I am thinking about one of those Robin, Mr. Clean will have a fit, but it only makes sense nowadays. I saw one installed on TV, This Old House, but it was humongous. Like the size of a semi trailer. I am ptryy sure it had filtration in it and they were using it for the water for the whole house. It was MEGABUCKS, so naturally Mr. Clean will be thinking that's what I want to put in.
Lea, I am still thinking about what I might have with that geranium. I assume I want something in the middle of the pot? With 3 geraniums around it? (I only have 3 geraniums.). That grass stuff -- Purple Majesty Millet would work, but it gets tall and ...it's just wrong. Upright Lantana would be perfect. My 2 seedlings would be overrun by those geraniums in no time, though.
What about a single Salvia 'Victoria? They get big and bushy and sort of tall. You can buy them for cheap if you didn't start them. Most of the things I have like that are bright red, and thogh I am not opposed to mixing purple and bright red, I don't actually know exaclty what color the burgundy is, and I don't really know what color the red is.
What about a Zinnia? Or is that too round along with the round flowers geraniums?
IN other words, I don't know. LOL!
Join Us! Seed Swap Seed Starting & Conversation #9
Fairy
>>Terese-shame on you!! I expect to see you in the Sept 1-
if you are doing another Co-Op and you dont see some of your 'pals' in there... do drop a DM to notify them [ME]
sometimes i rarely even click the forum itself, and only hit the threads in my "Watcher"
I just dont always have the time to go forum by forum to see what's new.
I've had another gal that will DM me for co-ops.
and Sept 1 being around Labor Day... i wont be home and internet up here in Wisc is spotty some times.
Terese
Okay this is totally off topic, but I can just picture all of us getting the men (the ones that aren't much help in the garden) together and making us gals a garden for a surprise. This is probably what would happen. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFAI38IxxVg
Terese, me too. I just forget to look. I have trouble keeping up with my marked threads. and sometimes it's a good thing that I dont' look LOL
Judy, just drop me a d-mail when you're going to be passing through. I'd really love to meet you & yours. Be glad to have lunch or something for you (depending on time of day). We can open our doors without worrying if things are clean if you don't mind a mess LOL
I was trying to put together a plan for all my pots and I'm having trouble making decisions, too. If I get closer to something I'll ask you all for help, too. I saw Suzy's mina lobata with cup and saucer vine (Cobaea scandens) in PF. I already have the c&s vine started and I planted the mina yesterday. So I think I'll do one of my 20" pots with a 6' obelisk with that combo. But that's the only decision I've made.
Meredith, too, too, funny!! and right on target LOL
hello everyone :)
lala, sorry to hear about your job....good luck to you in whatever new doors open for you :) In the news here all day they have been reporting on the fact that last month 80,000 people lost their jobs. That is alot of people!
I'm in a transition myself right now too. I lost my business of many years because of a large chain moving less than a mile down the road from mine. They are a super store and I just had medium size store that could not compete (sniff). All I can say is thank goodness for family, friends and gardening....
gosh, I really want a greenhouse now after seeing all the posts and photos!
our hostas are poking up now. Dryad I'm just in awe of your robust plants! Suzy, I'm still wondering myself on what I'll plant with the geraniums. It will be fun to see everyones arrangements this summer.
Gemini-I sowed inside in a jiffy thing-took 5 days for the platycodon
Terese I meant the sptember one, not Sept 1st, I would never do it on a holiday weekend too meny peeps out of town-sorry I have been busy!@! I am sure you all know about jordankittyjo and she has been beggin for some hibiscus for the memorial walk, so I am trying to get together a few peeps to do a SMALL co op to get her some neat ones....check it out-they look like the ones you ONLY see in Hawaii-need to be overwintered, but for the beauty of the flower-totally worth it!!!!
Forgot to mention I got our hummer feeders out and all washed up today and plan on getting them up and filled tomorrow :))))))
the hummers have already traveled through NJ!!!!
http://www.hummingbirds.net/map.html
sorry forgot the link:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/830846/
I would just be happy to have non soggy ground to work in!!:)
Diana, what a lousy thing. I so like shopping, even online, with smaller, personal stores. I just feel like someone really cares then.
