Gardening Tips and Tricks!

[Av8rgirl]

Tis the season to get started with your garden and landscape ideas. Brain and I put our collective heads together (now that in and of itself is quite a feat since we both have holes in our heads!) and came up with an idea to have a question and answer thread for you.

Brain is a fantastic gardener. She can grow the most gorgeous veggies and perennials of anyone I know! The pictures she has posted over the years have been spectacular! If we lived in the same town, she would be on my crew!

I have a Bachelor's Degree in Horticulture and own my own landscape design business. Over the course of time, I have learned what grows and what doesn't, how to make your yard work for you, and will answer questions about trees, plants, shrubs, bugs/pests, pruning, irrigation, etc. If I don't know the answer, I will tell you. But, I will also look it up and not keep you hanging!

So, as a team, Brain and I will do our best to see if we can help you with some of your questions. Feel free to post pictures of your gardens, plants, veggies, perennials, etc., as that's what this will be all about...

PS, I am also an arborist - someone knowledgeable about trees. I have been growing deciduous landscape trees for 12 years.

Welcome to our Q&A thread!!

Over to you Brain! ;)

[braingonebad]

So you have Flygirl, for your professional assisatnce and me, her unedjumacated sidekick!


I've been gardening about 20 years. I moved in here and curiosity get the best of me. What is all this stuff, coming out of the ground?

I had a mint bed and all kinds of bulbs - COOL! Apple and a pear tree, all kinds of stuff.

Over the years I've tried one of everything.

:D

I am now trying to do most of it as naturally as possible. I compost, so I make my own dirt. I use mostly vinegar and epsome salts because pesticides and that stuff is bad for me, my family and pets, and all the wild things.

One thing I wanted to ask you about was my roses, Flygirl. They're really giving me grief lately. I'm thinking it's what's splashing up on them when it rains that is causing a lot of the black spot and mildew.

What would you suggest as mulch? I usually use shredded cyprus. Is there something better? I was thinking of doing a low ground cover - Dragon's Blood Sedum - instead.

[Kitty]

When is the best time to plant hydrangias? I have one in a small pot and want to plant it outside but don't know when - and where? In the sun or in a shady spot?

Thanks!! :)

[Curious]

this is awesome!!! thank you both so much.

i'm going to have a balcony garden this year. i'll have lots of questions as to what is best to plant here in north texas. :D

[bluenurse]

Oh Wow, this is great!! My question---I have several peony plants and peony trees. Two years ago we had a very wet summer. My peony plant leaves and stalks started turning whitish grey, and then got black spots all over. I cut them back to the ground. Last year they came back up with the same problem. I cut them back again.Thank goodness my peony tress are still healthy.

Is this fungus, and how do I get rid of it? Or, do you think this is some other problem?They are just starting to come up again. They didn't bloom that well last year either.

[Av8rgirl]

When is the best time to plant hydrangias? I have one in a small pot and want to plant it outside but don't know when - and where? In the sun or in a shady spot?

Thanks!! :)

It depends on what type of Hydrangea it is. Is this a Hydrangea that was given to you as a gift from a florist? If so, it may not survive outside. Some of these types of plants are "specialty" plants and don't usually survive outside.

Although you live in a generally warmer climate, you can try growing it outside if you wait til the weather warms up a bit more and the ground warms up. Plant it in an area that is well drained, but not dry, and will get some sun in the morning, but not the hot afternoon sun.

Or just repot it and keep it as a houseplant.

[soxmom]

What a nice thing to do ladies.:) Ill be back with some ?s.

Sox

[Av8rgirl]

Oh Wow, this is great!! My question---I have several peony plants and peony trees. Two years ago we had a very wet summer. My peony plant leaves and stalks started turning whitish grey, and then got black spots all over. I cut them back to the ground. Last year they came back up with the same problem. I cut them back again.Thank goodness my peony tress are still healthy.

Is this fungus, and how do I get rid of it? Or, do you think this is some other problem?They are just starting to come up again. They didn't bloom that well last year either.

Peonies --- Tree Peonies should never be cut back. At least that's my opinion from my training. If you have some sort of fungus on them, then that should be treated and the infected leaves and stalks should be removed and destroyed.

Shrub peonies should be cut back every year. What you are describing sounds like a fungus. Make sure when you do your spring clean up, that all of the mulch and dead leaves and stalks from last season have been completely removed and replaced. The fungus is probably still growing in the mulch from the previous season.

During this season, if you see any leaves or stalks appearing with these same black spots, remove them immediately. Be sure that water is not splashing onto the plants.

[Av8rgirl]

One thing I wanted to ask you about was my roses, Flygirl. They're really giving me grief lately. I'm thinking it's what's splashing up on them when it rains that is causing a lot of the black spot and mildew.

What would you suggest as mulch? I usually use shredded cyprus. Is there something better? I was thinking of doing a low ground cover - Dragon's Blood Sedum - instead.

Roses don't like water splashed on their leaves. Either from overhead watering or rain or splashing water. This does cause blackspot. As for the powdery mildew, this can also be caused by too much water and too much mulch around the base of the roses. I don't use too much mulch around my roses. I keep an area away from the roots. This allows air to circulate and keeps them from getting too much water and keeps the soil from staying wet. Roses don't like their feet wet.

I live in the high desert (3500' elevation) and my roses are in a bed with hot southwest exposure. They get about 20 minutes of drip line water each day and do just fine. We get about 10 inches of water a YEAR so as you can see, my roses are not water soaked at all. Last year, they were totally neglected b/c I was not well most of the summer. They didn't even get a good pruning and they just thrived! Neglect does them well!

My advice on roses - don't fuss over them. Fertilize them with a good systemic and prune them in the Spring, cut the flowers when you want something to look at, but otherwise, just leave them alone!

I've got a good au naturale recipe for aphids...

[braingonebad]

Thanks! Neglect I can do, lol.

I don't water them much - we usually get enough rain for roses. And aphids don't seem to bother them since I started putting the epsome salts around the roots. You just have to add more when the rain washes it away.

[braingonebad]

When is the best time to plant hydrangias? I have one in a small pot and want to plant it outside but don't know when - and where? In the sun or in a shady spot?

Thanks!! :)

You're in Georgia? GA spans 4 heat zones! I don't know when you're supposed to plant anything, LOL!

One thing you could do is head to a nearby green house and ask when planting season starts for your area. Or find the nicest yard in town - The owner will tell you.

;)

I'm in NW OH - just shy of Michigan - and we plant on Mother's day.

You want to wait till after last chance of frost, and give it a week or two just to be safe.

Sounds so far off but trust me there is plenty I need to do out there before I'm ready to plant anything.

[Shelley]

Um...how do I get my husband to send me flowers? :p

Only kidding, great thread guys!

[braingonebad]

Um...how do I get my husband to send me flowers? :p

Only kidding, great thread guys!

Start picking out the ones YOU want. REAL 'spensive ones.

Trust me he'll buy ya something.

:D

[Taffy]

You two are the most awesomemost!:D

[Twinkletoes]

What a cool idea for a thread!

Okay, we're considering building a house on a lot with a bunch of trees. Some were in the way and so we had them removed; but an old, unhealtlhy-looking, smallish apple tree is still there. I know a diligent gardener would spray for those dern moths, but we tend not to be real diligent.

I think the trunk got beat up because no one ever properly pruned it, so (my guess) it has been the victim of years of neglect. There are still some other trees, including Potawatamie (sp) plums and poplars(?) And the ever-(un)popular Chinese elms. :mad:

Is it hopeless? Can you recommend therapy?

Save it or Saw it?

[hollym]

Oh drat! I took this literally as in Brain and Flygirl were coming to my house to garden. I would even offer my husband's culinary expertise to feed them and I would tend bar. Alas, that wasn't the offer, though.

I guess now I have to read through the thread and try to figure this gardening stuff out!

[Av8rgirl]

Oh drat! I took this literally as in Brain and Flygirl were coming to my house to garden. I would even offer my husband's culinary expertise to feed them and I would tend bar. Alas, that wasn't the offer, though.

I guess now I have to read through the thread and try to figure this gardening stuff out!

I was just out at Laurel's house and am doing a landscape plan for her! I did do one for her neighbor across the street! LOL! ;)

[Av8rgirl]

What a cool idea for a thread!

Okay, we're considering building a house on a lot with a bunch of trees. Some were in the way and so we had them removed; but an old, unhealtlhy-looking, smallish apple tree is still there. I know a diligent gardener would spray for those dern moths, but we tend not to be real diligent.

I think the trunk got beat up because no one ever properly pruned it, so (my guess) it has been the victim of years of neglect. There are still some other trees, including Potawatamie (sp) plums and poplars(?) And the ever-(un)popular Chinese elms. :mad:

Is it hopeless? Can you recommend therapy?

Save it or Saw it?

Fruit trees take a lot of attention, and yes, they must be sprayed with dormant oil unless you like bugs eating the fruit every year. They also take a lot of pruning in order to get fruit. 1/3 each year. Apples and Plums are pruned the same way.

There is no easy way to describe how to prune fruit trees. My suggestion is to go to your local nursery and/or bookstore and get a book, Sunset has some great ones on Fruit Trees, and read up on them. They come complete with diagrams.

Poplars are great windbreaks but are messy and have a lot of roots. If you start taking them out you are going to end up with a mess, and I do mean a mess. You cannot just cut them off at the ground. You will end up stimulating more sucker growth and have more populars than you would if you just left them undisturbed. Taking out populars requires stump grinding. But it is well worth it in the short run....

[Av8rgirl]

Um...how do I get my husband to send me flowers? :p

Only kidding, great thread guys!

Send yourself flowers and see if he catches on! LOL!

I work part time at a Florist shops and it's amazing how many women do that...it works, sometimes. :D

[hollym]

I was just out at Laurel's house and am doing a landscape plan for her! I did do one for her neighbor across the street! LOL! ;)


Oh sure, skip right over western PA! I don't just need a plan, I need an overhaul.:eek::p:D

[southie]

LOL! I love this thread!

Already got my gardening going and the
whole kit and caboodle - but of course
I live in the tropic zone so I start in
Dec & Jan ... months earlier than y'all.

If anyone's in the DEEP SOUTH - I can
HELP y'all down there - but I can't
answer any questions outside of that
zone though .... SORRY CHARLIE!
(oops - didn't mean to steal the line
from Starkist!)
:D

Collard Greens Anyone??

http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa131/headstorms/collards.jpg

[southie]

Um...how do I get my husband to send me flowers? :p

Only kidding, great thread guys!


<---- still waiting for a response!

Excellent question because I'm sure
10,000+ women are still waiting for
an answer!

I never could get my (ex) husband to
get me any flowers - I ended up buying
my OWN Rose Bushes! Geesh!

;)

[Bets]

Love this idea, I have tons of questions!

I have a Dwarf Magnolia and a Witchhazel (zone 7). When do I fertilize them, how often and how? Some people have told me to poke holes in the ground and put fertilizer there (with fertilizer made for that way) others have said the kind to sprinkle in the area is better.


THANKS!

[JessieSue]

Oh sure, skip right over western PA! I don't just need a plan, I need an overhaul.:eek::p:D

And once you leave Holly's maybe you could scamper on to central PA. I need a plan too! Although we'll probably just end up on my porch drinking and shootin' the breeze! LOL:D

[Bets]

Although we'll probably just end up on my porch drinking and shootin' the breeze! LOL:D

That's a good plan:D


My next question, Can I grow Wisteria in a huge container? I'm trying to hide a wall but there is a french drain at the base so nothing will grow in the ground. Any other type of plant you recomend?

[Av8rgirl]

Love this idea, I have tons of questions!

I have a Dwarf Magnolia and a Witchhazel (zone 7). When do I fertilize them, how often and how? Some people have told me to poke holes in the ground and put fertilizer there (with fertilizer made for that way) others have said the kind to sprinkle in the area is better.


THANKS!

Fertilize them now with a fertilizer that is a bit higher in Phosphorus. Fertilizers have what they call an NPK ratio, 3 numbers. A balanced ratio of 8-8-8 or 10-10-10 is fine this time of year, but in a couple of months you will want to give it a fertilizer with a 5-10-5 ratio.

A broadcast, granular type fertilizer that waters in easily is just fine. Miracle Gro makes a good one and so does Scott. Whatever is easiest for you to use and convenient. Just watch the ratio on the bag.


General Purpose Fertilizer - designed to provide basic nutrients for any plant, best for trees and shrubs.
· Lawn Fertilizer - Tends to have more nitrogen which turfgrass needs
· Flower Garden Fertilizer - Tends to have a bit more phosphorous which is needed to help encourage blossoms.
· Vegetable Garden Fertilizer - Higher percentage of all major nutrients since closely planted vegetables need more food.

[Av8rgirl]

That's a good plan:D


My next question, Can I grow Wisteria in a huge container? I'm trying to hide a wall but there is a french drain at the base so nothing will grow in the ground. Any other type of plant you recomend?

If you can containerize a Wisteria...more power to you!!!

I would suggest a Clematis. They are much easier to grow in a large container and you can put up a nice trellis for them. Wisteria are very vigorous and invasive and I don't think you could contain it in any type of container except maybe a dump truck! LOL!

[Av8rgirl]

And once you leave Holly's maybe you could scamper on to central PA. I need a plan too! Although we'll probably just end up on my porch drinking and shootin' the breeze! LOL:D

Sure Jess...send me pictures! ;)

[prettypearlgirl]

Awww, I kill everything I touch, LOL!!! Can you two help me with my house plants? I'm murdering my spider plants, the aloa vera, my prayer plant...... oh, and the boston fern has lost most of it's leaves. There's a few others that I haven't killed yet, but I can tell you they are not very happy. Maybe it's my singing to them that's doing it????

Carolyn:hug:

[Koala77]

Wow! What a fantastic thread!

I don't have a question at the moment, but I'm sure I'll have plenty when spring gets closer where I live, and we're ready to start putting the garden in order.

I'm wondering if there may be a way this could be made a sticky....if the Mods, Av8rgirl & Brain agree that is?

[hollym]

Sure Jess...send me pictures! ;)


I guess I scared her off with the word overhaul!:eek:

[Av8rgirl]

I guess I scared her off with the word overhaul!:eek:

Not me! Send me pictures. I can overhaul your yard Holly! ;)

[ewizabeth]

Hi ladies,

What can I do about my rabbit problem? They eat practically everything that I try to grow. I know about chicken wire, (which seems to be the only way to accomplish anything) but I'd like something that looks good too. Should I just break down and get a live trap? Or is that futile? :confused:

[Av8rgirl]

Hi ladies,

What can I do about my rabbit problem? They eat practically everything that I try to grow. I know about chicken wire, (which seems to be the only way to accomplish anything) but I'd like something that looks good too. Should I just break down and get a live trap? Or is that futile? :confused:

Is this your garden or your yard? There are rabbit proof plants that you can plant around your garden to help keep them out so I need a little more information about what area you are trying to keep them out of...

If it's your garden, chicken wire over the area is a good idea. Yes, it is unsightly but what do you want, veggies or rabbits?

Rabbits can be trapped, but you will be trapping them and doing what with them? Releasing them? They will be baaack!!!!

[NaeNae]

I'm with Wiz...I'm having animal problems....only mine are deer. Now this is in my fron flower beds in front of my house so I can't go crazy with fencing LOL!

I know deer don't like smelly things...but neither do I!! Ack marigolds! I want some pretty, colorful flowers that aren't 4am deer treats!

[Av8rgirl]

I'm with Wiz...I'm having animal problems....only mine are deer. Now this is in my fron flower beds in front of my house so I can't go crazy with fencing LOL!

I know deer don't like smelly things...but neither do I!! Ack marigolds! I want some pretty, colorful flowers that aren't 4am deer treats!

Here is one of the websites that I use for Deer Resistant plants.

http://www.deer-resistant-plants.com/

and one for rabbits that I found from Colorado State Extension

http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/chaffee/Critter%20resistant%20plants%20.pdf

[braingonebad]

What a cool idea for a thread!

Okay, we're considering building a house on a lot with a bunch of trees. Some were in the way and so we had them removed; but an old, unhealtlhy-looking, smallish apple tree is still there. I know a diligent gardener would spray for those dern moths, but we tend not to be real diligent.

I think the trunk got beat up because no one ever properly pruned it, so (my guess) it has been the victim of years of neglect. There are still some other trees, including Potawatamie (sp) plums and poplars(?) And the ever-(un)popular Chinese elms. :mad:

Is it hopeless? Can you recommend therapy?

Save it or Saw it?


One apple we had, we finally chopped - it just dropped all the fruit, which never ripened.

The other, we do very little with.

I'd tell you Cheryl is right - there is a lot to know about apples. But we get by with very little upkeep on the apple tree we kept.


Of course, we do get some wormy apples - but we prefer that to worrying about the effects of the spray. If you prefer to spray, you can look in the phone book for an arborist, or ask at a landscaping co near you for instructions to DIY.


Cut off 1/3 - no more! - of your tree's limbs any time now. Spring is generally a good prune time. But check with each plant type.

Cut off

Branches that are not horizontal, ones that cross (lose the weaker one) and diseased or dead ones. (If you have to keep ones that fall in any of these categories, go with the ones that hang down. At least they'll give fruit)



Don't leave any nubs - cut them all the way off t the base where they start or you only promote more bushiness.

When the tree blooms, take off the flowers as they fade, until you have one bloom per six inches of branch.

This allows each fruit to fully develope. Apples grow their nodes this year for next year's blooms. so if they have too many flowers, too many fruit, you get into a pattern of no blooms or fruit the next time - or every other year - because it does not have the energy to do it.

