Oops .... I guess it would help to actually post the photo, ey?!
I noticed that something is chewing the leaves a little. Perhaps the Great Southern White cats? Apparently they didn't like it cause the leaves are still there and not completely chewed down.
Mark & ardesia - I know, I know ..... I'm a baaad and neglectful crocosmia mother!
Yeah it makes a difference, in pots they need more care...................
If the pot is full, take the plant out and split it into maybe 4 bits............... then replant them in seperate pots, any compost will do as long as you mix in some fish blood and bone.
the thing about crocosmia is, they need lots of room to spread................ so if they get restricted in pots they often dont flower............... and if they do it not very much, thats when they need to be split........
Also while they are growing they need plenty of water......... especially in hot wather!
Everyone thinks they need full sun, but they dont..................... in fact they dont really like full sun!!!
They like a little bit of shade.............NOT full shade!!
Slugs and snails often chew the leaves.............
This message was edited Jan 20, 2007 1:15 PM
Thanks Mark for all the great advice! :-)
Now I have another question about these crocosmia...... is the Lucifer variety a thug? Is it invasive? That's my other concern. I don't want it taking over an entire garden bed if I decide to plant it in the ground. Which I am leary about. You are the crocosmia expert ..... do tell!
Well, in this country its not a thug!! But over there i wouldnt like to say............... best asking someone in your area that has some!! Or a local garden centre..............
But in my humble opini9on i wouldnt think its a thug!!
Yes, I am afraid it is a thug, but a controllable thug. Like I mentioned above, I pull (literally) them out each winter and there are still plenty in the ground.
I don't believe they do not like heat because it sure gets unbearably hot here and they seem to love it.
Mark, glad you are OK; the pictures we saw on the TV were horrifying.
Like i said, i dont know what they are like in your country...................... but here they arent a thug..........!!
Yes, it was pretty horrifying...................... few people lost their lives!
Guess we are gonna get more of this sort of weather with the affects of global warming..........
Mark and ardesia - Thanks for the info on Lucifer! I appreciate it. What do you both put around them to keep them from falling over and laying on the ground?
Mark - What happened in your area? I don't get U.K. weather news here. Did you have a tornado?
Becky, I grow mine next to a fence, so i just tie it to the fence............ If i didnt have the fence i would just use canes or wooden poles or in my case i have some fancy metal poles!!
Nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, wasnt a tornado, it was kind of a hurricane......................!!!!!!!!!!
Mark - So I could grow it against a trellis on my fence? What are you tying them up to the fence with? Sorry to ask sooooo many dumb questions, but I'm clueless still to many things when it comes to gardening.
So ya had a hurricane! Wow! Is that common where you are? How strong were the winds? I know hurricanes, let me tell ya! Not fun. Glad to hear that you didn't have much damage. Whew! Are supposed to get some more this season?
yes, of course, you can grow them anywhere!! I just tie them with grenn gardening string!!
Its ok, dont worry about it.................. we all gotta learn chuck!
Hurricanes arent that common really, but this last year or two we seem to be getting more and more wind and rain! The winds were about 80 - 90mph.............
No, didnt get too much damage, but you never know how much it weakens things until the next time it happens do you!...
I don't know if we are in for anymore or not............... its still windy, but not as bad.......
Becky, I use those metal concentric ring plant support thingies; I haven't a clue what they are called but people often use them for mums or other plants that fall over.
Googled "metal concentric ring plant support thingies" LOL..
With a few modifications, here is one I found...Might be handy to know about, even though local garden store might have them,,,
http://www.bestnest.com/bestnest/plant_supports.asp
LOL,Thanks, Deb! That is just what I was trying to explain. A friend gave me mine, she had bought them from one of those expensive garden catalogs and I later saw them at our local Lowe's.
Yw ardesia,
I have several kinds of plants that I anticipate maybe needing those on.. glad you compelled me to look up the different kinds are made.
Thx!
