Star, you are BAD, I've been trying to stay away from all of your Lisianthus seeds, I've been very very good in that department!
nbgard - tell me more about the salvia purple knockout. How do you like it? Would it make a good edging? I'm liking it, but wonder if it isn't too dark for an edging (I'm so used to the white alyssum I use every year, anything that isn't white will be too dark in my minds eye ... how about in real life?).
Is it very pleasing when it blooms? or did you just let it bloom for the seeds.
CLOSED: '09 Fall Frenzy Swap Page #5
.....nudging toofew gently but firmly out of the trough....
Star dear lady, you can post all the lisianthus you want and I'm
oinking at the head of the line with stars in my piggy eyes.
Fell in love with lisianthus over 10 yrs ago & spend a fortune
every year for the plants. (no idea I could collect the seeds).
Next year I'll ask how I do that & where to look.
This message was edited Nov 9, 2009 7:43 AM
Hey, that piggy Cris316 can push pretty hard. She 'nudged' so hard I'm sitting here on my squiggly tail, while she is at Star's trough. Watch out for her you other piggies!
I haven't tried them from seed, but I've heard Lisanthus can be tricky to start. Maybe somebody has tips... ?
I have Salvia Purple Knockout... for me, it doesn't always overwinter, but it does self-sow faithfully. I don't think it would stand on its own as an edging, but those deep purple leaves would make a wonderful contrast with anything from dusty miller to violas to alyssum... in fact, I've ended up with volunteer PKO next to volunteer white alyssum, and it looked great!
Thinking about volunteers, next spring is going to be so interesting. This was the first summer I planted so much, and so much of it from swaps/trades. I suspect I'm going to have a lot of volunteers, and be posting everywhere to figure out what they are! I can spot some of them... but my memory is only just so good!
Jill -- I'm surprised it does not over winter for you. says it's hardy to zone 5... so i guess now i'm praying mine make it. Grew them by seed and they did great.... I'm going to have to get some alyssum next to them now.
anyhoo... since i'd never heard of Lisanthus... i had to look it up. Gorgeous!! but not hardy here. The author of the article i was reading stated she starts from seed. I bet i could put them on the south where it's warmer in the winter....
and Star... i first did send Pamsue a Dmail,, on the 3rd, as did nbgard... then when i saw her pop in yesterday morning - i figured i'd get a reply soon... heck - maybe she's super busy with stuff and just didnt get to them yet. I was just hoping for some Agastache Tootie Fruitti.
toofew - I have not tried the 'purple knock out' as a border. It's flowers are not really anything astounding, but I grew if for it's beautiful foliage color (from Critter's seeds, I might add!) It is quite dark, so you might not like it for edging, but it does provide great contrast as Critter mentioned. I really like it.
tonya
I tried wintersowing lisianthus with no success. Has anyone been successful ws'ing it?
Maybe PKO is just fussy about drainage in winter or something... some of them do come back, but often I see them in a different spot instead, having "come back" from a dropped seed.
I'm not sure, but I think lisianthus is one you have to start warm, indoors, and quite early if you want good blooming throughout the summer... ?
Check out comments on the lisianthus page in PF: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/891/
Jill -- re: PKO, I did read something about good drainage in the winter. some of mine are in a bed [retaining wall] where it might stay wetter... the other ones are in the "open" where the drainage wont be an issue. I'll have to make note of the results in the spring.
read the PF comments on Lisianthus... they wouldnt make it here as I tend to lean toward a xeriscpe garden... hate to water, plus i'm not home May - Oct.
They are very pretty though.
Thanks critter and nbgard for your thoughts on the PKO salvia. I think I will wait till the end of the swap and if there are any left I will ask for some. I was hoping to get away from the white alyssum as a border. Sounds like PKO would make a great 2nd border with the white alyssum.
Hey Star.... I just started paying attention to Hurricane Ida.... what's the scoop on your area? Will you get nipped by her? Looks like N.O. will be spared -- as it may be going more east.
I'll be keeping an eye on the weather....
toofew... I know i collected a few PKO seeds... I'll have to see if i have enough to share... I do recall the germination rate was pretty good... I'll have to check my notes.
I've spent a bit of the morning clearing images off my 'card' and filing them where they belong... I have a lot of WS'ed plants ... guess i'll share them.
Here is Husker's Red with Golden Jubilee .. not the greatest image with the 'dead' stuff.. but i think next year when they 'come back', it will be a great color combination.... I just LOVE the foliage of HR - as it stays that burgundy most the year.
just a few inches to the west... more Golden Jubilee with the Purple Knock Out... that same dead Cosmos in this photo too, along with grass that i'm trying to eliminate.
the fence behind, i have two Clematis and I'll let MG's climb it too. GrandPa Ott has been there for 2-3 yrs now.
Ha some gorgeous BES there, but they were pretty much toast by the time this was taken.
ahhh, here are the BES... this was taken Oct 5th.
and a few Lady in Red.
Ya looks like w e gonan some from Ida. Tryign to get things hatche d down today as we suppose d ot get the high wind s and anywher e from 3-6inche s of raina dn they already runnignthe warnign abotu it and flooding of areas again.
