flowers from Teddy

I got the word that my last topic was getting a little long, so I thought I would start a new one. My Cosmos is budding now, the one is taller than I am. My Amaryllis has some green on it now, I just transplanted it not long ago, and it looks like it is trying to grow again, could it be confused because I put it in a sunnier place and it is getting warmer? Hopefully my Cosmos will bloom before the frost gets them. Could I have some advice please? The neck is exposed, what do you think I should do if anything?

Does anyone know how much longer before they bloom? They look close.

We'll get our crystal balls.

Check the amaryllis forum for help there.

It's hard to predict exactly when flowers will bloom so I'd just sit back and be patient, they'll get to it when they get to it. Since it's already got buds I think you've got a good chance that it'll bloom before frost but it's hard to say exactly when. As far as the amaryllis sprouting, I'd just let it do its thing--sometimes plants will get fooled into trying to grow or bloom in a different season than normal but they typically figure out what they need to do eventually.

thanks ecrane3

It is good when you start to see color on your Cosmos, I am starting to see some color on mine, I just hope they will bloom at least one of them before Friday. Friday evening it is supposed to frost I think, I hope they do but you know how flowers are, not a exact science. As someone once told me on this page, the only flowers you can control and make bloom all the same time are fake flowers. I keep checking up on the flowers and so far as I can tell, I have red and I think I see orange on a couple of them. Some of them are still green and growing. But if you look closely, I think you can see the red.

I hope this means what I think it does, can anyone tell me if I am right in assuming that this one is getting ready to bloom? I have one more picture to show you. I thought the rain and the cold would keep them from blooming but it looks like I was wrong.

here is another one, does anyone know or can anyone else how much longer it will be, rough estimates?

Cansomeone tell me when these things are going to bloom? I come out here every morning hoping to see flowers and I still see buds, I know gardening is not an exact science, but gee, I think I have been patient enough! I think Mother Nature is laughing at me. I need some info from some of the gardeners on here who have more experience than I have to share some of their knowledge with me, please!

Here is some info for you.

http://www.flowersociety.org/Cosmos-plant-study.htm

getting close then.

Success! Just went out and checked and here is what I found! I can't be sure what color it is going to be, it looks white, but the package said yellow, orange, and red, oh well, whatever color it is , I can't believe they are finally blooming. I guess that one page was right, you have to ignore them for them to bloom.

This is the other one that is blooming, I am not sure, but I THINK it is going to be a pretty good size bloom.

Good deal. The blooms will be roughly 2 to 2.5 inches across....plants pretty much stay true to their species regarding height and bloom size.

I think I will take one of the Morning Glory seeds and soak it in warm weather and nick the shell and put it in one of the small pots I have, I have potting soil and I thought I would try to grow a Morning Glory inside. What do you think? Is it possible to do that? I have to see if I can grow one inside, do you think it is possible to do that? It is one of the ones that my aunt sent me.

If you have a sunny window it is worth a try.

One of my first Cosmos blooms, it is really pretty I think, I can just imagine a whole bunch of these pretty flowers beside my lattice, that is where this one is.

Here is the white one, it is lower down on one of the plants, but he is still pretty too.

Bravo....just think how lovely your garden will be next year....you will have the basics in place and know what needs to be done.

Yes, and I won't be asking questions all the time and driving you poor people crazy.

My aunt gave me a potted mum plant, I don't know if it is a annual or perinneal, it is called Ursula Lavender Garden Mum. The question is can I keep this plant in the house all winter?

It is a perennial mum. Here is some info for you. You can keep it inside, but it will not bloom again til spring and will require a bright sunny window.

http://www.romencegardens.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=plants.plantDetail&plant_id=1729&typeID=25

ok, thanks themoonhowl.

I have a bright window, it has blinds on it so it won't get a whole lot of sunlight, it is also part of the front of the house which is not well insulated, it gets real cold in the winter, there is no heat in the entryway. Will that hurt it any if I put it in front of that window?

