Started some seeds in the basement today, Datura, purple, and a double purple. Gerber Daisies, a Geranium, hardy Red from a seed Round Robin, and Redskin Dahlia. Took pictures of the seeds and added to my journal, and spread sheet.
Took a picture of my coleus cuttings that I wintered over, same plant, the lighter one I set in a west facing window about a month ago and the darker one was still in the basement under lights.
Wow..........looks like the Erie things wintered over really well.
I posted this on the Seed Swap Thread as well.
Have had this bookmarked for a long time. Don't remember WHO provided it--but I am sure it was someone fron DG.
http://theseedsite.co.uk/db1.html
Gita
Doc, the shop lights sure make a difference. Thats one beauty I hope I won't have to buy come spring. I'll get more cuttings later on, maybe bring some to Holly's plant swap.
It sure made a pretty container last summer.
Wow Lady, They look very nice. I don't think mine are looking that good. It's a little hard to see them as they are pushed back behind some other plants. Hey do you think that might be why they don't look so good. LOL
Holly, they do seem to do better if you give them some room. That is only one coleus in the pot, sharing space with Millet and OSP vine. I use Miracle grow moisture control in all my contairers.
That spot gets really hot after noon sun. I let it ask for water (get a bit droopy) and then give it a good soak. Works very well that way.
I finally got to spend some time outside today. Mostly picked up a lot of stuff that got blown over. Went looking for buds and emerging bulbs. Found lots of tulips, daffs, iris and others, but no sign of the crocuses, snowdrops and aconite. Lots of buds on shrubs. Still haven't started any seeds.
Doc and Lady, you're plants are looking great.
Gita, that's a very useful link. Thanks
Holly, I'm cherishing what you cut down!
doc- lovely white Christmas cactus there. Mine's long gone for flowers but looking OK otherwise. I have had it in a bag for humidity, and under lights.
I also had some spring ants-- we have one corner of the house that seems to have a.colony and they appear now and then in the upstairs or downstaris near there.
ladyg- well done with the coleus. I just put seeds in a pot for 'Palisandra' should be a very dark one. I plan to use them in big pots by the front door.
Holly- big ol forsythia is a pain to prune!
I only showed you one Christmas Cactus. About this time last year I ordered five different than red for twenty bucks and ship. I never knew there were many shades other than the typical most often seen red. The plants arrived with ample growth to pinch and set them nearly all in a rooting medium. Never counted them as I was just making plants perhaps for an RU of other gifting. I have several just now pushing small buds and many more to come.
I just cut up and potted a CC cutting that I picked up off the floor at Dutch Plant Farm! It wasn't quite a snatch, as I asked Jodi if I could have it (she saw it as I was getting my card from my purse, so I figured I'd better 'fess up).
I have had that forsythia almost as long as I have lived here. It started out as an experiment. I only let a few branches grow and braided them together cutting off all other branches. I was trying to make a forsythia tree. Over the years we had a few set backs, it got run over by a delivery truck maybe stone or cement can't quite remember, so it got started all over again. It wouldn't quite stand up so I added a few more braided branches to the trunk. Over the years I did get it to some what stand but it always needed a bit of a prop and I couldn't quite get it to cascade (like a willow tree) the way I wanted. So it ended up looking like a misshapen yellow ball on a propped up braided trunk. LOL
I finally gave up and cut it down and let it grow in naturally.
Talk about guilt, first the birds were yelling at me, and the forsythia was grabbing at my clothes and hair, putting up a good fight, then my old memories. I am going to dig up one of the small clumps and find a spot for it somewhere around here, just can't quite get rid of the whole thing. You should have seen the look on Ric's face when he offered to cut it back a little more with his chainsaw and I explained that I'm putting a tree there so the 30 yr old roots have to be dug up. I will have to look though my old pics and see if I can find one of my experiment. This is what it looked like a couple of years ago. The very large bush on the right is the Quince that I am cutting back to a more reasonable size.
We cut down the old Apple Tree today. Ric hated taking it out but it was more than half dead. Not really sure what we will be doing in that spot. We had two of them in the fenced lower back yard that we used as a run for Buddy. When he was much younger Buddy would jump up and grab an apple from one of the lower branches and then eat it.
re cuttings- I'd almost volunteer to sweep the nursery floor if I can keep the nice goodies, ---free plants and the rest compost.
