August Blooms

EE flowers- good question for Lari Ann the aroid person. I suppose they would at some point. I might just go google that. I had high hopes for the black EE- you should have seen the roots when I put one tiny baby in its own pot last fall for miatablu.
A struggling caladium that I had put in the ground earlier, is perking up fast in its own pot this week. Just couldn't compete.
I'm doing much better with taro from the grocery store. It loves water and has big leaves. A bargain! but not very fancy looking, plain green.
I really like those white celosia. Your NCD looks much better than mine. I messed up putting mine at the back of the border. It's all gangly. It didn;t appreciate having to stretch up between the forsythia and the goldenrod.

I know, the echinaceas kind of look like junk now, but I like seeing five or six goldfinches in the yard. I wonder if they'd go after the seeds if I dead head the flowers and put them on the roof of the shed or someplace? Sorry if you saw this on the bird forum already

I bet they would gofor the seeds wherever you offer them. I gather my black eyed susan stems and prop them up for the goldfinches- can't actually verify for you that they come eat them tho.

My columbines are having a good year- outgrew the miners and green all summer.

For some reason this is the first year I still have columbines with foliage in August. There's some in this pic somewhere.

Last year I only had one "NCD", but that thing was 4 feet tall and bloomed all summer, it was really something. I collected seeds and had lots of plants this year and knew they'd need a lot room, and they're worthy of a lot of space so I gave it to them. Almost no lawn left out back!

Not much blooming here, but the Hosta plantaginea are budding up nicely.

Almost no lawn left out back! Congratulations!
Waah- I almost had free, big Hosta plantaginea- or some equally scented, huge flowered one. Between voles and drought, that dream died. Hope you tied on to the roof for that picture, can't have you falling off

Apparently EE's can flower- has a spathe type flower not surprisingly. What limits the flowering so that we typically don't see it?
Wow- I was just reading a black page with white lettering-that really whacked out my eyes for a minute or two!


This message was edited Aug 13, 2008 9:47 PM

Nah, just leaning out the window. Let me know if you want to try them (H.plantaginea) again, I have a couple smaller ones I could part with. Maybe for some of those minnow daffs...

Some kind of African marigolds the neighbors were giving away

claypa,

Goldfinches LOVE Birch trees and feed endlessly on the seeds in the catkins they make.

My birch tree came up dead this Spring! GONE! NO leaves on any of the branches--but in all the years I have had it (maybe 30+), the Goldfinches have picked every tiny seed out of them catkins spilling all the chafe all over my sidewalk. I would have to sweep the sidewalk under the tree almost every day!

The tree IS OLD! Over the years, I would choose one of the sapling shoots to be the "chosen one" to continue and grow into the next trunk....I guess it just got tired! I will have it cut down soon. YET--the sapling I chose about 2 years ago--is growing happily to carry on the "tradition"......
Gita

Birches are famous for suckering from stumps like that. Where I lived in Maine, people would collect Birch "whips" and sell them to the floral trade for wreaths and such. No matter how many were cut, they'd keep coming back.

Can't post without a pic! - Eschscholzia - more deadheading required than I care for, but it's a nice color. Apparently these are native in the east, too?

Sally - I was really late putting the EE's outside and watering them....then they "sorta" killed over (I have a bad habit of OVER watering plants out of dormancy....hopefully lesson learned) - any-who God bless em they actually survived the drowning after all....which was when I decided to put them IN the ground...separating one of them. I'll take pics tomorrow and post. I know the one's Illustris...it's just the darker one....can't remember which of the blacks it is...sure its written on the black nursery pot I took it out of...I'll check that as well in the AM.

EE do flower inconspicuously, I was really surprised last year when ours did. The bloom is sort of like a calla lily. So far ours hasn't bloomed yet this year.

Turns out my EEs have another round of spider mites, so another round of systemic granules this AM should take care of that. Chantell- don'tgo to too much effort- Mainly I wondered how big yours are. "Size does mattter" Ugh- I think that is a tasteless phrase which is appearing in a lot of ads these days, including a huge billboard on a McMansion development in Crofton- the whole scene annoys me! shrug, sigh
edit- tasteless here means in poor taste

Cal poppies - I had the basic orange selfsowing for years. The yellow is pretty.
I have no idea where my Minnows are, exactly. I will have plenty in spring. (I checked pictures but none with a reference point to show me where to dig- isn't that the problem with bulbs?)