I've got germination on some hostas, cannas, nasturtiums, pink lavender, golden marguerite (my mother's favorite cousin and best friend was named Marguerite). I looked over my spreadsheet today and I had exactly 100 different types of seeds planted in the house. DH wanted to know if I was going to do this every year, poor guy. I said I would probably not plant as many different things, but probably just as many plants. I will want to plant more of the things that work out best. Maybe tons of petunias for the front walk, for example. So he's not getting out of buying me that light cart LOL
Fairy, what do they mean by grafted hibiscus? how do you overwinter hibiscus? just curious about them, some are really lovely...I bet the hummers would love them!
Wind, That's a shame about your store. I'm sorry.
I was reading a mag about butterflies & hummingbiirds and they say a Heuchera flower has more nectar in it than a giant hibiscus.
I found out there are a lot more plants than I knew that will not bloom until the nights get shorter, starting June 20/21. Last year I knew the Rudbeckia hirta must on the list because they initiated bloom on June 22, but it turns out Mina lobata is o the list, too. A bunch of stuff was on there, but not necessarily common to sow by seed.
Gram, you will be a busy, busy girl this coming spring summer and into fall, I imagine LOL! God to know I will have you all to commiserate with when I am hungry, hurt, tired and sick of it all!
Meredith, That you-tube was awful! :)) Mr. Clean would not be in that group... those planters, and the fence itself were very crooked, and the patio wasn't level! LOL! I have to hire him to put up some trellis for me, isn't that mean? I have to pay for time & materials.
Suzy
Suzy, tell Mr. Clean the next job you'll be paying him to do is install a small cistern :->
So, I've got these wonderful poppies that I started months ago, and they're looking all happy and everything - can I put them outside in the little greenhouse? Is it too cold for them yet? I've also got to repot some bachelor buttons and start working them outside.
Went outside a bit today to do some weeding (you know, soil all damp and all that) and was just tickled pink to see my Cup Plants had come back:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1068/
The finches just LOVE this plant, so when it blooms in the fall it's just grand. They say it can be invasive - but that's from not paying attention to the pups it sends up as it expands each year - the finches love the seeds so much I have a feeling I'll be battling them from now on to get any for trading :)
And I really believe those fat and sassy plants I have is due to giving them a combination of that myco fungi fertilizer (Margaran, have you tried that with your transplants??), and some light fertilizing. I've messed up on watering on some plants (too much, of course) so I'm babying a few of them, like the darned geraniums...but for the most part they're hanging in there :) The only tray I'm having trouble with is the one I used those nasty square peat pots and the seeds that everyone sent me - it's been a week and a total of THREE seeds have sprouted out of an entire tray - hard as dickens to keep it the right moisture without getting all sorts of that nasty white stuff all over the surface. I'm gonna give it another week.....
Yep Meredith that's the kind of guys that I would end up with here, that was too funny, thanks for sharing! LOL
Sorry Fairy I don't do tropical hibiscus it would just hurt me too much to let them die in the winter, no light in the house! I just love them though and want them soo bad! If you plan on doing any seeds from them I hear you have to hand polinate and even then you may not get any or I would think about doing that :)
The hummers have already been around here too I think from the map, it hurts my old eyes lol, I haven't had time to get my feeders out yet and wanted to put the orieo feeder out two that I got last year but need to get a hanger for it so that may be too late for me :(
Well I didn't get any seeds for the cup and saucer vine this year and usually I try them every year but they never do much for me I'm trying to attract bats and that's what they do, we used to have a lot around but not anymore, my cousin was suppose to help me build a bat house but as usual he never did :(
Suzy, I don't think Purple majesty gets that tall in a pot and with other plants it may not anyway but not sure if it would go with the geraniums either. I think I'll just hit the garden center and see what's out there lol I'm not good at all putting plants together that's why I was asking you LOL But I do think purple and red go great together, depending on the shades.
Just think Robin, I have a cistern and can't find anyone that knows anything about it to get it to going just hoping this plumber I just met can help me out but if I need to buy another pressure tank I don't think it will happen! Too many of those expenses this year!
Oh, BTW I don't grow hardly anthing on that list that you had Suzy that you were wondering if they could be put outside right now except the scarlet milkweed that isn't hardy here and usually they don't germinate until late spring when it's warmer so I wouldn't put those out yet they like heat. And I have some Honeysuckle out there from a trade but it's not leafing out yet, not sure what kind it is have to wait until it blooms. I forgot I had it I got some raspberries in a trade and wondered what I planted by them LOL I was just in a planting frenzy last year like I will be AGAIN this year LOL
La, I have a 6 pack of namesia out and they seem to be doing fine but it hasn't really been that cold yet, well the other night it did get down to 30 but I'm not sure if they were out there then.
