Hi All,
I just wanted to share my joy, and show the plant supports I got at the dollar store. The 12" trellis is great for propping up plants. I originally bought a few 2 years ago, and then beat myself up for not getting more at the time. I was so excited to see them again last week. When I went to the store today, they also had the grow-through supports. Those usually cost about $6 each!
Grow-through support
Which dollar store?
Grow-through support - back view
It's in Shoreline, WA.
Unfortunately, I don't think this store is a chain. The name is simply "Dollar Store" (the bag is yellow with red lettering).
Nice find. Do you have pictures of them with the flowers growing through them? We'd love to see your garden.
Hi, Colliwobbles, Love your name. I use those grow thru supports for my peonies. We have a dollar store in Shelton. I will check it out. "A beautiful garden is a well supported garden". Heard that somewhere.
What a score! I have wanted to pick up some of the grow through kind, but the price has always held me back!
I don't have a specific picture with the supports, but here is my garden (front yard really). I've used both types of supports on the gaillardias, and it makes such a big difference. I finally figured out that the key is to put the grow-through supports in before the plants get too big. That's probably why they're called "grow-through". I'm still learning. ;-)
I remember your garden. I think we have talked before. Sorry I didn't recognize you. Didn't you turn that all into garden from lawn in one season? It's absolutely beautiful. I think there's a dollar store in North Seattle on 145th - I'm going to check for these when I'm over there next weekend. Thank you!
Hi Katie,
I do remember that we chatted before. The dollar store is on 145th & 15th Ave by QFC (right on the border of Seattle & Shoreline). I think you have the right one in mind.
Oooh. How exciting - I'll check. I always stake too late. Maybe this year I'll be ahead of the game.
Colliwobbles,
What a beautiful garden! What did you plant?
If you had 3, turned them upside down & joined pyramid-style, would they be tall enough to support a smaller Clem or passiflora?
Hi Lynn,
I started my garden experiment in 2007, when I was tired of looking at dead grass in the summer. The 2nd year really turned out well (considering that I still don't really know what I'm doing). I did replace several plants last summer, as well as adding some too. I'm quite anxious at this point to see how this summer turns out. I look out the window every time I walk by, just hoping something new is out. Alas, everything is either dormant or quite small at this point. I definitely see signs of Spring, so that keeps me hopeful.
As far as what I plant, I'm all over the place. Most times, I just buy what catches my eye. I should probably put more thought into it, but that's where I am right now. I keep a big binder of all my plants, otherwise I would forget names and growing instructions. It's helped out quite a bit. Here are some plants that I have:
Bee Balm - I think I have 4 varieties now
Lavender - the bees go nuts for these
Penstemon - in fact, 3 new varieties just arrived from OR yesterday
Gaillardias - several (they're one of my favorites)
Coneflowers
African Daisies - these are sold as an annual, but one came back last year and was huge, so I'm hopeful that happens for the other 2 I bought
Poppies
Yarrows
Asters
Salvias
Agastaches
Cardinal Flowers
Alstronemeria - I just planted these last year, but it looks like at least one sprout is emerging
Clematis - I haven't mastered these yet, but they do ok.
Nandinas (Heavenly Bamboo) - I'm a bit worried about these, because they lost all of their leaves when we got that big snow in January.
Lilies
Grasses
Cannas
Sedums - my absolute favorite
Oh, and you can't see them in the picture, but I have dahlias along the outisde of the fence. I dug them up this year, but they froze in the garage. I wasn't too heartbroken, because that allowed me to order new ones! I have some tubers coming from here in WA next month, and then live plants coming from CA in May.
I'm also growing several annuals from seed.
I hope this wasn't too much information. :-)
-Jana
Hi Katye,
I don't think the trellis would be tall enough. They are only 12" to start with, so once you put them in the ground, they shrink.
Jana - It sounds like you are a true cottage gardener. Thanks for taking the time to make the list. I'd love to see more pictures - now and later. Don't you just love spring, when you can walk around and look for all the growth that seems to come from nothing?
Here's a shot from the roof (taken in August of 2008).
I'm sure the neighbors are laughing at me when I'm wandering around the yard, trying to find any sign of life. Spring is very exciting, because it reassures me that I do actually have a green thumb (for the most part).
This was in the beginning of October...the sedums had finally bloomed. :-)
ooooooh! pictures are deceiving!
The one thing very short trellises (trelli?) are good for is to protect the bases of vines. I do this for my Clems because I have 2 dogs that don't know how to go AROUND plants.
Jana - great garden area - looks warm, bright, fun & it's got to be fun to walk through over & over! I know my neighbours wonder about my late winter walkabouts - muttering to myself with hands on hips making decisions & then laughing because it's still Winter!
I am betting (& praying) for wonderful weather this summer. Cannot bear the thought of 3 dud summers in a row!
Good idea, Kate!
