Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #12

~ Happy Birthday, Meredith~ Hope you have a wonderful day, today. : )
Lucy

poppy seeds in the freezer Meredith (Birthday Girl) :)

Fanfare must come true it sure looks like it anyway, they aren't out the whole way yet but it looks like it's going to be good :) I can' wait until they are all the way out! Now I'm waiting on my coneflowers lol

HAPPY LATE BDAY MER!!!

Sorry-my hard drive crashed yesterday, so I can only get on at work for a few days and have a lot to reply back to-I sure hope the new one gets here soon!!!

Did you all see the seed germination co-op-it is for tags, flats, pots-all kinds of neat stuff!!

Hi kids! Meredith, Happy Birthday!

Lala, Glad you like the Cottage Reds! That "not Palace Purple" seed you sent me is surely some sort of Heuchera. It looks JUST like my other Heucheras. I noticed the first set of leaves is green, but the third set has some purple color. SOME purple color. They are not as colorful as some of my other seedlings.

I got some Sungold tomato seed from Pam Sue and they were about 24" tall before I planted one out. Talk about touching the lights! I planted it waaaaay underground, so only a foot is above ground, and I only planted one, but I have the other two around here in case I decide to plant more. Mr. Clean wants to grow tomatoes, but he won't harvest them and eat them, because, well, they aren't CLEAN! I usually devote a nice space to tomatoes, but really, why bother? The tomato hornworms only need one. I have TONS of volunteers because the tomatoes are never harvested. LOL! They just either drop to the ground to rot or rot on the plant.

I have been planting and planting and planting. But I still have a MILLION seedlings to get out. I also made a deal with some neighbors (adult children of deceased neighbors) that I could get some furniture if I weeded and trimmed up their place while it's on the market, so I've been doing that, too. I only plant out after 3 pm because of the heat and sun ...not that it's been that hot and sunny, because it hasn't, but I just like working in the afternoon and think the seedlings and the way I grow them, then pull them apart to plant, do better when they have cool and shade for their first 12 hours or so.

Did you know Round up works best if you put fertilizer in with it? A little trick if you want to really get rid of some stuff like thistle.

I noticed the funniest thing this spring: all my flowers are pink and purple! You guys must have rubbed off on me! Irises, Peonies, of course, but also that Silene, Clematis, Lunaria, Hesperis, Salvia and other junk...it's all pink and purple! There must be very few perennials that bloom coral in the spring. I was going to make a list and try to collect them, but the peonies have really stolen my heart and they have very few Corals, and those coral flowers don't seem to last as long on the plant as the pinks and rose and reds. My Neon Calendula stick out like a sore thumb!

That's pretty much it on this end.

Suzy

good morning :) hi Suzy! I just ordered this quince and it has really pretty coral blooms and no thorns, is small though, you might want to check it out. LazySFarms has it
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/194122/

I planted out my ws purple liatris yesterday, I left it in a clump ....is that right? It sort of looks like grass stalks, only 4" tall at this point

also, did anyone know if the sunflower I asked about before needs moisture as plant files said? I still have to plant it out...I forget the name...I'll post back

it is this one http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/115927/
wild sunflower

ROTFL - "because they aren't Clean"!!! Saves you the hassle of growing different kinds for him :) You're doing the right thing by waiting to plant so late in the day. It seems to go against the grain of not watering, but I've found if you water the hole well (fill it twice) before putting the plant in (and your plants are always well watered) then watering late in the day isn't necessary for transplants. I think that would hold especially true for your yard Suzy, with the shade your plants are able to get at certain times of the day. Besides, I think it's just too darn hot to be out planting before that anyway! And I don't know about you, but I prefer not to get out in the garden when it's so early that the dew is still all over everything - tends to do too much damage to some of the plants. (Nora prefers it because the bees aren't out yet.)

With the ton of rain we got the other day it's made the front yard grass perfect for ripping out, so we're headed out there this morning to pull out grass and get yelled at by the birds. I think they're telling us to hurry up, as whenever we're done with a patch the birds rush in for all the good pickin's. Then I can put more of the seedlings in the ground, and spread some direct-sow stuff to get that part of the yard looking better.

