Oh I cross posted with you. I tried doing something like what your doing - except I highlighted the cells different colors and I started getting really confused so I never finished it. I know what you mean about needing a visual. That is why I spend so many hours on the computer. I am always searching for good inspiring garden photos.:)
Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #34
Thanks Meredith. That makes much more sense than what I'm doing. I overthink everything. Maybe by next year I'll be more confident in things and be able to make that work!
Hey TooFew! I have a beautiful Malva Sylvestris Mystic Merlin bloom! Inside, of course... I've really been nursing these guys along, because they got big so quick they kept drying out, and then the white flys seemed to like them. So Happy to see a bloom!
Meredith..... neat the way you listed by height.
KL -- as mentioned above... my "Pink" MW has not germinated either. Isn't that "Swamp Milkweed" ? I have forgotten, i'll have to look that up.
What a pretty bloom! Congratulations.Here's one of mine that decided it wasn't going to wait.: )
tcs I crossed with you : ) Thanks I was trying to find a way to have aplan - but in the end I think we all end up planting a lot of stuff wherever we have anopen spot. Especially at crunch time -and with relatives on the way! lol
that is true... i have to move a few things this year... as in one spot, my Coreopsis Early Sunrise is behind some Bee Balm... well, that's just not acceptable. LOL.
I have quite a few things to move myself -lol. I have coneflowers towards the back of a bed that were blocked by three other taller types of plants, then I have a butterfly bush in the very front of the bed. Lol At least it was in a good spot to get pics of all the butterflies! :)
scicciarella, that's exactly what I want is a whole field of them :) I want the perennial ones and from now on I'm just letting the annuals reseed. I'm planting ones from store bought perennial seeds so I can make sure what they are I think I have the showy milkweed in my middle bed it's been there for a few years now and it's beginning to spread by underground runners, not good im my middle flower bed, wouldn't have planted it there if I knew what it was for sure it was from trade seeds. Last summer I planted some Bergenia there from Fairy's coop and it seemed soon as I disturbed the ground to plant I had more milkweed show up just like the one that is near by thinking it was the purple milkweed but I don't think they spread by underground runners, those are so hard to control!
Sounds like this is the one you have :
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/539/
Fairy, my Bergenia from your coop is getting ready to bloom :)))
klstuart, I don't really have any tips on growing the milkweeds, which one are you trying to grow? Is it the pink I had from the swap like the link I put above? I've WS those and they have done good for me before but I'm going to try them under lights this year and the Incarnata just to see if they will grow under lights, I've found that sometimes they tell you they need cold and they don't I'll plant them both ways cause I have enough seeds to just to satisfy my curiosity, I have these I'm going to start:
Red Prairie (trade seeds :0) wish me luck that they are the right ones I’m gun shy from trade seeds and my seeds on milkweeds lol Sometimes mine get mixed up too! I was really really careful with mine this year incase you are wondering lol
Cinderella - inside
Purpurescens - inside
Incarnata - WS
Tuberose - WS
The silky gold and bloodflower are going to be pitched in the field with the next snow :)
I don't grow them warm just under one bulb, not sure how warm that is but the seed tray isn't that wet either, I know the Purpurescens and Cinderella ones will germinate under lights, just barely cover them. I may try soaking them too someone on here soaked theirs, who was that :) and how long did you soak them?
I found germination instructions for the pink one I had in the swap looks like it's one that does need the cold:
Asclepias incarnata 'Rose'
Germination: Germination slightly difficult. To start indoors, place seeds in between layers of moist (not wet) paper towels. Place paper towels (with seeds) in plastic baggie. Place in refrigerator for 6-8 weeks. Remove from refrigerator to location at 60-65°F. Seed should begin germinating in 10-20 days. As seed forms a root, pot up into small containers. Otherwise, use "winter sowing" method.
The Tuberose need to be started this way too.
I guess I'll just WS mine for this year, usually I would start mine out in the early spring on the picknic table they start a lot quicker than when I have WS them before but this year I think I'll just WS my tuberosa (orange) and incarnata (pink) I'm in no hurry for them to come up this year I just feel lucky to have the seeds, the last two years I've had the wrong seeds lol Last year I did it to myself lol
kl, I just realized you tried winter sowing some of those. Did you get them out early enough to experience a good amount of cold? If you did I wouldn't give up on the winter sown ones just yet. Some of my stuff took until late june to come up last year. I saved some flats of stuff that never germinated last year and I have a bunch of stuff sprouting. The one that made me happiest was the geranium maculatum. : )
I agree with LeBug about starting Asclepias Cinderella inside. That is how I did it several years ago. I used a heat mat. My A. cinderella is always attacked by the Tetraopes tetrophthalmus - Red Milkweed Beetle. They love the seed pods especially, so If I get rid of the pods, I have a lot less beetles to deal with. I just remove them by hand.
