New Iris Garden

Maybe you could try layering it.

Or grafting it.

I'll run those things past my DH. I might
even contact the local gardening club.

Yes, they smell wonderful. I bring them into
the house no matter how my sinus react!!
I'm sniffling all the time anyway, so I might
as well get some enjoyment out of it!!

Here's more "Freak Snow Storm" pics.

The crape Myrtle (on the left) did all right.
The mulberry just lost all it's leaves--All at
once!! What a mess!

Just look at how the shade stood up!!--

Well, it didn't entirely!!

Now, for the plants it was shading--

Actually, we didn't loose all that much.

In this garden the Zinnias crumpled.
They didn't like the rains just B4 the
snow either; so what the rains didn't
get, the snow did. I had dug up1 just
B4 the snow, but the others are still
out there. I don't know if they'll all come
back or not, but I think 1 of them is
already starting to grow!

We lost all the Coleus in another garden.
And the only Cherry Tomato we had.

All in all that really isn't so bad. God willing,
spring-time may have lots of surprises in store,
as for what comes back. !! Can't wait!!

Now we know how it feels to live in a place that has real winter. Tomatos in January?????

Those photos were pretty fabulous. Lilac trees do love it when it gets cold in the winter. It really doesn't get cold enough here. Except I guess for what ever unnamed magic variety you have.

Hey, this is another zone 9b in Tucson AZ chiming in. Find out what kind of lilac that is cause I want one. Maybe it is one of the lilacs that don't need a lot of winter chill, such as lavender lady. If you find out that is the fact, I will certainly get one. Doss, what tropical or other can you grow there in your zone 9b. Can your brugmansias grow in the ground unprotected? Passion flowers too? I just planted three reblooming irises a couple of months ago. I am going to order 6 more and in the spring I am going to order English Cottage, Harvest of Memories and sugar blues, all extra fragrant rebloomers.

My DH doesn't know the name of the Lilac.

His first wife planted it, maybe 35 yrs ago.

We have a Passion Vine that was growing
on the back fence when I moved here 15 yrs
ago. 2 or 3 yrs ago it died.

My Step-Son was walking around the back
yard last year, in Oct., I think it was, & pointed
out a Passion Vine growing on the side fence
not far from where the other 1 had been.

I don't know how we could have missed it.
It was growing up the telephone pole!! It was
loaded with fruit, too, and it was massive!!

We're trying to train it down the side fence.

I want to take another pic of it tomorrow. I
noticed today, it's starting to grow on a
tree branch that's maybe 5ft away!!

Oh, BTW--

2 nurseries have told me we live in Zone 8!!
That sure opens the field for a LOT more
plants. Every time (well, lots) I find something
I want in a catalog, it's only hardy to Zone 8.
I've been told this is Zone 9 for years--Whom
should I believe?!-- Should I take a chance &
start ordering Zone 8 plants?!

Decisions, Decisions!!

I'm in zone 5b on the boarder of 6.I'm going to play with some zone 6 and 7 plants mulched very well of course.lol.I can't hurt to try.Mostly starting with seeds.Cheaper if all does not go well.lol.Jody

Here is the issue with zones. There is a lot of discussions about using average high temperatures for zones too. And then there are differences in Cultivars, and then there is the amount of sun/shade/exposure/water/soil. Quite a number of Passion Flowers are hardy to zone 9. Does it freeze in the winter there? The passion flower I have is Red and only hardy to zone 10a but it is on a fence sheltered by a group of redwood trees. We'll see. It's been a couple of very mild winters - where I lost quite a few plants in a hot streak.

For instance, I have a neighbor 3 blocks away and she gets some nights at 28 degrees every winter. It never (or almost ever) freezes here. She is down in a small valley and the cold air sinks there and there is no way for it to get out.

Some Dahlia cultivars droop every afternoon and then don't bloom. Some droop and then bloom happily in the fall, some don't droop and bloom in the middle of August.

I give zone 8 plants (like Hosta's) more shade than is required and that helps. Heuchera is very hardy here while Lamium goes bust. Pansys are impossible really - either too much shade or too hot. I can grow Johnny Jump-ups though they end up everywhere. Not a bad combination plant with Iris. Keeps the weeds down. When they start looking ratty I take a pair of shears and lop them down and they're back to their old selves in a couple of weeks.

