more plants from Teddy

ok, thanks everybody, I guess I do worry a lot about my flowers,my hubby says I am obsessed about them, but since this is the first year, next year I probably won't have any questions because they will all be established. Thank you for your patience and help. I hope I have not been too much of a pest when it comes to the plants. I just get so excited seeing something I planted growing, and I simply LOVE it when they start to bloom! I never had a green thumb before so this was a trial and error time for me. Again thanks, one other thing, someone told me that next year things will come up earlier, is that true?

You're allowed to worry--we all do especially when we were just starting out! I was just trying to point out a very simple way to figure out if you're watering properly vs trying to guess at it based on a whole bunch of other things that may not even be directly related.

As far as coming up earlier next year, it's going to depend on the plant. If you started things from seed this year and you started them a bit late but for next year they reseed themselves then you might see them come up earlier, but if it's perennials that were already there and came up on their own this year then they'll come up at a similar time next year unless factors like the weather speed them up or slow them down.

The only things I started from seed this year was the Cosmos and the Morning Glories, everything else was a bulb or small plant already, I understand what you were trying to say ecrane and I greatly appreciate it, the finger test is pretty good although with the soil we have around here, getting a hole deep enough to put your finger in is somewhat of a challenge, so I find something like a screwdriver and poke a hole and widen it out enough to get my finger in it. So I will use that method from now on. Thanks again.

Once you've been doing this for a while you'll start to get the hang of when to water and then you won't need to do the finger test anymore, but until then that's a great way to check. You can also buy a moisture meter that you stick in the ground to measure the moisture level--I personally find my finger to be more reliable, but if the top of the soil is really hard you may find it easier to stick the probe into the ground.

That is why I use the screwdriver, it helps me be able to get my finger down deep enough to really check. I just came in from working on the inside of the latticework, there were some really high weeds so I got my trusty little combo tool, one side is the hoe and the other side is the fork, so to speak. I got half of it done and my hubby and I decided to call it a night, I have the last half to do tomorrow if it does not rain and the side across the boardwalk and it is literally the boardwalk, it is made with wooden boards, and boy does it get slippery when they get wet! Anyway I love working in the earth and smelling the fresh smell of dirt when you work it up. At least this way we won't have to mow it for quite a while or run the weedwacker on it. That is one of the main reasons I am doing it plus it looks better since I did.

This is the highest Morning Glory plant, if it keeps going the way it is, it will be over the top by August! The other one right beside it has intertwined itself with the first one. The one further down the row has finally found the lattice so I don't have to help it anymore, the last little one is growing, slowly but it is growing. I will be interested to see the colors when they bloom. I hope it will be soon, I will be sure to get pictures.

The rain we had yesterday really did my Cosmos good, it has really shot up, the only thing I am worried about is they are getting real tall, do you think I should stake them or maybe get some twine and anchor it to the lattice? I don't want it to break and it is getting rather top heavy, it has not bloomed yet of course, but I don't want it to break.

I actually took a tape measure outside and measured my Cosmos(over 2 ft), my Morning Glories (over5ft). I gave everything a good drink tonight, it has been so hot here during the day, in the 90's and Monday they say is supposed to be 95! So I gave everyone a good drink even the Geraniums, I watered them until the water ran out of the drain holes. I hope everything blooms, I have a half of a month to go until August and that is when most of the ones I got bloom. I am not sure about the Rose of Sharon next to the fence, it is looking good, green and bushy but not sure it is going to bloom. Oh well, it is pretty anyway.

Sorry to keep harping on watering, but if it rained decently yesterday, I doubt if you needed to water today...it takes time for the soil underneath the surface to dry out even if it's hot outside. Too much water is just as bad for plants as not enough.

I am not too sure if the Morning Glories are getting ready to bloom or not, the big one has gone straight up the lattice (and I mean straight)! And it has these little points at every cross section, it looks like it has tried to tie itself into knots. Can someone tell me if it is getting ready to bloom or is it going to vine in other directions now?

It's vining in other directions. I skimmed the posts. Did you say which kind of MG you planted? Some seeds take longer to sprout than others. My seeds sometimes take a couple of years to sprout. LOL

The Morning Glories are American Seed, there are 3 packages, 2 Clarkes Heavenly Blue and 1 Crimson Rambler. They all came from the same place and bought at the same time and soaked overnight and planted the next day. I planted 3 like I said and only about 4or 5 came up, although when they bloom I won't be disappointed! Especially if they look anything like the picture on the package, they are beautiful!