I decided to hold back on starting my second round of seeds until I saw how the first one went, and am glad I did. Besides being able to manage what I started (which was nearly too much) - I've just started a second batch about two weeks ago and have been able to put to use a lot of the info I learned from trial and error and reading everything here. I've started heirloom celosia, heirloom tall snapdragons, eggplant, an heirloom tomato (I'm expecting I'll need to replace another heirloom for a client as she's not paying good attention to hers...), gloriosa daisy and rudbeckia, garden thyme, wheatstraw celosia, lady in red salvia - and Suzy, I've started a bunch of those impatiens from St. Lukes, they're sprouting so we'll see what colors we end up with.

The friend of mine whose dog died is having a memorial service today, so I've spent the past few days whipping her yard into perfect shape. She's a classic one who puts things off until the bridge is burning underneath them - my sister and I are like that. So she procrastinated on having me do some things with her yard until now. It's looking nice though! Since her dog is gone, we can now plant castor beans in her back yard for a rodent/digging problem she's having :) so I've started some of those. I also started some hyacinth kidney bean to run along the front deck. The guys who installed that needs to make some repairs so about the time these are ready to go out he should be done - LOL!

hi wind - we cross-posted. I don't know about the elecampane, but the liatris sounds about right. It comes up looking like a weedy grass clump - did you sort of spread them out a bit when you transplanted them?

no, I just plunked out the group from a 4" pot and planted it like it was. They are about 1/2-3/4 inch apart I think, it wasn't jammed with seedlings.

I want to try the tall snap dragons next year...

I ran out of dirt AGAIN!

They should be fine - sounds like they'll have enough space to figure themselves out. I started some of the snaps, but struggled with them the entire time, sometimes they looked really streaky and other times I thought they would never grow. I ended up with three nice plants to go out, but they're all red (Suzy, I thought of you!). I'm hoping more light helps them this time. Good luck with the elecampane!

I'm on my way to Wallyworld to pick up some outdoor stuff, including a new gardening pitchfork...and dirt stuff. The potting soil I got was El Cheapo brand and it's a bit like yuck, so I need to amend that. And I'm hoping to find more seed starting soil. When I was starting to dig a hole yesterday my over-worked little pitchfork finally gave up the ghost and the handle came off. So, while I figure out where/how to get that fixed I'm need to get a back-up. And I'm sure my cart will have a mind of its own and I'll end up wandering through the plants....

I got some really good plants from LazySFarms a year ago, and need to order some Jack Frost Brunnera from them...

I just ordered from LazySS for the first time. I was very happy I did, I think they are one of the two places I've ordered from that actually sends decent size, ready to bloom plants. They have such a wonderful selection of plants too!

Suzy, now who would want to get rid of thistle? lol I have several that I’m letting grow for the finches I always do :) Plus I have some nice ones that I’ve planted well, not sure if they are thistles but they are sticky, I even planted some by the road where the mean kids come into the yard at lol I know I’m bad.

I read on here roundup works better too if you put some dish liquid in it to make it stick to the plants, I need to do that on my violets, I sprayed but it didn’t kill them and they were the weeds I was really after.

Suzy, most of your flowers are pink and purple cause most of them out there are pink and purple it’s hard to find the other colors of plants that we like, I’ve been looking at the nurseries even for other colors and all I see is mostly purple! I do have some of that jack flash Silene and it’s red, but it’s a perennial and I found the most beautiful verbena that is a dark red and some pink and white lol The only other red I have are lantana and the maltese cross. I’ve been planting yellow but pretty soon I’ll have too much yellow too, I want red! I’m getting older I NEED red! LOL My red snaps are doing good from you Suzy, thank you!

