Plant propagation - the Basics, April 2017

Kitt Nice . Coreopsis , Mexican Hats Clover . I see them ..lol

Lots of pink daffodils in catalogues here Kitt. Only ever bought themy once. Don't know if it's one of those things that in order to be pink the lighting or soil conditions has to be perfect????

Kitt. Photo below is not one of mine but I took it off Google showing a collection of different pink daffodils

Saw that one, said garden varieties can be the 'pink' variety but a true pink isn't the color range. More peaches so I think the palette tends to yellowish ranges, and may revert to the natural. Since apparently they are of varying alkaloids in composition, I see why the Eastern Tiger bf like them. Tells me I need to dust mine with ground eggshells...weather turned off overcast in San Antonio today, makes me sleepy.

Pretty Daffodils ,,
Been a long very hot spring day here ,

1 Here is a Mandarin "Double Scoop Echinacea I was told by several it might not return
2 Peony , an old one , two days late for Mother's Day
3 Tomato Blossom
4 iris about to bloom , long time since I have seen this one
5Tomato plant yellow pear

I live in a sandy loam- lo in calcium. Plants like tomatoes, dill, milkweeds, go from scraggly to healthy when I save, bake and turn to powder my eggshells. Upon occasion I even steep the powdered eggshells in vinegar for around 3-4 days, when the vinegar changes ph, it makes the calcium immediately usable. This is NOT an overnite reaction, but where I did this last summer, my spring plants definitely showed improvement. Ummm, Idont dust the flowers - its the dirt I treat. And its because I believe the calcium increase bolsters the alkaloid strength. Prevents blossom end rot in maters too.


This message was edited May 16, 2017 9:08 PM

Kitt ~ "Eggselent" idea! I never thought to add vinegar to the eggshells.

Ev- Youtube showed me several videos and I took what I learned there. My fern leaf dills come back faithfully every late winter but have been getting weaker. Last summer I powdered an earth mix with eggshells and dusted the area. This year the dill was standing sturdy.

Looks nice Kitt . I have difficulty getting a warm enough , sunny place for that to grow
New blooms this morning

First blooms from new bulbs planted last fall. This one is Tahiti daffodil.

Nice Keith , Sort of rose flower petal

Went out to harvest dill weed, found a tenant, so harvest is two fingered- as opposed to shears...
Got the mustard seed plants sheared yest - and only dumped the tub in the grass one time, cringe. Told my daughter and she laughed. Says, It Mows.

Kitt Cute Little Swallowtail Larvae , All I usually hear is get the bug spray ,

It's pouring down rain here , not much to show

wow- love the prairie flowers, Kitt. Keith it looks like it is going to be a glorious Spring for you. That is a very pretty daffodil. I throw my egg shells and banana peels and coffee right into the gardens and forget about them. we just came off of a bunch of rains and wind. Still windy but down in the 60's today. No rain for a few days now. This has been a great Spring for us.

Here is a Silene latifolia it's an invader from the old days ,

Oh that is beautiful! That variegated plant you asked about earlier is hotuunia, "chameleon" : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Houttuynia_cordata
If you want some please holler because it is really spreading now. It is a shade plant, tolerates some sun. turns red, yellow and green, very pretty wild flower.

Latest project
My daughter Brandy and I went collecting rocks to make Inukshuks yesterday. Got mine erected today.

Thank you Debra , Those happened when I tossed some seeds I thought were not any good any more We can do some trade in a while , My plants have to grow a while and I have catching up to do

Keith , Kind of a Rock solid Totem Pole or Obelisk but Sunday reminds us we pray at crosses , well ,, some of us ,,
,

oh Keith, that is so cool! I used to take my girls and go rock hunting and would load my poor old 98 civic until it was 3 inches from the ground. LOL We would go out as far as we could with stopping at cliffs on the way, eat at small home town cafes, and end up in a bigger town for the night at a nice motel and order in food. We have a rock garden from all over Kansas and Missouri, but I still need to go to Colorado.. You are so Blessed to be able to do things with your Daughter. My youngest is coming home today for four days I am so excited. Ju, I already have some potted up so when Fall comes around lets do it, they go dormant and disappear and pop up in Early April. they pop their seeds around and spread by roots and runners. ( just lie other wild weeds) LOL
By the Way, I am retiring the first of June!

Debra , Congrats on lasting long enough to retire , Not always easy these times ,
?

I am sure I will have a few plants and seeds , Some doing well some not so well
Peony Today
3 only Baptisia seedling I got , Likes all the water , that is surprising ,

Congratulations Debra. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Debra, I'll bet you enjoy retirement and are busier than ever. Had a job rained out today. I needed a day off.

