only penstemons i had were Husker Red .... but my envies were well labeled, so if you got them from me, the slip is in the lil baggy. but i gave out LOTS.
Gardening: Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #31
Speaking of Daffodils, I have a front yard full of 'Snowbird' a double white. I'll be dividing them when the foliage dies down...? May or June maybe, for a trade with another DGr. If anyone wants to trade for some while I'm at it, they would greatly appreciate the breathing room :)
They're tough little guys, got flattened by the 6" of snow we had last weekend, when they were almost ready to bloom. Thought they were gonners, but no, this weekend they're all perked up and blooming like crazy! They do droop in the rain, as their big blooms hold so much water. I just use that as an excuse to cut them and bring them in :)
I love penny orchid violas ever tried growing those they are so lovely had them last summer and started lots more this year
Klstuart, you have dave mail.
Maxine
tcs, all my penstemons were planted last summer from WS last winter :) I have red fox from Fairy (I lost them last year) to plant for this year, I want them all I love them!
I have the husker's red but they aren't green still.
This message was edited Mar 9, 2009 5:04 PM
Cross-posted from the Germination Forum:
As my seedlings grow and my inside space dwindles to zilch, I've begun watching the temps for signs that I can start moving plants to the green house. I know that snaps can take pretty cool temperatures as can corncockle, and it runs in my mind that cineraria can too. Are there any others that you know of that would be just with happy at 45-50° as they are at 65-70°?
(Therese did you get my DMail?)
I have some WS penstemons (white) from last year that are in the front yard - and they stayed green pretty much the entire winter. As did my Italian Alkanet.
LeBug, those violas are wonderful! But, not the ones I have :)
Lea-those are veronica, not penstemon:)
my penstemon foliage is not green either... it's a greenish, reddish, almost purple-ish. I dont have the image on this computer... i can post it later.
i was just out sloshing in the mud... just checkign things out before the next wave of pouring rain... and i've got quite a few big clumps of it. YAY.
I just started mine from seed this year I dont know how it will do in my zone will find out next winter will get seeds in the fall and start more if I like them well enough to make sure if they dont survive I will have some anyway I started the red and red orange and a package of the multi colored mix so I should have enough seeds
I have about 50 plants at this time
Fairy, Red Fox is Veronica lol I like veronica too lol I'm still gonna plant'em I was really wanting that one! Can't believe I missplaced the seeds last year but I have a good hold on em this year!
Robin those white ones did you get them from the other swap that Suzy had? Stokes I think, if you did they might be Veronica too, she had a Sightseeing Mix of Veronica and I got a white one out of it and a pink one, got rid of the purples :) If it's penstemon can you save me some seeds, pretty please off of the white, I'll save you some pink from the veronica :)))))
Some of my veronicas are still green they don't look all that like the penstemons but they are green. I have a few that are two yrs. old this year.
scicciarella, you'll like them I'm sure, I'd have to say they are one of my favorites! Red-Orange sounds very pretty!
La, can you copy a list from a spreadsheet somewhere and let us know what you are growing? Maybe we can tell you then, I know it's gonna be long lol I'll look Suzy's comment up and see what she said could go out early I'm pretty sure I saved it.
I raked two bags of leaves off of my plants today out front and still have all kinds of leaves over them lol Cut some grasses down, boy that blue lyme grass really wants to spread, I was hoping it would it's up two foot already. Cleaned my moonvine off of the trellis today, helped the neighbor fix his chain link fence that a tree limb fell on, took three of us lol Cut all of my tall dead plants away out front, it almost looks good out there now, still have a 'few' beds to take care of lol Jut tried to do the front b y the house today.
The toadlilies are coming up :) I have all kinds of plants coming up hope they ar en't foiled by freezing weat her I left them covered a little. It's so hard not to go ahead and clean all the leaves away but I know we'll still get colder weather and maybe even snow and another ice storm, last year I think we had an ice storm around the last of April sometime.
what did I plant well I will make it easier-I planted 9 different poppies-6 different lantana
14 different columbines-4 different gallardia-5 zinnias-3 gazanias-hostas-heuchera-astilbe-2moonflower-7morning glories japanese-2petunias -pansies-viola penny orchids-3penstemon-4delphiniums-multi color mix stock- multi color nolanas-mimulus-white robe-annual hibiscus-african daisies-6 asters- 4 impatients-fox gloves large multi color-6lisianthus-
cant seem to think of anymore right now the numbers are for different colors or kinds of the same plants example columbines I planted 6 different colors of barlows and 3 different colors of lamp shade and 5 different oriental columbines so it was 2 full flats and about 80 plants in each flat lol to many babies hahahahahah
This message was edited Mar 9, 2009 10:49 PM
La, If I had these growing I would probably go a head and put them out in the greenhouse (big lots) that I have, in full sun and put paper over the shelves for wind and a sheet down at the bottom. Nothing under an inch high at least. If it would freeze for a few days in a row at night I think I would set them inside over night dep ending on if the plant was loving the weather or not, some plants really like cold weather. Of course I think you would still have to harden them off like putting a row cover over the greenhouse.
