Plant Propagation: the Basics, May 2018

I watched the humidity drop from 100% @ 4am to 51% during the day. 91* was top temp. Sunshine and roses for Mothers Day. Breeze is southeast at 9mph..

Think I confused threads...blue eyed grass doesn't grow well in cultivated areas. Does best in old burned patches and poor neglected ground.

really humid here also Kitt ..
More daisies
old iris
iris
star of Bethlehem
My mulcher box in a dirty garage . we will get around to it ,

Sharon, I've NEVER seen the inside of one of those. I'm glad your nephew could help. Thank you for the pic, guessings it's a sand filter or biobead filter.

I am exhausted, pics tomorrow

My daughters came, 3 grandkids here all day painted flowerpots and themselves, the girls and I did the fence after a son-in-law primed it. (then proceeded to nap and listen to the baseball game) the non artists (or so they claim) actually did most of the painting, I did the day lily and a pink poppy and coreopsis that isn't quite done. This fence faces into my garden so I will have flowers in the winter. All family gatherings had been over grief and sorrow so I thought we needed to do something fun, and planned it. Crockpot cooked the roast giving more time for creative endeavors.

This message was edited May 14, 2018 8:40 AM

My mom's Birthday is on Mother's Day .. Instead of Roses , I got her Sempervivum
Okay ,, I'm weird .... I know .. You all already knew that ,, ? lol

Gypsi neat Art ,, the paintings

1 Here some mulch and returning Clematis ..

2 It is warm ,, yes it is

This message was edited May 14, 2018 9:01 PM

Love that art! So cheerful and pretty! I got the pprwhites dug, they are being moved to new home. Frisbee chasing 1 legged lab. Evening burn since the breeze has dropped so lo. Cukes I seeded 3 days ago came up yesterday, so did more morning glories, so found a place for them. My hummers have pretty much disappeared, not surprising, I see a few looking for a sip really early, or late afternoon, but even those noisy males are somewhere else right now. The horde were too nice when they buzzed in, guess it was a delayed Spring travel.
I see that filter- it has been a problem for awhile, I hope it's fixed to stay awhile!

This message was edited May 14, 2018 7:31 PM

The summer flowers haven't even started blooming, we may add to the fence, painting is healing. Need to lift some boneset and start morning glory and moonflower tomorrow
Good night sleep well

wow! glad I logged on. Wonderful to hear about evrything you all have been doing. I LOVE the painted fence, ALice.
We finally had our Third rain in 8 months, with hail. Joe had a fit about his baby beans. Then the lights went out. There were tornadoes around the counties, but we again, were not in the paths. God is God, Mother Nature takes care of us, as well. Glad everyone had a good Mother's Day. Any attention from any child to a mother is NEVER weird.. ( Ju)
Wish my nanking cherry bush would produce. the second one is from a cutting, it did not bloom.. Help! any ideas what to do? The wild blackberries on the other hand are fully loaded and popping up new shoots everywhere. Ugh.

I tried a little miracle grow to get a produce from the Cherries , A light feeding of some bloom fertilizer is all I can guess One of mine does not produce hardly any , the other this season has quite a few ,,
I have several stems of those covered , hoping to get a half dozen or more from starts trees are a difficult to root ,

I have a propagation mystery. My bees worked the peach tree so well in 2013 and I didn't thin fruit and the center of the tree broke out in a wind storm, and I threw it on the compost pile. I had 40 baby peach trees the next year, gave most away but planted a couple here. so one tree has fuzzy peaches and one tree has darker (plum sort of darker) smooth fruit, not totally purple but kind of shaded like a peach only with a plum sort of color to the shading.. I think the bees made me a nectarine? Leaves look like peach. I have taken photos but having issues getting them out of phone and onto computer since a windows upgrade. Ju, any idea what I've got growing without a picture? Fair amount of mystery fruit, it's immature.

Gypsi , your probably correct about Nectarine , but you describe that like a persimmon of some kind , There are a few Avacado ? variations that grow in Texas
Couple of odd type edibles , I was reading some time back about about some of them ,

My goodness I had a lot of catching up to do.

