Fall Swap 2013 Sallyg's DISCUSSING haves and wants

Sally: What do you do with your Cape Jasmine over the winter?

Malingered , not TOO badly, in the family room. Rebounded nicely with spring. I shortened a few branches and those sprouted out- if I have it this winter I would prune more next spring and try to fill it out. THe Jasmines seem to be water hogs.

Water hogs don't do well with me.... but I do love Jasmines....

Karen, I am so embarrassed! Just went out to check the tag on my favorite new sedum and it is "Dazzler"!
Both ssgardener and Donnerville expressed an interest in it when I brought my plant to 'show and tell' at a Tween Swap at Sallygs. Unfortunately I never got a round to propagating it. If you do go to buy another would you consider picking up another one for me and I'll reimburse at Swap? I loved it as little and all stages of growth. The flower color is wonderful and the leaves hold that smokey purpleness well.

SallyG, do you still have a Carolina allspice left? If so, is it small? If so, can I ask for it?

I have one more small Carolina allspice that been living potted for the summer and should move nicely. I also have LOTS of sucker roots that can go . So either way yeah I got an allspice for you happy.

Thanks, SallyG!

Aspenhill--are you coming to the Swap?
Anyone else interested???

I would like to find someone to "adopt" the big pot of "Inky Fingers" Coleus.
It is SO big--and cutting it back, to get 32 cuttings to root, made No difference.
These cuttings are in 4-packs. You ask for it--you will get a 4-pack.
I have a gut feeling that these would even grow well indoors in a HB.
I think it would also survive in a sun room all winter. It is the most amazing grower...
The size of a small Azalea bush now...It is in a 12" pot with a NG Imp in the middle.

As it is--I have NO idea what to do with all the different cuttings I have rooting...
Seems fall just is not conductive to swapping cuttings of annuals....:o(

Pictures usually help......Some of my "HAVES"---

1--Inky Fingers Coleus pot
2--Inky Fingers cuttings--all rooted and now growing
3--Cuttings of Fishnet Stockings (8 pots) -
4--Fishnet Stockings Mama plant--not bothered by the cut back at all.
5--Mocha Coleus divisions--8 pots

I also just took cuttings from my big "Fishnet Stockings" Coleus.
As you can see--it has now converted back to its true pattern.
It is still rooting, but I have NO doubt it will all be rooted by the Swap.
I have 8 pots to share.

First come on these.........:o) Gita

More.....

1--Brazilian Plume Flowers cuttings--well rooted. 10 pots (some promised)
2--Most of these cuttings will bloom--amazingly!
3--"Green Fountains" Hosta--some already promised.
4--Purple Oxalis pots. Will divide if anyone is interested.
5--Rooting starts of Twisted Lipstick. Some promised already.

End of my Pre-Swap "Show and Tell"....

Maybe this will help for some of you not sure what my plants look like...
Ask away!!! Gita


This message was edited Aug 28, 2013 10:56 AM

Gita: How do you take care of the purple oxalis?

I ignore it! I "ignore" most of my plants. They do well w/o my fussing.
Honest!
The Oxalis sit in filtered sun and all i do is water them if needed.
They can adapt to brighter sun if needed. In shade--the color may not be as intense,
nbut theu will still do OK.

In the house--you can put them on a windowsill--or near one, and let it continue
growing--OR--you can tale them somewhere and ignore them. They will go dormant.
When you bring them out in the spring--they will grow back beautifully..
In the winter--they will sit by my small window in the laundry room and go semi-dormant.
Only the leaves will drop off--those little bulbs will survive.

I also have them in my W-Boxes--which will be good plants for potting up.
May be hard to see--but they are there...

Jill--

I will be bringing 2 baby AV's to you.
Remember--last year I told you I took cuttings of of a AV
that was pink with purple edges? You said--that one will sure be for Joyanna.

They have now grown to a nice size to pass on. Work your magic!
My AV's never bloom--for whatever reason....