Dang I'm still trying to get caught up from not being on here the other day much LOL You all are making me pay then I get half way up and see something I want to chime in on then come all the way back to answer and lose my place, chill out people! LOL I just now found the post where Suzy said the cannas need more water than the geraniums and that is a looooong ways up! LOL I can just imagine how La felt LOL And Suzy I'll tell George you have more seeds for him and see what he says LOL
Robin my poppied that I have had planted for a while are coming up and apparently have been up a while so your perennial poppies should be alright. And if you are talking about the soil outside being 'damp' I don't want to hear it!!! LOL You mentioned the cup plant for finches and I had to go see if I planted some of those, I did :) Were those from you I don't have a name for who I got them from those were one of the first ones that I WS :) I like the idea that they are invasive for my bird garden too!
Wind I'm sorry about your store too, it's so hard to get started anymore! And I like the smaller stores too I go to those before the big box stores just to try and support them I know how it is when you're trying to make it a go on your own that happened with my plants :) Well that and dad lol
Terese, me too. I just forget to look. I have trouble keeping up with my marked threads.
Jan -- since i'm not at home, i am not spending as much time on line... though we currently are getting a signal in our unit... usually we have to go up to the club house .....
but late morning, i had 4 DM's [i dont get 4 in a week, much less a day] plus 25 threads in the "watcher"
by the time you reply and move on to the next, there were more posts.... took me over an hour just to get thru the "watched" threads.
I'll catch up on Monday.... but seems I've been making a mental list of things i have to do when i get home.... make list of Columbine seeds for the other thread, move containers... look things up, mail seeds.... yet the list goes on. I just hope i remember to do it all. Sometimes i email myself notes.... at home I use Post-It notes.
So, I'm not sure if this thread is where I'm posting my 'Specialty Perennial' updates, but I was sound asleep this morning and the phone range and it was Harvey (from Specialty) calling me to ask if I had received my order or not?! I was a bit groggy but told him 'no I had not', and he said I should have but there had been a mix up!?! No kidding! This guy is quick, isn't he?! So then he said he and Paul would send it out. I was asleep so I didn't make my tender offer for the biz on everyone's behalf, but when I follow up with him, I'll let you all know the answer. In the meantime, I hope I get my seeds. Of course, by now it's pretty much a moot point--getting the seeds in time to sow them for this season, that is.
There is so much rain here I think the hummers will bypass us for cheerier habitats. Although I think my hanging baskets of red geraniums look pretty attractive, in a hummingbird kind of way, that is. My neighbors think they are awful!
Lala--That is bad news about your job--and I hope things work out for you--I am not sure I could be so philosophical about it, but your positive attitude will no doubt bring everything to a good end. and, Wind, I am sorry about your store, too. I hate it when that happens since the small businesses make such a personal statement in a community.
Grampapa-- you have quite a long list of seeds under germination! Have you been a gardener for a long time? Anyway, you must have a huge garden...
LOL!, Tab, I think the red geraniums in baskets sound wonderful -- red geraniums couldn't be more traditional if you put white trim and black shutters on them, so why are they crabbing?
You said the only time to catch my boys was realllly early. Guess it's true. LOL!
On the Rudbeckia hirta 'Indian Summer' and 'Prairie Sun', there is no reason to start early with them because they won't bloom until the days get shorter. When you buy them in bloom in the spring, the greenhouse has grown them in natural light, gotten them up to size, then added additional light to get them to bloom. THEN they ship to the garden centers where they go back to the normal schedule.
They are counting on those blooms and any buds that are at a certain stage of development to tide the plant over until after solstice, when they really bloom. If one buys plants early, one will notice a lag, but will be so happy when they start blooming again that one can forget that little 2 or 3 week lapse of bloom.
Tomorrow is going to be a great day!!!!
Suzy
Sunday is going to be our great day 70 degrees and the sun is gonna shine!!! Yeah! It's suppose to be decent tomorrow but I'm going to try and get stuff done in here tomorrow, today was a waste only got 4 seed trays going and that was it, have 8 more to go but I can knock that out tomorrow and get my watering done downstairs and I'm outside slippin and a slidin on Sucday! 8^)))
Lea, What is a tray? Is it a flat? 15 or 18 pots, each a different variety? Or a tray of all one kind? If you did 4 trays of multiple items, then you did a LOT!
