Bogless seed beds ....

Y'all know me .... I get so easily tickled growing and seeing flowers. First time in my life that I've had flower beds and lots of them. And I'm no Spring Chick!

As many of you know, I put garden beds around the inside perimeter of my backyard fence. All sections are roughly 4' X 6'. Many folks here on DG have been soooooooo generous with seeds and doing group seed swaps, that I was able to do 6 beds that size completely from seeds! I have never done a seed garden bed before and I am just in awe of how easy and amazing this is to do!

I thought I would show some photos of what those beds currently look like. Mind you, many are still baby plants, but most are starting to get their first blooms and I am totally stoked by it all! Maybe this will encourage other folks to give it a go with a seed bed! Ya just gotta try it if you've never done one...... the results are outstanding!!! Yee ha!

Another view.

The second photo above is the last bed I seeded. That was about a month ago, so it still looks rather bare.
Third photo.

Your butterflies are going to love you even more! Your yard will look even more goreous when it all fills in. That won't take long in your beautiful neck of the woods either. You've got a ready-made trellis going on with your fence too. Looks great!

Deborah

Fourth photo of my first ever Moonflower! I am soooo thrilled with all that has germinated and is now blooming! It's like Christmas morning when I check it out each day! :-) :-)

And looks like you've got cypress vine (edit to add cardinal ) coming up below it? Great pictures!

This message was edited Jun 7, 2007 8:39 PM

Thanks, Deborah! All these flower beds are an absolute FIRST for me! Most of the plants I have never seen in my life. LOL! Have I been sheltered or what???!!

I have been watching to see what the butterflies nectar from. They really seem to love the Zinnias. The Skippers are all over the garden. And I catch moths out there at night on the Nasturtiums, Four O'Clocks, and now probably the Moonflowers. What fun!!!

You'll now always have four'0clocks. They reseed themselves plus make huge tubers that you can move around. Not to mention with both Nasturtiums and four'oclocks, you've got natural bad bug repellents.

Very pretty Becky!!! Looks like your hard work paid off, love it!

This all started for me because of Hurricane Season 2004 when my community and home got pounded by not one but two hurricanes within a 3 week period. My family survived, so ....... There IS life after disaster! :-)

Thanks to Debnes, Paige, Cat, Rox, Don (love the Jacaranda and Plumeria plants), Mark (U.K.), Karen (the ginger is doing great!), Adrienne, and so many, many others here who shared seeds (& plants), given lots of encouragement, and tons of great advice! Y'all are amazing gardeners and butterfly lovers! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!

It's beautiful!

Thanks Deborah and Rox!

Deborah - You have good eyes! That is Cardinal and Cypress Vine that are BOTH growing along side the Moonflower vine! Many of my plants are for hummers too and I heard they like Cypress vine. I am still waiting to see the little birdies, but I will be ready for them when they show up! LOL!

Also Deborah.... I didn't know that the Nasturtiums and Four O'Clocks were natural bad bug repellents. I know the moths love em. That's cool if that is true. I hadn't heard that about either of those plants. Believe it or not.... all of them are in pots! Of course the 4 O'Clocks have rooted through the pots into the ground below. I haven't checked any of the pots, but I bet the tubers are HUGE!!! I'm afraid to look! lol The scent of those flowers are divine!!! I will always have 4 O'Clocks in my yard just because of the scent!

Debnes - You have to show us some current photos of your new seed beds, too! I want to see the latest growth!!!! And you too, Paige! You are the folks who I was inspired by!!!

Thanks, Snuzer29! :-)

I hope to harvest lots of different seeds this year to share with y'all! I'd love to spread the wealth and give back to all who have been so generous to me as well as anyone new to butterfly gardening!

Becky, here's a little background info on your natural bug repellents.
NASTURTIUMS: Planted as a barrier around veggies like tomotoes, radishes, cabbage, cucumbers and under fruit trees deters wooly aphids, whiteflies, squash bug, cucumber beetles.
FOUR-O'CLOCKS: Draw Japanese beetles like a magnet which then dine on the foliage. The foliage is pure poison to them and they die.

[HYPERLINK@www.ghorganics.com]


Deborah

Thanks, Deborah! Looks like the Nasturtiums are all around winners! They are a host plant for the White Butterflies and also protect other plants from bugs! Looks like I am going to have to plant more of them around my yard! :-)

This is the "before" photo of my yard. This is why I am so excited and absolutely THRILLED!!!

This message was edited Jun 7, 2007 9:08 PM

This message was edited Jun 8, 2007 2:19 PM

Me too cause I didn't know Nasturtiums were a host plant, or else I just totally forgot. Fixin' to find my seeds and plant more too!

Becky, do your Marigolds do okay throughout the summer? If I planted them now, they would be eaten up by red spider mites, I have to wait until about September.

Here is the photo of my backyard after the hurricanes and before my new garden beds .... what a miracle!

Here is a "before" photo of my front garden after the hurricanes.

Here is what it looks like now.

I refuse to get the window replaced. See the metal decor bars in the upper half-circle? The pressure from the tornadoes expanded the window and caused the metal bar to drop down. The window is still secure and water-proof, but no longer looks perfect. I want to keep it as a reminder of how quickly life can change when you least expect it. And I no longer think natural disasters won't happen here. Nothing is constant except change ..... enjoy every moment because ya never know what tomorrow will bring. :-)

This message was edited Jun 7, 2007 9:19 PM

Wow, it really did some damage! Did ya'll stay home or leave?