gaillardia, columbine, money plant, penstemon, veronica, perennial lobelia, sedums, creeping thyme, dianthus, petunia, ostermin (sp), berginia, coral bells maybe if they are too small I would say no, sages, salvias, perennial geranium, violets, pansies.
There was a thread a few years back about someone putting their seedlings out on the front porch really early in the spring in Big Lot’s little greenhouses in the sun. I could do that this year with dad not here but not sure how I would keep the wind from blowing them down lol
scicciarella, you're going to have some nice plants there come spring! I'll be lucky to get that many going this year, you'll have to show pictures :)
columbine flat
Don't you love looking at those seedling trays thinking of how long it's going to take you to plant all of those lol My neighbors love me, I always give over half of them away :) They look like they are really happy!
I'm pretty sure these are penstemon - the leaves don't look much like veronica - I'll get a pic tomorrow and post it, if it's not raining too much.
Lea, I use a bungy to secure my big lots gh to the house. I had to cut a small slit in the back corner of the clear cover, but it works like a charm.
Mona - you are gonna be one busy gal with all those babies to transplant!!
Found this from Suzy, it was on the thread last year, this may help you La :)
1. Separate seed packs into piles: annual, biennial and perennial. Vegetables & Herbs are usually annuals.
2. Take a close look at the annuals, and see if any can be successfully direct sown. Maybe in a little raked section of clear earth that could be covered by a gallon milkjug in a falling-temperature emergency. Put those packs in a separate pile.
3. Sow the remaining annual seeds now, whether I have room or not.
4. In the next couple days, go through every seedling container and decide if they can be hardened off. Things like perennials and biennials can be hardened off, same with Bachelors buttons and Dianthius. This will create room for the annuals I sowed in step 3.
5. Harden them off, keeping an eye on the forecast.
6. If they are not really hardy, put them in a wheelbarrow to sun during the day, and wheel in and out of the garage at night.
7. Go back to the pile of seeds that can be direct sown and start in on them the first day it is dry enough to rake and fluff a little soil up out in the garden. [Note: Instead of sowing where I want them to go, I can also sow in a little 6" circle that I can cover and uncover, and maintain by pulling weeds easier, and of course I have better germination and more plants, but then the work of transplating migth offset all those benefits, so it's a decision I make on the fly.]
8. Wait for the annuals sown in step 3 to sprout and congratulate myself for getting all my seed sown.
How does that sound????
Suzy
Robin, I don't have anything to tie the bungy to on the porch :)
Back a little later, have seed trays waiting on getting filled up :)
Lea - we crossed. Is that your front porch you're putting that on? We can certainly try to come up with SOMEthing....
This message was edited Mar 9, 2009 9:38 PM
lets see if it loads large file
it didnt load will have to fix the file and try again
here is my Penstemon Husker Red
this was Fall of the first year. second year they bloomed nicely. nice lil petite flowers.
ok no colage so here are a few pics
new ones
more
another
ok enough more later
do you have your penstemon in full sun
That must be some kind of auditorium you live in LOL
That's quite a bunch of trays..Looking good.
Tubby
I took my formal dinning room and turned it into a green house since we eat in the eat-in kitchen I told DH that it is wasted space lol hahhaha it works because of large windows south and south east the house is not that big only about 3600 square feet
have to start three more flats tomorrow, I was going to do it today but forgot the soil in the garage and it was frozen lol
You got it Lea and thanks. You know my list looks a heck of a lot more reasonable like this - with the duplicates all taken out. It certainly looks a lot more manageable than my 11 page spread sheet. Here goes:
Marigold
Salvia Victorian Blue
Gerbera Daisy
Dahlia
Salvia Forrest Fire
Coreopsis Limerock Dreams
Torenia
Millet Purple Majesty
Amaranth
Nicotania
Bupleurum
Alternanthera
Pentas
Salvia coccinea
Salvia splendins
Verbena
Coleus
Rudbeckia (annual)
Alonsoa
Hibiscus Red Shield
Cerinth
Phlox (annual)
Angelonia
Cuphea
Lobelia
Asarina
Mimulus
Milkweed
Cineraria
Heliotrope
Petunia
Snaps
Corncockle
Crossandra
Peppers
Tomatoes
Zinnias
Various Herbs
If you could find last year's list that would be super! That famous list giver was how I knew about the snaps and the corncockle. Speaking of the list-giver does anyone have Suzy's email addy? If so would you Dmail it to me? (If you're comfortable doing so.) I gave her some NOID seeds last year and I'd like to ask her about them if possible.