This is probably more than you wanted to know. I love Davis Myoporum as a ground cover and have quite a number of ferns that would be tricky in a freeze. I grow "Lollypop" plant which is a tropical. Citrus of course - I lost a big lemon tree in a freeze many years ago. Truly it's become so individualized I can't tell you much. My theory though is that you can't grow a Camellia in the desert (RE: bloom where you are planted). And I'm not adverse to just picking up plants and moving them. Also, I know that mother nature just plays tricks on me. I can grow two identical plants six feet apart and one will thrive and the other will shrivel. You can't get too attached and be a happy gardener! And you are right. It's easier to lose them if you buy them when they are small. I don't generally go too small here though because of snails and slugs. I can only keep them back so far!

Brugmansias grow very happily in the ground here but I think that there are pretty hardy cultivars. Some are evergreen here. The Brugmansia forum is fabulous. Run through the threads there and you can learn everything about them. I hadn't realized how many cultivars there were.

I don't mulch anything in the winter particularly. I do keep the ground mulched pretty well all year round so I don't lose water - and so my dogs don't end up in the house with muddy feet. Although they are little and walk around the mounds of mondo grass. They do have one heap of big mondo that they like to roll in a lot though. I did want a garden AND a dog.

I've wandered on too long here. I hope that all is melting well for you KE6...

The weather has been gorgeous, so far
this week.

Got a gazillion bulbs planted!! My
poor DH has been working his ---
off!!

Violas &/or Johnny-Jump-Ups are
coming up everywhere. They were
next to the fence last year, so they're
coming up in the gully, now, too. I just
bought a flat of Violas to plant in every
garden. I really like that re-seeding thing.

That's a good idea Doss. I'll get some
Viola seeds & put them in the Iris Garden.
Last year they are the only "guaranteed
to grow" seeds that actually grew!! Hmm-
maybe Sweet Peas, too!!

Last years Sweet Peas are all over the
Big Garden from re-seeding themselves.
I have different ones to plant this year,
& plan to plant them all over just like the
Violas.

I'm trying for a Cottage Garden look which
I think of as a jumble of all kinds of shapes,
sizes & colors all squished together. I don't
like bare spots.

Oh, & there are Poppys from last year
coming up, too. I've sprinkled more already,
& have more to sprinkle later.

As far as the zone thing goes, I don't think
I'll worry about it. If I plant some things &
they do well & I like them, I'll get more. If
none survive, or I find I don't like them all
that much, I'll put them in my No More file.

I'd heard just this year that you can cut
back Johnny-Jump-Ups. When they got
leggy last year, I just pulled them up, but
I'll try that cutting them back instead, thanks.

I've planted sweet peas in the Iris patch and poppies and nasturciums. (sp?) The sweet peas are on their way. Everything else will come later I'm sure. I may have to attack the nasturciums if they maul my Iris, but we'll see. Cut the Johnny Jump Ups back by half at least and make sure you remove all the flowers. They last from spring to late fall that way. You can feed them with soluble plant food, put time release on them or leave them alone but everything in my garden gets a good soaking with a liquid plant food once a month during the growing season. It's so warm here that the sweet peas mildew and peter out pretty early. Maybe I'll just spray with a good natural fungicide. If I forget, I'll pull them. I'm with you!

Can't do Hollyhocks anymore - I have that terrible Hollyhock disease.

I can't wait to see your spring garden. I can't wait to see mine wake up this spring either. First there is a fabulous dark pink magnolia that says spring is on it's way. It should bloom in the middle of Feb. It's a funny one and starts blooming at the top and ends at the bottom.

I can't believe I don't have a picture. It's cultivar is "Galaxy". I also have a "Butterfly" magnolia (yellow) but it was moved last year and I don't know if it will bloom. We will all see.

And I'm glad that the weather cleared for you. I'm very chatty here. Funny.

What are friends for, if not chatting!!

Hope you run a thread on your spring
garden. I'd like to see a pic of your
Magnolias when they're in bloom, too.

In my mind, my flower beds are broken
down into different "gardens". Depending
on how I'm feeling, I may run a string on
each 1 through-out the year.

I'm going to try to take pics of each
"Garden" at least once a mo. to record
their changes for my records.

That does sound fun! I have several gardens too. There is my perinneal garden, a dry creek bed with grasses, sea lavendar - and iris of course, an asian theme garden with a fountain, a larger area that is very sloped and is terraced up a hill with redwood trees and a huge Walnut at the top. My house is right in the middle of my lot and is a funny shape so I have a lot of different spaces.

Oooh!! What Fun!!