One time, maybe two, of bloom picking should get it back on course.

You might be surprised to find even a littl attention and light prune will pump some life into it. Ours must be older than me, neglected for decades. Came around with very little loving.

Give her a chance and if she doesn't respond, then consider the axe. I hate to lose a tree that could be good, you know?

[braingonebad]

Awww, I kill everything I touch, LOL!!! Can you two help me with my house plants? I'm murdering my spider plants, the aloa vera, my prayer plant...... oh, and the boston fern has lost most of it's leaves. There's a few others that I haven't killed yet, but I can tell you they are not very happy. Maybe it's my singing to them that's doing it????

Carolyn:hug:

Are you misting? If so, don't. With most plants like those water collects at the base of the leaves and causes rot. They like humidity, but only in the air around them.

Watering - they like the soil to feel dry to the touch before you water. But do water.

How long since they've been repotted? The soil may be out of nutrients, may have become contaminated. Fungus, bacteria, and pests happen even in indoor pots.

I have an easier time with outdoor plants than indoor ones because natuter takes care of all those things better than I do.

:rolleyes:

I'd probably start with a fresh bag of Hyponex, a clean pot - check to see if their current one is still large enough, and if so just wash with hot soapy water. If not, only go up one size.


Wash the roots off well too with luke warm water - just in case it is something in the soil. Heck, wash the leaves, genlty. If there are any sick looking ones, cut them off. I use a solution of 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water to kill bacteria if I really think the plant is sick. Pot them up, water well.

If it's a newer problems, I'd put them back where they were. If it's an on going thing, I'd rethink where they were. Maybe the lighting isn't right, maybe it's not warm enough, too warm.

Then try to water on a schedule when the soil feels dry.

[braingonebad]

If you can containerize a Wisteria...more power to you!!!

I would suggest a Clematis. They are much easier to grow in a large container and you can put up a nice trellis for them. Wisteria are very vigorous and invasive and I don't think you could contain it in any type of container except maybe a dump truck! LOL!



Good idea! I'm growing clematis in a container and it blooms nicely. I'm trying trumpet vine too, so I'll let you know how that goes. They get a bit bigger which may help you - since you seem like you want a larger plant.

Another one might be mornig glory. I'm not a fan, but it's an idea.

[braingonebad]

Is this your garden or your yard? There are rabbit proof plants that you can plant around your garden to help keep them out so I need a little more information about what area you are trying to keep them out of...

If it's your garden, chicken wire over the area is a good idea. Yes, it is unsightly but what do you want, veggies or rabbits?

Rabbits can be trapped, but you will be trapping them and doing what with them? Releasing them? They will be baaack!!!!


I have rabbits inside my fence, lol. So I bought an articulated wooden cobra. It scares the tar outta everybody who sees it - it's not terribly realistic, but real enough. Cost me one dollar.

:eek:

Good enough to keep the rabbits out of my veggies.

Also, I do plant stuff especially for the rabbits.

(cuz I'm cool and that's how I roll) :D

I put a few johhny jump ups in, and they think that's their personal salad bar. Those must taste better then the other stuff, because the bunnies nibble the johnnies and that's about all.


I do still have to put the lettuce in pots. But I ain't lost a pepper or tomato plant yet.


Funny thing too, the rabbits never eat the johhnies completely gone. They just nibble them down so they'll keep growing - like they know it's their crop.

[Av8rgirl]

Good idea! I'm growing clematis in a container and it blooms nicely. I'm trying trumpet vine too, so I'll let you know how that goes. They get a bit bigger which may help you - since you seem like you want a larger plant.

Another one might be mornig glory. I'm not a fan, but it's an idea.

Trumpet vine, in my opinion, won't do good in a container...the roots are huge and very invasive. I think it would stunt the growth of the vine, and you wouldn't get good blooms.

Lace Vine might work in a container as it doesn't get very large.

[hollym]

Not me! Send me pictures. I can overhaul your yard Holly! ;)

I can send you pics and you will start humming the theme song to "Desperate Landscapes". It could be handy to know a landscaper who understands the limitations of people who have disabilities like heat intolerance, fatigue, etc.

[braingonebad]

Trumpet vine, in my opinion, won't do good in a container...the roots are huge and very invasive. I think it would stunt the growth of the vine, and you wouldn't get good blooms.

Lace Vine might work in a container as it doesn't get very large.

Okay, I may have to dig her up and move her. Thanks!


Holly - Fatigue more than heat for me. I have a *One Bucket Rule*. I only fill one bucket with weeds, plant one bucket of plants, or spread one bucket of whatevers at a time. It used to be one wagon lol.


I found fiskars makes the lightest weight yet sturdy tools - that helps.

Garden early to keep out of the heat. You can do it at night, but then you have the skeeters. Blech, no thanks.

It is hard not to get so into it I forget to stop. I always end up sore a few times at the start of the year.

[hollym]

Okay, I may have to dig her up and move her. Thanks!


Holly - Fatigue more than heat for me. I have a *One Bucket Rule*. I only fill one bucket with weeds, plant one bucket of plants, or spread one bucket of whatevers at a time. It used to be one wagon lol.


I found fiskars makes the lightest weight yet sturdy tools - that helps.

Garden early to keep out of the heat. You can do it at night, but then you have the skeeters. Blech, no thanks.

It is hard not to get so into it I forget to stop. I always end up sore a few times at the start of the year.


Last year I tried to garden one day. It was early spring and I was trying to get ahead of the weeds. It was only about 60 degrees and after about 45 minutes, I was in deep trouble. I was using my arms like flippers and almost couldn't get the door open to get back into the house. That is when I gave up.

Today I had to choose between frosting cupcakes and being able to curl my hair. I just don't know what I can do with the gardening unless it is extremely low maintenance. The weeds around here are going to kill me. I have 1/2 an acre and I couldn't keep up even if I didn't work especially when I only have a small window of ability each day.

Is there any such thing as plants that choke out weeds?

[Av8rgirl]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/victorygarden/images/knowhow/tools/pruners/hedgetrimming4_lg.jpg

I found these new pruners a couple of years ago made by Felco. They have a rotating handle which makes it much easier on my hand when pruning. I love Felcos because they come completely apart for cleaning and sharpening. I have had one pair since my first year of school, 2001, and love them. They stay sharp and clean easily! This particular pair is Model 7. If you are left-handed, then you will want Model 10.

http://www.felcostore.com/pruners.jsp

If you go to their website, they also have tips on maintenance for their pruners. I love them. They are the only ones I use.

[braingonebad]

My yard's about like that, a little bigger maybe. You could try weed block. I'm not a big fan. It's SO much work to put it down. Then, what if you want to move the plants around?

It's fine for the area around the decorative grass, because the grass is all that's in that bed and we are not moving porcupine grass.

And it's okay if you're doing a new bed. But try getting it around existing plants. What a nightmare. And some plants are biennial(sp?) and die off if they can't reseed.

I have not found ground covers that keep all the weeds out. but some do disguise it some - I have a low sedum, some dead nettle, and some thing that blooms in yellow. A few others, not like I remember, lol.

I also mulch heavy in the spring. That keeps some weeds down.

But if ya come here, you will see weeds. I do what I can, but it's part of the game.

[braingonebad]

And hey, I got the first of those flower/bulb/seed catalogues I requested!


:)

Ooohhh, the lilacs! Green coneflowers!

What's scary is how many of these plants I already have.

Ima hafta start on my friend's yard.

:D

I do want Canterbury bells though. One of these days.

[hollym]

Here's a question. I've been battling crown vetch for 11 years now. I can't get rid of the stuff. Apparently, someone thought it would make a good ground cover.:eek: That stuff is so invasive that it could take over the world. I pull and pull and can never get it all. So, what do I do?

I've also read that a layer of newspaper works as a good weed block. Anyone have success with that? How about Preen?

[ewizabeth]

Is this your garden or your yard? There are rabbit proof plants that you can plant around your garden to help keep them out so I need a little more information about what area you are trying to keep them out of...



Hi Cheryl,

It's just shrubs and flowers. The rabbits ate my little lilac bush during the winter. :mad: They even chewed on my roses with the thorns!

I can't plant many things because they're so tasty. I have a serviceberry shrub in front that's still surrounded by chicken wire. I don't know if it's safe to take it off.

Oh, they also chewed up my burning bush this winter. I like pretty, ornamental plants, but so do they, too much!

I have rabbits inside my fence, lol. So I bought an articulated wooden cobra. It scares the tar outta everybody who sees it - it's not terribly realistic, but real enough. Cost me one dollar.

:eek:

Good enough to keep the rabbits out of my veggies.

Also, I do plant stuff especially for the rabbits.

(cuz I'm cool and that's how I roll) :D

I put a few johhny jump ups in, and they think that's their personal salad bar. Those must taste better then the other stuff, because the bunnies nibble the johnnies and that's about all.


I do still have to put the lettuce in pots. But I ain't lost a pepper or tomato plant yet.


Funny thing too, the rabbits never eat the johhnies completely gone. They just nibble them down so they'll keep growing - like they know it's their crop.

Oh that is so CUTE! What good bunnies you have! :D Ours eat the tomato plants unless we surround them with chicken wire!



I found these new pruners a couple of years ago made by Felco.

Thanks for that link Cheryl! I've had mine over ten years now so I need a new pair!

[Shelley]

Ok how do you care for a succulent? Someone gave me one for my office and I dont think its doing to well. :( It looked like a little bush shape when I first got it but now its just like one stalk growing tall? Everyone else's looks better.

[Av8rgirl]

Ok how do you care for a succulent? Someone gave me one for my office and I dont think its doing to well. :( It looked like a little bush shape when I first got it but now its just like one stalk growing tall? Everyone else's looks better.

I will let Brain handle this one. I kill succulents...even if I ignore them...for some reason they don't like me! LOL!

My MIL gave me a Christmas cactus that has been in the family for 40 years...it only took me 3 years to kill it! :eek::D:(

[Shelley]

I can take a pic of it if that will help. It just looks sad. :(

[Av8rgirl]

Once they start turning bad....they don't recover. At least that's my experience.

It's the same with my expert opinion on evergreens = brown does not turn green. Conifers are not deciduous except for one family, the tamarack. It does lose it's needles each year and regrow new ones every year. Also the dawn redwood...it is a member of the larch family...tamarack.

Succulents are not for me. LOL! I live in the desert! But not the sandy desert, the high desert. I can make sagebrush live, but not cactus!

[braingonebad]

Ok how do you care for a succulent? Someone gave me one for my office and I dont think its doing to well. :( It looked like a little bush shape when I first got it but now its just like one stalk growing tall? Everyone else's looks better.



Lots of light, well drained soil, not too much fertilizer and water more than a cactus but let the soil dry well between waterings.

When/if you repot it, use soil for succulents and keep it in a small pot - they tend not to have more room than their roots really need. Just enough space and weight to hold them up.

They like a bit of neglect as long as they have light.

[braingonebad]

Hi Cheryl,

It's just shrubs and flowers. The rabbits ate my little lilac bush during the winter. :mad: They even chewed on my roses with the thorns!

I can't plant many things because they're so tasty. I have a serviceberry shrub in front that's still surrounded by chicken wire. I don't know if it's safe to take it off.

Oh, they also chewed up my burning bush this winter. I like pretty, ornamental plants, but so do they, too much!



Oh that is so CUTE! What good bunnies you have! :D Ours eat the tomato plants unless we surround them with chicken wire!



Thanks for that link Cheryl! I've had mine over ten years now so I need a new pair!

:eek:


Are you sure they're rabbits? Them are some tough rabbits, woman!

They must really be having a hard time to resort to eating a lilac and roses. Keep the chicken wire, I'd say. And get a big dog - one who likes the taste of bunny.

:D

[Av8rgirl]

I agree Brain. I think she's got something more than Wabbits eating her shrubs. Deer? We have Wabbits but they don't eat Woses...and Wiwacs...You got some serious Wabbit probwems Wiz...Chicken wire isn't going stop those wascally wabbits! :eek::eek:

In all seriousness...I think with the bad weather you've had where you live (same problem here, we have had elk in our yard lately!) the deer population has migrated into the city and I bet that's what has been munching on your shrubs. Rabbits tend to stick to small stuff on the ground...a little lighter fare if you catch my drift here.

Check on the websites I posted earlier about Deer and Rabbit resistant plants and there are also some links there about Deer and Rabbit proofing your yard. If you need more help, let me know!


http://www.google.com/images?q=tbn:sfsrtMbVpnAJ:www.baconstripranch.com/images/20_Elmer_Fudd2.jpg (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.baconstripranch.com/images/20_Elmer_Fudd2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.baconstripranch.com/62305.html&h=106&w=125&sz=48&tbnid=sfsrtMbVpnAJ:&tbnh=106&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3Delmer%2Bfudd&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image&cd=3)

[ewizabeth]

:eek:


Are you sure they're rabbits? Them are some tough rabbits, woman!



Yes, it's just rabbits, I've seen them in action! They breed under our deck. They've chewed holes in the sides to get access. We can look out in the backyard and see 2-4 rabbits most times of the day. I know there's more too. The neighbors all around us have dogs, but they've fenced them in! We didn't have as much of a problem before they did that. The rabbits also eat under the bird feeder. They like seed too. :rolleyes:


We have Wabbits but they don't eat Woses...and Wiwacs...You got some serious Wabbit probwems Wiz...Chicken wire isn't going stop those wascally wabbits! :eek::eek:


http://www.google.com/images?q=tbn:sfsrtMbVpnAJ:www.baconstripranch.com/images/20_Elmer_Fudd2.jpg (http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.baconstripranch.com/images/20_Elmer_Fudd2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.baconstripranch.com/62305.html&h=106&w=125&sz=48&tbnid=sfsrtMbVpnAJ:&tbnh=106&tbnw=125&prev=/images%3Fq%3Delmer%2Bfudd&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image&cd=3)


No it's only wabbits Cheryl, as I said to Brain, I've seen them eating the aforementioned victims. I've taken some steps, and will do more this year. I'm trimming the lower branches of our evergreens, which have gotten pretty big. Also, I'm thinking of having DH yank out one of them that's gotten gnarly looking over the years. If I eliminate some of their hiding places it might help?? :confused:

It seems like they find all my favorite plants exceptionally delicious! :cool:

[Av8rgirl]

I think you need to call your local pest control center and have them physically relocated! Catch and release...some sort of local animal rescue league or something. You have a huge problem. It's going to get worse if they are doing that much damage. I am serious.

You can't cover all your plants in your yard with chicken wire ...

[ewizabeth]

I think you need to call your local pest control center and have them physically relocated! Catch and release...some sort of local animal rescue league or something. You have a huge problem. It's going to get worse if they are doing that much damage. I am serious.

You can't cover all your plants in your yard with chicken wire ...

Thanks Cheryl, :hug:

I hadn't even considered that. :confused: That's a great idea! I love my plants and that would make my gardening much more enjoyable!

[suzyqz_2007]

After being used to living in the country with a lot of yard for my flowers etc. I am going crazy about not being able to plant anything here at my small apartment in Houston! Is there any kind of hanging flowers and/or container flowers that would do well in this awful heat we have? I have a small area in front that I have put birdfeeders and a birdbath and would like to add some kind of color.

The problem I have been running into is so far is everything that I have liked and wanted to get I've been told wouldn't do well because of the sun/shade situation. We only get about an hour or 2 of direct sun in the front but it is the hot evening sun and very little shade at that time. I would need something that would go well in shade/bright light. (I think?) Something that needs full sun or full shade wouldn't work. What I would really like is something that would attract the hummingbirds and butterflies. :confused: Maybe what I want and what would do well are 2 different things...I dunno. lol

I would appreciate any input I could get. If y'all can make sense of this. LOL

Thanks,
Susan

[Bobbi]

Love this thread idea and that you're so receptive to helping us. Thank you. :hug:


I started planting my Spring/Summer 2008 garden about 3 weeks ago. Some of the plants, I did as indoor starters from seed. Others, I waited until after the last frost and seeded in soil.

Possibly, it's still a bit too cool or I'm a bit impatient, yet I am wondering roughly how long before, i.e., beans should show some signs of growing? The ones planted as small starters are thriving. The ones by seed? No sign of anything, yet.

[Av8rgirl]

Thanks Cheryl, :hug:

I hadn't even considered that. :confused: That's a great idea! I love my plants and that would make my gardening much more enjoyable!

Here's a website for you to get a catalogue from www.highcountrygardens.com (http://www.highcountrygardens.com)

all about deer and rabbit resistant plants. I just spent my entire flight between Boise and Portland going through this catalogue. You are going to love it!! I started making a list of plants for you but thought you are a smart one, you can get the catalogue and go through it. You will have a ball!

I order plants from them and have always had good luck! Have a great time!

[Av8rgirl]

After being used to living in the country with a lot of yard for my flowers etc. I am going crazy about not being able to plant anything here at my small apartment in Houston! Is there any kind of hanging flowers and/or container flowers that would do well in this awful heat we have? I have a small area in front that I have put birdfeeders and a birdbath and would like to add some kind of color.

The problem I have been running into is so far is everything that I have liked and wanted to get I've been told wouldn't do well because of the sun/shade situation. We only get about an hour or 2 of direct sun in the front but it is the hot evening sun and very little shade at that time. I would need something that would go well in shade/bright light. (I think?) Something that needs full sun or full shade wouldn't work. What I would really like is something that would attract the hummingbirds and butterflies. :confused: Maybe what I want and what would do well are 2 different things...I dunno. lol

I would appreciate any input I could get. If y'all can make sense of this. LOL

Thanks,
Susan
Do you have a place you can hang baskets? There are lots of plants that you can put into hanging baskets that attract butterflies.