Kate.....my neighbor has some of those grow through supports that are taller and stronger. She got them at a local gardening store called Down To Earth, when I looked, they were spendy and I didn't get any. But I need something for my Shasta Daiseys, tired of tying up all the time, it bunches them up and looks awful. So maybe do a search for a different size. The smaller ones might work for me, but I tried the Dollar Store here, no luck. They did say try later because the gardening supplies were just starting to come in.
And Kate.....my seeds are sprouting!!!! Yeah.
Jana, Your garden is so pretty. In fact, I printed a copy of it to try to try to achieve a similar effect in my yard. Thanks for the list!
Sally - did you have a decent germination rate with the seeds? I noticed the Nigella seedlings were about 2 -3" tall a couple days ago. They were cast about in one area of my veg garden last October (does this qualify them as Autumn sown?).
As far as supports go, I have many. I don't like to use supports - they're not especially good-looking, but a necessity when it's a matter of dog vs. plant.
I do like the "Y" stakes with the flexible arms - work well for the taller plants, and you don't have to place them until right before it's necessary.
Rainy weekend here for us, with wet-snow potential, or so King5 claims. Almost halfway through March - so that's a plus. I suppose I could utilize this time for delightful indoor activities such as Spring cleaning...
For tall stuff, the 30" or so wire fencing works to bend around a large clump.
Jana,
I love the garden pics, especially the one from the roof! The color is glorious--what a cheerful mix. You are right, you definitely have a green thumb!
Willow...how much of a pain in the tail is it to get the fencing seperated from the plant when you are doing fall and spring cleanup? I think that that just might be a good answer to my Shasta Daisies that absolutely refuse to cooperate with anything that I try.
Love your garden Colliwobbles, great place to sit and have nice cup of coffee, and Enjoy.
For my supports I use Tomato cages turned upside down, cut off the spokes and bend them to make anchors for the bottom. and they come in differant heights.
I don't have a problem getting the dead stuff off of them in the fall. You can just fold them up and store them for winter.
Gonna have to try the fence with the daisies and maybe my fall asters this year. Never seem to get them tied up in time, and the whole effect goes to pot if you are too late! Would love to live somewhere sunny enough that you didn't have to stake everything!
I might try the fencing too, or the tomato cages, I have some extra big ones I could manipulate. Like Rarejem I usually end up waiting to long and it looks ugly when I try to do something.
Katye...it's only been a short while and I've had most of them come up. I have to look and see which, but some came up really tall.....not sure if I should pinch them back or what. They're in one on those Jiffy seed domes and on a heat pad, getting ready to take them off the heat. I'm so excited!! I added some veggies too.
Rarejem,
I have a few pink New England Asters that get about 3 ft. tall. The first year I had them, they were laying on the ground. So last year, I put grow-through supports over them when they were quite young, and it made all the difference! They stood upright the whole season. I've definitely realized that putting the supports in early is the way to go, even if the visual effect isn't the greatest.
Regarding the daisies, I used English Y-stakes with mine. I really like the Y-stakes, but they can be pricely. I found some online at an Ace Hardware outlet that were priced decently. I'm sure if you do a search for "Ace Hardware Y-stakes", you'll find them.
I also used "flower support grids" that I purchased from Gardeners Supply Co. It appears that they don't carry them any longer, which is good, because the quality wasn't that great.
Another idea I've seen, is to use tree branches as supports. For daisies, you'd probably need something pretty sturdy, but if it had several branches, I bet it would do the trick. I've used small branches for sweet peas, and they worked just fine.
Do you have a picture of how you used the branches?
What a fabulous garden, Jana! i love how your stepping stone pathways lead the way through such a variety of leaf and color. It looks like a lovely haven.
Here is the sitting area that's under the umbrellas in the previous picture. It's nice to sit and have a glass of wine in the summer evenings. :-)
You can also see the outdoor cat enclosure that my husband and a friend built. We have a cat door in the office window, and then a ramp goes down to ground level. From there, a tunnel leads to the main part that you see in the picture. Our cats are indoor only, so this allows them to get some fresh air once in a while. They love it!
Sally,
I looked through my pics, but couldn't find any of the twigs I used for the sweet peas.
Here's a link that might help http://www.frenchgardening.com/tech.html?pid=310533300811696
What a nice idea for the cats Great garden.
Cedar branches that are about 10' make great supports like for lilies. They can also be bent to form arches and interwoven for fences.
This message was edited Mar 15, 2009 7:03 PM
My SIL and I went to the dollar store and each got some supports today. Thanks, Jana.
That garden photo with your cat enclosure could go in a gardening magazine. Just beautiful.
Katie,
Yay! I'm so glad they still had some.
I have to admit that after posting pictures from last summer, I'm now more anxious than ever for winter to be gone! Today's weather has been insane...blue skies one minute, and then a blizzard and strong winds the next. We had the biggest snowflakes that I've ever seen, and I grew up in the Midwest. They had to be about the size of a golf ball.
Thank you for the information, next time I prune my trees I'll save the branches. I like the idea of a more natural look and of course the thriftiness.^_^
And yes, I'm ready for winter to go away!! Cold, wet, windy and just plain nasty today.
