I'm not sure on the zins although my guess is no. Don't they grow from one main stem? I think you just pinch the ones that branch out. Hopefully some one will come along soon who knows for sure *cough* Suzy *cough* Tuink *cough.....
Join Us! Seed Swap Seed Starting & Conversation #10
For those who are kicking some hardier seedlings outside to make room under the lights... There's an article on hardening off today... :-)
The only thing I'm good about pinching are herbs! I'm too chicken to pinch the tops off most flowers, even when people assure me it's for the best. I did pinch a lot of morning glories last year, though, because they were getting out of control inside... they still got out of control, so I can just imagine if I hadn't pinched them!
I have a few basil seedlings that are about ready to pinch... yum!!
GOOD LORD! No wonder you couldn't figure out those planter instructions! LOL! I can't even figure them out, and I wrote them!
You have a round container, basket or pot. In it, you will plant a quantity of 2 plants of 3 different kinds. They will be placed in a big circle like the face of a clock looking down.
Plant A - 12:00 and 6:00
Plant B - 2:00 and 8:00
Plant C - 4:00 and 10:00
I assumed they were one plant in the middle, and three plants around it, and then stick some stuff where there are gaps...and mine never looked right.
Lea, instead of a heater, what about a fan down the basement? Would that work? You can feel the damp, and it makes it feel colder to you , so the fan would be uncomfortable for you, but plants don't work that way (I don't think) because they don't have skin or a circulatory system.
Yes, pinch the Zinnias -- pinch low. it forms a Y. let those grow a couple of leaves, and pinch each of them, too. Yes, it delays bloom, but you won't have a single 48" stem leaning and arching over to the ground when they flowers get so heavy.
Petunias...Last year I had Tidal Wave, and it was sooo pretty, and I didn't pinch. It grew and grew and grew and grew and I had long strands that wre over 5 feet long threading their way through everything. The one planted in the garden looked good, backed up by a yew, it just started climbing it like a Nasturtium. The baskets I had them in -- planters on legs -- didn't far so well. Each strand looked like stringy hair on an aging rock star. Not pretty. I am going to pinch this year, but not sure that's the right answer because I haven't done it before.
I'm pinching everything this year. The things I don't know about are: Ipomopsis, and Hibiscus Texas Red Star. Anybody know about them?
My garden was very flat last year -- I wonder if I need a couple chimney flues in there to sort of give it some ooomph!?
Well rain today -- Lea, My back hurts when I work outside LOL! I am out of shape and I'll just get back in shape when the heat will come along and I'll stop with the exercise, then I have to start all over in the late summer. My mom, well, she is fine, but being a little whiney.
Suzy
Critter, Have you heard me talk about the Tracy DeSabioa-Aust book called _The Well-Tended Garden?_ It talks about pruning and pinching all kinds of plants, and is one everybody here shoukld read...get it from your local library.
One plant she specifically talks about is Monarda. When it gets about 10-14" tall, she wants us to take some hedge clippers and just cut it in half (cut the top off). This is what she says it takes to grow that plant without it falling over (splitting in the middle and it all falling outward) and smothering everything below it.
YooHoo! Did the Salvia Viridis come from the Fresh Seed Swap or from the Swa-Op -- can anyone recall?
I have a question about it's height. Does it really only grow no taller than 2ft????
Ack! That does sound harsh... but if it keeps Monarda from flopping like that, then I'm all for it. That's probably a book that I need, but I doubt I'd follow through like I should... I don't even deadhead well... Martha S. would fling up her hands in horror/dismay and run from my garden.
I have become a chopper of the floppers. I did my shastas last year and my ....oh darn it, I can't remember what they're called. They look like a mini sunflower but there is an abundance of tblooms all the way up the stalks. Anyway, they'll get 6'-8' tall, and even with staking they still droop. So I've become a chopper, and I usually do it when they reach about 1/2 their height. I've not done the monarda, but thanks for the thought.
Chop-chop.