Hummingbirds love anything that is red. A hanging basket with petunias would attract them and then you can put a humming bird feeder along side it. Petunias do well in the heat and there are several different kinds that do not require any deadheading. Verbena does well in the heat and looks great in a hanging basket and also attracts the hummers. You can add Licorice vine, Million Bells/Calibrachoa, Ivy geranium, sweet potato vine (green does well in full sun), with different accent plants. Just some ideas for plants that do well in heat.

Have fun!

[suzyqz_2007]

Do you have a place you can hang baskets? There are lots of plants that you can put into hanging baskets that attract butterflies.

Hummingbirds love anything that is red. A hanging basket with petunias would attract them and then you can put a humming bird feeder along side it. Petunias do well in the heat and there are several different kinds that do not require any deadheading. Verbena does well in the heat and looks great in a hanging basket and also attracts the hummers. You can add Licorice vine, Million Bells/Calibrachoa, Ivy geranium, sweet potato vine (green does well in full sun), with different accent plants. Just some ideas for plants that do well in heat.

Have fun!

Thanks! I do have places to hang baskets and I can also set out planters (just can't dig and plant). I found a wonderful hanging petunia....at least that is what the lady told me it was.....(not sure exactly what kind but it was almost trumpet like) but I didin't get it cause she said it needed full sun. Basically anything that will take the heat and maybe 2 hours direct evening sun would be good. I've already killed 2 hanging flower baskets because apparently they weren't able to withstand the heat and sun. I may just give up and get a giant cactus! lol

Thanks again :hug:

[Av8rgirl]

Thanks! I do have places to hang baskets and I can also set out planters (just can't dig and plant). I found a wonderful hanging petunia....at least that is what the lady told me it was.....(not sure exactly what kind but it was almost trumpet like) but I didin't get it cause she said it needed full sun. Basically anything that will take the heat and maybe 2 hours direct evening sun would be good. I've already killed 2 hanging flower baskets because apparently they weren't able to withstand the heat and sun. I may just give up and get a giant cactus! lol

Thanks again :hug:

Most petunias will handle partial sun/partial shade and lots of light. Full sun is a misnomer...you have to take into consideration where. I live in Idaho and have a deck that has a Southwest exposure. In the afternoon it gets to be 120 degrees out there in August because of the reflective heat. I put petunias out there and if they don't get water twice a day, they die. They are full sun petunias! The ones I put in the pots on the other side that get about 4 hours of sun flourish! So, full sun is relative! They get lots of light!

Keep 'em watered! ;)

[Abasaki]

http://th220.photobucket.com/albums/dd8/Robin_AZ/th_gardening.gif (http://photobucket.com/mediadetail/?media=http%3A%2F%2Fi220.photobucket.com%2Falbums% 2Fdd8%2FRobin_AZ%2Fgardening.gif&searchTerm=smilie&pageOffset=7)

I'm so ready for flowers and veggies...

[Av8rgirl]

http://th220.photobucket.com/albums/dd8/Robin_AZ/th_gardening.gif (http://photobucket.com/mediadetail/?media=http%3A%2F%2Fi220.photobucket.com%2Falbums% 2Fdd8%2FRobin_AZ%2Fgardening.gif&searchTerm=smilie&pageOffset=7)

I'm so ready for flowers and veggies...

Me too! :D

[froglady]

I'M ENJOYING READING THIS THREAD. WANT TO PLANT SO BADLY...ALAS CAN'T DO THAT ANYMORE. DO HAVE A LOVELY, AT LEAST TO ME, (OOPS didn't mean to shout(:o)) Frog garden with all kinds of cute frogs!
Also have some house plants and they are wonderful. Life is great when playing in the dirt. I think being outside and planting is as close to God as one can get. The sweet smell of dirt and beautiful plants are heavenly. I have 2 Tea Olive plants outside (been there for some years now) that smell like heaven when they bloom. UMMMM they are blooming lately and I love it!

[JessieSue]

Ok, I have these little moles...actually "voles" putting little holes all through my yard and leaving ugly patches of dead grass. How do I get rid of these guys safely? I have a dog and don't want to use anything that could be harmful to him. Thanks Ladies!!
~~~Jess

[Av8rgirl]

Ok, I have these little moles...actually "voles" putting little holes all through my yard and leaving ugly patches of dead grass. How do I get rid of these guys safely? I have a dog and don't want to use anything that could be harmful to him. Thanks Ladies!!
~~~Jess

Jess

Voles are nasty little critters that can cause a lot of damage to your yard. I have them in my tree nursery and a few years ago, I had a bumper crop of them that completey eradicated 35 prairifire crabapple trees in one winter! They completely girdled the trunks which killed the trees. Nasty little buggers!

Baiting them with dogs in your yard is a tricky situation. Here's a link to a website with some information. If you have a county pest control department, I highly recommend calling them. They could help you. That's who I call as it's paid for by our taxes.

http://www.voles.com/How_to_Kill_Voles.htm

[JessieSue]

Jess

Voles are nasty little critters that can cause a lot of damage to your yard. I have them in my tree nursery and a few years ago, I had a bumper crop of them that completey eradicated 35 prairifire crabapple trees in one winter! They completely girdled the trunks which killed the trees. Nasty little buggers!

Baiting them with dogs in your yard is a tricky situation. Here's a link to a website with some information. If you have a county pest control department, I highly recommend calling them. They could help you. That's who I call as it's paid for by our taxes.

http://www.voles.com/How_to_Kill_Voles.htm
Thanks Cheryl!!! I didn't realize they could become such a problem, but by the end of last summer it was getting really bad! I was amazed, I thought I'd only have to watch out for the rabbits living under my shed...but luckily they prefer my neighbor's garden! LMAO:D

[Girlie Girl]

My first question is what don't you do Cheryl?!?! :You-Rock:

But really, I just bought a house in October. I am not sure what is in the yard other than hydreangas. I am taking walks around the yard everyday to see what is popping up. I KNOW I will have questions for you once I see what is blooming and trying to name everything.

Thanks for this thread! Not only do I get MS help but gardening too! Whoo hoo!!!

[Av8rgirl]

My first question is what don't you do Cheryl?!?! :You-Rock:

But really, I just bought a house in October. I am not sure what is in the yard other than hydreangas. I am taking walks around the yard everyday to see what is popping up. I KNOW I will have questions for you once I see what is blooming and trying to name everything.

Thanks for this thread! Not only do I get MS help but gardening too! Whoo hoo!!!

Hi Tracie! Thanks! I have learned to be flexible with all the moving around I've done over the years! I've been doing this off and on for a long time and decided in 1999 to get a formal education in Horticulture. I really do enjoy it and decided that I wanted it to be more than just a hobby. ;)

You can take pictures and post them and Brain and I can help you with identification if you don't know what things are. Of course, leaves and flowers help - but I also have a book that I use for just sticks!

Anyway, I look forward to helping you with your new yard!

;)

[Girlie Girl]

Thanks Cheryl!!!!

[Kitty]

When is the best time to plant bulbs (tulips, daffodils, crocus) and where is the best place to plant them?

[ewizabeth]

I had DH yank out a gnarled evergreen shrub today, it was big and unsightly. Now, I need some ideas of what to put there? Something globe-shaped with a mature height of 3-4 feet. Something that won't be unsightly if I prune it. It should have year-round interest and if the birds like it, even better. Bunny-proof is a plus. Ideas ladies???

[hollym]

When is the best time to plant bulbs (tulips, daffodils, crocus) and where is the best place to plant them?


I've always planted those in the fall. Unfortunately, as time goes by fewer and fewer come up. I think that varmints are eating the bulbs.

[Av8rgirl]

I had DH yank out a gnarled evergreen shrub today, it was big and unsightly. Now, I need some ideas of what to put there? Something globe-shaped with a mature height of 3-4 feet. Something that won't be unsightly if I prune it. It should have year-round interest and if the birds like it, even better. Bunny-proof is a plus. Ideas ladies???

Can you send me a picture of the area that you will be putting this new shrub? And the sun exposure?

[ewizabeth]

Can you send me a picture of the area that you will be putting this new shrub? And the sun exposure?

Will do! I got it pretty much cleaned up today since it was nice outside. I was thinking maybe a rhododendren and something else? It gets sun until about noon. I'll take a pic tomorrow night if I get home early enough. :)

[Twinkletoes]

I have a question.

DH and I pulled up to a restaurant last night and I noticed this bush: it had no leaves whatsoever, but the prettiest white daisy-like flowers were blooming on it!!!

Name that bush!!! (Please?)

[braingonebad]

I've always planted those in the fall. Unfortunately, as time goes by fewer and fewer come up. I think that varmints are eating the bulbs.


A lot of animals do eat bulbs. I have a problem with squirrels - either they eat them or just relocate them. That was driving me nuts, because I KNEW where I'd put them. so why were they coming up other places? And why were things coming up I hadn't even planted?

The squirrels had swiped 'em from the neighbors!

:eek:

:p

You can keep the thieving down a bit by planting a piece of chicken wire over the bulbs if you want. It's hard for them to dog through that. Just make sure the holes are big enough for the leaves to grow though.

Give them a little Bulb Booster food, and dig em up if they stop blooming well, spread them out. Put them where they get a few hours of sun a day.

[braingonebad]

This is one of the best tips I got from the local nursery.

Instead of planting directly into you large decorative planter, try this. Plant your flowers or whatevers in one of the 1 gallon (or what size fits) ugly plastic planters you get plants from the nursery.

Slip that into your decorative planter.

Then when you want to change your flowers, you can just pull that plastic thing out plants and all.

Your nice planter is easier to clean. And if you have to move it, you can take out the heavy dirt and plants and move that, then move the heavy planter.

[braingonebad]

Will do! I got it pretty much cleaned up today since it was nice outside. I was thinking maybe a rhododendren and something else? It gets sun until about noon. I'll take a pic tomorrow night if I get home early enough. :)

I don't know if that'll be enough sun for a rhododendron... Cheryl, what do you think?

I have crimson barberry that do well in rough soil (and after just yanking that shrub, the soil may be weird) with only am sun and very little lovin'. Down side is, they have TEEF, lol. They have nasty thorns, so that's a drag. But they have gorgeous color all year and tiny red berries.

Too pokey for bunnies to eat, but really pretty to look at and *they say* finches will nest in them if they get tall enough (over 4 feet). They grow slow - mine are still under 3-4 foot and they're 8 years old.

[ewizabeth]

A picture of the front of the house. Also, should I cut off the left section of the Arborvitae tree? It really does look lopsided.

The big bush in the front is a serviceberry shrub. DH hates it, but it gets white flowers in the spring, then red berries that the birds love. The Robins make a hilarious display of yanking them off the branches. :)

It leafs out for the summer, then turns bright orange in the fall, and it has smooth graceful wood branches. I know this isn't evident from the distance. Behind that in the corner next to the porch is my poor, abused Burning Bush that the bunnies munched on in the winter.

So, there would be a rather shady spot behind the serviceberry that would only get a few hours, then next to the Arborvitae, a sunnier spot.

The reason I wouldn't want them to be TOO tall is because I don't want the windows to be blocked.

Idea: Would it be practical to try to move the Serviceberry to the backyard? I might have more options in that case.

I have blue rug junipers growing in front of and on both sides of the serviceberry. They provide a home for my toads when I have the birdbath set up on that cement base.

My flower garden is way to the right out of the picture range.

[ewizabeth]

I don't know if that'll be enough sun for a rhododendron... Cheryl, what do you think?

I have crimson barberry that do well in rough soil (and after just yanking that shrub, the soil may be weird) with only am sun and very little lovin'. Down side is, they have TEEF, lol. They have nasty thorns, so that's a drag. But they have gorgeous color all year and tiny red berries.

Too pokey for bunnies to eat, but really pretty to look at and *they say* finches will nest in them if they get tall enough (over 4 feet). They grow slow - mine are still under 3-4 foot and they're 8 years old.

That sounds good Brain! I'll put that on my possibility list!

... so why were they coming up other places? And why were things coming up I hadn't even planted?

The squirrels had swiped 'em from the neighbors!

:eek:




:ROTFLMAO::D

[Av8rgirl]

I have a question.

DH and I pulled up to a restaurant last night and I noticed this bush: it had no leaves whatsoever, but the prettiest white daisy-like flowers were blooming on it!!!

Name that bush!!! (Please?)

Saskatoon Serviceberry or one of the Serviceberrys. They are in bloom right now. They flower first and then leaves form.

[braingonebad]

Update from my gardens... It's been about 60 out. So I cleaned out two more flower beds. Everything is coming up. Which is unusual - they normally come one thing at a time, but I guess since it stayed cold so long, they didn't get a chance.

I've never had a year like this though, to rake back the leaves and stuff and see ALL the plants at once... very cool!

The crocus are still blooming and the daffs are just starting to open. You can see the tip-tops of hyacinth buds inside the leaves, and the tulips leaves are about 6-8 inches high.

All the perennials - except the really late ones, the hibiscus and passionflower which come in June - are coming up, even the bleeding hearts and clematis. Now to figure out what's what.

:D

[JessieSue]

Okay ladies, currently there is mulch all around my house and around my shed where of course my plants are. I hate it because it sticks in my dog's fur and of course he brings it into the house so I have pieces of bark EVERYWHERE! I have decided to instead replace it all with stone/pebbles. Now of course considering my health I need this project to be as simple as possible. What do I need to do to the ground before I lay the stone? I'll rake up and remove the mulch first of course, but do I have to go through laying down that weed fabric or whatever it is? I guess I just need to know what the process is?
Thanks!
Jess

[Av8rgirl]

Okay ladies, currently there is mulch all around my house and around my shed where of course my plants are. I hate it because it sticks in my dog's fur and of course he brings it into the house so I have pieces of bark EVERYWHERE! I have decided to instead replace it all with stone/pebbles. Now of course considering my health I need this project to be as simple as possible. What do I need to do to the ground before I lay the stone? I'll rake up and remove the mulch first of course, but do I have to go through laying down that weed fabric or whatever it is? I guess I just need to know what the process is?
Thanks!
Jess

Putting down weed fabric under rock totally depends on the type of rock. If the rock is heavy, I do recommend it because the rocks will eventually erode into the soil. However, if the rock is light, there is no need for the weed fabric. It is a waste of money. Weeds grow on top of it as they grow in any type of organic material that will collect on top of the weed fabric.

Other negatives for weed fabric are the cost; you cannot move plants or add plants without cutting more holes; once you cut a hole in it, now you've created a place for weeds to grow; and you have to factor in the irrigation system - is it going to be on top or under the weed fabric?

My suggestion is no weed fabric. It's a pain in the butt. Put down enough rock to adequately cover the area, at least 2" deep and you should be good to go.

We rarely use it unless the rock is very heavy and such as the big permabark type rock and most homeowners don't like it anyway.

[Koala77]

I just finished reading the post about weed mats under mulch, and agree that it's an expensive way to go.

The house we're in now already had that thick plastic under the mulch when we moved in, but it looks unsightly where it's exposed in places. I wouldn't use it again given the choice .

My cousin is doing something similar at her house. She's thinking of using the thick plastic underneath the mulch, but we were discussing the option of using layers of newspaper instead. That wouldn't cost anything as she'd just be recycling newspapers, but is it effective in keeping down weeds under mulch?

Over to you ladies......what are your thoughts on the newspaper option.

Thank you in advance. :)

[Av8rgirl]

Newspaper works but it degrades over time and will also become torn and looks unsightly. It is good in small places for keeping weeds down, but putting any type of "weed fabric" under organic mulch is a total waste of time and money. The weeds grow in the mulch - it's organic and weeds will grow in it. It honestly serves no purpose other than $$ in the pocket of the person installing it (if you have a professional landscaper doing the work) and the company who makes the weed fabric.

Your best bet for weed control is an integrated weed control management program. In the spring, pre-emergent application, either granular or liquid, mechanical weed removal (pulling), and occasional organic/herbicide application as required.

You can use grass clippings in large areas to control weed growth such as in between the rows in your garden if you mow your lawn and bag the clippings. Empty the bags on the ground between the rows and you will have less weeds in your garden area.

[ewizabeth]

I bought some stuff for the front of the house: a boxwood to go at the right of the tree, and a small juniper shrub with gold highlighted branches to go in front between the two of them.

I also bought another lilac bush to put somewhere... DOH!! (Should I just put a sign on my back that says "kick me"? :lookaround:

I'll get some tall annuals to fill in for a few years until the boxwood fills out and takes up more space because it looks pretty dinky next to the tree right now.

Brain and Cheryl,

I haven't planted these yet, so if it sounds like I made a bad choice, please say so! :eek: I can exchange these at Lowes if necessary. I was out yesterday and I couldn't help myself. :o

[JessieSue]

Putting down weed fabric under rock totally depends on the type of rock. If the rock is heavy, I do recommend it because the rocks will eventually erode into the soil. However, if the rock is light, there is no need for the weed fabric. It is a waste of money. Weeds grow on top of it as they grow in any type of organic material that will collect on top of the weed fabric.

Other negatives for weed fabric are the cost; you cannot move plants or add plants without cutting more holes; once you cut a hole in it, now you've created a place for weeds to grow; and you have to factor in the irrigation system - is it going to be on top or under the weed fabric?

My suggestion is no weed fabric. It's a pain in the butt. Put down enough rock to adequately cover the area, at least 2" deep and you should be good to go.

