I haven't even gone to check on my hellebores.
Some of my seedlings from Peach Melba
December color in the garden
beauty
my favorite one
Very Pretty, Bigred. I've never grown any Heuchera from seed. I probably should try next year as I like surprises. I don't remember seeing H. Mahogany bloom this year. I'd like to try that one. I also think I'll try H. Coral Cloud as it is such a long lasting fantastic bloomer.
It still shows it's parent's characteristics, despite the vivid green.
GE, I hope the Foetidus will bloom for you this year. The last Hellebores that I grew took 3 years to bloom and then it had the nerve to turn out to be ugly in both foliage and bloom!!! Rip Rip, Out it went with me in a snit!! LOL
That first one looks like the parent somewhat
They're fun to grow from seed...never know what your gonna get. I sewed seeds from: Peach Melba,Brownies,Ring of Fire and Green Spice?(not sure,have to look at label)So far..Brownies ,Ring of Fire and Green Spice looks like parent plants and probably will remain so. PM was the only one to give me different looking seedlings.
I'm doing hostas from seeds too. Lots of beauties in the seedlings but they were so small I never could get good pictures of them. Maybe next year. Have one that looks like it's going to ge gold w/ white variegation w/elongated leaves. Some green ones w/ streaks of white simular to Splited Milk.
nice Big red
So Red, did you go for the hellebores from Barry? If you like to do hellebores from seed remind me in the spring, and I will send you some seedlings from a plant I have. It's an orientalis, and the mother is the seedingest hellebore I have, and it's kids have turned out to be also. They come up all various colors, but some have been close to the black. Instead of seeds I could send you a couple of babies, and you could collect your own seeds off them. I've had it seed hundreds in a year. Here's a picture of a seedling that i sent Victor that bloomed. They took only two years from seed to bloom. They have very odd leaves for an orientalis.
The foetidus should be evergreen for you Mary, so is it you just can't find it in the large garden you have, or do you think you might have lost it. I have quite a few of those seedlings also, although you probably have a named cultivar.
Polly, They are probably still out there. I have so much still up and yes, the gardens are very large. I did have a few Helleborus go dormant, but I do remember seeing these somewhere in the fall. So many things distract me when I walk through the beds.
I carry those little colored flags on my walk to mark things that need my attention, but usually about a quarter of the way through the beds, I run out of flags and forget what I went out there for. LOL I have an idea of where they should be, just have to keep that in my mind until I get to that spot!!
This message was edited Dec 6, 2009 5:41 PM
That is me totally. I see something in the garden to do, from the kitchen window, head out there, and then by the time I've done 20 other things, I've forgotten what I was there for. The little flags are a good idea, though.
Polly, Sometimes they stay out there for days and even weeks depending on the urgency of the task. You'll see them in the background of a lot of my photos.
Next year I plan to get them in more colors and assign tasks to the different colors.
Yes there's still so much to do even in winter. My garden never goes to sleep.
Stormyla, I never heard of Viburnum x bodnantese not flowering until March; its a real winter flowerer here; starting now as you see.But if it heralds Spring, thats nice too.
I always plant lots of chard and don't eat so much of it; just leave it in the ground for winter colour. This pic taken yesterday
Thats awsome
Mr. Canthus, It is budding up a lot earlier than last year, so maybe it will bloom in Jan or Feb. Everything seems to be budding earlier this year.
I love Chard. It is the only green (or red) that I grow. I always leave it up too.
I'm very excited about the racime buds on my Stachyurus Praecox.
Wow Yes I would be excited about those too. Who wouldn't be?
(loads of people probably but never mind).
I definitely think I need to get some more winter flowering plants( they're mostly shrubs aren't they) in my garden.
The only other one I have is Jasminum nudiflorum
LOL, Yes we are a little nuts! I've often lusted after that Jasmine, but haven't succomed so far.
Mr_Canthus, don't you have any Daphne Odora?
Try the Bright Lights (or something like that) Swiss chard. It's a mix of seed of red, yellow and orange ":stemmed" plants. Although when I grew it, mine came up with half of the plants red. Still very colorful though.
I prefer the red ones Leftwood and usually select seedlings to get the richer darker colours; but I've seen 'Bright Lights' in photos and they do look great.
StormylaThats funny. I was going to say if there was one winter shrub I'd really want, it would be that. I know a couple of places it grows and can go stick my nose in some anytime I want in February, but don't have any myself. Its the 'Aureo Marginata' cultivar ( as is your lovely plant) that most people grow around here. Its expensive to buy and difficult to find. A couple of nursery men I've spoken to say they don't grow it because its too tricky. I don't think it likes the wet, dry, wet, dry thing that container growing does. But you're right ; I should get one.
Leftwood, how does the yellow and orange taste? I don't like the flavor of the red as much as the green.
Mr_Canthus, Can't you grow the Daphne in the ground? I know folks are afraid to leave it out all year, but both of my first year plants survived a three week period of total glaciation and a number of freeze/thaws last year and they grew loads this year. I am not a zone pusher. I got both of mine from RCN and she grows them outdoors at least one winter in the zone 6 mountains of Va.
My February Daphne is also throwing off all of it's leaves and budding up right now.
No sorry Stormyla, I meant that nurserypeople sometimes are relucatant to grow it because it doesn't take kindly to containers and they only like growing in containers. The ones I know in the ground are happy as Larry and that's how I'll treat mine ( cos I am going to get one). It always seems to be February though before the flowers really open. Is that other Daphne you have D. mezereon?
Yes, Mezereum.Alba. I had it back in my dark shady bed for 3 years and it never grew or bloomed there. I lost a beautiful Kalmia in that spot. I moved it here last fall and it bloomed in March and it grew almost 3 feet this year. It looks like it may bloom for New Years.