Editing:
Oops I apparently still had the page open from earlier tonight. There are a lot more posts since the last one I saw where Lebug asked me to post my list. Sorry! I'll go back and read now.
This message was edited Mar 9, 2009 10:47 PM
scicci -- yes, my Penstemon is in full sun. they all are.
I probably have 5 or 6 established plants.
to early for vegies for me or herbs will start those last week in march or first week in april since nothing can be planted out except perennials till end of may first week in june
tcs, if this is the third year your blooms will be just beautiful! about three foot high, I just love mine! I love the foliage too, I need to transplant some to the other gardens. I have some silver speedwell that would look nice with that foliage :)
La, I found some quotes :) from Suzy and I think they are for Pennefeather and she is in z6b but if you put your plants in your greenhouse and it's 50 degrees at least at night they should be alright. I'll post Suzy's quotes in the next message.
Oops, I forgot my penstemons some are in full sun and some in afternoon sun.
This message was edited Mar 9, 2009 11:30 PM
4-15
Penne, Here is a list, I'm not sure on some of them, but the others I have experience with. I took a look at your 10-day forecast and tonight is going to be too cold for any of them. Thursday and Friday they can all go out to play, though, as long as you use Golgi's sunscreen. LOL!
I'm not sure why you would want to wait until mid-May to plant -- isn't your Virginia weather gorgeous in spring?
marigolds (they are almost ready to begin blooming), Start hardening them off now. I looked at your weather; go ahead and plant them when they are ready.
geraniums, Start hardening them off now; go ahead and plant them when they are ready.
thithonia, -- wait. This likes heat and a lot of it! Start to harden them off so they are ready to plant out when the nights are reliably in the 60s.
dahlia, -- wait. This likes heat and a lot of it! Start to harden them off so they are ready to plant out when the nights are reliably in the 60s.
vinca (cooler selection), Not sure.
bachelor's buttons, Start hardening them off now. Cool season annual, can take a LOT of cold...I had them planted last year and they flourished thorugh a week long freeze at easter.Plant as soon as possible
lady in red salvia, Start hardening them off now, but be sure to keep an eye on the weather. These are more cold-tempermental than others I have marked as ready to be hardened off.
calendula, Start hardening them off now. Plant as soon as possible. Cool season annual, can take a LOT of cold...I had them planted last year and they flourished thorugh a week long freeze at easter. Plant as soon as possible
blanketflower, not sure, but your bigger problem this time of year will be too much rainfall and not enough sun leading to crown rot.
spider mums- not sure, but if they are a hardy perennial, start hardening them off now.
cactus zinnia, wait -Start to harden them off so they are ready to plant out when the nights are reliably in the high 50s-60s.
pinwheel zinnia, wait - Start to harden them off so they are ready to plant out when the nights are reliably in the high 50s-60s.
and a blue annual salvia. Not sure, but they'd probably be fine to start hardning off now. One way to tell for sure is if the garden centers have them out.
On all the ones I say wait on, they would like to be outside in the sunshine if the temps are high enough, like this Thursday and Friday. Watch for sunburn the first few days or use a screen like Golgi suggested. Anyday the sun is out and it is warmer than they are inside is fine to let them out to play...I just find that traipsing up and down the steps with all my flats leads to gardener fatigue. :)
Suzy
Notice the date on this is in April, I know I have a lot of cold days to go thru yet :)
ok I have that same plant in full shade the last owner planted it there and it never bloomed last summer so either it was not mature or that she planted it at the wrong spot will move it in the spring and see if it blooms or maybe it just looks the same and is not will have to wait and see
I got blooms on mine the first year scicciarella, I'd move them to more sun.
well mine will stay in for now maybe next month when it is warm enough in the garage at night they I can just push them out the door in the morning and push them back in at night my back will not stand for the carrying of all those flats lol by mid april I will be able to move everything out lol only one month left hahahah then I can invite someone for dinner hahahahha
will do that as soon as the snow is gone which is sometimes next month