Becky's MGs Part 2

This one is Scarlett O'Hara from Antoinette. Seems to be taking it's sweet time to bud and bloom. Can't wait to see the blooms on it!

This message was edited May 7, 2009 9:52 AM

This is "Silky Blue" from bluespiral! Thanks Karen for such a pretty vine and blooms! Hopefully, I will be able to show a better bloom photo in the coming days! :-)

This is supposed to be "Diluted" Fiji no Muraski, but it looks like the full-blown rich color it is known for! Beautiful!! Hopefully I can get a photo of an uncrinkled bloom soon! Thanks Sarah (quaintcharm) for sharing this beauty with me!

Ronnie - I can really see the streaking in this light lavender Hein no Hikari bloom! So pretty!!!

Many of the vines I am currently growing have variegated leaves which just adds to the beauty and attraction!

I am seeing more pink stripes and flecks on the Carnevale di Venezia vine. Thanks for sharing with me, Sylvia. I really like this vine!

This is a LYK cross. I could see a lot of light blue in this bloom. I am curious to see what future blooms produce. :-) No pollen on any of my blooms this morning. Lack of the right nutrients I fear. I hope to rectify that soon...

Petunia break.

This post and the next one will show the biggest surprise in my outdoor garden. These vines are being grown in large pots and are climbing up my white privacy fence. This is a scarlet runner bean leaf. I about dropped my teeth when I saw this one and the next photo leaf. This is a record in my yard for leaf size of this vine.

This message was edited May 7, 2009 10:22 AM

And here is a Moonflower leaf. Holy cow!!!!

This is Arlene's Hanafubuki. Not able to pollinate this one for lack of fluffy pollen. I'm sure it is a nutrient dilemma. Would compost added help, I wonder?

Oops! Arlene's vine and bloom.

My volunteer Hanafubuki. Look at the dried up anthers. No other reproductive parts either. This is a major bummer. I need to make adjustments with the soil...

Shy bloom peeking through in one of the tipsy pots...

Beautiful blooms Becky, your welcome for the China Doll, looks really beautiful.

Beautiful flowers, wow on those leaves, they look so big and so healthy too.. do you think it is too late to start moonvines here.. I direct sowed some of the sword beans a couple of months ago and one germinated, I've never had luck with the transplants on those.. This morning I had to use row covers on all the veggies that went in last night, tomatoes, cucs and gourd plants, it is supposed to be a real hot one today and they are in full sun so I'm not taking chances.. I've been doing that and fertilizing the mgs since 7AM this morning and finally finished.

Maybe on the later blooms on Hannafuki it will give you some pollen... Becky, are you working this summer? If you already posted it somewhere, sorry for asking again. Your Chachamaru is a cutie..

Maybe you will get a reversed tube on that SOH, no one has reported any reversed tubes on the seeds I've sent out, so maybe none of the seeds will have some.. who knows what caused them in the first place.

Gorgeous blooms Becky.

Beautiful blooms, Becky. I am amazed at your gorgeous Clematis!

Thanks! Glad y'all are enjoying them as much as me!

Antoinette - I don't think it is too late to start Moonflowers. I started some last year in the middle of summer. :-)

Yes, I am working this summer. I have to. Need the $$

BTW - I am growing some of your Gourds. Also some large leaves on those babies! :-)

I am still starting them now here and have several that are in their 1st pairs of leaves, in the afternoon, getting 90+ degree sun. Hoping they continue to be happy~I have a HECK of a time with these, even soaked and nicked!!!!! thats why I am still starting so late~!
:Darren

Darren - It has been in the 90s here too this week. Ugh! Warm ocean water is not good ... helps the hurricanes come to Florida. It is unusually warm here for May already.

I am having to water my vines every day now. We are on water restriction which is bad. We NEED rain!!! Send it my way folks!

Becky, I wonder those crystals would help during the restriction? I still need to put them into my raised veggie beds.

Thanks darren and becky, I'll see if I direct sow some moonvine seeds here, it is warm enough that is for sure.