This message was edited Aug 14, 2008 11:08 PM

Holly! Yooo-hoo......

I am about to yank this MG from the pot! It is one of the ones you gave me seed for. I "think" I remember planting the "Blue Rocket" one in this pot.

It sure looks pathetic! It gets full AM sum until about 3PM. Maybe it is too hot? My others growing in more shade look much better--but have hardly started blooming.

First--here is what the sad thing looks like. it has picked up a bit since we have had the cooler weather this past week. I have also gathered almost 1/2 cut of seeds from it alreadu.

Here are some blooms from it I just took yesterday morning.

Do these look like the "Blue Rocket" to you? If not--can you give me a guess what they might be? I want to label the seeds correctly.....

Then-----
Here is another Mg from your seeds. So far it has only grown this compact mass of leaves at the base of my Mandevilla pot.
If I remember right.....I think this was the "something.. black"??? The foliage sure is different!

I saw one bloom on it this AM, but it was too late and it had already closed up, but it had pointed petals. Will try to catch it earlier tomorrow.

Gita, That might be Star of Yelta and if that is what it is it will reseed itself? Your vine does look rough. The leaves have a tendency to wilt in the afternoon and then liven back up later in the day. Mine seem to need a lot of water, too. Have you checked them for bugs? Not sure about the other one. Some of mine haven't bloomed either. The ones I have growing in my front window boxes and along the potting shed haven't bloomed yet. They are in a more shaded area but I had them planted there last year and they did bloom for me. I've fertilized them but no flowers on them yet. All the pictures I've been posting of my MG are the ones that are in full sun. If you post pictures of your MG in the MG Forum they will give you an ID if you are not sure.

Here are my Star of Yelta

Picture of Hibiscus. These blooms are about 8 inches wide. So pretty.

Ruby

Nasturtium M. Strawb (shirley1md)

Beautiful!!!

Holly,

Just ran out and took a picture of the MG growing at the base of my Mandevilla.
Only had ONE on it...

The leaves are totally different than other MG leaves on this one....They have almost 3 points to them. I think you can see it in the picture I will attach.
What is also different is that this one seems to be a compact grower...Might do better that the ones climbing my house.....:o)

Will go to the MG Forum if you cannot ID this one.

Gita, Very pretty, that is the one I had growing on my front porch last year. Someone gave me some seeds for that with no ID and I never did get one.

Holly,

IF mine decides to bloom more--maybe later in the Summer?--I wil be sure to save a few seeds for you.

G.

Gita, I still have seeds from that one from last year. I also got quite a few other MG seeds from some trades so I have plenty. Thanks for the offer and if you are interested in any of my other MG seeds just let me know.

Holly--

I know I have expressed my "opinions" of MG by now.....BUT:

They really have NO room in a small, structured, Development garden like mine! Because:

--They take over!
--They re-seed prolifically! Then, what do I do with all of the seedlings?
--I love them! I hate them! I no longer want them!!!! THERE!!!!....:O((
--I have only a few trellises--and they are all for Clematis. I really don't want a MG covering
the whole trellis and depriving my struggling Clematis of space and nutrients. Already lost
one of them! In it's place--Jill's American Honey-Suckle took over and killed it! I will be
digging that up, and another one as well, and sharing it at a future Swap!
As of this year--they will all be GONE!!!! Sorry to be so cruel, but I just don't have
the "Open spaced" gardens many of you have. Besides--as I have posted many times--
most of my back yard beds are choked full of Maple tree roots. TWO 40+ year old TREES!
50'-60' tall trees. What can I do? The only positive thing I can say is that I LOVE
the shade in my back yard! A high price to pay...I would say!

I have NO open spaces and NO woodlands--and NO expanses to plant this and that in. OH! Woe be me!!!! I love looking at all your Garden shots that have them--and I am sooo jealous! !
HMMM...Sounds like I should write Poem about all this.....Hmmmmmmmmm????
....brain food.....think....think.....Yes! I might!......Need to find the right mind-set! Will do it???

I am doing the best I can here. I would love to be able to freely dig anywhere and plant new things---but I cannot....I am sure, over the years, you have all seen pictures of my limited garden. Everything is in BEDS! Beds maybe 2'-3' deep. ALL around the House and the boundaries of my 65'x100' TOTAL property size! House, grounds, driveway, shed, Patio, all my flower beds, etc..... ALL the beds are defined by landscape ties--structured.....Whatever is in them--has been there for a long time. Whatever NEW I have to plant--something OLD has to say "Bye...Bye......" .

