Blooming Blues

All my blues from last year and this year.

Oh my goodness luvs!!! How stunning (runs through luvs yard nabbin' seeds). Blues in all flowers have really captured my attention this year - after buying one evovulus and a couple of Sentimental Blue platycodons (Balloon Flowers).

Your gallery is awesome, thank you for sharing!

~Sunny

Yes now, I think you should get your seed store oon ebay. Frank

Adding my appreciation here, too, for Luvsgrtdanes' MG blues. There are a lot of seed pods ripening on blue flowers in our garden Hineni - would you or anyone else like some seed? It might not be until October when they'll all be ready - possibly 22 kinds.

Off hand, it looks like a bumper crop of seed from Lobelia syphilitica (Darwin sent me a box stuffed with large root systems late last fall). This one's a good candidate for germination by winter-sowing.

I do include black-purples and red-purples and pale lavender or bluey lilacs in my definition of "blue". I have tons of Aquilegia 'Black Barlow' looking for homes, and the seedlings have been true to the parent so far - probably that would change if any other columbines should grow nearby - they cross easily - also worth trying the wintersowing germination method.

Arrrrrrr me Hearties (sorry it is still International Talk Like a Pirate Day) what is that flower, top row, second from left??? Made me eyes pop out when I saw dat one, Cap'n Ronnie!!! Arrrrrrrrrrr

Bilge Rat Joseph

Bilge Rat, I do believe it is a Joyce Cobb cross.
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/69511/index.html

Cap'n Ronnie!!!

Thanks, Ronnie, it's one I'm going to grow next year! Arrrrrr oops time to stow it.

Bluespiral - you have D-mail!

Thanks,
~Sunny

how did you send all those pics at once? would love to know, have plenty to show but can't figure out more than one pic at a time. ~ sherry

pics are truly beautiful, you must have been growing for a while. any pointers?

Thanks Sherry! I used Picasa, they have a thing that makes collages. Only tip you get from me is to LOVE morning glories LOL. I read and read about them and trade them whenever I can. I truly am an addict!!

luvsgrtdanes, could you talk a little bit about what kinds of support you use for your MGs; how you keep your vines from getting too muddled to identify ripened seed; what kind of materials (and source) you use to tag seed, if you do, etc.? With so many vines, you must have developed some techniques to use time efficiently - hinthint?

How many days before and/or after your last spring frost date do you start MG seeds? So far, one vine from 36 seeds of 'Double Blackie' has opened 6 flowers - the first not until about 5 days ago. Since I'm not sure I can ripen those seeds this late, I hope to overwinter cuttings of this vine indoors. Any advice on winter, indoor culture of MGs?

thanking you in advance

dmailed ya back, Hineni - I suspect blues are to me as MGs are to luvsgrtdanes

Bluespiral my so many ??? LOL
Keep in mind my picture is a combo of last season and this season. If you look close some of the flowers are the same kind just different shots.
I usually start mine directly in the ground or in pots about the beginning of June. I don't tag mine, I try to keep them far enough apart to have an idea what's what. I have a lot of fence that I grow them on and an arbor at my patio. I know mine cross and if I have some to trade I let them know that. I kind of like to see what comes from them. Some like the Sydney, Joyce Cobb, Blue silk and Suigetsu seem to stay true. My Sydney came back nicer this year than last by my standards anyway.

I over winter my Indica since it doesn't make seeds for me and it's not hardy here. I have grown BS in the house and it flowers like crazy. I start it early Jan. and just keep it on a trellis or spiral and by march I have flowers. Lots of Southern exposure on my window sill.

I would love to see a picture of you "double blackie"

Do you want some Joyce cobb seeds. I will be saving them and hopefully the blue silk. I think we are safe from frost for a bit yet. I may have a few Sydney left from last year. I have this one too. It also came back true for me. I call it split indigo. As it gets cooler it seems to get more feathery.

Luvsgrtdanes, that "Double Blackie" is worth a picture, but we live pretty simply and don't own a DC. The MGs have been staying open most of the day lately, and when DB stays open that long, those pale, fuchsia-infused, ivory "flutes" that make up the tube on the exterior move apart from each other into slightly separate columns. Tomorrow will have to stop everything and start rooting MG cuttings - I don't think the DB seed will ripen this year. Hopefully, rooted cuttings will get through the winter and I'll have cuttings from those - if not seed - to share. I hope you'll remind me to share some with you next spring.

I would love some of your MG seeds - don't give me too many, because our "sunny" space is limited. A lot of the property line is shaded, so this summer we shoehorned our MG bounty into the sunnier parts of the jungle with pairs of uprights and a crossbar. I'm going to get the bagged pods back to their originators (Emma and Ron) - I wasn't as successful with those as I wished - so would be happy to share some of the unbagged ones if there's enough - EmmaGrace's Yagurama was unbelievable with each blossom having different patterns and shadings from the next. Her Yojiro pale blues and pinks yielded a midnight blue with picotee and 1" of star tips in white with the lighter blue bleeding into them - mesmerizing. I'm running out of adjectives - Maisugata and Chocolate and Rose Silk also made for very enchanting mornings. Let me know if you'd like any unbagged seed from those - it'll be a small amount due to the late planting, ravenous woodchucks, etc.

Now maties - if we could just cross Joyce Cobb with Emma's Yagurama - luvsgrtdanes, since you're the one with lots of fence, howju like to give it a shot next summer? Maybe you could just mix 'em up on the fence for the bees' convenience?

Oh I'd love to cover my fence!!! Blue I'll dmail you about a trade.
Now maybe next year I will learn how to pollinate on my own!!

I've gotcha down on my list, luvsgrtdanes.

Great thanks!!!