First off, nice to see you back Keith. I did get an email from that same person and a calendar is on it's way. Thank you.

Debra so nice to see you are getting some rain, and the eye on the mend.

Gypsi, my gosh you have some very talented family, that fence is just amazing...I love it! I'm glad you had a nice day with your family, you deserve it.
This was a very hard Mother's day for me, since it was the first without my mom. However my three sons, brother and father all took flowers to her grave. Back here for good food and family togetherness.

Ju, I'm loving all the blooms and butterflies too. I think your gift is perfect, I always give my Dad plants for Father's day and his birthday, he especially likes if they're from my garden and not store bought. Mom wasn't a gardener, but she loved chocolate candy.

Kitt, our humidity does the same thing, drops to half at the hottest part of the day. That's something the hummers move on, I guess I have year round hummers here, but never get a horde of them like you do, just the same four or so.

We've had a tropical low staggering over us for a good five days now, soppy wet garden, supposed to slowly move away, but more rain today. My gauge says a little over three inches this week.

ok, tree pics and I have to go do bees today. I think some may need supers added.
These peach trees came from the same tree limb from my grafted peach tree. What have I got, has to genetically cross to peach.

Gypsi ..(prunus persica .. nuci ---) Malta Nectarine ,,, yep ,, Your bees had been busy ,,

Ju, that is so cool

Gypsi I was thinking , How did your Bees get to Malta and back ,, lol .. ? that is neat though , I agree ..
Some flowers and a Raspberry

Bzzy beez, chuckl. Rootstock was different? Am babying a small sprig of African Blue basil the garden center allowed me to pinch- they even handed me a dirt filled starter pot for it. It is unhappy tonite. Found a small sibling to the black swallowtail as well. I have these tiny tiny new hatched frogs heading for higher ground and the bugs in my garden. I wish them well.
Had to relocate my pepper plant tubs and give them some air and sunshine since those sweet tater vines are spreading out now. We are moving into drouth now, so naturally the lovebugs are showing up in my garden now. The morning glories hit the top of the trellis and I spend 3 or 4 times a day coaxing them to grow back down. The coral vines are being sweet talked back down the trellis as well. Spent the heated time of today making a quick run to town, so potting up my reluctant milkvine tomorrow.
When I worked in the garden nursery I saw how sensitive plants can be toward fertilizers - it it isn't their number combo, they wont even grow. That said, I appear to be forcing a bloom early on the cashmere bouquet plant...k. i got bumped and pix wont load, let's see i dbl this post

Other 2 pix...

wow! this is the MOST informing room I have ever encountered. SO great to see the pics and the results of nature at its best!

Kitt Neat little Cats . Nice your Butterfly future ,

Debra a kind of picture library with chat ,,

Ju, there is a lot of mexican plum around here, but people also buy nursery trees and plant them and bees work a couple of mile radius. I am excited to see what fruits. Kitt, the branch that broke was the top of the tree, not the rootstock. Rootstock is definitely different but not purple.

It has been raining most of today here , Got a new gas tank for the mower , Got both my drill add shredders repaired and going , A few more zinnia planted ,
A few more odds and ends , and when it quits raining and dries some ,
I will be back at it ,

here are a few

A wild four o clock from Debra
Fern leaf Lavender
White Petunia .
A Flowering onion leaves and bloom (also from Debra ,,

Gypsi, that is pretty cool, busy bees.
Ju, lovely flowers, things are springing up nicely.
Kitt, I didn't know TX had love bugs too. Nice pics.

We're on our sixth straight day of heavy rain from whatever this tropical thing is, I think it was in the Gulf then moved over us to the Atlantic and now it going back over us to the Gulf again. I can't even get out into the garden and getting cabin fever.
rain lilies happy frogs happy

Enjoying all the photos everyone. That frog in the Canna leaf was a good catch Sherri. We are finally getting spring up here. Best I have to share so far is native marsh marigolds by back pond. It has been very dry but we got 46 mm rain on Friday and warmer temperatures are coming so should gave some action soon

It is interesting that North America from where I am about , to Northern Canada , Had been the Coldest place on the entire planet during April ,

Yes seeing spring and summer life is delightful ..
Another iris this morning

That is a beauty Ju.
Put our hummingbird feeder out Thursday night and just seconds ago I heard a whirring of wings and sure enough there are a pair of them here right now

Water lilies are in bloom. I missed them, glad they are back. and dandelions are always a plus.