Meridith , congrats on the geranium maculatum.
Thanks!! : )
I have to agree with LeBug about the A. Cinderella, I started mine indoors on a heat mat several years ago. I love the flowers and the butterflies, but the Tetraopes tetrophthalmus - Red Milkweed Beetle are horrible. They especially like the seed pods. If I get rid of the seed pods there are a lot less of them.
Meridith, congrats on the geranium maculatum.
No broken foot for the cat, a pretty bad infection though from a puncture wound, ... bad fighting kitty!
Yikes, sorry about posting twice, thought it hadn't gone through.
Oh my I am so silly - it was your kitty with the bad leg. I hope he heals up well : )
Toofew, glad nothing is broken on your kitty :) I took mine to the vet a couple of weeks ago for an infection in her foot, I think from my sea hollies that are prickly and coming up right now, and now she has the same thing going on with another foot! I saw her walk on the sea holly a few days ago, guess I'll get rid of those or keep the kittens inside until they are full grown lol Did you vet tell you to keep him/her inside? That's what mine told me and now there's another $100! I don't want to keep these kittens in the house all the time!
Those milkweed bugs are always on my milkweeds too, all of them! If you are careful and just spray the bugs you can use alcohol it kills them deader than a door nail lol I don't spray around the flowers just the stems and when they are on the ground.
My Cupid's Dart 'Amor White' is starting to come up that I WS :)
Critter my Ox Eyes are beginning to show up too :)) I need to get some more jugs out this week almost all of the ten (LOL) jugs I've planted so far as germinated, I know I'm really behind :) I usually have at least 100 jugs out there by now if not more!
I usually get a couple of those milkweed bugs too, but one year I had a ton of Milkweed Tussock Moth Cats and I was worried there wasn't going to be enough milkweed for the Monarchs.
I have a WS jug of milkweed sprouting; its the narrow leaved milkweed. Lea, I'm thinking those were from you along with several other varieties- am I right?
Can't believe its already April! I sat some Pansies and Snapdragons out on the deck to harden off today, hoping to start setting them out in the next few days. Emptied some spots in the cold frame, and brought some more out from the plant room, so now there's space to do another wave of transplanting.
Uuugg, now is the time I feel the weight I've put on myself; seedlings to plant out, seedlings to transplant, seeds to start, Lily bulbs just arrived- to be shipped out or planted, Dahlias from a co op on the way, and so many things to do in the yard.
Just popping my head in to say I am overwhelmed beyond belief. LOL.
LOL Lala. I try not to think about it.
Neal, you got the incarnata (pink), bloodflower and silky gold milkweeds, which one is suppose to be the narrow leaved, I've never heard any called that, that one must be from someone else :) Glad they are coming up for you :))
Right now I'm trying to get all of the sea hollies except for the Eryngium planum, the Moroccan Sea Holly I'm pretty sure is the one that caused my kitten's foot to swell twice now, I saw her walk on it the last time and now her foot is swollen again. So if any of you that got the moroccan sea holly from me just becareful with it until it's full grown, these were seedlings that got Stump, my kitty, they get stickers on them and they are only like three inches around and close to the ground so beware :) If I didn't have these kittens I never would have known they do so much damage, sorry! It didn't bother the kittens when they were full grown plants. I can only imagine what it would do to a child if they fell on it :( It's easy to take the seed heads off if you want to keep them from reseeding I was just busy with dad more than usual last year and didn't get mine taken off.
Meredith you and Trishann were the only ones to get it from me this year I'm going to dmail and warn her :)
I have tons of those Milkweed Tussock Moth Cats every year or at least that's what I think they are, they eat everything in site if I'm not mistaken. Sorry but I kill everyone that I can.
La, sounds like you are having fun, just think of all the beautiful flowers you will have after all of this is over :)
LeBug ,
Sorry about you kitty hope it is okay , ever tried to type in the darl lol'
Be sending you a Dmail hopefully this week,new puppies love to steal tag's so mad at them but they say tag's in okay tag's out . so gonna let you deal with the kitty's got to be easier, . hope to get your mexican mound's out and you get to divide and make many more , love these pet's. Hope your doing well!! You deserve it.
Your Friend,
Carolyn
Thanks Carolyn you're so sweet and new puppies, oh my lol I'll have to dmail you :)
I haven't even been April fooled today and no one on here has said anything :) Has anyone gotten you all today lol
I got my 15 year old daughter yesterday morning. I woke her up before her alarm clock went off at 6am and told her that it snowed 4 inches and they cancelled school. "Sweet!" she was excited to go back to sleep. I told her that it looked so pretty outside to go look. She was straining to see the snow and I was giggling. "I don't see anything", she says. "April fools". She just smirked at me because I got her sooo good. That's the only chance I have at pulling one over one her--- when she's half asleep! lol!