We rarely use it unless the rock is very heavy and such as the big permabark type rock and most homeowners don't like it anyway.

I gotta tell ya, I was hoping you'd say that!! I really didn't wanna mess with it!! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!:hug:

[hollym]

Newspaper works but it degrades over time and will also become torn and looks unsightly. It is good in small places for keeping weeds down, but putting any type of "weed fabric" under organic mulch is a total waste of time and money. The weeds grow in the mulch - it's organic and weeds will grow in it.


I was also considering the newspaper thing this year. My thinking is that if the weeds grow in the mulch, won't they be easier to pull since they won't be deeply rooted in the soil??

Also, have you ever used Preen or know whether it is really effective?

[Av8rgirl]

I bought some stuff for the front of the house: a boxwood to go at the right of the tree, and a small juniper shrub with gold highlighted branches to go in front between the two of them.

I also bought another lilac bush to put somewhere... DOH!! (Should I just put a sign on my back that says "kick me"? :lookaround:

I'll get some tall annuals to fill in for a few years until the boxwood fills out and takes up more space because it looks pretty dinky next to the tree right now.

Brain and Cheryl,

I haven't planted these yet, so if it sounds like I made a bad choice, please say so! :eek: I can exchange these at Lowes if necessary. I was out yesterday and I couldn't help myself. :o

Boxwoods are nice, but I hope you bought more than one! I suggest 3...they look nice in sets of 3.

The gold tip juniper is also a good choice...

I love Lilacs. They are nice shrubs and easy to prune...prune them within 6 weeks after they bloom, as they bloom next year on this years new growth. So if you wait too long to prune them, you won't get blooms next year.

;)

[Av8rgirl]

I was also considering the newspaper thing this year. My thinking is that if the weeds grow in the mulch, won't they be easier to pull since they won't be deeply rooted in the soil??

Also, have you ever used Preen or know whether it is really effective?

Here's a link to FAQs about Preen. http://www.preen.com/newpreen/prdpreen/faq.jsp?catid=1&pid=1#cat1

True about the newspapers under the mulch as well as the weed fabric under the mulch...but do you have any idea what wet newspaper is going to attract and smell like? I would not recommend it.

[ewizabeth]

Boxwoods are nice, but I hope you bought more than one! I suggest 3...they look nice in sets of 3.

The gold tip juniper is also a good choice...

I love Lilacs. They are nice shrubs and easy to prune...prune them within 6 weeks after they bloom, as they bloom next year on this years new growth. So if you wait too long to prune them, you won't get blooms next year.

;)

Thank you for the excellent advice Cheryl! Do the boxwoods go in a row or in a triangle?

[Av8rgirl]

Thank you for the excellent advice Cheryl! Do the boxwoods go in a row or in a triangle?

I would put them in a triangle.

[Kitty]

When's the best time to plant tulip and daffofil bulbs? I want to plan them in a circle in a sectioned off area in the front yard but it gets full sun.

Also, when's the best time to plant a pink dogwood tree?

Thanks for all the advice!

[Av8rgirl]

When's the best time to plant tulip and daffofil bulbs? I want to plan them in a circle in a sectioned off area in the front yard but it gets full sun.

Also, when's the best time to plant a pink dogwood tree?

Thanks for all the advice!

Bulbs are best planted in the fall.

You can plant a dogwood tree now...or before it gets too hot. And then again in late fall before the ground freezes.

[braingonebad]

Here's a link to FAQs about Preen. http://www.preen.com/newpreen/prdpreen/faq.jsp?catid=1&pid=1#cat1

True about the newspapers under the mulch as well as the weed fabric under the mulch...but do you have any idea what wet newspaper is going to attract and smell like? I would not recommend it.

I didn't notice any odor, but it degrades in a couple months max and attracts slugs.

Ewwww...

Speakin of slugs, you know how to get rid of them? Used coffee grounds.

[Av8rgirl]

I didn't notice any odor, but it degrades in a couple months max and attracts slugs.

Ewwww...

Speakin of slugs, you know how to get rid of them? Used coffee grounds.

Thanks for the tip on slugs. I just put out a pie plate full of beer...it attracts them and they die....LOL! (happy!)

Wet newspapers smell....ewwww! :eek:

[braingonebad]

LOL... we tried the beer thing. The dogs drank it.

:p

[JessieSue]

LOL... we tried the beer thing. The dogs drank it.

:p

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!:ROTFLMAO:

[braingonebad]

ROFLMAO!!!!!!!!:ROTFLMAO:


So were the dogs!

:D

Okay, I need suggestions, please...

We have a pear tree that is dying. As well it should be I guess, it's probably as old as the house (100 or so, lol) And we're thinking of taking it down this year.


We want to replace it with something atractive, not too expensive. I'd like something that we can get fairly big to start off with, either flowering or with some seasonal colors - but not another fruit tree. And nothing that's going to get way too big.

Ideas?

Our only other trees are two baby Autumn Blaze Malples (in front, the township just planted them last year) three little sand cherry trees that are more of a specimen than a tree and one little apple tree. So I need a tree sized tree.

[Av8rgirl]

So were the dogs!

:D

Okay, I need suggestions, please...

We have a pear tree that is dying. As well it should be I guess, it's probably as old as the house (100 or so, lol) And we're thinking of taking it down this year.


We want to replace it with something atractive, not too expensive. I'd like something that we can get fairly big to start off with, either flowering or with some seasonal colors - but not another fruit tree. And nothing that's going to get way too big.

Ideas?

Our only other trees are two baby Autumn Blaze Malples (in front, the township just planted them last year) three little sand cherry trees that are more of a specimen than a tree and one little apple tree. So I need a tree sized tree.

Spring Snow Crabapple. Beautiful showy white flower, no fruit, some fall color, and very pretty bark.

http://www.tytyga.com/product/image2/659/2-6.jpg

[braingonebad]

Ooh, that IS pretty!

[braingonebad]

We haven't bought a tree yet... but we did see a butterfly Magnolia. Anybody have any comment on those?

And in other updates from my yard, we also took down the row of arborvitae. I loved them, but they were overgorwn (they were supposed to get up to 4 feet, but I got news, ours were almost 7 feet, and kind of lumpy).

Now I have this 4x30 bed to fill. I could do shrubs again but dh is not into that. and it's the pedestrian side of the house, so I figured I'd fancy it up some. I bought a couple dahlia bulbs so far. Those will go against the block of the porch.

I want to put a mock orange on the front end. If I can find those canterbury bells, I'd like to use those for the back along with hollyhocks. The rest I can scavenge from my other beds.

Sheesh, like I needed another flower bed. :p

Oh, and the columbine are ready to bloom, so get your humming bird feeders ready. They're probably here or will be soon.

[ewizabeth]

Hi Brain,

Is that like a saucer magnolia with big pink blooms in the spring? I love those! :)

I got my sister a Pee-Gee Hydrangea "Grandiflora" tree for her birthday. I ordered it online and she should get it soon. It's a beautiful tree that we both love. :) She has a beautiful yard and garden and I can't wait to see it when it blooms. It gets 10-15' high and 8-10' wide with huge blooms up to 12" from mid-summer to early fall. She'll use it as a centerpiece in her flower garden. :ooo:

I bought a couple of shrubs yesterday, a snowball viburnum that is beautiful in spring and fall and has summer berries for the birds. I also got a hydrangea shrub for the front yard. The rabbits don't eat my other hydrangea perennials so I figured that would be a good choice.

I'm taking out the burning bush and moving it to the backyard where it won't be so unsightly after a winter of chewing by the rabbits.

I planted two rhododendrums in the front and divided my hostas, Annabelle hydrangea to plant in my new bare spot where we took out the old bush.

I also got some perennials for my front flower garden, including a painted daisy, foxglove (for a shady corner), poppies, and some white phlox.

I have to do a lot of dividing and transplanting of my other flowers and I'll be good for new stuff this year.

I'm going to cover my shrubs this fall with a chicken wire around them so maybe the coming winter won't be so bad with the rabbits.

Our neighbor came over and showed me her new puppy, a German Shepard beauty named Bear. I hinted that I wouldn't mind if she played in our backyard to discourage the rabbits. :icon_idea: ;)

[Av8rgirl]

We haven't bought a tree yet... but we did see a butterfly Magnolia. Anybody have any comment on those?

And in other updates from my yard, we also took down the row of arborvitae. I loved them, but they were overgorwn (they were supposed to get up to 4 feet, but I got news, ours were almost 7 feet, and kind of lumpy).

Now I have this 4x30 bed to fill. I could do shrubs again but dh is not into that. and it's the pedestrian side of the house, so I figured I'd fancy it up some. I bought a couple dahlia bulbs so far. Those will go against the block of the porch.

I want to put a mock orange on the front end. If I can find those canterbury bells, I'd like to use those for the back along with hollyhocks. The rest I can scavenge from my other beds.

Sheesh, like I needed another flower bed. :p

Oh, and the columbine are ready to bloom, so get your humming bird feeders ready. They're probably here or will be soon.





Butterfly Magnolia is absolutely gorgeous!!! The yellow flowers are so spectacular!! And HUGE flowers.

Magnolia denudata x acuminata 'Butterfly'
Common Name: Butterfly Magnolia



Plant Benefits

Considered to be among the best of all yellow Magnolias. Exceptional, rich yellow, non-fading 4 to 5 in. blooms are held upright like butterflies upon the branches. A spectacular specimen and focal point for early spring. Deciduous. It can get up to 25-30 feet tall!

Light needs: Full sun
Watering Needs: Once established, needs only occasional watering
Follow a regular watering schedule during the first growing season to establish a deep, extensive root system. Watering can be reduced after establishment. Feed with a general purpose fertilizer before new growth begins in spring.

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:wYPl0DiyJJI5cM:http://www.laurelcreeknursery.com/magnoliabutterfly.jpg (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.laurelcreeknursery.com/magnoliabutterfly.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.laurelcreeknursery.com/&h=325&w=325&sz=13&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=wYPl0DiyJJI5cM:&tbnh=118&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbutterfly%2Bmagnolia%26um%3D1%26hl%3D en%26rls%3DGGLG,GGLG:2005-48,GGLG:en%26sa%3DN)

I like your other choices too. Which Mock Orange? The Philadelphus lewisii is the real Mock Orange and the State Flower of Idaho. It's very pretty and has a nice smell. It's better for higher elevations.

Philadelphus coronarius
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:xQ7y743rrb4WtM:http://www.directgardening.com/large/6748_l.jpg (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.directgardening.com/large/6748_l.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.directgardening.com/detail.asp%3Fpid%3D6748&h=400&w=400&sz=44&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=xQ7y743rrb4WtM:&tbnh=124&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dmock%2Borange%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rl s%3DGGLG,GGLG:2005-48,GGLG:en%26sa%3DN)

[Av8rgirl]

I was chatting with a friend today about attracting Hummingbirds so I did a little research.

Here's some links to some sites about Hummingbirds.

http://www.hummingbirds.net/attract.html - plants

http://www.hummingbirds.net/feeders.html - feeders

One of my favorites for plants is hanging baskets with fuchsias. Fuchsia like morning sun and afternoon shade and not a lot of heat. If you are in a hot area, just make sure the baskets get a lot of water. Hummers love Fushias. If you put your feeder near the hanging basket, they will find it.

They also love petunias, and penstemons. Any type of flower with a throat...

Honeysuckle is another good one if you have a yard that will handle it.

http://www.hummingbirds.net/images/lonicera.jpg

Or Columbine

http://www.hummingbirds.net/images/aquilegia.jpg

[braingonebad]

Hi Brain,

Is that like a saucer magnolia with big pink blooms in the spring? I love those! :)

I got my sister a Pee-Gee Hydrangea "Grandiflora" tree for her birthday. I ordered it online and she should get it soon. It's a beautiful tree that we both love. :) She has a beautiful yard and garden and I can't wait to see it when it blooms. It gets 10-15' high and 8-10' wide with huge blooms up to 12" from mid-summer to early fall. She'll use it as a centerpiece in her flower garden. :ooo:

I bought a couple of shrubs yesterday, a snowball viburnum that is beautiful in spring and fall and has summer berries for the birds. I also got a hydrangea shrub for the front yard. The rabbits don't eat my other hydrangea perennials so I figured that would be a good choice.

I'm taking out the burning bush and moving it to the backyard where it won't be so unsightly after a winter of chewing by the rabbits.

I planted two rhododendrums in the front and divided my hostas, Annabelle hydrangea to plant in my new bare spot where we took out the old bush.

I also got some perennials for my front flower garden, including a painted daisy, foxglove (for a shady corner), poppies, and some white phlox.

I have to do a lot of dividing and transplanting of my other flowers and I'll be good for new stuff this year.

I'm going to cover my shrubs this fall with a chicken wire around them so maybe the coming winter won't be so bad with the rabbits.

Our neighbor came over and showed me her new puppy, a German Shepard beauty named Bear. I hinted that I wouldn't mind if she played in our backyard to discourage the rabbits. :icon_idea: ;)

Have you grown foxglove before? In my area, it works as a biennial. It'll come up one year, bloom one or two years, then you have to rely on it reseeding itself, or you have no plant. If you allow the flower stalk to fall over when the blooms fade, generally its seeds will fall out and plant themselves and grow.

Once the plants have 3-4 leaves, you can move them if you like. Don't wait till they're too big - then they don't transplant as easily.

(things I learned the hard way.)

:p

Cheryl - I'm not sure which mock orange yet. I'll have to see what's available locaaly. My neighbor has one that he says blooms most of the summer and it is awesome, both how pretty it is and how aromatic it is. I'd like one like that.

And thanks for the hummy links!

I have half those plants, lol! The comumbine, the texas salvia, the bee balm, beard tongue, trumpet vine, coral bells.

They go for the salvia the most. I collect the seeds in the fall and just toss them all over the beds in late spring. Great plant.

We had a honeysuckle, and it tore shingles and gutters off the house. we tore that bad boy down, lol. The trumpet vine is going by the fence, just to be safe.

[Wren]

And then there are the orioles ........ I put out fresh oranges this morning and they are already eaten. :eek: I have to dash out and replace them. It's awful that they cost so much this year and the birds are eating just as much.

[Av8rgirl]

Have you grown foxglove before? In my area, it works as a biennial. It'll come up one year, bloom one or two years, then you have to rely on it reseeding itself, or you have no plant. If you allow the flower stalk to fall over when the blooms fade, generally its seeds will fall out and plant themselves and grow.

Once the plants have 3-4 leaves, you can move them if you like. Don't wait till they're too big - then they don't transplant as easily.

(things I learned the hard way.)

:p

Cheryl - I'm not sure which mock orange yet. I'll have to see what's available locaaly. My neighbor has one that he says blooms most of the summer and it is awesome, both how pretty it is and how aromatic it is. I'd like one like that.

And thanks for the hummy links!

I have half those plants, lol! The comumbine, the texas salvia, the bee balm, beard tongue, trumpet vine, coral bells.

They go for the salvia the most. I collect the seeds in the fall and just toss them all over the beds in late spring. Great plant.

We had a honeysuckle, and it tore shingles and gutters off the house. we tore that bad boy down, lol. The trumpet vine is going by the fence, just to be safe.

Be careful of the Trumpet Vine. It can also be pretty invasive and tear down the fence. Honeysuckle can be pruned back so it doesn't get so "wild" and rip down fences. A lot of people don't know that.

Also the butterfly bushes should be pruned down to the ground each year to keep them from getting out of control. I prune mine with the chain saw down to about 3-4 inches from the ground!

Sounds like you've got quite the perennial garden for the attracting airborne wildlife!!! We get a lot of butterflies...but also a lot of hornets and wasps. Thank goodness for pest control.


We've had about 5 hummers that return each year. It's about time to put out the feeders. :D

[ewizabeth]

Brain, Thanks for the tips on Foxglove. I'll make sure to let it go to seed in its little corner. I got stakes for some of my tall plants too.

I planted some Columbine last year and it's coming up! :) A couple of other perrenials but I don't remember what they are at the moment. After all of these mature I can go crazy dividing and sharing with my neighbors.

Cheryl,

We get a few hummers every August through October. When should I put out my feeder to see if they show up in the spring? Would I do that now? Or wait awhile?

[Av8rgirl]

Brain, Thanks for the tips on Foxglove. I'll make sure to let it go to seed in its little corner. I got stakes for some of my tall plants too.

I planted some Columbine last year and it's coming up! :) A couple of other perrenials but I don't remember what they are at the moment. After all of these mature I can go crazy dividing and sharing with my neighbors.

Cheryl,

We get a few hummers every August through October. When should I put out my feeder to see if they show up in the spring? Would I do that now? Or wait awhile?

Put them out now around the plants that attract hummers.

[Av8rgirl]

Read this thread about attracting hummers...

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread44275.html

[soxmom]

Hey guys, I just got inside and Im sore and frustrated. If youve covered
this topic please refer me to the post number.:(:confused:

A little background........ I have a wire pasture fence down the length
of my property on one side of my house. Its long, about 500 ft long.
It separates my property from a large field/pasture. This spring I noticed
that my pussywillow tree had very few pussywillows on it. And that
it was completely wrapped in that bittersweet carp:mad:

On further investigation of the fence, I noticed it was falling down because a
wooden post had snapped, I noticed that this carp was wrapped around
all the wire of the fence. :mad: I dont think I ever noticed it as in the summer
all the vines make this beautiful , natural, green wall. These vines are
not all bittersweet.

