I have some HH that are a little leggy-they have enough room to grow, so I don't need to transplant them, but are kinda bent at the soil, then shoot straight up from there. Can I just put a little more soil in to stabilize the stem???
Join Us! Seed Swap Seed Starting & Conversation #7
Hey all-I seem to have a fever today! Yuck-feeling crappy and my brain could not digest all this- I wanted to let you know Suzy that all of my salvias are dug right out of the garden as well-not from pots. I have about15 of different types, my salvia uliginosa died and the salvia elegans had aphids, but I think they are being overcome. All in all not a bad ratio of living. I leave them in my basement and water very little and then a few weeks ago I brought as many as I could upstairs to my LR which has a wall of passive solar windows-they are growing like mad!!!
Here's my lil flat of seedlings.
not much to see... but boy, it was time consuming doing this.
got 9 lil ones in there somewhere... mostly to the right side.
Tcs, I like your little flag markers. They are cute. : )
~Lucy
Thanks Lucy -- that was the time consuming part.... i used toothpicks, and those "floppy disk" labels [yea, remember floppy disks? i have lots of labels] cut them in strips and used that clear packing tape over it. But this way, i was able to 'mark' an individual 'square'.
tcs, isn't Convulvulus the MG bush? I have seeds to those do you start yours in the house and how close to putting them outside I got some seeds from George and I've never grown them before does it take them a long time to bloom and how big do they get? LOL Aren't you sorry you asked if someone was growing them LOL How far do they spread?
I love those little labels that you made I was wondering last night what I could use for smaller/shorter labels the ones I have get in the way of the lights when the plants are small, sure looks like it takes a lot of time though, I just have my labels laying down on the pots right now and one wrong move and I could very easily knock them onto another plant.
margaran, U have been a busy girl :) And I know how those cars can get, mine does the same thing and I have to pass a nursery when I go to wall mart everyweek, our cars must be related LOL
Well I took dad out to eat so he might be quiet the rest of the day and maybe I can get 20 jugs sown before it quits raining so I shouldn't be on here the rest of the day but you know how that goes :) ta ta
Lea -- no, i dont think the convululus is a bush. i clicked a link for a bush, and it was mounding... these are more creepers... like wave petunias. I'd say some of mine were 4-5 foot circles. I had them in my front bed, and they creeped up my salvias in the front yard. i'll have to see if i took a photo or not.
and yes, those lil 'flags' were time consuming... but i think what took so long for me, was the fact i was not organized.
if you know the seeds you are gonna do [ and your case, your's are already sown] so it wouldnt be as bad.
toothpicks
scissors
packing tape
thin sharpie
some sort of adhesive label
Uggg -- it's STILL raining??
Thanks tcs, I didn't realize they got that big around hmmm now i have to decide on another spot to put them :)
Oh yes it's stillllll raining! Won't quit until this evening sometime think I can do 20 jugs before it quits LOL I doubt it but I'm going to give it a good try ;-) I just need to get out of this chair I've run all day it seems so need to get started now that I'm anchored!
regarding the "Enchantment" I guess mine were never quite "circles"
i had them in beds with other plants .... so, maybe they spread 4-5' wide, but 18" or so in the other direction or around other plants... sorta hard to describe.
they are very pretty though.
One more thing do the C MG's grow very fast, if I start them downstairs just don't want them to get out of hand I have a feeling I'm going to run out of space if they are fast growing I'll just do it where I want to plant them, would that be better?
i'll have to see if i took any good notes on them....
geeze, i wonder why i get absolutely nothing DONE during the day... at least i've got my bag of soil in the kitchen... but with DH's laptop in he family room... i'm now here instead up of stairs on my PC.... but 'here' is closer to my WS stuff.....
here's what i had in my spreadsheet
sown March 29th
convolvulus [Blue Enchantment]
germinated - 1-Apr
Did well. Took some time to really grow, but the ones that the bunnies didn’t eat got HUGE.
**Edited to add...
I'd WS them, not in flats in the house. I do recall that even after they were in the ground... sometime in May ... they stayed small for a long time -- then they grew like gangbusters probably around July/Aug
can;t really recall,as i wasnt home last much summer.