Suzy, could I plant some silver dust with my cannas you think, I’m still trying to figure out what to plant with them and I have blooms on my geraniums and they are beautiful! I love them :)

The taller nemesia, I’ve never grown it before will it droop and trail or will it stand up in a pot? I’m sure someone will know on here, Tuink, this nemesia is beautiful! All kinds of gorgeous colors in it, I want seeds for next year if I can’t save any off of these lol I need to know how to plant them though I’ve always grown the shorter ones, not sure what these do later on :) Gosh you haven’t been on here since the 23rd :)

Wind, that sunflower, I checked the comments out on that link and they say it’s drought tolerant.

Robin, Bluestone perennials is having their half off sale, and have Jack Frost in 4" pots for about $3 less than LazyS. I've had great luck with their stuff too; they're also a watchdog top 30 company.

Lebug, I remember you saying you don't have a lot of sun..right? Some red things for part shade are Indian Pinks, Red Columbine, Cardinal Flower, Fire Pinks, Monarda didyma, Lilium canadense, superbum or michaganense.... don't know if you already have any of these. Just some I thought of. : )

Thanks Meredith :) I do have some columbine, cardinal flower, dianthus pinks, monarda (just got that one), what are indian pinks? and the other one superbum or michaganense or I can check them out in the plantfiles, the Lilium canadense, is that the turk's cap, if it is I got some seeds from Suzy of those that germinated, I'll go to the plantfiles after while, it's getting ready to rain and need to go out and see if everything is alright just got home from town :) I need all the help I can get on that part shade lol Thank you for thinking about me 8^)

Your welcome Wind :)

Hey you guys, fanfare does come true from seed, I have the prettiest blooms on mine right now, yahoooo! I finally have a fanfare 8^)))))

Lebug, sorry I should have given botanical names!
These are Indian Pinks http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/48891/
These are what I meant for Fire Pink, they're a Silene http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2633/
Here's Canada Lily, they are usually orange or yellow, but the New England Wildflower Society offers a selection of red called 'Apple Red' (if I ever go there when they have them out for sale, I'll add them to the plantfiles.)
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1027/

Yes, I think snaps all self sow, but the fancier they are, the more that can go wrong. Expect to rip out about 20% to keep the strain pure.

I fond all my yellow Columbine. Oh, my, I have a LOT of yellow Columbine! I saw a pic recently with some bright fire-engine red
Maltese Cross I dearly loved, but it shore would look bad with all the peonies! Sheepers has a bright red peony, though, that I am thinking about getting. There is no way it would match the Maltese Cross though, they are practically fluorescent red. I need to give all this some thought. LOL!

I had some Ragged Robin blooming...the pics weren't very good; they hardly showed up, but in person , they were very pretty and I had a blue million from wintersowing last year. To deadhead, I'll use the hedge clippers and go straight across.

Suzy

I added Canada Lily to my wish list :) I keep seeing new plants I like. Here it is June already and I still have seedlings all over the place!!!!!!!!!!

I'm sending off more babies to new homes later this week :)

Also, I still have a pile of seeds I'm sorting through on a continuous basis on a table and yesterday our old cat threw-up over some!!! serves me right for leaving out my messy seed pile. Got no sympathy around here because my family thinks I've gone seed crazy ~ of course I washed and sanitized the table and wiped down the seed pkts. I'm airing out the few pkts that got it the worst now... guess now I better get them planted asap!

LeBug, how's the little kitty? I'm still feeding our little black ferral 'Tango'. He/she comes by every night around 7pm, eats and runs.

Suy I know what you mean about that ragged robin the blooms are all over the place lol That's what I thought about doing taking the sheers to them seems to be the quickest way, I love the flower though do they flower later after we deadhead? This is my first year for them :)

This little kitty is a lot of trouble lol I'm in the yard trying to work and he can't taste enough flowers lol Scares me to death and he is always under foot but then his mommy is too! I dig a hole and she poops in it lol We are getting a lot of hawks around here lately so I worry about them taking him off too and a neighbor walked her dog to the front porch yesterday and the mama cat wated a piece of him lol She's getting bad she even attacked the mother to another batch of kittens fro the same house and she is the one taking care of her kittens while she is at my house lol

Suzy, I saw that mess from the winds and storm in Indpls. on the news, I'm guessing you and your house are stilll intact :)

This message was edited Jun 2, 2008 12:22 PM

Yes, we had no damage at all, but Dryad's neighborhood, or at least close to her had some gigantic branches down. (Branches bigger than most trees). I was worried about my very fragile plastic greenhouse, but it was fine, too. We had 3" of very much needed rain. I lightly watered that day so it would be more likely to soak in instead of run off, and I think it worked.