My question is after being out there for an hour, clipping all the bittersweet
from around the fence and now Im in terrible pain.(and I only got rid of about 10 feet of it) HOW do I get rid of this ??? I mean CAN I get rid of this?:(:confused:

Help please, I dont want the whole fence to go down because its really
old and I fear it will. I also like the way it looks in the summer.

TIA:)

[braingonebad]

Sox, for a job that size I'd probably use an herbacide. Make sure it's a calm day so the wind doesn't blow the spray on plants you don't want to kill. And if there are other plants close, you can use a drop cloth to protect them until the spray dries.

I can't recommend one spray over another, as I rarely use any. Last year, I grabbed some at the dollar store (of allplaces. Who knows what's really in that stuff?) It was called Maxide and it worked like nothing I've ever seen.

I've tried Roundup, and it was not strong enough to kill our poison ivy and elephant ears. Maxide did it in one spray.

There are probably a few that would work for you.

[braingonebad]

Be careful of the Trumpet Vine. It can also be pretty invasive and tear down the fence. Honeysuckle can be pruned back so it doesn't get so "wild" and rip down fences. A lot of people don't know that.

Also the butterfly bushes should be pruned down to the ground each year to keep them from getting out of control. I prune mine with the chain saw down to about 3-4 inches from the ground!

Sounds like you've got quite the perennial garden for the attracting airborne wildlife!!! We get a lot of butterflies...but also a lot of hornets and wasps. Thank goodness for pest control.


We've had about 5 hummers that return each year. It's about time to put out the feeders. :D


Fortunately, the fence is pretty new and sturdy. I'll keep an eye on it though. The trumpet can get fairly large around here, but most of them don't get too out of control.

I do have a lot of pests, now that you mention it. Any ideas for getting rid of carpenter bees and yellow jackets? I don't mind the bumble bees and dragonflies, but the other ones are down right mean.

[Av8rgirl]

Fortunately, the fence is pretty new and sturdy. I'll keep an eye on it though. The trumpet can get fairly large around here, but most of them don't get too out of control.

I do have a lot of pests, now that you mention it. Any ideas for getting rid of carpenter bees and yellow jackets? I don't mind the bumble bees and dragonflies, but the other ones are down right mean.

For the yellow jackets, get a trap for them. And make sure you don't have any pet food outside. It attracts them.

[Av8rgirl]

Sox, for a job that size I'd probably use an herbacide. Make sure it's a calm day so the wind doesn't blow the spray on plants you don't want to kill. And if there are other plants close, you can use a drop cloth to protect them until the spray dries.

I can't recommend one spray over another, as I rarely use any. Last year, I grabbed some at the dollar store (of allplaces. Who knows what's really in that stuff?) It was called Maxide and it worked like nothing I've ever seen.

I've tried Roundup, and it was not strong enough to kill our poison ivy and elephant ears. Maxide did it in one spray.

There are probably a few that would work for you.'

Maxide is registered brand name of a company called Gro Tec, Inc. and they make several products for lawn and gardens.

(just one example:
MAXIDE® WEED & GRASS KILLER Ready-to-Use
This product is used by Homeowners and Professionals)

It's hard to tell what you purchased unless you still have the container. There are lot of good products on the market get rid of pesky weeds.

Sox...have you tried Preen? Or a combination of glyphosate and 2-4D? Works pretty good.

[Alffe]

Well I have two questions....how can I kill all this ivy that is spreading into the neighbors yard and up their trees?

And my two fav. herbs are Rosemary and Sweet Basil. I have a raised bed herb garden but was wondering how those two might do in the window boxes that hang on our garage?

[Av8rgirl]

Well I have two questions....how can I kill all this ivy that is spreading into the neighbors yard and up their trees?

2-4D and lots of pulling it out by hand...seriously. It's invasive and it's woody. Just start pulling and spraying it with 2-4D.

And my two fav. herbs are Rosemary and Sweet Basil. I have a raised bed herb garden but was wondering how those two might do in the window boxes that hang on our garage?

Yes, both of these herbs do very well in pots and window boxes. They LOVE sunshine...Rosemary does very well in a Topiary, too! Don't fertilize basil often as this decreases the fragrant oils. To encourage a bushy, healthy plant and to maximize production, don't be afraid to prune basil. Pinch off the flower buds. Basil will usually have to be pruned every 2 to 3 weeks.

There are many different types of Basil!! Did you know there is a chocolate scented Basil? Lemon Basil, citrus basil, cinnamon, and even a licorice scented one?

[Curious]

are the scented basil ornamental or can they be used as herbs?

hehehe..saw the choccy one....:D

[Kitty]

I have two Peace Lillies. They were in one of the plant arrangements from my sister's funeral.

They are in individual pots and are kinda small. I have set the pots in a larger planter and they are outside on my porch.

My question is - should I re-pot them in a larger container? Will they continue to live if I just keep them in the same pots and water them? I'm afraid of root rot if I leave them in their original container but they seem to be doing OK.

They have sentimental value to me and I don't want anything to happen to them. I've never had too much luck with plants.

Thanks for your help! :)

[Av8rgirl]

I have two Peace Lillies. They were in one of the plant arrangements from my sister's funeral.

They are in individual pots and are kinda small. I have set the pots in a larger planter and they are outside on my porch.

My question is - should I re-pot them in a larger container? Will they continue to live if I just keep them in the same pots and water them? I'm afraid of root rot if I leave them in their original container but they seem to be doing OK.

They have sentimental value to me and I don't want anything to happen to them. I've never had too much luck with plants.

Thanks for your help! :)

They are houseplants. http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:T64GMcfuP2CwEM:http://www.plant-care.com/images/peace-lily-spathiphyllum.jpg (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.plant-care.com/images/peace-lily-spathiphyllum.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.plant-care.com/peace-lily-spathiphyllum.html&h=382&w=288&sz=11&hl=en&start=1&um=1&tbnid=T64GMcfuP2CwEM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=93&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dpeace%2Blily%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rls %3DGGLG,GGLG:2005-48,GGLG:en%26sa%3DN)
Don't overwater, pick the flower stems off once they are done blooming, pick off the brown leaves immediately, fertilize with a 20-20-20 type house plant fertilizer and don't let the plant sit in standing water.

Repot the plant every year or two in a rich soil consisting of equal parts of loam, peat moss, and sand (standard houseplant potting SOIL.)

[Av8rgirl]

are the scented basil ornamental or can they be used as herbs?

hehehe..say the choccy one....:D

Herbs....nice smelling ones!!! You can crush them in a nice bowl of hot water and they smell really really good!!!!

[Alffe]

I wonder how hard it is going to be to find 2-4D? Is it an aerosol can or do I need one of those spray pumps (like I threw out...:o)

[Av8rgirl]

I wonder how hard it is going to be to find 2-4D? Is it an aerosol can or do I need one of those spray pumps (like I threw out...:o)

Go to a place that has a garden center and tell them you need an herbicide that will kill woody plant material.

There's a product called BrushBGone by Ortho that works. That combined with Roundup should do the trick. I would be sure to cut as much of the plant back first to make sure you expose the roots. The containers come with pumps!

[Alffe]

Thank you Cheryl and woody is the right word...I can't believe how thick it's gotten....a friend gave me a small bag of starts about 30 years ago...now it's everywhere! :rolleyes: Off to the garden center! Feel better dear lady!

[braingonebad]

are the scented basil ornamental or can they be used as herbs?

hehehe..saw the choccy one....:D


I've tasted every one I've seen - and lived to tell.

:D

So yep, they can be used.

[braingonebad]

Update on my tree replacement... We have decided against the Butterfly magnolia due to size restraints. The Mag can get up to 30 ft wide in an area fenced to about 20 feet. It'll just look wrong.

But we can go with either a redbud or a magnolia Jane - which goes about 12x12 and blooms in pink. Tough choice.

I'm leaning toward the Jane.

Also bought a rhododendron and now I have nowhere to plant it where it'll just get am sun. Ugh.

:p

[Av8rgirl]

Update on my tree replacement... We have decided against the Butterfly magnolia due to size restraints. The Mag can get up to 30 ft wide in an area fenced to about 20 feet. It'll just look wrong.

But we can go with either a redbud or a magnolia Jane - which goes about 12x12 and blooms in pink. Tough choice.

I'm leaning toward the Jane.

Also bought a rhododendron and now I have nowhere to plant it where it'll just get am sun. Ugh.

:p



I just sold 5 multi-stem Redbuds yesterday to a client! I love them!!!! They are so beautiful this time of year. And I LOVE their leaves. I'd go with the Redbud only because the flowers last longer!!

Rhoddies can be put anywhere with filtered afternoon sun! Just make sure they get acidic, well drained soil!!! They don't like their feet wet at all!!! I call them my annuals!!! :(

[hollym]

Rhoddies can be put anywhere with filtered afternoon sun! Just make sure they get acidic, well drained soil!!! They don't like their feet wet at all!!! I call them my annuals!!! :(

Aha! That is why my Rhoddies aren't doing well. They were existing when we moved in (11 - 12 years ago) and they just don't look good now. They are very leggy and sparse. They are in total full sun directly south facing toward the west side of the house. The big lilac probably filters some of the evening sun from the west, but they may just be getting too much sun. What do you think?

[mrsD]

about deer repellents.

I am about to invest in The Deer Fortress. I've used sonic repellers in the past.
But as the summer progresses, the deer "learn" and don't run away from them.

We are up on an island with mostly rocks. I feed the deer and provide salt, they swim over and bring their fauns. Some give birth on our island too. But there is not much forage for them. When the fauns are bigger they swim back and forth more. I put out feed, but of course it is never enough. And this year the corn situation will be tight. I might have to do sunflower only with rabbit pellets.

I have two big urns near our dock (on both sides) and some flowers
along the dock. I thought a non-smelly intervention might work. We sit there alot and it cannot be offensive. These fortress thingies may work..I could put in the planters?

I also keep things on the porch where they cannot reach. Those are safe.

The first picture is our porch... the deer do not get high enough to eat these, and are too bashful to walk up the narrow steps etc:

Second pic is the old dock, we don't use it anymore as a dock..but as a
deck of sorts. The large planter is right behind these toonies. The deer walk along the shore and eat them.

3rd pic... these are portable planters which we put up on the dock at night,
but a deer came by surprise and got them too last season! (I have 6 of these and usually some seedlings in flats). The deer didn't bother with my seedlings,
but she loved the gazanias!

So the things I want to keep safe are concentrated in one spot, and not a large area by any means.

So do you think the "fortress" things will work?
http://www.deerfortress.com/about.php

[braingonebad]

Aha! That is why my Rhoddies aren't doing well. They were existing when we moved in (11 - 12 years ago) and they just don't look good now. They are very leggy and sparse. They are in total full sun directly south facing toward the west side of the house. The big lilac probably filters some of the evening sun from the west, but they may just be getting too much sun. What do you think?

The sun is half the problem. But I can almost bet you the soil is alkaline too. Very uncommon for the soil up here to be acid enough for these plants. We're both going to need to ammend it with something and give them special acid type fertilizer. (I have some Rapidgrow for acid lovers - but where? lol)

You can buy a kit or take a sample to a garden center and they'll test it for you, and recommend what to put on the soil to get the acidity up.

[braingonebad]

Mrs. D. - Does that site have a feedback system for its products? Or is that sold somewhere that does? Maybe other people have used it and can comment. I wish I could help you on this. We have deer right up the street - 1/4 mile away - but they just don't cross the road, so I don't have the problem you have.

The only people I know who live down there keep big dogs out all night and that seems to keep the deer out of their gardens.

[mrsD]

Mrs. D. - Does that site have a feedback system for its products? Or is that sold somewhere that does? Maybe other people have used it and can comment. I wish I could help you on this. We have deer right up the street - 1/4 mile away - but they just don't cross the road, so I don't have the problem you have.

The only people I know who live down there keep big dogs out all night and that seems to keep the deer out of their gardens.

That was a good idea....didn't think there would be many reviews..
I went to Amazon and found the lowest price too! LOL

3 x 5 star reviews on Amazon
And one 5 star on The Do It Best Website.

So I guess I will try it. I was devastated last summer when she learned how
to get to my smaller planters on the high dock. I love the deer.. and we have been feeding them for over a decade. But I love my flowers too. I often
do seedlings of perennials and bring them home. Being outside there every day taking the sun, affords me an easy way to grow my seeds.
I did a whole flat of Lychnis coronaria last year...they do very well in my dry
front garden..they take alot of abuse and bloom away...often twice.
Sometimes they are biennial and others not, so I can't depend on self seeding.

We even put up a netting fence along the shore, where the tree line stops.
I thought she was coming down that way. But it appears she also walks on the rocks and in the water, now. So this will be my 3rd attempt to save my small flower patch. Most of the people up there (not on our small island) who are year long residents have elaborate fences.. and I just can't do that. Even having the flowers is tough..we are the only ones of the family that do plants, it is just too hard. (you have to bucket water, and bring everything in by boat.)

Thanks for the idea. I'm gonna try it...and will report back in Sept! (or sooner if I can find a working WiFi up there this season!

[hollym]

The sun is half the problem. But I can almost bet you the soil is alkaline too. Very uncommon for the soil up here to be acid enough for these plants. We're both going to need to ammend it with something and give them special acid type fertilizer. (I have some Rapidgrow for acid lovers - but where? lol)

You can buy a kit or take a sample to a garden center and they'll test it for you, and recommend what to put on the soil to get the acidity up.


I have tried Miracid on it in the past. I should test the soil, too, though.

[COK]

I am in the process of doing my front flower gardens...I tilled, I laid heavy plastic, I have up border made of granite pieces...

Now I just have to figure what to put in it...I have some Mexican Heather, pansies, chinese lanterns and not sure what else...

two kids helped with the other seeds thrown in. lol

I want dogwoods for around the house...I can't find the ones I like...
Maybe when I go to Florida I can find something.

I have some wistera that I am letting take over a tree...you know how that stuff gets carried away...but my dad will keep it cut back. I love wistera.

I have a hygrandgea growing and now is the time to set out more.

Whars all them younuns when ya need em? lol

[mrsD]

to be very invasive! I don't know how much room you have?

What I do, is put in easy to care for things, that bloom at different times.
Then I let them grow all together, and I have flowers most of the summer.
(perennials)

I love day lilies...I have several types, and they all bloom at different times.
Also daisies and black eyed susans are trouble free. For fall I have upright
Sedums. But my favorite lately has been the Lychnis Coronaria. Easy from seed.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.dkimages.com/discover/previews/820/834704.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.dkimages.com/discover/DKIMAGES/Discover/Home/Plants/Ornamental-Groups/Annuals-and-Biennials/Caryophyllaceae/Lychnis/Lychnis-coronaria/Lychnis-coronaria-1.html&h=142&w=95&sz=71&tbnid=pw3HO4tlXGYJ:&tbnh=142&tbnw=95&prev=/images%3Fq%3DLychnis&hl=en&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image&cd=3
This is very hardy, can stand dry conditions, and will rebloom if cut back.

I cannot get pansies to grow where it is dry and hot in summer. Even the new varieties fail for me.:confused:
And I cannot get lobelia to work for me in boxes at all...I gave up on that!

I have also found gazania daisies to be very nice and tolerant of neglect!
With my arthritis and leg issues, neglect is the magic word for me!

This year I searched Ebay and found many unusual varieties of seed there! Very inexpensive!
There are two wildflowers I like but can never find, and they were on Ebay. Silene (Armeria) and annual baby's breath!

[braingonebad]

I just started growing daylilies about 3 yrs ago. I bought 3, now I have 9.

:)

I saw on a tv show how to cross breed them, and I did it - it was so easy. Grew some of their seeds and have some cool colors.

I think the key to a great garden is try everything twice, find the things that are happy to grow for you and stick with them. Why fuss over things that don't want to grow there when there are millions of great plants that will? It's just a matter of finding the right ones.

[mrsD]

is a deep copper thing, I bought as seeds from Park Seed eons ago.

I wintered them in the frig according to directions, and they all sprouted easily. (in a plastic baggie with a moist paper towel )

Now they have spread and give me beautiful deep copper/maroon flowers.
I don't even know their name. They bloom after the early yellows, and after my wild ones.

The little new Stella D'oro will bloom more than once if you cut the seed pods
off.

There is a seller on Ebay with an auction for 50 seeds mixed for .99 starting.
If you type daylily seeds into their search it comes up.

A great way to get hardy easy care plants...if you are willing to invest in time.
I think all daylily need cold stim before germination. (but some varieties may not need that.) Mine did.

[braingonebad]

Huh, I never knew that. Thanks! I just let them dry and stuck em in the dirt and they grew, I guess I got lucky.

:)

(Dh would say my hands were cold enuf to do it)

I finally hung the hummy feeders and the birds are at them now.

[mrsD]

it has some "new" ideas about sprouting daylily seeds:

http://www.gracegardens.com/ggseed.htm

I lost about 10% to mold... they were smaller seeds and looked shrunken
before I treated them. So they were probably infertile to begin with.

It's been about 20 yrs since I did my seeds. So it makes sense that new
ways have been discovered.

[Alffe]

I have a galloping case of poison ivy...I think I got it off my dogs fur..he is walked in the woods every day by my husband. This was suggested to me as a remedy...Jewel Weed — "Touch Me Not" — Impatiens
This plant is a very effective Poison Ivy antidote.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Jewel Weed Stem should be crushed and the liquid rubbed into the skin contacted by the Poison Ivy and symptoms will not appear or will be much less troublesome.

Jewel Weed usually grows near water or in shallow ponds. It is often found in areas where Poison Ivy grows.

