Afterthoughts of the Chinese Swap on 2-23

OK, thanks, Happy!

I'm hoping somebody will recognize the hibiscus seeds, because I don't know any way of telling tropical from hardy varieties by the seed (Rose of Sharon, H. syriacus, seeds are distinctive -- but other species are just round little dark balls).

maybe we need a swap packets ID forum

Those may be mine -- again, if so, I know nothing about them.

Happy--

Were you the one with the red, Ornamental Sweet Potatoes rooted cuttings? You had them in wet paper towels and you also gave me about 3 rooted cuttings--in water, I thought. Also, a small piece of a tuber. Was that YOU????????????????????

Do I keep them in water or do I plant them in soil in small pots??? So far, I have them in water, but I have a feeling that i should plant them in soil.
Please advise!

Thanks, Gita

Not me -- I have never grown ANY ornamental sweet potatoes.

That was Holly!

I'm taking the slips off my potato and potting them up. Cuttings should probably be potted up also... not sure about the little piece of tuber... you might be able to get more slips from it if it stayed in water... ?

Holly, did those sad looking Tricolor cuttings make it? If not, I'll grow you some new ones!

Holly!

You denied this on the D-mail! Now Jill says it WAS you!

Girl! You are to young to have Senior Moments!!!

Come on! Did you, or did you not, bring rooted, maroon-leafed Sweet Potato cuttings--all rooter in water??????????????????????????????

Fess up! Gita

She did, she did and I got some!!! YEAH!!!

I could be wrong...

It's an absolute hoot to roll a batch of healthy yams what ams out of your hills. The worst present day pathegon is on four feet and has a white tail. Yep.....deer will go out of their way to enjoy your sweet potato leaves first. I gave up years ago. My garden is not yet fenced.

I like venison, evil grin.

The deer had better NOT come up on my deck and eat my ornamental sweet potatoes from my railing planters! LOL

Just keep a couple of skunks as pets. Might keep the deer away.

I can attest to HOLLY giving those OSPs I have a tuber..
I got some sweet potato leaves at a farmers market last summer. They have a name........which I forget. The taste is as forgettable as the name.

I tried edible SP one year but not too lucky. Maybe too dry. They were very deep and small.

Oooh, Sally! I peeked at the article you're writing... folks, we've got a star, here! I recognized the label on the seed packet you put in one photo... from the swap! :-)

gawd, the secret's out- I'm still trying to get the text and pictures lined up right and need the camera for one more....

With the good clump photo you've got, I think you're OK without a seedling shot... although you can hardly go wrong by adding more photos to an article! I think I get better feedback on my photos than on my text, LOL.

By the way, Jill, it was a VERY GOOD article you wrote about the Irises. I also got a lot more information by clicking on some of the links in your references part.

Now I will be going out soon and looking at all the Iris' foliage and squishing anything I see in the leaf-blades.

Yes! I have seen all the borers in my Irises! Now I need to pay more attention....

Thanks, Gita

Thanks, Gita! I'm fairly new to irises, so I did a lot of research and asking questions for that article... all information I needed anyway, and I thought it would be useful to compile and share it! I got part of my iris bed cleared out this afternoon, and I'm going to put down imidocloprid (did I spell that right? LOL) next week. I have too many irises out there to get the borers by running each leaf between my fingers to squash them... ;-)

Jill,

I do not have a lot of Irises, but I know the old ones I had (I have long a go dug them up and given them away) had the Borers. I did send the link for "what's his name" with all the pictures of the Iris Borer to the person I gave them to.

My neighbor's yard (no one has lived there now for 2 years) has the most beautiful irises. They are 2-tone blue. Her father (who was from Holland) owner a Nursery in Southern MD and gave these to her.
I can always go dig some more of them up--have done so already....

Here is a picture of those Irises.

Gita

And a close-up.....

These are all scattered throughout a totally untended bed--some here--some there.
How they have multiplied all over on their own, i do not know.

I have dug up several--for myself and for others.

Gitagal, those are lovely!!!! Just beautiful.

Those are really special! You told me they were blue, but I don't think I've seen a photo before... and mine hasn't bloomed yet. It hasn't put up any new green, yet, either... maybe it's just being slow to wake up. Some irises have big green leaves still, others have just a few new tips poking up and lots of dead foliage (now cleared away). Go figure.

Just want to say--I got my ornamental sweet potato cuttings from HollyannS, too. Mine are still in the glass rooting in water.

Those are really pretty irises, Gita. I have a small bed of silver ones, light blues, and I am looking for ice pink. I had Forentine but it was coral, not a cool ice pink like I wanted. If I were you, I'd go dig those irises.

Oh, on the gourd--I don't think I will be able to shape them straight up like that if it takes a tree. I think I will do a cobra heap or something weird to see what I get. The planting instructions sound challenging and will be a real growing adventure....

Jill,

I forgot that I gave you some of my neighbor's irises. I did--did I? Yes??? No?
Yes--they are beautiful. I just wish I had somewhere else to plant them. Everything is so "booked"! Will Irises make it in a huge pot? Like--maybe 20" 0r 22" diam.?
I could go dig more--but don't know where to plant them. A real "crime"--isn't it!

I put your Alpine Strawberries in a pot like that. Had nowhere else to put it. They seem OK! Have some green on it. Will let you know later if it made it through the Winter.....

I also got a small pot with a few seeds in a packet for the same Strawberries. What are my chances of having it grow from seed? What time-frame are we talking about here? I have seeded them in the cell-packs.

You feeling OK now?????

Gita

Gita, have you seen this? http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/820533/

You can winter sow alpine strawberry seeds, or you can start them inside (seeds should go into the freezer for 2 weeks first -- so if you don't get any germination on your cell pack after a couple weeks, pop it into the freezer for a bit). My brother has had some in a big pot (14 or 16 inches) on the front porch for a couple of years now, and they're just fine through Pittsburgh winters. The kids *love* them.

Sorry I have been missing, Yes, Yes, Yes they are are my OSP.
Gita, I can't find a D-mail. But I keep the tubers in water when I am starting them. In fact one summer I put one in an old watering can and kept it that way all summer long. You can plant the tuber if you want to. When the starters get several inches long I pull them loose from the tuber and put them in a rooting jar then when they get some nice root growth I move them to small pots. I usually move them into those 6 cells packs and then up pot them to a 4 inch pot as they grow. You can check out this link I started about propagating OSP.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/809595/
Critter, I haven't given up on those cuttings yet.

This message was edited Mar 6, 2008 11:37 PM

Please note: new discussion on Lancaster County Nursery Tour: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/820942/