I went to Lowe's today and spent the gift card that GAgirl sent me for my birthday. ^_^ Got hardy hibiscus in 1 gal. pots for $1.74. Gave 3.49 for one last Thursday. Also got a rose of Sharon and another plant that b'flys like and has a nice scent for $6.98. 2 Persion Shields that are large and in good shape for $1.74. Just hate to have to overwinter them.
Was101* today and Thursday's high is forecast of 64* for a high, then back to the 70's and 80's.
CLOSED: Free Seeds for New Bees July 2011
Get your winter coat out! After 100°, 64° will feel more like 46°!!!!
Nice haul though. That was a sweet gift!
I really like Lowe's because they mark their plants down to make any kind of money. Other chains only go so low. I got a lot of cool plants at Lowe's last fall. I'm afraid to go there now that I'm broke. :D
I've found that HD doesn't mark down. They would rather throw them away and get a refund from whomever they got the plants from. That is what one of the workers told me.
I LOVE Lowes though!
Here we are getting ready to put up a batch of spagetti sauce. We're picking off pretty heavy right now.
Al
Here's more...
Al
Grandaughter Olivia is enjoying the corn she picked out of the garden herself. Pretty much ear to ear so to speak.
Al
I've got a whole wall full of Heavenly Blue morning glories that DGer Mekos sent me last Spring. Beautiful!
Al
This is Wifey's lighthouse garden with new marigold arrangement this year. We're trying to fill in with perenials a bit to ease the planting area.
Al
Everybody have a bright and happy Sunflower Day!
Al
Thanks Al - everything looks great! :)
Amanda ~ What kind of seeds would you like?
Great work al!!! Those tomatoes look great! I grew Italian gold this year and wasn't thrilled. They were ok, but not quite what I'd hoped for. Next year i plan to grow some Arkansas traveler and black krim.
I can't remember but i think i sent Corey a bunch of heavenly blue morning glory if anyone have is interested I'd send some!
Helloooo Evelyn: I hang out in the newbee areas too. :)
I guess if I had my druthers I'd be looking for native flowering perennials that attract pollinators/butterflies/birds.
Part sun, full sun, or shade.
That's a tall order! Can't believe it's the end of summer and I am thinking about seeds for next year. Somebody wake me when it's over.
Okay, I'm getting hits on this one. The lumpy looking tomatoes in the above pix are called "Costoluto Genovese", an Italian herloom seed imported direct from Italy by Pagano. They grew quite well right here in upstate NY, tasted pretty good, too. I have a few seeds left if you really want to try.
The lumpy looking guy in the photo is me, but the picture was taken by my wife.
Al
Awww al. I lol'd when i realized you meant you, and not the tomato, were a "lumpy lookin guy" i always call my plants, veggies, ect. "guys"
"look at this cute little guy"= I'm talking to either a pumpkin or maybe a hosta
"yowza, check out this monster guy!"= I'm talking to either a pumpkin, zucchini or maybe a turnip. :)
What?! Don't laugh at me for saying yowza here on dg. My garden is usually ripe with profanity. Lol
Those are GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR-eat pics Al !!!!!!!!!!!!! Love the one of Olivian and her corn. Looks really YUMMY! She seems to be really enjoying it!
The tomatoes look wonderful! Pasta Party at Al's! I'll bring the Italian Pasta Salad! Will have to get a couple tomatoes from Al for it.
You are so cute Al. You look just like your writings and pics. Very nice!
I have grown the Arkansas Traveler. They did well in my garden in SE Kansas. I like the yellow and pink, as they are lower in acid so I can eat more of them. If I eat too many (which I always do!) I get mouth sores from the acid, so the lighter color ones are great!
I'm amazed and thrilled to have actually gotten a few RIPE tomatoes here - the nights are already below 50 and sometimes colder.
Around 10 Stupice - 2-3" and nice flavor and scidity.
6 Sungold cherry tomatoes, very sweet and mild, which I found disapointing. Maybe I should have left them on the vine longer, but some were splitting.
I bought starts in quart pots while nights were still below 50, and caried them in and out of the house for a few weeks.
My first tomatoes ever!