LOL @ "chopper of the floppers"
I did chop my butterfly bush this year, quite severely. I hope it forgives me! It's never really looked good, so this was a last resort sort of thing... either pruning will improve it, or it will be replaced! (Hear that, Mr. Buddlea?!)
I chopped mine down to 12 inches last year, Critter. They were magnificent in August :-)
I am still waiting for signs of life from mine...Lea, is your butterfly bush showing signs of life yet?
I also have Caryopteris...it *is* showing signs of life, but I have no idea where to cut.
Suzy
I got the clock layout now :) half a day later! takes things long to sink in, thank you! It is so absolutely gorgeous out and I'm stuck at my desk studying, but I have all the windows open for some air and put out some of the seedlings for some real sun today! Weez's blue poppies are coming up in the ws containers today!
critter you're funny, I think MS would run like that from my gardens too! I can't believe your basil is pinchable already! I have your purple peppers sun bathing now...I love the leaves, I'll have to take a photo and post it
wrightie, don't have any salvia viridis here....do have amaranthus viridis from ansonfan. Are you sure it is salvia viridis?
Thanks, Wind! Yep I believe that it is salvia viridis - only because it is blooming (mix of pink and blue) under my lights right now and sure looks like salvia and that's what my label said. I'll have to dig through my seed stash to find the original packet, if I've even still got it.
I really want to plant some TALL blue & pink flavors of salvia this year, but I don't think that I have any seeds that meet that description (how is that even possible with my mountain o' seeds?). I was hoping that someone here would tell me that it will actually grow to three or four feet. =)
oh yeah....now I remember getting it but I think that was one of the few things I sent back in the second chance swap, now that you mention the three colors. I didn't want all three colors. Don't ask me why because I'm sure they will be just beautiful. I hope yours bloom like you want.
The weather forecast is calling for "strong storms" tonight with possible large hail. I have one of those greenhouses, but I don't know if it can stand up to "large hail". That is, if it doesn't blow over in the "strong winds".
I have my geraniums planted out, but I think I'd better bring them in or get them under cover somwhow...thinking about where they can go.
Suzy
No forecast for hail here - but plenty of rain for Saturday.
Thanks for the tip on chopping to make flopping a non issue!! You guys are so great-a wealth of info!!
Got me some boxes today and some more bubble wrap and raded a neighbor for newspaper and bought ten shower curtains from dollar store so hope between all that the plants wil make it.
Suzy. Don't pinch your texas Star. Is this your first year for it? Just let it grow and do it's own thing and if ya have a bunch growing don't be surprised if ya see strangers hangign aroudn to find out if your growing weed and I dont mean weed in the yard as in dandelion. LOL
U get buzzed form the sky police when they all growing up tryign to figure out what I have growing.
If they in their secodn year just cut back to one inch from bottom and they wil branch out from there.
Forget who asked abotu pinchign Zinnas. nope dont do it. They cannt handle pinches.
Starlight, I wonder then if I should be cutting back my Hibiscus syriacus this year. They are 1 year old seedlings, just straight little sticks starting to get swelling leaf buds on them. Treat them like Texas Star, do you think?
Suzy-That book sounds GREAT! I think you recommended it on the co-op?? I put it on my Amazon wishlist for when the money starts rolling in. We don't have any problems with floppy monardas here, maybe the longer season there makes them floppy? Do you like how I am talking in questions? I was visiting Carol's thread and posted a pic of the bed I was able to work on today, so if this repeats for some of you ...sorry, but I'm cuttin' and pastin' lol! My daffs are JUST peaking their tips up(as in-still lots of snow!) , but I have more ground showing, so I was able to do a little bit of gardening on some beds close to the house on the south side. Patchwork clean-up! The bed in this pic is the one I was able to do some work on-as you can see it has become a little overgrown. At the end of last season I took out half of the cutleaf rudbeckia (tall yellow flower) It just spreads and spreads.....and I put in some plume poppy(which is also a spreader, but as with any spreader, I'm promising myself to stay ahead of it!lol!)The bed has a has been taken over by oregano, which I started pulling out end of last season and I pulled some of the beastie runners today! Then there are the siberian iris and the daylilies! ugh!-Robin-are we talkin' shoemaker's children or what- this bed is UNTENDED!
