Hello garden buddies! I decided to go ahead & get this started since I was up & no one has had a chance yet. We're cool & cloudy here in the St. Louis area today. I hope your July is starting out good. Thoughts are with those in the SW struggling with extreme heat & wildfires. We have a lot to be thankful for right now. Tornado season over. Drought ended. Milder temps than past couple of summers. I'm off to work. Keep those green thumbs up!
July 2013 - Much better than last year!
Thanks Green!! My internet went down the other night and didn't get back up til tonight. So I've been offline for a day.
On the bad side my bad luck is continuing and I think I'm gonna have to keep my dad out of my truck. Brake line broke today so it's back in the shop tonight. Good thing it's an easy fix!! My mechanic looked at me with pity. lol
Weather is still at it here ,
Pepper , this not blooming as it should
only here is the dark red HH .
Thanks Pepper for adding the link to the new thread. I always forget that part. Sorry about your truck. I hope that it's not too costly.
I spent the evening trimming up the garden borders and discovered a small pear tree. A relative has already claimed it, so I'm going to try digging it up to pot. Right now it's just a twig and about 6' from the parent tree. I wonder if it could be a sucker.
I started two pears gb . Couple of little fellows , one died , the other is growing
Lots of plum seeds to try if I want . Have no idea if they are any good or not ..
Pepper sounds like time to rebuild and restore a truck ,, what do say . a year or two of weekends in the garage .. Making more work for you ...just what you need ,, isn;t it .
Ju, I need to graft a scion from the mother pear onto the sucker to make sure that the pears will be good quality, right? I've done a little reading on this subject & I remember reading that you graft trees. I've never attempted grafting before. Advice appreciated on this topic. Thanks in advance.
Everyone have a good day and green thumbs up!
Green, been there, done that. My first truck was a 78 and it was non stop work til I got in a wrecked and totaled it. Would love to have another one but I can't afford one that is already restored and I don't have the time or money to restore one right now.
Ju, LOVE that deep red!!!!
Pepper thank you ..Hollyhocks are Hollyhocks when you grow them (pot luck) ought to of been named Hollyhock luck ..
That was me about restoring your truck lol .. bad joke really ...!
Green: Most of my grafting failed ,, My best advice is a good sharp razor knife and invest in some grafting wax , You will see why when you get there ..
It's raining here again ,,, third time today ...
This message was edited Jul 2, 2013 9:28 PM
I shoulda looked. lol. I actually like restoring stuff. Houses and trucks. Just no more money!! LOL!!!
Pepper; Is this where we answer "been there, done that"
or maybe; "am there doing that"?
Didn't someone just say that here ? lol
LOL
Rainy and cool here all day. Temps stayed in the low to mid sixties. I appreciate the savings on the water and electric bills compared to last summer.
gb; I feel that way also about the weather - the bills .
We have been drying leek seeds Garden leeks .
If any of you would like any , I will save some for you to send with the trees and things this fall ..
I will ask things like that here from time to time , anything not used or wanted is going to DG..
Didn't mean to scare you all away .. shh shh shh lol,
Happy fourth of July a day late ...
This message was edited Jul 5, 2013 4:46 AM
I posted something last night, but I don't see it. I don't have time to post again because I'm leaving to work. I'll try to remember what I wrote & try again when I get home from work. It had to do with family, fireworks, & the 4th. Also, about ju's leek seeds. I must have been to tired to hit "send". LOL
Green, I remember that post about the leeks. I saw it somewhere before but now I don't. The font on here has now shrunk quite a bit so kinda hard to read!! Oh well. Terry and tech team know and hopefully can get it fixed.
From around the flowers today.
What's the last plant? Kinda cool looking.
Seems it is all as busy as a bee ..he he
Centaurea Americana , annual prarrie cornflower
Thanks!! I reconized it but couldn't remember the name. I might be able to plant that next year if I am able to redo my north bed. That bed I'm hoping to do mostly wildflowers so I can ignore it care wise. But we still have to replace siding on that side so that's a project for next year.
