Seed starting MAF part 3 5/23/14

Just one more for ID and then I promise I'm done until they bloom next year!

I had the center plant marked as Monarda bradburiana, but I know it's not; the leaves to the left of it are M. bradburiana.

BTW, the spotty-looking leaves to the right are Chelona glabra. I don't know what happened to the leaves, but the plant is getting beautiful blooms.

Forgot the photo....


This message was edited Aug 22, 2014 10:56 PM

Here's the photo I forgot to post.

For your next to the last photo, the only listed choices that are reasonable matches are the Penstemons.

the Tarahumara Popping Sorghum started to bloom! first year trying to grow this. it looks similar to wheat, but it's wheat-free. the stalks are tall like corn and look really nice in the garden. when it gets seeds, they are supposed to be white. the leaves have a distinct white line down the middle so when it was small you can tell it from a weed. Our heirloom tomatoes all grown from seed are in full swing too.

Harry made about 10 containers of pesto (now frozen) this week and we just have a small patch of basil still left in the garden. pepper plants still have more peppers; I noticed the leaves are starting to yellow showing signs of not liking the cool nights.

forgot to mention that I have tomato seeds now in water. i use the fermenting method and it works great

...Muddy, good luck with all your ID's!

good idea Sally for fall seeds. every inch in our garden is still taken, so I may or may not have the motivation to clear a spot for greens

sorghum, what a neat experimental crop. thanks for the updates!

What are the purple cherry tomatos, and do you like the flavor?

Wind, any chance you have an extra warm microclimate for some greens? Mustard has had some amazingly productive winters in my 'hot spot'.

I'm hoping that once the bugs slow down I can start getting some of the chard and the mixed brassica summer greens. Chard is like 'alpine lace cheese' with holes from some bug.

Thanks for the help, Greenthumb and Sally.
I just looked at the plant in the last photo again and am pretty sure it is indeed Monarda bradburiana. The lack of red coloration fooled me.
At least I know I put the right markers in the Monarda bradburiana seedlings/young plants I'm offering at the plant swap!

Sally, the only 'hot spot' we really have is on the south side of our house which is taken up by salvia black and blues etc... even our fig trees have to fend for themselves far away from the house. I do like mustard though, and especially love arugula!! I may clear a spot in a raised bed and plant some seeds in the veggie garden back behind our house, which is the only place I could fit them.

And, the purple cherry tomatoes are heirloom chocolate cherry; the flavor is really great. I grew a lot of plants this year and we have the most we've ever had. I can save you seeds if you want. Since their heirlooms, they come true

I think I solved the mystery of one group of mystery seedlings. I dug up a patch of Black-eyed Susans to make room to direct sow Heuchera richardsonii seeds. I normally don't get BES volunteers because I use pine bark mulch, but in this case I did because I removed the mulch, disturbed the soil and added lots of potting soil to amend it. I probably sowed the Heuchera seeds too late for them to germinate (daytime temp too high), so only BES seedlings came up.

I'll bring those Rudbeckia hirta 'Goldsturm' seedlings to the swap so that my lesson in seed-sowing can benefit someone someone who wants them....and let them know that an H. richardsonii or 2 might sprout alongside it next year!

Muddy- I thought that looked like M bradbury.

Wind, thanks, mmmm, maybe, if I can make room for two cherry tomatoes. Sungold sure are tasty too. And I have a beautiful huge black and blue also taking over MY south bed. I might move some and hope it survives in a cooler spot., and leave a little in the warm spot just as insurance.

Sally, you're right, the last photo is M. bradbury after all. At least I put the correct plant markers by some of the plants!

The plant growing to its left might be one of the dozens of NOID probably cherry tree seedlings that pop up all over my yard every year.

muddy, what kind of cherry tree?

I ordered 2 kinds from Stark Bros. this year and one already died. the other is alive, but all the leaves are eaten by beetles or something

I've posted photos of the tree on the Plant ID site, but because none of them have flowered, all that can be determined is that it is probably a type of cherry tree. I have Kwanzan Cherry trees, and there are other kinds of ornamental cherries in the neighborhood, but I didn't think ornamental trees produce volunteers.

I couldn't find the post with my photos, but I'll try to get a photo today. If you or anyone else is interested in growing it until it reveals its identity, I'd be happy to bring some to the swap. I just took a look and found two 4' tall ones hiding out in a patch of Forsythia!

BTW, I have lots of NOID Forsythia I need to dig up if anyone's interested. I'll put it on my Haves list.