Holly that was an interesting idea you had. One forsythia somewhere on the property is about all anyone needs IMHO. Not the 200 foot "hedge" next to me.
Ha Sally!
You know me! I am a "trash picker" queen! My motto in life is---"Waste not--Want not!"....
And--also, "EVERYTHING in life has another "life" or purpose!"
By now I can blame it on genetics......I have NO shame! It Has been passed on.....
I have been picking up silk flower hears in the aisles of Craft stores forever!
Sometimes i ask if I can keep them--and, usually, they say, "Sure!!! Less trash for me to sweep up!"
When I worked at Franks--I gathered trash-bags full and still have most of it.
I could whip you up a silk floral arrangement using almost nothing but "recycled" (ahem...) silk and dried flowers.
OK! I know I am off topic!!!
Gita
PS. They do not "sweep" Nursery floors---they usually hose them clean.
Drats, typed a long post and lost it!!
Spent lots of time doing chores outside today.. Weather was strange, very cool with very warm sun and little wind.
The long weekend went too fast. No melting of snow today. Still have a thin cover in the front of my house.
Sally, Palisandra is a very dark coleus, are you going to add anything else to the pots for your porch? I was at the Disney Flower and Garden Festival years ago and managed to attend a talk on containers by J Allen (I think that is his name) that is where I learned about the millet to add height, and he used a lot of Coleus to tie colors together and as fillers. Then you add a spiller, I have used OSP vine or the Million Bells petunias.
I always keep the "rules" in mind when shopping for my combo container plants. Now I grow some and buy some.
Holly, I wish I had enough branches to force. It's such a breath of spring when you force them to pop open!
I think good old Dusty Miller ( he he, Miller...) would accent it nicely. Then I might also add hart's Golden creeping Jenny to trail, if it lives I'm not sure what will come back or whether I put a few sprigs in ground for the winter. Silver Plectranthus was really happy out there but its not at all happy in my pot for winter in the basement.
I saw a row of Dusty Miller around a sign this winter, and really liked how it looked like an edge of frost along the planting, even tho we don't get much actual snow here.
I think the hummers like the small Million Bells Petunia better than the larger flowers. I had both about half and half last summer. What we watched all summer was more action on the smaller flowers.
For my one high hanging pot we used the tomato...Tumbler as a spiller or fall. Worked out real well but out grew the pot towards the last month of the summer. In the smaller pots we used onions instead of flower spikes. Several herbs made spillers or falls by being a bit over fertilized on purpose.
I thought Dusty Miller would freeze out here but low and behold it appears that it has made it through the winter even after my helper whacked it with a snow shovel. We shall know by April.
doc---
The "Dusty Miller" is not all that great in the second year! NOT that attractive at all!
It will shoot up a long stem and bloom and go to seed. No longer the attractive, silvery foliage plant of the year before. There will be NO new top-growth of the pretty, silvery leaves. If you have a woodsy, wildlife type of a garden--you might like it--but I do not.
I usually yank it at the end if the first year for that reason...having lived and learned....
Gita
Then I shall have some fun seed to play with. When I pinch the BeJesus out of Dusty Miller there will be new growth or it will die. I'd bet on the new growth.
Correction: The name of the speaker was P Allen Smith, He has a web page, I thought this container was interesting with the lilies.
http://www.pallensmith.com/index.php?id=1444
Gita I agree about the flowers on the Dusty Miller, I grew a plant in the same family, loves the leaves but the 2nd year it bloomed I was not impressed. But when I pinched the flower stalk, when young out of the other plants, they grew more leaves. So Doc is right on about the pinching.
I've decided to grow Rose Campion instead of Dusty Miller... similarly silver rosettes of foliage, and I love the blooms it puts up in its second year!
My Dusty Miller grew huge this last year I was so surprised. Talk about silver foliage plants I tried silver mound in my Lamppost bed last summer, it seemed OK for most of the year we will see how it does this year. I just love silver mound but have not had the best luck with it.
I have held onto the good qualities of other plants that seed in the second year by serious pinching. Parsely comes to mind as an herb that throws seed the second year but can be held to producing new growth by pinching back as well as removing the seed heads.
Another beautiful day and another beautiful day in the garden. Today it was Veggie garden. Raked up a bunch of dead things and burned them, fought the Raspberries and I'm winning. LOL
Ric's napping and I'm heading down to Josh's house to look at his vanity, he's not sure he likes it and wants an opinion.
