Growing New in 2008 Pt. 2

Guess the magnolia petals will end up in Pirl's garden!

Good deal! Five Home Depots gets me jealous. We have one 22 miles away.

Actually, Victor, skeletonized magnolia leaves makes a great subject for a frame. They're really quite beautiful.

Very nice, Clem.

Love at first sight... ☺!

Ear protection!!

Definetly Victor! ☺

thank you jem

I picked up more trillium at Lowe's yesterday. A few leaves have emerged from last years.

How did your Trillium do over the winter? and do you have any pics of it last year when it was at it's largest? About how large was it when it did reach it's largest point??
(curious... I've never grown one. ☺)

Well I did go to the nursery today and got a few plants for some containers DW is planning to make. Along with another achillea paprika to put along side the one I got the other day, and a pak of shade plants for a dry shade area which I irrigate with a drip/ mist system. ☺

Also got a hanging basket Geranium with coral flowers which I'm attaching to a solar powered rotation hangar, then putting a watering mister on the hanger pole . ☺

Stopped off at Lowes and picked up a couple of Japanese style trellises. which I'm thinking of attaching oriental lanterns to. ☺

... and thinking of using the trellises to frame a Japanese Maple Red Dragon which I also picked up at the nursery. It's 34 x 37" wide and weighs about 60 lbs! - they must pack those things in mud because the root ball weighs about the same as a bag of concrete! ☺

Ohh, yea when I got back this was waiting for me... the second Chaenomeles from WFF. Same size and quality as the first one I recieved with the roots hanging out the bottom of the pot. ☺

someone had a good shopping day.... can't wait to see it all together

You did quite well, WC. Love those trellises!

WC, my oldest trillium are at least 3 years, they are taking a long time to get going, only 2-3 flowers in a clump so far. I'd say about 12" tall. My sister has some in nice big clumps about 15" in diameter.
This isn't the best picture.

Ohh! That's nice Debi, I like the flowers! The ones I picked up at Home Depot have a red flower on the label. Good to know they can overwinter in your climate, which is colder than mine! Thanks for the pics, looking forward to when mine get as nice! ☺

- Thanks pirl, apparently everyone else did also, I got the last two left in the store! ☺

Yes, nice Deb. Great finds, WC. That is some root ball. Good luck with it and have fun planting.

Finally looked up the allium I ordered I couldn't remember
http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/productview/?sku=03-0112
and
http://www.brentandbeckysbulbs.com/spring/productview/?sku=03-0114

I have some molly I bought last year... they were kind of wimpy.... hope they are better this year

The first year with Alliums is not always the best but don't give up, Alison, they'll do better each successive year. They need to get established and grow strong roots.

that's what I am hoping for... the bulgaricum were a bit better than the molly for the first year... looks like my crown imperial multiplied after being planted for 3 years... 2 of them have 2 shoots coming up ... I know they don't last that long but I love em... and they repulse the deer .... always good.... although I thought the bed they are planted in would have kept them away from the tuplis.... I was wrong.... sigh... oh well

Finallly the plants are coming. Letting yesterdays bunch from Bluestone rest until Monday. Took a fern check this AM, in the west garden (prt shad-prt sun) and noticed multi weeds from the nursery who rototilled the compost - topsoil mix last fall. Hope the mulch comes soon.

Preen really does work if the directions are followed and it won't hurt established plants. It MUST be watered in, after all existing weeds are removed.

I'll get some today when I haunt the garden stores.

Preen is very effective by preventing germination, so it won't do anything about established perennial weeds.

I thought so I used to apply in March at the old house, but have to try something to retard other not appearant weeds. There are enough of the ones I can see.

It will certainly help since most will be emerging seeds in the compost.

UGGGGGH Someone elses used tomatoes.

if only it could get rid of the moles/voles.

sigh...

Amy, I am so pleased to say that there have been two dead voles in my pathway this week - my cats are on the prowl!

I have a large hole right in my perennial bed--chipmunk? Better than snake! Well, maybe not--the snakes can eat the moles, voles, chipmunks etc. I just don't like to see them, & my DH never does--I guess I'm lucky that way. One day I went to pick a cuke & there she was, right under the leaves---it was only a striped ribbon snake, but a large momma.

perl...good memory. I am growing a pepper similar to schikenlady's Naga Jolokia Bhut. Some debate over the various "hottest" cultivars. Mine is Bhut Jolokia from New Mexico University's Chili Institute. Guinness Boook of World Records lists it as the world's hottest. But the different ones in this class I assume will be vying for the title for some time. Doesn't really make a lot of difference. They all are 100 times hotter than a jalapeno.

A video of a Wall Street Journal reporter--who went to Assam India to investigate the cultivar--eating a Bhut Jolokia:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6yGZdOFdok

New Mexico U told informed me Bhut Jolokia can take up to 58 days to germinate but mine came up in 9 days with bottom heat ( 83-86 degrees). Planted five seeds and three germinated in that time. A few weeks after transplanting , the other two seeds germinated! You would think they would have been buried but they popped right up. One of the wee ones is in this pic of all three which were started Feb 22:

nice looking plants.... good luck

Dumb question of the day for David: do you plan to eat them?

pirl...Not me! My sister is taking one bhut jolokia to auction off for charity. Trying to get her to suggest a Rotarian promise to eat one for charity but I don't know if she'll bring that up.

It will be tempting to try one but people say the heat doesn't go away for 4 or 5 hours. Bikers come down to the beach and a bar on the river on Sundays in the summer. Perhaps I'll dare some of them to try one.

I hope you have a good lawyer if you convince a stranger to eat one!