I really need to get out there with the camera....
today i planted my BlueStone plants.
2) WEIGELA Midnight Wine
3) PENSTEMON digitalis Mystica
3)AGASTACHE Purple Pygmy
1) VERONICA Darwin's Blue
I also need to find the perfect spot for my Yvonnes Salvia... i have 2 that are quite tall.
I was thinking to put them by my roses... but not sure yet.
I also planted 3 Desert 4-O'Clocks, some Asters. and H.June.... after making room for it.
that was it for today.
Much more to do for tomorrow.... then.. Off to Wisc for the week .... LOTS of clean up from fall/winter
I hope i have room in the car for all my plants... i have 5 potted Hostas, some ferns and 2 POLEMONIUM caeruleum Brise ... maybe we'll take 2 cars and i'll leave my "spare" up there ... i wasn't planning on doing that yet.
Cottage Garden Seed Swap & Chat #35
tcs, did you start your Yvonne Salvia from seed? Do yours grow well in Itasca?
Mine were rather anemic last year. Maybe not enough sun, I guess. In the photos on the various websites discuusing the Y. salvia it looks tall and luscious. Oh, well.
I planted in pots (to keep the critters away) 50 big liatris spicata bulbs from Brent & Becky yesterday. I can't see how these would fail, they were huge compared to the L. bulbs I usually buy from Lowes. I have to replant more each year because my L. succumb to wet rainy winters and the rabbits, voles, etc. devour them.
Also ordered 2 Major Wheeler Honeysuckles from e-bay. Bought them from 'Dogwoodiritter'. His plants seem to be pretty good and recommended by some other DGers. We'll see.
Hope everyone is having a busy weekend bonding with your plants!
t -- since this is my first year with Yvonne's, I wanted to see if i could get some 'really' tall... being zone5, i knew i'd need to start some in the house.
In Feb, i think... i put 30 seeds in a lil pot, then in one of those gusseted baggies and put it in a south facing window. Probably in about 8 days, i saw a few seeds molding... 4 maybe ... so i opened the bag ... gently stirred the soil ... a few days later, i had 4 germinated seeds.... 2 eventually died. Which left me with 2.
the taller of the 2 bloomed about a month ago. I've been keeping it outside... so it's been in some over nights with 30's and come thru like a champ ... so it is ready to go in the ground. It has not been getting any taller... so it's probably 'out grown' it's pot -- and the roots need room to roam.
I have 7 lil other seedlings... about 1.5" tall ... and still zero germination in my WS containers.
OH and i have a lot of FULL sun, so they should do well.... it's just finding the 'perfect' spot for them.
This message was edited May 3, 2009 7:09 AM
Right Meredith, typically after I plant a grafted rose all you see is 8-10" canes sticking out of the mulch.
My Yvonne's Salvia seedlings are struggling. They've stayed small and pale no matter what I've tried. I tried another fertilizer a couple of days ago, so we'll see. Last year mine didn't amount to much, but I figured it was the dry conditions.
So far, so good with our Yvonne's. I have them in 4" pots, out in the rain now. I would say they are about 4" tall now.
Gemini, some of my seedlings start to show paleness when they get over or under watered too, it may not just be the nutrients. Some of the bagged soils these days seem to contain materials that absorb too much water in my opinion. Salvias like good drainage.
Does anyone know if this is a NE Aster ?
I have a whole row of these, and I did not have them marked... but the only thing i can recall planting there last year was NE asters.
Here is part of my "south bed" ... the parsley is doing great!! my Roses look really healthy. The small pot in the front is the Butterfly Weed, containing the ones i thought i killed. [I've since added 6 more seeds, some have germinated already]
And my Yvonnes.
Is this a weed?
it's sorta fuzzy ... i have a lot of it, but i'd hate it to be some self sowing annual and pull them all out.
more weeds??
and if so... i've got a lot of pulling to do.
tcs I think that first pic is a NE aster -I can take a pic of mine so we can be sure. Not sure about that last one. I have tons of weeds that I am always waiting to see what they are. They usually flower quickly when they are weeds so once it does if it is a weed pull it out before it can finish. : )
I also figure... if they are all weeds.. i can pull them all and make more room for my WS seedlings. Yesterday i was sorta walking around in circles between the beds says, "Now where will this one fit?"
Terese, the first pic does look like some kind of Aster to me. The 3rd one looks like Rudbeckia hirta, but not sure about the last one. Looks like there could be some Rudbeckia and possibly some daisy fleabane in there. They look a lot alike, but daisy flea bane has softer fuzz while Rudbeckia has courser fuzz and feel almost sand papery.