I have my Tree Garden, Gate Garden,
Trellis Garden, Back Fence & Garden,
Big Garden, Mailbox Garden +, Kitchen
Garden, Iris Garden, Front Porch Garden,
Rock Garden, HouseFront-Garden/Yard,
Curb Garden & then just areas--Small Box,
Big Box, Dog Yard, Center, Passion Vine,
Block wall, Gully, Side, Side-Ivy, Side-House,
HouseBack, HouseBack-Corner, HouseBack-
Corner-Left, HouseBack-Corner-Right.

AND of course, Lilac Tree. Whew! I'm
out of breath!!

That's how my pics are sorted in my albumn
on the computer. Everything is chopped up
into small areas so I can keep track of what
I'm doing where. Or at least that's the Idea!!

I also have a book I've just started to use to
write down what we did when & where. It's
divided up the same way.

Between the 2 of us, we could fill up this whole
Web Site with just our pics!!

I'm not quite there yet! I just started taking digitals this fall really. So I can't wait to be capturing the garden through the growing season.

And that is a lot of gardens. Even a gully! What do you grow there?

Mostly volunteer grass!!

When I have time, I'll pull it out. I
consider it a fire hazard.

On 1 end, my DH planted 3 rows of what
were supposed to be Daffodils, but turned
out to be mostly Paperwhites. That's OK,
if it grows & blooms it's A-OK in my book!!

Yesterday my DH planted some spring
bulbs between 2 of the rows. When they
bloom, I'll know what they are!!

There were Blackberry Bushes there last
year, but they didn't have any berries, so
this year, my DH dug them up. There are
Berry Bushes, at the other end, that had
small berries last year. There are nimatodes
here, so we have trouble growing decent
Berries or Tomatoes.

I'm not sure what else I want to do out there.
I keep changing my mind!! I have lots of
other projects, so it will take until maybe
next year til I actually come with & do some-
thing permanent.

I found the Daffodil I was looking for. I really
like it. The others are OK, nothing special.
I didn't know which bulbs were for this Daffodil,
so I had to keep & plant them all. I'm glad I
did. They look really nice out there. I've tied
a ribbon around the Daffodil, so I can dig it
up & put it in the Iris Garden with the Special
Daffodils next year.

Wanna see it?--OK--

That is a sweet daffodill. With that many paperwhites, you're sure to have a fragrant garden to say the least! I am having 4 rose bushes planted today - climbing ones to go with clematis. Hope that I've chosen compatible ones.

I've been thinking about Clematis. I have lots of
fences to cover with something. We had Ivy growing
part-way down 1, but I've decided I don't like it.
We're taking it out a little at a time & it's very hard.
It's like a bunch of TREES. It's growing between 2
fences. What a bear!!

So, tell me all you know about Clematis!

Here's what I know - which is not too much since I only started two years ago. There are several different kinds. Some are deciduous some evergreen, some climb, some don't, There are doubles, singles and they come in the most delicious colors. There is even an entire family that has bell shaped flowers. The first year they establish themselves, the second year is for growth and the third they really start flowering.

some can get to 30 feet or some only grow to 6. And some like shadier spots than others.

But I am REALLY sorry to hear you have Ivy. That's a tough one.

Chalk Hill Clematis has a great web site and it is incredibly informative. The plants that come from there are first class. Big plants from nurserys near you are probably not the best bet since Clematis are subject to dying off if their roots get too disturbed - and a smaller plant is easier to handle. Get plants with some woody growth on them. Don't buy them from general website nurserys as these either are just tubers or only have soft growth.

And protect them from snails!

There are easier cultivars to grow than others. Chalkhill will let you know which ones are more difficult to grow. I have several books but their information is really top notch. I always go there first.

I haven't really been through the clematis sites on DG. It's a good thought though, I should try it!

Thanks Doss.

Is there anything else that would be easier. I'm
very hard on plants, & I need something hardy,
fast growing, evergreen, floribunda & cheap.

I don't want much, huh?!!

You're right. If you're looking for the above, you don't want a clematis. Unless you get one of the huge ternifolias but those only bloom in the spring. If you've got a big wall, I love Morning Glorys but of course they aren't evergreen necessarily - although one on my south wall says green all summer. What's your exposure, how big a fence do you want it to cover, does it need to be evergreen, and do you care about the fence? There are some fabulous vines that grow fast but they sucker to the fence. I have a red trumpet vine but I make sure I pull it off the wall to my house every month. But on a fence - yum. They come in purple and yellow in addition to red. They do need sun, and if you want a red one, I'll get you the name of the right one. There is a red trumpet vine that is a noxious weed and impossible to get rid of. We don't want you to have that one. Does it have to be a vine or will shrub do?

And there are always climbing roses if you want something "floribunda". A lot of the new ones are rebloomers. At least one is thornless, but I can't remember it's name now. Give me some more info and I'll do a little more research.

