What's Growing - Part 8

Pixie, in Buffalo, the birds all wear boots. And tiny little earmuffs.

Nancy, sshhhhh you're giving away local secrets. I got him to take off the earmuffs for the pic...forgot the boots...

no nose warmers?

Oh sure, but not till January. (and it's okay, gram, I don't think she'll tell anyone)

Dave, Yes. I have a couple Tropical Hibiscus "Kona" and a new African annual "Red Shield". I got the Red Shield as seeds, the one I kept is over 5 feet tall now, no flowers yet. Maybe I started it too late. Very pretty crimson foliage.
Gram, I'm going to tag and keep all the mixed Dahlia seedlings. It will be interesting to see what they do next season as mature plants. I hope they don't get 5 feet tall like the Bishops Children.
Here is the Kona.
Andy P

Gram - that's a nice hummer pic! I see a few here now and then, but really only in migration.

Andy - I have been happy with my rebar stakes for dahlia, they're an investment really - I have a few dahlias over 6'

this is the best my camera can do on closeups - without a tripod LOL

Aren't those bees great? I had a bunch of Bluesette open and there was one with 3 bees on it or are they a yellowjacket? They aren't honey bees but I don't know my bees species

I need to pick up a couple tender hibiscus again. They bloom in my LR in January every year - its nice after the holidays are over to have some color. I just got tired of picking up debris and took a break from all houseplants for a couple years. My one exception is a variegated fig that I absolutely swear Messenger saved it. It was almost dead - only a few leaves and now it is so dense and full - hard to believe this was possible. I was reading a stock report on Eden Bioscience and they are exploring possibly selling the company because Messenger sales have been low.

I'm letting one pod of seeds ripen on each dahlia and maybe that will be a better way to go than all that fal-de-ral of me trying to keep them warm enough and in enough light to eye up. OMGosh I put a lot of time into that last year.And I think I am going to treat myself to a cold frame and take it from there.

Gram nice hummer pic!
Andy, nice hybiscus. I have 2, but both hardy ones.

In the garden all day Sunday. To the Dr. with poison ivy all over my arms, face, chest, on Tuesday. On prednisone now. I didn't see the PI that got me. I felt itchy on my wrist and scrubbed with Technu (Which has been a great find) but no help. I get PI 1 or 2 times/yr. usually in one spot, nothing like this. Any suggestions?

For Pixie:

Al you may be able to improve your closeups with a little post processing. Do you have PhotoShop?
The bee isn't bad, the hairy body always makes them look fuzzy.
Here is another color of the Candy Lily.
Andy P

Dave - I think you need to be more aggresive with your attempts to remove it if you get it that often.

Andy - I have Elements that I do a little bit in, but really most of my photos are good enough to use.


here's a full shot of 'Babylon Rose'

OK, Al. My shots need all the help they can get, lol. I really like the 'Unsharp mask' feature.
Andy P

al- that's a bumblebee. they always looked like little teddy bears to me. they are rather friendly too(for bees) when i was a kid we used to catch them in foxglove flowers and put them in a jar to watch. as long as your gentle they don't sting. we used to pet them... (we didn't have much to do...no cable/videogames) they nest in the ground and move every year. had a nest last year and spent hours watching them.

I have a lot of bumblebees here, they sleep on the flowers and I bug them to see what they do. Usually it's like 'go away I'm sleeping'.
Now when the yellowjackets sleep on the flowews I am not as nice. I do see some honey bees around now and then, and that darn green one I can't get a good photo of.

Andy - I tried the unsharp on this one - of course I didn't look how to use it first.

Andy ~ Kona is beautiful and the Candy Lily is really neat they way its colored and spotted!

Dave ~ Thanks for the Rose of Sharon photo, that looks like one of the ones I have growing but not blooming for some reason! Really pretty color, is it a big bush?

Al ~ Babylon Rose is really pretty! Looks to be a tall plant...how tall?

Here's my first Dahlia bloom...there are a dozen or more buds on the plants but I'll be lucky if the frost doesn't get em!

Yeah, pixie got a dahlia bloom! and it's purple! if one of them is blooming the rest can't be far behind. it's very pretty

Al, Babylon Rose is a beauty. nice to see the whole plant.

I need to get some of those candy lilies. they're neat.

Pixie - that is a nice purple one. I have LeBaron similar I think.
Babylon Rose is about 5'
I had flowers into November last year.

Pixie, I believe it's called bluebird its about 7 feet tall so far.
Dave

pixie, love it!!! purple is my favorite color. i have never tried dahlias. too much work, but that one might be worth it.

A Rose of Sharon 7 ft tall , 5 foot dahlia and bumble bee's the size of half dollars.......Geez, I feel like i'm looking at the land of the Jolly Green Giant! My corn and one lily are the only things taller than me in my gardens.

Pixie - great purple - thanks for sharing .

