What's Growing - Part 10

Al,
My cosmo's are almost done but I love the darker colors now it's cooler.

For some reasom I can't post pics.....got to be my PC.

This message was edited Sep 25, 2006 5:33 PM

Anita & Aly....your welcome, hope you enjoy!

OK..try one more time.....
This is the yellow HH turning pink.

This message was edited Sep 25, 2006 5:46 PM

cosmos

a very intent bee

Hi, 1tjl, former lurker. I've only been hanging around here since spring and I act like I own the place. make yourself t'home.

pixie, that hh is really pretty. a lot of things are deeper color with the cooler weather, but that one kind of blushed.

my NY aster Wood's Pink is now out of hiding. 3 plants..looks like a hedge. you can still see the purple behind it. so I'm going to move the poor little purple guys out in the spring (there's 3 of them back there). what should I put behind the asters, which are about 16" tall? behind that are my ruby giant coneflowers. like to stick with the pink/purple, but white would be ok. I have shasta daisies off to the left, but maybe I should get another variety to put in there. hoping for better ideas from you guys, though.

"Autumn Blaze" blooming today.

oooh, hey pix, how tall do those cosmos get? they're so nice and airy, and they self seed, right? might be a nice contrast to that solid wall of asters that are just foliage all summer

Those cosmos are about 5ft.- 6ft. tall, some over my head(im 5' 4")
Thats a huge beautiful mound!
Another Glad opened today, really trying to push the season!

And a mini Glad in the mist of the corn stalks....not sure how it got there!

green peppers still growing in the garden.

Gram - I'll get back to you later

Cosmos are about 5' for Sensation mix. I have saved Double Click seeds if anyone is interested, although I was a little less than impressed.



disclaimer: I know this picture is blurry

here's a new one for me I forgot about, my Toad Lily - Miyasaki? hybrid.

Al,
Thanks for posting that...mine didn't come up this year. I miss it.
Another busy bee.

Pix - I'll get a better shot later - I gave up after 20!

My 8 year old son wanted to take a pic(in the sun), his was fine and he thought it was funny all mine were blurry.

Thank you all for the welcome. I have planted cosmos and hope that they self seed for next year. They are so pretty and have thrived in my rock garden area. Gram, I like that Wood 's Pink aster. Bluestone carries it. It will be on my list for next spring. I grew Aster Frikartii this year and it has had blooms since July.It is a pretty lavender color. Nap, I think I will try leaving the glads in and see how they do. First time I ever planted them was this year. Do you mulch them for the winter?

I have been counted both outside and inside the 15 so I have a special perspective.
As an "insider", this is really a very hospitable group that is open to offerings from every level of gardener.
As an "outsider", you insiders are a stuck-up and snobby bunch! ;^)

I really only mean the former!

To the question of how winter was spent on this forum, I remember laughing a lot.
Dave

This message was edited Sep 25, 2006 7:09 PM

Al, give your son the camera. Just point at what you want photographed. Nice picture
Little bigcityal!!

1tjl...Welcome, were all nuts here and it will only get worse as winter sets in. Got any silk flowers? Yes...then you'll fit right in and you can compete with Dave!

Gram~ It is a soft blush to the HH..I like it, 2 colors on one plant. What more could I ask for? Here's another shot.

I have silk flowers and some silk butterflies too. Al, that is also pretty aster. What kind is it? You son took a nice picture.

It's Sept. 25 and this is what I found in my flower bed today, a bit unusual to have a bud on it now. It's an oriental bulb that I planted this spring, I had given up on it growing this year. I don't think I'll see it bloom, very unlikely, but I might get lucky!

Dave, we only seem stuck up and snobby because we don't know who's out there. Once they put their foot in the door, they're treated nicely. We can't love what we can't see. (except for God, that is)

Tjl, I should have asked if you have a basement. That's where the warmth comes from. Otherwise, those poor little glads get cold and then they're not so.....I have to say it...glad! I don't even mulch mine. Maybe they would be gladder if I did though.

Kassia, what questions have been left unanswered? Any?

Pixie, I adore that bee close-up. Really. I have no problem with bees.

Nap, I do have a basement.I'll give it a try. This is also south side of house and has sun most of day. An experiment for winter. I'll let you all know how I make out keeping glads in the ground. But I will also try mulch to be safe. I'm glad to have one less thing to bring in.

Tj - that aster is 'Alert' fairly newer one, sometimes looks pink - sometimes more lavender - I am confused.


Gram - well certainly for a pink aster you can't beat Alma Potschke, I have mine growing through a peony cage - works great. For other pink or purple different plants I guess you would need to be more specific with your dislikes and bloom time and so forth.

Thank you Al, My list grows. Im looking for more fall color and like the bright colors you and gram have with the pink in those asters.

Al ~ This is my aster "Jenny"

and my mum that i thought was done blooming is hanging in there.

pixie - That's a beautiful mum! When do you stop cutting them back during the summer? I'm never sure and think I stop too soon. Mine are kinda' loose and floppy. Thanks, kay

Just wanted to add that I just read an article on glads and think I'm going to ditch mine and start over again next year. The new corms are just too small to bloom next year and I don't have the patience to wait another year.

This message was edited Sep 25, 2006 9:52 PM

Kay.....Long story. Here's the short version. Was in a pot last fall I decided to see if I could save it over winter in the mudroom. Didn't water it all winter, left it alone...come spring stuck it in front of a window, trimmed it, gave it water and you know what it looks like now. Thats it...honest.

Hi folks, I gotta jump in here...our local paper says to cut mums back several times, up to around the 4th of July, and mine still droop...:(

Dave....you REALLY count (oh wait, you've got to stop raising both hands).

