Ok, thats good to hear. Not much different from our summers :-)
Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #20
Mine really took off this summer-one of them started looking more like a wave petunia it spread so much!!LOL It ended up beinag about as big around as a large pizza...
Anybody started wintersowing seeds yet? Gosh, I can hardly wait to start!
Hold off if you get January warm spells like we do around here... If I WS'd now, half my seeds would sprout and then perish in the Feb. cold. I usually wait until after Groundhog's Day.
... I've been itching to.. but with the holidays, i havent had the time.
I've been cleaning, cutting and punching holes in containers... but that is as far as i've gotten.
Since i do not have the room in my basement to do this.. i use the kitchen ... so i have to wait another week ... or at least until Friday.
>>January warm spells
OH - we dont get many of those. a day if we are lucky, then back to the arctic freeze.
I don't think it wil get warm enough in January for anything to germinate. Gosh, you must have a lovely climate in Maryland.
We've had 60 degree days in January in the past, although this may be shaping up to be a colder winter. Then in February it tends to get down to single-digit temps. It's actually easier on plants if it gets cold and stays cold, I think. I'm in zone 6, so I can't grow most of the zone 7 plants anyway... and a lot of things get damaged by the fluctuating temps... Rosemary, for instance... it gets warm, the plants come out of dormancy, and then *wham* they get frozen back hard.
I am hoping for any kind of warm spell,,, Yesterday -1 with windchill -35 deg.
Had to close up the barn and blanket the horses.
the ones i plan to do early, will be put in the shade ... so even if we get 1 warm-ish day... they will still be frozen solid... that is the plan anyways.
I hear ya Gus... we have pretty much the smae weather now... though i'm farther north... but this cold is just COLD.
DH asked when we are going shopping for Xmas Eve dinner... i told him when it gets warmer ... though that is tomorrow and Wednesday.... i do NOT leave the house when it gets this cold.... luckily, i do not have a job, or i'd probably get fired.
I been wonderign too when to start. Us folks in the south need the early plantignto get the cold cuz we warm up so early, but right now the weather so crazy. Had a week in the 60' and 70's and have plants all sproute dut with new growth. Went from 70 to 19 last night ten degrees colder than predicted and in single digets with the cold and high today gona be in 30's and anothe rteens night then wil warmup an dbe back in the 70's
I afraid to put seeds out right now cuz if they srpout when it gets warm, now ay have room for tiny seedlinsg inside that many and gh not heated.
I feel like I playing pickle and I in the midle oneminute cold enough to think about plantign and the next ya runign to the other end and way to hot and ya back in shorts and sandles.
Living in the south is not all fun and joy for the few warmer days of temps. The thign I wonderign about and not sure if there any place to find out for sure if with the winter cold starting a month early and all thes eartic blasts we been gettign if that our winter for the year and we gona then go ona steady warmup or not. If it gona be a warmup for sure than ok to sow, cuz if we get freaky sumemr late freeze or cold, the plants would be somewhat stronger and can rig some hoop tunnels ove rthem for the night or two of that cold.
I was wondering the same thing! Great minds think alike :-) I started my WS last year at the end of Jan./early Feb (after I got my piggy seeds) and was afraid I might be too late. Not so - all the viable seeds that I planted correctly came up fine - I just had to learn my lesson about the potting medium. I used soil from an old compost heap that had been left by the previous owners, and of course had to weed the suckers when everything started coming up, and since I didn't know what some of them were supposed to look like it got kind of wild. This year I've got a couple bags of cheap-o potting soil and am going to do them at the end of January again. One reason is I was a doofus and didn't put the soil in the containers, so right now I have some frozen bags of soil....the other is the weather! It's supposed to get up to 50+ here on Christmas and the weekend after, so I figure waiting a month until winter is really here won't hurt anything.
I use 1 gal. containers, and have plastic spread over them (with holes sliced for water to get through) and anchor the plastic with bricks so it doesn't end up in someone's tree. That worked real well for me last year - all I had to do was make sure that all the containers were getting watered and things went really well. I don't know that I could keep up with milk jugs.
Wow- did I miss threads 13 - 19??? I was trying to stay caught up!!
Congratulations Lynn -what a wonderful Christmas gift! Hope your kids are excited for you as well. Please do let us know about the date! I love the idea of an "on line " shower.... ^_^
Genna
Genna ... no you didnt miss those threads... well maybe you did, but they [the CHAT treads] were a long time ago.
after our Piggy Swap last Jan/Feb ... we moved from the Seed Swap Forum to the Cottage Garden Forum .... and we've done all of our "chatter" in this thread ... #1 being last Feb i believe.
So, since our current seed swap is over, with the exception of Star's job and then us getting our boxes in the mail ... we moved back out of the Trading forum, [sine we take up a bit of room over there] and back into the Cottage Garden Forum.
so -- dont sweat it... you did not miss the Seed Swap Threads 13-19, there weren't any.
