What's Growing - Part 11

Dave...Have a few Black Beauties?? Beautiful!

Very nice July pictures, Dave. I'd love to have that view out my window. Instead, I have this.

Al, I've heard it said that you 'cheat' by posting plastic. Is that true? Those kids almost look real. I'm impressed. They're so cute too.

Thanks! Those are 2 of my more filled in spots. Of course, they never all get filled in because I keep starting new ones.

OOPS ! I forgot to post the view from my back window.

Nancy, That is a nice view!

Well, thanks, but I'd like to have all that room, and those trees, and large, flowing areas of tall flowers like in your picture. Actually, I should know better than to let impatiens have a sip of Miracle Grow. There are supposed to be two small azaleas and a small astilbe under there somewhere.

kayellen
Not sure if you are zone 5 or 6 but you can definitely take mums in pots in the garage for the winter. Not in the black plastic pots from a nursery though - they would dry out too much. Mums want good drainage, winter dampness and freezing weather will rot the crown and roots. I keep mine in various planters - mostly cement and then just carry them in the garage for the winter. Theya re usually soaking wet when I take them in from the fall rains. They need a little water in Dec or Jan, and then again in March. Not enough to make all the soil wet, just to moisten the roots a little. Maybe a I put a 1/2 to a full cup of water on depending on the planter size. When danger of frost is past you can take them outside.

the way to keep mums is to 1) plant the old fashioned hardy varieties like Mary Stoker or Clara Curtis, 2) plant small plants raised up a bit in spring so the roots really take hold ( Bluestone Perennials is a great source), or 3) you will improve the chances they winter over if they are in a protected place like in a bed next to the house where the ground doesn't freeze as hard.

The nursery I frequent most often grows their own mums from seed and I bought small plants from her in mid summer and planted them out - they are just now starting to bloom. Some make it every year and most don't - doesn't matter - they are good decoration in the fall. I think the yellow ones are the hardiest for some reason.

If you have mums that overwintered outside in a bed, you don't want to expose the new shoots coming from the crowns too early. If it frosts again you will lose the shoots, and sometimes the whole plant. So resist the temptation to uncover them.
That said, I planted out some of the hybrid mums I had in containers last fall and 2 of them made it through the winter.

I got Mary Stoker from Bluestone a couple years ago and that is a sleeper of a plant. It has the single daisy-like flowers in a straw yellow color that is hard to describe - almost shot through with a bronze or red. It has been completely hardy in my Zone 5b.

nap - at least your birdbath is tidy white!

Dave, here's a view of my entire backyard, taken in mid-July.

Alyrics, umm, not really. Next year I'm trying the 5 copper pennies trick.

What's the 5 copper pennies trick?

Dave, I have a little more garden space around the corner, too.

Five copper pennies in your BB is supposed to prevent algae. And DGers have attested to it. It does work, apparently. My husband says it's forms a slight electrical charge, or something, like a battery. But not enough to upset the birds.

Sorry, wrong pic.

I'm doing the penny thing tomorrow. I cannot keep my BB's clean and I get tired of hauling the hose out there to scrub.

Al, the little BigCity seedlings are coming along nicely. very cute.

Dave, glad you finally got those pics. and glad I have Black Beauty bulbs ordered for fall planting..yours are gorgeous.

Nancy, what a cute yard. and you have so much color packed in! you must spend a lot of time watering...you have so many great containers.

You shouldn't be surprised that I have a collage of the garden (at least, the best parts of it) from July. It was the best it has ever been this year. Thanks for the comments. Watering is something I did almost every evening. It was therapy.

beautiful ! I like the upper right corner picture. It really shows off your edging the hard design along with the perennials

Thanks. Every year we put down a few more blocks or dig out a little farther. And a few years ago I asked the neighbor if I could plant on their side by their house, since they never go back there anyway, and only in the corner. They said sure. This year we asked if we could expand. They said sure. So we're already thinking about what else we can do along their house.

And as for the patio stones, we intentionally used different sizes and different colors. Thought it would make it more interesting.

This message was edited Oct 1, 2006 10:42 PM

Nancy, very nice!!! you are a nice neighbor! I have a nice neighbor in one side... and the house on the other side has an absolutly amazing amount of sun and only grass... what a shame... I keep praying that they will plant something but my neighbor's wife basically does nothing outside, and the husband loves to drive his tractor lawn mower and smoke cigars.... sad picture...

Today I took some pictures before the rain got really hard... it was a lazy day...

Nancy, Your's ought to be titled "Making the most out of small spaces" Very pretty and very well tended!

Kassia, very nice. That is a lot of bloom for October.