Here...Gita

Coleup, that's so funny about your sedum. Are you sure it's the same thing if the name is just "Dazzler"? Mine label says it's from the Sunsparkler series, and grown by the Perennial Farm. It probably is the same. I was going to go back today but the weather isn't great. I will get you one when I go. If it's not on sale, it's $6.
Gita, I'd like to try one of your oxalis plants if you decide to divide them. My neighbor has had one for years so it must be easy to grow.

Last winter I kept some purple oxalis outside (in ground) and brought some indoors.

The ones kept indoors didn't seem that happy and eventually went dormant around March, but perked up pretty quickly once brought outside.

Gita, my Inky Fingers is also huge! I wish I could overwinter them, but I don't have any luck keeping them alive indoors. They get mildew almost immediately.

ssgardener - did your purple oxalis that you left outside over last winter survive?

Happy, yes, the oxalis survived with no problem at all.

SS--

Really??? Was your Oxalis in a pot or in the soil?
What kind of a location did you give it? Protected--or just out anywhere?

Would be easier if I did not have to bring it in....
G.

Ive had purple oxalis thru a couple winters in an average perhaps coolish moist in winter spot. Survived but not getting any bigger. Maybe smaller.

I'm starting to think my microclimate is quite a bit warmer than the average garden in the Mid-At. My house is all brick and there are mature trees all around that act as wind breakers (although they only shade out a small part of my yard).

I had read that they were hardy to zone 7, so I didn't even think about protecting them, except for regular winter mulch to give some protection against the squirrels.

I have places i could tuck some pots under--but it is just as easy
to put them on the big w-sill (actually a shelf) by my tiny window
in the laundry room.
The other thing that usually sits there is my Pregnant Onion.
Never got around to dividing it--but gave one of the away to Scott
at Cylburn. He wasn't too excited to have one--but took it anyway.

Heard in the weather forecast for next week that there may be some
days in the 40's.......YIKES!!!
Didn't say exactly what part of MD.

But--you all know what happens right after labor day--don't you?
BAM! and it gets cold....

Woe be to all my plants and cuttings outside!!!! G.

Donnerville I think I have a Rose of Sharon' with white blooms/red throat. I can dig it up now, but would rather wait til at least Jill's bulb sort... Which would be best for you ?

Typwc/Karen I have a Limelight hydrangea that you can take cuttings from at the swap. I'll have it in my van, so just remind me, Others are welcome to a cutting , too, as long as some plant is left! I'd like a cutting of coleus 'Swallowtail', one of your Phlox and a hosta 'guacamole' if they are still available.

Anyone
Locally available pots of Euphorbia 'Black Bird' $9 if anyone wants me to pick up one or two LMK Pic 1

There's a variety of purple oxalis that's hardy to zone 7. I think it's the one with green center, not pure dark purple.

Gita, thank you! Now that you mention it, I do remember your saying you were propagating a pink & purple AV. Joyanna was just crowing with glee, seeing her name on that plant tag. She knew it was a baby african violet, too. :-)

Jill--

I re-potted hers in a very cute, small pot. it is like, sealed clay and has
Bumblebees all over the outside. NOT just pictures--these are ceramic
BB's attached to the pot. Full color. Too cute!

Yours, dear lady, will be in just a small, brown plastic pot. I did re-pot yours too.
From a 2" to a 3". However--you are no less special......you know that....
IF you can make these bloom--I'd love to see a picture.

G.

Coleup -- that Euphorbia is lovely but I need to wait until the spring!

This message was edited Aug 29, 2013 9:42 PM

Coleup, got you down for those three things. Thanks for allowing me to take cuttings of your limelight! Hope there's enough time for the roots to establish before winter. What do you think?

Well, I did my first plant divisions last weekend, and the halves that I kept are both looking pretty sickly, so I feel reluctant to try any more divisions until I understand more about the process.

So, Typ, can you wait on the Hosta 'Sum and Substance', and Terp and Sally, can you wait on the Monarda 'Coral Reef' until I feel more confident about this process of propagating from a parent plant? Would that be okay?

