Favorite nonsensical gardening advice

T&M says Half-Hardy Perennial will not survive a frost. If this is accurate (possibly not exactly accurate), it will be quite easy to fathom. I am starting to get Half-Hardy Annual. But why do my biennials not bloom the second year and/or continue to bloom for several seasons after?

Hm, T&M must have a totally different use of what "hardy" is than us ignerent Americans LOL. For me, 'hardy' means that it is tough and durable and can take a whole lot of stuff without dying. Maybe the plant is, but just can't stand cold? Sounds like me!

Or how about 'winter annual'. Sounds awfully like a biennial, seeds sprout in the summer, grow all winter, then bloom in the spring. Pardon my ignorance, but isn't that what foxgloves do (a biennial)? And how about money plant (honesty). But the Latin name for that one is Lunaria annua (or whatever the correct gender ending is). Annual. But money plant is a biennial. Or so they say.

Sounds like all of us are avid gardening book and catalogue readers! Let me think up some more.

C'mon the rest of you watchers: jump in! The water is fine ;)

Oh, yeah: scarification. The first time I read that, I just scratched my head. Scare-y-fication was what I saw, so I yelled 'boo!' (I have a really odd sense of humor, you know?) Then I planted the seeds. They all sprouted (MG seeds). As a joke, I had kids all doing the same thing when they helped me plant MG and nasturtiums the following year, and they all sprouted! The kids loved it.

Or did anyone else come across the legend that when you plant basil seed you have to curse it or it won't germinate? Ever go out in the garden and curse your seeds deliberately? LOL my non-gardening neighbor really knew I had lost my mind.

>Note to international friends: a dime is about 1" in diameter; a fifty-cent piece is about 2" in diameter.

Say huh? Lupinelover?

A dime isn't even 3/4", measuring, in fact, 11/16s. A quarter is almost, but not quite, an inch. I haven't seen a half dollar in a coon's age, so can't measure one. But 2 inches is a bit optomistic, considering that a silver dollar is only 1 1/2 inches.

lupinelover...OH! That is SO funny! BOO!

I did NOT curse my basil seeds and the plants are doing MUCH better than the two 2" plants that I bought. I planted them all at the same time and the ones from seed do not wilt, like the others. They look SO fine! I have cut them back several times now and they are still going strong. The other ones had holes in them, don't know why, didn't see any critters, and they wilt at the drop of a hat, or when the soil dries a little. They are all in with the tomatoes and purple bush beans. The beans, though, have not been very productive. Maybe next year I will grow pole beans, and more of them as well. It's nice to get them fresh from the garden. And even nicer since we live 20 miles from town. But that doesn't count yet, as I still go to work in town. I just don't always feel like shopping after work. The beans in the store aren't as fresh though.

Keep up with the silly sayings now...everyone "jump in".

Here's a slightly more serious quandry I regularly face: side-dressing established plants.

I (think) I understand the concept, but how does it work when the roots are several inches beneath the plant? And what if I use the coated/slow-release fertilizer pellets?

I'm not advocating digging up my perennials each year to get the fertilizer under them, but I'm not convinced that sprinkling a bit of Osmocote around the base of the plant and scratching it in is doing much good for the poor things.

well, it sure did for my daylilies this year. they never bloomed so well. I was afraid of tearing roots, so I just barely worked it in enough so that it wouldn't run off.

Brook, I have a couple of quick-measuring things I use to estimate size: the tip of my index finger is about 1" (roughly), and including the next joint is roughly 2". I was just trying to give approximate sizes. I know I have read a few things saying "ha-penny size" and I have to figure out just how big is that? Half-dollars are much bigger than silver dollars (the newer Susan B. Anthony and gold dollars). Haven't seen an old silver dollar for many years, but my father is (was) a coin collector so I get to see a few uncommon things often.

I also use my hand (fingertip to wrist) to be 9", my foot is about a foot (11 3/4"), my cane is 3' (actually 35" but close enough). My favorite trowel is 12", my next-favorite is 11". How does everyone measure things without hauling a ruler out in the garden?

I also love the directions that tell us to "cover seeds lightly". With what? Lightbulbs?

"Gently firm soil" is a real oxymoron. What happens if you "firmly firm soil?" I hadn't realized there were different firmnesses (other than mattresses) ;D

Someone already talked about not watering from above; how about the good advice to "keep moisture away from plant". Does that mean to never water it? Not even when it is a withered stalk?

I think I'm going to follow Cala's advice for fertilizing my daylilies: manure. She used horse manure, but I have access to lots and lots of cow manure. So my plan is to wait until the plants go dormant this fall, then spread a thin layer of manure in between the plants, sprinkle on a decent layer of shredded leaves, and let it set for the winter. In the spring when the plants begin to grow, I'll re-cover the in-between spaces with a fresh layer of newspaper and pine needles. (I did that this summer, and they really kept the weeds out of the bed - I haven't spent more than an hour total weeding this bed, and it's 90 feet long, 30" wide.)

>I have a couple of quick-measuring things I use to estimate size: the tip of my index finger is about 1" (roughly), and including the next joint is roughly 2". I was just trying to give approximate sizes. <

I understood your intent. But your approximations were way off. Maybe it's time to remeasure your body?

First joint on my index finger is exactly 1 inch, and I can fit 1 1/2 dimes on it. The figures I gave above were all actually measurements, however, taken with a steel ruler.

Knowing those body measurements so you can approximate things is always a good idea. Others to include: the length of your normal stride; the distance from end of extended index finger to elbow joint, and the distance between your fully extended pinky tip and thumb tip.

For a precise measurement, a dollar bill is 2 1/2 x 6 inches, which provides an incredible ruler if you can do the math when necessary.

By the way, I always keep a metal tape measure in with my garden tools.

Just a thought: Generally, I think our planting depths are a bit different than warmer climes. I tend to plant seeds closer to the surface since our soil is so cool. Deep planting makes germination a long process.

When it comes to bulbs, I plant a bit shallow, as well...about the depth of the bulb. All our plants tend to keep their roots closer to the surface, including our trees... nature's way of keeping them warm, I guess. Mulch is a good idea in the winter (snow is a mulch) in order to avoid the freezing and thawing we get here, when plants can begin to push themselves upward exposing delicate root systems for the next cold spell.

Thought you might find this interesting.