Blooming In June

And finally, the Itty Bitty Assassin Bug Committee Convention at the Roma Tomato Inn. They are always welcome since they eat other bugs.

X

Tradescantia `Osprey':

Hydrangea `Blaumeise' starting to put on her show:

Great photos X, I was looking at the nature photographs that won awards in the SC Wildlife magazine and I realized that you, Deb and Tom take photos that would sweep all the catagories.

Thanks! ..One of the reasons I have such an eclectic group of plants is that people send me seeds and plants wanting pictures.

X

X- your pictures are gorgeous!

Giant Spinner Gerbera

Gallardia i grew from seed last year - it's really pulling it's weight this year :)~

and I spy the varmit that's been bulldozing thru the Liatris and Glads lately....LOL

Thanks! Oh wow! I didn't know gerbera daisies came in doubles!

X

Red: But what a sweet little varmint!

Hi Red! A very sweet varmit. Are your gerberas perennials?

Does anyone grow agapanthus? I've heard mixed stories about whether they'll grow in the SC midlands where we're moving.

I haven't seen any amaryllis on our house hunting trips up there. Do any of you have experience with them?

I was surprised to see bromeliads at the Columbia Botanical Garden and on this thread. How do you treat them during the winter? Would anyone like some? I have a good collection here that I can share before we move.

I'm looking forward to getting to know you all.

Leslie

Amaryllis do very well in the midlands. I had enormous clumps that would bloom with dozens of flowers at one time. They seem to do better there than down here actually.

Not sure how hardy bromeliads are in Columbia and Riverbanks is in a protected little microclimate with the river nearby but most do beautifully down here. Perhaps we can trade some of your broms for some perennials for your new home.

Sounds great! I'll post pics of the broms I have.......tomorrow. Too hot today, LOL

My sister in-law grows agapanthus. She lives on Lake Murray.

X

Leslie - I am trying my hand at Agapanthus this year as I have been told it overwinters just fine....I would love to try a bromeliad...would be glad to trade for something in the yard or hey unpacking help?? lol

The Gerbera pictured I got at Park Seed about 6 weeks ago...I have absolutely no luck at Gerbera from seed, but I have done well at dividing them....the first year after division they aren't anything to write home about, but this year they are looking much fuller...

I've never had any luck with gerbera from seed .. but then again I've never tried fresh seed .. that might make a difference.

X

My gerberas always melt in the summer then bounce back as the weather cools in the fall.

Double peachy pink Althea.

Close up of the flowers.

Those are so dainty and pretty!

X

I have lots of bromeliads I can share for whomever is interested.

You are going to make such a great south carolinian! :-)

Have you decided on a home yet and where is it?

We close on a great house on Lake Murray near Chapin at the end of July. I'll be close to pyromamma and rednyr.

Next year and after I'll have lots of daylily seedlings to share as I hybridize them.

I saw a picture of Lambie's new digs, and I am CHUFFED! It is Such a Cool House!!! Acres of land, a gorgeous view down the cove on Lake Murray, and about 20 minutes from me!!

I will not be here to welcome her, as I leave for Australia in 10 days, but I will be pounding on her doorstep in August with a Welcome Basket in hand!! And I am hoping that Deanna/Rednyr, Shawn, and Keo/John and all of our local buddies will have introduced her to the local nurseries by then.

Leslie, you are gonna love it here!
Lorie

Oh wow, that is a fantastic area. I have a good friend, an outstanding gardener, who lives on Lake Tide Dr. near Chapin.

I'm really social and would love to have everyone over after we get settled. Starting next year we can have the Great Daylily Give-away/Round-up when the new seedlings are blooming and everyone can choose what they want. I've got to have some other hem-heads around. LOL

Being a native Floridian I didn't think I'd ever want to permanently leave but I fell in love with SC the first trip up last month. Ya'll are so friendly and outgoing. The folks here are nice but keep more to themselves. I must have been swapped at birth!

Lambiepie, y'all do jus fine!

This should be Stokesia 'Honeysong Purple' if I did the uploading right. Been blooming a long time.

Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leslie I am so excited for you! my offer stands to help you shuffle boxes into the new place...I have a great son 16 who would be "down" to assist too (sorry gotta keep up my teen lingo over the summer)...katelyn is 11 and makes a great delagator (aka boss) LOL

BTW I heard some other fabulous news today but I will not spoil it and allow Tropicana to make her own announcement (umm no she's not pregnant...LOL - but that would be cool too!)

Lorie - you have not told me yet if there is something you want from Tony's place...you just dmail me and let me know...wait I nearly forgot! Did Kara mention to you that you left some of your trades here?? Do you want me to just pot them up and see you in August with them?...you know it's no problem! I am hoping to drap Shawn around to a few native plant places while your gone...get her yard hopping!!! I can't wait until you get back so we can spend some time just sipping some tea in the shade and hearing all your fabulous seed snatching stories LOL...