Thanks, ardesia for the heads up on the plant supports. I also saw they had plastic ties on the same website. I wish there was some place locally for me to get this stuff at. It frustrates me to order online and then have to wait for items. Sometimes they are backordered and that takes even longer. Oh well .... what's a crazy gardener to do! lol
whats a crazy gardener to do........................ Hmmmmmmmmmmm, Use string!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL
Mark - Won't the string strangle the plants as they grow bigger?
We get some pretty good winds here, too. I need something fairly sturdy to keep my taller plants and vines from blowing over.
Check for the plant supports at Lowe's. They are usually on a display with those green fiberglass poles that are used as stakes; it is near the door that goes from the outdoor plant area to the indoor section. So many Lowe's have a similar layout, perhaps yours is like mine.
Also, I use the small size plastic wire ties to support vines, etc. They never break and it is actually a pain to have to cut them when it's necessary to remove them. I have also found that light green velcro tape that sticks to itself to be very handy for quick tie ups. There is a roll of it in my garden apron at all times.
Ardesia, what section of the store to you find the green velcro tape?
Deborah♥
Hmmmm, I am not sure where I found that; it may have come from a private nursery. I just checked and although I have several rolls of it around the place, they have all been started and none of them still have a label. It comes in a roll, about 6" in diameter. The tape is about 1/2" wide and it sticks to itself really well.
Crafts stores sell velcro. Might want to check there or the sewing accessories dept. at Wally World.
I think I have a Lee Valley catalog lying around, I'll see if I can find some in there. Thank you for the tip!
Becky, I imagine you could use what is available in the craft stores and it would probably be less expensive but what I am using is specifically for plants and it is somewhat softer than the regular velcro. It is sort of velvety on one side and just a tiny bit rough o the other; amazingly, it sticks to itself quite well. It is a soft green color, like a tomato plant green.
I found some of the green velcro at HD on sale for less than $3 today, so picked that up along with some $.88 green painted bamboo sticks. I couldn't find the nicer plant props.
Lucky you, wish we had a HD around here.
ardesia - The velcro that I bought was the last one. They were on clearance. I wonder if they aren't making or carrying them at HD anymore. Strange. Perhaps they have it for sale online through HD? It's labeled - 45' Velcro reuseable plant tie. There is a website on the label - www.velcro.com/consumer.
While I was out doing yard work today, I planted some "Miss Saigon" Dutch Iris bulbs in with my bed of yellow daylilies in my backyard. Just across from that bed is the right corner of the bog garden. I have 5 Yellow African Iris plants in the corner bog bed. They have been there for over 2 years now and have never bloomed. Everytime I am out there, I warn them that if they don't bloom soon, they will be history! Bloom or die! I even fertilized them about a month ago with some blooming fertilizer to give them the benefit of doubt. So I glanced over and reminded them that their time is LIMITED! Ya better bloom soon or else! I was looking closely at them to see if there was any signs of flowers. Well ..... low and behold .... on one of them I see 3 stems with buds that are getting ready to bloom in the next couple of days! Whooo Hooo! I've never seen what the blooms look like, so this is exciting. I don't think the blooms are supposed to be fabulous or mind-blowing or anything like that, but if they bloom .... I promised them I would let them stay! So .... we'll see. ;-)
Those African Irises are everywhere here, they are so overused. Personally I don't like them, the flower is really little and the foliage gets all brown and scraggly looking in the summer. They definitely aren't mind-blowing lol.
Do you have any Siberian Irises? Those are mind-blowing!
fly_girl - Look up "Miss Saigon" Dutch Iris. http://www.vws-flowerbulbs.nl/flowerbulbs/varietyPopup.php?id=152 The photo on the packing is gorgeous! I thought they would look nice planted in with my lemon yellow daylilies. I love my daylilies, but felt some more color was needed in that bed, so I think the purple with yellow throats will look really nice!
This message was edited Jan 21, 2007 10:02 PM
Those are pretty, they'll look great! I love purple and yellow together.