I planted some stuff today, some Violas I bought because I couldn't stand not having them. $1.88 for 6 and I bought 2 packs of 6. Somehow that seems cheap. LOL!!!!!!!! My soil is junk. It was a place where I had done a lasagne bed, and all the cheese is gone and I'm left with just the sticky noodles! My compost pile is now the size of a VW, but it's only brown leaves from llast fall. It won't heat up until we cut the grass, and we won't cut the grass until the sun comes out, and in the next 10 days it looks like 2 days of sun! I need that compost and I need it fast!
Poor Cinty is having their daffodil show tomorrow and the pickings are slim, at least with the local flowers. I think they are importing judges from Tennessee, though, who will at least try to fill up the benches.
My knees hurt, but I think it's from the damp cold and carrying these $#@! flats of seedlings upstairs to harden off, then downstairs to spend the night. I have about 12 I am hardening off now, not all flats, some are indivual pots, but still 12 trips, it is getting OLD! LOL! That probably should read, "I'm getting old."
Suzy
Good morning everyone!
Suzy - I'm glad I didn't have any tea in my mouth when I read "black shutters" for red geraniums - I would have had to take my laptop in for work to remove all the tea!! ROTFL!
Was down at my sis's a couple days ago (I know, I've probably said that a billion times) and she asked if I was ready for composted horse manure (2 years) - since she's now boarding brood mares (rather than being a nurse) she's discovered that she's wealthy in manure - LOL! Any of y'all who live close to Scottsburg and are interested in getting some nice composted HM let me know - she's just put in a few truckloads of gravel so they aren't as waterlogged as they had been. She's actually on the verge of calling someone to come and cart all of it away, and I asked her to just hold on a little longer until I could get bags down there and load up (I think I may do that tomorrow) and check with y'all to see if you wanted any. I'm going to beg her (and bribe with elephant ears and other things she loves) to keep a pile for me so I can use it at her place as well (I get to redo her back yard with her this year).
Guess what I found in bloom today? Trailing Lobelia. OK, all those brassicas are heading outside NOW...along with them poppies...just gotta remember to make sure they get watered :)
What about those petunias I have that are all fat and sassy - should I be working them outside now too?
Nearly done with Mom's taxes, after those I'll plant up a tray of seedlings and play with things for a bit, and then dive into Nora's taxes. Overcast this morning and in the low 30's - even had some fog!! But the barometer is promising a clear day, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Robin, I'd go ahead and put those poppies out to harden off. My wintersown poppies (several species) as well as the direct sown ones are up and getting true leaves, so they should be perfectly happy outside. Still a bit colder up there, so the little greenhouse at night for a couple of weeks would be a good idea. Congrats on the Lobelia bloom! Do those start fizzling when it gets hot? I love that intense blue.
Karen, the Rudbeckia you sent me are germinating!
Good grief, Suzy, my knees hurt just reading what you're doing! My roomie spent the weekend in Indy a couple of weeks ago, and was shocked how much colder it was there. The day he came home it was 20degrees warmer here!
Hi Neal - the lobelia is definitely a shade lover. The times I have trouble with it is when I forget to keep it watered - it's very picky about that - but it's a constant bloomer and that color blue in the shade is really something. If you keep it in the shade and watered properly it doesn't really fizzle in The Hots. I had a pot on a ladder last year (with a little fountain setup, I'll see if I can find a pic to post) and it was too far up the ladder, got too much sun. This year it will be lower on the ladder and the thunbergia will be a bit higher :)
It is surprising what 90 miles north will do to the weather, isn't it?? I noticed that when we moved down from Chicago to Indy - going from Zone 5a to 5b was more of a change than I realized it would be!
Oh, thats so good to know, Robin! I've only witnessed what I'm sure now was people not keeping them watered well enough and in too much sun. What a cute idea with the ladder! I'm sure my cats would wreak havoc with something like that, but I love the tower of green with a fountain.
Lemme tell ya - I did NOT anticipate the squirrels liking the ladder - LOL! I had to do some tricky arranging to make sure there was space for those little pests to run up and down without knocking all my plants off! We just love that fountain - Nora spotted the ladder on the side of the street on trash day, and drug it home for me - sure I would be able to do something with it :) This year I'm going to coat it with some poly stuff to make sure it doesn't rot. It's great fun to watch the birds land on the edge of the bottom pot and drink and bathe.