D

I don't know who Shawn is but there's a native nursery near where we are moving. Hint, hint.

Where is tropicanna? What is her news!!??

Lesle and Shawn, I think that Deanna should take you on a grand tour of the Native Plants places, Wingards across the dam, and Woodleys. Leslie must also be introduced to John's mom, even though it might be a bit of competition (she breeds and sell daylilies) I think that the love of fabulous Daylilies overcomes all. And I have heard such nice things about her.
Leslie, Deanna is a peach (as are Shawn, Kelly, and the rest of the RU gang) and you are in very good hands. I wish that I was going to be here to meet and greet you, but we will definitely get together in August!

Seed snatching? Moi?? LOL, I told Deanna the story of dodging the Plant Beagle in Atlanta after coming back from Portugal with a couple of bulbs and seeds (from gardenshops, not from the wild).

And yes, I will likely have a seed or two fall in my purse while in Australia. But they are very very VERY strict about such things in Oz, so I will have to behave. Maybe.

Right now I am trying to "son-proof" my yard and pots. Being gone for 3.5 weeks in July - what are the odds that my 2 slightly distracted (though good-hearted) young adult sons will remember to water my plants?
So the learning curve for putting up automatic watering is on. I have driplines, auto faucets, new hoses, etc,.......
Big project starts tomorrow - nothing like waiting until the last minute- we leave a week from Friday. Any and all suggestions appreciated, all I have is Book Larnin and no experience with that.

Bev, If I see a plant at PDN (getting this back on topic segue) are you close enough that you could pick it up and tend to it until Deanna could come and get it? I could have it all paid for and everything.

Lorie
(oh, Deanna, Be a dear and just keep those trades I forgot safe until I return. And put that Spinner gerbera next to them so tit can be set free! It want to live with me, I know it!

Lorie,
Is John's mom named Dot? If so, I met her! I stopped by the place on Broad something? Rd. that sells veggies, iris and daylilies. She seemed really nice.

Les

Greenthumb,
Thanks for sharing your stokesia--Honeysong purple. I have had it for 30 years and have given away hundreds of plants but never knew the name other than Stokes aster or Stokesia. It is a great plant and you are correct, it does bloom for a long time.
B

The plant beagle- that is hysterical. I wound up sending all my seeds home from HI so I didn't have to dodge. In spite of that, the USDA inspected my luggage and the carry-ons 3 times for contraband plants. DH was hysterical and kept saying that obviously I fit the profile for a plant napper.

But, I was picking up seed pods wherever I saw them and now it turns out that one of them was really a type of Mimosa. Can you believe I smuggled home mimosa seeds??????? Pitiful

The best garden timer I have found is the "Mr. Landscaper". You get it in the plumbing dept. at Lowes. There is a whole section on outdoor irrigation in the plumbing area and the equipment is much better than what you find in the garden section. These timers are not inexpensive but they work so well I have 3. You can set them for how long and how often you want to run the water. I have tried other brands and returned them; this ones is very intuitive and easy to set.

I also use those thingies - I don't know what they are called - gang valves maybe. They attach to your spigot to make it into a 2 or 4 spigot fixture. That way I can set up several hoses to the same place.

Have a wonderful trip.

"gang valves" I love it!

Oh, yeah, we are doing splitter valves or gang valves! I use them on the ends of hoses, too.

Yes, I am a plant napper. Seed Snatcher extraordinaire.

Mimosa seeds,LOL. That's okay, my mom was very careful to bring (er - smuggle) some crocosmias back from South Africa. When she planted them they were the same common orange Montbrecia that she already had in her garden! God laughed!

Seriously, though, the rules are in place for many reasons - the citrus blight that is happening here is one of them. Kudzu is another. Just about every plant that is available there is available in the US from someone.

I have just gotten the word (second hand) from the USDA. Although Beaufort County is (was) in the quarantine area for citrus greening, the inspectors have been here for several weeks now and have yet to find any evidence of the disease. Yipppppeeeeee

ardesia that is great news! I know you were concerned with wack now and ask questions later as their mode of operation so I am thrilled the front seems clear!

Lorie - I;m going to the PDN July 18th you goober so tell me what whets your appetite LOL besides you lied and I said I was a peach so I owe you now (I'm an apple- crisp and tart - sweet and mushy is my mom LOL)

Bloomin in June was the topic...so let's see...oh this crinum my friend Candy got me 3 years ago at a yard sale is now showing herself...There are 4 bulbs currently blooming for the first time.....

BSD,

I have 3 Stokesia plants in that clump. I cannot figure out how to divide them to give them away to admirers. It still looks like 3 plants like I planted previously, but each plant is just bigger that's all. If I give one away, then I'll have 2 plants for myself. How do you divide the Stokesia and maintain enough for yourself? I would run out of them in no time. LOL

Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Anemone `Ballerina':

Corrected to Achillea `Ballerina'

This message was edited Jun 24, 2009 10:02 PM