OK... thanks Neal... i'll leave'em as i did have Ruds in that bed last year. I have NO Idea where i'm going to put all these plants!!
i just came in to look up Fever Few, since my container is a "Chia" i've got to get them in the ground.
many plants... which i really wanted, either have not germinated yet, or i got ONE.
Who did i give the Black Current Whirl HollyHocks too? ... did you get any seedlings? mine have not germinated, neither have my Charter Double Reds.
You didn't give me any hollyhock seeds, but I WS'd some Charter Doubles and they haven't germinated, so I've dumped that container into the garden already. I thought they just hadn't come up. Oh, boy, are you telling me I made a mistake?
Sharon
Sharon... they may still come up in your garden.
I think i have ONE variety of HH that have germinated... Country Romance, Romance County Mix ?? something like that.
nothing on all the others. Maybe it takes them longer... and i still have not found the yellows. maybe i direct sown them last Fall.
I started Hollyhocks back in Feb. I planted them out the other day .... in my new garden area that I spent two whole days breaking my back in to get the soil free of old tree limbs and tilled with lots and lots of compost. I am still sore from it!
that is one nice bed great job well worth the sore back when its all full and blooming
Thanks Mona .. do you remember a while back when I posted that pic with all the cardboard and mess near my shed? This is that area. The cardboard did a wonderful job of keeping weeds and grass from growing in there for the last year. Right next to where I had the cardboard - there is what I think is called barnyard grass. It has those stick like rhizomatic roots. I had dug it u[p from another area and made a pile and the stuff grew like mad. Than last summer I tried digging it up and got attacked by wasps or yellow jackets that had nested there. So finally in fall I broke the pile up and spread it around. Well anyhoo I had to dig through that and try to get all the roots out. It was starting to grow right under the cardboard. I think the only thing that'll stop this stuff is roundup but I am trying to remove by hand and watch and see how it goes. At least I have half the area ready for planting this spring. : )
Terese I think I have quite a few clumps of the plant you have pictured in post Post #6496757. They're in my 'nursery bed' and it's utter chaos and a complete mess. Last spring I was going out of town for 7 days and I just started plunking things in that bed just to get them into the ground before I left. It's now totally overgrown with weeds and I have very little memory of what I planted there. I thought maybe they were a coneflower? Is that a possibility?
>>utter chaos and a complete mess.
oh, some of mine are like that too.
No -- i was thinking New England Aster... and now i'm 99% sure that is what they are.
I bought A LOT of plant markers this year... and plan to mark anything where i am unable to recognize the foliage.
Plus -- i need to know what they are for when i need to save seeds.
Speaking of winter sowing I am having some success. Who was it that had wanted Joe Pye Weed in the swap? Did it germinate this time? Mine is germinating pretty well now. I have few others too, look at how thick the Verbena bonariensis is!
cool most of my stuff germinated and are growing very well some are still small and not sure if they will survive when I plant them in two weeks oh well
I think two weeks will give them time to grow enough... hopefully anyway! : )
Your wintersowing looks like a big success, Meredith! Congrats on the Joe Pye. That will be very striking in your expanded garden.
The verbena, too of course, I love for the butterlies it attracts. I didn't wintersow any, but thankfully I see some volunteers coming up in the garden. I can't believe they want $8.50 for a pot of it at the Garden Center!
Good to know I am not the only one who has to coax Yvonne Salvia to grow. I thought I was jinxed on that one.
tcs, whatever your unknown is, I think I have some too. And I did plant asters. Also some different echinacea type plants, so I'm thinking it could be any other those and I have not given it the yank, either.
My liatris sprouts are peaking through. That was quick. The weather is splendid for growing things right now (at least around here).
my liatris is about four inches tall it grows very fast and is so easy to germinate,
lisianthus is hard few germinate and most dont make it started with 150 seeds and have about twenty plants and they are still small will have to over winter them since they wont bloom this year
scicciarella, do you grow your liatris from seed? If so, which variety of Liatris? I've never had much luck with the seed. Even if I get it to germinate, it takes 2 or 3 years for me to get nice flowers.
being a perennial it does not bloom the first year unless started very early this year I did one flat of purple and one of white I left the seeds on the plants until I wanted to start them at the beginning of march I planted them directly with the fluff sticking out and they germinated in three days, I think there is about sixty plants of each purple and white since I want a large bed of the two mixed dont know how it will look but I am going to try, I will be looking for two pink plants as I hit the garden centers so I can trim the bed on the outside with pink will start those next winter so I know that it will two to three years before the bed is mature and blooming like crazy
I was looking around at my garden to see what's up and I only see 3 Liatris liguilstylis that I grew from seed, coming up so far. I think depending on which ones you grow determines how fast they are. I did three types last year and they allonly got single grass like blades their first year.
