but, I have three Isabellas (all in a row) beginning to bloom right now. They all have lots of buds, but these are the first ones to greet me. The first is my Delisa cutting and the other two are from a purchased cutting that I ended up getting four plants out of! I am really pleased with them all!!!
#2
#3 -- there is another one that will be in bloom shortly...
Gretchen....how could you bore us? We asked to see your brugs when they bloom!!
Would you please share how you made 4 plants out of one cutting???
Gretchen, pictures never bore us. Bring tham on. LOL
Thank you both! Glad I took the pictures last night. We had a horrible storm this morning - 3/4" in 30 minutes and almost every brug is bent over. I wonder if they will straighten back up, or if they are toast???
Margie: It was a very large cutting that I sawed into 2 pieces, then I rooted offshoots as they became available. You just have to make sure there is a node in each section. I have several others that I got more than one plant out of a cutting: 3 Milk & Honey out of one "stick", 2 Jean Pascos, etc.
Here's what they look like after the darn storm, I'll be just sick if they don't straighten up:
Here's another one:
They will straighten up, it just might take a little time. Sure is a different picture this morning compared to yesterday. Be happy that they bent...otherwise they would have snapped.
Thanks Shirley! As long as they don't rot, I figured they'd survive. I would've hated it though had they snapped, as that would've been the end of blooming potential for these babies this year. I'll tell you, I am just sick of this crazy weather!!! I hope you have a blessed day :) Gretchen
I'm with you, Gretchen. Our backyard looks like a swimming pool again this morning. Pretty soon the mosquitoes are going to carry off our house.
Not bored here! Can't get enough as a matter of fact-until mine start (only onw bloom so far) I get full with everyone else's pictures!
You's never bore me with blooms, keep them coming. I'm sure they'll straighten up.Occasionally I've found one of mine doubled right over from lack of water (bad brug mom) but it comes back.
Linda
Well, thank you ladies. All but the three largest ones are starting to straighten up. Its still yucky here though. Sylvia, this is the pits!
Gretchen, all my brugs are supported with rods. They are long enough that I also can support the tops in a sling.
I LOVE your photos, Gretchen!!!! If there is anyone that is bored, they will get over it or move to another forum. Please keep the pics coming!!
Monika - do you have a picture of the sling? I need to install longer rebar and make slings for the taller ones. I have an idea in my mind, just not quite sure if I'm on your wavelength.
Thanks Sherry, you are too kind!!!
Gretchen, I have pictures of it. I will look for them.
Gretchen...this is a photo from monikas book (hope you don't mind me posting it monika!)
Edited to say, that I would strongly recommend monikas book to anyone growing brugs. There is alot of info. on the care and feeding of brugs!
This message was edited Jun 22, 2004 4:32 PM
I dont mind picturelady. This is a young plant but the old trees and shrubs are supported in the same way.
Great pictures. Keep on posting. I can NEVER get enough of garden pictures.
Monika and Margie: Thank you! I went to the hardware store this afternoon and purchased more rebar and ended up doing something very similar to that to 15 of the big ones -- I am pooped! But they're all straightened up now, and hopefully won't get damaged the next time we have a storm :).
Monika: am I correct to assume that once they Y, they will get no taller? If that's the case, many of my seedlings will not end up tall enough to be allee trees, however they'll be pretty bushes LOL! Thank you all again!!!
And, thanks Datdog, you're a sweetie!
Gretchen, I wonder why they are shorter than normal??? I just walked my garden and I have three or four new seedlings that have Y'd and three of them are only about two ft. tall. One is 3 ft. Very short for seedlings. One is an Inca Sun cross and I kind of expected it to not be as tall, but 2 ft. is really short.
Shirley: About half of mine y'd at 3' and most of the rest are about 5'. I expected them to be much taller before that happened. Must've bee the fertilizer I was feeding... Go figure...
Well, here they are. All restaked and seemingly no worse for the wear. We won't talk about their keeper though LOL!
