Everyone is welcome to join in the chat.
We were all newbies at one time and now that we've been at DG a while maybe we can share some good hints for making gardening easier, thoughts about what went right or wrong in 2009 and our plans for 2010.
My memory sometimes fails me but I always know which is the bad leg on Petals because I have a band-aid on the front side of her leg.
See? I even remembered to post a photo to show you!
Ha ha! I use the same kind of thing to remind me if I've taken my pills in the morning! I'll be thinking about my garden hints, though. Good thread!
Thanks, Lynn.
Now I use the Notebook feature on this computer so much more than ever before. When I get a brilliant thought I have to come in here and jot it down before I forget it. I have separate pages for inside and outside jobs, reminders for rainy day things I really want to do, lists for vacation reminders, etc. It does help.
Add me too to the group.
I'm a real oldy in DG's and I'll hear all that you have to say,now your season end but mine is just starting! and I can benefit from your experience.
Our spring is slowly warming up but a couple of days ago we have a GOOD frost, thank heavens I put some protection in some little tomatoes and lettuce, all well... ah!
I'm starting my vegie garden in the backyard and what I call my everything garden (front garden), I do not have lots of space so I do containers, vetables among the flowers and to complicate thing more, try to do some companion and some kind of rotation, Its fun and I'll see how I'll go this year.
Hi all;
there is a forum "Back Porch" that was started for the folks that had been around for awhile. Attendance tapered off and currently the active folks on the forum have poetry focused post,,but if you all want to come over, I would love to see you there or here.
I have lost touch with so many since I joined in 2001, after lurking for a wee bit.
We have frost/freeze warnings, hope to get to Farmers Market for tomatos and pepper.
count me in
Thanks, Marcia.
Jo Ann, I figured we could count on you. How are the coleus cuttings? I received three more varieties, about four or five of each, yesterday and they were the quickest to perk up that I've ever been sent. The person also sent two nice clumps of Gaillardias that I'll be planting soon.
Another DG person sent a big box of dahlias so I'm looking forward to next year, as always.
I think I've over done the cuttings.
I cant imagine what this place will look like in 9 months.Many just arent taking to being cuttings.Goldfinch is a looser as is Oxblood and even Watermelon is on the questionable list.
I have to keep reminding myself that I am not a patient person and easily bored so I just have to sit on my scissors and wait for parent plants to get going.
I'm taking cuttings of Coleus today. Even though it was close to 80 F yesterday, I know the cold is coming, so I better stop sitting on my scissors and start clipping!
Cristina, I visited your country about 20 years ago. What a gorgeous country and most generous people!
amen to that.
Its 45* and raining sooooo depressing
On the other hand if it was March I'de be thrilled
Same here but we do have 65 degrees and overcast. In winter I'm out if it's sunny and there is no wind, regardless of temperature.
Old/dead coleus leaves are giving me grief for keeping things nice and neat in all the windows where I have coleus growing. Aside from hand picking of every dropped leaf does anyone have a better idea that doesn't require dragging out a vacuum? The leaves are so crispy that they clog up my Dust Buster. I'm going back to a whisk broom and dustpan.
I haven't done any cuttings this season (other than rescuing the early cuttings from Christmas cactus that I had made and forgotten.) I have a Much smaller plant this year as I forgot the cuttings for a long time.
Froze last night and is down in the 20s' tonight. Growning season pretty much done here.
Now to dig and store the dahlias and do garden clean-up of all stuff that is left. It is suppose to warm up to the low 50s' next week, so will wait. We are almost 20 degrees cooler than usual. :(
When you dig your dahlias, how do you store them.?
Here's Poochella's (Annie) thread on digging and dividing dahlias:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/662385/
thanks
DD has the dahlias in sphagnum.
I say nothing.
As long as she sprays with a bit of water (only if the sphagnum moss seems dry) once a month she'll be fine. If this is the second year for them then they may need dividing.