You've done a heck of a job getting it to wher it is now! Plus, you got a new vinyl fence, that's the silver lining isn't it? LOL

Rox - My marigolds do fine through the summer but start dying back in the Fall. Sometimes I re-seed with more marigolds and sometimes I use a different plant to replace them in the bed.

The photos above were after the 2nd hurricane hit us. It was tornadoes that did most of the damage. We paid extra out of our pocket for the vinyl fence. But it was worth it! And we didn't stay in the house during either hurricane Frances or Jeanne. Too dangerous. We got roof damage during both storms and other damage including the yard, fence, and lost all our Palm Trees. Which didn't break my heart. I was ready for a change in our yard!!! :-) :-) :-)

This message was edited Jun 7, 2007 10:37 PM

Becky, your beds are fabulous and a real testament to you making lemonade from 2 very nasty lemons. :-) I began last year to build flowerbeds all along my backyard fence. It was a lot of work, but every butterfly, moth, hummingbird, bumblebee, etc etc makes all the hard work worthwhile. I, too, am thankful of the knowledge (and friends) I have received from this group. Now I seem to spend every spare minute outside puttering around my backyard. It is addictive, isn't it??

Carla

Addictive ..... no. Compulsive .... YES!!!! LOL!

Thanks Carla for your kind compliment! :-) Photos of your garden beds now? I bet you have tons of blooms!!! :-)

Becky it is looking really wonderful

You asked for it, Becky! :-)

Here is what the southern part of my backyard looked like before. Pretty barren and unattractive -- one Bur Oak, a lovely pink Rose of Sharon, and a Possum Haw Holly. This is what it looked like early in 2006.

Carla

And here is what the area looked like in mid-April. The bare/dead spots are areas where I've killed the Bermuda grass and am getting ready to plug in St Augustine grass. The flowerbed is now full of Butterfly Bushes (4), Nemarosa Salvia, Bat Faced Cuphea, a Yaupon Holly, Blackfoot Daisies, Hardy Dianthus, 2 Coreopsis, Skullcap, and a Cerulea PassionFlower Vine growing up the trellis. This photo, which is very poor indeed, was taken when most things were still very small or hadn't yet been planted. I need to take another photo, showing the area's further progress. Yes, most of it is in profuse bloom right now and I am loving it.

Compulsive ... a much better word than addicted! :-)

Carla

Carla - Your new garden looks lovely! The tree is a beautiful place under which to plant a bf garden!!!! It looks so nice!!! I'd love to see a photo of the garden now all in bloom! If you take one, do post here. :-)

You have certainly got a lovely bogless garden now sweetie.........................

Hi Mark! Have you been busy working in your lovely garden? I hope everything is blooming and making you smile every time you walk outside into your yard! Has your Crocosmia garden been filmed yet? I hope we are able to see the video if it happens and gets posted on the internet. I have my fingers crossed!!! :-)

BECKY - wow ! Your beds look fantastic,,,, and thank-you for showing the before pictures... it's really amazing the work you have done. I love planting with seeds, too... plus it keeps the kids interested, they just pulled the first carrots out of the ground this week.

Thanks for sharing those great pictures.... I'm sure you're enjoying those blooms.

Hey Becky
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh yes, always workin on the garden........... Lots of things are starting to bloom right now......... ohhhhhhhhhh god you should see my Paeony Arctic Queen (i think its called)....... White Paeont anyway!! Gee it is sooooooooooooooo gorgeous!!
I will take some pics for you today!!
No, too early for crocosmia here at the moment.................... maybe next month they will begin to bloom, but August is the best month for them.
You will be the first to see the video, when it happens!!

Mr Crocosmia - I'm zone 8b as well... this is my first year for crocosmia, I planted about 40 bulbs... they are up, so I should expect flowers in August? They are lucifer, I'll try to branch out next year... should I be doing anything special for them right now?

Hiya Redtootsiepop

Lucifer flowers before any other crocosmia here in England............ so i would expect them to flower mid july. Depending when you planted them.
All you need to do is give them a sprinkle of fish blood and bone or bonemeal. Then just let them get on with it......... keep them watered quite well through the growing season.

Thank-you !! I believe I put in bonemeal when I put them in, (I planted in late March) but I'll give them another sprinkle. Oh, I can't WAIT!!!!!! Thanks again,
Tracy

Tracey
You are welcome................... don't overdo the bonemeal, one sprinkle will be enough for them.
Oh, if you planted them in late Mark, they should be out in flower come mid July ish.
Take a pic for us all to see when they are out............ if you don't mind.

Mark

okay, I'll just make sure to keep them watered when it gets dry... it's been a rainy weekend.
Can't wait to see them, and I will post ; Thanks again!!

BECKY!!! YOU got all that started with SEEDS you planted???? Holy cow... maybe I'd better get my lazy rear out there and spread some seeds whether plants are coming in the mail or not!!!

LATER.. there is DAYLIGHT out there and I'd better get with it!
Pat

Pat - Amazing, huh????

YOU have to have Milkweed in your garden! Got any seeds for it? If not, I have some to share with you. D-mail me!

Here's a site I always share with folks to learn what butterflies have been reportedly seen in your county:
http://www.butterfliesandmoths.org/map?dc=5036&_dcc=1&si=13

Though more are probably there that are also seen in surrounding counties!

Go for it, Pat! I love doing seed beds!!