Hey, Chantell!

Did you see the ad in classifieds for the nursery with butterfly plants?

hm 4 views and none Chantell.... Love us nosey peeps!!!

Ya'll are a trip!! I think I'm gonna stick w/the one dwarf one that Bluestone is sending as a replacement for something else that bit the dust they don't carry any more. Having the postage stamp size yard that I do - I'm hoping a "dwarf" will work out well space wise. So sweet to think of me!!!

Not butterfly bushes, all kinds of plants that butterflies love. LOL Go look.

Ahh ok - gotcha! Course I'm beating my head (figuratively) against the wall...there was a plant I was looking for (not the rock daphne) but another one...grrrr....was either on MAG or Fragrant that I was talking about it...and I can't find it. The vendor had put it back on their site and God forbid I not be able to remember a plant I wanted...so frustrating to have a brain that goes MIA w/o warning!!! Ha!!! Found it! Sweet Almond Verbena - ahhh now my OCD self can quit wiggin' about it...shessh

This message was edited Jan 23, 2009 3:02 PM

I don't think having a brain that goes MIA is OCD. I think it's AGE. LOL

AGE....OMG...like you mean MY brain's getting oldER?!?!? Running to find a self-help book now... ROTFLOL

Wait until you go through menopause. You won't be able to remember anything. Let's see, where was I? LOL

Guess I should start looking for a room at the facilities now while I have 1/2 a brain, eh?

Nah, you'd just forget which facility. LOL

33 views!! Me and who else is still peeping!

*raising hand*

Hi, Sally and everyone. You're welcome to peek. LOL

well considering how off topic it often gets, it PAYS to read all the threads!!
(Now what did I come down here to do today? I forget...)
I fogot to get my emission test by Jan 21--What kind of deadline is that, middle of the month???? So now I have a late fee. AARRGGGHH

This message was edited Jan 25, 2009 9:51 AM

Uh oh! Did you know perimenopause starts in the 30s? LOL

Sistah, let's just say,
1- I'm no longer in my 30's and
B- I'm 'officially" qualified to be forgetful if ya know what I mean.

I thought you were in your 30s and not officially qualified to be forgetful. You young whippersnapper, you.

OOh cmon!! I hide my crows feet that well? And Preference by L'Oreal, I'm worth it!

Yeah and my zits cover some of my wrinkles...whats up w/that?

I never had acne when I was a teenager but it was awful when I was going through menopause. But I was so busy with the hot flashes and dizzy spells, I didn't notice.

What crowsfeet?

Ahem....Talking about OLD--thought I'd chime in......

Now--I DID get some seeds for a Butterfly Bush last year--from someone--I forget who????
(I'm allowed....)
Can I just start the seeds along with all my other seeds? I realize, being a perennial, there won't be any blooms this year. Right? What are my chances?
I still do not have much interest in Winter Sowing....Tried last year--everything that came up died anyway.
Any first-hand advice would be appreciated....

Thanks, Gita

Being s shrub, it probably needs a certain amount of cold before it can sprout. You can do that by planting outside.

I just looked it up. Several species of buddleia said to cold stratify for 4 weeks in the refrigerator but this may not be needed and then surface sow. Surface sow means they need light to germinate. Expect germination in 3-4 weeks.

You can cold stratify but putting them on a damp (not soaking) paper towel inside a ziplock bag and then put the bag in the refrigerator. Then plant them in your pots on the surface. Germination temperature is 70-75 degrees. Don't panic if they start to germinate on the paper towel, that happens often. Just move them as gently as you can to your pots.

I am sorry!

What i was talking about was NOT B-Bush---but B-Weed, which is a perennial.

Got a bit confused---but, you know, that happens when we age.....:o)

Anyway--any advice on the "Weed"?

I know you can plant it in the spring. I'm thinking it needs darkness. Let me check.

I had it backwards. Light helps germination so surface sow. You do need to stratify, which you can do by planting the seeds outside now or by using the baggy in the refrigerator I wrote about above. Needs 1-3 months of cold treatment, germinates at about 65 degrees.

