Annual Poppies #2

You're welcome Kathy, I labeled the plant colors yesterday. We'll see which ones form seed heads. Annette

The poppies continue to put out their bloom, thanks to the warmth and rain that we've had this week. Here are a few more blooms from today

This bloom is a surprise, as I noted that it's trying to be a double. It's one of the plants in the pot that I messed with the roots as I was planting the annuals, and for now it seems to be ok. None of the other blooms on the other plants have looked like this.

Pretty columbine and ?hardy fuschia in the background. I'm so excited for my columbine to bloom.

Your gardens look so lush and green.

Thanks kosk and ge. The colombines were from my winter sowing in 2011, blooming for the first time this year, and the plant in front of that is a salvia. Everything here is growing well, due to our unusually warm spring, and now we've had to start turning on the sprinkler, and we finally had some rain this week.

They're all fabulous, Annette. So colorful already!

That is the same with my columbines---I started them all from seed in 2011--I have 20 or so----they were a McCana Giants mix. This will be their first year to bloom, so I am EXTREMELY excited to see what colors they will be!!!!! Maybe in a month. But unlike the rest of the country, the west coast is having a ridiculously cold and wet spring, so we are way behind. (Daffodils look great right now, and those usually bloom late Feb/early March).

I love the McKennas. I have a lovely pale yellow that almost looks white.
Some seeded and I transplanted to the dreaded Slope.

I have one of those too. Don't know what it is called. Frustrates me as I try to have the correct name in my database for all my flowers and plants. I got some new seeds WSing for columbine. Guess I will have to wait a year to see them bloom.

Thanks Arlene. I'm really pleased with how the garden is doing so far this year.These are Colombine Lime Sorbet, also winter sown in 2011. The blooms are really delicate.

The broadcasted poppy seeds also are doing well. I need to get some pictures tomorrow. Annette

I do have a question about southern gardens. Last summer, we took a trip to Alabama in late June. We went to the Huntsville botanical garden, which we enjoyed very much. But I was confused---almost everything was done blooming (even the hydrangeas!) except for some annuals. So I guess my question is---what sustains southern gardens July-October in terms of color? Or is everything brown then? My bland garden months are nov, dec, Jan....is it just the opposite in the south? Genuinely curious, bc I was sort of disappointed how everything seemed done in Northern Alabama by late June.

It gets really hot in the south in the summer time with temps in the 90's up to 105, for weeks on end. We're also just coming out of a 5yr. drout, I hope, which didn't help us much with summer blooms. What I do have blooming around that time are daylilies, lilies and hardy hibiscus, including Texas star, and of course lots of roses. Also, thanks to the recommendations in the clematis forum, I cut my clematis back by 1/3 after their initial blooming, and got a second flush of blooms during the summer.

Thanks for the info! Sounds nice. Kind of 5 seasons down there. With summer/late summer counting as 2!

I have three different kinds of columbines started from winter sowing this year. Aqulegia caerulea (light blue and white), Aqulegia caerulea 'McKenna's Giants' and Aqulegia caerulea Deep Purple (DG seed). I am excited they are growing nicely and am anxious to see them bloom next year----if I can get them to maturity. Summers are tough for seedlings. It's so rewarding to see the flowers you started from seed blooming in all their glory.
Cem:
Garden flowers in Al are quite cheerful.
My poppies are growing, growing, growing. Since yours are blooming now, I am assuming mine will bloom in May. I spent a big chunk of today pulling weeds....again.:( I hope to get some mulch down this weekend. I need to thin my annual poppies some more. I've thinned them twice, but there are still too many.
Tulips are pretty much through. Iris and Alliums are starting to bloom.

Cem: I love Lime Sorbet Its 4 years old here and I am finding planties that get put on the slope.

I have (had) lots of columbine but they are really plagued by leaf miners (little green worms) and the leaves and branches curl terribly (not from the worms) and the blooms are crumply. It has gone on for several years and I am about ready to dig them up and pitch them. I have the Barlow series, some giants, Winkie series, um. I think that is all. Just love them but something maybe in my soil is just making them yukky. They don't die though.

Oh, the plants grow and spread also. I don't think they are good candidates for swaps because I cannot identify what is wrong and no way would I want to send sick plants. Even if I suspect it is my soil (in four different locations) not the plant itself.

This message was edited Apr 6, 2012 8:29 AM

Thats scarry Oberon. I love the Barlow(black) I have. I also like the clementines.Red and Blue and Dark purple. I get the miners sometimes but no bloom problems,fingers crossed.

Yes, I have the Clementines also. Went nuts one year and ordered a bunch of the shorter guys. Also taller Tower White and Ruby something or other. Slept in and my mind is still foggy. Oh, yeah and Tequila Sunrise. The tall ones are fine (with exception of Tower White and Ruby) only the shorter ones are affected. And none of my other plants so it is particular to Barlow, Clementine columbine. Very strange.

I lost some of my reds and Lime sorbets,thankful there are enough left to make a decent display.

I use an IGR on the columbines or I always get those little &^%!'s. Hate them.

