Montana Gardeners-Let's Thread

ok mulch how did you do that? Instant fleur WOW! All, after careful consideration and perusing this eve in the first beams I've seen in along time I think I might be actually quite confused (like that doesn't happen all the time LOL). I'm thinking my April seeding is just weeds FOOLING me into a false sense of gardening bursts of excitement sigh...cuz it looks WAY too prolific to me to be the somethings that I actually seeded.

Dahlianut, I hope you are wrong and that you have loads of whatever you seeded. That is actually possible.

The tubs are planted primarily with plants I got at Cashman's or Wild Thymes. None of the ones I have started from seed are blooming yet. Except one calendula which volunteered itself in the pot with the squash. Go figure.

mulchmania--Where is Wild Thymes? This is the first time I have heard of it. Thanks.

Wild Thymes is a small greenhouse here in Ennis on First Street. Kendra grows a lot of unusual or hard to find selections for spring planting, which makes it a lot of fun. I got my red flax there.

I misspoke, I actually have not bought much from Cashman's this year, it was Visser's. Just a brain fizz moment I guess.

You know in the 12 years I have lived in Montana I have never been to Visser's--embarrassing actually. I know it is west of Bozeman but I don't know exactly where, Gallatin Gateway? No, that's not it. Anyone know?

Coming out of Bozeman headed to Ennis, Visser's is well past Four Corners (where you turn to go to Gallatin Gateway) and you do not make that turn, keep going straight like you are going to Norris. I think around 8 or 9 miles past the Four Corners intersection on the right you will see a row of large greenhouses maybe half a mile off the road down in a little hollow. Turn right on Visser road and you go right there. Their business sign is gone from the highway since the road workers took it down, don't know when it is going back up.

I do not know if they are still open. They usually are closed by now but it has been such a weird spring they might still be open. They close the first day they have no walk in retail customers, which is usually around the first week of June.

Picante,

The names Mia and Hannah together sound very familiar, but I don't know a Glen and Barbara. My son is going to be in the 2nd grade at Winan's. Do you know what school they go to? Anyway, the sun has been SHINING and my spirits are soaring!!! We had a gorgeous sunset tonight. All is better.....

A beautiful sunny day in Montana today. Still can't work in the garden. I'm waiting for my sides to heal up (injured from coughing too much). Besides, I need to start packing. I'm moving to Bozeman in 2 weeks. Yes!

I've been checking the garden everyday to see if the beans and cucumbers are going to pop through or if the rain did them in. Yesterday there were a few beans that had popped through, so I think I will wait a few days to see what is going to happen with them. No cucumbers yet.

I have lots of unripe strawberries and one little red one.

Yesterday: I planted some garden huckleberry plants, more carrots and a few jalepeno plants that had been sitting in the greenhouse.

Today for fathers day, a bunch of family members are going to our favorite creek to go gold panning with our dad (and grandpa). It is so nice and sunny, it will be our first picnic of the year.

I'm waiting on my beans, squash and cucumbers. It's been too cold for them to sprout. I'm hoping this wonderful warm weather will get them motivated.

I've a call out to my new landlady asking for her email address. I want to sent her photos of my remaining un-planted plants to see if she has any room. If not, I have places for them here.

Thanks, DigMontana, for the Father's Day reminder. I almost forgot! I would have caught it for that. :)

If anybody is ever in the area around this time of year, I would highly recommend visiting Wagners Nursery in Belgrade. Last night a friend of mine told me I had to check it out, so i drove out there today. It is a stunning nursery, with waterfalls, stocked trout pond and gorgeous healthy plants. The lady who worked there said that they have another one in Whitehall which is even more impressive. Eight greenhouses compared to two and more waterfalls, etc. They had the most enormous and healthy hanging baskets I have ever seen and the prices weren't too outrageous when you compare to other places. Some of the biggest ones were $50-60. I've seen smaller, "normal" baskets at other places for close to $100. I never buy baskets because we get such bad winds up here, but it was tempting. Check it out, it was definitely candy for the eye!

I love the Wagner's in Whitehall, never have been to the one in Belgrade. Your description is right on!

A couple of my tomato plants (sungold) have yellow leaves at the bottoms. It all started with all the rain and no sun. They have not snapped out of it. I put agloflash on them a few days ago. The Kellogs Breakfast both came out of it. I sure hope they survive. I've heard such good things about sungold.

upforachallenge: The nursery sounds awesome.

Hallelujah! My cucumbers, yellow crookneck squash and zucchini are finally poking through the ground. I was beginning to get worried - what kind of gardener can't grow zucchini?

Jayne,
Sufficiently hostile weather can make it impossible to grow anything...

ok it's been sunny for 4 WHOLE days!!!!! I celebrated this event by getting a whopper of a headcold blah :( But I checked this morning and my little green thumbnail size tomatos are actually growing again!!! and my dahlia buds are actually opening !!!! However I now need to use a machete on the weeds sigh

dalianut: I'm guessing by your name, that you know a little or more about daliah's.

I have a coworker that gave me some dahlia's that she grew in pots. They are suppose to be medium size to tall. I planted about a month ago and they do not look like they have grown at all. I have never grown dahlias, so do not know what to expect.

Question: Are they slow growers? Were they waiting for the heat? Anything you could tell me would be great.

