A new thread was requested... so here it is.
Hopefully "Mom Nature" is treating you well this summer....
we had two gorgeous days in a row, but the heat and humidity is heading back for the Holiday Weekend.... wonderful
nothing new on the plant front... can't wait to get home next week to see what's going on there....
Good morning Terese,I found this penstamon at my fav place..Looks pretty hope it is as pretty as the huskers red...Magenta,need to work on that comode garden,and it has been beautiful here too,its 55 this am,loving this while it lasts !!!!
Welcome huggergirl :) It’s been nice and cool here the last couple of days too so nice to get out and plant this heat was killing me lol It’s going to be nice today and have to go into town hate wasted time in town then it’s time to paint when I get back not much planting going to be done today. I think tomorrow will be our last cool day then it will turn hot again back in the 90’s.
That penstemon looks like it’s going to be pretty! That reminds me I have a couple I need to get in the ground.
Neal, my Salpiglossus didn’t do very well this year I put them in a pot and they are on their way out :( I planted the Casino Mix for something different and I liked the flowers better than the solid ones more color to them I gave my neighbor some and you know how it is hers will probably do better than mine so I hope to get some seeds out of hers. I think they do better in the ground than in a pot and knew I had better luck with them that way don’t know why I put them in a pot.
Oh Meredith lol I’m having the same trouble as you in the side yard I keep digging crab grass and it keeps coming up I was hoping for reseeding next year too but looks like I’m going to have to put some newspapers and leaves down so I’ll be lucky if the voles don’t eat all of my plant roots out there I’ve been putting cat hair in the holes when I plant I know they don’t like it when I find a hole from them I stuff it down there and the cat hair ends up on the outside of the hole lol I can’t forget the wild violets either I dig big clumps out and small ones are reseeding as I go!
Hey you all! Just checking in. I wanted to thank all my piggy friends for helping to make my garden a better place.
Who ever sent me the guppy plant, well thank you from the bottom of my heart, I just love it.
The same with the lobelia. I just love those blues.
Also wanted to thank whoever sent me those wonderful edible hibiscus. Not only did you inspire an article by Adina about hibiscus, but you've made me a collector of different kinds. Thanks for being such a great enabler. LOL. Some photos to follow.
First up is that edible hibiscus.
Enjoy, as I do, the beauty, and the chat!
WIB,
SW
Here is a close up of the same hibiscus. Beautiful!
My sweet guppy plant. So far I haven't been able to get a close up of the flowers that I'm happy with. Sure do love this one though.
I didn't plan for this to happen, and it's not a great photo, but I sure like the way the alysum (sp) and the lobelia (I think?) look together. They make such a nice border.
Thanks for letting me share some of the photos of the seeds you all shared.
I don't have a photo of it yet, but I am so excited that the yellow lantana decided to bloom this year.
More to follow, after I get some more photos to share. LOL!
Hope your gardens are thriving.
Mine is bringing me a great deal of peace and joy.
Walk In Beauty!
SingingWolf
singingwolf,
Such beautiful picture's , you did great!! Maybe you stole my green thumb thought Ella did, but sure glad you did nice to hollar at you.
Hug's,
Carolyn
SW loved your pictures of your flowers really nice! I may need some seeds to the yellow hibiscus I had one and don't think it's going to come back this year it hasn't showed any signs yet, it's usually late coming up way after my other ones so there is still a shot.
That guppy plant is really nice hadn't seen one of those before is it a salvia I'll have to google lol
Your alyssum and lobelis really looks good too I saw a picture of some alyssum and violets on here some where and tried it this year and it didn't look good at all they aren't compatible where I live but yours look really good together! I'll have to try that combo :)
Hi Carolyn been wondering how you are doing, feeling better now I hope :) I've been busy and haven't written I'm so bad!
Terese can't wait until you get home to see if your electric blues are in bloom mine are blooming I hope yours are :) Oh and my bee balm that you sent is so pretty I took Max a walk by them in the field just to check the color out and I love the color! It's a shame I can't plant them closer to the house or road!
LeBug, Carolyn,
I was just telling another DG'er how wonderful you all are. By You All, I mean all of you piggy swappers who distracted me, let me vent, or cry, and just mourn after my Dad died. It's still paying off dividends in my garden and in my life. Thank you all.
All the little boxes are closed on this bloom. Got to love them.