Start them early and get them hardened off while it still frosting outside , they will take a light and late frosts .. Had a lot of trouble starting them the first few times , easy as Marigolds now though ..
A couple more from today
Very nice flower pics ju. We have to enjoy them while they last. I don't recognize the first red flower. Is that a lobelia? You must have a lot of butterflies visiting your garden.
Pepper, thanks for letting me know that you remember my post. I just said that we went to the local fire work display that I've been attending since a small child. It was impressive. It's nice to share a childhood tradition with the next 2 generations & see the excitement in them that I felt as a child.
Today is suppose to be absolutely gorgeous weather here in the St. Louis area. I'm just going to putter around the yard and house today. My cherry tomatoes are ripening which is something that I crave year round, so I'm excited. I've taken a lot of pics, but haven't loaded them to my pc yet. Maybe I'll do that later today while taking a break.
Where's my garden buddy Will? Are you mowing your lot this weekend?
I hope everyone has a nice Saturday.
The first is an Agastache .. a red hybrid , turning pink.. Raining today here .
We just had a few spot showers pass over just AFTER my husband finished grilling the brats! While he grilled the meat, I cooked up some baked beans & swiss chard (fresh picked--yum!) with apple crisp for dessert.
Today, I also harvested some garlic (biggest bulbs ever!) and picked about 1/2 dozen cukes. Did I mention before that I love this time of year?
Ju, Agastache? That sounds familiar. Sun or shade lover? Never mind, I'll look it up. : )
I'm still waiting on my cukes to ripen. Maters too. But we're getting there!! I've had some blueberries this year but I think I need to add something to the potting soil to help them with their taste. My grandma's came out sour this year and mine were mostly bland. Her's are in the ground and mine are in pots.
green ; the agastache and salvia forum , bring anything to mind? lol
My Blueberries are pot and ground .. oh well .. I am the hog ..
Here's the cornflower earlier today , it bloomed finally
I have 4 blueberry bushes. My newphew loves the heck outta them so I stocked up this year. Just gotta get some food that will help them. I think Bluetone would work but I'll have to research or ask at work to be sure.
Love the cornflower. That would look good with my coreoptis and daisies.
First time trying them for me .. someday I might know . pink in the pot , dwarf northland and ka- bluey in the ground . ones kin of yellow on the leaves . the other in the ground red leaved and growing ,
pink- was green and the same as most plants , the last time I looked ..
Besides sun and acid soil , I have no idea as to how to grow them.
About Agastache and Salvia. The Bluestone Perennial catalog I received a few years ago had these for sale. That's where I remember seeing them. I don't browse the different forums that much. However, I've done specific searches before that have lead me to one. I see the common name for agastache is "giant hyssop". This isn't a flower that I'm familiar with growing. Sage the herb I've grown, but I've never grown the ornamental type. I've read that these 2 flowers are native to Southern Mexico. Also, I read that Salvia is a pychoactive plant. That's scary since it's a sage. I've read that these are good hummingbird plants. They both kind of remind me of some of my herbs in bloom. I'll pay more attention next time I'm at Missouri Botanical Garden where these are growing.
Biennial primrose one darn pretty weed ,, my opinion ...
ju, I don't believe that I've seen primrose flowers in this area. I read that it opens in the evening and is pollinated by moths. My button bush (also a native) is covered with bees by day and moths at night. The primrose in your photo is lovely. Did you sow these?
Centaurea Americana , annual prarrie cornflower looks a lot like a thistle? Those are some pretty pics of flowers. Daylilies and coneflowers are going crazy at my house right now.
