Yardening along merrily soon into November

Crossing my fingers for you! I'm sure your Thanksgiving will be wonderful.

On the way to work there is bearded iris blooming in a yard I pass. Someone should tell that plant what season it is!

My blue dwarf bearded iris in front is still popping up an occasional re-bloom!

Some crazy lady at work knew I was in to gardening and proudly told me she had daffodils blooming in July. I was so astonished and interested in what she had found in the way of daffodils to bloom in the summer. Joke was on me when she admitted that they were silk. She got a big kick out of it.

Our front yard faces north, so everybody else has tulips blooming before the daffodils start there... I got annoyed and envious enough one year to put out a bunch of dollar store daffodils. Fooled a few neighbors, too (the real foliage probably helped) LOL.

Ha ha. To correlate my digression to the fake daffs, it had to do with the iris blooming now - thinking Seq might be being fooled by silk, but then remembered they have those "reblooming" iris now, kind of cool and out of the ordinary to see this time of year. The crazy lady at work also admitted that all the flowers in her yard were fake because she liked the look of flowers but couldn't be bothered with gardening LOL.

Well they are planted in the ground and there isn't anything that would make me think these people did much work to make their yard look nice. They finished a retaining wall recently but it took them 4 years and the wall isn't that big. Barring pulling over and touching it, I'm going with it being a legit iris.

Terri, there actually are summer blooming daffodils. Gurney's and Breck's, for example, both sell 'Summer Cheer', and there are others as well.

YeeeHa!!!!! Frittaleries (I know its spelled wrong) are in the ground along with the calicarpas. The potted bulbs are in the fridge in the garage for forcing ( Zivah and freezias) and the potted muscari and daffodils are in the cold frame for forcing along with a couple primroses. Now to get in the rest of the bulbs from the bulb buy. Oh and I had a nice surprise. A couple of baby Japanese anemonies are blooming along with some colichiums that I thought had bitten the dust and the camellias are covered with buds. All in all a great day!

It was a pretty day. At least I saw some of it, driving to and from a meeting nearly an hour each way.
I have a bud on an iris in front, that should be 'Harvest of Memories; from Ruby and John.

Summer Daffs- Novel, but by summer I am ready to be done with daffodils.

We passed a row of Dogwoods on a small blvd near Holly's parents and some of them are in flower??? It used to be lined with native dogwoods, 30-40 years olds that were dying out because of Dogwood anthracnose. They were all pulled out and replaced with I thought Kousas. This is the first I've seen them flower at this time of year.

I have an Iris that has two buds on it. What gives?
It must think that the few cold snaps were winter and now it has been "spring"
for over 2 weeks.

Haven't looked today how far the bloom is--but here it is a few days ago.

It is strange. One of my camillias has flowers on it. Its a spring bloomer but there they are, big pink flowers. I just hope the temperatures don't drop all at one time so things have a chance to settle before they freeze and we loose all the buds on everything.

Although we've had a couple of freezes, I think the fact that the temperatures haven't just dropped and stayed cold is giving a lot of "reblooming" irises a chance to bloom, even those that don't usually rebloom in our zone.

I just went out and looked----the buds on the Iris are still tight.

There are two buds. I hope they open up, as I never remember what color this one is.
It is all by itself at the edge of a bed--next to a Peony bush--inches away
from the landscape ties at he edge.

If we get a freeze in the forecast, cut those irises, camelias, etc. and bring them inside... even if there's just a line of color showing, I think they'll open nicely. I've had iris buds that look like Gita's photo open beautifully in a vase (the tighter buds were further down on a stem of open blooms).

My landlady in GA had an awesome camelia collection, all from cuttings. She taught me to cut the blooms with just a stub of woody stem attached, and float them in a dish of water.

Has anyone had luck overwintering annuals? Specifically, verbena, lantana, torenia? I've boxed up my geraniums already. Should survive the winter according to YouTube but not betting on it.

Lisa, most people opt to take cuttings of their annuals and root them over the winter. Generally they are better looking plants the following season propagated by cuttings rather than trying to over-winter the mother plants.