Carolyn, Star couldn't have stolen your green thumb. I think you just left it in the back of a drawer, 'cause I know you still have it! : - )
Have a Great Independence Day Weekend!
WIB!
SW
Taking time to catch up on last thread and this one . Too much heat and humidity here and freak high wind sand rain and even hail we had that did a number on some things. Lots of other stuff going into summer dormancy. Don't want to see winter coming soon, but sure don't want the intense heat that coming this month for sure.
Glad that even though folks having problems that at least everybody alive and well. That the most important thing.
Tcs.. You be careful on your journey back home.
Hope everybody has a safe and Happy 4th. If things go a s planned hopeful son will home in a couple of weeks for a few weeks before heading back overseas.
singingwolf,Is that lantanna ? I went to my 1st Round -up in june ,had a blast met all my enablers ,I brought things home that I have no Idea what they are going to look like,and planted them ,they have tags i just havent taken time to look them up LOL.But they are getting ready to bloom soon .Ill have to post aphoto of them.One thing was spider wort ,I cant wait till this next yr to see it ,I have seen it growing and I like it...
Good eye, huggergirl. Yup that is my prized yellow Lantana. I got seeds from the piggy swap last year and I didn't think they'd started. What a nice surprise for me to find them hiding back behind that white Lantana.
BTW, does anyone trim theirs, and if so when is the best time to do that? They've kind of taken up more space than I wanted them to (those white ones). I know that I've seen them trimmed up like hedges in Riverside, but that was a long time ago.
Star, I've never heard of sand rain, can you explain?
I didn't know you had a son overseas, but I hope he has a safe journey home, and you get to enjoy time together. Sounds like a good thing.
My EB#2 has been there and back at least twice already. Please tell your DS, that I pray for all of our Service People and really do appreciate the sacrifices they make.
It's good to talk about this right before the Independence Day Holiday. Sometimes people just forget that the 4th of July is not just a date and a holiday. It means so much more. : - )
Happy Independence Day to you all!
WIB!
SW
Hello everyone!
i have been so swamped at work and with family (daughter and grandson visited for much of June, plus spent a week on the west-coast).
Anyway, I want to report that my garden is simply overflowing with all the plants from previous swaps. Many are now 3 years old and are really coming into their own!
I was very bad and didn't always record who sent seeds BUT, who ever sent me lily seeds, I now have lilies blossoming - there is one that is yellow and has a wonderful fragrance. As soon as I can weed the gardens, I will take pictures.
Others who sent campanula seeds will be delighted to learn that they thrive (well, actually in some places they are taking over!)
I have veronica and echinacea all over the place. Interesting to note that regardless of the name of the seeds, they all seem to be pink. That's okay - the butterflies don't seem to mind ^_^.
My only regret (besides not recording who sent what) is that I don't have more room to garden!
I hope all of you are well, that your gardens thrive, and I promise to be more in touch now that term is over.
Cheers,
Michaela
Speaking of campanula I have some deep purple ones that I have been trying to catch the seeds off of and they just won't cooperate, I have one out there blooming now I just hope I don't forget to keep checking it!
Michaela I'm jealous that you have all the pink veronicas lol I broke down and bought one, had one out back that I transplanted out front and finally have a red fox next year :) Hopefully if these take off like the purple one that I have I'll have all kinds of pink veronicas out in the front yard lol
SW.. Sorry abotu that it should have said freak winds and rain. Guess foxfire didn't catch the error.
You can trim Lantana at anytime. it is a ground hog for sure. You can dig big clumps of it out and darn stuff will still come back and try and crowd everything else out. if you have lots of butterflies feeding on it I would either wait til most of the flowers have bloomed or try and trim it to leave them some food since all the storms and bad weather have affected their populations.
Seandor.. Sure ya do.. Go up. Lot s of space in the air . : )
I love lantana,wish it was perennial here.I know what you mean about keeping track of who gave me what,Iam badd.
I love Lantana I buy some each year too but this year I could only find the trailing kind and I really don't care for those but have planted two of them lol I just plan on cutting them back when they get to be too much. For the last two years my lantanas have reseeded out by the road but they don't reseed until late in the summer but they still get some size on them and I see quite a few blooms before the weather gets them. The one I had to reseed was the Firewagon but couldn't find it this year :(
I just have to tell you all I have been trying to get a Fuji MG for years from seeds and this morning I have a true purple Fuji bloom I'm so excited LOL I think I'm going to have a pink one too but guess it won't open it's bloom until tomorrow I'm pretty sure Bluesprial gave those seeds to me I have her name on all of the other morning glory seeds that I started lol Ain't they purdy! lol
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/51212/
You are right! They are beautiful. Alas, morning glory flowers only last until noon around here . . .