Do you realize the "stress" I am under at our Plant Swaps????? HUH??????
That is WHY I have so many established, small plants to share......because I suffer from an "incurable disease"......might just die doing it! Yep! I will!!!! Sympathy------PLEASE!
Ahem......my disease? Taking cuttings and rooting everything I lay my hands on......Then having pots all over the place--as most things I root---grow for me.....YUP! They sure do!!!!
Then wondering WHERE on Earth will I put them as Winter approaches.....??? WHO can I unload them on that would appreciate them? AHHHHA!!!!! DG People! Of course!!!!!

Jill!!!! Yooooo Hoooo!!!! You there???????

When did you say you were thinking of having the next Plant Swap?????? I know you posted it somewhere....Need to put in for Time Off asap!

MUST we have it at the Chinese Restaurant again???? Food was great.....BUT.......

I ask, because one of the negative things I heard about this place was that people could not mingle and talk to each other and get to know each other. We were kind of "stuck" wherever we found a seat! The room WAS rather small. NO mingling! NO chatting and getting to know each other better!

Is there a County-owned Park anywhere nearby we could all "spread out" a bit and set up our tables? A Park that has one of those Pavilions with tables and benches for rent? They usually also have a couple of "primitive" grills available.
I know here in Baltimore County, you have to pay a reasonable fee of maybe $100 to rent one of the Park Pavilions--but that could be easily split among all of us....Like--if there were 20 of us, it would only be about $5 a-piece! ALL the food would be Pot Luck----the best kind!

Please think about it??????

Thanks, Gita

May God grant us the serenity to accept the plants we cannot grow, the room to grow the ones we can grow, and and the wisdom to know the difference.

This message was edited Aug 16, 2008 1:28 AM

Oooooohhhhhhhhh mmmeeeeeeee..........Sally, I am not sure what you edited out, but both John and I are laughing our fool heads off. You are way too much!!!!

Gita, yes it does sound as though one of your heartfelt poems is in order. I can't wait to read it. I am ever amazed by the talents that you are gifted with. Please share the poem when finished. Please do not be upset about John and I laughing. We are not laughing at your predicament, but laughing at Sally who has given us quite a few laughs in the past. Sad, huh? Between Sally and the dogs it is about all the entertainment us old fogies can tolerate.

Can't wait to see the two of you soon.

Ruby

"some of us" clearly suffer an addiction- fortunately I had to refresh my memory on the original Serenity prayer before being satisfied with my version.!

Gita- I'm sure we DGers all suffer from some extent from this disease- plantaholism!

Last night my neighbor's fuzzy eared Entisy Benesy ate our pansies.
You are all invited to the funeral as soon as I can make the arrangements.
I project that it will rest in peace. The internment will be with some brothers and sisters.
In liew of flowers consider ice cream or cookies to the patio of docgipe.
The marker will read Entisy Beensky..not the last of which exist.

I'm observing a moment of silence for your pansies.

That prayer is so appropriate for many of us. I should copy it and frame it. I still have plants sitting in cell packs outside that I started in the basement last winter, just didn't have the energy to plant them all and still maintain the beds that I have. But next winter I'll do the same thing, start extra seeds just in case, plant a few here and there and still have left-overs, it's an addiction I tell you!
I am starting to buy more containers at the $ store to grow more plants, at least with containers, I can control the weeds better, and don't have to get down on my knees to tend to them.
Thanks Gita and Sally for making my morning [_]D

Gita, You are just so great! Oh how I wish I could be more like you. I was just looking at my Ornamental Plum yesterday and thinking that it just isn't doing well and maybe I should replace it with a different tree. I said to myself that "Gita, would have that out and replaced by now." LOL
Those of us with a little larger or less full yard have a tendency to hang on to plants that we really don't like or are not growing as well as they should. We still look at them and think why do I still have that and then walk away to leave it for another day or year........
Sally, You are too funny love that poem.
Talking about garden poetry you should take a look at this thread.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/889888/
Doc, A moment of silence.........

Melampodium. This has been blooming all summer, a short little plant about a foot tall. I am starting to gather seed now from it. They say it will self sow but not sure if it will in my zone so not taking any chances.
I started it from seed that I picked out of a round robin on DG a few years back, this is the first year for this plant.