Wind-grafted is kinda like hybrid and to overwinter, you put them in a pot and right B4 the forecast calls for it to be 40*, you bring them inside. You cut them back after the leaves die back and then they go to sleep-put them in front of a window-they need some light, but not a ton. When the temps hit at least 40* again, put them back out and they wake up....that is what the site recommends....
Robin, the ladder/fountain is a stroke of genius. On your cup plants, just put a little net bag over the heads when they are about to go to seed. If you want them to be pretty, you can get the ones they use for weddings to put the rice or bird seed in. Then the finches can have theirs and you can save some for yourself.
tabasco I don't have nearly a BIG enough garden. I have no idea where I'm going to fit all this stuff. I'm doing a lot in containers. there were just so many new plants from the seed swaps that I wanted to try. and the perennials take 2 years, so I couldn't stand to wait until next year to try them. some of the slow growers I can leave in pots this year and plant them out next spring, I think.
OK, does anybody know about moss roses? I sowed the seeds in the pic on 3/20 and they germinated in 4 days, which I thought was great since the info I had said 14-21 days. and I had terrific germination. I have tons of tiny seedlings. but that's all. they still don't have any true leaves. It's 11 days and there's no change in them at all. the cotyledons are about 1/16". I'm thinking I should have started them in December?
I
you've reminded me that I planted some moss rose seeds and haven't seen any sprouts yet. How warm are you keeping them?
I'm also curious about hosta - I've got about 2 dozen little seedilngs, and after they sprouted they seem to be doing the same thing as the moss rose - not really growing, but not dying... I moved them up from the basement to my office, thinking they might like it a bit warmer, but it's not made that much of a difference.
For you hummingbird watchers, I see they are in Ohio and Indiana, so time to put out your feeders in Zone 6. Probably next week for zone 5. Here's an easy to read map of when to expect them:
http://www.rubythroat.org/images/MapRTHUSpringMigration01.jpg
About the red geraniums--my house has mauve paint trim (I know that is awful) and red baskets of flowers really clash with it. My neighborhood likes very mono-chromatic color schemes. Anyway, I don't know too many people who think mauve and red go together. Maybe I should put a sign out that says its a Hummingbird Science project or something.
Thanks for the offer of free horse manure! Sounds like a gardeners gold mine--wish I could take you up on it, dryad!
Cute little step ladder idea. I have some Lobelia in my wintersowing boxes and under lights--I'm excited now that I know they are shade lovers. Hope I get lots!
Yes, I was surprised to get the reminder that the daff show at the Cincy Zoo was this weekend. I have so few fancy daffs in bloom, I don't see how anyone could make up some of the 12 bloom entries--of course maybe they have cold frames or some way to protect them so they will grow. Last year it seemed like the daffs were gone before the Cincy show arrived.
Thanks for the tips on the Rudbeckia hirta. Makes me feel better about my late Specialty order.
And I forgot that heucheras were hummingbird and butterfly flowers. I wonder which varieties have the most nectar... I have lots of 'Purple Palace' though, and I haven't seen many hummers check them out when in bloom...
Do you know what is a nice plant for this time of year in zones 6/5? My hardy geraniums 'biokovo karmina'. I bought several from Bluestone a few years ago and edged the front walk with them. They have a pretty wine and green multicolored colored leaf and are spreading nicely among the white daffs and woodstock hyacinths making a pretty color echo in the border. One catalog said they are becoming very popular in England and soon to be popular here...I hope so. I see them in a lot of plant catalogs but haven't seen seed for them. Probably a hybrid, I guess. I divided mine last year.
Happy gardening today. Although it will take a bit of sunshine to dry up all the water around here so we can get into the garden without totally ruining the soil structure. Maybe I'll start more annuals today instead although I long to be outside.
You know, my old doctor once said 'Gardening wasn't excercise'. Can you imagine such a statement!? 0-:
Anyway, happy gardening this weekend! t.
My FIL keeps trying to tell me that gardening doesn't "count" as exercise, either... but he doesn't see the way I garden! I say anything that keeps me puffing away for 30 minutes at a time is great aerobic exercise. :-)
I've got those 'Biokovo' geraniums, too (also from Bluestone), and you're right, the spring foliage is great! I've also got a few clumps of Bergenia... I love the color (also burgundy leaves from fall to spring), but the thickness of the leaves still looks a little odd to me after several years! Nice contrast to the spring bulbs in that little bed, though.