If ya dont' her e form me tonight , or anytiem tommorrow it probably means have lost electricity and wil be bakc on as soon power allow s if we go out. If that happens and somebody has questions ask the regual rpiggie s that around. They know me pretty well and they knwo hwo the swap works and cna answer just abotu any question.
I don't expect too many problems, but with groudn stil soake d bad form roudn of last rains and no heta adn sun to dry it up, thinsg are stil pretty wet and mroe rain with high wind s brings the trees down. Oaks especialyl are so beautiful and so growing , but they have very very shallow root s and go down very easy and always it seems on a electricla line somewhere.
tcs... Youc na grow Lisianthus in the hosue as a hous e plant. The yellow echo I got on list especially is beautiful adn make s great plant and cut flower during the winter or just indoor s if need be and you cna start them anytime and get them to blooming out of natural season if ya do in house.
oh pretty pretty pretty pics. I always thought the husker s red mad e such beautiful plants. They have to stay in shade down here, just so logn as they out of hot sun, but lov e them.
Again... more of my favorite Husker's Red, this time with Early Sunrise Coreopsis
Wild Bergamot, Bee Balm
Hardy Algeratum and a few little Braz. Bachelor Buttons... and i actually see two lil bugs... well, a Box Elder and a "cat" of some sort.
Oops is it too late for me to sign up? I just found this. I have some Formosan Lily seeds I could add to the trade ;-)
((Batting eyelashes)) Please? lol
Here is a neat combo....the Dakota Mock Vervain/Verbena and Bronze Fennel.
Lady in Red, Rudbeckia, Feverfew and Mexicana Purple Agastache.. and of course, Husker's Red foliage in the background... you can tell, i LOVE that plant.
now... aint she pretty?? I dont even recall tossing Zin seeds here.
**edited to say.... I"m done. Went thru the whole folder....
Just thought some bright photos would be nice on a gloomy day.
This message was edited Nov 9, 2009 9:58 AM
I might still have some PKOs when you decide also, toofew.
mygypsyrose, oinking for some of that hellebore if it's the one in the pic. gorgeous!
me oinking for Transylvanian Sage - Dmail sent.
Does anyone has any of those "grasses" that cats like to eat?
I've done the cat nip, and he'll just sniff at it. He does snack on the grass in the yard, like buddy does... but I think there are specific grasses just for Kitties. I saw that SummerHill has some, but kinda silly to order just one pack of seeds, when the s/h is more than that.
MechelleT.. I ha d ya on the list. Don't remember off hand if I took ya off last night or not. Go up to the first thread on this page and click on both links to read the rules of the swap and then the second link for the rule s of the trade lists part. After ya have read them and think ya udnerstand then ye s you may join. Ya cut it close. LOL
If ya have any questions dmail me or ask one on here on the threads so one of the regualr piggie s cna answer your questions.
tcs and a few others. I know I gonan be doign later this winte. oinking for soem of yoru pics to use if ya wil let me. They be great to make into signs to show folks how they cna make some great combos in their gardens and us eof plants. Ya all's pics sur e beat anythign from the catalogs that for sure.
tcs- try Valerian for cats, much better that catnip or cat grass. Unfortunately I have no seeds from mine this year.
thanks Herb... and just googled it and found this.... Centranthus ruber Valerian
which is so COOL because i have some.
I'll have to see if there is any foliage left.. I think I may have seeds left from last year.
Star -- any images you need, feel free to take. if you need the original to make a better photo... let me know.
tcs, you sure are chatty today. lol
My cat likes catnip dried. He doesn't pay too much attention to it when it is growing. It still have volunteers each year in my garden. We had one cat who would go nuts, she would dig it out of the ground ... no kidding!
I grew the cat grass in the house one year ... what a mess when the cats got to it. They did like it. If I ever grow it again, it will only be outside!
But sorry, I don't have any now.
LOL toofew... well, i'm just procrastinating.... there's a lot of stuff i should be doing... but just not there yet. It is Monday after all....
I tried growing catnip a few times, but my tenant's cat would immediately plop her large cat bod on top of it and roll around until it was dead.
tcs1366, so called "catgrass" is only whole grains of wheat or oats. It's the same thing that you would grind to make flour so you can buy it at a grocery that focuses on healthier foods. It's often in the bulk bins. I've read that oats might be a little better digestion-wise. Probably obvious to a seed piggy, but be sure you get the entire seed and not chopped or steel cut or anything like that.
I got some wheat seeds here. I know and also have soem of that new varigate d think it called cat grass that Sumemrhill seeds has. Not sure how many seeds in the cargrass, btu if somebody wants some just oink. I ain't gonan grow it.
Ya I knwo it monday did a little outsid e and it felt to much liek work so I decided lunch was a good as excus e as any to coem in for a bit. : )
Star -- I'll take some of whatever cat grass you have.
herbspirit, That's interesting about the Valerian. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think it would be the Centranthus you'd want for kitty but Valerian Officinalis http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/855/
Mygypsyrose, would love some of that transylvanian sage. snort snort