Suzy-caryopteris roots are winter hardy to Zone 5, but top growth is only reliably hardy to Zone 7, so they do better being cut WAY back-they flower on new wood and they will be bushier even if you don't have a lot of dieback. Treat it like a woody perennial.
Our buddleia is the same-root hardy, but is cut back like a perennial because the top is not hardy.
I can't keep up here with all the seeds to tend to! LOL!
grampapa
Thosse flu tile planters are geogeous!!! Do you buy the flu tile from HD or Lowe's or where?
Read all about grampapa's chimney flues and how she designed that garden here: http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/520/
:-)
My texas star doesn't come out of the stems but then I always cut them down, haven't done it yet this year and no leaves are coming out? I always just cut the dead sticks should I not? I'm growing some new ones this year don't want to mess them up!
Suzy, don't pinch your TS, the leaves come from the stalk and the flowers come from the leaves. I really don't think you can pinch it, you can check mine out when you get here. My butterfly bushes are just now getting some leaves on them. I have that book and I love it but I hardly ever cut plants back, just don’t get around to it, I have done better this year with some but no time to read LOL I’ve got the fan and the heater both going the heater is to try and dry some of the air out. My tomatoes are sick :( They have never looked this bad!
I have a tub outside and grew morning glories next to it and found two sprouts in the tub today!
I'm 5'4" and my texas star gets so tall I cannot reach the top to grab the seeds! I bet it is 8' tall, I planted some white with it and another TS cause they need something with them, I planted some lobelia at the bottom of them need to put something else there too but I'm trying to decide what, it has to be like 3' and take part sun. I'm sure I probably have something around here lol
Suzy, glad your mom is doing alright :) And on the back thing I can’t stand for very long anymore and transplant, I noticed it last year, now if I keep planting anyway I get sick to my stomach! I’m getting old! Lol
Kath, I’m having a hard time keeping up too! LOL It’s either transplant, plant jugs, work outside or be on here LOL Not counting visiting my friend, and went to see one of dad’s friends today that is pretty bad off, the neighbor took her kitty today, she’s my side kick when I’m working outside, she’s having babies any day now. I’ll miss her!
Suzy my little gh aren’t as big as yours but I put old rugs on top of mine maybe you can put something on top of it of course it probably won’t help you tonite. I saw those storms coming that way they are going to be here tomorrow nite :( I hope you don’t have any tornados they look pretty strong!
Hmm, 3 feet tall, part sun... how about Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra, aka "Not-chocolate-daisy" if you got seeds from me before it was actually identified. It'll take full sun, too... drought tolerant... blooms nonstop all summer until frost... even blooms first year from winter sown seed!
I agree, Critter, those heliopsis are splendid and can stand a lot of hardship! Very reliable!
As var as salvia viridis is concerned, I grew it last year and it's really cheery. Just over knee height though......
One that you should NEVER pinch is monkshood (aconitum) because it won't flower that year if you do! Just found out the hard way...
Lots of fruit trees/shrubs in the edible garden are now starting to blossom. That's quite early and there not many (bumble)bees yet. Could become problematic!
On the good side, they're both weedfree now and sowing can start on saturday!
This message was edited Apr 11, 2008 7:41 AM
Star, Thanks for the pinching tip on the TRS Hibiscus.
Star & Lea, What would happen if I planted 20 Texas Red Star hibiscuses together, about 6" apart? That was sort of my plan. or maybe 7 inches or 8 inches. Then facing them down I could have some bushy Zinnias or bushy red Four OClocks or bushy 24" dahilas? (This is for my red bed).
We were talking about pinching on the other thread -- Tuinkabouter said not to pinch Aconitum.
I covered all my WS pots, even though they germinated and it's not cold, I don't want them to float away in all the rain!
