PLANT ADDICTS CHAT #7

adding... last day for Lee Valley's recent free ship over $40 offer. I think I'm going to grab a couple of their pruning blades for reciprocal saws.

Ok thanks!

HaHa...I have a theory on JPF

Almost all available are cloned and like print impressions they get lighter and less detailed with each new clone. impression.

Sorry Sally, which vinca are you referring to when you say perennial? Your Vinca major? Or are you talking Vinca minor?

good point... the vinca minor I have is much lower-growing. Even lily of the valley pokes out of it without much trouble

as for the JPF, I think you do have to go by what the plant looks like when you purchase it and not just by a variety name, possibly because of the cloning.

I have JPF's in at least 4 different places. ..front--side--and back of the house beds.
Two of these are completely smothered under other plants. A Hellebore and a Sedum.
These two are at opposite corners of my YUK bed. Not thriving--but OK.

The other two are in my small front-of-the-house bed in front of my Karomo Shukibu Azalea
at either end of the 2 big rocks. These are doing better than the other two.
Some AM sun....DAH! NO tree roots to compete with!!

Overall--given that they die to the ground over the winter and have to re-grow
each spring--I think they are doing OK. At least in my poor beds.

Here's the 2 JPF in May--on either end of the stones. They are much bigger now!

FWIW, I have JPF growing right in front of some Vinca minor, and they're taller than the Vinca by a few inches....probably because I've been stepping on the poor Vinca because it's at the pond's edge.

thanks all;, I just think the JPF is not going to be tall enough to really show above and in the V minor. Cinnamon fern will surely be more bold.

tossing and turning...and remembering some plants I really should have watered past few days but had totally forgotten. ARGH.... That's what happens when I REMEMBER to feed my family.

Haha Sally! It is tough keeping up with the watering, that's for sure. We're going to the beach this weekend so the plants will have to do well on their own. We're on 1.5" for all of August with no rain in sight.

Hoping we get rain next week when I'm in Canada... maybe I'd better hire a neighbor kid... Jim will do well if he remembers to feed the fish! at least I can count on his feeding & watering Joyanna.

Peppers and tomatoes are starting to come in nicely... usually we're picking like this through August, too! Well, I'll hope for a late frost. 'Carmen' is still my very favorite sweet pepper. Ate 2 with dinner last night. YUM

Funny, Sally! I hope your plants were okay.

We're having a dry spell too...about 100 drops of rain fell yesterday, but that was it. I've been using the sprinkler a lot, which isn't ideal but sure is faster than watering everything individually.

Veggie garden got extra water... apparently yet another dial-type timer broke on me, by getting stuck in the "open" position since last night. At least we're talking soaker hose rather than sprinkler, but still. Need to overhaul most of the irrigation out there, so I'm watering mainly by sprinkler also... glad Muddy recommended that highly adjustable one!

Isn't that a great sprinkler?!? I'm glad it's working for you.

Muddy, thankfully, yes. The Elephantopus that I 'got' from the woods was my worry, but it looked fine!
100 drops here too.

What sprinkler are you guys talking about? I'd like to check it out.

I've been watering something nearly every day. Last night it was the large shrub garden that got it. I'm going to the beach for a couple days this weekend so no watering will be done. I have to make sure all my plants are watered before then. Even the annual zinnias along the pyracantha hedge are getting drought stress. Last night was the second time I've had to water them in the last few weeks. The 10 day forecast has a 40% of rain Friday and then nothing for another 8 days.

My place has gotten 2.74" of rain since July 16th. How terrible is that?

Not as terrible as California. But terrible for PA, and surprising with the wet winter and spring we had.

Seq, I've had even less rain! I've been watering almost every morning and evening.

I watered ALL day today--had the rotary sprinkler going in all my areas.
I would say--everything got a good soaking.....
g.

wind blew, thunder rumbled... and the rain clouds passed us by.

I just keep moving the sprinkler around so everything gets a really good soaking every few days.

Muddy, how long do you run your sprinkler on an area, when you're running it "wide open?" I'm used to soaker hoses, so I think I might be overdoing it, not that the plants are complaining. :-)

The sprinkler Muddy recommended to me is this one, by Melnor. It's almost infinitely adjustable, great for my yard where the planting areas meander. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0017QDHYM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

I think she may have purchased the all-plastic version. I got the metal framed one 'cause with kids running around (and sometime through) it, I thought stronger would be better.

This is the sprinkler I havehttp://www.amazon.com/Melnor-Oscillating-Sprinkler-Deluxe-3900SQF/dp/B000HHM6BW In addition to being made of plastic rather than metal, it doesn't cover quite as much area as the one Critter bought.

I don't keep track of how long I leave the sprinkler on. After it's been running for awhile, I stick a moisture meter in the ground to see how wet it is. My daughter bought one for me as a present, and I found it so useful that I bought a new one after I broke it by sticking it into a rock hard tree ball. Without it, I would have been really under-watering my trees and shrubs and overwatering my perennials all summer.

This message was edited Sep 2, 2015 9:57 PM

Ok, now I remember them. I don't have a Melnor but I have two that are the same concept/design. I tried several and kept taking them back to the stores before I landed on the ones I have. I usually put mine on top of a turned over trash can to give it some height to get over taller plants.

LOL, the overturned trashcan is a better method than balancing it on top of a shrub, which is what I often do!