I can't wait to see them bloom for you!

A friend of mine gave me some Miracle Grow, she told me that I should use a two cup measuring cup in a gallon of water. I realized the green liquid in the jug is antifreeze not Miracle Grow! I am glad that I did not use it on my flowers! I have to try to figure out to discourage the squirrels from drinking out of the Hummingbird feeder, where I have it now, they come down from the top of the lattice and stretch down and tip the feeder until they can drink the nectar from it. Maybe I should hang it with a longer wire so they can not reach it from the top. How often should I use this, I have to use it in a watering can because the hose does not have a sprayer on it. So how often should I use it?

Teddy...look at that label again...2 tablespoons...not two cups. and I think it is 1 tablespoon...here are some instructions on using MG

http://www.ehow.com/how_2309716_use-miracle-gro.html

My neighbor who has been helping me with my flowers gave me a much smaller scoop and he said he uses 4 scoops in a two gallon watering can, so I think that will do, he also said that he would feed every two weeks.

Your choice of course...I have just found that label directions serve a purpose...some plants can be burned with too much fertilizer..I have also found that sometimes nothing is better than too much of something. Good luck with you garden...i do hope it thrives for you.

I watered everything except the Irises and the Stonecrop Sedum, I planted some Tiger Lilies in the backyard and gave them some too, I took a look at the Morning Glories and I swear I could see them growing before my very eyes! The Rose of Sharon looked good too, everything was getting a little wilted and so I gave them a drink. I am going to use this that I have up and if I don't see a improvement at all, I will not use it anymore. But it was given to me by someone who uses it and her yard is beautiful with color. So we will see what we will see.

Just went out and looked things over, there is a BIG improvement, the Morning Glories look great and the Rose of Sharon by the edge of the lattice has shot up several inches. And it looks like the Rose of Sharon plants that were stressed out may have benefited with the Miracle Gro, the littlest Morniing Glory has grown quite a bit, and the Common Privet looks better too. So time will tell whether I will continue to use it or not.

My Cosmos is almost up to my chest and the Morning Glories are close to the top of the lattice! I watered them really good tonight because of the severe hot weather, my Morning Glories were drooping quite a bit, I actually got to see a Morning Glory that bloomed in the evening! I was walking home from the club and saw it, it was a beatuiful blue and I was very surprised, I did not know that there was a species that bloomed at night. It was a learning experience for me I guess the old saying is true, you learn something new every day! I am still waiting for mine to bloom and the Cosmos too. I will have pics whenever they do, so be on the outlook for them. After all August is coming and that is when the Cosmos blooms!

If I planted the Naked Ladies last year, will they take a year for them to bloom?

Well, I don't think I will have to water my plants for awhile, it has been raining most of the day. So I think it will be enough, I was going to try to take a picture of mama hummingbird drinking nectar in the rain, but I tried a few shots of the feeder and they were blurry because of the rain. But believe me when I say she has been eating like crazy! She might be eating for two, don't know for sure. But my plants sure got a good soaking and so did my geraniums! Be glad when it cools down enough for them to bloom again, the weather has been so hot, they just stopped blooming and kind of looked dead but I know after reading several articles on them, they stop blooming when it gets hot and conserve their energy until it cools down again. I will be happy when my Morning Glories and Cosmos bloom, kind of anxious to see what color the mg will be.

Teddy, I would leave your geranium in the container and take it inside in the cold weather as it is not hardy for your winter weather. You can separate it into 2 or three containers to spread it around if you like. The asparagus fern also needs to come inside for the winter. Harady geranium is a different plant.

I know it has to come in for the winter, one of the other friends on this page told me the kitchen would be the best place, because there is no heat in the kitchen and there is a counter next to a window where the container can sit. I will leave it in the container it is in because I don't have any other containers and I don't want to possibly mess them up by separating them. The fern will stay in the container too, thank you for telling me what kind of fern it is, I don't think I have ever had any one tell me what they were. Does anyone know what the tall, long plants are that are also in the container? I looked in the pot and there is another plant starting to grow! It might be another geranium but I am not sure it is too little to tell. If it ever cools down long enough I need to weed the flower bed, but it has been too hot during the day and when it cools down at night the bugs start, so when it finally cools down I will weed. When it cools down will the geranium start blooming again?

