Are you a Deadheader?

Well now that the blisters on my hand from all of that deadheading have healed, I spent a lovely day in the garden picking up all of the downed tree branches from the storm and assessing tomorrow's deadheading needs.

Those crazy blooming Galliardia need it again. Can you believe that I found another 16 plant supports out in the garden and of course, another 16 Lily stalks to be trimmed.

Moby, if you are still reading, I've read that Lily stalks should be trimmed leaving at least a third to a half of the stalk in place. Do you not trim any of the stalk off of yours? I always cut my Asiatics so that they will not be sheared off at ground level in a wind storm. Normally I do the same thing to the other lilies too, if only to make the beds look neater and also to be able to use the stakes on other plants.

Stormy, I wish I could get far enough away from the mowers to deadhead. I think Sally and I were right on this spring past, should have planted rice! LOL Trying to keep up with PT appointments, Holly's new projects, and automotive repairs has left little time for much else. She still has a list of things that didn't even get started this year. I may have to get a job so I can get some rest. :-) Ric

I hear ya on getting a job to get a break from the garden work. Tiring this time of year!

When cutting lilies for your enjoyment, it's best to not cut more than 1/3 of the stem. The very top, where the blooms come from, can be trimmed to look tidy but should otherwise be left in place until it's dies back naturally. The foliage is needed to feed the bulb for next year's bloom. The quality of the bloom is directly related to the previous year's growing conditions.

The only time I've needed to support my lilies are the really tall ones whose tops are so heavy when they're in full bloom. By really tall I mean 5 - 6 feet. Lilies are generally strong enough to support themselves though they will lean if they don't have a even amount of sun throughout the day (against a structure or shrub).

When cutting back stems in the Fall, I like to leave about 3 inches sticking out of the ground so I'll know where to expect them next year.

Thanks, Moby. All of my lilies are growing in part shade and all need to be staked. I will be more conservative in my trimming next year.

These Conca D'ors grew to between 9 & 10 feet tall this year. I have 3 plantings of them. No way did I think they could get that big. I thought they were full grown last year at 6'.

Holy cow, those suckers need to be tied to that tree! You must be doing something right! :)

Thanks, Moby. Those are double staked. I think that many of the OT's are getting bigger than anyone expected. I have several others that are now pushing past 6 feet in their second year.

American Journey has now passed 6' in it's second year.

Beautiful.

WOW Stormy they are huge and beautiful.
Don't you guys listen to Ric, I have been very good about spring projects "this" year. I'm pretty patient I can wait till next year for him to do "everything". LOL
He has been busy mowing. He likes using the push mower with bagger for the yard and has been doing that for everything except the old pasture area out back. It is a lot of work but does look much nicer and he is using the grass clippings in the Veggie Garden.
I was dead heading my Cannas the other day but realized that I can't reach them all. LOL

Dead headers, something to keep in mind while you are cleaning up your gardens. Hummingbirds love the silky tendrils (stamens?) from clematis for lining their nest, I've read it's one of their favorites. Ric

Better dead head the garlic chives soon or you'll have them everywhere! I carry a bucket to the clumps and slice them off with an old knife.

Compulsive ME collects all the seeds from them......MAN! The seed heads are HUGE and MANY this year!!!!! This is right under my Cherry Tomato. Every time I go picking--I worry about all the bees on the G. Ch's blooms....Mostly, I ignore them. I am busy--and so are they......

And so.....................my seed collection grows.....Have NO Idea what for?????

G........:o)

Does anyone have any experience with getting Cardinal flowers to reseed? Last year I waited until the end of November to cut the stalks down. When I cut them down, I ran my hands across the seed pods and stripped them of seeds letting them fall into the bed. I also shook the stalks over the bed vigorously. This year I had fewer plants than last year. Can someone lend some guidance here? Thanks

Stormy---Is a Cardinal Flower different than a Cardinal Climber Vine????

I think the Card. Cl. is like a MG. It will seed and come up next year. Mine did not do too well this year. But then--NONE of my seedlings did well. it was very sparse ans never even began to cover the porch railings like it had in previous years.

I will definitely keep planting it in this container by my kitchen side porch. Hope it grows better the next time......

G.