Celene, what is IGR - I know I am going to hate myself when you tell me because I should already know. I can stand the little worms, but the curly gnarly stems and plants really disturbs me. I have thought about digging up each plant and thoroughly washing it, roots and all then replanting in fresh soil from the nursery

Insect Growth Regulator. I dislike them in general, because of what they do to beneficial insects, so I use them on a very limited basis when nothing else works. I use Imidocloprid or Spinosyn if I can get it.

I have never heard of any of them but will try for the latter two and get the IGR if all else fails. Thanks

Would Neem oil be okay on the columbine leaves? It makes the plants taste yucky, but shouldn't affect the beneficial insects.

Here are a few more poppy blooms with calla lily Flame, who knew the poppies would be orange against the calla lily, too funny.

Oberon" Imidicloprid is in ALL Bayer producte. I use Bayer Advance Tree and Shrub to drench my Iris and emerging lilies in early spring.
I keep the Red Lily Beetle in check this way,also iris borer.
I will try it on columbine miners this year.

Oh. And I use Bayer products to try to control leaf rollers up here. You need to drench the soil early on as once they have hatched and rolled up in a left they are about impossible to get rid of. Wont' kill the bush or tree but surely is not good for them. But I will try the very early drenching on my columbine and see if that helps. We are 'blessed' with very few predators up here the ones affecting my columbine being one, slugs and stuff eating my caragena hedge to little twigs being the other. Oh and fungus. Enough to keep me busy

Check Bayer ingredients of the spray you have. It probably containes Imidicloprid. Its in all Bayer products in one strength or other.

I'l go out in the garage and check. I know I have some left from last year. Bought a couple of gallons of the stuff for the leaf curlers. I just checked and I found tulips coming up out of the ice and mud on one of the early spots that melts off. Maybe there is hope for us yet.

eeee ghaaad. Still in ice? How depressing.Hope you have blooms soon.

Oh, the creeping phlox and arabis usually provide early flowers. Also some short dianthus. I will send a pic taken last April. And yes it is depressing until you start seeing stuff like the hardy little tulips coming up despite the ice and and snow. This year I am keeping my big feet out of the garden areas though until the snow is gone and I can see what I am trampling on my way to see a little green pip 15 feet back by the fence where the sun has reflected off the boards and melted a spot.

Dispite the fact you have more snow and ice than we do,I still plant things where they will appear sooner than other plants. Its such a sign of great things to come.

Cem9165, love the pics of your early start to the bloom season. My Calla's are still in the basement. DW can't wait for me to get all that "crap" out of her basement! LOL!! Weeds are one thing, when you start adding all the various critters and what have you, it really becomes frustrating at times. But, we keep going on because we are addicted !

Thanks Mike. The DH was ready to get his garage bay back, and was quite thankful when I took all the plants out. He knows the basement is a lost cause, and dares not aggravate me about getting the plants out.

We woke up to 37* temps this morning, with frost warnings, I thought I was in Alaska with Mary. It freaked me out, since we've been in 70-80's the last three weeks.The crazy weather is driving me nuts!!!! I'm glad we don't have any snow and ice here. Hang in everyone, the warm weather is around the corner, I hope.

This message was edited Apr 12, 2012 9:26 PM

I am beginning to be glad I am here. At least the weather is consistent. A nice slow steady climb. Supposed to be in the mid 40's next week (daytime). Stuff is growing almost before it is out of the snow as if it knows that it better get going to beat the next round of winter snows. arghhhh. bite my tongue.

I'm glad your plants are starting to make their spring debut. It's amazing once they start going how quickly they grow. The plants change daily here, I feel like I'm missing something if I don't do a daily garden tour.

I know what you mean. I found a daffodil coming up within 2-3" of a snow berm. Almost crushed it. I really need to stay out of the bedding areas but it is kind of hard to see where the paths are. I think it is so obvious in the fall and then poof -- it's all one big whiteout. Saw a goldfish swimming in my pond today. Hope the rest come out soon. I guess that is my real marker for the beginning of spring here. I got my order of lilies including a bonus. Only ordered 3 kinds, 3 bulbs each. Will pot them up as one is already 4" tall in the bag.

What a great joy you are experiencing Oberon.

We had frost warning for last night.Its still dark so I cant see if we really got some.
I cant go into the gardens any more.Too many emerging plants. Its frustrating to know the lilies that hadnt emerged 2 weeks ago when we had 3 frosts,have come up and will get hit.
Poppies are doing great.

I can't imagine how stressful it must be having so much up and growing and the threat of frost biting them. Up here it seems like by the middle end of May we are done with it. I am tempted to push it a little as my garden in the garage is getting outrageous to say nothing of the dining room table. Having to dig up 25' x 36" of lawn will slow me up though. LOL. At least I can start that early. Might even help of the ground is frozen down there to skim just the sod off the top. Damien is determined he wants to put up the fancy concrete block border around it but I don't want any more. I have two beds like that and it is starting to look like a darned rock quarry. To say nothing of darned expensive. I shouldn't complain as he seems more and more generous toward my gardening. But what if the people who someday buy our house don't want a rock garden in the front yard?? Oh well. It's my yard now so we will do what makes us happy. And more flowers makes me very happy

After all the angst over your dark poppies and mop lavanders I can see them with out bending over.
Its going to be a nice crop.