I'd say plant a lot more seeds than you want plants. I've never gotten great germination from any of the seeds I've grown. If you want to plant them outside, just sprinkle the seeds where you want the plants to grow.

Thanks, hart!

I am always on a quest to find some hardy--all surviving--fight with tree-roots type of a plant to put in my "YUK" bed!!!!

Been hoping the Butterfly Weed would survive.....I an worried about just spreading seeds NOW! I may not remember where I spread them? I know I could mark the spot--but I would rather give the seeds a helping hand to germinate in my house, under lights--and then plant them outside.
Wet towels and baggies in the fridge coming up!!!! Maybe 2 months will do????
There are, probably, MANY plants I should stratify. Like Columbines, Cleomies, or any kind of natural biennials....
Just being lackadaisical......Ho..Hummm....

Thanks, Gita

Glad to help. I think two months in the refrigerator would be fine.

I scatter seeds that need light all the time. Usually it's pretty easy to tell the flower seedlings from anything else that might pop up. But the refrigerator works fine too. Cleome seeds I always scatter. They're really easy to tell from other things because they look distinctive, like thick feathers, and I've had such good luck with scattering. Once you get a batch going, they'll reseed themselves every year unless you have a lot of mulch down to block the light. They're also really easy to transplant when you want to thin them out.

hart--

Thanks! I got the Cleome seeds from a neighbor several houses down. They were a pretty pink and very strong, branched plants.
Last Spring she dug up her entire strip between the sidewalk and the street and turned it into a nice, long flower bed.
I walked down and asked her if she would mind that I harvest some seeds and she said OK.

Now--I don't remember exactly when this was--but it was on the day when frost was expected that night--and here she still had 3 Hibiscus standards planted in this same curb-bed and 6 Mandevillas twining up supports on each side of her main entrance.
I strongly encouraged her to dig all those up if she wanted to save them. Later on that day, I drove by, and she had dug them all up. Must have been quite a chore as she looked to be almost a senior.....BUT--I sure saved her a lot of money! Those Hibiscus standards sold for $60 each at HD. and the Mandevillas--were $13 each!

Can Cleomes grow in part shade? You know my space is limited......
If they would be able to survive among all my Maple-root matted corner bed (my "YUK" bed), I would gladly let them colonize there....Not too many things do well there.....
That is where I put your Blue Bellflowers last summer. They did not die--so I am hoping this Summer they will be on their way. Keeping my fingers crossed.....

OK! Enough chatting.....
As always--thanks for your help. Gita

Wishing you rainbows.....This was last summer--from my front door.

What a pretty picture! Check out this rainbow photo. http://www.live.com/

Cleome are really, really drought tolerant once they get going. Mine get a fair amount of shade but they don't do well in areas where they don't get some sun. By that I mean they don't seem as likely to self sow on those areas. Might want to save seeds from your plants in those areas.

The clustered bellflowers will do well in shade and they don't care if it's dry. They'll spread nicely for you too. Although they only bloom once, the foliage is pretty, and the blooms are so gorgeous, I can live with no reblooming.

Have you considered oriental poppies for that area? They do like more moisture but they look very pretty with the bellflowers. That's what I had growing together at my old house - orange oriental poppies and the purple bellflowers. They bloomed at the same time and were so colorful.

If you want some of the orange poppies, I'll ask Joyce is she still has some growing in her yard. I know she was trying to dig them all up a couple of years ago but she might still have some. They are hard to transplant but if you plant enough to get one or two going, they'll spread for you.

It's a good thing you told her about the hibiscus and mandevillea. It makes me crazy that the Walmart here gets tons of those in every early March and leaves them outside to die.

This message was edited Jan 28, 2009 3:19 PM

Hart,

I havea red/orange Oriental Poppy plant. This will be it's 3rd year--and it will be getting to be a bigger clump. It is NOT in a desirable place--so I might just dig it up and move it to my "YUK" bed...next to your Bellflowers---IF they made it!

The other plants I have in this bed--and that are doing OK--are:
This bed gets good sun most of the day--but, the roots........