Probably not hurt by the cold as it is hardy in the ground, but it will need as much light as possible.

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/flowers/perennials/all-about-mums/

ok, thanks, the window by the door is where it will spend the winter.

My first bloom has gotten bigger! I went out to check and see if anything else has opened up and noticed it had gotten larger.

I think maybe pink?

Do you think it might be a good idea to move these to a slightly larger pot?

Beautiful, Teddy! Yes, put it in a larger pot. It would be happier in the ground but, if you don't want to do that, then a bigger pot is fine.

I figured it would be better for the root system to be able to stretch out, so my neighbor gave me 2 pots and I will use the larger of the two, glad you liked it, I love it! I always wanted mums but the money was not there for them, so I was ecstatic when my aunt brought this one. I went out and smelled the Cosmos that has bloomed the purple one, and the scent is heavenly! I would love to have a row or bunch of sweet smelling flowers like that that would sway in the breeze and bring a smell like it wafting through the air. The pink one is going to look interesting and there are a lot of buds on them, don't know if they are all going to bloom before winter, but I now have a sample of what they are going to be like next spring, and boy am I going to have the flowers! And I won't be bugging you for advice and suggestions like I did this year, thanks for all your help.

I just transplanted my mums to a larger pot, I did not disturb the roots, I just took it out of the smaller one and put it directly into the larger one and filled it with potting soil. It has a small lip around it so I did not fill it all the way to the top. I watered it not too long ago, should I water it any now that it has been transplanted? It has holes for drainage and has little feet so it will be off the ground. Also was thinking of trying the amarylis idea of growing a bulb inside this winter, do you think it will work? The article says that it is easy to do. I was just wondering.

this picture shows how much potting soil I put in, do you think that is enough, or should I fill it up to the top?

This is a amarylis bulb, do you think it might grow or do you think I should get another one, like I said before, I was thinking of trying to grow it inside.

never mind, the amarylis bulb is kind of squishy so don't think it will work, going to try anyway.

I have a question about the Cosmos, is there any way I can keep it from getting so tall? I love the flowers, by the way I have a new color that I will put on this posting, but they get so tall they are trying to break over. Is there anything that I can do to maybe shorten the plant somehow next spring? I have read on the Cosmos pages that they do reseed, I was hoping that I could do something in the spring to make the plants a little shorter. I have tied them to the lattice and the tallest one is over 6 ft. tall. When they finally flower they are worth the wait and the aggrevation that I had. I apprieciate all the help you gardeners have given me, you have been so helpful, and I don't think I could have gotten as far as I have without your help. Thanks again.

You might be able to pinch them back as they're growing which will keep them a little more compact, but be aware that too much pinching will delay your blooms. Also, if they're not in full sun they're going to tend to be leggy and floppy, so if you've got a sunnier area that you could try them in next year that may help.

That is the problem, I have trees all around the house so a sunnier place is not a easy thing to come by. I did what one of the folks around here said, look around the house at different times of the day and find out what parts get the most sun, that is not an easy thing to do, since it is October, I might just leave them the way they are, because if I pinch off any, the buds go with them and they are blooming. Could I wait until next year and transplant them to that sunnier spot you were talking about? If I can find one?

Here is a picture of my flower pot with two Morning Glory seeds in it, should I keep them covered or should I take the bag off?

I was suggesting pinching for next year's plants, not this year's. This year's plants are already very tall and you're getting too close to your last frost date, I wouldn't risk losing blooms by pinching now. As far as moving them--they are annuals and won't survive the winter, so if you find a sunnier spot that's where you should start your seeds for next year.

For the MG seeds--I can't tell from your pic if the seeds have sprouted or not. If they haven't sprouted then I'd leave it on, but once the seedlings sprout I typically take the covering off, otherwise it makes it too easy for the seedlings to rot from excess moisture. But humidity can be helpful since indoor air is so dry once you start running the heat, so if you leave the bag on make sure to open it up a few times a day to let things breathe a bit.