Diana, I see I didn't answer your exact question on the snaps. Yes, my little red ones will self sow. As soon as they finish blooming, snap the flower stem off and they really branch out and take off. You should probably keep deadheading them as you see them, but not be fanatic about it...just let the last forwers go to seed in the late summer/early fall and they will come back. You might have about 5% oranges that will need to be culled from that seed to keep them that rich red.

Mine from an inside germination, but then growing outside as soon as they germinated, are in bud and showing color now. If we had had more sun this April and May, I feel certain they would be in full bloom. The ones that reseeded are about 2 inches tall in the ground. BUT they are in the ground, and the ones in bud are waiting their turn to be planted, so there is something to be said for reseeding!

It's going to be almost 90 degrees every day this week with nights in the 70s. It's like somebody flipped a switch and said, "Okay, you wanted summer, here it is!"

I am direct dowing some Zinnias and Sunflowers today. Late, late late, but it's the best I could do.

Don't forget to root your cuttings of mums as yo pinch them back!

Suzy

I don't think it is too late to direct sow...I'm still sowing too!

I'll have to think of where I want the little red snaps to go, esp. if they do self sow :)
Suzy, about how tall would you say they get?

I planted like crazy today, I'm really tired now. I used up another 3 bags of dirt today. Glad some of you are getting rain. We got a few sprinkles and that was it. Everything is wilting and so dry right now. I'm so hose challenged here I can't stand it. I got a NO KINK hose last year and it is so heavy and does still kink, I don't like it at all!!!!!!!!........

How are everyones arrangements going? I made one today for our porch next to our "blue garden". I used a large blue ceramic pot with Origanum 'kent beauty' (I bought) in the center, surrounded by 3 lilac petunias*, 4 nolanas*, and 6 little sprigs of the Chaenarrhinnum summer skies*.

I also made a basket to hang by our "blue garden" with raspberry twist petunias in the center (I had to buy one, mine from seed were too small), with 4 blue ensigns* around it

* from swap seeds.

my blue ensigns are getting buggy again just like last years ensigns and the nolanas seem to be too aaaaaggggghhhhh and speaking of bugs...the little 1/8" beetle-like insect I found on the back of an ensign leaf was GOLD, shiny gold like 14kt gold???????anyone know this bug? I would have taken a photo but it fell off and I lost it on the ground. I was so shocked at the shiny gold.

Wind, I saw one of those gold bugs last year only one, had to take a second look lol Have no idea what they are.

I've some persian shield with two silver shields that Suzy gave me and some like trailing yellow flowers have no idea what they are I bought them. Planted some red lantana, pineapple sage, purple petunia and red verbena in a big tub and planted some of my begonias in a pot so far, that's it, a lot to go yet lol

What do the ensigns grow like? I wasn't sure about putting them in a pot.

hey all, tonight is the last night to order 50% off from Brent and Becky's bulbs
I just ordered Canna stutgart, midnight zingiber ginger, casa blanca lily, rich fields caladium and orania oriental lily :)

Many of their plants and bulbs are sold out but they still have alot if anyone is interested

LeBug, your lantana tub sounds nice :)
The ensigns were fine in a basket for me but they seem to be prone to bugs, at least for me they are. Last year it was aphids, this year it is the 14kt gold bug! I love Persian Shield too, I always buy one every year :)

Wind, I have seen those gold bugs also. A couple of years ago they were all over my morning glory, I thought I had struck gold. lol So shiny.

I don't remember what they are called, but I don't think they are a good bug, cause they chewed holes in all of my morning glory leaves. They look like 14 carat gold lady bugs.
~Lucy

The 14 K gold bug is a potato beetle...it eats those sweet potato vines among other things. Don't you guys think I am so smart? LOL! I had them last year and asked in the bug ID forum. I did not get a fix for it since they were only eating some sweet potatoes I started from old sprouted grocery store sweet potatoes. I wanted a green sweet potato vine.