Corey
i dont think there is anything better than the taste of your first tomatoes! (my first year also)
kc
My Sungolds have been producing for a couple of weeks now. Even though the weather is warmer here, we also got a very late start due to the cold wintery spring. I did, however, start them from seed. The Celebrity and Yellow Pear have also been setting fruit now. The Black Russian has fruit, but not yet ripe.
I also bought just a few starts as well, as I did not have nearly the variety I grew last year, but then, I grew too many. I bought Celebrity and Black Russian from starts. I started from seed, the Sungold, Yellow Pear, Cherokee Purple and a couple of dwarf tomatoes from the Global Dwarf Project at Tomatoville. That's about it. I hope to do better next year.
Nice! I hope to have plastic tunnels and tents for next year.
I think that my main climate problem is that the cool spring nights last all summer!
BTW, I picked up three kinds of Lobelia from Hazzards, based on what grew best for me of your seeds.
If you wnat any, let me know!
Lobelia erinus "Crystal Palace"
Lobelia erinus "Cambridge Blue"
Lobelia erinus "Palace Blue"
Corey
Oooh!!!! I just saw some pictures on the "what's blooming in your garden" thread in the perennial forum. It even had a humming bird visiting it! So pretty. Don't know much about them but they sure are nice.
Corey, I would love to try some of those if you can spare about 6 seeds of each. Can they be winter sowed ? I'm starting to think of what I want to ws this year.
I have hummingbirds. I have feeders up for them. They are so neat to have around. If I can find it I'll show you a pic from last year. I had swarms of them! Not so many this year. Heard the wildfires in TX had really harmed the butterfly and hummers poppulations. I didn't have near the b'flies I had last year. I have had more the last 2 weeks than I have had all summer. They must be migrating.
Well, drat it all......I can't find it. Anyway, I had 8 on one feeder! It was so cool.
>> Corey, I would love to try some of those if you can spare about 6 seeds of each. Can they be winter sowed ? I'm starting to think of what I want to ws this year.
Lobelia? Dust-like seeds. They seem to like being jammed together and growing as a mass.
I'll send some of each ... I think I still owe you these also:
lavender breadseed poppies Papaver somniferum
Double Hollyhock "Peaches & Dreams"
"French Hollyhocks" "Malva sylvestris " and/or "Mallow",
Want any tomatoes? I have all these:
Omar's Lebanese .INDET . . . . LATE . . . huge pink
Sun Gold F1 . . . . .INDET . . . early? . . . . orange cherry
Sub Artic Plenty . . .DET . . . . very early & cool . . . med-small red
Manitoba . . . . . . . . DET . . . . . extra-early & cool . . . med red . . in containers
Stupice . . . . . . . . .INDET . . . . . ultra-early & cool . . . med-small red
Glacier . . . . . DET or semi-det . ultra-early . . 1-3 oz red-orange
Ildi . . . . . . . . . . INDET . . . . . extra-early . . . . yellow grape
Jaune Flamme. . . .INDET . . . . . mid-season . . 2-3 oz orange
Old Flame. . . . . . . INDET . . . . . mid-season . . 24 oz? orange-yellow w' red streaks
Pruden's Purple. . .INDET . . . . . mid-season . . 16 oz purple-pink
Marglobe. . . . . . . . semi-det . . . mid-season . . med red
Russian Black
Corey
The advice I've seen for Lobelia, , and it has worked for me:
sow on surface - needs light
germinates best 65-75º
sow inside 8-10 wks B4 avg last frost
sow 15-25 seeds per cell
emerge 15-20 days
transplant out in clumps, 6-12" apart.
or (I haven;t tried this):
DS AFTER avg. last frost
clumps of seeds 4" to 6" apart
Yes, I believe that is right on the seeds I requested. I would akso take any poppy seeds you may have. And maybe some French Marigold and Giant Marigold if you have them. Don't knock yourself out!
I would like a few of the Det. tomatoes. Sub Artic Plenty and Manitoba . Also in the INDET. class Jaune Flamme Omar's Lebanese.
When I am stuck in the house someday, I plan to go through my seeds and see what I have that I can send you. With the weird summer we have had, I don't know if I will be able to harvest very many seeds this year, but will do what I can for the cause!
Thanks Corey and thanks for all you do!
Outlaw:
Hummers love salvias and agastache/hyssop "hummingbird mint." I have even seen them on my pink "Enchantress" zinnias this year from Burpee.