Robin on the moss ross seeds I have a package here and it says 12-15 days at 68-77, I've always just put mine under lights inder the dome and they germinate but can't remember how long it took.
Your ladder is so cool! I could do something like that here I think everyone of our ladders are ready for a new job and I’ve been wanting one of those ladders that has all different ways to use it. I see your tumbler there too very nice :)
I’m putting my petunias and your alls lol outside today.
Nope Suzy not a lot, it was four seed trays, the day was just wasted, the neighbor wanted to borrow the truck and that took some time, she was over here about four different times, you know talking too much lol I talked to Beverly (my best friend) for about three hours on the phone, watered plants, got caught up on emails and dmails just junky stuff to keep me from getting the rest of my seed trays done :)
grampapa, I've always heard that you should just grow moss rose in stu because they grow so fast but when I've grown them downstairs they didn't seem to grow so fast, I haven't done them for a couple of years but I don't think I ever started mine until about now so they should be big enough when you go to set them out seems like they grow faster once they hit about an inch long.
I hope that everyone is having a blast getting their beds ready to sow. I am up to 176 WS containers and I am so happy with the results. Probably 90% of the containers have seedlings emerging so it looks like I am going to be real busy before long. I didn't WS any veggies other than the some of the early ones. With the flats that I have going inside and in the little greenhouse, I have a feeling that I am going to be begging friends for help when the transplanting gets into full swing. Either that or my garden is going to be full of little mounds of flowers everywhere.
I need help on sowing bronze fennel. I sowed some in my germination box and it looks like it is breaking its neck trying to come up. The same happened with some of my tomatoes. Maybe too much moisture? the basils look good and are ready to put under lights and also the zinnias have been pricked out. Some things are not working out so well. Anyway a lot of that is free seed that I got in a round robin so I'm using all this as a learning experience.
I walked the yard today to look for more sprouts and tell tale signs that some of the perennials are returning. Didn't see a lot of my 'premium' perennials sprouting out there, but I did notice that most of the plants I potted up and overwintered in the garage are starting to resprout and are bigger than ever. Now I wonder where I am going to put them all.
Thanks for reminding me to do something about the Bronze Fennel, Indynanny. And all of my herbs, for that matter.
Now that I've looked at my nice tomato seedlings, my germination box of mixed french lettuces, and all the fresh herbs, I've decided to go on a diet. I'm almost excited about it--those lettuces really look delicious! (-:
I'm taking a pure shot in the dark here - but it sounds like the soil may be too moist (but I'm not sure how that would affect sprouting - if it was too moist wouldn't they just rot?) - or you may have planted them a bit too deep. I've never tried bronze fennel, and haven't had that problem with the maters I've tried so far. How did you start your basil? I have some, but am not sure how to start it. (I'm sure it's in one of these threads! Perhaps I need to just do a bit of searching :> )
Naw, why search when we can answer, Drayd? Critter is the specialist, but heat and warmth are the keys for me. I put mine in a covered rubbermaid box over a floor heatduct and it sprouts in less than a week.
I actually cover most of my seeds with fine vermiculite, but I don't know that they need covering.
Bronze Fennell, now what is this, Veronica/Indynanny?? It's breaking its neck trying to come up? I'm not sure I understand that exactly. Does it look as if it's crooked over and won't emerge? Then pull some soil away from it, very gently and manipulate it. Don't try to unbend it, just pull the oil away so it can unbend on its own.
I didn't see my Fennel emerge last year because I Wsd it. It was just there. I need to check PFs because I thought it was a perennial, but if it's not, I need to sow some.
Tomatoes need heat. LOL! That is the sum total of what I know about them.
Well, today I made a termporary greenhouse on the drive way. First, DD and I lugged some old pieces of fencing and pallets onto the driveway. This is what the plants will sit on, so when it rains the cardboard boxes they are in won't be destroyed. Then we brought out two long folding tables for the ends. Then I laid a long board from the middle of one table to the middle of the other table. This board was about 12" wide and about 2" thick - and about 10 feet long. On top of this board I placed what looks like it should be the frame for some shelving; anyway, the point of this 2nd piece was to provide a higher centre point so that rain water will drain away rather than pool.
Two small boards crossed from one table to the next; each placed on either side of the broad board.