Morning, well I had a busy fun 4th weekend. Took off the 5th. Felt like I should of gotten more done, but I always feel that way.... ;( Been working on the potting bench and finally got 99% primered...yes! All but the doors. Today I will get some grey paint to match the house and paint all but the trim that color, maybe it won't show dirt so bad, and then the trim white. I am really excited about getting it done, I really need to use it. I still have to primer the doors but they will be easy. I am going to cheat and not do the inside now, or maybe never...rofl. I have so many plants to plant and repot I need to get done...
Think I will go to habitat for humanity restore today and see if I can find an old kitchen faucet, tiles and a few odds and ends. Love looking around there. I went to the Salvation Army thrift store up north over the weekend and found several things to use in the garden but no faucets that would work.
Have a great day guys.
We are not getting any rain at my house for some time now. KC proper has had a lot of rain and us not a sprinkle. I thought my plants were doing good, but got to looking at some old photos and my hostas look horrible to what they usually do... ;(
Still only cloudy for today occasional light sprinkle .. this is a rainy year here ..
GB those grew there ,I have some more smaller ones that look the same , I dug them up and "rowed" them when they first appeared and it was cold outside.
I have never tried saving seeds from them .. From seeing all those in the pics and I let two grow and go to seed last year , and two last season was all there was ,, Well anyway those are a determined to stay type of plant ..
Happ;Thing is though , I have not ever seen a thistle with a bloom as big as a medium sized zinnia .. That bloom is a good 4 to 5 inches across
This message was edited Jul 8, 2013 4:53 PM
I've just picked about 6 Sweeter Yet cukes and was bragging to my husband (who doesn't like cucumbers) how sweet and non-bitter they are. He said, "non-bitter? That's what I don't like about cucumbers is the bitterness." Well, he tried a slice and liked it! Now, I'll have to share my cucumbers with him. LOL
I noticed that the kale came back & is ready for picking too. I'm going to try a stir-fry recipe that I found online. I've got my picky, "meat & potatoes" husband eating all kinds of fresh greens & veggies. He likes that the veggies are free, but he's also more conscious about keeping his personal drain unclogged. I know that you're all thinking "ewww!" Sorry. ; )
LOL Green. I'm the same way. I'm backing off the sweets slowly and eating more fresh stuff.
My cukes are just now in the last couple weeks putting out flowers so we shall see when I get anything off them. I have the lemon cukes which are also non bitter. Eat them whole, skin and all.
Happ, maybe tomorrow you will get some rain. 50% chance!!
Tomorrow everyone stay safe!! It will be around 100 and humid to boot.
Where has Will disappeared to? He's never this quiet. lol
Popping in. I can't believe I'm so busy all the time. I guess with the good weather we had, I didn't waste a day. Last two days have been hot, but I have a lot of shade to work under. Last night I cut back the bleeding heart. Then I had to pull or dig all the violets and columbines that accidentally got in there. I took four various ferns out and potted them to re-plant later. I have a lot of shade, but not a lot od shady beds anymore.
The garden has been busy too, LOL! The grandkids ate the peas down to the last pod. I think I see a few trying to put out more. I hope the heat doesn't make them die. I have beets ready to pull and the green beans are doing well for the short rows I planted. I planted the rest of the beans where the spinach was. The cabbage looks good. It's growing under Remay. DH made me hoops and I love it! I also Remayed the eggplant. Take THAT flea beetle!
Anyway, I'm dead on my feet. Going to bed soon. It's cloudy so the
Night! room darkening shades in my bedroom will make it look more like night, LOL!
Got my garden in really late and the ducks and chickens are tearing alot of it up. So fingers crossed I end ip with something.
I was wondering the same thing about Will.
Still no rain here. Sure is hot tonight. I thought my flowers were doing good until I saw my gardens in the past pictures.
Odd still no Will...? hummmm.
I looked and he has not posted since June 29th, that is quite awhile.
Pic of daylilies and roses.
I'm fine, thanks, I just got nothing interesting to say.
Will
Now Will if I have to have something interesting to say I am in big trouble. We just want to know what you are up to...and make sure you are staying out of trouble.