Red Ensign is just beautiful Lea. Shared the package I
bought just this spring but haven't planted any myself.
Planted something from the Piggy Swap labeled as red
lettuce so it went in the veggie patch. Up comes this bright
orange daisy-type flower. Plentiful and was thriving until
I moved it elsewhere.
Glad I'm not the only one with plants not yet in the ground
still have a flat or 2 in the greenhouse.
Happy 4th !!
:) do the MG's last longer some places? About noon here is all we get too. Ah, but they are pretty. What a beautiful collection Lea!
I'm finding that mine don't set many seeds (even though other types of MG nearby do). Thinking I need to start playing bee a little if I want more seeds for next year!
We're lucky if the MG's stay open til 10am!
Only MG's I've got are blue ones and they are
quite generous seeders.
Cris are they the 'heavenly blue' morning glories you have, big blue blooms, I put chicken wire over a tree trunk that I have in the front yard and planted a couple of those there lol I don't remember them reseeding before so I hope they don't I like the ones that don't reseed too much trouble going around and pulling the seedlings have enough weeds, wild violets and tree seedlings that keep me busy lol But I will deal with it if they do :)
http://gstuff.co.nz/shop/garden/index.php?main_page=popup_image&pID=489&zenid=24bf9b56e0c2b940f64cfac61ba936d1
Yes Michaela I wish the morning glories would start blooming in the evenings then we could at least enjoy their blooms more I can get up early but not outside until they are ready to fold up such a waste of beautiful blooms but still gotta have them I do manage to see blooms here and there. Wish my moon vine would hurry and bloom it's all about the foliage before I get those wonderful blooms and the smell ooo la la! That's when the neighbors start commenting on my blooms LOL
Humid weather is back I go out and water pots as the shade hits them and clean house after the heat hits me ;) Wanted to get my soaker hoses in this evening but doesn't sound like it's going to cool off that much this evening we'll see...
Lea, Thanks for the comment about the moonflower,
was wondering if it was just mine that hadn't bloomed.
Yes, the Heavenly Blues are heavy reseeders....
now ducking to the side so Lea doesn't get me with
the soaker hose....
Ground is so hot here it scorched a lot of my seedlings.
I actually should invest in those soakers myself except
I live in weed land USA & don't want to encourage the
buggers.
Cris that's my concern every time I water! I feel like I'm watering so the weeds can grow more that's what I think about EVERY time I water and it seems like I am because the darn weeds pop up right after! Yep it looks like it may be another month before that moon vine has enough foliage to bloom lol That vine is growing pretty fast though lol
Every year I pick up one soaker hose for good measure I have about seven of them now and won't use all of them just enough for the side yard maybe three I just wonder how many you can hook up to where the pressure will stay as it should be I had two in my back shade garden I'm thinking no more than two could be hooked up at the same time.
I have one of those double circle water sprayers in the middle of the bed but the outside doesn't get watered, that thang doesn't go as far as I figured it would and that bed ended up being a 'little' bigger than I had planned and still have plants to go over there if it ever cools down again three of them are hydrangeas I've already planted one and another spirea shrub and several hibiscus those things are growing a lot faster than I had planned didn't think they would grow much until next year and my pink one already has buds on it lol I'm wondering if my Turn of the Century will turn out right and my Blue River II I was wanting to wait until they bloomed to plant them but heck that could have been the fall before I would get blooms in the pots now they are almost three feet all :) I love the hibiscus! I still have four white Texas Stars to put in with my three red ones too.
I have way too much planting to do yet for this hot weather we are having just keeping the pots watered is a chore in this heat it's getting to 95 today and going to be close to that the rest of the week from the darn weather report it isn't going to cool down next week either! What happened to all of our planting weather lol This heat has been here since spring not that we had a spring!
My outside cat had caught something yesterday evening and I went to see what it was and it just made me sick! A baby humming bird! She has a bell on and I just replaced it with a new one so it's nice and loud, just made me sick I only have one hummer around here and figure she is the reason why I don't have more! I miss them!
Well, is everyone roasting like we are in Western Massachusetts? We hit 100 degrees two days in a row! Amazingly, my gardens haven't fried totally. But, boy, have we watered a LOT!