Mt pots are coming along so slowly - -I am sort of slowed down by the sheer numbers of things to choose from. I planted the burgundy geraniums with some yellow bidens, and I have 2 Nasties with the red-orange geranium. I have some Heucheras with a hosta and a couple of Coleus, and tomorrow I will plant my long iron planters. Oh, and I have a annual pink mum with a dark center (don't kow the name of it) with one of those Purple majesty millets and a coleus and some red shamrocks. Oxalis trifolium, I think.

My main concern isn't pots, but my patio...I have an area that is either complete shade or burning hot overhead sun against a brick wall. I need to take a pic of it so you can see it, but I need to plant it, and MAYBE put in some perennials because every year it needs help. It's the north entrance from the house to the patio, and the sun doesn't hit it until about May 15 or so, then full sun, then in Sept, it starts getting shady again. Petunias did well in planters, but they were about 8 feet away from the house. The part I am worried about is about 3 feet from the house, and the sun hits it later in the season. I think I'll put a peony there for some structure, and maybe a shrub, too. Or not. Leaves really collect in that corner so pulling leaves out of woody shrubs is a huge hassle I don't need...maybe just peonies. :) I have some hydrangeas I could do ....but they don't really bloom well here. Has anybody in the midwest had good luck with hydrangeas?

Tomorrow or the next day I will have some MARTAGON LILIES blooming that I started from seed. They take 6 or 7 years to bloom from seed, so you know I have been growing these little pups for a LONG time! I bet they will be flesh colored and very ugly, but they are MY babies, so don't say anything bad about them when I post! :)

Suzy

Suzy, how big is your area that you're worried about? Is it shallow, or fairly wide? Sounds like it might be fairly wide/deep if you think a hydrangea or peony would fit?

yellow bidens...? don't know those....will look them up. Your purple millet with coleus sounds nice, I may steal your combo idea :))) I have both waiting to go somewhere. Also, thank you for the potato bug ID! The potato bug did just what you got BlueGlancer....holes in the leaves. Funny thing is, we have no potato plants here...maybe he was a free rider on a recent purchase? I didn't kill it so he got away!

I have a columbine I was growing in a pot that was recently devoured by something, not a leaf left! I don't know what ate that plant....and our hollyhocks are strong and tall loaded with buds but the bottom leaves....uggh, they are yellow and full of golden rust spots of some sort, similar problem on one of our grape vine leaves.

Hydrangeas do like sun, but need to be kept watered in dry times, so if it gets really hit hard with sun later in summer, I'm thinking it may be a challenge.

My mina lobata is taking long to germinate :( I guess it is like "a watched pot doesn't boil"..."a watched hanging basket doesn't sprout!"

Everyone’s containers sound beautiful! : )
It is so funny that I came on here and you all were talking about a gold beetle because yesterday I was taking pictures of the same beetle! I guess I don’t need to post it on the bug ID forum now. : )
Suzy, I have a similar problem area at my house and I planted Rose Campion there. I tried typing up a long speal about it and Dave’s froze up before I could send it, so I lost it.
Basically I thought it was too weedy and threw it to die and I still have a bunch, and it seems to be happy there. Just a thought. : )
Look what I found this morning (even with the neglect of being left crowded in a cup!)



This message was edited Jun 3, 2008 9:42 AM

Oh Suzy don’t tell me hydrangeas don’t do well here, I planted three last year two came back and a very nice DG’er sent me one this spring, so far they are only up a little from last year, one is variegated and I have it to shade some hostas in a spot that will be sun a little later on until about 1. I have about the same problem as you with the sun out front, not much sun now but it will get about six hours of sun here pretty soon. I’m afraid to plant it for full sun now but it will be lol I did plant my moon garden out front this year I’m curious to see how that goes.

I grew those yellow bidens one year from seed and they were so pretty, they are kind of like coreopsis, like tiny little yellow daisies, but they got a little bigger than I expected for the plant.