The moisture meter is a good idea... which one do you use, do you know the brand? I'm just looking for a general idea -- 20 minutes? or more like an hour? When it's really dry, I've been watering for an hour or longer... I check by sticking my little spade into the ground. If it's moist 6 inches down, I call it "good."

Balancing on top of a shrub? I can't imagine that's super effective...Lol


Most of the watering I do is a minimum of two hours with the sprinkler. I try to stretch it to 3. With soaker hoses, the watering runs over night for an average of 9-12 hours.

Thanks, Sequoia, that helps!

Here are the Melnor sprinklers HD carries.
Not sure which one you all were talking about...

http://www.homedepot.com/s/Melnor%2520sprinklers?NCNI-5

I am very bad about watering, my yard tends to be survival of the fittest, it helps that I like plants that are more drought tolerant.

Me, too, Catbird... but watering helps get new plants and shrubs established, and even the drought-tolerant ones need it their first year. When I neglect that (esp. during summers with less rain than we had in June & July), I regret it!

I was surprised to find that even established shrubs were having a tough time with this drought.

Even the hellebores were wilting!

I went to HD to buy *one* butterfly bush and came home with four plants. How does this happen every time?? ;D

I got two butterfly bushes (one 2-3 feet tall, one 5 feet tall), a lemon ball sedum, and an annual I've never grown before, a Plectranthus called 'Mona Lavender.'

That Plectranthus has neat flowers; I'm looking forward to the photos of your new acquisitions!

Critter, I think I leave the sprinkler on for about 15 minutes when watering seedlings or little perennials, about 30 minutes for established perennial/shrub beds and an hour for shrubs and trees. I have soaker hoses on most of my shrubs, so I've been giving new shrubs extra water by running those even if they've been sprinkled.

I've been using a Moisture Meter for indoor plants, but I just ordered a new one for outdoor use (the probe is longer, otherwise I think they're all the same). http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PTLGKSQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00

This is the one that broke; or rather, its tip came off and I wasn't about to dig up the ground around my Dogwood tree to find it. Apparently that's a common problem with all of the meters. Someone suggested supergluing the tips on before using them, which I might try. http://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Outdoor-Moisture-Hydrometer-Monitor/dp/B00CTPXXEE/ref=lp_553270_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1441327200&sr=1-1

I just noticed that those 2 Moisture Meters look exactly the same except for the brand name!

This message was edited Sep 3, 2015 7:45 PM

thanks for the links!

You're welcome!

SS--

We always get in the Mona Lavenders.Usually in HB's.
I don't really care for these--they look a bit junky to me
They are also quite fragile if handled--whole sections can break off...

Yes--they have nice blue (?) flowers. g.

I love Mona Lavender plectranthus! They'll bloom all summer with a little shade and good moisture, and I think the foliage sets off the blooms beautifully. I bet it will keep blooming well inside, also, especially if you can repot it into one of those HB or upright containers with a self-watering reservoir bottom.

To each her own!

They caught my eye when I was at Home Depot today buying yet more potting soil and mulch, but I was determined not to buy a single plant (and I didn't!). I think they're very pretty; that purplish-blue flower and dark green foliage jumped out at me.

ust FYI--
I am NOT judging these plants (like the Mona Lavender) for their aesthetic qualities.

I water all these plants every day I am working--and i DO NOT like them.
Most of them are in HB. I have to stick the nozzle of the hose into the HB to water.
Sometimes--pieces just break off b/c they don't like to be "messed with"...
SO--I don't like them!

Also--I think the name is a misnomer-----there is nothing "LAVENDER" about them.
g.

If anyone is interested. my local HD has the following plants in gallon pots reduced to $4 I am willing to purchase for you and bring to Swap. Let me know asap as I will be back there this afternoon or tomorrow am. Judy

Sedum "Autumn Fire'
http://www.northcreeknurseries.com/plantName/Sedum--Autumn-Fire

Buzz Budlieia Butterfly Bush 'Velvet' A true 'compact' grower, good in containers. too. Up to 4 feet in height
https://monarchbutterflygarden.net/butterfly-plants/buddleja-buzz-

Russian Sage, Salvia, Penstemom, Daisy, Gaura....

New plant for use Windmill Palms. We saw them planted all over up North and were surprised to see that they are hardy. A Hardy Palm just got to get one. LOL We got in last night and Ric was looking them up this morning. We are waiting till next Spring to order them We can do a little research over the Winter and the roots will get a good growth before the winter winds.

Welcome back, Holly and Ric!

I'm surprised to hear that you saw windmill palms up north, but the "north" in the west coast is quite warm. Vancouver's actually zone 8, so it wouldn't surprise me to see windmill palms there.

Here's a recent post from a tropical enthusiast in DC. http://dctropics.blogspot.com/2015/09/testing-limits-2015-winners.html

He says he lost all of his windmills palms this winter, including the one he's had since 2007.

This post talks about the tropicals he lost this past winter: http://dctropics.blogspot.com/2015/08/testing-limits-and-finding-them-2014.html

Yes Vancouver is warmer than you would think but we saw them in Juneau in the Temperate Rain Forest and several other gardens in Alaska. I will check out those links, this winter should give me time to see what I can find out. I believe that in Juneau they said they wrap them in the winter to help protect them.