Sorry to confuse.... it was just a forum change.
BUT -- as Star mentioned... in these threads ... starting from Feb 2008 until now... there is a lot of pretty good info on the seeds that are exchanged... though also a lot of chatter.
[here is actually the first of the threads ... i found it on page 3 i think]
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/811207/
gemini - you did oink for mimulus cardinalis, and I put them in your baggy : ) I have Very humid summers here and they did good for me. They like moist soil but I have sandy soil so I just water them when there hasn't been rain for a while. Mine are in morning sun and afternoon shade and they did good. : )
Lynn, what wonderful news! Congratulations to the both of you! After 10 yrs. yes, I’d say it’s about time to tie the knot, that’s great news 8-) It is his sister’s loss, I would give anything to have a house full of kids on Christmas or heck anytime lol Christmas is not Christmas without any kids!
Neal, I was going to suggest the mimulus on your thread but just figured you already had some coming from the swap :) I had mine in almost all shade with dappled sun last year and they did really good and plan to plant them from now on, such a pretty little flower! They sure are hard to catch the seeds from though haven’t figured that part out yet lol I can’t remember how long they bloomed seems like it was up until fall, really hated to see them go.
Andrea, go ahead and order me two sets of just the pots, if they work that good I may as well order two sets lol Thanks for including me in your order :)
It’s 2 degrees outside right now lol I wanted to go shopping today but I’m not even sure my car will start! I had ice on the windows last night on the inside! Haven’t seen that for a while lol
I’m like Critter, the weather is too iffy until Feb. I hold off WS until Feb. I won’t do much WS this year I’m trying to be good and just do annuals this year but it’s hard lol I’ll appreciate it come summer though and I don’t have a lot of perennials to get in the ground and I can work on tweaking my beds this year :) I may actually have time to cut the grass too if I don’t have so many plants to plant LOL I have beautiful pl ants here and 1’ tall grass lol
Robin, you don’t have to worry about keeping up with your jugs, that’s the great thing about WS, plant and forget, I’ve never had to water mine, knock on wood! I did a couple of jugs for the nursery I give plants to last year and they still put them in their greenhouse I thought that was so funny lol So they didn’t learn about WS but loved the seedlings in the spring.
Oh, thank goodness.... I thought I was WAY behind... ^_^
genna
You know Lea, I'm just a big chicken when it comes to stuff like that :) I'm always afraid I'll forget to water and it will be the one time they really need it. I do have about half a dozen milk jugs Sis saved for me, so I'll go ahead and give them a try (I plan on cutting and then duct-taping them back together again).
Finished running some errands - LORDY it's cold outside! Up to 18 right now, but there's still a breeze so it really gets your attention. And with all due respect (OK, LOTS of respect) for the folks up in the north (NH, MI, WI and our further north friends in Canada and Alaska.....) in my book anything below 60 is just too dang cold. I had thought of modifying that to anything below 50, but I'm stickin' with 60, darn it! Gotta run a couple more errands but had to stop by home for a cup of soup before I head back out again. I count my blessings every day - and today one of them is the fact that the store that sells beer brewing stuff is within a mile of my house so I don't have to drive all over North Jerusalem to get him some stuff for his home brewing hobby. Oh, and I'm also thankful I don't have my Sis's septic line problem!!!!
Thanks for the info on mimulus. I have seeds but didn't start them last year as I didn't want to lose them due to stupidity :)
Ah, good M.cardinalis coming! I'm thinking I may have Oinked for the yellow or splotchy ones too.
Star, I think I will be looking for any Mimulus I can try! Lea, that's just what I was hoping to hear!
I started WS right after Christmas last year, and kept them on the North side of the house where they pretty much stay frozen. Some things, like Columbine and hardy Geraniums would actually benefit from warm/cold cycles. I split my seeds up and wintersow from now through March, so I only do really hardy ones first, and save the tender things till last. If you're not sure, best to wait.
Star, I would think it would be safe for you to start wintersowing. When do you usually start?
Thank you everybody. I am so glad to have you guys to talk to. We ventured out yesterday and came home with a beautiful ring. I had no idea it would be so hard to choose, but as soon as I saw "THE ONE", I knew it. This is the best year, I "met" you guys, and I am going to marry my best friend. I am having a hard time keeping this secret, thank goodness I can talk to you all.
What a wonderful thing to celebrate around Christmas, Lynn - wishing you and Joey much happiness in years to come.
Tuink and Fairy - hope you two are continuing on the mend.
Great thread, Neal - translating color schemes into flowers and plants is always fun - lots of great feedback there. I wonder how something with molten crimson/black leaves would do with the yellow/orange/white? Just a tiny dab here and there. Coleus is all I can think of, off hand. That black, cut-leaf elderberry, perhaps, but then there's those pink flowers...and I'm suspicious of how well the leaves hold that attractive black-ribbon effect later in the season.