I've always assumed those cherry volunteers are wild black cherry. But I have no fancy cherries nearby that I know of. I get volunteers regularly, I pull them up and there is a cherry pit like seed attached.
4 foot ones just might bloom next year, even a little, and tell the owner whether to keep them.

Edited to say that the mystery tree is probably NOT a cherry. I didn't realize that "Prunus" also includes plums, peaches, nectarines, apricots and almonds. The leaves look more like plum leaves to me.

I figured out a way to find my previous post, which includes a pic of the roots although I'm not sure it's enough of a close-up: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/fp.php?pid=9837306&extraimg=2

Back to seed starting: I just found 3-4 more mystery plants, all probably from seeds I winter-sowed, including one that's starting to bloom. They're probably ones I gave up on after they didn't germinate for 2-3 months. I'm hoping I can recognize them when they bloom!

This message was edited Aug 24, 2014 12:38 PM

Staying tuned for new mystery plants..
Hey Ric, how are your tomatoes? What kinds did you grow?

Muddy--

My neighbor has a small Plum Tree. It is more a self-sprouted "bush" near the
house's foundation. I wanted you to see what the leaves look like.
The ones you posted do not look like these.

A closer up view if the leaves. Yes--they are long and thing...

This thing has never had any fruit. No pollination? no one taking care of it...

G.

This message was edited Aug 24, 2014 5:26 PM

Thanks, Gita. Yes, it doesn't look like that! It is something that produces fruit that birds like, that much I know.

re seeds----

My sister in Alaska, FINALLY sent me some seeds from her red Rose Campion.
I always asked her to harvest some--and she never did--till this week.

The seeds look like Poppy seeds--just a hair bigger. Our RC seeds are different.
She did warn me that this plant will spread all over--well! so does ours.

I will, definitely, grow some out for next year.

Here is a picture of them from 2007 when I was there visiting there.

Gita

Gita

That's a handsome plant, Gita. I'm growing Rose Campion for the first time this year -- a bit by mistake -- I thought I was planting lambs ear. I hope I don't end up regretting it, which I will if it is too seedy. I have lots of feverfew which I love, but some other heavy seeders that I could do without.

David--

Could you give me some input on this "Rose Campion" from Alaska?

I saw it in person--as I took the pictures --and I know the stem
structure and the growth pattern was just like out Rose Campions here.

The seeds are different, though, as are the shape of the blooms..
The red RC's seeds are black and round and small. But bigger than Poppy Seeds.

I am just wondering if this Rose Campion has another name????
need to look into it... Gita

I went to PF-and there were many listed.

This one-- Rose Campion Silene "coronaria 'Atro sanguinea"--may be IT--
but there were no pictures. It did state the zones--and z-4 was listed among them.
That's the AK zone where my Sister lives.

"sanguinea".....certainly implies RED.

Do you have better resources than PF? Would love to know...
So I can tell my sister in AK what her plant is called...

Thanks--Gita

Gita, Silene coronaria 'Atrosanguinea' looks pretty much like the basic Silene coronaria species, so this is something else. Silene dioica, Red Campion looks very similar to your mystery plant. See https://www.google.com/search?q=silene+dioica&biw=1600&bih=808&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=gOMIVLCUKNT-yQTu-oDwCQ&sqi=2&ved=0CKEBEIke for images.

Thanks, David--yes! they do look the same!

My sister warned me that these spread like crazy--si I have to assume
they spreas more than our RC here.
That one picture in the "Images" link-- of a whole hillside covered in these
is awesome...

Will let my sister know the name--but I know she won't care.

SO???? Do I dare grow out a couple? Anyone want a bit of seed for these?

Gita

***************************************************************************
Now--David--can you ID this wasp for me...It (they) seem to be living in my lilac bush.
They tend to hang on to the stems of the shrub. They are big and fatter than any other
Wasp I have seen. They almost look like elongated bees--but they do have the pinched waist.

One bit me yesterday--and my whole upper arm is puffy and has a very painful itch.
It was hard to sleep last night. It really hurt--still does...
The hardened bite site is about the size of my palm, it is still so hot! I am icing it and
took some Benadryl. Amazing--what a large area a bite can produce!. My arm is swollen from
the elbow to almost my arm pit. It itches so badly I could just dig a hole in my arm.
Practicing self-control....

I was brave enough to try to get some pictures--using macro on zoom.
My camera is pretty crappy when it comes to macro.
Some came out OK. Please take a look and tell me what it is. Plus some info.
Sorry about the quality of the pictures. Macro and zoom--not so easy.

Thanks-Gita..Ouch....Ouch....Scratch,,,ice on arm....drink in other hand....

