies. There was fresh lettuce from the garden, beautiful peppers and those delish yellow pear tomatoes that just don't ever stop producing. Got a little fancy with putting little pumpkins that he grew at everyone's place setting.
Going to make stuffed peppers later today or tomorrow. He has a ton of very nice green bell peppers.
WOW, Holly, look at your gorgeous vegetables! How did they do so well with you being gone for so much of the summer?
Other than the overgrown weeds most of the Veggie garden did very well, tomato blight took out all the big tomatoes. Too bad as I could use some for my stuffed green peppers but I am sure that I can find some.
wow, fantastic veggies and setting, H/R! RIc do you have monster swiss chard again too?
coleup- many thanks for suggesting the shed. At least for the next couple months, it won't freeze deep inside there. I might get nervous after Xmas and bring them to the basement. They can sit on top of the buckets of road salt; when the salt is near needed, the plants can come in the basement.
I noticed, the one in the garden was all leaves and no 'tuber', whereas the two smaller one that grew in a big mixed planter were nicely tubering. And none had nearly the extensive spread of above ground stems as they had last year, when they grew in my moist-side bed.
me too, ssg, planned to bring them in tomorrow.
I need less vacation. Right! Being away almost 8 weeks of gardening season this year made keeping up almost impossible. Especially with hosting the York Garden Club fall picnic. Now I'm scrambling to catch up again and save all the plants, cuttings, and seeds before frost. Then on to all the corms, tubers, and seasonal bulbs before ground freeze. I apologize for not participating more this summer, but, I've spent too much time gardening to talk about it.
That is a pretty basked of vegetables. I really like the look of those little yellow pear shaped tomatoes and they probably taste delish too!
Ha ha , too much time gardening to talk about it, good one. Glad you guys had a great summer.
I think I'll bring my tender plants in this weekend too. In addition to the 'Mona Lavender', I have all my amaryllis but only three or four other things. Does anyone know if heliotrope will keep over winter inside?
The tender plants are in! Wow, what a production. It takes hours to bring them in and arrange them by the windows, put saucers under the pots, etc.
I still have more bulbs to plant but I'm going to wait for it to warm up again next week.
The shrubs got a good long soaking again. We don't have much rain forecasted for the next couple of weeks.
Ric has been working for days to get all our plants inside.He started with the largest plants a few days ago. He spent the morning going around and picking up the smaller (but too heavy for me) plants and taking cuttings from the annuals he wants to root for next year. I spent most of yesterday saving geraniums and potting up other plants that needed divided. Plus all the smaller house plants that I can carry. This morning I pried the Truly Tiny Banana out of it's container and divided it up. I have two of them to give away at the Bulb pick up.
I got the tree and the shrubs from the fall frenzy purchases planted this morning with Mike's help (wonder of wonders). It is amazing how much quicker it goes when he digs the holes LOL.
I also got the tender plants all carried inside, but they are not debugged and they are all over the kitchen counters. I ran out of steam and had to take a nap :) I really haven't had but one or two plants that spend the summer outside anyway, but now I have all the amaryllis in addition to a few more plants that came inside this time. Is there really an issue with bugs coming in with the plants? If so, they are inside now.
aspenhill, I haven't thought a whit about bugs coming in. Generally is not a big problem, as long as you don't have an ant colony under the pot when you pic it up.
However, in some years, I have used the No Pest Strip in the basement or shed, as a debugging stop for plants. They sit in a room or shed with the No pest strip and get fumigated. Can't bring the No pest strip in to the living space.
I brought my Calamondin Orange in today and didn't worry about bugs either. If any escape from the pot, my cat will find them and let me know! Whenever I see him staring intently at the floor, I know there's an insect there.
I pity any bug that tries to escape a potted plant I bring in... he won't be long for this world. My two girls, as fancy as they think they are, will not hesitate to make lunch out of even the most disgusting of bugs. I have to keep an eye out for stink bugs!
Ha ha!! One of my daughter's cats loves to eat bugs, but mine just pats at them until I rescue them and put them outside.
I did some minor surgery on a Rhododendron yesterday by removing some really scraggly-looking ground level branches and re-planting one branch that had rooted. It's the branch with the flower, which was formerly 6" above the ground. This Rhodie was hit hard by the last 2 winters, so overall it's not much to look at. The new growth looks pretty good, though.
That gave me space to plant some Gaura biennis (Biennial Beeblossom) I had sitting around in pots. And just when I'm finally getting close to getting everything in the ground....I had to go buy more soil, and came home with some impulse buys: Helenium 'Short n' Sassy' and 2 large pots of Phlox subulata 'Emerald Blue'.
Dug up Caladiums today. Despite looking presentable for the summer, the bulbs were TINY. I composted all, except a couple walnut- golf ball size GIngerland. Tuberose grew well but never bloomed; maybe next year will be my year with them. Couple Amaryllis, they never bloomed this summer in the garden. . And purple Calla lilies are the remainder of a modest box of holdovers. I never got to pansies today...tomorrow morning I will, and put them in the emptied Caladium pots so I can move them in sun as needed. I hope Lowes has a couple colors.
Pansies are really pretty but generally rabbit food in my yard. I used to plant them and then over night they'd get gobbled up. I did no yardening this weekend as we went to the beach. Hopefully I'll get some in next weekend. Good job getting a rhodi to root Muddy!
I got my caladiums out yesterday. I too, was surprised at the size of some of the bulbs that had a lovely leaf coming from them. Only about as big as the tip of my little finger. I saved them all but I doubt that the little ones will be any good next year. I am so over the tuberose, mine didn't bloom either I didn't try to save them this year. Only one clump that was in a mixed pot that I brought inside.
Talking about the Amaryllis, JR and I dug mine up yesterday and the bulbs are huge. I cut off the leaves and want them to go dormant. Should I put them in brown paper bags so they don't get light? Do I want them in cool or warm storage? Should I cut off the roots or leave them on?
Inquiring minds want to know. LOL
Too bad about you and pansies Jeff. After looking at many ''pots of yellow mums by mailboxes'' in my neighborhood, I want pansies there instead. (no offense to anyone here who has a no doubt bee yoo tee ful pot of yellow mums by the mailbox)
Holly, I haven't had much success with tuberose. The one that bloomed for me last year was on the cool, moist side of the house. Maybe in pots I have let them dry out too much.
Your Amaryllis sound yummy, but your mind will have to keep inquiring- I don't know!
I should probably just read Critters articles on them. I am sure they will tell me everything I need to know. LOL
Someone said years ago that they rested their Amaryllis in the edge of their compost. So that is where I put ours this year they came out huge. Hopefully we will have quite the show for our efforts.
We had a hard frost last night, to the point that Alfie's large water dish was a block of ice about 1" thick. We had a slush shower yesterday afternoon, shades of Halloween a few years ago. I'm hoping the plants I pulled and put in the barn to make cuttings didn't freeze, of coarse I need to figure out where to put the trays. I can barely move in the GH. I also have 2 NoPest strips to hang in there. Nothing survives those suckers.
wow, that IS cold!! and slush shower? We felt some hard rain spatters yesterday afternoon, Mark almost thought it was sleet, there must have been a wild turbulent storm up there somewhere.