This message was edited Mar 19, 2008 2:37 PM
Thanks tcs, I'm WS now so I'll go ahead and do those if I can find them lol I hope they are with my morning glory seeds! You know how it is to find a certain seed :) I have bunnies where I want to plant this too LOL Maybe the cats will keep them away now the neighbors cats seem to make this their territory with the other cats and run them off so maybe they will take care of the rabbits too, sorry but I have no use for those bunnies they are nothing but trouble as you well know :)
It's snowing! I just turned around to look at the bird feeder at the window and it's snowing LOL I give, this weather is a trip LOL It's suppose to a little bit but I didn't think it would this early we are due for more rain anytime now LOL
tcs, I grew them last year, both the red and the blue and was really disappointed with them.
I guess yours did alot better than mine did. I had mine in hanging baskets.
I was shocked the blooms were so small. In my mind I expected them to be the size of a 2-3" MG. They seemed to be prone to aphids also, so I was always hosing them down. The few blooms I did get I liked despite all that and I am going to try again. My seedlings last year were really hardy; I haven't planted seeds yet for this year. I did get 21 other flowers, veggies & herbs sown today though :)
....we are also getting rain here
That's a pretty picture wind :)
I've got all of my asters planted except for one that said not to WS so I'm doing it downstairs, thanks you all for the aster seeds I really really wanted them! I just hope I get some germination, has anyone ever WS asters and gotten germination? I nd some encouragement! LOL I did have a nice talk with them as I panted them and made promises of water and feeding them special treats 8^)
I found the seeds, yeah! You know the birds are sitting on the butterfly bush branches kind of looking around I think they are wondering where the snow came from too LOL It's raining and snowing now and big flakes!
wow... i cant believe it's snowing by you.... we're sitting at 47 and some clouds/sun... a tad bit of wind out of the NE i think. I put some plants outside, but on the stoop of my sun room, so the wind is blocked.
I just sow'ed 7 containers... 1 being NY Aster. Hopefully i'll get some germination. did some sweet basil *grin* that way i may get some early. [thanks dryad for the basil seeds]
and believe it or not.... i havent done the columbine yet!! that is my next step... just taking a breather.
Thanks for the info tcs, I'm thrilled to hear they like the hot part of summer!
wind, that is lovely!
Y'all are giving me high hopes for them :-)
I started this email about 6 hours ago, so I'm sure there will be later posts that I haven't seen yet.....not ignoring you, but I have all this text already typed and if I refresh the screen I will lose it all! LOL!
I love those Ensign style Morning Glories!!!!! LOVE THEM! The blue is to die for, plus the bright yellow (in the throat) really goes with golden yellows of the summer season -- like melampodium, which is what I grew it with last year. Both plants sort of duked it out and they were soooo pretty intertwined. To get light, the Blue Ensign went UP to about 18", although if there were nothing in its way, it would be more like a wave petunia. They also look good with those shortie gold Coreopsis because the yellow throat is very visible on the Endigns..
This year I will have blue and red ensigns -- separate colors for separate places..I wintersowed them last year and they are one of the first to come up -- they like the cool weather, and seem to be able to take several degrees of freeze, although not frost. Like Sunflowers. I have some Sunflower Junior I am going to add to the mix. That blue and gold is really pretty to my eye, and the funnel shape of the MG is interesting here because I don't have any others.
Lea, the flats are fantastic for any of those edger plants that you just plant hunks of: Alyssum, of course, plus Torenia and Lobelia and also Johnny Jump ups, although I like those in late summer/early autumn. I can't think of other things right now, but you let the whole flat come up and just grab hunks of the seedlings to plant. easy-peasy! Oh, the dianthus deltoides would work, especally on traded seeds where you might get a million. You know the soda bottles your son is cutting for you? They would be perfect to start the Ensign MGs under. You can do it now, or as soon as you can walk outside wihtout being ankle deep in mud. As I said, they can take a degree or two of freeze, and if the bottle is over them, they can be out in frost because it won't hit them. I can't wait to see if mine self sowed a little. I did not find mine got much bigger than 18", but as I said they were planted within 6"-8" of the Melampodium, so they grew up together.
Dryad, sounds like bad news at home. I can't think of anything that would flood, but I guess I'll see when I get home.