Last year almost all of mine Y'd at around 5-6 ft with a couple of them that didn't do it until over six foot. I'm using the same fertilizer this year that I used last year. Maybe it has something to do with what the cross is or maybe all the rain we have had...........I need to blame something on the rain besides it just encouraging more weeds to grow.
Brugie & Kaufmann, et al: Do you think, in order to grow taller trees, that a zone 8a grower should winter the brugs in the ground, so that the 'die back' will cause the new growth to grow out really tall, before they Y????? Does that make sense??? Several of the new growth branches on my brug wintered outside, that died back, is now 7 feet tall, without a Y and they are straight and very healthy. SherryLike
I found this interesting...the other Isabellas bloom white on their first night, but this one blooms pink from the time it begins to open:
That's a good point Sherry! I'll find out first hand next year, since these are staying out. I also find it interesting that these Isabella cuttings are larger than some of my seedlings...
Gosh Gretchen....your work amazes me...you hop right to it!! Where do you get all of your energy, girl??? What is your secret, I would like to try some of it!
BTW...what did you use to tie the branches with?
The key to getting a tree when you overwinter them in the ground is to cut all the shoots except the strongest one, and allow it to become a tree. Otherwise, I think you'd end up with a bush.
Ooooooh, Gretchen, all the more reason to have an Isabella!! I hope mine does that...
Beautiful bloom! I don't have one of these....yet !!! It looks so nice and dark!
Oooohhh, they are really gorgeous blooms, in my opinion. Sherry, I'll be happy to share a cutting with you in the Fall, if you can wait that long. Just remind me, my mind is not what it used to be!!!
Margie, I don't know. I do know that they were worrying me, and I have that philosphy of no time like the present. Guess it was just the way I was raised. My Dad's a real high energy person too. Anyway, I was hoping to prevent them from retaining a crooked shape. Dunno if it worked or not, but time will tell. Gretchen :)
Margie: I posted on top of you. Its a nice deep pink. Similar to a Frosty but a little "bluer". I really do like this one. And, you too are welcome to a cutting this Fall if you'd like.
Gretechen....Sherry already has Isabelle...it was me that doesn't! I will try and remember to write you in the fall...as a matter of fact I will write myself a note and tie a string around my finger, so I won't forget ! You did mean to say that to me, right?! Margie
Margie: I put you on my calendar -- yes, of course I was writing to you :)
This is what I need to do to my Rosamond, Rosabelle and several others real soon.
Gretchen, when you have a chance, and I cannot imagine when that might be with all you have tackled, would you tell me about the stakes you have on some of your brugs. Looks like an iron stake (or is that rebarb??) with that green florist or some kinda gentle tape. What I don't understand is about the tape or green stuff, it's so straight that it looks like it could be some kind of wire. Also, do you stake them to keep them straight or do you stake them to prevent, or try to prevent storm and wind damage??? And, finally, why are some double staked???
Sherry: All are staked, just some you can't see because the stakes are now too short and need to be replaced. The staking initially was so they would grow straight. For the 1st 2 months in the ground we had a constant wind from SE blowing 15-20 miles per hour and they were beginning to grow at an angle, hence the stakes which are steel rebar tied with green colored natural jute. The biggest ones were all re-done yesterday due to storm damage they sustained on Monday night (some of the stakes weren't tall enough to support the Y). In order to get the Y properly supported on a couple of the Isabellas, I had to use two stakes, as the plants were completely bent over (see some of the photos above). The stakes are not very attractive, however I'll take looking at those over losing these babies that I've spent so much time on. Once they reach their mature height, I'll take the sawsall and cut the rebar off at the top so it'll be less obtrusive, 'cause this rebar is driven 18" in the ground and isn't coming out easily.
This particular one, I thought was a goner. She was completely bent over, and at best she would've ended up with a big crook in her stalk, so I did the best I could to straighten her out, and also tied up her "pup" which was lying on the ground. This was taken a few minutes ago -- they are looking much improved today:
Some of my seedlings that were started 1/28/04. Look at all the buds:
