Gardening Do's and Don'ts

No, Mary, I didn't know that. I think I've had these in the front bed for about 4 years - this is the first year I've seen seedlings and oh my, there are a lot. I'm going to try to get them into pots to share - we'll see how I do. These are pink and are early bloomers (January - while it's coooool at my house through April).

But no bloomers, that's just Tilly magic.

Ask Our wise and noble and dear friend in England, She taught me, all her fault. Ha Ha. I have had great success sofar with the seeds.
You need to pull them babies and pot them up for trade LOL, just being funny. And I'm have one blooming in Aug.

Yes, you're right. I definitely want to share my bounty. Everybody has shared so many things with me!!

Those little roots go a long way down, careful when you dig. and I want 2. LOL

Two for you. Got it. I'll pot them up and keep them with your dogwood trees. If you think you'll see Gordon anytime soon, I can take those to him on the 20th. What do you think?

Works for me, Gordon will be coming out in a week or two to get this Kiwi, Who has just about broken the trellis its on, held together with a bunch of 2X4s to keep it from collapsing.

When he has his swap, give them to him, and when he gets here with them, I will send a surprise back, from are dear friend in England.

But wait - I won't see him until the 20th. Is he coming to your place before then?

I have friends who have been growing Kiwis at their house in Ballard for at least 15 years now. No fruit yet. They've built and rebuilt their support 3 or 4 times now. He's an engineer. This one is complete with cables . . .

Loving those little baby hellebores!! I got some this year, too, but not like that.

Ohhhhm, my dear gardening friends, I feel refreshed - pictures of happy plants at all angles, and colour combinations that soothe and delight. Hellebore babies, and talk of swaps. Yes - the gardener in me can continue. Phew.

Dashing out to move some uprooted plants that didn't get back into the ground last night - forecast is of thunder storms and torrential rain.

Thank you all, sofer and katies babies, and especially Tills who felt ignored until she stomped her foot! smiling smiling smiling.

L

Thank you for that Laurie, I just felt I fell trough a crack, working these lates, when I do pop in the tread, I get over looked and that makes me sad.

Kathy, I don't think Gordon will be out till after the swap, I'm going to cut it back for him. This thing is huge, and it doesn't bloom either can't tell if its a male or female ya have to have both to fruit.

Had to share this too cute.

You have one baby 'Lizzie' a bag of Nutter Butter Bites. and 2 dogs. And older brother watching.
What do ya get? "Happy kids"

Now that's a happy picture! What attentive dogs you have, Tills!
The power of Tills' foot stomping is great!! If we had a nice rant and foot stomp together, we'd be formidable.

I believe I am liking dahlias more than I used to. I have a couple I put in this year that are just really too cool. I still am not all that keen on the whole digging and storing routine, though, and I'm trying to make gardening less work for me, so I better hold back.

Pixie, If you plant your dahlias a little deeper and in a raised bed you don't really have to dig them until the tubers start showing above the surface. Mine last for years that way. I dig a hole so the tuber is about eight inches deep and then cover it with soil slightly so you can't see the tuber. As soon as you see green, cover it a little more and keep doing this until the hole is filled with dirt. This way they get to the top earlier and easier and they are deep enough to servive

Pixs, just planted 11 of them all from Carla, they winter okay in are zone. the only draw back is you have to dig them up in early spring before they start to bloom, to divide and to check for any problems, as far as Underground Buggys, I almost lost my 'Pooh' until she told me this, Have had him for 4 years, aways came back, till this year, dug him up and found something was eating him. He's okay now, save him.
New bed
Will Have a new tread, on the it, coming soon.
Tills

New bed is right!!! That is going to be just smashing!!

The new bed is going to be super, Tills! Those plants look great. Thanks for the input about the dahlias. I may try leaving one or two in the ground this year and burying them deeper once they go dormant.
Willow, if you bury yours 8 inches and then keep filling with soil as they grow, do you uncover them a bit come spring?

No, you just fill back to ground level and they do fine that way.

The 'Taters' as Carla has called them, Plant to 8 to 6" deep. Divide every 3 years. Easy garden fork and pop them up, but that was in her yard. My big Boo Boo was to let them set in pots, during growing season, but I only had to cut one out of its pot, poor thing. But the good news is not one wilted or had any tress during all this, Can't belived it.

i'll give it a try. It would be great not to have to dig them all. I'm not very good at over-winter storage of tubers. They always shrink on me.

Let's start up this thread again! It's fun! Plus, I was reading thru the old entries, and was surprised to find that some of them were from ME. As when I look at my old dieting journals, I find some things repeat, year after year. We can maybe come up with something new...I just came home form Costco with a multi-pack of zonal geraniums (this is kind of the last gasp for theirs, I think) and a big bag of fancy but cheap potting soil. Now....if the rain and lightening, etc. ever stop!

I had made an entry about storing gardening stuff in old mail boxes. Well, some little cutie backed into my real mailbox, and it was so handy to have a spare to replace it with. So, tip number 57, always keep a spare mailbox around, unless you use a PO Box.

This looks like a good thread to get started back up! I have found using compost is a good way to find missing garden tools. Don't throw your Felco pruners into the fire (Actually they come out pretty good just no grips left.) And don't plant wisteria next to your house!

The wisteria---is that because it will try to enter your bedroom and strangle you at night, or is there some less horrifying reason?

