FIRST FLOWERS OF LATE SUMMER 2015

Beautiful, Holly! It's pictures like those that make me keep wanting to try.

Holly, the Hadspen Abundance may have come from Happy. I got one from her a few years ago. The first year after planting it looked like it was a no show, but then I saw the foliage come back last year, and this year it bloomed like crazy.

That's a pretty one Holly. Those stems appear to be really strong; I wonder if that's because it's in a sunny location? My anemone stems always flop but I grow mine in full shade.

Holly, I just looked to confirm what the anemone is that I have and where it came from. It IS Hadspen Abundance and WAS from Happy from the 2013 spring swap up at Jan's house in NJ. You got one too.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=9472656

This message was edited Oct 19, 2015 12:06 PM

Oh good gosh. More digging in that 2013 Haves/Wants list - Holly your anemone may actually be from me LOL. I also had some to share - mine were 'Serenade'. The Hadspen Abundance from Happy is white, the Serenade from me is a double pink.

Holly's anemone looks like single pink, not double pink. The pics online of Serenade are gorgeous!

Holly's anemone patch is what I had in mind when I planted mine. I might give it just one more try. You know what they say, you gotta kill them at least three times before you become an expert! Or before you give up. 😝

It has a tag that said Hadspen Abundance. I would say that the bloom is white with pink tones.
What do you think? I do have mine growing in full sun.

Probably Hadspen Abundance, which Happy was sharing at the 2013 spring swap. The one that I had for sharing was the one you saw blooming by the garage driveway last week.

My Dr. Seuss is finally blooming! Goodness, it sure took its time! :) I need to use a bigger pot next year. And it smells lovely!

DH, ever the nature lover, didn't even notice the blooms but asked me if one of the plants out front were fragrant. He said it smelled like Nasonex, my allergy nasal spray. Sigh. At least he noticed a scent!

Congratulations!
haha. One of the pink ones we have in this group, smells great when outside, but when I brought it in, the medicinal tones overpowered and it was horrible to me.

Well--It IS October! The time the rugs bloom at their est. They love the cooler air.

I have already taken cuttings. Here are my two rugs. Dr. Seuss and Maya.
As I have decided (thanks to Donner), I will not be hauling these Brugs inside for the winter.
They will just have to go "By-By"... Crazy! Anyone want these--come and get them.

G.

too bad, I have no Florida Room for them! I knew a girl when I was in grade school, her family had a 'florida room', ground level , was quite fancy compared to the rest of us, they could have this sort of thing.

My dream house would have a room with lots of glass and a fireplace, and a big patio outside the french doors, with a big shade tree so it would be shaded in summer and sunny in winter...but I digress...not to mention dreaming!

#1 My Hamamelis virginiana (Common Witch Hazel) are blooming! I expected them to bloom in winter after the leaves fell.

#2 Aronia (Chokeberry) with lots of berries. I don't know whether this one is Aronia melanocarpa or arbutifolia; I have to wait and see whether the berries darken.
As a side note, my Aronia arbutifolia cultivar, 'Brilliantissima', has zero berries this year : - (
I don't get it...maybe it needs another 'Brilliantissima' for cross-pollination?!

#3 From the top down: Hamamelis vernalis (Ozark Witch Hazel), a NOID small white-flowered Aster and Solidago caesia (Blue Stem Goldenrod).

Funny, my Hamamelis is blooming too. Thought about putting a bag over it. Halloween inspired, perhaps?
Didn't do. Nature has its way.

weird timing. I also found a few daffodil leaves poking up, like Jeff did. Now, of the many many I have, only a few leaves of this one kind, but still.
My spiderwort is finally putting some fall leaves and even a couple flowers up. I think it needed the rain. I thought I usually saw more fall leaves.

Dr Seuss brugmansia. It's mostly in shade right now but still blooming. Hard to get a good picture of it due to the downward facing blooms.

A very confused clematis. This one is usually not a rebloomer.

I got these begonias from Holly and Ric this spring. Fantastic annuals!

I'm on the lookout for a witch hazel. I'll be heading out to the nurseries very early next year for witch hazels and edgeworthias. :)

SS--

Is your Clematis a "Proteus"?

Mine has put out a couple looms too. Odd...

Those are all pretty flowers, ssg!

I just saw Edgeworthias at the Meadows Farms closest to me, but I don't remember exactly what kind they were. Are they hard to find?

Those begonias are always a great producer and add great color all season long.

SSG, what variety of witchazel are you wanting to get? We have 5 now but all spring blooming. I'd like to get a fall bloomer but have no clue where I'd put it. I might try to sell my neighbor on one though so I can enjoy it ;-P

Seq, I've been looking for Arnold's Promise. I decided on this on after reading your and others' comments earlier this year. :)

Gita, I'm afraid I've lost the tag for this clematis!