Flowerhead, Awesome about bringing stuff in.. you just dig them up out of the yard and pot them up, or what? Do you rinse the soil off? There are a lot of bugs that hatch in spring in a shovelfull of garden soil!
TCS, What are those squares, and why are your seeds in them? LOL! Are they for seedlings? Did you know they sell the exact same thing for dahlia cuttings? (And for use with soft and easy things like Impatiens and Coleus, too) You plunk a little dowel, smaller than a pencil in and then the cutting. Put on the lid and just wait for roots! BUT They are expensive and if i could get somehitng like your without paying the big bucks, I would use it for my new florida plants.Maggie, so many plants are different, the only thing I can add is that you CAN transplant as soon as they get their seond leaves, but you don't have to. I have lots of pots growing together. Some go into the garden that way, and some I just pull apart, wishbone-style. I do this oftentimes as I am planting into the garden and they don't miss a beat. Keep in mind I mostly plant annuals, and probably perennials are more finicky.
lala, good on the hours, bad on the hours...the lament of working women everywhere...they need the hours for the money, but they need to be with their kids, too. Babysitting is expensive! :)
Artemis, I thought of you -- I placed an emergency order with Select Seeds right before I left :) I was going to put in an order woth Annie's Annuals with another gal in town, but the ones she really wanted weren't available to purchase right now, so she backed out. The freight on those plant sis $27.0 for 1-8 plants, so you can imagine it is a huge OUCH! to pay $7.95 for one annual plant plus that kind of freight. I went looking for seeds, just in case, and ran across two of the three things I wanted at Select seeds...one was a tall red nicotiana with the red on the outside of the flowers, as well as the more traditional inside. It gets 36" tall, so pretty tall for a colored Nicotiana. The seeds should be at home by the time I get back. You shall be the first person I share seeds with this fall. (If you want them)
Bye for now, temp was 85 degrees today and very windy. I am wearing a bright yellow lines sleeveless dress and look totally normal here. No garden plants purchased, but I went to 2 more nurseries and Home Depot which had a lot more thn Lowes. Crotons are very cheap. $3.97 for a gallon plant. Do I want one? Lucy? LOL. Also I went on a neighborhood walk -- just to see if anybody needed help in the garden, maybe trimming or something, and I found more of that little weed...the Emilia. ROAD TRIP! I need to get a little trowel - my friend has nothing in her garage except a box marked Halloween, a bookshelf she wants to paint, and a garbage can....it is very odd looking (to me) to see drywall garage walls with no hooks for hanging stuff and no shelves...nuttin! ROTF!
Oh, Lucy, is it true that too many oranges and orange juice gives you cankor sores, or is that an old wives tale? :))
Suzy
Suzy, I just did get thru WS the Ensign MGs lol But thanks anyway I'll try the others that way :) Sounds like your friend has a very clean garage! I would hate for her to see mine, I can barely walk in it LOL I was planning on cleaning it out on a pretty day in the winter but that isn't happening :) You should see my mentor's son's garage it's cleaner than my house!
tcs, I've only gotten 10 jugs sown so far don't think I'll be finished before the rain gets here they aren't all the way wet so I really want to gt them in the rain lol It's still snowing a bit and raining a bit right now, so odd after it pouring today just wish I hadn't had so much to do today earlier but had to take dad out for a while lol It's starting to get really cold out too! It's an icy 30 degrees! Burrrr lol
Back to sowing, I didn't get my dirt in from the truck today just hope it doesn't freeze!
Are Ensign morning glories the same as Convulvulus?
Gem, Yes, I just can't spell Convolvulvus and Ensign style is so much easier to type. :)
All those Cs and Vs way downat the bottom of the keyboard, you know.
TCS-I have 4 var. of lily seeds-2 of which have germ. and 1 ig going lime mad now!! I have like 4 babies in that one of 6 seeds!!
Hey that's great!!! What kinds of lilies are they?
Fairy, "Lime mad"? I cannot figure that one out!
Suzy
What is a croton??
is growing like mad-sorry!!LOL
Suzy -- i didnt think you'd still be on... anyhooo -- those "squares", i get in a mat form [i broke them into separate pieces] from GUrneys, and yea, they are not cheap. but i had a credit and used the spend 50 get 25 off. so i got a bunch of stuff for 15 bucks.