And Cheap means?????? You'll probably have this plant for a long time. That doesn't mean that you shouldn't buy a smaller size - I think that it's usually better (and cheaper) to do that. I promise I won't be sending you out for a $300.00 Daylily. (LOL) Not even a $40.00 Iris! Let's find a couple plants that will fill your other needs first, then we can see what we can do about price. I don't think that it will be a problem. If you want really cheap though, Morning Glory seeds are about as cheap and as fast as it gets.

I think that you need to ask me for a little more!! Get me the info and I can get out a few books - I have a problem called "word finding". It's a neurological problem and I can't remember the names of things. I used to know the names of everything. Now I just use my trusty favorite books.

I'll be hearing from you.

Let's start with the fences. I'll post 4 pics that should
give you a pretty good idea of what needs to be covered.

The first 1 shows the back fence on the left side of the
yard. The gully is on the other side. If you squint, you
might be able to see the Paperwhites back there!!

On the left is the corner. There's a Passion Vine there
that we're trying to train along the side fence; past the
end of the Tree Garden and past the Iris Garden.

So, actually I guess I need something to cover that
back fence up to where the Passion Vine is, on the
side fence. Can vines intermingle?

In the other direction just past the tree is a gate, so
I'll need to keep it trimmed so it doesn't cover that.
Also in the summer that Mulberry Tree will cover
almost the whole area back there, so there'll be a
lot of shade.

This is also a tour of the back yard, so look at the
right foreground. That's known as the Center, & it
has a pink Crape Myrtle.

Now, let's continue along the side fence--

I'm standing in the Tree Garden to take this pic. You're
looking past the Iris Garden, the Block Wall & straight
up the Side. At the end is the Kitchen Garden & the
Kitchen Patio. On the other side of the Block Wall, is
the Side-Ivy, which name will change as soon as all
that yucky Ivy is gone!! On the left is the Side-House
and the House-Back-Corner-Right. (told you this is
also a tour!! Lol.)

But I degress--This fence needs something that will
go from the Passion Vine, all the way down to the
Kitchen Garden. It could also take a right turn &
cover the front fence up to the gate, which isn't very
far.

The sun comes up on the right, so the bottom of the
wall is in shadow in the morning.

More pics coming--

FYI--In the first pic you can just see the Passion Vine on
the side fence.

This 1 just shows how much Ivy still has to come out. It's
growing between 2 fences, so it's doubly hard to get out.
It's from the neighbors Ivy on her front side fence. I had
the bright (??) idea to train it down the fence. BIG mistake!!

Now, you're supposed to say "Oh, poor baby!".

Moving right along--

Oh, poor baby!! Thought I'd slip that in there on ya Joyce! lol! Love the photos!

This is the last 1.

It's a view across the Big Garden & into the Dog Yard. The
wooden fence in the background is what I need to cover.

I was just thinking, that since I do like Roses, maybe that should
be the route to go. Except on the gully fence. There is too much
shade there for Roses, right?

I talked my DH into making the Dog Yard much smaller sometime
this year, so I'll have more room for flowers!!

In the corner on the right is a Grape Vine (lots of greenery,
but no grapes) and a bush we transplanted from the Kitchen
Garden. We didn't realize it, but it gets huge--fast, so that whole
corner should be covered.

Well, wadda ya think??!! Are you going to solve all my problems??!!

See the cat in the tree? That's how Freddy gets from the Dog Yard
into the People's Yard. My DH says the tree is supposed to be a
Dwarf Golden Delicious. They don't taste like 1 to me tho'. 1 of the
branches had so much fruit last year it broke and then the snow
cracked some of the branches, too, so my DH cut everything off. He
says he always does, but I don't remember that. Can't seem to remember
diddley squat anymore!!

mgh:

Thanks, you've made my day--er--night. I feel all better now!!

Oh good! I'm so glad! lol!

Oh poor baby! I'm always fighting my neighbor's ivy. Harbours our lovely Norwegian Roof Rats too.

Love your dog! and the cat. Do you have kids? Couldn't miss the slide in the "dog yard".