This message was edited Oct 24, 2015 10:38 PM

Yeah AP is a knockout in the spring. Definitely worth it. Fire Charm is another one I have but it's not as nice as the AP. This year though, it did bloom nice but it's not as showy. I added a Jelena and a Diane this past season. I had to feel bad for my Jelena because it had 0 new growth this year when I planted it. It must have been totally neglected in the pot. Once I planted it though, it did grow a couple shoots. It also has damage at the soil line so hopefully that will callous next season. My larger AP is about 7' tall now and is getting much bigger each season. The smaller AP doesn't grow as much but I figure it's just establishing itself.

Around my kitchen window, I have a slew of flying bugs that look like fruit flies. Don't have any fruit, however. Think they may be coming from plants I've brought inside and placed on the window sill? Had bugs about a week now. Any suggestions?

Are they smaller than fruit flies? If so, probably fungus gnats... harmless unless in huge swarms, but annoying. Fruit flies can be trapped by putting out a little dish of vinegar with a drop of soap (to break the surface tension so they drown). Fungus gnats can be discouraged by watering with a cap of pine sol or murphy's oil soap added to a gallon of water... and they can be prevented (mostly) by keeping the top layer of soil dry in your pots, watering from the bottom. Some people put a layer of sand or chick grit on the surface... either way it discourages them from laying eggs.

Jisa,

I am sure they are Fungus Gnats--and, yes! they are annoying as they pester you--endlessly.
They need moist soil. Their fave housing...
They lay eggs in the soil which hatch into small larva--which feed on the roots of the plant.
Then they emerge as adult Fungus gnats and the cycle starts all over again.

Your immediate goal should e to block the access to the gnats to the soil and kill
any larva in there as well. Anything with BT in it will kill the larva--like those pond dunks.
So will applying any Systemic to the soil. This would also prevent the adults' entry.

Keeping your potted plants on the dry side with deter them as well.
OR--sprinkle some Diatomatious Earth (HD has it) ib top. This will keep them from
entering the soil. Finely crushed egg shells will do the same--maybe a layer of sand?

One popular method is to get the yellow sticky Pads which you can hang, or put on
a wire in pots, or near the pots. They are attracted to yellow and will land on these
and get fatally stuck. "Planet Natural" sells them.

In short--if the Gnats cannot propagate by entering the soil--the adult Gmat's
life-span is only 2-3 weeks.

https://www.google.com/search?q=fungus+gnat+control+indoors&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8

http://www.planetnatural.com/product/yellow-sticky-traps/

Good luck! Gita

Jill--we cross-posted...G.

Thanks Critter! You nailed it.

Thank you too Gita.

Ahem. Think I may have found source of my bug issue. Potatoes rotting in a cupboard.

Eww! Rotting potatoes? How did you not smell that? Rotting pots are high on the list of super stink.

Lisa, I completely understand. I've had bad potatoes show up. They're very sneaky. And boy do they stink.

So do I they are usually ones that were under the sink that I have forgotten about and I am wondering where is that smell coming from.

I'm so glad I didn't bring the brugs inside when we had that light frost. The brugs are absolutely gorgeous right now, especially after that steady rain we had. The pink noid brug in particular is looking fabulous, but I can't get a good picture of it.

It's too bad about that early frost. We don't have another one on the horizon for weeks.

EEEWWWW!!!! That is a pretty awful smell. Ask me how I know. Hehehehehe

Yesterday the fire dep't was called to the high school for an awful smell and possible gas leak. The gas company has been working for MONTHS moving their way through the Main Street of town. During that time there have been 5 leaks. One ended in disaster. Thankfully no one was in the second floor apt or in the office of our local lawyer when it exploded into a fire. He and the tenant lost everything. Work was suspended for two weeks, but since then two more leaks. Soooo yesterday when an awful stench was detected the school took no chances. Apparently there was a release of something in Delaware and the wind carried it across the river into our town. Kind of scary.

Geez, can't the gas company replace the lines or whatever without constant leaks?

You would think so.

Late season bloomers.


Pineapple sage. Finally blooming! I didn't it was going to bloom at all.

Very late blooming asters. They usually don't bloom before November.

Pink noid brug.

Yay for the pineapple sage! Nice asters too.

Your sage reminded me that I've been meaning to ask you guys if BB salvia is a good spreader. I bought two this season intending them to be annuals and the one has quite a spreading (runners) root system on it.

My BB Salvia has spread some, but I wouldn't say it's a vigorous spreader.