PLANT ADDICTS CHAT #7

Several white ageratum are thriving in my garden along with a few Dr Seuss-like flowers that resemble Cleome. I didn't plant them. Reckon they're weeds?

I got all the gallon perennials, about 30, and the last 3 flats of plugs that came late in the season planted yesterday. Felt great to get so much accomplished yesterday. Got up early this morning and got everything labeled with those eon plant markers. I've been having fun the rest of the day with Pat and Jill, but am home now and contemplating either getting back out to the garden or taking a nap LOL. Those fall blooming groupings you guys have been posting has me kind of inspired to get out there and move a few things around. I have a lot of obedient plant 'Vivid' that has really spread and is in full bloom right now. Thinking about moving some of them closer to the beautyberries and lespedeza that are showing their color right now too.

sally--
I don't know about other HD's--but our Blueberry bushes are all long gone!

We mostly have evergreen shrubs, Azaleas and Rhodos. Some BF bushes...
Gardenias (yes! Outdoors all summer), Some Crepe Myrtles...etc...
Maybe some of the bigger stores have more of a variety.

I have spent most of the day getting things ready so I can bring all the plants in.
This involves clearing off racks that have held a lot of "stuff" till now.
Bringing in the other racks that will hold my multitudes of CC's -all sized.
I already see minyte flower buds on most of the bigger ones.

Aspen--How are all the CC's doing that I gave you? I hope you have them outside?
II also hope that some of them will bloom for you--they are still small...
It will be a treat to see all the different colors..... Make sure you take pictures.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wed. and Thurs. night the predicted temps here are 36*. OUCH!!
One big reason I have been hauling all day today.

I long for that "PEACE" that comes when I KNOW everything is safe and taken care of.

Gita

I'm impressed, Aspen!!

Lisa, post some photos so we can see what the plants in question look like. They're only weeds if you don't like them : - )

Holy Cats Aspen!!! You got 30 gallon perennials planted and 3 flats in a day? Sheesh. Good job!

The beds have been getting easier and easier to dig in over the last few years with the annual additions of compost and decomposing mulch, and all that rain we had the week before didn't hurt. Still, that was a lot to get planted. I was running out of steam mid afternoon after the gallon perennials were done. I was taking a soda break wondering if I had enough energy left to get those flats of plugs done when my sister in law showed up. She helped with the plugs and we had them knocked out in about an hour. Probably much more focused help than your neighborhood kids LOL. Although, keep in mind those young kids will be fantastic help in a few years if you train them right :-)

Haha, yeah for sure. I had them picking out worms and rocks from the soil in my wheelbarrow. The worms got thrown into the garden and the rocks into a pile under the deck.

How do you install your plugs? I use an auger on my drill.

I just use a trowel. I've used an auger on the drill for bulbs before though.

Yeah I have a large auger for bulbs and a small one for plugs and annuals.

First photo may be ageratum, second photo may be Cleome. Beats me.

Is the white ageratum as aggressive as the blue one? As I recall, that will grow in bright shade and I have the perfect spot for that.

Want the ageratum, Jeff? Glad to dig it up. In fact, I have five of them. Can bring it/them to bulb pick-up.

That's nice of you but I won't be at the amaryllis pick up. My next event will be the seed swap. I'm going to Bethany Beach this weekend if you're going down that way...LOL

If it needs a new home, bring it along... I can find a spot for one if it doesn't jump into somebody else's car :-)

Great time to enjoy the beach. Btw, there's an especially good garden center in Milton, about 10 min west of Lewes. Known to locals as Pepper Greenhouse but also goes by boutique name Accents for Home and Garden.
My ageratums (agerati?) do need a good home. Shall bring next Saturday. Living in the city with a modest amount of space, I'm continually editing my garden. Ageratums are getting the heave-ho.

I wondered why you were getting rid of something so pretty! I think I like them better than the blue ones. Do they get thuggish or are they fairly well behaved?

Speaking of thugs... I know Greenthumb's Campanula Pink Octopus has threatened to take over major garden space, but mine is hanging on by a thread... it's only visible when I search for it. (eg, 5 small leaves)

Does anybody have an extra piece they could bring to the pick-up party for me? I really love the foliage, and the blooms are too too cute!

There were two campanulas that were being shared - one is 'Pink Octopus' from Ric and Holly, and the other is 'Elizabeth' from David and Pat. The 'Elizabeth' spreads around prolifically and I've got lots. The 'Pink Octopus' is still hanging in there, but doesn't seem to spread. If it is 'Elizabeth' you want, I can definitely bring some to the pickup party.