I will have seed for all of the above in due time if you're interested in planting to attract them. Let me know. :)
A.
I got some agastache plants from Fruity, and they proceeded to die one by one. Was getting them going in pots before I put them in the ground. Don't know what I did to them.
I always have hummers on my zinnia's.
I have never actually seen one!!! Stupid question, but is this one of those things where "if you build it, they will come."? where am i attracting them from? What if it just attracts a mess of bees? Lol
mittsy gave me a humming bird feeder which i have to gig with some type of mesh so i wasps can't get in and spoil the nectar.
I didn't know wasps spoiled the nectar, but I know they will chase away the hummers. I keep a can of Flying Insect Killer from Raid and spray them if I see them at the feeders. My hummers always empty my feeders, even if there have been wasps around. How do they spoil the nectar?
I was told if they climb in and die the hummers won't come? Idk? Lol i know nothing about them.
Hmmmm, interesting. Mine never get 'in'. They just go to the ports to get the nectar.
Mmmmm. Well maybe I'll just give it a shot as is. :)
Hi Patti
I'm trying hard to find some way for me to identify and give out the "oneisie" pkts of perennials with names I know nothing about. Amanada is helping with that.
I added this to your list:
3 Lobelias
ANY poppy seeds
French Marigold and Giant Marigold if you have them.
I would like a few of the Det. tomatoes.
Sub Artic Plenty and Manitoba .
Also in the INDET. class Jaune Flamme Omar's Lebanese.
>> I don't know if I will be able to harvest very many seeds this year, but will do what I can for the cause!
It will be great to receive any seeds you have to spare, this year and/or next year.
Did you look at the huge list Jonna contributed recently? I have them all split up, now, in the third post in this thread.
Corey
U R doing great, Corey!!! :D
I just bought three "accordian-fold folders" with multiple pouches, for alphabetizing perennials. On sale at Staples for half-price. I'll take some pictures of the before-and-after.
(There are so many annuals that those foldiong pouches are too small, but annuals are already sorted and alphabetized and accessible. It helps that I often recoginze annual names!)
I'm also thinking, next time I fill a request for someone, of making up 5-10 baggies of the same thing, so the next time someone from that zone wants perennials, I can just pull one baggie, and be half-done. Add and subtract as needed, instead of looking for the same things over and over.
Thanks for everyone's patience!
You're killin' me. :D
I was out checking on seeds in the garden and can offer hollyhocks, tall several colors and short double red. Any interest. My zinnias are at their peak and are outstanding. I hope I will have lots of seeds to share. I'd take a picture but it's pretty dark out right now, will have to wait and see if it doesn't rain tomorrow.
All seeds are appreciated, and FRESH seeds are a Great Goodness. Thank you!
Our Hollyhock collection is big enough to need its own bag, but I'll look at the colors tonight. I SEEM to remember mostly pastel colors and "tall", so the short red would be most welcome.
But I remember being surprised how few Zinnia seeds we had. I'd really love some Zinnia seed!
Slugs ate almost all my zinnias this year, and I think the late start they got, due to our long cold spring, wasn't good for them either. This year, finding even 1-2 zinnia blooms is a challenge ... how can I have killed ZINNIAS?!?
The year before, I discovered that collecting Zinnia seeds myself was going to be race between slow-fading flowers and early fall rains. I was almost ready to put some of my very very mongrel F3 or F4 Zinnias into the stash, but I'm sure people would appreciate yours more.
(If I ever beat the slugs and the rain in the same year, I want to save a big pile of Benary Giant Zinnia seed: Scarlet, Deep Red, and Orange for the stash. ONE of these years!)
I got several terspoons of seeds from my one big Delphinium. If they seem to have good germination, they are going into the stash! 6' tall, big pale blue blooms with purple edges.
And some orange California Poppies threw out tons of pods, but they are slooooow to mature.
Which reminds me to ask: is there some trick to pursuading Snow Pea pods to mature? The leaves and vines have been yellow and dead-looking for weeks, almost months, but the pods are still defiantly green and the peas don't seem to want to dry up.
Corey
Are they still in the ground? If so, pull them up!
We have had a lot of rain so In checking my zinnias (only open pollinated) here's what I found. This was a tall of the Elegans variety variety in a deep red. Notice the mold.