I have a tip that occurred to me yesterday. Pot ghetto people, listen up! If you have potted plants that must sit on uneven terrain, and you're wishing you had some kind of wedge or shim, the dollar store carries packets of 2-5 rubber or plastic door wedges (door stops). I got some a year ago that smelled so nasty (that rubbery odor), that I put them out to air on the front porch. Brainstorm (rhymes with rainstorm today) ! Stick 'em under the potted hosta to get everything on the level. The rubber will probably overwinter better than the hard plastic ones, but at a buck a pack, I'm not worried. I'm done searching for just the right flattish rock to place there.

applause, Velveteena! What a great idea. Trying to find appropriately sized rocks is not a good use of time, and the Terracotta ones I have don't make it through our cold weather for long. The doorstops will be excellent.

Here's a gardening 'don't: Don't plant early blooming tulips around here unless you plant them under heavy cover. They won't make it through the spring rains. DO plant late blooming tulips under the protection of large fir trees. They will last a long time for you.

I just found this thread - very useful to a newbie like me! I learn so much from all of you - thanks!

Here's another plant tool tip: when pricking out seedlings or when planting them in pots, using the small bamboo skewers you get at the grocery store is an excellent tool. It's long enough to grip, but tiny enough to prick out the smallest seedling with care. Also cheap.

And a 'do not' to go along with that: do not plant 'extra' seeds just in case you don't get good germination. You will get excellent germination and they will all survive and your yard will begin to look like a nursery unless you learn to throw out at least half the seedlings. Most of us have to learn this the hard way.

I use the small pickle forks to pick my seedlings out of seed flats. I always pick them up at the thrift store when I see them. Sometimes I misplace them., always good to have a spare. I'll have to try the bamboo skewers too. I have used them in a pinch to prop up a droopy plant.

Tiny forks are a good idea. I have a bent fork I use to weed bonsai pots, etc. It works like a charm. I actually have a large collection of tiny forks and spoons. My kids always preferred them, so I have a 'spooner' on the counter full of them. I'll have to try one out in the greenhouse. I use the skewers, also, to hold up vining plants when they are still small.

This is a great thread!

Pixy, your seed tips are SO true, and unfortunately almost always learned the hard way.

A trick I picked up in a magazine somewhere long ago was using plastic knives as markers for your seed trays rather than the much more expensive plant markers. They are much more durable, and quite a bit cheaper.

Also Don't use a standard sharpie marker if you want tags to last...Do use the industrial variety.

Also learned that one of the best greenhouse/shed organizers you will ever find is one of the clear "over the door" shoe organizers. The are cheap, pockets are the perfect size for pruners, digger, nametags, twist ties, etc. And you can SEE what is in each pocket!

Good tips.

In this age of digital cameras I have started to take pics of new acquisitions with their nametags at a readable angle in front of them. Then I have a folder in "my pictures" called PLANT ID'S. Yes, I am a bit compulsive, but aren't we all? I also try to keep a notebook of my various gardens, with pictures with written on names, and a clear plastic page with the name tags inside. (Don't ask me how far behind it is!)

In the DON'T category, don't forget to mark where your spring bulbs are planted. There have been a lot of times that I have found a fairly "bare" spot in a bed when trying to place a late in the season acquisition, only to find some bulbs already there. Ditto for late emerging summer bulbs, another "bare" spot looking like the perfect spot to pop in a few annuals.

In growing season I take photos almost daily of what's in bloom and the garden developing in general. I have a computer file for each year so I can compare year to year and also locate plants when I forget where they are. I love the digital camera age!
The plastic utensils work well. Another cheap marking option is to get vinyl miniblinds, which I generally pick up at Goodwill for about 3.00. Take them apart and then you have long plastic strips to write on as you need, and cut to the length you need. Pencil works well on them, or the sharpie pens.

No, you WON'T "always remember", probably not even for a couple of weeks!

Spent quite a bit of time today, that I really couldn't spare, pulling out my forget-me-nots. It is hard as they still look pretty good, but I remember putting it off too long in the past and spending a LOT of time pullying their seeds off of my favorite gardening clothes.
And, not to worry, there will be plenty again next year.

And that's the truth!

Plastic blinds are my friend. I buy them too. It's all I've used in pots and seed trays for several years. I write on them with a good #2 pencil and they last forever. I try to use EON's in the garden though.

Okay, here's another one. An excellent soil amendment for getting better drainage: Walmart cat litter in the red bag, the 'special kitty' bag. It's the Walmart brand, and the bag has to be red. It's low-fired clay and will not get soft. It's extremely cheap and won't change the PH of your soil, as far as I know. I also use this stuff to plant water plants. WAY cheaper than the expensive 'aquatic plant soil' sold in tiny bags. Will not soil the pond water, either.

If there is a feed store near you,, chick grit. comes in fine or not-so-fine. Excellent stuff for succulents or alpines.

DON'T offer to open your garden for charity unless you are retired!! I'm whacked! I took the week off prior to the opening, and we were doing 15 hour days - by thursday I was in tears thinking it was never going to get there, and Friday - it did. The day was a very nice opening and everyone seemed happy - I was zoned out the whole next day, and almost fell asleep during a session with a patient on Monday. Yikes. Would I do it again? Ask me next month when I have recovered.

ps. it is probably the only time I will ever see the garden completely weeded, edged, mowed, greenhouse cleaned, walks/patios swept, and EVERYTHING bloomed.

Oh, Laurie, I've been thinking about you and the Open Garden event. WOW Glad to hear that the plants cooperated and bloomed for you. ^_^. Please get rested because those weeds will allllll come back soon if not sooner.

Congratulations on your success. I can almost imagine how pretty everything was.