Having just seen maggiemoo's thread on planting Sweet Peas NOW -- and of course finding it was started in October -- I was wondering what other gardeners in SE Texas are fiddling with at the moment. It's not tropical here, but it's not temperate, either.
My brassicas are doing fine (first fall vegetable garden and looks like I'll have my own cabbage for St. Patrick's Day) but I'm itching to get the spring stuff past the planning stage. But if I start seeds in my little lean-to greenhouse now, will they be too big before I can get them into the raised beds? If I start sweet potato slips, will the weather be ready for them?
The roses aren't dormant and may or may not go dormant this year. Several of them need a severe pruning, but I hate to prune and have them start budding and then have an ice storm. Just wait???
The weather is what trips it up, of course. It snowed in mid-December, then Sunday Jan. 4, there were bees and butterflies in the garden! Now it's cold and wet again, but nowhere near freezing. We go from 30s to 70s on a weekly basis.
So, anyone have immediate suggestions? Have y'all sown your peat pots?
Garden planting schedule?
After reading about the changes coming in caring for roses I have decided that I'm not going to be doing all the rose pruning that I used to do. When we moved here in June "08 there were several roses planted in different places - no rose bed, per se. Don't know the names of them but tentatively have called 3 of them Talisman. There is another in the back that is a a gorgeous full flowered dark red that is blooming right now but I haven't put a name to that. There is a white cabbage rose that stays short - no name and the other in the back is a single or slightly double that is red w/a white center and is a polyantha. In the front are 2 reds that are resting but have bloomed their heads off. All these roses have not been pruned since I have been here and they are not full bushes but like climbers w/only 10 canes reaching for the sky. All are in full sun. The former owner told me that she went out after each had bloomed and pruned them back. I had never heard of this and wasn't about to do it even if I hadn't had hip surgery in July. It seems to me that these roses couldn't be #1 roses because of the lack of canes and the ones they have are about pencil size. All but the white and the red poly. stand up straight while the white and red. poly bend over. I also have a nice sized Cl. Cecile Brunner that is full and droops over and I doubt that I will give it support as I like the way it is growing. Further, I have not fertilized these roses but intend to before the new season starts and apply compost and Epsom salts. According to the article I read here on DG the only reason to prune is to make the rose grow the way YOU want it to grow and for how YOU want it to look such as cutting off dead parts, hips, etc. I like the way these look, they are not invasive having so few canes and seem to be maintenance free for the most part. The ones I call Talisman are short bushes that grow straight up - almost columnar and only about 3-4' tall but bloom prolifically. "It ain't broke" so I ain't gonna fix it unless they start misbehaving. I can always peg them if they get too long or pin them to the wood fence. This will certainly free up some time to enjoy what I have.
Ann
I have already direct sown Sweet Peas, Holly Hocks, Blue bonnets, poppies, Larkspur, and other wildflowers. My cut off date is Jan. 15th they should probably go in sooner but I have had good luck as long as I sow the seeds by the 15th. Many seeds need the freeze thaw cycle to germinate. Sunflowers, cosmos, zinna, morning glories don't go out side until April even though I might start them inside in peat pellets. It never fails that we get that late season freeze so I finally learned my lesson and don't take the chance anymore.
Lisa
That's what I'm talking about. Any idea about snapdragons? I'll go ahead and sow some sweet peas, and I guess it would be a good idea to toss those wildflower seeds where I want a meadow.
I use plants for snap dragons but they like the cool weather.
Where is Lumberton? I have always been told that roses should be pruned around Valentine's day. If I were you I would "toss" those WF seeds.
Lisa
Calendula, and amazingly Rose Campion are growing albiet slowly. I planted Nastursiums as they are a cooler weather plant but no germination yet. Also sowed poppies as well. Other than that, radishes and horseradish.
My calendulas are peeking out, too; I need to get the nasties in soon as well; they do OK through the summer but are their prettiest in spring and fall. I tuck them everywhere to protect the other plants, and aren't they good in a salad!
1lisac, Lumberton is due north of Beaumont and just south of Silsbee.
You are right, 1lisac, about pruning roses by Feb. 14 and that's what I'm talking about. Not gonna do it. It can be fixed if it doesn't work but it's doing great right now and doing its own thing is what plants ought to do to look their best. I really, really hate how people trim bushes and even grass so that it looks so pristine and false when the original shape is what looks best. If you need that sharp line on the hedges, buy something that does what you want it to do w/o your spending all you time trimming, trimming, trimming and cleaning up. I always thought that people grew flowers, etc. because they liked them. Likewise you have children because you like them. Too much care of either can cause burn-out and ruin of their natural traits.
Ann
I haven't pruned these yet at all, and they really need some cleaning up after three years.