What does Rose Champion look like, I think I planted some last year, does it have a lighter silver foliage and almost 3’ high when in bloom I thought I was planting all pink in that spot and there is a white mixed in with it, I like the plant.

I planted some daturas yesterday and a purple tansy down by the cedar tree where I took up a compost pile so they should do really good there, double and triple yellow ones :) I want to get my red and yellow four O’ clocks there too tomorrow.

We’re having storms today, so glad I started watering yesterday, they really needed it! We had four days of rain before and didn’t even get and inch of rain, everything was drooping like crazy. Just hope we don’t get any tornados there are some above us, hope you don’t get any tornados Suzy and Robin!

These storms today will give me a chance to sort my seeds out again and find the ones I want to plant outside lol I just couldn’t get to them from watering plants, it takes all day just to water my pots and seedlings outside, now I wish I had gotten more seedlings in the ground but it was so hot yesterday and after this it’s going to be in the 90’s :)

Meredith, what is that flower is that mimulus? I have some of that I planted and more to go but I've never seen it just found out it could take some sun so that gives me more options, I'm so glad, I thought it was a shade plant so my others are in the shade mostly lol

Lebug, yup that's a mimulus flower, I got the seeds from the swap. : )
It sure sounds like you have the Rose Campion & 'Alba' here it is in the plantfiles http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/80/

Thanks Meredith :) I guess I'm going to have to deadhead this one, I have it in a bed with my campanula Cherry Bells and it wouldn't be nice for them to take over lol I have the Ragged Robin there too and I know they are going to reseed like crazy and I have yet to get all of my seedlings of the verbena purple top out of there they are wall to wall in seedlings lol Maltese Cross is in there and I expected it to reseed like crazy and the wet winter must have gotten them I was planning on moving the seedlings so I didn't plant any seeds and wouldn't you know I only have one plant of the MC in there, I do have others in my nectar garden though that I love! But I want more plants of all of these in my middle bed that I need to get all of the darn violets out of! I need more color in there other than the violets lol I don't need those at all!!!

Lebug, Yes I would def. deadhead them. They were here before me and they were growing all over the place. My husband would have just mowed them so I put them in a bed, and they just didn't hold there own. I think they look nice mixed in with lots of other stuff but they aren't like a sedum or something full like that, they are kinda straggly looking on their own, don't ya think? Well, wouldn't ya know they are still popping up over there and right around where I had thrown them! I put the volunteers in my 'trouble spot' and there are at least enough of them to cover a 4 foot square! And those are just the ones that have popped up after I thought I murdered them all! It's good to know about maltese crosss, I have more than enough as it is and I know now that they will need deadheading (aside from enough for trades) ;) I kinda figured they'd need to be after seeing how thir cousins are!
btw - Even though you probably have too many violets, keep an eye on them because a lot of fritillaries use violets as host plants. You may have some caterpillars on them. : )

Afternoon all - my, what storms we've had the past few days! The tornado that came through town missed us by about 3 miles or so. Fortunately we don't have any large trees in our yard, so I don't have to worry about limbs, but I hadn't realized just how much rain we were going to get so I set out a bunch of flats from the greenhouse so I wouldn't have to water. I was bailing instead. And we only lost power for about 12 hours, so not much for us to complain about really.

A friend's dog passed away (15 year old golden retriever) and I got her yard in shape so she could have a service on Sunday. It may sound odd, but I had a nice time sitting in a back yard that I'd spent so much time whipping into shape :)

I hope it's not too late to sow! I'm continuing to get the grass out of the front yard - I've started to do it in the sections that I have plants for and will be putting seeds in as well, so it's looking a little weird right now. There's a spirea in the front that's coming out (I'm wildly allergic) and I'm replacing it with a little crepe myrtle from the back yard. Once I get that crepe myrtle out from along the fence, there are three "Tree of Heaven" sprouts remaining there so I'll be painting those leaves with nasty chemicals to kill those off (I just don't feel like digging all of them out). All the rain has made moving these shrubs a whole lot easier! Next I'll be moving an oak-leaf hydrangea to the front, and planting that area with sunflower seeds and such.