Jewel Weed totally neutralizes the Poison Ivy's oily antigen called Urushiol, and you will no longer spread it by scratching or rubbing. The Urushiol oil may be carried on the fur of pets, clothing, shoes, toys, tools, or other objects and then transferred to the skin. Approximately 24 to 36 hrs after a sensitized person is exposed to the Urushiol, a blistery, itching rash develops. Usually within 15 minutes of contact, the Urushiol binds to skin proteins. If it is washed off with soap and water before that time, a reaction may be prevented. After the antigen is fixed, however, it cannot be washed off or transferred to other areas. Scratching or oozing blister fluid cannot spread the antigen to other areas of the body or to other persons.


Jewel Weed is still quite helpful even if you have developed scabs, though you need to work — Rub — it in longer, and it takes time for the blisters to heal.


Where can I buy some of this to plant?

[mrsD]

Jewel weed is related to impatiens and the stems are very fragile.

It grows wild, but I have NEVER seen it in a garden store.

There is one packet of seeds left on Ebay..it is currently at 3.65 with six bids.
She says it is her last packet for sale.

You could just hike around and dig some up. I use wet newspapers for foraging this way. Typically jewelweed grows along the water.
I had one volunteer into a container, that I brought home last year. It grew
enormously in that 15 inch container. (they love rich soil). This year many
babies self seeded into my front garden, and I just ripped them out !! sorry.
This plant grows on our shore. And the deer love to eat them, and
the hummers love the flowers. Do you want me to bring some back for you?
I can try to get seeds for you... don't know if I will be successful tho.

[Alffe]

I would love this! I wonder how it would winter in Northern Indiana or would it be an annual? Thank you so much...I have many impatiens in my gardens but I don't suppose they would work on my itching. I'm on the third day of the prednizone taper...no change in my appearance either. I whelt and to say I itch is an understament!

[mrsD]

and it reseeds... very easily I might add.

It is just coming up now. The ones I ripped out were between 1 and 2 inch
and still only had their seed leaves on them.

They are very fragile as plants. The stems are watery just like impatiens.
The first frost bursts them and they drop in a heap.

I'll try to get you some seeds. For this season, tho, you'll have to go digging.

[Curious]

alffe..i even looked at some of the seed online stores...sold out. darn.

i'll keep looking. i'd hug ya...but i know it will make you itchy. i'll blow you a kiss http://dl9.glitter-graphics.net/pub/244/244519cj7iewvdtg.gif (http://www.glitter-graphics.com)

[mrsD]

selling plants:

http://www.easywildflowers.com/quality/imp.cap.htm

(they are out of seed).

and here are some affordable seeds:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Spotted-Touch-me-not-Jumbo-Wildflower-Seed-Packet_W0QQitemZ310042771908QQihZ021QQcategoryZ318 3QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1 638Q2em118Q2el1247

[Curious]

one of the sites i found mrsd, said they were out because of drought.

a few message board type of sites for farmers who sell the root.

[Alffe]

thanks so much for your help. I've never bought on Ebay and when I tried to order I got this message:


The following must be corrected before continuing:
City - Please correct this information.
Shipping costs cannot be calculated for this item because the shipping calculator is currently unavailable or the seller has not specified shipping costs to your currently selected address. Please select another shipping address from your address book and try again.

Huh? The city was correct and why would I want it shipped anywhere else.
Is this like uploading pictures?? :wink: Don't smack me curious!!

[Curious]

do you have an ebay account?


pm me if you want. :D

[Av8rgirl]

It's time to start planting your vegetable gardens if you haven't already. Tomatoes can be put out in those "wall of water" water greenhouses because they protect the plants from freezing. They also provide a greenhouse for the plants and they grow a lot faster. You can use them for other vegetables too such as peppers.

[Alffe]

(((Cheryl))) My herb garden is in and one of my rosemary plants has completely disappeared. :confused:

[Av8rgirl]

(((Cheryl))) My herb garden is in and one of my rosemary plants has completely disappeared. :confused:

Oh my...wonder who ate it? :eek:

Get another one and keep it inside for a while in a sunny window.

[mrsD]

Where we are up North ---

slugs and snails
crickets
grasshoppers
voles
DEER
rabbits

I've had whole plants disappear in one day up there. It feels like the whole world against me sometimes!
So I have decided on container gardening. This is working much better.
(so far).

Also I found a tip on the net which I am also going to try...
Shavings of Irish Spring soap, to protect plants from being eaten.
Sprinkled around the base of things you want to protect. They dissolve in
about a month or 2 depending on rain fall amount.

I bought the Deer Fortress, and will try those too.

[Av8rgirl]

Where we are up North ---

slugs and snails
crickets
grasshoppers
voles
DEER
rabbits

I've had whole plants disappear in one day up there. It feels like the whole world against me sometimes!
So I have decided on container gardening. This is working much better.
(so far).

Also I found a tip on the net which I am also going to try...
Shavings of Irish Spring soap, to protect plants from being eaten.
Sprinkled around the base of things you want to protect. They dissolve in
about a month or 2 depending on rain fall amount.

I bought the Deer Fortress, and will try those too.

If Deer and Rabbits are hungry, they are going to eat the plants. The Soap, hair, home remedies are not going to work for very long. Even putting wire over the plants. They eventually eat what they want and move along.

I posted a link earlier in the thread for Deer Resistant plant material and you may want to try to put some of those around the perimeter of your yard.

The biggest problem is humans invading the deer habitat. Put out a salt lick for them and hope they stick to that and move on to greener pastures and co-habit with you.

I live in an area with deer, elk, foxes, and antelope. The foxes eat the gophers but not in a large enough quantity so unfortunately I lose a lot of my trees in the nursery. I have to call the county pest control squad to come out and poison them. The upside is that their predators don't eat the stomachs so they are not harmed. The deer nibble on the trees but they also eat the grass that I plant to hold in the moisture so I don't have to water as often. It's a trade off.

Let me know how the deer fortress works. I've not seen one at work.

[mrsD]

because I put out salt and food for the new mothers and fawns.

Then they hang around and after they get used to our presence, they move to the shore and eat my small garden (mostly containers).

The rabbits do not get up to the high containers, but the deer really
don't mind. I used a sonic device in the past, but last year the deer learned to
ignore it.

I only need to have 2mons of deterrent, not a whole year. So I am hoping the deer don't like the Fortress.

Last year was the most aggressive damage..I move my containers up on the unused dock at night and they are typically safe then. Last year she ate them ALL.

Our island does not have alot of soil base, so plant material is sparse.
We spend quite a bit of $$ feeding the deer (and now the rabbits).
Our cat keeps the rabbits in check however.
Here is a picture of a hare eating a soy chip...that season, we had a drought, so all the greenery for the rabbits was very low. It is unheard of to see them like this in the day, semi tame. So they were starving.

The second pic is a typical deer visit (this one 2004)
That is their feeding rock and the salt lick behind them.

The deer do swim on and off to us. We see them do this. But the rabbits cannot. They can only move
from island to island during winter when the water freezes.
It has been decades of not seeing a single rabbit... and now we have tons of them! ????

These deer will eat anything. The only thing spared for me last season was chives.
"Deer resistant plants" has no meaning where we are.

When we return in Sept, I'll report back on the effectiveness of the soap shavings and
Deer Fortress. The Fortress just came UPS yesterday thru Amazon. (they had the lowest price,
beating even Ebay).

[Wren]

We have enormous amounts of damage from deer and TURTLES :p.
I put wire "cages" around my tomato plants that stop most of the deer and rabbits but don't even slow the turtles. Of course they get only the lowest fruit and the birds get the higher ones.

We have a salt block that the deer love, far down on the other side of the house (near the hostas), but it doesn't slow them down.

[gamgam]

First let me say thank you for this section of the forum!

Next, I have a question about peonies. We moved into a new house last fall that has some of everything in the yard. This little lady kept her yard with a variety of what looks like a gardening catalog.

There are several areas that have different colors of peonies and what I wanted to know is if I snip the blooms off, will they bloom more for the season? Or do they just have their own course of things? I have never had them before.

Thanks

[mrsD]

as far as I know.

The ants on them is normal.
If you want to cut and bring them in, turn them upside down in a
container of water, and the ants will go away (do this outside of course).

[Foggy Brain]

After witnessing deer/rabbits eating my hosta garden to nubs, I found an organic repellent solution at a local retail hardware store that worked wonders in training the critters to stay away. Here is a link to the product should anyone be interested in locating it:

http://terradisiac.com/products.php?pid=77714289&openparent=2213

I too, only had to use the product for two months, and the application of this product is easy.


I only need to have 2mons of deterrent, not a whole year. So I am hoping the deer don't like the Fortress.

Last year was the most aggressive damage..I move my containers up on the unused dock at night and they are typically safe then. Last year she ate them ALL....
These deer will eat anything. The only thing spared for me last season was chives.
"Deer resistant plants" has no meaning where we are.

[Av8rgirl]

First let me say thank you for this section of the forum!

Next, I have a question about peonies. We moved into a new house last fall that has some of everything in the yard. This little lady kept her yard with a variety of what looks like a gardening catalog.

There are several areas that have different colors of peonies and what I wanted to know is if I snip the blooms off, will they bloom more for the season? Or do they just have their own course of things? I have never had them before.

Thanks

Peonies only bloom once each season. It's best to cut off the dead bloom stalks once they have bloomed in order to allow the plant to maximize it's food production for next year to the bulb from just the leaves and not the flower stalks.

Here's a good link for information about Peonies. I have several Peonies in my garden and just love them. I will be dividing mine this fall as they have gotten quite large!

http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/peonies.html

I am glad you like this part of the forum. Brain and decided to do it as she is very good with tips about some things and since I have a landscape design business that I started after I graduated with my Bachelors Degree in Horticulture we put our collective heads together to help answer questions!

This is fun to do and I really enjoy answering the questions posed by our community! Thanks everyone! ;)

[mrsD]

I will be dividing mine this fall as they have gotten quite large!

http://www.flower-gardening-made-easy.com/peonies.html

I am glad you like this part of the forum. Brain and decided to do it as she is very good with tips about some things and since I have a landscape design business that I started after I graduated with my Bachelors Degree in Horticulture we put our collective heads together to help answer questions!

This is fun to do and I really enjoy answering the questions posed by our community! Thanks everyone! ;)

I think Peonies are a major bummer and risk to dig up and divide.

I seriously injured my back doing that many years ago (the only time I hurt myself) so I'll never touch them again! They can go down a foot or more!
Please be careful! They are lovely though! :o

[Av8rgirl]

I think Peonies are a major bummer and risk to dig up and divide.

I seriously injured my back doing that many years ago (the only time I hurt myself) so I'll never touch them again! They can go down a foot or more!
Please be careful! They are lovely though! :o

I've divided them before. In fact, that's how I got these plants that I do have. They were in our horticulture class garden. When I did my internship in the Greenhouse, one of my projects was to divide all the perennials.

I also have about 7 or 8 daylilies to divide at the end of this season. I can actually divide them now, but decided to wait. I already divided my Lavender and Grasses.

[braingonebad]

My lavendar made babies! I had one spring up a couple years ago, and this year there's a whole patch of little ones. i'm so proud!

:)

I found a new plant - Delphinium Laurin. I've grown Delphiniums before but not this variety. It has the same leaves, but the flowers resemble a columbine, tomato red. Supposed to attract hummingbirds.

I'm also doing my first hostas - never had enough shade for em before. Found another camanula - now I have 3 varieties, all different sizes. The dahlias are starting to get leaves and the veggie garden is in. Whew.

I still have the whole back fence area to weed and prune and mulch, but I'm getting there. The granddaughter planted my whiskey barrel with a spike and pink petunias. The kid is a natural.

[Av8rgirl]

My lavendar made babies! I had one spring up a couple years ago, and this year there's a whole patch of little ones. i'm so proud!

:)

I found a new plant - Delphinium Laurin. I've grown Delphiniums before but not this variety. It has the same leaves, but the flowers resemble a columbine, tomato red. Supposed to attract hummingbirds.

I'm also doing my first hostas - never had enough shade for em before. Found another camanula - now I have 3 varieties, all different sizes. The dahlias are starting to get leaves and the veggie garden is in. Whew.

I still have the whole back fence area to weed and prune and mulch, but I'm getting there. The granddaughter planted my whiskey barrel with a spike and pink petunias. The kid is a natural.

I love Hostas. I am doing two hosta beds for clients right now and will be putting some in my front bed that faces North. I pulled out some Oregon Grape and two Rhoddies that didn't make it (they just don't do well here).

That particular Delphinium is absolutely gorgeous!

I pruned my lavendar way back this year and it's doing great! It was about 4' high and was blocking the yarrow from getting water. So, off with it's head! It's shooting back up again! And the yarrow is happy!

Not quite time to plant my pots yet, another week or so and I will be putting in my 12' long planter box on my deck! Can't wait!

Nice to see you again Brain! ;)

[Abasaki]

Several years ago, I purchased my mom a Lilac Bush...it's her favorite flowering anything....


Problem...
It bloomed twice.... never grew more than 3 ft tall and parts of it keep dying off every year. New sprouts come up every year but then die off before some is gone. It hasn't grown enough to bloom for the past 2 years.


Any ideas?? Or should I just try to find her a new one and write-off the one she has as a lost cause???


:(
Abbie

[Koala77]

Several years ago, I purchased my mom a Lilac Bush......Abbie


Dear Abbie, thank you!

I have a shrub that looks very sick at the moment, and it's leaves have all dried up and fallen off. It's Autumn here in Oz land and as I don't know what it is, I don't know if it's deciduous or dead! :( This is a new house for us that we moved into in January, so we didn't plant it or nor did we see it flower.

If it has died, then a Lilac bush would be perfect to plant in that space. We have lots of Lavendar planted, and I think that Lilac would be another beautiful perfume to add to our garden.

[Av8rgirl]

Several years ago, I purchased my mom a Lilac Bush...it's her favorite flowering anything....


Problem...
It bloomed twice.... never grew more than 3 ft tall and parts of it keep dying off every year. New sprouts come up every year but then die off before some is gone. It hasn't grown enough to bloom for the past 2 years.


Any ideas?? Or should I just try to find her a new one and write-off the one she has as a lost cause???


:(
Abbie

Lilacs are susceptible to Verticillium Wilt which lies dormant in the soil and only attacks certain types of plants. It's a bacteria and you cannot get rid of it. The only way to solve it is to plant VW resistant plant material. It sounds like this is what the problem is with the Lilac. Stunted growth, limbs dying, etc.

My suggestion is to plant something else that is resistant to this bacteria and plant a lilac elsewhere in your yard. This one is toast.

What you might do is cut off a branch and take it to your local county extension office and see if that is truly what it is. If that's not the case, then you can plant another lilac in the same place, but from your description, that's my guess.

[Av8rgirl]

Dear Abbie, thank you!

I have a shrub that looks very sick at the moment, and it's leaves have all dried up and fell off. It's Autumn here in Oz land, and as I don't know what it is, I don't know if it's deciduous or dead! :( This is a new house for us that we moved into in January and I have no idea what this shrub is.

If it has died, then a Lilac bush would be perfect to plant in that space. We have lots of Lavendar planted, and I think that Lilac would be another beautiful perfume for our garden.

One way you can tell if its dead is to take a pair of pruners and cut off a small branch. If it's still green, then its not dead. If it snaps off, then its dead.

Brown and crispy branches are not good!

[Koala77]

One way you can tell if its dead is to take a pair of pruners and cut off a small branch. If it's still green, then its not dead. If it snaps off, then its dead.

Brown and crispy branches are not good!


Thank you FG. I just went and checked. The first bit I cut off is definitely brown and crispy, the second I'm still debating. I'm wondering if the very slight green tinge to the centre of the twig is my imagination or not!

I'll check again in a week or so, but I think it must have gone to the great garden in the sky! :(

[Av8rgirl]

Thank you FG. I just went and checked. The first bit I cut off is definitely brown and crispy, the second I'm still debating. I'm wondering if the very slight green tinge to the centre of the twig is my imagination or not!

I'll check again in a week or so, but I think it must have gone to the great garden in the sky! :(

Well, if there is any green in the middle, then it's probably going dormant for the winter. Be brave and find a larger branch and cut it off...it will grow back! Trust me!! I am a pruning expert! That's what I do in the off season....I teach pruning!

The chainsaw is my friend! Our class motto was truck prune junipers!! You chain 'em to your truck and put it in gear and go like hell! That's truck pruning! Junipers are highly volatile and make good fuel for fires! We live in the foothills area where fire spreads very quickly. Junipers are not the ideal perimeter plant material! So, we advocate getting rid of them! Tie 'em to your truck and pull 'em out!

Of course, I don't use my chainsaw to prune everything! I do have the proper tools for the proper plants!! I am only kidding!!! ;)

[Burntmarshmallow]

any help to get rid of the potato vine???? I think that vine is taking over the counrty???? I seen allot of it in virgina but I also have it smoothering my bushes out back. I cut and pull it off but there it is again covering everything.
any help????? should I be diggin the roots out of ground if/when I find the stalks????
T.Y.
I guess I should read this whole thread in case the answer is here already;)

[Av8rgirl]

any help to get rid of the potato vine???? I think that vine is taking over the counrty???? I seen allot of it in virgina but I also have it smoothering my bushes out back. I cut and pull it off but there it is again covering everything.
any help????? should I be diggin the roots out of ground if/when I find the stalks????
T.Y.
I guess I should read this whole thread in case the answer is here already;)


Potato vine -
Solanum laxum is not known to be invasive. However, it is poisonous. I suggest you spray it with roundup, and keep pulling it up. Make sure the little "potatoes" don't drop anywhere.