This message was edited Apr 2, 2009 10:49 AM
LOL Andrea.... it's funny... next week my oldest is heading to panama city with a friend and a bunch of other guys.
he is the only one flying in to New Orleans and they are driving over.
his friend called him, while he was still asleep and told him the trip is canceled and he'd just have to try to get him $$ back for the airlines tickets.
needless to say... it was a good April Fools trick. Jimbo was a bit freaked.... mostly since he was half asleep too.
Back to seeds....
all my 10 Zinnias on that flat have germinated, and a few African Daisies just this morning.
Way back --- someone, i think Lynn mentioned ThriveAlive in a spray bottle.
I'm considering buying some of this .... does anyone else use any "special" stuff for planting and or seed germination?
what got me going on all of this is the Mycorrhizae co-op -- now i'm looking into all these products that aid [possibly] in germination and plant shock, ect. I'm thinking especially for the Yvonne's as i dont want my two seedlings to keel over.
tcs, that was a great April fool's joke!
mygypsyrose, that was a good one too, I can never get my son but that sure would be a good way to do it if I could wake him up but I would have to call him and he doesn't answer the phone if he's asleep.
I've been picking up the messes I've made in the yard getting ready to mow, gosh five wheel barrows full, didn't realize I had done that much work and that's just the yard and not the field where I have plants too lol We have snow predicted for Monday bet it's not much but I'm putting my poppy seeds and some others out then if I can handle the cold after all of these nice warm spring days!
Gonna have to cover up some of those hosta that are coming up, not sure what else my silene 'jack flash' isn't much bigger than when I planted it last year so I know I'll cover that, can't believe that thing is stunted, it's only close to four inches high almost looks just like when I put it out, at least it's still there :)
my perennials are all coming up outside so two weeks and the babies are getting booted out since I am out of room inside just waiting for easter to be over and then I will start to plant them sense I usually do it in april but we are early this year hard to believe but my area is the only one that has not gotten any snow in the last month and today its got a high of 53F again I ll take it
so proud of my poppy that I planted last year he is doing great
What kindof poppy is it? I threw a bunch of different types of poppy seeds down and now I need to make a mentle note of what they look like, so I don't pull any up thinking they are weeds!
>>so I don't pull any up thinking they are weeds!
same here.... I'm out there pulling weeds any day it isn't raining.... I HOPE I have not pulled up any plants. I'm getting better at recognizing certain plants/weeds ... there are a few that are iffy, a few have been pulled, others i've been leaving until i can see what they are.
its a perennials which color I dont know but most of the perennials one will look like this in the spring of the second year of growth unless they are the plume poppies they look almost like a holly hock when they come up and I hope mine made it over the winter it is not coming up yet not sure when I should be looking for it if you kept the seed pack google there image and it will help I usually put one of those plastic little sticks next to new plants so I dont pull them
last year pull my virginia blue bells lol I was not a happy camper when I did that hahahah
One year I think I pulled up allmy purple prairie clovers I had wanted so bad thinking they were weeds! I know now after starting some indoors last year. lol
oh yes the is it a weed or not problem most of my bed are in good shape mostly clearing out the leaves that got bloom in late fall I am not pulling much since its a new bed and I planted lots of stuff so I will be patient and wait for the stuff to get a bit bigger before eradicating anything unless I am sure of what it is
That's what I am trying to do this year..... Wait to be sure. It just stinks when you wait and then it's a type of weed that doen't come out easy once it roots in! Ugg I hate that.
I've got one for you lol for two years George 'ansonfan' sent me oxalis that I dearly love! I couldn't figure out why it wasn't coming up the next year after I planted it, well it looks like clover!!! I pull every bit of that wild clover up that I see :) Needless to say I have no oxalis left and am soo darn embarrased!!! And without plants :((
Lol That's something I would do - I am always fighting the clover!
This year no clover is going until I see the blooms I don't care if it reseeds LOL Really I would have to say he has sent it to me three years in a row lol
It's so rainy, damp and cold outside today, yesterday it was 70 something and beautiful it's 40 now :( No warm weather in the forecast until late next week! This weather is so rude!
Similar conditions here. It was in the low 60's yesterday now it's cold and rainy : (
it will only reseed after the blooms so wait and see what the blooms are and then pull it if its the wrong one hahahhaha
scic... is it you sending all this cold weather down here again. My babie s gonan be frost bit and cold mondya night and tuesday night.
I gonan be spendign most of my weekend tryign to brign things back in and recover them
and hope they dont do to ba d through this freeze. Just hoep the plants dry out. noticed ha d some moldy blooms on my Peony form two weeks of almost solid rain. : (
actually its 53F here and tomorrow will be a bit cold but my weather has been good as far as temp for three weeks now but its been raining since last saturday only saw the sun for half a day my babies are missing the sun they didnt grow at all this week
check with someone else maybe they sent it hahahhahaha