Hi all ,
1 peas from the garden , eaten at lunch today
2 Malvea Zebrina
3 there are 3 fleabane in my sunflower pot one at the bottom is different than the other two a perennial sunflower is under them , oops
4 a dill sprout
5 Hopi red dye amaranth sprouts

I planted Zinnia , Marigolds, Tomatoes , Sunflowers today
1 today an Iris
2 My happy Dance for this Eastern Gray Beardstongue
3 Milkweeds gone wild !!!
4 Mr Tribbles in a pillow chair in front of a breeze window on a hot sunny day .

Today I sorted out all the seeds in my refrigerator. tossed squash and watermelon seeds I gathered in 2013 that might not be any good, made a big envelope of old basil and flower seeds to scatter and wish luck, started cold moist trays of Asclepius Tuberosa and Stevia and put them in the refrigerator, and made my refrigerator nearly usable again. A cardboard box and Alphabetical index box cards, I even found my jacob's cattle bean seeds that started the whole search. Harvested the early bunch, replanting more tomorrow, I'm growing them for bean soup. I'm tired, it's bedtime.

It is a rain day here , good for yesterdays seeds
Gypsi Sounds like your into seed soup , I have been there a few times ,

Yesterday some Coreopsis and Daisy Sometimes they grow into each other , not this season though

That's a very cheery coreopsis Ju. Have already been out sprinkling cold water on the hostas leaves that are getting too big for the frost we had this morning

This message was edited May 24, 2017 3:36 PM

Thank you Keith , My thought is that also when they open ,
Frost this season is gone here , it is a cool 60 degrees with rain here today , Hope the Hosta comes through the frost looking good ,
Frosts later in the spring season are really mean to plants here

I am so happy with my winter sown Foxgloves ,as this is the second year and my first set of flowers.The Peach Iris also bloom nicely this year because I divided them 2 years ago.The purple flower , can recall the name bloomed great too.The Allium multiplied from 4 plants to 9 plants and thr purple and pink columbines did well.

excited to see everyone starting to get into the Spring Swing. Going to be up to 84 here today. I am still wearing 4 layers at work since it is freezing in the new building. All of us are wearing layers and jackets . :P
Just took daughter back up to Kansas City, I sure did have a good time with her these past 4 days. Love the colors and the "new beginnings " everyone is having with being gardeners. Joe's Bean Patch is loaded with blooms.

I thought I threaded earlier about cytf and the Pretties ! Nice Blooms ..

Seedlings here
Zinnia
Morning Glory
wild Sunflower
My red Castor Beans have root shoots , there are other .

looking real good, Ju. really windy and gray here, some of my seedlings have dried out. I'll start over. Off to cemetery.. be back later.

Debra Thank you , This weather is pounding on outdoor seedlings .

Today
1 Rose still opening
2 Unknown , thinking Phlox , but really early if it is
3 Iris Last bloom of these
4 ladybug beetle on syrica milkweed
5 Knapweed

Fine specimen of a rose. Awesome colour

I suppose that this story can be told on the propagation forum.

I encountered a chance seedling this year for the first time.

Today, all the pink surrounding it has faded to white...

Here are it's parents:
The white one was sold to me as 'Festiva Maxima', but it has no red flecks.

The pink one, I do not have it's name.

I did not hybridize this beautiful flower. I guess the ants did??

This message was edited May 28, 2017 3:14 PM

Thank you Keith it finished opening today ,

Evelyn , Sure you can thread that story here , that is what it is about ,
peony are so beautiful and cheerful when they stand out like yours . !!!
The Rose
A Tiny Tithonia
My shredder
goo from the shredder
red dye Amaranth

Debra what is that you have for ground cover in your flower beds? My sister is going to sell her house and she is putting it on the market soon. So, she is going to clean out her flower beds, and asked if I want some. So, of course I said yes. But, I know flowers need weeding constantly. But a ground cover like that would help, at least slow weeds down. Her flowers are gorgeous. Hope they look as good for me.

Ju, that is a beautiful rose. Perfect. Everybody's yards and flowers look so nice. We are suppose to get to 86 today and one more I think before it turns cold again. About the time my peonies open it will be pouring down rain. A few years ago Bob made me some things to hold them up and they worked so good, the peonies looked beautiful for a few years but things happened and the plant holders got lost. I should try to get him to make me some more. The strangest thing happened. I had a peony come up about 15 feet away from any other peony, and then a few years later a helebore came up in the middle of it. Had that happen one more time. I don;t know what the attraction between the peonies and helebores is. Can anyone tell me? Wel lBob just brought me some breakfast, so gotta go. jen

Hi Jen , it is a sunny warm morning , we will get near 80 today , and thank you about the rose ,
Wind and rain last night a few things to set back up ,
Enjoy the breakfast , saying Hi all

Kitt Day before yesterday was not a bad day , but traffic is crazy everywhere the past few days .