[braingonebad]

I love Hostas. I am doing two hosta beds for clients right now and will be putting some in my front bed that faces North. I pulled out some Oregon Grape and two Rhoddies that didn't make it (they just don't do well here).

That particular Delphinium is absolutely gorgeous!

I pruned my lavendar way back this year and it's doing great! It was about 4' high and was blocking the yarrow from getting water. So, off with it's head! It's shooting back up again! And the yarrow is happy!

Not quite time to plant my pots yet, another week or so and I will be putting in my 12' long planter box on my deck! Can't wait!

Nice to see you again Brain! ;)

That delp started blooming even more 2 days after I planted it! :)

You had to mention yarrow, huh? Mine needs to be moved. The mint is choking it out.

I was wondering why I had 2 purple tulips - I'd never planted that color. Duh... I'd planted some red ones between the shrubs. The acidic soil turned them purple, lol. That bed is coming along nicely. I'm trying to stay in the red/blue family since everything is going to turn color anyway, may as well all go purple.

:D

And thanks for the info on the lilac. I'd never heard of that one.

[Alffe]

I have a couple of questions..We have a huge old Maple tree between our sidewalk and the garage..nothing will grow under it so I've outlined the dirt with paving bricks and am going to fill it with mulch...lots of mulch. Mr.Alffe brought me two bags of shredded cypress to see if I liked it...I'm not crazy about the red color...will it darken in time?

Also, how many inches of mulch should I put down...

And, will it hurt my 125 yr. old tree?

*************

And lastly, when, how, where do I plant the Impatiens capensis seeds.
I live in northern Indiana..only 6 miles from Michigan so I assume this would be an annual here?

:grouphug:

[braingonebad]

I have a couple of questions..We have a huge old Maple tree between our sidewalk and the garage..nothing will grow under it so I've outlined the dirt with paving bricks and am going to fill it with mulch...lots of mulch. Mr.Alffe brought me two bags of shredded cypress to see if I liked it...I'm not crazy about the red color...will it darken in time?

Also, how many inches of mulch should I put down...

And, will it hurt my 125 yr. old tree?

*************

And lastly, when, how, where do I plant the Impatiens capensis seeds.
I live in northern Indiana..only 6 miles from Michigan so I assume this would be an annual here?

:grouphug:

Check your mulch bags. Some colorings are more temporary, some are fairly permanent. If Mr. A. bought one of those, you might ask him to return and exchange it for something brown.

:o

I usually go 2-3 inches deep, and depending on the tree, maybe a three foot circle. You can just use up your two bags, however that lays out. Don't let it pile up too much right by the trunk though - keep it thinner there.

Sorry, can't help you with the impatiens... I'm no good with seeds really. I'm a toss and go girl, and they come up by the grace of God, or not.

:D

[Av8rgirl]

I have a couple of questions..We have a huge old Maple tree between our sidewalk and the garage..nothing will grow under it so I've outlined the dirt with paving bricks and am going to fill it with mulch...lots of mulch. Mr.Alffe brought me two bags of shredded cypress to see if I liked it...I'm not crazy about the red color...will it darken in time?

Also, how many inches of mulch should I put down...

And, will it hurt my 125 yr. old tree?

*************

And lastly, when, how, where do I plant the Impatiens capensis seeds.
I live in northern Indiana..only 6 miles from Michigan so I assume this would be an annual here?

:grouphug:

Plant those seeds now in rich moist soil in sun or shade. One plant blooming this year will naturally reseed a small bed producing a large number of plants next year. It is also called Jewelweed and is a natural feeder for visiting hummingbirds.

If you don't like the mulch color, do as Brain said and exchange it. It will darken with age and watering, but not a lot. Red cedar doesn't change much over time.

Don't mulch too deep under the Maple tree. The purpose for mulching is to keep it moist and in your area, you don't need much moisture as you have a lot already. Another reason is to keep the weeds down. A 2 inch depth is fine.

[Alffe]

Thank you both! I'll plant them today and pray that my bout of next years poison ivy will have a cure, growing in my yard. *grin

And I am so glad I asked about the color...really can't stand that red! Who wants to make a fashion statement with mulch! :D

[mrsD]

Try putting some of the seeds in containers.

I brought home my toonies 2 years ago, and the local jewel weed volunteered in the the pot the toonies were in (from Up North). I let them grow (it was a deep large pot 12 in deep and across) in that pot and then that plant volunteered everywhere in my front garden.

Jewel weed does best in moist conditions. So you can control things better in a container. I use a moist enhancing product called Soil Moist in my pots/containers to hold them better and reduce watering. It is really nice for containers (which I am tending toward more and more).

[Alffe]

thanks for the suggestion Mrs.D and you were instrumental in pointing the way...curious was my courier. :grouphug:

[braingonebad]

Thank you both! I'll plant them today and pray that my bout of next years poison ivy will have a cure, growing in my yard. *grin

And I am so glad I asked about the color...really can't stand that red! Who wants to make a fashion statement with mulch! :D


I'm with you. I like the natural color myself.

I go with the lighter brown and from the road it almost looks like the dirt. The darker is brown as coffee grounds, which looks good, but smells funny.

:rolleyes:

Also, thanks for the tip on those impatiens as a remedy for poison ivy. I should plant some of those. Ya know, I have poison ivy but I never get a rash from it. Every body else does, but not me.

:D

[mrsD]

Alffe.

I think in a year or two, you will have more volunteers than you expected!
This plant is rather prolific! :p

[Girlie Girl]

Brain and FG,

When can I transplant flowers, phlox and other plants? I have a flower garden that the previous owners planted and I would like to move some of them to another area.

I also planted my first veggie garden (well my dad did but I will maintain it)!!!! I hope that I don't kill them all off.

Thanks!

[Av8rgirl]

Brain and FG,

When can I transplant flowers, phlox and other plants? I have a flower garden that the previous owners planted and I would like to move some of them to another area.

I also planted my first veggie garden (well my dad did but I will maintain it)!!!! I hope that I don't kill them all off.

Thanks!

Preferrably when they are dormant, early spring or late fall. You could probably transplant them now since you live in a rather cool climate and they should do just fine. Make sure you give them a boost of fertilizer and water them in good. That's usually the key to a successful transplant. Miracle grow has a good transplant fertilizer or a root stimulator. That should get them started. You also might want to prune them back just a bit too so they can produce food for the roots and not growth above ground. Also when you dig them up, make sure you dig around them far enough out so you are not cutting off a lot of the roots.

Good luck with the transplants!

[Girlie Girl]

Preferrably when they are dormant, early spring or late fall. You could probably transplant them now since you live in a rather cool climate and they should do just fine. Make sure you give them a boost of fertilizer and water them in good. That's usually the key to a successful transplant. Miracle grow has a good transplant fertilizer or a root stimulator. That should get them started. You also might want to prune them back just a bit too so they can produce food for the roots and not growth above ground. Also when you dig them up, make sure you dig around them far enough out so you are not cutting off a lot of the roots.

Good luck with the transplants!

Awesome! Thanks for the pointers Cheryl! I will let you know how I make out.

[braingonebad]

Have fun with them, Girlie. I move plants every year.

:D

[Bobbi]

Can ivy be transplanted w/out uprooting pieces?

[Av8rgirl]

Can ivy be transplanted w/out uprooting pieces?
You want to start new Ivy plants somewhere else w/out uprooting the entire plant?

Yes, you can do that.

You can take cuttings about 6 to 8 inches in length, remove the lower 2-3 leaves and insert the cutting into some damp sand or vermiculite. Keep it in a warm spot, and the roots should develop fairly rapidly (anywhere from 10-20 days) giving you a new small plant.

[Alffe]

I THINK I have morel mushrooms under my pinetrees...how can I be sure they are edible and how big should I let them get? :o

[Av8rgirl]

I THINK I have morel mushrooms under my pinetrees...how can I be sure they are edible and how big should I let them get? :o
Here's some great websites for identifying mushrooms.

http://thegreatmorel.com/

http://www.mushroomexpert.com/
http://americanmushrooms.com/id.htm

http://www.backyardnature.net/f/mush-id.htm

[Alffe]

Thank you! Boy you're quick!! :D

[JustWeave]

It will soon be time for this season's WeaveHerr vs. Varmints battle. Last year the groundhogs got more tomatoes than I did. My veggie garden is in a slightly raised bed. The bed is raised just enough to make the whole thing level. They got in under my plastic fence no matter how I put it. DH has offered to fence the bed for me using wire mesh closet shelving. Could a groundhog climb that? If that won't keep them out what will?

Thanks for creating this thread! I'm sure I'll be back many time with other questions.

[Av8rgirl]

It will soon be time for this season's WeaveHerr vs. Varmints battle. Last year the groundhogs got more tomatoes than I did. My veggie garden is in a slightly raised bed. The bed is raised just enough to make the whole thing level. They got in under my plastic fence no matter how I put it. DH has offered to fence the bed for me using wire mesh closet shelving. Could a groundhog climb that? If that won't keep them out what will?

Thanks for creating this thread! I'm sure I'll be back many time with other questions.

I remember your battle! How about an air gun or a pellet gun filled with rock salt! I don't know...ground hogs are pretty nasty varmits....

Let me check with my local expert and get back to you!

[Girlie Girl]

Have fun with them, Girlie. I move plants every year.

:D



Thanks Brain! Is it too late to move the phlox seeing they are already blooming?

[mrsD]

When you move perennials use a fork. Loosen the soil all around carefully,
and fork them up...gently and most of the roots will survive.

If you move in the fall, do not fertilize with a high nitrogen fertilizer.
There are 3 numbers on fertilizers. like 12-12-12 which is the most common.

The first number is NITROGEN, and putting nitrogen down in a perennial bed late will stimulate new growth which is not resistant to cold. So your plant may die.

The second number is PHOSPHATE-- this number stimulates blooms.
Using a triple phosphate lightly on your bulb beds, or perennials, will give strong bloom during the next season.

The 3rd number is POTASSIUM-- this mineral encourages good root formation.
Many fall grass fertilizers are high in potassium. (but don't use this on your beds, in colder zones...the nitrogen is high too)

Fertilizers for green ground covers are usually high in nitrogen.
For roses, etc the middle number is usually higher.
The general rule for zone 5 and less, is to not fertilize after July. In warmer areas of the country, this rule is less strict.

I never move plants that are blooming. But there are exceptions..you can move daylillies anytime I have found. They are very hardy.

If you root ivy or other ground covers, I'd also suggest using Rootone or a similar powder, since those have a antifungal in them to discourage rot.
Just dip the cutting into the powder before putting in the medium.
I've done tons of these very successfully and easily. Don't seal the plastic cover too tightly, let some air in to circulate some too. That keeps the "rot" risk down.

If you want to do sedums...you can just pinch and stick them anywhere you want them. I've increased many varieties this way. The upright fleshy ones though, are better done in sand, in pots where you can take care of them. They take a little longer and are a bit more sensitive.

I bought a huge pot of semi-dead dragon's blood sedum once at a sale table .50.
The lady at the check out said...???? and my son who was about 8 at the time piped up --(echoing me) "Oh, my Mom will get at least 150 plants out of that pot!" I was so proud of him! LOL (and I did)

[Av8rgirl]

Thanks Brain! Is it too late to move the phlox seeing they are already blooming?

No, it's not too late. Just dig it up and move it! It's probably almost done blooming now anyway!

[JustWeave]

I remember your battle! How about an air gun or a pellet gun filled with rock salt! I don't know...ground hogs are pretty nasty varmits....

Let me check with my local expert and get back to you!

I'd love to shoot the little thieves, but I can never catch them in the garden!:mad: I went back to the same guy I got my tomatoes from last year. I asked him what critter would enjoy a green tomato and plant buffet. Without any hesitation he said groundhog and I hadn't given him any options. We have rabbits and squirrels too, so I wasn't sure who the problem was. He suggested putting out unwrapped bubble gum for them. He was told the groundhogs would eat the bubble gum, but not be able to digest it, and that would finish them off for me. I'd like a tried and true method or two.

[Av8rgirl]

Groundhog Control With Repellent Smells or Tastes

Epsom salts can be sprinkled on the vegetation and fruits of your garden plants to render them foul-tasting to groundhogs. The good news about this strategy is that Epsom salts will also help some of your garden plants to grow better. But the bad news is that rain will wash off the Epsom salts, meaning that you will need to make repeated applications. Another strategy that suffers from the same drawback is discouraging groundhogs with foul-smelling agents such as ammonia. Ammonia-soaked rags can be strewn along the perimeter of your garden, forming a stinky barrier to repel groundhogs. But even ammonia's smell fades eventually and a re-application will be necessary.


http://www.aaanimalcontrol.com/Professional-Trapper/howtogetridofgroundhogs.htm


http://www.critter-repellent.com/groundhog/groundhog-control.php?source=GoogleAW&gclid=CKSd6LXGvZMCFSY1agod2k4CDA

http://www.havahart.com/advice/critter-library/groundhog-control

[Curious]

my old neighbors used moth balls to get rid of moles.

we didn't have any pets..so i used decon pellets in the holes. they must have ate them and died. we didn't have problems after that. or they moved next door. :D

[Av8rgirl]

my old neighbors used moth balls to get rid of moles.

we didn't have any pets..so i used decon pellets in the holes. they must have ate them and died. we didn't have problems after that. or they moved next door. :D

According to the guys that come out and poison the multitude of gophers we have in our field, they use zinc oxide, predators don't eat the stomachs. We were concerned about neighborhood animals catching and eating gophers and dying. We were assured that would not be the case.

The zinc oxide is buried down inside the gopher tunnels so it is not a problem for wandering animals.

We also have a problem with voles. The issue with the vole poison is that it is put down on top of the ground and neighborhood dogs who wander through our field would eat it because it looks like dog snacks. Fortunately, we've not had that much of a problem the last couple of years with either the voles or wandering neighborhood dogs!

We don't have moles where we live, we just have gophers and voles.

[braingonebad]

We had some little critters that looked just like mice except they had longer snouts, flat and black if I remember right.

My dog Ozzy rooted them out and killed them off.

:eek:

:cool:

I was surprised the weasel didn't get them first. I think I get lucky, not having too many pests, because I have a lot of predators.

Remember I was deciding on what kind of tree to plant? Well, Im going with a redbud. I was taking a walk with the grandbaby today, admiring my neighbor's flowers. I heard somebody say "We should ask her!"

So they say they just dug up a redbud, and ask if I'd like it.


A nice walk, a free tree... you can't beat that.

:)

[Av8rgirl]

We had some little critters that looked just like mice except they had longer snouts, flat and black if I remember right.

My dog Ozzy rooted them out and killed them off.

:eek:

:cool:

I was surprised the weasel didn't get them first. I think I get lucky, not having too many pests, because I have a lot of predators.

Remember I was deciding on what kind of tree to plant? Well, Im going with a redbud. I was taking a walk with the grandbaby today, admiring my neighbor's flowers. I heard somebody say "We should ask her!"

So they say they just dug up a redbud, and ask if I'd like it.


A nice walk, a free tree... you can't beat that.

:)



Good deal! I love Redbuds!!!

:D

[Doody]

Watch out for the plants you buy at Walmart!!!! Egads, most especially the perennials. Second year in a row I've bought perennials from them that had grub eggs in them.

Just planted some daylilies from there and on the last pot saw the darned eggs. Dug around the ones I had planted and they were packed with them as well. 5 of the plants.

Soooo, I swooped back over to Walmart and asked to speak to the garden supervisor. Told her what had happened and she said I should bring in one of the plants to show them and they would see what they would do.

Just then someone was buying a boatload of the same daylilies, so I said, "Oh no problem, I can show you right here!" I took one of those poor patron's lilies and said, "SEE!?" Grub eggs all over the soil. The garden manager says, "Well those look like some kind of seeds or part of the potting soil."

So I reiterated that they were grub eggs and said, "I'll just have to show you." Grabbed a few and squished them between my fingers. Poor lady, the juice splattered on her face.

:eek:

So, they gave me back my $25 AND a bag of grub poison.

Anyway, take a good look if you buy anything from Walmart. Since it happened to me at our other Walmart last year (we have 2), I suspect they are getting their plants from a supplier with a big grub problem! Grrrr.

[Av8rgirl]

I wonder if they bothered to PULL all the daylilies from the shelf?

That's the problem with the "box store" nurseries. They are not typically educated. A lot of the time if you ask them questions, they're reply is I don't usually work this department!

I am glad that you got their attention and got your money back and something to take care of the grubs.

I have a good one to tell you about a National Lawn Care Company. When I was going to school, I didn't have time to take care of my yard so I hired this well known company to keep my yard Green. I have 3/4 of an acre of grass. I had a maintenance service come in once a week to take care of the mowing, etc and this other company come in to fertilize, bug spray, etc.

About mid-way through the summer, the maintenance company owner called and told me that my back yard was 2/3 dead and he wasn't sure what was going on but it looked read bad. He didn't think it was the sprinklers b/c he checked them out and they were working fine.

I had been out of town on a job site for about 2-3 weeks so when I finally got home I was shocked at the disaster in my back yard. 2/3 of it was dead. I took one look and knew exactly what the problem was. Billbugs. I had paid for billbug application. I called this National Lawn Care company and they sent a rep out to take a look. He told me I wasn't watering my yard enough and that's why it was dead. I told him that I wanted his manager out to see me ASAP.