Those are all tender perennials, so it should be possible. A neighbor of mine used to drag his lantana into his (unheated but attached) garage every winter... he'd bring them out in spring, water them, and they'd sprout out for another bloom-filled summer.

My mom has had good luck keeping geraniums semi-dormant in their pots in a basement window... I've tried hanging them upside down from the rafters without success, but others do that. Boxed? why not?

All of those -- if you leave them outside they'll die for sure, so it's worth a shot.

The Dogwoods by my parents don't have just a bloom or two the trees are half in bloom and there are several of them that are doing it.

I would like to dig up and save some of the Lantanas. They are such diehards!
I have about 3 in different beds.

SO??? Just dig them up and pot them up? OR--Dig them up and save the root clump
in some dormant way???

Share your experiences, please. Thanks, Gita

I remember rooting some lantana, seemed easy.

This day is starting off great! I heard a thump at the front door this a.m. and the dogs screaming like the Hounds of the Basgervilles. Downstairs I thump, cursing and screaming at the dogs royally pissed cause this is my only day I can sleep late (past 4:30) and I was out on an emergency call that was not an emergency late last night (read more than 35 miles one way on one lane back roads in rural almost to West Va. Montgomery county). Anyway, I open the front door ready to claw some fools eyes out and there's nothing but a little box on the door step. Well I'm here now so I open it. Six lovely, freshly dug lily bulbs.! Where did these come from? Ah! there's a note. I'd ordered some colichiums from Brent and Becky's Bulbs. They were blooming and withered when I got them. I wrote them but hadn't heard back. Well no one's perfect. By way of apology, based on former purchases they thought I'd like these Pink Perfection lilies. Uhhh Ye-ah! Do I look that stupid you have to ask? The Colichium replacements will be sent next year at the appropriate time since they are out now.

Guess I won't be going back to bed!

Sally--
Do you mean rooting cuttings? Just cut and stick in a small pot of Mix?

I wonder if it is too late by now to take cuttings?
It has been really cold on some nights...

Sometimes I wonder if all this rooting is worth the inconvenience?
I am so short on space for more plants. But--a few would be OK.
I can stick 3 or 4 in one pot and put it under my lights.

I know, I know.....but I can get new lantanas in the spring for $3 or such.

My Tropical MW cuttings are going to town.

G.

hahaha, what a wake up call and great gardening story

OK! Longfieldgardens http://www.longfield-gardens.com/FallPlantedBulbs is having a fall clean out sale that is great. Shipping is free on orders over $50.00. I'm planning on ordering. If anyone wants to get in for a bag or two of something and avoid shipping let me know I'll add it on to mine which is going to be over $50.00. Just about the whole site is available and I've been really happy with them so far.

Gita, I think it was flowering stems that rooted in the vase.

thanks for the offer, yehudith.

Mark has mowed another bunch of leaves, and decided to mow the whole lawn today. And has given me 'notice' he is done mulching leaves...now they will blow off across his nice short grass, and clump in my gardens and shrubs, and it will be up to me to clean them, lol. But I'm happy for how much he did. Most leaves are down, but the dogwood in front still has them all on.

I have a pin oak that doesn't stop dropping leaves until late winter. :/ I still have many weeks of raking left.

That was nice of Brent and Beckys! I just had an idea this morning that's going to lead to a ton of digging. I want to plant a bunch of early blooming daffodils in the parking strip (also called hell strip). It's sunny there in early spring before the large oak leafs out and the daff leaves will have plenty of time to soak up the sun before the grass needs to be mowed.

But most early bloomers are already sold out so this is s project for next fall.

Gardener

Go to Longfield Gardens. I just ordered two of their landscape bags, 100 bulbs for $24. They're early bloomers.

Uh oh! I may have some online shopping to do later today!

it turned out to be pretty nice today, with chilly air really blowing in late this afternoon. I broke down and took couple more Coleus cuttings; since I have turned on a plant light, I might as well add some things to the shelf. Now let's see if I don't forget to water the stuff.