Donner, I can give you the Ajuga 'Black Scallop' as a whole plant, and Critter, I can bring you a whole Iris 'Indian Chief' plant, so there is no problem there.

I'm fine with skipping Monarda- thanks for the effort- these things happen!!

I found another peanut butter shrub sucker so I am back to 2 - I think that covers the requests- I killed 2 the first go round by forgetting to pamper them after potting. see- these things happen!

Karen, et al...

I did divide my Purple Oxalis yesterday. Went OK--but they need to recover a bit.
The Oxalis has such shallow roots--if you can call them roots at all.
Mostly--it is just the little corms. If you disturb them--they look a bit floppy.

So--now I have 4 to share--in 5" pots. Karen already asked for one.

I will get myself a new supply when I take apart my clay W-Boxes.
I have Oxalis in there in about 3 places. These usually are very robust.

These are the two original pots that now are four.
G.

Cat and Typ, you both raise something that has me hemming and hawing, too. I know that Fall is an excellent time to plant plants so they will be well established before Winter but my preference for division or other propagation is the Spring. I'm sure some of this has to do with our incredibly long growing season, but my 'druthers are to divide in Spring before really active growth takes place.

Yes, I know hostas, liriope, daylilies and other tough plants can be moved and divided almost anytime one can get a shovel in the ground and almost always will recoup rapidly. But for others, like Monarda or others blooming now, it just seems wrong to interrupt the bloom cycle! Yes, they probably will be just fine with a little time to reestablish those fine feeder roots and some tlc...but it is embarrasing to pass along a half dead looking or 'unrooted' plant at a swap! And, what if the recipient does not have the time, or weather conditions turn unfavorable before plant can be settled in?

These are my 'babies' afterall!

At any of the Nurseries I've worked at over the years, we did divide various plants in the Fall, but the divisions were all potted up in potting soil and coddled in various ways thruthe Winter to be our first offerings the following Spring. This is what I am comfortable with. Just my way.

As far as 'Limelight' or other hydrangea cuttings, I'm fine doing it for Spring swap and will try my hand at some and put your name on 'successful' pots this Spring. or offer cuttings then. I will bring babies that this Mom is ready to launch. (It is kinda like sending them off to their first day of school!)

Coleup/Judy

Thanks, Judy! The plants I divided last weekend were a Liatris spicata and Achillea 'Island Pink'. The halves I shared may be fine, but the halves of these 2 plants I kept are not, probably because I don't really know how to do the division, or the tlc afterwards of my own divided plant. :-(

Maybe next spring would be a good time for me to plan on sharing my Monarda Coral Reef (currently healthy), and the hosta Sum and Substance (currently okay but recovering from having several leaves munched off--probably a rabbit--apparently this is a tasty cultivar).

I've found the easiest way to divide oxalis is just to dig up a handful of corms... they'll soon sprout new leaves, or you can just keep them dormant for a bit until you want them.

I don't try much dividing this time of year... If I have plants to bring, they're usually volunteer seedlings, often from last spring -- ones that I've either spared or simply (embarrassingly) missed when taking a whack at the weeds.

Cat.
That is fine, no worries.

I think softwood cuttings are needed for Limelight, so this might not be a good time of the year, as they're sending all their energy into bloom production right now.

Catbird, I literally left a hosta division sitting on top of the soil all winter, with the roots exposed (but with dirt still attached to it), and it survived. o.O And when I first received Frans Hals tubers from Gita, they kept getting dug up by the squirrels. I must have replanted them at least once a week during that fall, and I'm sure they were left out for several days in a row. Now I get why they say daylilies and hostas are impossible to kill. :)

But there are divisions I've received, even in the spring, that didn't survive, and I'm terrible at keeping cuttings alive, spring or fall. Oh, another difference I found is that plants look dead after a fall division, whereas they perk up quickly after a spring division. I've read that the difference is that all the energy is going to root production in the fall, so they're not making new leaves or flowers.