Al & everybody, what I'm looking for is something shorter than the Ruby Giant coneflower (30" or so), and taller than the pink aster (16").....so something 2 foot'ish, summer bloomer, jul-aug, into sept if possible. ideal would be something that would start blooming with the coneflower, help cover the ugly stems, provide something of a show above the green of the asters, and possibly even keep blooming after the asters started. got that deep ruby pink on the coneflower and the medium pink on the aster. so I'm thinking deep purple, pale purple or white, even a pale pink, but that might be overdoing the pink. yellow's nice, but I have a lot of yellow in my pink/purple garden already. I have a couple of gaura and lamb's ear in front of the asters.

ALL SUGGESTIONS WELCOME

ps. I really like Alma, but I don't need another aster right now. toad lily is cool

Pixie, you could stick an empty jar or something over your lily to protect it if you're expecting a frost, if you have something tall enough...make it a tent with a plastic bag. depends on how bad you want to see it open ;-)......your mini glad looks like an orchid..pretty.

Hi everyone... just came back from school about hour ago... you know I had to play with Lilly (my shitzu) and bother my poor turtles... they love to sleep on the heater... they are such a funny little bunch... they just started eating...

anyway, it took me some time to read all the posts since this afternoon...

thanks for the answers... I will cut all the leaves on the gladiolas and just leave them in a pot under my porch, is not going to get any snow but it's still outside... is that what I am supposed to do right? I had about 20 planted and only one yellow bloom for the entire summer... I was sad because I wanted to see humminbirds... no luck!

this is Lilly ...you guys need to see her...

she is 8 years old and like me she has diabetes... and her eyes look weird... cataracts(pardon my spelling) ... anyway, next time you guys take a picture of your pets, make sure you take at least one in which you don't fix the red eye thing... this way you can check the retina.... to be honest red eyes on pictures are a good thing... is a good sign that the fundus (back part of the eye) is healthy ( in people is the same...)

and these are my turtles: I don't have names for them yet... don't know what their gender... anyway I think I am going to name 3 of them with names like Datura, Coreopsis, Cosmos, Wild Senna... any plant name that can be used for male and female...

I love Cosmos... I didn't think they reseed... I am ready to by a pound of seeds and try... I am not very lucky with seeds... but I got some this year from a strange mix I got at the Christmas tree shop...

A little better picture... I think...

Kassia, I wasn't sure if you were asking about collecting seeds or how to put your perennial garden to bed. If it was the latter,I'd recommend that, unless something will look good dead for the winter (coneflower seed heads, certain grasses), cut it down close to the ground to help avoid disease and clean up mess.
Dave

I just read that dahlia tubors should not be stored below 50 degrees (use your basement not your garage) Do you agree Al?

well, I have some perenials in the front 2 purple cone flowers , 2 black eye susans, 2 shasta daisy, 2 foxgloves (pink, purple), 3 hollyhocks (Pink), datura (annual white) painter's pallete, liatris, and ofcourse some minin roses... I have basically 2 of each.... I want just to make sure they come back, but I also want to get more of these plants...

Gram I like using the custom search at Bluestone athttp://www.bluestoneperennials.com/b/bp/index.html This program at Bluestone lets you put in time of bloom, height of plant and by color with many choices given to find possible choices for your garden. They are a top 30 on DG and I have had great luck ordering from them. Perhaps you'll find something. This is one of my favorite sites.
Kassia, you dog is cute.She looks like she wants to play in your picture.

Here is a good site about storing Dahlia tubers - if you google 'storing Dahlia tubers' you migh find others as well.

I think my garage can hit 50 sometimes during the winter but if they are consistently held at 50 you have to make sure its dry. My understanding is that anything above freezing - but in the 35-50 range would be best. Of course if its too dry they will dessicate - so pick your poison!

I had good luck last year wrapping my tubers using the Saran wrap method ( yes I own Saran Wrap stock and one day hope to retire on the gains I earn because Al and Poochella utilize and recommend vast amounts of plastic wrap to everyone who will listen. )

I then rolled them in bubble wrap, put in a box lined with newspaper and set the box inside a wheelbarrow - not down on the floor where its colder, then covered with a blanket. My garage freezes but this kept them toasty.

Its tricky knowing when to unwrap. I lost some tubers because in 1-2 weeks time spring broke and the garage warmed up. The tubers must sense when its time to wake up and if they are encased in plastic they can begin to rot. I think this year I will just make a point of checking on them as the weather consistently is above freezing. This year I will be potting up much earlier also - but plan to use Poochella's plastic bag method to encourage the eyes to bud out - ( see what I mean - notice a thread here? hmm hmm hmmm? )

I hope to have more success this year and I'm game for giving it another shot. Its fun to have this project when there is really nothing else to do in the garden EXCEPT WINTERSOW!! Hee hee.
I WS'd dahlias last year and had a wonderful time. 1 hot tip tho. Do not put a flat of dahlia seedlings on the floor of your garage that apparently has a mouse even if it is going to freeze that night outside. Said mouse will eat all the available greens you have offered up in the Dahlia Bar, smack his lips and write a note asking for Garlic Expressions Salad Dressing next time.

Aly ~ Your funny! But I bet the mouse was very happy.
I have only been successful once storing dahlia's. I have had to buy new dahlia's every year but one out of the last 3 years. I am willing to try everything and anything!! I think i will divide mine up and store them several different ways this year. If any make it through the winter then I will adopt that storing process. Or i could just mail them to Al, have him store them for me! LOL

I can see it now 'BigCityAl's Dahlia Storage Barn'. I wonder what my mother used to do with hers. She lived in an apartment, no basement or garage. and I know she didn't buy new ones every year...she never actually 'bought' anything.

tjl, thanks for the tip on Bluestone. I use their site all the time, but I'm usually looking for something specific, not looking for suggestions. I'll give it a try.