Yes, and I did pass on some as Pink Octo that weren't. I did have it and was sharing it but I showed up at one of the swaps with the wrong plant and hadn't noticed so I am wondering how many Pink Octo's I passed out with the wrong name.

I don't recall the pink octopus making an appearance this year, but could be mistaken. It has not been a thug at all. The Elizabeth is happy almost anywhere.

I can always find a spot for 'Elizabeth' -- I had a mental note to dig some of those prolific seedlings of yours next spring, Aspenhill!

Pat, I think 'Pink Octopus' must have just been having a really good year when I got it from David... I could swear I remember him looking at a huge corner patch of it and saying, "There's a reason certain plants keep showing up at swaps..." LOL

It's possible my wires are crossed and I'm thinking of an instance with 'Elizabeth'. I'll keep babying my little Pink Octopus; maybe it will have a good year next year!

I'll try to remember to ask him about it when he calls tonight, Jill. It is certainly true about some years being good for particular plants. We had an abundance of Physostegia, to the point where we had to use the peony hoops to support it all, and then it was a no-show this year.

tell David we all say HELLO!

LOL, I can give you plenty of (dis)Obedient Plant, Pat!

Physostegia a no-show? How could it be?

Quite a mystery. The peony hoops were still in place and nothing appeared to replace the Physostegia. Not like they got crowded out.

Sometimes they can get crowded out but they usually make some sort of appearance. I planted four starts last year and they weren't as vigorous as I thought they would be.

I have lots of Physostegia 'Vivid' for sharing - it is very much disobedient LOL. I also have 'Miss Manners' but it is very obedient - I could probably get a few plants out of it for sharing but it is definitely not as prolific as 'Vivid'. The other thing that I noticed is 'Miss Manners' bloomed earlier this summer, but 'Vivid is much later, and seems to be in its full glory right now.

Is 'Miss Manner's the white one? I have a very polite white one that blooms in early July. It doesn't spread at all.

Yep, 'Miss Manners' is white and 'Vivid' is a bright pink.

Sequoia, hope you gave your starts some room! Remember the "rule" about perennials... the first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they LEAP.

For anybody needing saucers as they bring big pots inside... I just stumbled on some great ones at our dollar store! They are actually "drip pans," for changing oil I think, but they are 4 inches deep, 14 inches across the top, and 12 inches across the bottom. They're black, but you could always spray them with some krylon paint for plastic (even a light spatter-coat would be decorative against the black).

I think I might dig some into the garden, also, either "as is" to give a moisture-loving plant its own mini-bog (with lots of polymer crystals) or with holes drilled so it's a "bottomless" planter, sort of a raised bed in miniature. I wonder if it could also be a good way to provide a moisture reservoir beneath a container out in the garden... I always like the look of containers "out there" but hate having to water daily.

I generated more ideas as I typed, LOL, so I think I'm going to go back and buy the whole stack tomorrow on the way to Joyanna's ballet class. I'll share!

Yeah those starts have some headwinds though Critter. Two of the places they are fighting against Sweet Woodruff, another place they are fighting against a well established Oenothera patch, and lastly, the other place they are fighting against an ever growing Jim Dandy Winterberry.

No worries, they'll still do well. It's amazing to me how tough this shallow-rooted plant can be! Extra water will help them, though... if you didn't plant with a good helping of polymer moisture crystals, consider adding some.

I'd love a Vivid or two.

Yeeesh! Is adding moisture crystals to the soil really a good idea? I mean in a pot, sure there's value there but I worry about contaminating the Earth with those things.

Lisa, you got it. I'll be relocating a lot of the 'Vivid' this weekend and will pot up some to bring to the get-together at Critter's house on the 24th.

I have a Sago Palm that needs a home, and some begonia cuttings if anyone is interested.

This message was edited Oct 15, 2015 12:08 PM

Would love your Sago Palm. My Majesty Palm no longer looks regal.

Great, Are you coming to the Fall Amaryllis pick up?
It was originally gifted to me from Donner and we have had it for a couple of years now.

Just FYI---
The Sago Palm is one of the oldest plants in the World.
It was around wayyy before the dinosaurs...millions of years...

From what I heard (at "Rawlings")--it puts out ONE leaf a year.

Here's some more information... G.

http://www.junglemusic.net/cycadadvice/cycads-sago-palm.htm