Finally, we cut this HUGE piece of heavy duty plastic (it was here when we came in 2002), The plastic is held in place with small brick on the back (little wind because the fence is only 2" behind) and by BIG cement blocks on the ends. Very heavy flats of hardy plants help keep the plastic taunt over the tables, while another long board will be used (along with heavy cement blocks) to keep the front of the plastic down at night and during cool days.
There is tons of room in this make-shift greenhouse. Besides the pallets/fence, there are large areas where plants in plastic trays or pots can sit. :-)
Of course, I will have to crawl in to water the plants. And I have laid down some platters of beer, just in case there are slugs!
Currently, I have put the zinnias (just emerging) and the geraniums in the mini-greenhouse. Tomorrow I will start the dahlia tubers and put them inside as well.
DH is not all the impressed; he thinks the backyard looks like hillbilly hell. But I figure, six weeks from now it will all come down, and the neighbours will be happy with all the free plants for the terrace :-)
If you have any advice to offer, please let me know; my mother grew geraniums in zone 5 and always put them outside in April only covering them if there was frost.
Can I put the canna lilies out? Latana? Or just hardy stuff, like marigolds, etc.?
I think it's a bit early for cannas, isn't it? Over on the canna co-op thread it sounds like everyone in zone 6 is potting theirs up and keeping inside on heat mats for a few weeks. I haven't received mine from the co-op yet.
I'm going to start more basil. I had a half dozen seeds germinate, but I think I need more!
And more parsley. I need lots for the swallowtails, but also I want to make tabouli--the middle eastern parsley salad--to go with grilled chicken and meat this summer. I think tabouli on my diet and will go well with the tomatoes I hope to grow.
I think we have trouble with our perennials rotting because the ground stays so moist/wet for so long here. Not a lot of snow cover, mostly rainy winter weather, and winter temps stay generally just above freezing so the garden is often soaked, even though it's raised and made up of (what I think is) premium planting mix. I noticed my climbing red rose came back again (I'm always surprised at this) and I have a clematis in a pot that I overwintered in the garage and I think I am going to plant it with the rose (like I've seen in the English garden books).
Tonight while we watch the NCAA basket ball games I'm going to go through my seed box and plant a few more packets. My sunflowers germinated this week. So did all my cerinthe. And my Cup and Saucer Vine is doing well. I'm surprised at that.
I put my hardy geraniums out the first of the week and so far it's only gotten to 30 once that I know about didn't phaze them a bit but they are in the little greenhouse :)
The way it's going I'm going to have to set up a couple more little gh for the back tomorrow when it's nice, well I have two set up already just have to find the covers. I wish I could set my tomatoes out there they are already fighting the lights LOL They will never make it until the last of April before I start hardening them off LOL I just started some more from grampapa, she was soo kind to send me a few more seeds lol
OMG I have two zinnias that I really need to start in here I better get to that, still I have so many seeds to start in here! I need to check Suzy's list out for last minute planting LOL Here's what I started yesterday and today:
Here's what I started yesterday and today in flowers:
muricata
artemis
kew blue
lion's ear
goat's beard
blue knoll
Hibiscus:
hardy pink
turn of the century
carafe bordeaux
crown jewels
red shield
The rest were veggies. I started 12 more seed trays :) So some of these plants downstairs NEED to get out! LOL
Veronica, I didn't notice what happened with my fennel either cause it was WS but do what Suzy said: pull some soil away from it, very gently and manipulate it. Don't try to unbend it, just pull the oil away so it can unbend on its own.
if it doesn't work I'll send you some more and you can WS it there's still time mine hasn't germinated outside yet and I've even sown it in the spring on the pic nick table after the last frost :) JLMK
Seandor, Tabasco was being polite, but I'm not gonna be: That greenhouse might be as hot as can be in the sun, but come nightfall or on a cloudy day, the Zinnia seeds that haven't germinated will rot, the Dahlias will rot, the Cannas will either rot or come to a complete and utter standstill and the Zinnias will get dampening off disease from the chill.
The geraniums and Lantana will probaly both be fine, as long as you ***don't overwater*** them. They are both prone to root rot or crown rot or somehting, and can only take the water in the hot summer. When it's cool, the soil especially, they just don't grow that fast.
I know yo have a bunch of seedlings...surely there are other things you could put out that can take the wide temperature fluctuations? Ya got any Petunias? ROTFLMAO!!!
Suzy