Guys I got the deal of the century today. I just said a few posts back I'm going to get myself a cold frame and raise my dahlias from seed. Guess what I fell onto today - oooo I'm so excited. I walked into a (what I call stupid gardencenter because they are just retail and the help doesn't know anything about plants) gardencenter and bought 3 portable 3 foot greenhouses for $9 each. I'll put them up on a table on the deck and let the fun begin come snow time. They're the kind that has a plastic zip up front. Yeah I know they won't last forever but for the price I got 2 for me and one for a Christmas gift.
That's pretty much espouses my Christmas shopping philosophy come to think of it - 2 for me, 1 for you, Ha!@

aly, who deserves a Christmas present more than you? let the dahlias begin!

pixie, i'm with you. everybody's got these super-size plants. I'm always looking for dwarf things. at least you have the room to grow big stuff. i figure if I grow smaller versions, not only will I have room for more plants, but it will make my garden look bigger LOL

gram

If you are interested in the Balloon Festival I found a link that tells you where and when they will in a state near you. This one takes place on Labor Day Weekend in New York.
New York State Festival of Balloons Danville, NY Website Gerri Waight email (585) 335-9470 Labor Day w/e
ooopps! Here's the website:http://www.balloonfiesta.com/Behind_The_Scenes/activities.php
http://www.balloonfiesta.com/Behind_The_Scenes/activities.php
edited to paste website again!

This message was edited Aug 25, 2006 7:32 AM

a mini glad...

progress of the little Mum plant that has me so amazed with the amount of buds on it. This little plant is going to be a gorgeous clump when its in full bloom!

Had a hummer come to my morning glories...caught the flower but not the hummer. He was too fast or I was too slow, which ever way you look at it, no hummer in the picture!

Grampapa - you little sweetheart - thanks for saying that, you made my day. I do deserve Christmas at the end of August!

Better keep me out of the garden centers, I'm getting dangerous. I just stopped in at my favorite clearance table and bought 9 really nice plants for $1 each.
I got
Campanula Blue Clips - gallon size
Campanula portenschlagiana - quart
Linum - the blue flax - dont' know the hardiness at my house but for a 1 spot.. quart
and something I've been wanting - 6 gallon pots of huge Lobelias in
Blue Fan
Burgundy Fan
Deep Rose
not the greatest pics at this website but if you know lobelias you'll get the idea
http://www.richfarmgarden.com/lobelia.html

This message was edited Aug 25, 2006 10:39 AM

Here are a few things from today

Bishop of Landaff
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d25/alyrics/BishopofLandaff8-25-06001.jpg

Bishop of York
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d25/alyrics/BishopofYork8-25-06001.jpg

Wizard of Oz
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d25/alyrics/WizardofOz8-25-06001.jpg

Lilium speciosum rubra and alba, with Lobelia cardinalis
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d25/alyrics/August25th06008.jpg

Clematis Betty Corning still going strong
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d25/alyrics/August25th06010.jpg

Lobelia and white impatiens
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d25/alyrics/August25th06009.jpg

Tangle of Lilium speciosum alba - and my garden hose
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d25/alyrics/August25th06007.jpg

boing! - alba pistol in your face
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d25/alyrics/August25th06006.jpg

Working on foliage combinations - and they keep reseeding
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d25/alyrics/August20th012.jpg

Aly, Very nice pics! I want flax too. Love that color.

Pixie, Maybe you don't have room for lots of really tall plants with your 18,000 daylilies!

Aly, I like the Bishop of York, are they all yellow?
Andy P

Andy - York is a wonderful pale golden straw color with hints of a reddish bronze. I could write the copy for it - eh? Yes - they are all yellow. And the foliage and stems are dark - almost a brownish purple

Aly ~ im in love with the wizard of oz!!!

Dave ~ Your right...if I had to many tall plants then I wouldn't be able to find my 18000 lilies.

Andrea - I like the Bishop's, Wizard looks nice too. Where's old stumpy LOL.

Your lillies look nice too. I have the flax, so far it has reseeded, it is in poor bare soil also.

Here is another cross between Bishops Children and Redskin.
It's more magenta than it looks here.
Andy P

Andy - that is awesome as I said before.

Al - are you supposed to plant flax in lean soil?

I had to look it up - I guess not, must have confused it with lavender. Anyway it does grow for me in hardpan clay.

Did I post this super red Barbarossa yet.

Both of those are beautiful...i'm still waiting for my second color dahlia!

I like Wizard too.

I went back up to pick favorites and I love everything! I have almost nothing blooming..new york asters are trying..

but I am getting tons of new stuff for next year...new daylilies from Oakes came today (it's pixie's fault, mom, honest, she made me). not only are the plants bee-u-ti-ful (3 fans, great roots), but they let me pick my own bonus plant...Janice Brown, a lovely light pink with a rose eye. got a bunch of stuff from Garden Crossings last week and was very unhappy with the quality of the plants (including a rotted iris that smelled when I opened the box and a clematis that was so dry it was crispy). I e-mailed and they are replacing my entire order. just hope they replace them with better stuff. at least their customer service is good.