Suzy, I put those nemesia you gave me in a container on the front deck with blue salvia and the red canna that came in the piggie swap. Right now the salvia is taller than the canna, but I figure about the time the salvia starts to give out the canna will be taller and doing its thing. I remember someone on here saying to pinch the salvia when it's young and I did, but not young enough, I should have pinched those when they were about 2" or so and they would have bushed out a lot more. As it is, I waited until they were about 6", so they branched instead of bushed, if that makes any sense...

Neal, I've ordered from Bluestone in the past, and like them very much. I took a look today at both sites, and Lazy S'S are cheaper so I think I'll go with them. I've got the plain brunnera right next to some forget-me-nots, and they look so nice blooming together. I thought I'd give the Jack Frost a try next to the plumbago and see what it looks like - what the heck?

Well the floor guys are due back in a little bit. We're having our 80 year old wooden floors buffed and a double coat of polyurethane put down. The floors look great, but it's something just this side of he&& to live in a house that's suffused with poly fumes. I told Nora we're taking a break in between rooms :)

Meredith, I don't care about the cats on the violets, there is a big patch in the yard is why I probably have them all over my flower beds the cats aren't worth the trouble of the violets for sure, I love butterflies and cats but my other beds take priority! It's too hard to keep those violets out and dig those bulbs when they are wall to wall like they are this year, I put violets right up there with chipmunks they are pretty and cute but not worth the trouble they cause! Besides those fritillaries I think use a lot of other plants for host plants I've seen them on everything I don't think they are that particular are they?

Well I'm planting my orange and purple milkweeds since we are having all of this rain today so I'm going in between the rain drops lol Now watch it won't rain anymore after I get them all in lol

Robin check those 'Supersonic Crepe Myrtles' out in Park's, if you want one I have a baby they have pink blooms and think they are only to get about 4-5' tall, I have one planted from last year that came back but it's only about 10" tall right now, not enough sun for it I don't think.

Need to get out and plant some more :)

My patio area is 4' deep by about 8'0 long. It is inset with a little offset from the house, so there is a brick wall behind it, but also a 24" brick wall on the left where I have a trellis with a Clematis on it.

If you are sitting on the patio and looking at it, the left side has 2 trough-shaped planters at an angle. If I take that out of the equation, because I can't plant there, the spot I have to fill is about 48 x 5'0 or so. In the middle more or less is a window from the house, and on the right side is a window well, so nothing can go in the right hand corner because there isn't one. LOL!

The whole thing is visible form the house, so that's whty I would like to plant it with perennials. The dirt all over the patio is from a couple of accidents i had while potting my pots. We'll hose it off when I get this little section planted.

Suzy

Suzy can that Inula Orientals go there I gave you and I have all kinds of penstemon coming up, I'm really loving their blooms and I think they bloom all summer, the ones I planted last year are blooming now and just beautiful! They are only about a foot tall if that, I think you said you didn't have any luck with veronica but I have a bunch of those too :) How about some low growing sedums in the fron by the walk, those are cool I have some of those I could send starts too. If you have lots of starts to those yellow star columbine they can go in the sun that's where I have mine and they are doing great and if you don't have extra I do or the red star not sure if they take full sun or the firecracker columbine :) Snow in summer just blooms in the spring but keeps it's silvery foliage all year long I have some seeds to those.

Suzy, what is planted in there now, that we are looking at?

I about ready to throw all my plants in the garbage and move myself into a plastic bubble and never come out.

Was out waterign the columbines and other seedlings and had this big guy, ya can't see the rest of his body it hidden in a crate, jump up and twist all in front of my upper body out of the columbine pots.

I freaked, got the pic and tried to see if I coudl rid of this guy and while waiting he crawlwed his body back up in the air and back up into the columbine pots where my toads and lizards dig hole sin the pots and sleep at night.

No more gardenign fo rme today and maybe not tommorrow either til I get over the hebbie jebbies. They out there now, so becareful workign aroudn outside.