Shasta Daisies
Autumn Sedums
Some red Daylilies
Trying to establish some perennial Cosmos (just bought them in 2008)
Chrysanthemum Pacificum
Couple of small variety Daffodils
One struggling Peony
One struggling Rose--has been there forever (Tropicana)
Two Hellebore (around my bird bath)
On two corners each--a Butterfly Bush--NOT doing well! Always get some kind of
Spidermites or something. The leaves just turn Yuk and that's that!
Have started a couple of Gauras in there too.

Any annuals I try to plant along the front of the bed--just perish.....Have tried Lantanas and
Globe Amaranths with moderate success. Also some Straw Flowers....

Here's the "YUK" bed---You get the idea! Look at that old Maple trunk! About 45 years old!
See how close it is to the bed?

This is a bit more to the right.....

Behind the trunk is an elevated bed where I have some Northern Sea Oats doing OK--and a Gooseberry bush--NOT doing much of anything....
The taller shrub to the right is my French Lilac. It blooms every year--but is also getting old.
Trying to "rejuvenate" it by cutting down some of the older stems at the base.

You can see my patio edge in the first picture.
The corner (YUK) bed, is my property line. As you can see--I do not have much room to play with.

This is looking at the other half of my back yard.

My property ends a bit past the shed. That is where I have room to plant my 4 or 5 tomatoes--in a bed on the other side of the shed.

The tree on this side is also a maple--but a Red (Swamp) Maple. The big one in the first pictures is a Silver Maple.

Here's my big, covered patio.
Great place for a Plant Swap--NO? Patio. Shaded yard. Lots of tables outside.
If one year I can beat Jill to it! We DO need some diversity in locations.....makes it more fair for people traveling from different States. Like Sally or I are closer to NJ and PA and the DC area.

Holly has this year booked--I think.
Sally has also expressed interest in holding one.
I am also standing in line........:o)

You have lots of drought tolerant plants there. Be careful moving the poppies. They're very hard to move. Try to dig as much root as you can, especially the tap root. And let me know if the bellflowers don't make it, I always have plenty.

I don't know why the cleomes wouldn't do well in that bed. Looks like they would get plenty of sun.

You know, there's no law saying we can only have one plant swap. The more the merrier and the easier for people to get to one close to them.

I love your shed. I'd be slapping a sheet of plexiglass over that slanted side to make a mini greenhouse/cold frame.

Yes...and Jill is gracious enough to plan the one at a time that we wouldn't be able to socialize outside. No one worry about me standing in line...NO room at my place...

There's NO reason why we can't have more than one spring, fall, etc. swap -- Different locations, Different days, etc. would all mean MORE people would be able to attend one or another.

I'm looking forward to Holly's swap this spring, and I'm hoping somebody else might offer to host a swap further south, for those folks who just can't get quite as far as PA (or even as far north as Frederick). If we have a couple of weekends that are "best" for people this spring, maybe we could have an earlier and later spring swap.

I think it would also be great to have gatherings at other time of the year -- any excuse to gather and "talk plants!" :-)

Some Asclepias don't need stratification... I'm pretty sure I just started some Ascelpias incarnata (swamp milkweed) under lights one year, with no cold treatment, although they can also be winter sowed. I don't think I've tried to start any of the other butterfly weeds... that "deep tap root, hard to eradicate" of A. syriaca just scares me, LOL.

Maybe it would make sense to have at least one per state - one in Pa., one in Md., one in Va. There would be nothing stopping anyone from attending all three if they want but makes it easier for everyone to get to at least one.

That's a great idea, Hart, and I think this forum has become active enough as DG has grown larger to support multiple seasonal swaps in the MidAtlantic area. I know you once mentioned being possibly willing to host another swap... and I loved the pretty drive down to your place! ;-)

Sounds good to spread out

For that matter, I'll bet we could get enough interest to hold monthly get-togethers in different locations... like a garden club! Judging by the number of plants and cuttings that might be coming to our "seed" swap this month, I'd say plant swaps can happen at any time of year with this group, LOL.

I LOVE a plant swap!!! Anyone with Clove trees to swap??? (Jill - you're laughing - come on - aren't ya?)