I don't know how many times a year geraniums bloom, but they are easy growers, and with the right amount of sun, the new growth will bloom in the house for you. I don't recall if it blooms on new growth only or old growth as well. It looks like a common household geranium that you can investigate here on DG or google. I THINK it is an asparagus fern, which is not a true fern. Also, I would not be surprised if you have multiple geranium plants in your container.

When you search on DG, do not discount all the wonderful articles contributed by knowledgeable and faithful members. It is in these articles where there is so much to be learned from others' experiences. Some are trained botanists while others are just determined gardeners.

Also, look at the forum for your part of the country; I'm guessing it's Ohio River Valley. I know there are certain places you cannot post without membership, but the $20 membership is well worth it.

When I said cooler weather, I did not mean winter, I was talking since it has been so hot here lately, since it has cooled down somewhat will the geraniums bloom again? I know they stop when it gets real hot, now that it is cooler, will they start up blooming again? That is what I meant by cooler weather, I appreciate all the advice and will certainly heed some of the advice. My Cosmos is getting very, very tall and the mg is trying its best to attach itself to the headboard above the latticework!

I was just informed that my mg will not bloom until the end of August, could that be true? They are just at the top of the latticework!

You won't believe what I found when I was out weeding my flower bed! Here is a picture, I could not believe my eyes when I saw it! Maybe that rain helped after all.

I think these are either tiny Cosmos plants or Morning Glories, don't know which yet, they are too small. I did not think they would grow now, but I guess I was wrong. Maybe some one could let me know what they are.

The MGs will be the heart shaped ones in the first pic.

I think you're going to have to wait a bit to know what those tiny seedlings are--many plants look alike at this stage so it's hard to say if they're something you planted that's just coming up now or if they're some sort of weed. Keep an eye on them and post more pictures when they get a bit bigger.

I was outside and looked at my Geraniums and they have buds on them! I was afraid the hot weather would have killed them, but they just went dormant until it cooled. I will take pictures when they bloom again. My Morning Glories were looking just a little peaked, but I did not water them, my neighbor says he found some that are going to bloom pretty soon, which makes me happy. One of my other friends said that the Morning Glories won't reseed themselves, is that true, I thought they were viable for at least 80 years, will they come back next year or not, I will also take pics when they bloom.

Most morning glories will reseed (some do so rather prolifically)

Just because plants are not blooming does not mean they are in a state of dormancy. They were probably spreading their little underground roots looking for water, but not in a state of dormancy. Plants (like perennials) that have bloomed and died down for the year go through a state of dormancy. When iris stems dry up after the summer (whether they bloomed or not), they go through winter in a state of dormancy. During dormancy, plants are strengthening and nourishing their roots or bulbs for next year's growth.

My knowledge is not the best—I'm sure someone on DG can probably explain it better, but it is a concept that will become clear. Also, some plants bloom only once in a season, while others are rebloomers. You can often encourage reblooming by deadheading.

Here is a bud that three people are telling me is getting ready to bloom, are they right? It is vining all over the place! And the little one is still growing pretty good.

I believe I asked this question once before, but I don't remember the answer, does the Naked Ladies plant need time off before they bloom? I planted them last year and I was wondering if I will get a surprise one of these days. So, I was thinking of them and thought I would ask the wonderful people on this link who seem to know about these things what the answer would be. My Morning Glories are vining all over the lattice and the Cosmos is rather tall, so it would be nice if the Naked Ladies would put in an appearance too. So let me know whether I can expect an arrival of the Ladies or wait until next summer.

Naked Ladies, Lycoris, should be coming on soon. They bloom late Summer/early Fall. Check the ground where you planted them and see if you can see anything.

Ok, I will look and see, thanks.

I see green shoots, does that mean it is going to bloom? I cannot tell the difference between plants and weeds, what should I be looking for? I can't find any pictures that show what it looks like when it starts to come up. Does anyone have a picture that shows that, I don't want to weed the flowers and pull up the flower by mistake. Any help would be appreciated. My Geraniums are starting to bloom again, the hot weather had made them stop blooming, but there are a couple of small blooms and several buds on there, and it has gotten a whole lot larger!

Here are my Morning Glories. I hope they bloom soon. That is the top of the lattice!