I'm not sure I could hoist a rug up there Lea...It's not that big, but it's pretty tall, and I'm not sure i could get it evely distributed over the top without help. All the rugs I have would be very heavy when they got wet...are you sure it's a rug and not a carpet piece? LOL! I don't mean to sound anal about it, but carpet is usually made of nylon that doesn't absorb as much water as cotton (which is what I was thinking of) We're forecasted to have wind gusts up to 40 mph, the geraniums are covered and inside the greenhouse.
If you all could see my little pots and the gigantic seedlings in them (not gigantic like Dryads; mine have 30 big seedlings in one little 3" pot!) I was really counting on being able to plant them out next Monday, but the weather might not cooperate. I cannot take the time to transplant them to their own pot for a week and then plant them out...that would be a waste of time.
Maybe I'd better go look at that forecast just one more time to see if maybe they've changed their minds about the cold. LOL!
Edited to add: Tuink, we posted at the same time, or you posted when I was typing and I didn't see yours. Congrats on the Sat sowing.
Update: Aurgh! Sunday night and Monday night are the cold ones...then it will be GORGEOUS and SUNNY for the next 4 days: Tuesday is my day with my mom; Wed, Thurs, Fri is the Daffodil Show, and I'm show chairman...I gotta be there almost the whole time.
Life is cruel!
Suzy
Suzy
This message was edited Apr 11, 2008 2:49 AM
Suzy.... I never cut back my Rose of Sharon, it is a tree, the Hibiscus syriacus. They branch out on their own and there leaves come from off last years branches.
I have about 300 texas Star red and about 50 white here. Had bought som enew batteries yesterday to tak epics of the Texas star and the rose of sharon and a bit not happy cuz the batteries are abotu dead they won't work my camera. That what i get for buying dollar store batteries i guess. Goign to waklmart this morning and wil get some more.
The TSH not gonna stat on sending it's new leave sup til the temps are high. I also go through after cuttign my last year growth back to about one inch above dirt and put a teaspoon of osmocote on the side of the pot to jump start the roots. Takes them awhile to wake up and start converting energies from the roots to makign new vegative growth and if you buried your TSH roots too deep it takes em longer to get the new shoots to come up. Usually they start as tiny hard looking buds aroudn the crown of the plant. let me go see what I got that might have some batteries still in it I cna nab for my camera.
Thanks, all, for the pinching help. Suzy, I have the Tracy D-A book, great book but it's perennials. I'm mostly stumped on the annuals.
My Texas Red Star babies are doing well. don't know what I'll do with the extras. Do you plant more than one together?? I'll be doing good to find room for one. I just planted some red/white/blue tall phlox from the co-op. maybe I'll put one behind those.
New babies yesterday: cowslip primrose, clustered bellflower, German catchfly, Hypericum androsaemum (a shrub-size St John's Wort) and Gaillardia 'Golden Goblin'. I have 3 gaillardias going now. Also 'Fanfare' and 'Kobold'. Even if they don't come true, I should have some nice plants.
Her ya go raided batteries. Gonan be a bunch of pics but maybe ya cna see then. First couple are the TSH how I cut them back and you cna see where new babies starting to come out. These are from seeds planted last fall.
Grampapa-is that the St John's from me?? I am curious to know success rates on those-I love my bush-the prettiest flowers!! Also, I do beleive the GG comes true from seed...
here the Black and Blue Salvia ya aked about. Alot of other hibiscus like hardy ones and tropics that are not trees I cut back too .
You cna see a Luna Hibiscus that was cut back of winter branches and now it going crazy
here a closer up of the shoots coming from the base of the stem for your new growth.
Now somebody asked about putting abunch of TSH together. I have a friend who has a bunch of them together and they beautiful. She has the red and has some beautiful blue flowers with them and I gave her some white TSh last year and they going in the group so she wil have a flag. : )
If ya want to make a group, you need to plant them babies at least the width of a three gallon container apart. They get massive root systems real fast. They may look a bit puny while they start, but wont take but ayear or two for them to fill that area out and fast.