This message was edited Aug 30, 2013 11:05 AM

Cat and Coleup, I am totally cool with waiting till Spring. These are all plants freely given so I can't believe anyone would/should be bent out of shape about waiting. :)

I received a division of liatris last spring and it looked AWFUL for many days before it started to perk up. I really thought it was going to die, but I watered it every day and now it has new growth that looks fine. Maybe that's just the way that plant rolls.

On the flip side, I once divided an achillea for my own use and killed both plants, probably because I forgot to water them and they dried out. :(

Now is probably a good time to say "Last call!" for me, as I want to have all my digging done by tomorrow. So if there's anything else anyone wants from me, speak up before the end of the day or else hold your peace till Spring!

This message was edited Aug 30, 2013 11:53 AM

Good points all!

Cat, when I do divide plants I pot up all divisions in fresh potting soil and put them out of direct sun and keep them watered as necessary to give them a good start on recovery. (Sometimes I trim back flowers, foliage and roots depending.) I usually do not immediately replant original plant in planting hole unless conditions are favorable and I 'always' amend the soil when I do. (Iwould probably cut back the achillea and let it do roots. Don't know about the liatris as I ve had little success with it as is JMHO)

Catmint: I am confident your divisions will rebound -- if not, I'll return to you the divisions you gave me! Just keep them sheltered from direct sun if they look limp (or put an inverted empty pot on top of them) and water them daily for a week or two. It is true that plants often don't look very good after being divided, and may not even put out enough new growth to look robust for the remainder of this season, but as long as they don't dry out too much they'll usually like fantastic in the spring.

I divide in the fall all the time - I actually prefer it to the spring because the plants have all winter to grow roots and settle in. The only plants I know that are risky to divide in the fall (based just on my experience) are Anemones. And I had very little luck with the ornamental grasses I planted last fall -- completely different experience than the perennials I planted very late in the fall, all of which did fine.

I have taken new little clumps of Liatris and potted them up with no problems.
Did one (accidentally while weeding) from my neighbor's big clump.
Potted it up, watered it and it actually bloomed. it only had 2 atems.

Just make sure you get some of the rhizomes with your division.
That is how they multiply--underground...
***************************************************************
OK!!!!
Saw something NEW on the Clearance rack at Lowes just today.
There were bunches of pots of "Wasabi Coleus". A whole mess of tangled pots.
Beautiful, solid, chartreuse color.
They seemed to be VERY massive growing with fat, sprawly, square stems..
On the tag it said the growth rate is "fast' and tall--about 24"+..

I can imagine these would be nice filler plants in a flower bed.
Probably crawling here and there...Just the color alone would be worth it.
What does not go with chartreuse???
I did not buy any of it--($5 pot) but looking in the mess of pots and stems--
came away with several broken off pieces....:o)

I will pot them up today and bring them along. Just in case someone wants to
grow it out for next year. LMK--asap!

I can also go back to Lowes tomorrow and see if there "might" (ahem..) be some
more broken off stems....BUT--Have to know NOW if anyone is interested....
Sally--you always like my new "finds"--so you will, definitely, get one.
ARTICLE COMMING UP!!!

http://www.bhg.com/gardening/gardening-trends/editor-doug-jimerson-new-plants/

http://plants.chaletnursery.com/12120004/Plant/13070/Wasabi_Coleus

http://parkseed.com/wasabi-coleus-plants/p/87844-PK-6/






.

thanks all for the tips about division! So much to learn. Happy, please no worries! Hopefully they will be fine, and if not, that's okay too--there are always new plants to try, or replacements for the old ones! :-)

Hey gang- I just sent an Untitled dmail which is my address and directions. Let me know if you have any questions.

Catmint: I am 100% positive it will be fine. I'm rooting for it, too! Just keep it watered until it settles in. The old foliage will probably die off, but it'll be replaced by fresh new foliage.