P.S. edited: I've got four of the African Gourd seeds going, I'm hoping to be able to keep those alive ...



This message was edited May 8, 2009 10:47 AM

oooh! Good idea, A! I did not amend my narrow bed along the picket fence before planting my MG seeds this year. It has affected the growth and size of my vines. Bad gardener that I am. Timing was all wrong this year due to so much going on in my life. After this group of vines are done, I hope to amend that area with some compost and will add some of the water crystals in there too. That is a great idea!

Darren - Do you use water crystals in your potting soil and amended into your garden beds?

YES! Especially where the sun hits the hardest in the afternoon. we get temps of 115+ and I used to water 2 times a day and, if needed, 3. Last year the water crystals REALLY helped out in the afternnon, the leaves were not in a heavy of a stage of wilt that I had to re-water~ It takes SO much water that I lose leaves to yellowing, but with the water crystals it keeps the H20 supply steadier I think! Funny~ I put more in the pot this morining for the Kohkan!~lol
:Darren

note on those crystals, soak them in fertilized water a bit before adding to the dirt THEN Plant seed and soil on top of them~Thats how I was told to do it and have success. If you put the crystals in after the Dirt and Seeds are in, the crystals expand and push soil and seedlings about...OR out of the ground
d

Get a pet bunny rabbit. You get no extra charge fertilizer to add to your compost pile falling through the bottom of the cage.

Also, the Miracle Grow moisture control potting soil has the crystals in it but mixing your own would be cheaper.

Just to give everyone a heads up ... if I disappear for awhile, it's probably because my computer has been hit with a virus. Not sure yet. But if so ... it's a bummer!

Becky, check your available disc space. I almost blew up my computer with pictures. I stored a bunch of them on disc and got the fuction restored.

Karen

Moisture Control Soil mix with H20 pellets is good for ground soil planing and mixing in but in Containers I like the ability to put the crystals where there are neede; for instance I ALWAYS put them in a ''ring'' about 5 inches around the side of the container that gets the most heat in the afternoon, keeping the roots plenty watered up, where, without it they would dry as the soil evaporated throughout the afternoon.
:Darren

I'm slowly getting the viruses (yes! there was more than one! Ugh!) off my computer. And I am burning the midnight oil as you can tell...

I wanted to quickly post some of the pretty blooms I had today! It was a hot day here and my poor plants were looking pretty wilted by the afternoon. Luckily, the photos were taken in the morning. :-)

That of course was Blue Star above. I am growing it again as I just loved it last year! You can never grow enough of a good vine! :-)

This one is Pink Porcelain. One of my own crosses and I can't get enough of this one either. :-)

Hanafubuki with two blooms! Another favorite!

Diluted Fuji no Muraski bloom. Much smaller and showing more of a petal shape to the bloom. I like it!

This is a new one. Another cross from Antoinette. This one is "Picotee Pink NOT x Fuji no Sora. About knocked my socks off when I saw this bloom! :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

I love the pink porcelein and the Diluted Fuji no Muraski

Thanks Debra! I am amazed at the nice MG blooms I am getting currently. Always a joy to see in the mornings. :-)

This is not a MG, but it made me drop my jaw this morning. I grew this one from seed and this is it's second year. I have been told that the true bloom will not show up until the 3rd year. Well, I was shocked at what I got THIS year! LOL! This blooms was so big and heavy, that I had to stake it. You can see additional buds on this one flower stalk. I have no idea what it is other than a daylily of some cultivar or perhaps a cross...

oh that is gorgeous!

And last is my Ernest Markham Clematis vine. Lots of blooms on this baby finally. There are certain cultivars of Clematis that can handle the heat and sun in zone 10a. This is one of them. I am sure glad I tried Clematis despite being told that my zone was too warm for them ... :-)

This is gonna knock you for a loop! I about dropped my teeth when I saw this bloom this morning. Many, many thanks to Sarah (quaintcharm) for sharing the seeds. :-)

I am not sure what this one is. I think it is Shibori Mix from Gail! (Thank you, Gail!) I am getting a lot of deep, rich blue blooms now. Love it, love it!!