I think, after Christmas, I'm going to start wintersowing primrose seed that I acquired but did not sow last winter from the American Primrose Society - http://www.americanprimrosesociety.org/index.html - might be time to join, still - if y'all have very cold winters (or not) and a shady spot, this might be something to consider.
I apologize for not coming around and oinking sooner, but it was either clean, bag and label for y'all and a few others or oink. Maybe next year I'll be able to simultaneously clean and oink - lol.
Glad everyone is safe and warm right now - our woodstove has kept us from turning into a couple of blocks of ice a few times in the past - need to get more creative about energy alternatives when the power goes down around here.
Hope my box arrives soon, Star.
bluespiral -- i too am getting into varied colors of foliage. I love the deep colors ... that is one reason i LOVE husker red digitals.
i am also interested in those [tall] dark Sedums... like Black Jack and something Emperor
from the seed co-op from summerhill... i picked up some lime green coleus and a dark few... lemme get the names.. i'm on a different computer and do not have my files.
Alternanthera Purple Knight http://summerhillseeds.com/alternanthera-purple-knight-p-201.html
Coleus Palisandra http://summerhillseeds.com/coleus-palisandra-p-233.html
and Coleus Limelight http://summerhillseeds.com/coleus-limelight-p-525.html
I honestly do not know what i was thinking - getting coleus.
I dont think they will have enough time to get big, from WS;ing and i do not have any 'lights' for seeds. I can attempt them in the south window on a heat mat - but i did do that one year [2007] and only a few of the coleus got nice and big.
so -- it will be interesting.
anyone have luck with WS;ing coleus?
I have a hedge row of the Black Lace Elderberry, and it is absolutely beautiful. I have received so many compliments from the neighbors. They were rather expensive, though. I took some cuttings, so if you want them, let me know. They held their color pretty well until they dropped their leaves. They have grown to about 7', and are about 3 years old.
Lynn, how wide are the Black Lace Elderberry I'm wondering, I planted one in the field and have the tiger sumach (sp?) with it those should be pretty together too, and I want to take cutting of those so I can plant more too, those cups are going to come in handy lol
If you don't cut the milk jugs all the way through at the handle, you can hold them together with a twist-tie and a couple of punched holes. I know lots of folks have posted photos, but you can also check the article I wrote last Groundhog's Day for container photos and basic winter sowing instructions.
Here is a picture I took of 2 of them last week. They are the bare sticks in the very front by the rocks. When leafed out, they were touching each other, but you could still see their individual forms. I prefer that look rather than the solid hedge look. My guess, is we planted them about 6 feet apart, but I will measure it later today or tomorrow. I need to get some of those cups, I have been just sticking a little cutting in a medium. I put a broken off branch in a pot of dirt that was out front, (approx Sept) and it was doing better than the ones I babied in the GH. Of course, I haven't seen it since we have had all this snow and freezing weather.
Theresa - Coleus 'Palidisandra' has self-sown over the winter here. True, the plants don't get very big, but in a tiny grouping, the small size can be an advantage. In late summer, I put the flower stems that have gone to seed in a paper envelope, and in a couple of months, the seeds fall out of their tiny pods all by themselves (gave them to last year's piggies). The offspring are not identical to the parent, but I have loved the variations in murky crimson over inky *black* - the whole effect has always been very dark - and the leaf and overall plant shapes are similar, but there are variations to how how much leaf edges are serrated or smooth.
Sooo - I would imagine that this coleus could be wintersown, with cuttings taken in water at the end of summer (pinching off flower buds) to root for larger plants the following summer.
In fact, I have known two people who filled their windows with glass shelves and translucent vases with coleus cuttings that stayed as cuttings all winter - the sun backlighting those arrangements had the beauty of stained glass widows in a church.
Lynn, the ground was pretty hard today, but I think we'll have a thaw in a couple of days. My Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn' has two stems, and they need cutting back. It's a young plant, so there's only enough material for about 4 or 5 hardwood cuttings. Would you like some cuttings from that for some hardwood cuttings of your elderberry?
I think elderberries are pretty deer resistant, judging from the local woods. I just stick my hardwood cuttings somewhere relatively fluffy and protected in the garden with about 4/5 of the cutting underground and leaves nipped off the part of the stems going underground. Good drainage is essential, so if you're not sure whether you have good drainage, then putting a inch or two of sand into the bottom of a fluffed trench would be good.
Welp, I haven't been back here but for two posts, and here I am oinking away - I'll bet no one enables like a piggy :)
I can't even begin to keep up with y'all! You are fast little piggies.
tcs, thanks for the tip. I now know how to do that. I practiced by posting my Favorite Christmas Story in the Holiday Forum. You the bomb!
Starlight, I'm still marvelling at your using the pots for sorting the seed, much less getting them in alphabetical order. How Clever! : )
Lynn & Joey, Congratulations! We want photos of the ring! : )
Tuink, sorry to hear you weren't well. I hope that is the last time you get sick this year.
Been under the weather myself, and in between fevers, running around trying to protect my plants from the freezing temps we've been getting. Nothing like some of you folks back east, but never the less can be devastating to my garden.
Glad I found you again, I'd been missing you! : )
WIB!
SW
Oh dear SW - there are far too many piggies getting sick! Stop that - drink hot cocoa and have some chicken soup!!
Sorry Singign Wolf to hear your comign down sick too. This weather is being terrible to evrybody adn I knwo it sure doesn't make it better with you having to be outside and sick. becareful ya don't catch pammonia (sp?)
Mail lady finally came. She cam elate cuz of so many packages to eb delivered and she said I had the most. She piled six piggy boxes and envelopes in my arms. Had fun tryign to get up the steps and in the door without droppign any.
She didn't get here til after four, so hurried up and pitche dem your troughs and took a coupel more pics. Not much different than the other day, except that they fuller.
and more piggy buckets fillign up. Soem folks gonan get stepped up to a 3 gallon bucket. Ya all are gonan be bussssssssssssyyyyyy. hehehehe for sure. LOL
the boxes are piling up alogn side of th ebed and the bed is almost full too. When it gets full will be putting trays on my plant stand and start fillign them. LOL
My poor bed used to being covered with my notes and books an dme fallign asleep with them, it probably wonderign what she doign to me now. LOL
Glad I don;'t mind sleepign on the couch and fallign a sleep to tv. : )
Star, I'm sitting here grinning at a memory - at the end of the last piggy swap we were looking at the lists and such and Suzy thought for sure she'd put a pack of seeds in one person's can and it wasn't there! EEK! (We went through the stuff in the cans one last time, and compared them to the spreadsheet I had to make sure we didn't miss any oinks.) We started going through all the cans in order of proximity in case her aim was off the day she tossed the seed packet - finally found it, but what a lesson I got in who asked for what!
Oh might help to if I tell ya all whose boxes arrived today so ya can relax and breath. heheheh
Arriving today .. drum roll if ya please....
Meridith
Pyromomma
MyGypsyRose
BlueSpiral
Danita
TrishAnn
I also gonan share somethign with ya that arrive d in one of the boxes.
Some of ya new folks may not know Suzie, but she started this Piggy Swap, so ya need to say thanks to her for starting it. Well she had like a photgenic memory and nothign slipped by her. She knew them seed sinside and out and what everybody had and what evrybody wanted even before they wanted it. She is and always wil be our resident QUEEN PIGGY and if you go back through the other threads, you wil see the Piggy that was made for her that so adorable.
Our Piggy swap motto this year is the one Meridth foudn for us with all of us at the trough. We down home piggies. hehehehe
Well, today from Trish Ann, I got a Christmas Stocking she made with my name on it. growing up my Christmas stockign was always one of my dads big streched out socks filled with ornages and apples and tangerines and nuts and that why to this day, at Christmas time I still make socks filled with fruit and nuts and go and give them out to folks who won't have anythign or anybody for Christmas to le tthem know that somebody does care.
So I got my first real Christmas stockign with my name on it. Thanks Trish Ann . I had been squirreling all the little goodie sya all sent unde rthe extra sed packets on the bed and was gonna look an denjoy them on Christmas as that when I plan on starting to sort through all the extra seeds and willign wish lists and woudl get to them one at a time. Now I gonna go an dhunt them back out and put them in my stocking.
Thanks for my Christmas folks. Really appreciate all the little goodies ya stuck in there. : ) Big Hugs for ya all((((((((((((Hugzs))))))))
Here my stocking, just hung up, and it will get filled on Chrimas Eve from ya all.
Dryad... I stil look back at them photos of Suzy and her cans and wonder how ...how. in the world. it looks so easy til ya do it. But I haveign fun. That my biggest worry that I wil miss somethign somebody really wanted or throw somethign they put on their I don't want list in there trough. Just hope I can do a fraction of as good as job as what she did. I really miss her and if ya talk to her tell her I said Merry Christmas to her and hers if ya would and hope she doign ok.
Don't you worry your sweet little head a bit Star :-) You have a tight grip on this thing, and you know us piggies will be tickled piggy pink with our treasures. I've not spoken with Suzy for about a month, but we're hoping to get together after the new year and catch up a bit. She still has a soft spot for all us piggies :-)
Starlight, I sure wish I lived close enough that I could come over and help you sort! Can you imagine us drinking cocoa and playing seeds? I'll raise my cocoa cup to you on Christmas Day and just imagine you having fun sorting through your goodies!