Can anybody tell me what the scientific name of this plant is. I only know it as a fan flower. The flowers bloom off the branches and they tiny blue ones and look like only half a flower that somebody took pincing sheers to the top of.
It's a Scaevola, most probably microcarpa.....
Morning all 8^)
Use an old sheet Suzy, that wouldn’t be as heavy and it would give you some protection from the hail, my little rugs are cotton but I just put them on there because my gh stay under the gutters and the rain just pours on them, keeps the plastic from bursting. I hope you didn’t get any hail last night, how was the storm? It wasn’t that bad here last night, I turned all of my lights off last night just in case and I guess they will be off tonite cause our storms are suppose to be pretty bad tonite.
I think that would be quite a show where you are planting your TS and I just have mine planted about 6” apart and there are about 6 or 8 plants together, one plant only spreads about 8 or ten inches, maybe not that big, I don’t think they will be too crowded might be wrong but I’ve had this one TS planted for about four yrs. now.
Aw critter, I didn’t get any of those "Not-chocolate-daisy", that’s a shame. I probably have something around here, I’ve got about 150 pots outside besides what I’ve sowed this year! I’ll find something LOL I think I have some seeds sown for summer sun or ox eye heliopsis if they aren’t sown I have some seed somewhere I’ll have to look for them, they would grow there.
I’m thinking we have in the 30’s like Thursday next week then I’m putting my tomatoes outside! They are already fighting the lights anyway maybe just the ones that are too tall for the lights and keep the others in here then if we have a cold snap I’ll put them in a cardboard box with the bubble wrap, I hate fighting these tomatoes and the way they look they will be better off outside anyway, I’m afraid they will die in here I have a few that are losing their leaves altogether and they are only about 5” tall! Just a stem and no leaves, this is the worse year for them that I have ever had and I know it’s because it’s so damp in here!
I’m trying to piece my little greenhouses together and they are in really bad shape this year I soo wish big lots would get some more in! I need more! LOL Some are like three years old and the sun really does them in and I have them out all summer some of them have cracks in the plastic and some pieces I can’t even use :(
starlight, fanflower is genus Scaviola, but I'm not sure of the species. I love them!
critter, I cut all my butterfly bushes down to 12" every year. I used to do it because the top growth often died off during our winters, but our winters have been milder the last several years. One year I left it, but they weren't nearly as pretty as when I chop them back, and didn't bloom any sooner either. Now I just treat them like giant perennials.
So do I, I chop them back real hard to prevent them from becoming real trees!
Grampapa, I planted some bulbs to the 'Kobold' last year and the rains kept washing them away, I was so looking forward to those blooming this year, I have a few extras in the closet I’m hoping they made it but I can’t plant them until the rains go away. I do have some seed WS but they aren’t up yet.
I don’t know what to do about this spot out front that flooded all winter, it really worries me, it’s never happened that bad before it washed everything away I had planted in a 5’ strip and it’s right out front by the walk!
I’ve heard of people trimming their rose of sharon back to keep it smaller but not sure when they do it. I’m letting mine grow. But if anyone knows I do have one out front I would like to keep a little smaller. I really planted it in the wrong spot but I was desperate to plant it. I’m going to check that book out and see if it says anything about cutting them back but the sun is coming out so I need to go unzip my covers right now.
Lebug,
You can cut the Rose of Sharon back right after flowering. You don't have to be too careful: the more you prune it, the more it will grow back!
Thanks Tuink! I'm hoping a couple do bloom this year the youngest I have are two years and I have a couple that are three.
Thanks for the tips on the Rose of Sharon (H. syriacus)... I'll leave my little ones alone for now! I put them 3 to a pot, so they'll have a full or multi-trunked look to start with anyway.
LeBug, I think OxEye is one of the common names for my Heliopsis... but LMK if you want seeds... that's one I gave away loads of (must have sent out at least 50 packs) and still have a few packs left! It sets seeds generously, just like coneflower or black-eyed susan. :-)