What I am growing - how about you?

I am delighted to say I am growing some lovely new things this year, and more vines, some started already with the "sponge experiment" and they are doing well:
"Joyce Cobb" Morning glory, "Red Feathers' MG, Carolina Butterfly pea, and Ipomoea Rare ochracea MG, Blue silk MG, Sunrise Serenade MG, as well as some lovely morning glories I got from China, still translating some names on these. These started on 1-24-04 are up and nearly 5 inches already with true leaves.

They germinated in less than 18 hours with the sponge method, I am a firm believer in that method now!! I am getting ready to start some shrub and tree seeds this way as well, with hopes the results will be as promising.

Also growing Thunbergia battiscombei (cutting), Ipomoea indica (perennial blue dawn morning glory)(cutting), vigna caracalla (still alive and well from last years seeds), and this year I am trying asparagus from seed, and so far I have 3 germinated. I have lots more: shrubs, bushes, trees, vines, and of course perennials and annuals as well as veggies, will be starting veggies in next 2 weeks here, am keeping a nice record of them to see how well they all will do with sponge method.

What are you growing? and what method did you use this year?

You are one busy woman. I wish I had your energy and stamina.

I spent a couple hours last night cleaning some in the plant room. I may start some seeds in a couple weekds to a month. Mostly celosia seeds I got from Powell Gardens because I likely would not recognize them in the yarden and pull them up as weeds. Also some new cultivars of castor beans gathered from PG last fall. I have some poppy seeds I may try to start in pots that will desintagrate into the soil so I won't have to disturb the tap root during transplanting. I have some Senna seeds too that I want to put into trays soon.

I'm cutting back on the veggie gardens this year because we have so much canned stuff now that needs to be used. I'll do potatoes, onions, and garlic of course as well as some spinach.

Hoping to get more iris(I got at least 3 dozen rhizomes from MaryE last fall and have them started in large trays) and peonies planted. And PHLOX. I want a big bed of phlox someday. I have tried 3 times to get Orange Perfection phlox going to no avail. It is so frustrating. I would love to raise Lily of the Valley and Ajuga but they won't grow here. I've tried several times. I'm looking forward to all the new daylilies I brought home from Powell Gardens coming up in the spring. I don't expect blooms for a couple years. I only got tiny starts each of about 12 cultivars.

I handed my hubby my Henry Field wish list the other day and saw he was filling the order blank. A new Fiji apple, a Seckel pear, 3 Bosenberry plants, a patio blueberry, and maybe a Carolina Sweet Shrub. If we get it sent off in time we get to use the $20 gift certificate.

If I get all this done and maintain the current yarden and the beds at the cafe' where I work I will be as busy as I can manage.

leaflady: I love gardening and enjoy starting nearly everything from seed if I can, just to watch the process and delight in the miracle of it all!! My kids help out and they too get to see from seed to bloom, each year I pass out seeds of the Rose of Sharon "hamabo" to the kids in their classes, the teacher and i help them start them, and they are usually looking nice for send home for Mother's day, we grow them in little styrofoam cups with just a simple ziplock baggie covering them (of course, I always have PLENTY handy at home just in case some don't germinate for the kidders) you should see the smiles on their faces when they do take off, like "WOW - look what I grew!!". I hope that little project with the kids classmates gets them "wanting" to grow things. My daughter is 9, and some of her friends who spend the day with us, usually end up helping tend to my seedlings or seeds in one way or another, many a little girl has went home with a baggie of seeds for "her mother" to start. And when i have excess starts, I always share those too.

I started last year: sweetshrub, and am happy to say it is nearly 2 feet tall already, so with that one I was tickled to no end! and also the flowering quince, so far so good, our winters can be pretty brutal here at times, but was out walking this morning and everything is looking well.

I received ladyslippers awhile ago, and am anxiously awaiting to see if they are going to survive my winter again. I hope so, they are just beautiful!!

Have yourself a wonderful day!!
Laurrie

Gosh, I don't even know where to start. I already have lots of brug seedlings growing under lights and in need of being transplanted. Also have about 60 cannas from seed, cassia seedlings, Tacoma Stans seedlings and will start lots of MG's, castor beans, thunbergia vine, and the list goes on. I need to get my greenhouse opened up so I can grow stuff. The house is already full. We still have a veggie garden that is about 50 x 60 but this year it is going to shrink and the brugs will take a chunk of it. I'm growing some things for the Iowa Roundup too, and every little plant takes room. Can't wait for the snow to melt and the days to become warmer and longer.

I've growing almost everything in rockwool this year. I didn't have good luck with Oasis cubes and have not tried sponges. I was afraid they would need water more often than I would be able to give them. How often do you have to water the sponges Laurrie? I might have to give them a shot if I run out of Rockwool.