Re. Lantana... a neighbor had a couple planted into bags of potting mix (cut X, insert plant). He just dragged them into the garage each fall, and after last frost they went back into pretty planters, watered, and POW sprang up like the'd spent the winter in FL.

Nice surprise story, Yehudith, but I bet part of you would rather still have slept in! I do like the folks at B&B.

hey, Guys!

There is a lady who D-mailed me about some seeds. We have been chatting now
for a while and I told her to go check out the MAF. She did--but, because she is
not a paid DG member--all she could do is lurk.
I suggested she join DG--but I do not know her financial situation.
If $20 is too much for her--I will, gladly, pay for her membership.

I told her about out swaps--and she really wants to come to the seed swap.
coleup--she lives in Annapolis!! Perhaps you, or Sally could contact her by D-mail

She asked me to post the following for anyone interested.
******************************************************
also gita gal, i have 2 large peach trees i bought from a nursery (elberta and another cultivar, i can't remember) that i would love to give away to someone on the midatlantic forum, the sooner the better. can you post that for me on the forum, that there are 2 peach trees needing to be dug up in 21409 and moved to a new home? they are tall, already 12' tall perhaps? i think the mover will need a pickup truck, unless they want to cut the trees way back or let them dangle out the back of the car. as funny as just you and paul digging your wintersweet up was, it's way better than me digging those peach trees out all by my lonesome. if you get any takers they can Dmail me directly if that's easier, so you don't have to play go between. if you're game, thanks for helping me get the word out!

If anyone can help her out--with the peach treed--please contact her.
Not sure how one can send a D-mail to someone whose name is not connected
to an actual Post???

Here is her name.....Hope one of you can contact her...

audreymarmot
Annapolis
United States (Zone 7a)

Gita, if you post her DG username, anybody can send her Dmail. She can send Dmails also, but i think the number is restricted for nonsubscribers.

Can't help with a home for the peach trees, sorry. I can suggest that they could be pruned way back, at least 1/3 to 1/2, leaving stubs attached to main branches where possible... pruning back to balance out the smaller root system is always a good idea when transplanting trees.

OK--If any of you have any suggestions for her please D-mail Audrey yourself.
I don't want to be the 'go between"...
I still don't know how anyone can send her a D-mail??? You would have to type
in her user name?
I did add her DG name just above. Don't think it is clickable inside a Post???

I do not have the time, this week, to sit here for hours--which I have just done.
I have a lot of food stuffs to get ready for for our Thanksgiving dinner
at the HD this coming Thursday. Nov, 19th. Lots to chop and dice and bake..
I always bring a big alum. pan-full of "Sausage stuffing" and also an aluminum pan-full
of "Sweet and savory kale".

I also work--Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week.. So much for extra free time :o(

Gita

FYI, you can Dmail anybody if you know their username. You don't need a clickable link to their memberpage. Go to your Dmail page and choose "compose" from the upper left of the page. You'll get a box to type the name into. As you type, you'll see a list of names that start with whatever letters you've typed thus far, and if you've sent dmail to them before, that will be indicated.

I've decided to mix up efforts to overwinter my lantana. One plant is boxed up in the garage. Another is potted up on my kitchen window sill. A third will stay in a deck planter under a tarp. I figure if I do nothing, they'll all die. If I make a modest amount of effort, I may end up with a slew of plants next spring.

Lisa, Ric has had great success starting Lantana from cuttings. He usually brings a plant into the GH at the end of fall and then uses that for his cuttings.

I cannot help with the peach trees either, just no room at the inn.

I will Dmail her and say Hi at least!

Rick---
OK....So. you have had the Lantana in your GH--riding out the first cold nights.
Doing just fine. And then you take the cuttings?
That is different than someone going outside right now and deciding to take cuttings.
I think they may already been "compromised" a it by the weather.

I know the lantana is a diehard when it comes to surviving the first cold snaps.
Perhaps--it may even survive well into December. February is the killer month.

I don't mind trying....see what happens if I take cuttings right now.

Nothing ventured---nothing gained.....G.