What's happening in your early summer garden #2

These reseeded outside the whiskey barrels where I normally grow them (cause the gophers love them so much). I'm amazed that they came up in this perfect little grouping of three colors together:

yes - you are all right, I just don't know which one (I got it at Annie's, it was so tiny!) Reseeding on the slope is a plus, so I'm ok with that.

gypsy - they look so pretty, and all on their own gotta love that! Rob - Gertrude is Fantastic! does she just roam around? I love those blue-ish leaved nast. as well . Do you like the variegated leaved - I think "Alaska" series, they are cute.

The pictures of veggies look like pictures in the catalogues, so perfect. All the beautiful flowers, everyone seems to have a very green thumb. I'm going to have to have hollyhocks next year, I just love them.

Got some 6 ft spiral metal stakes at the 99 cent store. I picked up three and later found out they sell for $4.95 at Lowe's. Had to go back, but only had a couple of the 6 ft. left but got some 5 ft ones too. Perfect for vines and in Sept. I am going to plant sweet peas and can use the spiral stakes for them to climb on. They are so sturdy. I planted some moon vines and snail vines from seed and I hope they won't die on my when I transplant them to the garden.

Oh, I love those hollyhocks too! I always wanted to grow some, but heard it takes 2 yrs from seed?

Redtootsie, we had to build a little area for Gertrude. I let her roam last fall and she only showed up a couple of months ago! I was so happy and now I can't loose anymore! So whenever I take her out for a "walk" in the garden, I keep my eye on her so she doens't run away again, lol

Oh Pefect Rob - I wouldn't want to lose her either.

The hollyhocks are so cute, they are worth the wait - mine are only leaves this year. They would reseed in my other garden, but not too crazy.

Has anyone tried sugarcane? I have some purple I ordered on ebay (after seeing it in Horticulture or Fine Gardening?) and have it in pots - it's gorgeous like purple bamboo. I'd like to use it as a screen for my neighbors ugly lattice privacy thing they have up above our fence.... but I'm worried it will "run" I suppose I could just sink the pots?

Toots, I've found some determined plants will escape through drainage holes in the pots if they're sunk directly in the ground. If you were to use the "pot within a pot" technique, it would be easier to lift them and make sure they're not escaping from their containers, and to root-prune them if they are.

Thanks ima - hmmmm, maybe just keep these guys in pots on patio area- (with my black bamboo) and think about something else to screen.... anyway these prob die down in the winter? which wouldn't serve the purpose.

ima - how's that raised bed, you guys eating your veggies? Tasted our first tomatoes - oh so good!

Well, I had started with peas in the raised bed, and I won't do that again. Too much & space for too little yield. The lettuce plants I started at the same time as the peas are bolting, but I'm saving the seed so that's OK. I planted bush bean seeds after I took the peas out, but that was only a couple of weeks ago, so they're not doing much yet.

I put my tomato & tomatillo seedlings in big nursery pots, not in the raised bed (too hard to rotate the soil). They're coming along---got blooms but no fruit yet. I always get them in late....and I have 3 more 4" pots of tomato seedlings I have to find space for somewhere in the garden---no more room for big pots! I planted the seedlings about halfway down inside the nursery pots, and I'm gradually raising the soil level as they grow. It's been really cool here the past couple of weeks, so they've been sulking a bit. Today it's 90 already, so THEY should be happy, even if I'm not.

Wow, you've all been very busy. Will have photos to post later on. Seem to have lost some. Glad to see your beautiful gardens. You really have come a long way, Red.
Glad you are back DP. We missed you! : )
WCGypsy, can you save me some of your Hollyhock seed?
Well, I got to go take care of a dreaded chore, but haven't posted for a while here so thought I'd drop in and look at your beautiful gardens. The veggies were a treat too! : )
WIB,
SW

Yes, SW, will save seeds......

Hollyhocks come up every year in an area by us called Paddison Square. This is an historical part of Norwalk and every year I see the beauties poking their heads over the white picked fence surrounding the area. Peacocks roam around that area too, boy are they loud.

Sounds pretty Pegi. I love the peacocks...........even with all the noise.

I agree!

DP, did you see the article where I quoted you?

My one glad is blooming now. No idea what variety it is; got the bulbs from a "take some" box at a lecture on composting several years ago. A beaut, though, isn't it??

It is beautiful. Glads are so pretty and easy togrow. There should be more of them around. My grandmother used to grow them.

Here is lily "White Butterfly"

Glads are pretty, and I like the coloring of yours, ima. I have one similar to that - can't remember the name of it either. Isn't freebies great?

Doss - I used to grow glads, but after about 4 good years, patch by patch started to succumb to thrip infestions. As the flowers got more and more deformed, and the leaves were all streaked, I decided to give it up since I did not want to spray. My sister in Southern CA experienced the same thing and dug up all of her gladiola bulbs.

Nice Lily

I have the same problem with glads and thrips. No problem with thrips on anything else but glads. I've tried everything and nothing seems to work.