I sure am, Seandor! I'm sure we went over 100 yesterday, and as muggy as the tropics. Then last night the power went out and I had to keep jumping in a cold shower. It turns out that the transformer on the telephone pole in front of my house caught fire - luckily seen and reported by my neighbors, and the firemen came to put it out. It was hours before the electric company came to fix it.
the weather channel site says it's currently 101' here.. and it's 7 pm. Tomorrow, the temp should drop by 5-10 degrees, depending on which prediction you read, and *maybe* we could get a little rain.
If we don't get rain, I may need to start moving sprinklers around to those parts of the garden that don't have soaker hoses (on an irrigation system timer, thankfully)... there's a limit to what even "drought tolerant" plants can take!
Why are the weeds growing so well in this hot dry weather??
Uggh, drove 11 hrs down the east coast in this heat today. Poor car air conditioner couldn't handle it, so we were alternately opening all the windows and giving it a break. Not the best day to be in the moving greenhouse that is a car on the highway ;-P Glad to be home, but can't bring myself to go out and brave the mosquitos in order to water (they're REALLY bad this year!). Figure anything that's alive at 9 pm will still be OK in the morning... I hope!
My absolute sympathies, kl. We're all in this together, it seems.
My poor plants that I ordered and put in just before the heat wave are not very happy. I'm giving them triple water rations whenever I can brave the outdoors.
I had to water the butterfly garden and as I was laying out the soaker hose I noticed half of the plants that like moist soil
were dried up and crispy. After a while of the soaker hose running some of them seemed instantly better. Last year it didn't stop raining all summer, now this year we are geting nothing! Thank goodness the bulk of my plants are drought tolerant or I think I'd have nothing left out there! I have so much to do and the weather has not cooperated at all! And like Lea said, it's been like this since early in spring. Forget the lawn even with sprinklers running all around the neighborhood, everyone's lawns are crispy and brown! : p
my sympathies too. we've been very humid, but we are getting rain.
I think in June, up in WIsc, we got over 8 inches. we did have a great week last week, sun, low humidity -- even some New Guinea Impatiens were all limp [a nice watering perked them right up again] but checking the radar, it's been off and on rain this week too.
Here at home [just got home Tuesday] it's been hot, well, upper 80's into 90's ... i know that's cool to what you gals have been experiencing ... but Ugggg it's been sticky, and still is. [70 this morning again] they say that a break is coming on Friday -- i'll be heading back North that morning... so i hope so.
We did get a well needed rain over night, and it's supposed to rain again today. the plants are loving it though. I should have great tomatoes this year... but so far, not many flowers. a few yrs ago, I'd say 2 yrs -- i was able to plant out in early May and was eating fresh maters first week of July.... no where near that now.
I was out back yesterday [i think i mentioned i was out from 7-9am pulling weeds] then went out again from 5.30-7.30pm pulling more.
the one bed... most the plants were at least 40" or higher... but they were all 'pushed' forward, wind possibly... i'm thinking of lopping them back hoping they would have a second growing spurt.... it's like the ones in the back are laying on the ones in the front and you can't see any of them.
OH and how I'm starting to regret Yarrow.
I dead headed all my Husker Red Penstemon yesterday. The only Penstemon I did leave the seed pods one were the dwarf one... Mystica i think it's called.
OH -- did anyone here order Red Spider Zinnia seeds from Summerhill?? I finally got some germination this year and the blooms are the tiniest things i've ever seen.... i mean like the size of a dime. total waste of garden space.
I've been meaning to ask, should I shear back my Alyssum? Will it rebloom? It's getting pretty big and a little floppy now, but it's been gorgeous for a month, so I do love it!
Also wanted to warn anyone tempted by Zinna Zahara Starlight Rose. Photos online/in catalogs have a nice strong pink blush in the middle. Actual plants, both mine and some I saw at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens, have none, or just a little pink, and the white is not really very pretty without it, kind of a dirty white.
Kelly -- I got some seeds from Ella this year. Haven't seen any bloom yet... I think so far, out of the smaller one, only Orange Profusion is blooming.
I've been really disappointed with that zinnia, also.. all the more since I ordered a bulk pack and shared it around as a special something from Joyanna... pppttthbbbb :-6
Isn't it toofew that usually grows the Alyssum in her border?