By the way, we have also had 4 days of heat. I'm loving it. I'm going to plant two Harrison's yellow roses today. Hope you get better. DM

Dig they go dormant when its cold. Now that the heat is back they should start again YIPPEE ^_^

DigMontana - where did you get your Harrison's yellow roses? My neighbor has a corner overflowing with them, and I've tried twice to get a start from her and they've died both times. I haven't seen them in the Missoula nurseries.

I've gotten mine at a local nursery. You can order them over the internet. I think Antique Rose Emporium may have them. I've seen alot of them around here, and your right, they are just overflowing. I bought my first one in memory of my grandfather in law. He was a huge Texan. The rose is also known as the yellow rose of Texas.

WOW there be BIG ferns in my garden.. I think they liked the cool and then the June Monsoon cuz they've never been this big before this early. Hostas are coming on really strong too this year. My three measly hollyhocks though look like they had a bad encounter with a garden bully. My 'Miss Kym' lilac is finally going to bloom. Can't believe the buds didn't rot off sitting there for a month. shhhhhhhhhh so far no badguy bugs. I think the cold snap in early May might have been good for this.

Good morning! I was out in my garden this morning and discovered that the beans and cukes are finally sprouting. Still waiting on the yellow crooknecks to appear. I've been so busy with moving I've had to put the garden on the back burner while I pack. Glad everyone's plants are on the move again.

Take care, Dee

New photo of Ajuga and Bitterroot flowering

Northern,
I like your photo, what lovely flowers! Interesting just this morning I drove to the top of a nearby little mountain looking for bitterroot. Only one was in bloom but lots of fat buds so they are just starting. Very late this year.

I purchased these bitter-roots from Tizer Gardens on I-15 on the way to Helena. Tizer's has wonderful woodland gardens worth touring. I think she charges for the tour but we walked through it for nothing. I think it was because I made a purchase.

I laid a pine-straw mulch today in the new garden. I had the soil tested and it came back with a pH of 7 so hopefully the pine-straw will help make things a little more acidic. My Oriental poppies (orange) are getting ready to bust out as are my Painted Daisies (pink). I hope they do so before the end of the week. I'm loading everything up next Saturday and heading to Bozeman. Yes!

This message was edited Jun 21, 2008 4:38 PM

This message was edited Jun 21, 2008 4:38 PM

What a long, long day. My best friend and I drove to Bozeman to paint my new place and didn't leave until 9pm and still aren't finished. I loaded as many plants into the back of the truck as I could and now they are either waiting to be picked up or planted. I'll deal with that after I get there. One week of packing left. The photo is of my new place.

Cute, looks like a nice yard for gardening.

It does look like it will be fabby for gardening. Luvly dappled shade too.

Well, that house looks familiar, NS! Hey, there's a place on Story that I always called the "flower house". It's in the block just east of Cooper Park, on the north side of the street. The man of the house is a horticulture professor, someone told me.

Now you're making me miss Bozeman. It's so much greener than Helena! -- Julie

And the backyard is just as quaint. I'm actually renting the basement and my landlady lives above me. She has told me to plant whatever I want. I have 2 ceramic containers to decorate my backyard entrance (photo) with.

Picante--the neighbors across the street have devoted much of their space to gardening but they live on the south side. We are four blocks east of Cooper Park. I'll be on the lookout for the place you mentioned.

Actually, I think the flower house is on Koch, not Story. Corner of Koch and 5th. I used to live on 7th between Story & Dickerson.

I just got back from Bozeman in whirlwind of interviews and interior house painting. I'm exhausted. Anyway, the good news is I have 2 yellow crookneck squash up. It's about time. I'll have to give the gardens a good soak tonight. My Master Gardener test is tomorrow night so I better get cracking. Have a power gardening day!

Good luck on your test NorthernSeasons.

well I had a pleasant surprise. I started butterfly bush (buddleia davidii) from seed last year and two have come back. Supposedly zone 5. These two are in half day sun as I planted them in protected spots to get them through their first winter but would like to move them into a sunny open spot to see if they will bloom. How do these hold up to wind and h*a*i*l? Also do they die back to the ground every year? Thanks.

Hi Dahlia, we inherited a Buddleia when we moved in. It starts from the ground every year, and initially it always looks like a weed. It takes a while to get going, and doesn't get very bushy, but it gets over 5 feet tall. I don't know about wind & hail, because ours is on the east side right up against the house, very protected.

Thanks picante. I have very few sunny protected spots but it may just earn a coveted spot in the protected rockery. I'll move the veronica seedlings out into the cold cruel world. It's time they left the nest anyways.

here little hummers...... here little hummers.... sigh gone higher up to the mountains to mate. But I need help with the lower area of the honeysuckle which died off when we had to drape it on a trellis to replace the shed roof that got eaten by a clematis tanginica. Clematis suggestions anyone? Anything but pink or red because the other side of the shed has an everblooming 'John Cabot' rose. Thanks.

well I guess it actually might be a good thing if you attach the photo LOL

Oh, Dahlia.. that's such a lovely scene! I can't believe the hummers aren't all over it!

Thanks GeorgiaJo but (sigh) they go further up into the mountains to mate before I make this summer hummer magic. I do get them in late summer with the manarda (sp?). I think I better just give up on the spring visit because we're on the migratory path rather than the hang-out -for-the-summer path.

I saw a couple of hummers just in the last couple of days, here. I have heard them previously so I knew they were here. I should have expected them. The lilies are starting to bloom and so is the penstamon -- both among their favorites.