JasperD - I am glad that thrips are so plant specific. I would have hated it if they were to spread. They got to my Gladiolus gallianthus so I have been pulling those out. They produce so many bulbils that it is hard to totally get rid of them. The only plant that I have kept that needed yearly spraying is my nectarine tree - hard to give up home grown fruits so I do try to spray that for peach leaf curl at the right times (never did get it totally right since I always have some infection)

I am so grateful that there are so many fairly pest-free plants out there.

rob - is there a name for that 'big green fuzzy thing' you posted June 25th? It looks like something I was given at the mini round up in March. I have it inside on kitchen window and it looks like it needs something. It had flowered in May, nice purple. Maybe I need to get it outside and in a new pot?

ima - what size nursery pots are you using for your tomatoes? Local nursery class said at least 5 gallon pots and I have some of those, but those that are in 8 gal and 20 gal pots are doing much better. Peppers are getting tall in 5 gal pots and also 6 of them in horse's old water container that started to leak. Zuchinni starting in one o the 'fake' wood (some kind of dense foam stuff) 1/2 barrel pots. I threw some taters in a big 20 gal pot (and 2 in ground) and plan to keep adding dirt as they grow, as I have read. Basil doing well in pots, but cannot get cilantro and chives to grow after 3 attempts!

I'd have to check the exact sizes, but the smaller ones are in approx 7 gal (the determinates), and the larger varieties are in approx 15 gal. nursery pots. They're all starting to bloom, and I've got fruit setting on 2. I need to add soil----which is what I should be doing now (since it's cool this morning) instead of sitting at the computer...LOL!

Quiltygirl, which one?

Rob - the photo you have on this thread in your post of june 25th, above. It looks like the one I received in a 4in pot. What is its called?

Lynda

I think you are talking about verbascum.. mine is just starting to bloorm, pretty creamy white blooms

I've been gone for a while. Which article are you speaking of Rob. Evidently I didn't see it.

I was out of town for two weeks and since I've been back all I seem to have time for is pulling weeds. I pulled a 30 gallon garbage can full from just one of my beds. It's a fairly large bed but not huge. It's about half of a 20' X 30' (triangular)

Now that it's weed-free for a day or two, I should take a couple of pictures.

My poor summer garden is in the midst of 'DESTRUCTION' right now.

I've been very unhappy with the look of my gardens for awhile now and several weeks ago, Mike (Jasperdale) came to pick me up for an event. As we walked around the garden, I mentioned this to him and he helped me realize what I didn't like about it.....soooo I am tearing it all apart and redoing several areas. I don't know exactly what the outcome will be yet as I'm still looking for the 'look' I want and plants.

So far I have torn down part of an arbor and taking out some brick retaining pieces. It's not a retaining wall, just long pieces of red brick that I used in a verticle position to hold back some soil. I found some nice block last week and bought several of them to see if they look good. I will be testing them out tomorrow.

My patio is covered in pots right now, as I have been digging up many plants to reuse somewhere. lol Tomorrow I'll take some pictures of my progress and you'll be able to see the mess I have. lol

My pooooor summer garden. :-(((

Donna

Oh, dear, and I thought it was so beautiful! I'm sure whatever you do will be wonderful, Donna, just give yourself some time.

It'll be worth it Donna. It always seems worst just before it all comes together. Hang in there. I'll just bet you vision for it will be perfect.

Donna - my sprinkler system has been out for about 2 months now, and I have had to drag the hose and sprinkler head from place to place. I got the system fixed, but a portion of my garden was tore up in order to get to the lines and do the repair work. So, I can imagine how your garden looks since my destruction was not as widespread as yours. Here is a photo of some stokesia before they got trampled over.

Thanks for the encouragement everyone. I will take it slow this time and hopefully get it right.

Soils, I love that stokesia. :-)

We also had a sprinkler malfuntion this past month. We had one whole station that just quit. Dh played with it for several days and finally replaced the celanoid (sp) on it and it worked. woohoo.

I had EVERYTHING torn up starting July 31st last year. The guy started working on the back, but then he ripped out the front at the same time to lay sprinkler lines and drips for my courtyard pots. It was utter chaos. I couldn't walk out a door without wanting to burst into tears.

Now, it's fabulous. I still have plenty to do, but the bones are there at last, and I love it. Hang in there----it will all be worth it!!!

Looking forward to pictures of all your work.

Pegi

This diary, if you start at the bottom, chronicles all the stuff that was done last year. It was a MAJOR transformation, believe me!!
http://davesgarden.com/community/blogs/t/imapigeon/10168/

Donna - hang in there and be glad you live on the coast. The cooler air will be kinder to the plants you have to move and new ones you buy. This should be a fun, creative project.

lol Lynda. I asked because I posted 4 photos on june 25! Could it be the Verbascum?

DP, remember at the roundup when you told me "if you find a job you love, you never have to work again"? Check this out!
http://www.finegardening.com/item/9182/you-love-to-garden-are-you-ready-to-turn-pro

Below: gorgeous rose at Balboa Park ( I can't remember the name but I NEED one, lol!)

Read the article Rob. I even left a comment on it. Cool that you said that.
Randy

Yes Rob, that must be it. I've gone to the plant files and see that now that I have transplanted it into larger pot and put it outside, may I need to give it some shade too. Summer up here can be brutal for some of these plants. I didn't know how good I had it when I had my tiny yard in San Pedro.
Lynda

Lynda, I have founds that whatever plants I'm having a hard time with in pots....will do much better in the ground, where they have a better chance at "fending for themselves"...


Randy, thank you for leaving your feedback on the article. Very well said!!! : ))

Singing Wolf I am addicted to those lovely solar light stakes you have by the GH, can't buy them here and they cost an arm and a leg to bring in - but well worth it!

For Rob Correia....can I go on the list for the cup and saucer seeds please? Do you have Guyanese in your background? I am marrie dto a Guyanese and remember the name from many visits to that lovely country.