Looks nice Nancy, you have a fair amount blooming yet don't you.
Yes I was cheating because I am not growing my kids - but at any given time one of them doesn't have any shoes that fit it seems.

these plants are a bit young I put in a my neighbors, but I like how this combo looks.

Al, That is nice but your neighbor told me you had nothing to do with it. You gotta stop faking those pictures. We accept you as you are, corny jokes and all.

Did someone say Cosmo's weren't photogenic??

They ARE photogenic, I think.

And thanks for the comments on my little garden. Al, the garden doesn't look so hot right now. Lots of black, you know what I mean? That was from July 22nd.

Kassia, I do try to be a good neighbor, but in this case it was purely self-oriented. They see what's there only when they mow the grass. Or when they are looking for their little daughter who visits me often. Oh, and I see you were being watched while you were out taking pictures!

Aly - Thank you for the information on the mums. I printed it out so that I don't forget - I'm good at that. Yes, I'll buy and plant every fall just to have that wonderful color for a while.

I loved the photos of your gardens everyone. Beautiful, all of them. The "lurker" was a nice surprise, too.

K

Nancy, yes Lilly was watching me... regardless of the reasons I still want you as a neighboor...

I love cosmos... great pictures...

Great pics everyone! My mums are perennial. I do know that some are considered annuals. Hey Al, you posting pictures of those cutout kids again??? He tries to hide that fact with those leaves blowing around.

Nancy, I loved the way you double up the edges (brick scallops) I think I am going to copy your idea if you don't mind...

Does anyone knows where I can get chimnee flue brick lining? I saw a posting for a container herb garden and I loved it... but I have no idea how and where to look for it... I did a google search but no luck!

Kassia, again great minds think alike. you must have seen the same posting I did. I found them at a real builder's supply. most of the 'Home Depot' type stores only have the metal flue liners, so I'd call ahead and ask for 'clay chimney flue liners'. they come 2' long, but different widths (i thing they had 8x8", 8x12" and 12x12" the guy thought I was nuts at first. by the time I left I think I had him convinced to start an herb garden. I got 6 of the 8x8 and 2 8x12, but I probably won't get them into the ground until spring now. I have 3 kinds of mint & 2 ornamental oreganos that I want to put in them (notorious spreaders)

Warning that this stuff is big & heavy. like a huge thick clay pot. and use gloves to handle it...the edge are pretty rough.

I got up close to this little critter today - isn't he cute.

Nap,
Your flowers are beautiful! And such a tidy yard.

Al,
The "squirrel" picture makes me need to ask.....you grow catnip and chew , don't you? And you share with Dave, I can tell.

Thank you everyone. This is such a complimentary group of people. I'm loving you all.

BigCitySquirrel? there MUST be real squirrels in Menasha. If there IS a Menasha. maybe that's a cardboard cutout,too. has anybody ever seen any of these 'neighbors' that Al plants these nice flowers for?

Yes, Al...he's very cute. (I think maybe we should humor him, guys)

gram ~a girl {backing away slowly}~

AL, he looks so, so, so..... furry. I think you should post him on the Wildlife Forum for genus and species confirmation

Hey Al, I just got closer to my neighbor's squirrel today... I think is the twin brother of the one you have... lol...

I haven't seen Chip and Dale latelly, and I am wondering where are they? Is this normal??? does that means winter will be really bad???

One of them is in my garage trying to eat sunflower seeds I am saving. My kids know I don't like squirrels so they had to buy me that.

I use to think Maine was a very safe place to live....having second thoughts on that now!
Last week we had a Tornado and a 30 car pile up on I-95. Last night we had a 4.2 Earthquake. The earthquake was in Bar Harbor, Maine. Acadia National Park took the brunt of the rumbling, large boulders came off the mountain and blocked roads, power was out and who knows what else! I'm packing as I write! LOL
Any good farming land out there for sale?

This message was edited Oct 3, 2006 7:58 AM

I saw that on the news this morning. Wow. Hope it's over! Oh, and Pixie, that was a good shot of the raindrops clinging to the tomato netting!

Those kids.

Pixie - are you ok? I would be in shock if that happened here. Be well.

Kassia or Grampappa, can you post the link to the container herb garden/chimney flue idea?

Thanks

Candis

Nap,
Are you still dreaming??? What tomato netting?? LOL

Aly,
I'm fine...never even felt it! LOL But Acadia National Park is one of the prettiest places in Maine. I didn't realize it until a few years ago, but people from as far away as Japan have not only heard of it but have come from Japan to visit!!! (I meet and talked to some, thats how I know this...it was an interesting conversation! Me trying to understand them and them trying to understand me, there was a lot of hand gestures and pointing going on!)


This message was edited Oct 3, 2006 8:25 AM