I use them for my tomatoes and a few other things. when they get big enough, i pop them into a larger peat pot.
Lea -- i couldnt believe my eyes/ears... we have a winter storm warning for friday.... around 6" of snow.... YAK!!!!!
i did get the columbine done... not all of them, but 9 containers.
i have a total of 55 containers done.
This message was edited Mar 19, 2008 7:05 PM
Hi all!
Suzy-Hope your having fun!!! I don't wash the plants-I'm lucky to get in what I do with the fall work (remember this is a living for us!) I do find something always gets bugs, a few things always die from something or other, but on the whole everything does well. Some look like crap when they go out, but perk up when they get out there.
I'm growing both red and blue ensign this year as well! I already have some growing in a pot-they're definitely slow going. They have been the same size for a couple weeks.
I found a photo of the "Blue"
sorta blurry, as i cropped all the way to the flowers....
full image to come
the coloring on these are gorgeous ... and yes, quite a bit smaller than MG's.
tcs, I hope you have fun in the snow we sure got a lot the last ime we got it it was a foot anyway cause it went to the top of my boots :) Your WS containers will love it :) All of that coulumbine are they all different kinds? I'm going to hit you up for some this fall LOL
My higest number on my containers is 61, if I get the rest done tonite I have 9 more to go still, I fell asleep in the chair after I got my belly full LOL I need to do some more transplanting guess that's what I'll do tomorrow.
I'm waiting, tapping my foot LOL
as you can see, and i have completely forgotten.... it does start to grow upwards a bit.... but then as the branches get longer, they creep on the ground.
by the time i had to clip back my Salvia in the fall, and bring in the hibiscus .... the Convolvulvus was really long and all intertwined in everything... but it was still very pretty.... i think i still have some of it left on the ground.... i guess i was hoping it might reseed itself.
LOL Lea !!
and as for hitting me up for seeds, remember they wont flower the first year.
and they were all 9 different varieties, and I didnt sow all the seeds in each pack.
OK... homework time..... BBL
They are pretty I can't wait to see mine, is that victoria blue salvia? And that little tree is nice too!
I sowed a couple of different ones last year I think naw I can't even remember right now I'm just going to wait until they bloom to tell you what they were, hav fun grading homework 8^) Back to the jugs for me.
the tree is a hibiscus... i'll have to find the name of the salvia.. i have it somewhere... but have to help the kid with writing a resume for homework.
It's all good, I'll talk at U later :)
I w/sowed my 6th tub of 24 baggies today. So I'm up to 144 different types of seeds. I can't imagine what I'll do with them if I have good germination LOL. I tried to go out and check some of the earlier tubs today, since the snow is finally melted off them. It was very cold (34F) and raining, so I only checked one tub... nothin' yet, but I didn't really expect it. It's ok, I've got lots coming up in the house, 6 out of 10 varieties of violas are up, lots of marigolds, snaps, Texas bluebonnets, coleus, hardy hibiscus, some herbs, yada, yada, yada. It's fun to get up in the morning to check on them. (I fan the snaps every time I go by)
found the tag for Salvia
Meadow Sage "Blue Hill" (Blauhugel)
grampapa, It's fun to get up and check on them and I like watering them they seem to smile at me cause I keep them on the dry side because of those nasty bugs lol I just don't feel comfortable sowing in baggies I guess I just like to do it the hard way, I'm afraid they will get smushed lol I have a baggie on the cabinet of a peony tree and worry about it all of the time but at least the seeds are bigger.
tcs, that salvia sure is pretty it looks like the victoria blue :)
I quit on jugs for a while want to soak some hibiscus need to decide which ones and some other seeds I should be about done planting downstairs the extra room for transplanted pots keeps getting smaller all the time and i still have a bunch of seed trays that haven't germinated yet, hmmm maybe I should wait a bit for the hibiscus I can always grow it in the spring outside maybe I'll do some much needed transplanting lol
Suzy, I have never heard of too many oranges, or orange juice giving you canker sores. My DH eats 6 to 8 of them a day. Now, the acid from the peelings or from the oranges themselves, may cause anyone with something like acid reflux, to hurt more.
As far as the crotons, I have 3, but will probably eventually get some more. Hope you are having a good time. : )
~Lucy