As far as vines getting in each other's way, I cut mine at the first of the month in July, August, and September. Sometimes it's not necessary, but you'll be sorry if you don't. And some vines, like Morning Glory will choke out others so I generally don't grow vines together, with the exception of Clematis growing up trees and shrubs - they won't destroy the plant and are beautiful. Those are some great trees! I have a great vigorous vine growing under an oak tree in my yard, but I don't know the name. I'll find out next week. One of my favorite plants for block walls - which grows in the shade or sun and doesn't need to be tied up, is creeping fig. Sometimes it can be a little slow starting, so I'd plant one every 3-4 feet. It is a beautiful vine - very tight but no flowers. If you want to keep the leaves small, you can shear it once a year. Other than that, just growing season trimming. And yes, roses are a great idea for the dog fence. Below is a distictis buccinatoria (don't get a Campsis Radicans). I believe it also comes in purple and yellow. It needs sun but would be beautiful on the dog fence - evergreen and blooms almost all summer.

Some roses are better off in the shade than others... I am going hunting for shade plants now but I'll get this off to you now.

Here is an image of a climbing hydrangea on a fence. They are really beautiful. You might want to ask your nursery if they do well in your area.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dawesarb.org/images/Collections/hydranompet.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.dawesarb.org/potm/hydpet.htm&h=204&w=312&sz=12&tbnid=3n3ula2vufUJ:&tbnh=73&tbnw=111&start=1&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dclimbing%2Bhydrangea%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26newwindow%3D1%26sa%3DG

This next one is the same plant but with a close up.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.aragriculture.org/horticulture/ornamentals/plant_material/hydrangeas/images/hyd-anom-pet-flwfm.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.aragriculture.org/horticulture/ornamentals/plant_material/hydrangeas/Climbing_Hydrangea.asp&h=378&w=250&sz=24&tbnid=8657fgHEvpoJ:&tbnh=117&tbnw=78&start=7&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dclimbing%2Bhydrangea%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26newwindow%3D1%26sa%3DG

This one is Hardenbergia. I have it growing on an east facing fence but it is shaded most of the day. It is in bloom right now, is evergreen and comes in white and pink I believe.


http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.aragriculture.org/horticulture/ornamentals/plant_material/hydrangeas/images/hyd-anom-pet-flwfm.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.aragriculture.org/horticulture/ornamentals/plant_material/hydrangeas/Climbing_Hydrangea.asp&h=378&w=250&sz=24&tbnid=8657fgHEvpoJ:&tbnh=117&tbnw=78&start=7&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dclimbing%2Bhydrangea%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26newwindow%3D1%26sa%3DG

It turns out that the distictis also grows in partial shade.

Here is a link to a discussion of gelsemium sempervirens.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.killerplants.com/media/images/potw/20040223_full.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.killerplants.com/plant-of-the-week/20040223.asp&h=500&w=640&sz=90&tbnid=RLl-GU-f9WkJ:&tbnh=105&tbnw=134&start=20&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dgelsemium%2Bsempervirens%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26newwindow%3D1

And here is the photo.

I forgot to tell you how charming I think your garden is!

Other vine possibilities are: Lonicera (honeysuckle). I grow Halliana which is supposed to take over but I have not had that problem with it. They come in some very beautiful colors now although the colored cultivars are not as fragrant. On the other side of the fence (because they are poisonious - like oleander) you might consider planting Brugmansia. Some of them are evergreen and they are stunningly beautiful. If you go to the plantfinder and get brugmansia from the pull down menu at the left of the page, the cultivars go on and on.

Perhaps you might consider replacing your apple tree with a blooming crabapple tree? Or a Lincoln Apple? If you want to grow apples, Lincolns are about the best for our climate. I have had a little problem with mildew, but mine is trellised and it's easy to get to the tree to spray. And the apples are great!

If I had to grow one vine - it would be the distictis. But I've always wanted room for a climbling hydrangea. I just don't know if they would do well in a climate as warm as ours.

Hope that I have given you some good ideas.

If not - well you do love roses. You will have to find someone better acquainted with roses than I am for advice on that. There are some very good web sites - you can go to the garden watchdog. I'll bet that you will be able to find your answer to shade from vendors there.

Enough for this morning. Ask anymore questions that you would like to ask. Have a good time!

What color is your passionflower?

No kids at home. The slide was for the dogs pool 1 summer.
Then my DH threw a piece of carpet over it to make a tent.
Freddy loved to watch the birds fom there. We're in the process
of making another 1. It'll be the 3rd version.

I can't remember what color the Passion Vine is. I'll probably
be taking pics of it when it blooms this year.

You've certainly given me lots to think on, & most of the areas
aren't ready yet, anyway, so it can wait. I'll be keeping my eyes
& mind open whenever we visit a nursery.

I've made a bed for extra Iris in the Dog Yard. I'll be taking pics
of that area--Dog Yard-Iris Garden (new area to add to the albumn
& journal) on an on-going basis. The first ones are still in the camera.