Shirley

Boy, I agree with Brugie. Where to start!
I am growing many of the things that I grew last year,
Thunbergia grandiflora blue & white, hibiscus, bougainvilla, Vigna caracallas, centrosema,bleeding heart vine, malva, thunbergia togoensis, and jasmines to name a few, and that does not even include all the wonderful hard to find Morning glories that Laurrie has so generously shared with me in previous years that I just cannot stop growing. You got me hooked on the MG train! LOL
New things I will be trying this year are holly flame pea (Chorizema), mandevilla laxa, 3 kinds of akebia if I can get the darn seeds to germinate! LOL, callacarpa, wintersweet, beautybush, dombeya & bananas.
I know I did not even make a dent in my list but I just cannot remember them all. And a ton of annuals.
I tried the sponge method for all the trees I started and was very pleased with the results. Still waiting on some to come up but overall, much faster then soil. Getting some mold though. That did surprise me considering how well I sterilized everything. Must have been carried on the seeds themselves.
I am doing my other seeds that need an early jump in a 96 cell tray using a heating pad underneath. I planted it sunday & already have sprouts. All the rest I will start outside as we have such a long growing season and things like the MG's don't need an early start here.
Anyone looking for anything I have listed, don't hesitate to ask for cuttings this summer or leftover seeds. If I have them I will share them. Laurrie taught me early on in our friendship the "pay it forward" system.
I am sooooo antsy for spring to get here. It is the same thing every winter. Can you imagine living in Hawaii or some other tropical place that gets summer nearly year around? Wonder what THEY look forward to? LOLOL
Oh, I almost forgot, Kathy (tree_climber)just sent me a link to some wonderful things called "vine poles". It even has instructions on how to make them, so that should help me pass the time till spring!
Happy gardening,
Donna

WOW you all are growing some lovelies!!

Brugie I sent you an email and am happy to share with you.

Pudgy he he, glad to know all those seeds are gonna bombard your little spot!! And remember - you CAN take make new plants from your morning glories "just in case" he he

OOps Brugie!! almost forgot to say I water the sponges just about 4 days apart, the little seed starter tray I started mine in with the clear lid does wonders, just watch and if the sponges are drying out, add more, just don't drown them :)

new things i'm growing this year are:
datura tatula, chamomiles (roman and german), clitoria ternatea, devil's backbone, oleander, crepe myrtle, hidden ginger, salt marshmallow, pennyroyal, lovage, avens, a bunch of different basil varieties, thai chile peppers, chives, cilantro, eyeball plant, horehound, and a bunch of other stuff i cant think of right now :)
i've got a whole bunch of stuff i'm growing from seeds... starting the garden over almost completely from scratch except for my rosemary, thyme, echinacea, and pineapple sage plants that have been here for about 4 years

Thanks Laurrie. For Everything!!

This year I am planning a bog garden and a shade garden and I am extending my herbaceous borders so I have alot of plants planned for this year. They include Epimediums ( a good friend gave me over a dozen varieties) erythroniums, muscaris, anenomes, many different grasses and carexes, irises for bog and dry conditions. More aquilegias, poppies, hardy geraniums, foxgloves (species types) cannas, lillies, many different bog type primulas, adlumias, new clematis, adenophoras, kniphofias......
I am really looking forward to growing new plants that I have never seen before!

psilo, how big is your bog garden. I have a small one that is jammed with plants, it is only about 7' x 10'. I love epimediums and have 6 or 7 varieties. I bought some erythroniums last fall and hope the come up. I tried them before and had no luck.


Brugie, my brug seedlings in the RW are looking good. I haven't planted any MG seeds yet, I feel too early for this area. I am planting 8 moonvine seeds this morning in RW cubes, they are soaked. I seem to plant a few every year and have a real problem getting them to bloom. Have you tried setting the sponges on soaker mat. I made some mats out the cheapest I could find poly blanket. Works good. My RW cubes are sitting on matting. I haven't tried sponges. Donna

Donna, I haven't tried soaker mats. I have everything for putting them on capillary matting, but it is all frozen in out in the greenhouse. Can't get the door open. I guess I didn't plan ahead very well this year. LOL!

Donna my bog garden is about 125 square metres. Last summer I dug and created a wildlife pond and extended the lining behind it for about another 10 feet thus making this area very wet too. The area that continues behind this is also very boggy and has standing water in it for much of the year. This is where my water voles live so I do not want to clear it all but instead make pockets for planting and encourage plants to seed around. As yet there arent many plants in it but hope to plant it with Irises, Primulas, Carexes, Brunnera, Rodgersia, Ligularias etc in the spring.

You are VERY welcome Brugie!!

OhioBreezy....Please advise what is the sponge method, sounds intriging, thanks.