Kelly I used to drive home for 45 min. on the express way without air for a year it was murder! The other day it was so hot I was waiting for my son to get out of the grocery just for lunch meat and it didn't even feel like the air was on until I started moving, watch yourself get that puppy fixed :) Maybe it's leaked some of the freon out but with this heat the air doesn't seem as good on mine either.
Terese how are your Electric Blues doing mine have been blooming for a while now they are such small plants! I like the bloom though pink and electric blue :)
My Husker's Red is doing really good Terese I'm not going to deadhead for a couple of years so I'll have more to reseed in my side yard it had quite a few blooms on it :)
Yarrow is great for the compost pile lol It helps break it down a lot faster that's what I have read anyway I keep forgetting to add it I think I've done it once this year. I'm lucky enough it's only been popping up where it doesn't hurt anything so far but I've never planted any in my flower beds except for the Carnation Gold and it's in the bed that the weeds took over so it will be history this fall anyway I hope if I can get the rest of my good plants out of it by then.
Terese, that Blue Skies hosta is still green and it hasn't had a bit of sun since we were talking about it guess that's why we don't see that one anymore it's just a dark green the leaves are pretty and thick though lol I just don't have enough space for hosta anyway so I'm not going to plant it again I'm sure you have enough space at the cabin you won't mind having it lol Who knows maybe eventually it will turn blue??? If this hosta turns blue after you plant it I'm gonna be mad be fore warned LOL
Didn't get any of my profusions planted this year bought a yellow one but it's growing so slow in this heat! Not even 6" high but has blooms on it.
I still have four trays of plants to get into the ground lol I don't think I'm ever going to get them in! And one tray of hibiscus, I had Turn of the Century planted and it ended up being the pink one :( Just got a bloom this morning. I wish these darn hibiscus would come true!!! These were from a trade but you just never know with hibiscus I have so many pink ones here anyway and they are my favorite but I would like to have some different ones lol If anyone has different hibiscus like the Turn of the Century please save some for the swap for me I'm begging here :) I've got Burgundy and Luna Blush and the Dinner Plate white/red center I planted more of the Dinner Plate ones and they never came up too a start off of it and of course cutting to me are something I just can't get the hang of :(
It's getting to 97 today and already the humidity is awful this is suppose to be the worse day this week for humidity then tomorrow sometime it's suppose to rain I've got my fingers crossed the ground is so dry hate to see my water bill for this month!
Lea -- thanks for the reminder on the compost - I do recall dropping some in there a while back - probably after the last time you told me.... and i do recall, i never intentionally planted Yarrow... it all came in seed "mixes". I did ask and try to germinate "Paprika" but they never germinated.
Electric Blue ?? Hmmm - no where to be found. **sniff sniff**
Yesterday i dumped all the gallon jugs that did not germinate -- trying to clean up the patio. I have a few small 4" or so, pots that have small seedlings in them that should go in the ground... but dont know when I'll have time.
Would love the hosta and yes, I'll have a nice home for it in my hosta garden. It's a "small" right?
Need to go shopping today - but waiting for the new CC in the mail today. Our CC company said someone ordered plane tickets out of Brazil... glad they caught that one, and canceled our account. ahhhhh, the electronic age.
My Paprika or the Berries never germinated a couple of years ago but now I'm glad I have enough red around to keep me happy lol
I went out and measured the Blue Skies and both in pots now are 27" wide and 10" tall. You can have both lol Remember I didn't want to send it because of too many leaves being on it well there is a thread that Noreaster is on that everyone is sending her a hosta and I'm freaking because they are sending them with the leaves lol
Let me tell you about my Electric Blues I have been watering those suckers like crazy! If they don't get a drink a day they are all bent over I hate that they are the main reason I'm putting a soaker hose out there lol I don't want to lose them I have four in a pot with my Coral Nymph and the same thing with both plants but the sprinkler can reach those thank goodness LOL They are a perennial for me so if they make it until next year and come up I'm hoping it won't be as bad with the watering them coming up on their own or I may just lose them next year just too much trouble!
Gotta love this 'electronic age"! Makes things so much easier but so much more worse too!
klstuart.I always shear my alyssum back after the blooms wane,but it wont rebloom till fall and it is beautiful.It just started pouring rain glad I didnt leave for the store.man raining buckets..And I watered all day yesterday !!! and tuesday...Iam just learning about penstamons ,here is a photo of Phoenix Magenta,just bought it healthy plant but only 1 stalk of blooms so far,hoping for more to come.