Its the first year
pirl, thanks for the link to dahlias..now I don't have to ask my vet!!!! She has championship dahlias:)
Now how about caladiums..this is first season as I potted the ones up from UMRU and would love to keep them,
Got to cut the callas back, I had them inside, but they need to get stored..
By the way..did I mention that I am behind.???? :0
MariciaGeiger, aren't we all behind this time of year sometimes I wonder if I work harder in the fall than the spring is that possible lol
I’m not a dahlia person well as much as Pirl but the digging up and storing keeps me from having so many but I’m curious as to how many dahlias everyone has to dig up and if it’s more than what Pirl has to dig up lol I’ll let her tell you how many she has if she wants to :)
I have a whole five of them but had about nine last year thinking I would never get them done before freezing weather would come in, the bulbs multiplied so much I just couldn’t believe it! I lost a few trying to over winter them last year but it was my first year for trying them I hope I have better luck with them this year but have Pirl’s ‘words of wisdom’ to get me thru them and more prepared for this year than last lol
Marcia - sad to say most people don't bother trying to save caladiums because, aside from Le Bug, most people can't get great success the second year and worse the third year. Look at the cost of 11 bulbs for $7.00 (through Caldiums4Less) as the price you'd pay for annuals. I hope that helps.
People like Poochella and Todgor on dahlias have 200 or more. I have about 33 or 35 and still dread the week long ordeal in November of cutting back/digging/hosing/cutting tubers with eyes and then bleaching/drying/dusting with fungicide/packaging for winter...but they're worth it.
It’s true I did have great success with the caladiums the first year I over wintered them but the second year not so good just a few survived then I just left them in the ground last year. They are such a good price when Caldiums4Less has them it’s worth it to use them as annuals not saying I won’t try to save them again though lol
Love that dahlia Pirl!
My best gardening hint for the year is to forget about using sprays to deter the wretched deer and just use netting. This has been more effective (even though less attractive) than anything else I've tried. I actually had Montauk Daisies bloom this year. Just need to get out there and protect the shrubs before the snow flies.
Snow! That's a four letter word like...deer!
Hee hee!
Nepher sent pix of snow from Minneapolis.
Guess its time to cut back the containers and everything else in the garden.
It's 31* here.
I've been taking more coleus cuttings, bringing more plants into the garage (to be washed before going inside), and doing those annoying odd and end jobs.
It's 45 here now and that was our low for the night so we're safe from frost.
We have 28 here this morning. Brrr!!!
Come on down to sunny Long Island!
zone envy here
Just checked the containers
MAN what a mess.
Potatovine is spinach and coleus are really droopy.
IT'S OVER.
Bring on winter and hunker down until May
Oh no! I am not ready for winter and do not tell me of any coleus sites! Now I have over 350 cultivars and I'm thankful there are only a "few" more to be cut back.
I took cuttings of the Blackheart sweet potato vine a month ago, when it was climbing up the stairs, never expecting them to root so easily! Now it's time to take cuttings of the green one and the variegated one.
too late for mine.
Next year
If you want to you can dig up the potato section of the vine and save it in a cool spot (the same conditions as potatoes want) over the winter to get a head start on spring.
good advise.
Has anyone overwintered mandevillas successfully?
Bought 3 of them in 1992. One died a few years later and the other two are still outside growing. I cut them back and bring them inside before a frost. They remain in a sunny window all winter and when spring starts they begin twining up the cords of blinds. Just keep cutting them back. They're best in an eastern exposure or set back a foot or more in a south or west window. No food in winter and not much water.
Third year for my mandevilla, Louise. I put mine in a northern window, and fertilized it and watered it, and it bloomed all winter (sporadically), and has bloomed all summer. Since that is different than how Pirl cares for hers, I suspect they overwinter easily. I had to keep cutting mine back, also.
No frost here yet, Jo Ann. It's coming though. In the next two weeks for sure, from the weather report.