Gypsi wow ,,

Keith , thank you ,,, and the hummingbirds are always fun .
hot here now

Waiting for tomorrow to see the garden. We were in a light drouth, but storm hit at 1pm. Had a bit of scattered light hail and by 4 pm reports in area said 5" to 7" rain already fallen. Hope those cats didn't drown, but I had them on high ground. I do see trees and branches that bowed with the water, and I noticed the concrete that is my sand has turned to quiksand. The water has dropped and heat forecast for tomorro. I have no hummers left in the area, they have all headed north now, but you guys will send them back this Fall.

why do they leave you and go north?

Texas is too hot in summer. I got half an inch of rain, remote possibility I will have honey this year, if I keep getting some.

Thanks Keith, nice the hummers are back. Nice bright yellow blooms.

Ju, You're right, it was on the news this was a warm April in all the world, except here in the US, it was one of the longest coldest and you were smack dab in the middle of it. Beautiful Iris.

Gypsi, those water lilies are just gorgeous.
I guess hummers don't mind the heat here, they stay all year.

It has rained so much here, not sure how much, but my rain gauge shows over five inches since last weekend. Now they're saying another tropical thing might develop and hit us on Memorial day weekend. I had to move the succulents under the gazebos, the in ground Aloe are all blooming so guess they don't mind the rain.
Chaste tree blooming and Soap Aloe

Have a feeder out, but my area is remote and they move to town for food. One small one showed up this morn. We have been doing a lot of work on the yard where I feed them, makes them nervous, too. You can see the edge of the crepe myrtle above the sago, its still waiting to stand back up...counted 9 cats at a quick glance this morn, and my mater is still turnin red, heehee. The cuke sprout I need to help...white aphids need to be pinched before ants find them.

Sun, the frog is adorable. You get great shots. Ju, I am glad its warming up for you. Keith, waiting for your exquisite better homes and gardens shots. W got some rain, Alice, and Kitt, finally. Now everything is perky. Sharon, how is your neck of the woods? I miss Jen, hoping she is okay. backyard the other day after the rain..

WOW on the waterlily pictures Alice and your blooms Sherri. Very healthy looking yellow iris Debra. Nice to see monarch caterpillars Kitt. I have purchased a few asclepias this year in hopes if attracting some. Tennille gave me a couple tiny plants last fall but so far I don't see any sign of them sprouting

Sun, What is soap aloe, can it be used to make soap and is it thorny?

All the pictures are gorgeous!
Chinaberry tree I'min the process of removing, I think it defintely made Bravo sick this time, I caught him eating a berry. Not sure it was just one but 36 hours of puking dog later, the tree is going.
Bravo at the vet
Plant tray in the greenhouse. Incense Passionvlower, Blue Daze, Mexican Flame Vine and could be more.
View from my roof, that is Elderberry on both sides of the fence. Pear tree is loaded with fruit, last year's squirrel transplantation seems to have helped a lot.
Red Columbine.

Wow! Poor Puppy. I'd cut down the tree, if it was hurting my furbabies, that is for sure! I love your vines and your elderberries.
I also loved the blooms from Sun, and love the chaste tree. Mine is just now starting to "wake up"

I'm working on the tree. Hired a young tree cutter to help me a month ago, called him that sunday morning, he said he was taking his kid home, haven't heard from him since. So I have a pile of snipped china berry tips at the curb. I have a long pole with a saw and a pair of snips operated with a rope. I started taking the leaf and berry branches down yesterday, city picks up this week. I'll tackle limbs after most of the berries are gone. A little at a time. I can't afford what a tree service would charge on this one.