mine are already making more blades but I still think it will be next year before they bloom since they dont bloom until the root developes into a little bulb and that can take a full year or more oh well I am patient when it comes to plants
Yes I am patient too - or at least I try to be. ;) Maybe you have a secret fertilizer you can share? ; )
any fertilizer at half strenght is good for growing perennials something like 15-15-15 and you can add bonemeal mix some into the soil when you plant and then fertilize every two weeks and that will make a big difference keeps them lush and healthy is you have annuals or tropical that you want to bring into bloom use 15-52-15 it will make plants bloom like crazy use it every two weeks or delute to one quarter and use it everytime you water but only on plants at least half of the size they are as adults so the first one for seedlings at half strenght
or do it the easy way for the flower beds add poop mix into the soil the well composted stuff
i can definitely tell the difference between the cone flowers and what i'm assuming is NE Asters.
I've checked all my Joe Pye varieties, [3 types] zero germination!! **sniff sniff**
I have a full flat of very short compact asters with huge flowers they are so pretty cant wait to see them bloom, I got the seeds a few years ago as they were experimental from one of the seed companies I purchased two pack and was given one of these mixed asters and what I mean by mixed is that there is white, light pink, dark pink and purple all on the same plant they are amazing so I used up the rest of the pack and will be collecting the seeds in the fall here is a pic of them
Where do you find 15-52-15 Fertilizer??? I am always on the lookout at garden centers for those high numbers and never find anything. (Although I mostly try to use natural fertilizers, I do occasionally give my flowering plants a boost in summertime.)
Do you have a brand name I can look out for?
I don't know how you all keep track of those little Liatris seedlings for 2 or 3 years in the garden!? Mine get destroyed before they get very far along. Good luck and I will want to see photos, for sure!
Does anyone start Marigold seeds? I never have, in fact I don't like marigolds much, but I read somewhere that particular French marigolds are loved by some butterlies and so I bought a pack. Any thoughts? Is it too late to start these? (I'm getting addicted to starting seeds again.)
Thanks for all the advice. t.
Thanks Mona! Maybe I should follow your fertilizer regimen. The most I've done is add compost and composted manure to the beds. I do add diluted strength fertilizer to my seedlings before they are planted.
Tcs, Oh no! Don't give up on them yet! There is still time. My container is on the east side of my house. I think this is working out much better than when I had them on the west side. I had a lot less germination then and most of the stuff that germinated would end up frying up. Plus the containers would dry up too fast. I think I did a lot better this year following your tips here. Especially about how deep my soil is in the jugs. I cut up much higher this time and it is working much better. And I love teh twisty tie trick! So much better than duck tape. I can see why people are addicted to it now that I am having more success than failure. : )
Tab I never saw that high middle number in a store either. I have looked too because I have a Plumeria and some people suggest that to get them to bloom. I think you have to order it - isn't the name Bloom Booster? They had soething at a nursery I was at yesterday - I can't remember how high the middle number was - I think 30's but still much higher than any others I've seen. I was thinking of picking some up next time I'm there.
I searched bloom booster and it looks like Miracle Grow has one that is 10-52-10 http://www.scotts.ca/media/media/00092.pdf?cid=AFA77B77-65BF-EE24-2612-A05639354227&tkn=29469777
tab -- My germination rate for Ws'ing marigolds is hit or miss.... i get some but certainly a low percentage of seeds.
I have found -- in good soil, i have good success just direct sowing them. I have a tree, [well, its on association property] and there is hardly any soil, and what there is - is garbage.... very poor Marigolds.
In other areas... i just sprinkle and cover the seeds, and i get tons of plants... then i just transplant them.
i never used to like them either... but got some great "red" ones from Suzy 2 yrs ago...and now i'm getting different heights and colors... and i really enjoy them.
Terese
t, I've been sowing marigolds, they are easy and germinate quickly. It's not too late, do it soon though. I start ours indoors, under lights. The heirloom marigolds from the swap are huge already, clearly a taller type, compared to the some others. I can't wait to see their blooms.
Meredith, your new garden and all your seedlings and plants look great :)
I actually have a plant from Suzy's swap that is blooming for the first time...summer skies Chaenarrhinnum. And a few others from that swap are coming back, including nolana, amsonia and sea holly. The amsonia is still in cups and was never even planted yet...hopefully I'll find a spot for it this season.
10-52-10 will work just as well for lots of blooms just use it sparingly as to not over do it and hurt the strenght of the plant this is mostly used on annuals that will dead head on a regular basis to keep the blooms coming and then allow to seed at the end of the season to collect them