Here are the seeds and the seed head. So easy to collect.

Holly,

Thanks for the link to the "Garden Poetry" site.....I replied to you on the same!

Please don't wish to be like me!!!! The only reason that I feel that sicko plants have NO place in my Garden is that I have worked for....
1--A wholesale Grower--1 1/2 years
2--Run a Houseplant Department in "Franks Nursery and Crafts"-- for 5 years
3--Been in charge of the WHOLE Greenhouse of Houseplants at my HD for the first 5 years I worked there. Everything HAD TO BE perfect.....just my "anal" nature!

What this kind of a "retail track-record" does is that it has given me a mindset that there should NEVER be anything sick, dying, wilting, yellowing, infested, or otherwise "compromised" to sell. It was either "mark it down" or toss it....

I have carried this over to the way I feel about my own Garden plants and Houseplants. After all----They are ONLY plants, for Pete's sake! Easily replaceable! NOT your "flesh and blood"! NOT worth my time to nurse the fatal ones--hoping they will somehow achieve a "resurrection" of sorts.....
I DON'T have the time! I DON'T have the space! Not growing? Sick? Infested? Straggly? Insects dined on it? Dropped all it's leaves? Rotted? GONE!!!! GONE!!!!

Right at this time--I am about to throw out most of my AV's! Old? Yes! Gangly? Yes!
Under watered and wilting and suffering....(YES! I do that to them also!)...Gone!
I will keep about 3 or 4. I have 2 pretty variegated ones.....

I am to blame for all this......I seldom realize they need watering until they all have wilted. NOW--You know it takes a good 2-3 weeks for an AV to wilt in it's 4" pot? Right?
Does that tell you how ignored they are in my house????

In my case--it is "knowledge vs neglect"......I seem to neglect everything...even though I have the "knowledge" not to....

I bet you are surprised to learn this! ....I have bared my neglectful Soul to you all!

Just to justify some of this "criminal behavior".....more plants die because of too much "care--watering--and over fertilizing" than do from "neglect".....Go easy on these things!

Gita

Oh Gita, I'm sitting here getting a really good laugh right now and I sure could use one. Thanks so much.
Just been a busy day. Couldn't get anything done and I have my FIL coming in from Fl. tomorrow. Ran errands all day long and spent half the day down at Josh's new house, which he doesn't even own officially until Friday. Today would have been my last day until all H*!! breaks loose. FIL coming in tomorrow and staying for 10 days which means lots and lots of visitors, cookouts and extra company. Uncle coming in tomorrow with motor home which will be parked in the driveway. Next Friday Josh settles for his house and a whole lot of his stuff is in my house. I want to help him clean and move but we will still have company and my house will be in an uproar of people moving stuff out. Then 2 days after FIL goes home we will be heading out for our two week vacation and my other son Jamie and his family will be staying here to take care of things while we are away. So I need to have things back into some kind of order for them. It will really be fun to see everyone and we will have a really good time, but it's going to be exhausting. Ric spent most of the day getting the brick floor put down in the Gazebo. He crawled off to bed a couple of hours ago. Boy it looks nice. I'll post pictures when I get a chance. Holly

Gita, LOL, you and Rick are two peas in a pod...

Every time I do anything it is no time at all until the excesses begin piling up. Secondly I commonly associate with others having the same problems and a new addiction is underway and off to the races.

Hello. My name is docgipe and I have a problem with growing things. ]:o)

My problem is pinching back plants like mums and instead of just composting all the tips, I root the larger ones. Then sometimes never get to plant them, most I try to give to my co-workers. They are still taking my plants but there will come a day when they will have enough.

Holly, your FIL got out of town at the right time, the weather might not be good soon. It does sound like you have a busy time for a while. I'd just keep thinking of the sand and surf that is awaiting you. ; ^ )

Shirley,

I root tip cuttings too.....I just HAVE TO see if they will grow....They are good to pot up and take to a Plant Swap, if you have one around. If not--YOU could start one.....

docgipe---You seem to be quiet the knowledgeable gardener.....how come you have problems growing things????? Doesn't compute!

G.

WOOHOO, My water lotus has opened!!!!!!!
This is my very first water lotus and it has two buds, one opened today.

FIL lives right on the gulf in the storms projected path. He called Friday night said he might not come. We told him to put the storm shutters up and get on the plane. He be worried the whole time he here but he is coming.

Another shot