It's funny that you say that D, Odora is hard to come by in the UK. My favorite Daphnes are the Cneorums and there are all sorts of varieties available in the UK and almost none , even the most common ones, available here.
Here's one just full of buds which is very unusual for December. Usually, it puts out it's last bloom in November and then starts again in late March.
This message was edited Dec 6, 2009 10:50 PM
Daphne cneorum looks wonderful. I love Daphnes but they are a bit fussy. Its not really the case that D.odora is hard to come by in England. I'm sure it is the most popular daphne here. Just that the nurseries I go to didn't have it last time I went asking becuse its tricky to grow. Nurseries that do it well, make sure they get a good price for it.
I know one plant in a public space thats been there for 30 years or more. Its probably 4 feet high and wider across. I always go and see it every year.
I'm intersted in D. cneorum, whether for you its evergreen or not?
Of course the other thing on the subject of Daphnes is Edgworthia. My friend has one. I'll get a picture and post it when its in flower.
Yes, Mr_Canthus, Cneorum is Evergreen here. I've read about Edgworthias, but haven't yet tried one.
Here's another winter blooming Daphne that I grow. It is also a Mezereum. I like this one because of it's bright lime green color. Right now, my foliage is looking awfully gold, because of all of the rain. Have to get out there and give it some sulphur and iron before the ground freezes. You'll also like the berries on this one. It's called "Bowles White".
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/73149/
Most of the Daphnies aren't fussy here at all. Cneorum has been lately because of the last two very wet springs and late freezes. The others haven't been the least bit pesky.
This message was edited Dec 6, 2009 10:48 PM
Geez, Storms - you own a botanical garden, maybe? I'm impressed with the variety of plants you have!
Ditto here!
LOL, If I had fewer varieties, my beds would look a lot more organized, but I'm a sucker for new "Friends"
Frankly, Stormyla, I don't even remember what the yellow or the orange chards tasted like. it was many years ago. I grew them as fun ornamentals for all the neighbors to gawk at as they walked by the front yard (mission accomplished there), so I didn't really eat them much.
Leftwood, There for a minute I thought you were going to quote Rhett Butler!! Growing them on the front yard was really making a statement. I like that! I might have to try them next year. I am just wild about the taste and beauty of Chard. I'll bet the vitamin range is better in the mix too. I hope you had a really nasty HOA there. We don't have a lot of them in the East, but I hear they are brutal out west.
They are dramatic
polly,
No I couldn't justify another plant purchase this time of year so close to Christmas w/ 6 grandkids and one Great granddaughter....They might mutiny on me if Mimi spent all the Christmas money on plants....LOL.
I grew the two I have from seeds. Have some I sewed last March-April. I'm hoping they'll germinate next spring. I usually just dig up self-sewn seedlings but got these other seeds in a trade.
Leftwood, what time of the year did you start your chard? I know you're much cooler than my area, but I can't quite get the timing down.
Gee Pagancat, I don't keep detailed records like that for vegetables, but I would have started them indoors in mid to late March. Since I wasn't growing them to eat, it didn't matter to me whether stalks were very tasty or not; so weather wouldn't have played a part in my decision.
Another season in my front garden plot, I grew enough broom corn to make a corn stack with them in the fall. Far more impressive than any corn stack made of corn stalks. 2-3 feet taller, and the curved over "brooms" at the ends really were a nice touch. Tied around a pole driven into the soil so it couldn't blow over, it stayed looking nice all winter. Aphids seemed to love them (when they were alive), though.
HollyAnn grew corn in her front yard in a tiny bed around one of her bird houses. I thought it looked really nice. I believe that after this photo was taken, she added some Purple Millet behind the bird house.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=6890542
I am sure the tweetie birds loved it, not feeling so vulnerable out in the complete open. I think it looks nice too.
Just to say to Stormyla, when asking about evergreen /deciduous, I thought I was talking about D. bholua ( just another senior moment). I grew some from seed many years ago and they couldn't make up their minds whether to drop their leaves or not.
I think your success with Daphnes must be down to the soil in your botanical garden and your green fingers. Please share the secret.
Most prominent winter shrub around my neighbourhood now are the oriental mahonias. I'll get a picture when I've got time.
Mr_Canthus, LOL my botanical garden is funny. The only Mahonia I grow is the Oregon Grape Holly. I am very fond of it. Yesterday, I noticed that the buds have grown considerably since last week. No traipsing around in the snow to take photos.
Quite truthfully, I did not know that Daphnes were hard to grow until I joined DG. Both here, and in my former garden, I have always grown Daphnes in the beds around my front walkways leading to the front door. Generally, I only grow evergreen Daphnes. Here, I have far fewer than at my last garden. Their evergreen leaves, unusual bloom times and incredible fragrances make them a lovely gift for visitors. I never lost a Daphne in my former garden, but have lost some Cneorums here.
The bed where I grow them was sunken ground that I raised with all new soil, which I mixed myself. The mix is still not quite right and as the organic matter decomposes, there is more sinking. The soil is also too loose hence, the freeze/thaws and heaving. I am working on that now. Heathers definitely don't like the bed. I've had less than a 25% success rate with them there.
I think that D. Carole Mackie is one of the most popular Daphnes in the US. It seems to grow just about anywhere. Here's mine.
What (other than heaving) causes sudden Daphnicide is a bacteria in the soil. There is a chemical treatment for it. I will look it up and get the name for you. I have never had to use it, but may treat the Cneorums with it this spring.
Oh what a difference a couple days of freezing weather can make.
My favorite bright green heuchera seedlings is showing off some new winter colors.
simular seedling to above