Yes, Gita. It is a tall red or blue Lobelia and definitely not a vine.

Well, I may soon be DEAD if all of these black walnuts keep falling on my HEAD. This tree is just loaded with nuts this year. It's bad enough that the darned things broke my gazing balls, now I'm getting bruises on my noggin!

I never usually let this many of them pile up in the grass. What a pain they are to pick up once they start turning black. My neighbor stopped by and asked if she could have them this year for her church baking group. She hasn't yet come by to get them. I did pack a bunch of them up in the garage in one of those net bags that bulbs are packed in. I stopped doing that because the recent warm days were making a mold grow on them.

I've been hit by those stupid things and it's NOT fun! Be careful and don't twist and ankle. :)

Moby, I know. I really should go out and get them all. I've already twisted my ankle gardening several times this year. They are easy to get out of the grass. The ones hiding under the foliage in the bed are harder to spot. Usually when I'm planting or weeding they torpedo me from above.

stormyla- watch out- we don't need you twisting an ankle bad. Get some guys to come by with old golf clubs and set up a hole to pitch at...That IS a lot of walnuts

Giggle Giggle. I'm trying to be careful. Don't want to be out of commission for the Crocus Planting Party.

Perhaps you could strategically place those walnuts for the golfers to create divots ~ then drop those crocus right in. ;)

Stormy, have you ever seen this "nut wizard"? Somebody was talking about it in the tree forum once.
http://www.thenutwizard.com/

Cardinal flower / Lobelia cardinalis is pollinated only by hummingbirds - bees can't access the flowers, but I don't know if they could self-pollinate or not. They do well with a lot of water, maybe the seedlings didn't make it through a dry time?

edited to add, I guess I'm wondering if you had hummingbirds last year? Hard to believe you didn't, though.

This message was edited Oct 7, 2009 2:09 AM

That nut wizard looks awesome!

Thanks, Claypa. That Nutwizard is really neat. It might also pick up Spruce Cones. Don't think it could be used in the beds. The large one is recommended for Walnuts. It looks pretty impossible to roll that through a bed. Once again, the tool dilemma. Is it's purpose and usefullness worth the space it will use in the garage? Will it cost as much to ship it as to purchase it? How frequently will it be used? They don't list shipping fees on the website. I may call them.

I had some hummers, but not many last year. This year I haven't seen a one. Maybe that's the problem. I can't imagine with the wet spring that we had that seedlings would have dried up. April through June was continuous wet. I know Cardinal flowers are late bloomers, but wouldn't the seedlings have been up and thriving by the end of June? I did water that bed less than usual this summer. That could be the problem.

Moby & Sally, I think one whack of a golf club against a walnut would create an airborne mess of black goo!!!!

This message was edited Oct 10, 2009 1:01 PM

Well, one pair of blackened rubber gloves later, I have 5 of the 5 gallon buckets full of walnuts. There are still lots of them on the trees. I wonder how many pounds of walnuts those 5 buckets would actually yield, once shelled. No wonder they are so expensive!

WOW, stormy!!!

How do you plan to shell that many Walnuts????
Does this chore require a sledge hammer--or or something a bit less?

Will you just freeze them for future baking?
I, personally, do not care for Walnuts. Hate that occasional bitter taste that comes when you bite in a small remnant of the insides of the shell. I prefer Pecans. They are sweet......:o)

I have two hummer feeders in my shed--for YEARS! have never tried using them. IF I did--I would like to hang them close to my LR window so I could sneak up close and watch them.
Are they afraid to feed near a house? A window?... Will movement from inside scare them away?

I also need a better camera......That's another project!

Gita

Gita, These are Black Walnuts. They have a completely different flavor than English Walnuts and are never bitter. I am not going to use the walnuts. A friend of mine is going to take them to her Church group for their baking. They are a real bear to shell. Your hands can stay black for weeks.

I think that you have gotten lost! LOL The Hummingbird thread is here:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/979457/

NOT lost, stormy--I have read every Post on the Hummingbird feeder Thread.

Just my scattered thinking--then I type whatever comes to my mind.....

Gotta go out today and SERIOUSLY start bringing some plants in! The days are beautiful--again!

Ciao, Gita