Gita, you were stung by a hornet. You could go to the ER and get a shot. Sorry for your pain.

Thank you, David--Never thought of a Hornet...

Where do Hornets usually live? Could they have made a home in the decaying
split rail fence, right behind my Lilac? It has all kinds of holes in it
from the borer bees. Nice place for a "Hornet's nest".

Why were they always sitting vertically on a stems of the Lilac?
I do not see any nests in this shrub. I think, so far, there may be about 5 of them.

I hope they move on--as I need to work right besides this lilac.
There is a bird bath and also my 2nd crop of cukes in the bed right next to it.

Have any suggestions on how to get rid of them? No wonder the Wasp Spay
did not even faze them.

G,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_hornet

we had a bunch of wasps in our hedge this summer. Harry got stung multiple times when he was trimming the hedge. then he went out to finish trimming and got stung a few more times!!! he didn't get the swelling though. Never took notice of hornets before. I guess the bright yellow on the tail end is a way to ID them

going out to collect seeds today from lady in red and coral nymph salvias, Coronado hyssop and hollyhock

I'm fermenting tomato seeds now too. And, we're still harvesting tomatoes like crazy!! our Turkish eggplants are weird. Nothing at all like I expected. The eggplants are so small, like a cherry tomato sized pumpkin. I haven't tried cooking any yet. Our Armenian cucumbers were a bust. No cucumbers really developed from all the flowers. Maybe, just a few, and they stayed small.

Thanks, sally

I saved this information..
Now I have to look closer to see if there is a nest in the Maple Tree
just next to the Lilac.

Funny it said they seldom attack or sting....Hmmm.... Gita

Is it too late to plant some perennial seeds now? If I do, should I overwinter indoors under lights just to coddle them for a year, or do they need to go dormant even though they are young? I haven't decided what to plant this late, just mulling....

Happy--
If in doubt--plant your seeds in the ground at the same time the plants would,
naturally drop their seeds.

I suppose it depends if your perennial is a bi-ennial or if the perennial
will grow from seeds that have been planted after a period of striation.

Remember--seeds that are dropped naturally, live through the winter in the ground.
All winter really is--is a long period of natural striation.

If you are planning to Winter Sow--I believe end of February is a good time.

Ask Jill. She has written articles on all this. Gita

Thanks!

Many native plants are best sown in the fall as some require as much as 90 days of cold, moist stratification. I generally try to complete my winter sowing before the first of the year. Even then, some pots are left to experience a second winter for good germination.

wind, last year I grew an eggplant variety marketed as ...sold as Pumpkin Pepper but somewhere said its really an eggplant, and the bush did look like an eggplant not a pepper. .. they look like little red pumpkins and they dry to a hard shell, well the ones that do not rot LOL.

Gita, I hope you feel better! It sounds like you had a very bad reaction to that sting.

I posted photos of this NOID Helianthus (Sunflower) a while ago in the hopes that someone would recognize it. Greenthumb, you thought it was a Woodland Sunflower; does it still look like that to you? I don't think I got any sunflower seeds from anyone at the swap; however, I did collect some from a plant growing near my house.

Whatever it is, I like it and I'll save seeds in case anyone wants some!

Muddy--

That looks just like my Heliopsis. Collect the seeds--they are good-sized.
I just went outside to see if the leaves matched. They seem to...

Gita

Thanks, Gita, I think you're right. I might have gotten the seeds from you at the swap. Do you happen to know what kind of Heliopsis it is?
I sowed seeds from your Rudbeckia hirta, too, but if it's there it hasn't bloomed yet. I do have yet more mystery plants coming up in that area, though!

Muddy--

I do not know specific names of any plants. I just go by common names.
In my gardening--it doe not matter. My brain is too old to remember them anyway.
David (greenthumb) is the one to ask.
I believe I got the original seeds for the Heliopsis from Jill (criterologist).
She used to call them "Not-Chocolate-Daisy" . You could D-mail her...

IF you have my R. Hirta--it is a biennial.Seeds come up one year--
and bloom the next--if they survive. Good candidate for Winter Sowing.

I think Catmint got the seeds from me and has them blooming.
She will share some seeds of it...as mine seem to be mixed up with others.

Gita

I'll wait to see if your R. Hirta seeds come up next year (or bloom this year). I have plenty of R. Hirta as it is.

Muddy- There has been Heliopsis helianthoides var. scabra rolling around this group for several years now, originated as Jill's Not-Chocolate Daisy
Apparently there are named cultivars of this
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=h970
but it was a NOID to Jill.
Maybe that's what you have?