Thanks! I love purple and yellow together, too! If they all bloom together, I'll take a photo so you can see how it looks. Should be very eye-catching! (I hope.)
Flygirl, I agree those African Iris are overused; they seem to be the new lirope around here.
Becky, those Dutch iris are lovely, take photos when they bloom and post them.
Also, that bed is so long, what are you going to usefor height? I don't remember if anyone mentioned it but my Bottlebrush seems happy in a boggy spot and it is evergreen and blooms on and off all year. Butterflies love this one too.
ardesia - Isn't Bottlebrush a tree? I do have a Powderpuff bush in another garden that is doing quite well. Do the Bottlebrush like moist soil that might be a flooded area in severe weather? I was thinking about using Canna for height. I don't want too much shade there because most bog plants (though not all) like full sun. Parts of the bog area are getting shade because of a large Oak tree that is in the middle of my backyard.
Edited to add:
How big does the Bottlebrush get? I know they are a favorite of hummers, butterflies, and bees! Hmmmm ......
This message was edited Jan 22, 2007 7:07 AM
Mine are about 10' tall and yes, it is a tree but it doesn't get too wide and the healthiest one I have is in a boggy spot. It is nice to have something for the butterflies in the winter. I love cannas and they certainly can add height but they can look pretty ratty in the winter in our zones where they don't completely die down. Not to mention how much dividing you will have to do each year; they will really spread in a moist spot.
Another plant the butterflies love is Bouvardia ternafolia. This one blooms almost 12 months a year for me. Mine is in a container but it definitely does better when it has a lot of water. I use a drip system and this one needed 3 emitters to stay happy so I think it prefers moist situations.
I have bottlebrush and it looks more like a bush here. I would say it is 8-9 feet tall and can be shaped.
ardesia and Karen - I'll have to look more into this tree/bush. Sound like it might be worth growing as a bush. :-) Thanks for giving me your own personal experience and information about it!
Bottlebrush is a must have for hummies & Bfs..
I got the one.. white one,
Bottlebrush Buckeye
Aesculus parviflora
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2606/index.html
and then the red one...
Red Buckeye,
Firecracker Plant
Aesculus pavia
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/1336/index.html
If you were to get one, get red..
I got mine at Easy Wildflowers.. http://www.easywildflowers.com/products.htm
>John there is the one I told you about where I sent an email to order some seeds and things,
and he just mailed the stuff to me with a bill enclosed. I wrote a check and sent it as soon as
I received the order. I like that down home trust in a company these days..
The plants came in great shape..I was happier than a lil pink pig in the mud!!
Deb
A different Bottlebrush, darn common names !!!!
This is the one I am talking about: http://www.floridagardener.com/pom/callistemon.htm
I have a couple of red ones and I just planted a pink one but I have not seen it bloom yet. This particular plant looks sort of thin because it had recently been hit with a falling branch from a huge old Pine. The poor Bottlebrush lost about 1/3 of it's branches.
The red is the one I have.
Deb - I have never seen your "Bottlebrush" before. Very pretty! Can it be grown as a bush?
ardesia and Karen - Yours is the Bottlebrush that I am familiar with. The only negative thing that I have heard about it is when it drops it's flowers, it makes a huge carpet of red all around the tree. A bit of a mess to clean up! I heard that the hummers, butterflies, and bees flock to the blooms! Karen - Yours is a tall bush? How does it look as a bush vs. as a tree? Does it cast heavy shade or light shade? I wonder how it would hold up in a hurricane?
I have a Powder Puff starter bush that I am planning to let grow into a "large" shrub. See photos at: http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/2313/index.html
My Powder Puff is doing well, so I don't know if I should plant a Bottlebrush in my backyard as well. I love my little Powder Puff bush. The bees are all over it, though I haven't seen any butterflies on it....but it is just a small bush currently. Maybe it needs to be a little bigger to attract the butterflies and possibly hummers?
This message was edited Jan 22, 2007 9:26 PM