Next day his manager met me at my house. This guy tried to tell me that I was not watering enough, that the maintenance company was cutting my grass too short for the hot weather, that I had broken sprinklers, etc etc etc....so when I pulled up the dead grass and showed him the billbug grubs, he had the audacity to tell me they were -- are you ready for this --- fertilizer pellets!!! Since when do fertilizer pellets 1) move and 2) are long white grubs with black heads!!!

This guy just looked at me like I had 3 heads and said well....I am a Master Gardener and I know what I am talking about and I am not going to let some homeowner tell me how to do my job. :eek:

I said fine. You've lost a customer. And you've lost a lot of word of mouth referrals. I suggest you get YOUR manager on the phone and we will discuss this. He hung himself right there and then. His manager knew who I was b/c he had come to our class to speak (and recruit) and found out there and then that I had a degree in Horticulture, had passed the State Pesticide Exam and the State Herbicide Exam. This company replaced my back yard at their expense. And they refunded my entire fees for that year. And I have never been back as a customer. And I don't refer anyone to them either!

Speak up! Don't get pushed around!

[mrsD]

You know...the pelleted fertilizers they use for long term now look alot like
eggs. And as they absorb moisture they squish too. They tend to be
off white to buff/light tan color. The better growers are now commonly using them. And I have switched to them too for all my containers. These tend to be in size just a bit larger than those round seeds you find in some pickles, but darker in color. These pelleted fertilizers do not shrink in size as they age, they become hollow. So you can see them "forever". I just repotted my planters that I use for my african daisies...and the little spheres were still there from last year. They last 3 to 4 months (the fertilizer inside that is) and commerical growers are now using them commonly I have found.

Grub eggs would be smaller I'd think.

This link says grub eggs are slightly oval.
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2500.html

Wow...I have never had a critter in a soil pot from a nursery or WalMart. I think they buy locally.
I know that Meijer's for example uses a local perennial grower, who is also excellent. So it might depend on
your region...the quality etc.
(our WalMart gets really nice stuff at good prices. The pansies I bought this year and last were just spectacular)

But I did get heavily infested tropical New Guinea impatiens one year from a greenhouse.
(you know the large fancy ones) These were little black mites, much smaller than aphids, on the underside of the leaves. So I suggest everyone examine those expensive impatiens carefully. These mites were majorly tiny, and you can really only see them if they are massed in a bunch. The leaves get mottled before they fall off.

[mrsD]

This was either a ground hog or deer. We have a groundhog...I see him frequently, and we call him Moe. He usually is no problem, since I do not do much in the back where it is shady. He eats clover and dandylions etc.
He must have gotten my ajuga, because that is really gone.

Whatever-whoever ate them...it got only at the top part with the seeds. And I suspect deer, because
that is what they do. (we live in a dense city..so we don't expect deer, but I have seen them come up along the creek in the past).

The bite pattern was also more like deer. Deer do not have top teeth, they
pull the stem off and leave a little tail on one side.
Rodents have incisors on both upper and lower jaw and bite cleanly as a rule.

Our street is all torn up for the city's project of replacing sewer/water mains.
It is now only sand. We found 2 sets of deer tracks last weekend in the sand.
So I think a deer is responsible. (she got some things across the street as well, and they were all tall plants too-- it is wild across the street but I have
invasive wild things planted there for fun/interest).

I am really bummed :Sob: ...as I like the way the Mertensia (Virginia Bluebells) reseed and increase.

[Doody]

Hmm, that's interesting Mrs. D! I had grubs before at another home and the devastation was terrible. I think what I'll do, then, is not put grub poison in this particular area and check it out later this season. I had no idea they used fertilizer that looked like grub eggs.

That's awful about your lawn Ms. Av8tr! Good on you for calling them out on this. Geesh. Moving eggs? LOL Just think of the unsuspecting people who would not have known any better.

[Av8rgirl]

You know...the pelleted fertilizers they use for long term now look alot like
eggs. And as they absorb moisture they squish too. They tend to be
off white to buff/light tan color. The better growers are now commonly using them. And I have switched to them too for all my containers. These tend to be in size just a bit larger than those round seeds you find in some pickles, but darker in color. These pelleted fertilizers do not shrink in size as they age, they become hollow. So you can see them "forever". I just repotted my planters that I use for my african daisies...and the little spheres were still there from last year. They last 3 to 4 months (the fertilizer inside that is) and commerical growers are now using them commonly I have found.

Grub eggs would be smaller I'd think.

This link says grub eggs are slightly oval.
http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2500.html

Wow...I have never had a critter in a soil pot from a nursery or WalMart. I think they buy locally.
I know that Meijer's for example uses a local perennial grower, who is also excellent. So it might depend on
your region...the quality etc.
(our WalMart gets really nice stuff at good prices. The pansies I bought this year and last were just spectacular)

But I did get heavily infested tropical New Guinea impatiens one year from a greenhouse.
(you know the large fancy ones) These were little black mites, much smaller than aphids, on the underside of the leaves. So I suggest everyone examine those expensive impatiens carefully. These mites were majorly tiny, and you can really only see them if they are massed in a bunch. The leaves get mottled before they fall off.

There is a huge difference between a fertilizer pellet and a billbug grub, especially when they move and crawl around in your hand!!! :eek:

WalMart does not buy locally. They buy in bulk and ship it in from wherever they get the cheapest buy, just like HomeDepot and Lowe's. If your local WalMart happens to be near the warehouse where they purchase the plant material, then you are lucky.

Here in Idaho, we have two of the largest tree, perennial, and annual growers in the mountain states. None of the box stores purchase from them. They ship their plant material in from California. As does Costco and Sams' Club. The plant material is not climatized for our elevation nor zone. It's too bad because buying locally would save on fuel and help out the local economy.


http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:V-VaaukJ1NMxVM:http://www.greenprolawn.net/images/billgrub.jpg (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.greenprolawn.net/images/billgrub.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.greenprolawn.net/insects.htm&h=339&w=400&sz=35&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=V-VaaukJ1NMxVM:&tbnh=105&tbnw=124&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dbillbug%2Bgrub%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26c lient%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN)

Grub/billbug

[JustWeave]

Groundhog Control With Repellent Smells or Tastes

Epsom salts can be sprinkled on the vegetation and fruits of your garden plants to render them foul-tasting to groundhogs. The good news about this strategy is that Epsom salts will also help some of your garden plants to grow better. But the bad news is that rain will wash off the Epsom salts, meaning that you will need to make repeated applications. Another strategy that suffers from the same drawback is discouraging groundhogs with foul-smelling agents such as ammonia. Ammonia-soaked rags can be strewn along the perimeter of your garden, forming a stinky barrier to repel groundhogs. But even ammonia's smell fades eventually and a re-application will be necessary.


http://www.aaanimalcontrol.com/Professional-Trapper/howtogetridofgroundhogs.htm


http://www.critter-repellent.com/groundhog/groundhog-control.php?source=GoogleAW&gclid=CKSd6LXGvZMCFSY1agod2k4CDA

http://www.havahart.com/advice/critter-library/groundhog-control

Thanks for the info. Turns out I had some fox urine powder here so I will give that a try.

[Av8rgirl]

Thanks for the info. Turns out I had some fox urine powder here so I will give that a try.

Let us know how that works!!

[JustWeave]

I have two large clumps of Adagio grass I want dug up, divided, and given away. Should the plants be cut back, and if so, how far? They are going to a plant swap this week and what ever is left over gets put out at our yard sale this month. They are so big I'm afraid they won't survive, so any other words of wisdom you have for me would be appreciated. They are going to get replaced with a hopefully more mannerly/compact grass.

[JustWeave]

My idea of gardening fun does not include weeding! :mad: What can I do to keep the weeds at bay? My south facing bed is probably the worst. When landscapers put in some stuff for me they put down some granular weed block but it didn't work. I have tried pulling them out by the roots, other granular weed block, and layers of newspaper under mulch. Next on the attempt idea list is landscape fabric. Got any tips or other ideas for me? Thanks.

[Av8rgirl]

I have two large clumps of Adagio grass I want dug up, divided, and given away. Should the plants be cut back, and if so, how far? They are going to a plant swap this week and what ever is left over gets put out at our yard sale this month. They are so big I'm afraid they won't survive, so any other words of wisdom you have for me would be appreciated. They are going to get replaced with a hopefully more mannerly/compact grass.

It's spreads through rhizomes so you can dig it up, and take your shovel or a pair a pruners and cut it up nicely into smaller portions, it should be divided every 2-3 years.

Pruning or cutting it back is quite easy and should be done now. You can cut it to the ground before new shoots appear. If it has already started growing, go ahead and prune it down to the tops of the new shoots and take your fingers and run them through the new grass shoots and pull out the dead ones from last season.



http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/images/low/thmb/I500-0901020.jpg (http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/images/low/I500-0901020.jpg)

It's a very pretty grass!!!

[Av8rgirl]

My idea of gardening fun does not include weeding! :mad: What can I do to keep the weeds at bay? My south facing bed is probably the worst. When landscapers put in some stuff for me they put down some granular weed block but it didn't work. I have tried pulling them out by the roots, other granular weed block, and layers of newspaper under mulch. Next on the attempt idea list is landscape fabric. Got any tips or other ideas for me? Thanks.

The granular weed block they put down was probably a pre-emergent that must be applied annually. My best guess would be that they used a product called Caseron. It works very well, but must be applied annually.

Bark/Mulch is an organic material and weeds will grow in it. Weeds will grow in rock/mulch if enough dust/dirt accumulates over time. Using newspaper UNDER it will keep the weeds from growing through the newspaper, but weeds will still grow in the mulch, but not under it.

As a landscaper, we do not encourage homeowners to put down any type of weed barrier under organic mulch. It's a waste of their money and our time. The only time we use weed barrier is when we put down heavy rock type bark as it will sink into the soil.

My suggestion to you is to use employ a Integrated Weed Management Program. There are several steps to this program.

1) Mechanical removal of the current weeds; 2) apply a pre-emergent (granular or liquid); 3) follow up through out the remainder of the season using mechanical removal of weeds as they pop up or biological methods; and 4) proper fertilization and watering of plant material.

There are several products on the market that you can use should you choose to go the route of biological methods.

[braingonebad]

I've always just hand-pulled the weeds, but I am going to have to reconsider the way I do things.

I'm guessing pre-emergents could kill off most of the flowers that come up from seed, as well as the weeds. Or are there products that know the differance?

[braingonebad]

It's spreads through rhizomes so you can dig it up, and take your shovel or a pair a pruners and cut it up nicely into smaller portions, it should be divided every 2-3 years.

Pruning or cutting it back is quite easy and should be done now. You can cut it to the ground before new shoots appear. If it has already started growing, go ahead and prune it down to the tops of the new shoots and take your fingers and run them through the new grass shoots and pull out the dead ones from last season.



http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/images/low/thmb/I500-0901020.jpg (http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/images/low/I500-0901020.jpg)

It's a very pretty grass!!!

That is pretty!

Looks sort of like mine, zebra grass. That doesn't spread by rhizomes (not that I've seen anyway). But it gets 9 feet tall. We have a wall of it - 18 plants - for privacy around the pool.

Some of it is not doing well this year - the rocks in the bed, not enough soil, poor soil, etc. We added compost and spagnum moss, so we'll see if that helps.

[Av8rgirl]

That is pretty!

Looks sort of like mine. But it gets 9 feet tall. We have a wall of it - 18 plants - for privacy around the pool.

Some of it is not doing well this year - the rocks in the bed, not enough soil, poor soil, etc. We added compost and spagnum moss, so we'll see if that helps.

According to my sources, Miscanthus sinesis 'Zebrinus,' commonly knows as Zebra grass, grows in tight clumps that expand via short, underground rhizomes. Fortunately, they retain their round, clump shape and tidy appearance.

I just planted two Zebra grasses in my planter box over the weekend. They do get to be 7-9 feet tall and because of their coloring lend themselves to showing off plant material in their immediate surroundings! I use this particular grass a lot in my designs.

Give it a shot of fertilizer and make sure you cut it back. It likes to be pruned!

[braingonebad]

We cut ours mid spring every year, within a few inches of the ground (that's as low as we can get). It will not grow until we do that, and it does grow as soon as we do - it's as if the pruning triggers the new growth.

You could almost watch it and hear it grow. A little rain, a little het and it takes off - it's almost scary.

:D

We only fertilize it at the beginning of the year. Too much growth and later the wind will knock it down. We selected this one because of the size, and we were hoping it wouldn't invade the yard and it has not. Some do and as big as this is, that could get dangerous.

They are cool in the fall when they bloom - they birds like the seeds. And in the winter, covered in snow.

[Girlie Girl]

my old neighbors used moth balls to get rid of moles.

we didn't have any pets..so i used decon pellets in the holes. they must have ate them and died. we didn't have problems after that. or they moved next door. :D

What about chipmunks! I have holes all over my lawn. Will they do any damage? Or should I try and get rid of them? :confused: My veggie garden has been planted for a week and half and no one has touched it yet....fingers crossed.

[Av8rgirl]

What about chipmunks! I have holes all over my lawn. Will they do any damage? Or should I try and get rid of them? :confused: My veggie garden has been planted for a week and half and no one has touched it yet....fingers crossed.

Chipmunks will dig up your bulbs and eat them. They will also plant things for themselves for winter storage.

Check with your local garden center for a chipmunk/squirrel repellent.

Here's a couple of ideas that I have in my book from class


bloodmeal sprinkled on the soil surface
Hot pepper sprays and as a bonus they deter most insect pests

[Girlie Girl]

Awesome! Thanks! I have some tulips etc that have sprouted in random places. Must be from the chippies.

[braingonebad]

Chipmunks will dig up your bulbs and eat them. They will also plant things for themselves for winter storage.

Check with your local garden center for a chipmunk/squirrel repellent.

Here's a couple of ideas that I have in my book from class


bloodmeal sprinkled on the soil surface
Hot pepper sprays and as a bonus they deter most insect pests


Watch with the bloodmeal. Dogs (and fox if you have them) will dig the livin' tar out of the spot where you put that.

:eek:

They think there must be a carcass buried there.

Bunnies ate one of my pepper plants and a couple of my snapdragons.

:mad:

Stoopid me, I forgot to move my fake snake over to the new veggie bed. That worked like a charm last year. It's looking kind of rough though. I'm going to see if they still have them and get a couple more.


I purposely plant stuff for the bunnies to munch - johnny jump ups - because that helps keep them away from things I'd rather they didn't eat. JJU's are full of vitamin C and one of their faves. The rabbits are pretty snmart about just munching so much off them that the plant will be okay - mostly the blooms.

You can eat them too ( in salads and such), or sugar coat them and use them decoratively on cakes and stuff. Sometimes I'll drop one in my iced tea. Hmmm, they'd be pretty in a mohito.

[braingonebad]

Awesome! Thanks! I have some tulips etc that have sprouted in random places. Must be from the chippies.


That happened to me too. I thought I was losing me marbles. Then one day I sat and watched a squirrel pulling up baby oaks, just sprouting in my front bed. (So that's how they find them!) There are NO oak trees on my end of town. I'd been wondering why they kept coming up there.

The next fall, I watched as a squirrel planted acorns where he'd been pulling them up that spring.

My question is, isn't there some animal that eats the seeds off those maples? Gads, I have gazillions of those! Sounds like my patio roof is being sandblasted.

:p

[mrsD]

All holiday weekend we had to move things out of my front garden,
for the street reconstruction (water main + sewer)

Today they lowered the street 14 inches, to prepare for the new curbs
and paving. This picture was taken today after work, and shows what they
have done so far. The black edging in the foreground shows where the curb used to be....the edging ended about 4 in from the curb. (which is now gone)
The place I am standing on and taking this picture is our neighbor's driveway.

I moved:
yellow daylillies
ribbon grass
sedums both upright and creeping
2 siberian iris

The previous plants were moved before this step.
coreopsis
creeping phlox
2 types of creeping sedums

So far they are all living...and the coreopsis is blooming in its temp flat! (surprise).

This is the 4th week, and I have sure had enough! Yesterday they were smashing up concrete in front, and it shook the whole house like an earthquake. I had to turn the computer OFF. Today the shaking was less, but the NOISE and dust were terrible.
What is gone are about 30 inches of garden, at this point. But I have to say, they did not damage anything else!
I am very grateful!

[Av8rgirl]

I sure am glad I live in an area where they would never have to widen our street! What a mess!!! Do they have to repair anything they damage? Trees for instance or did they condemn the right of way? I bet you'll be happy when the work is done!

I think Coreposis would bloom, or grow for that matter, almost anywhere!! My neighbor has been digging it up all over the place.

I got my 12' planter box planted over the weekend and it's been raining ever since. Happy plants!!

Yep, Brain you are right about planting bunny food, and the comment about bloodmeal. Although I've used it and had no problem with my dog or the local foxes digging in or around it, I can see that it could be cause for concern.

We have a pair of Red Foxes that live just behind us (they had 10 kits this year) and I have used it in the past to keep the darn squirrels out of my garden and haven't noticed any digging. Maybe I've just been lucky! Lots of other food for the animals!

And you can eat JJUs in your salad, I will let the bunnies eat them!! LOL!

As for what will eat the Maple tree "wings"...LOL! You have to do like I do...pick them out of the ground! I have a huge Norway Maple in my back yard that throws them out and I am picking up little maple trees in my flower bed in the fall! I just mow them down in the grass. :(

[mrsD]

the street. They had to rip out the old curbs, and there had to be room for
the NEW curb forms etc. So that meant 30 inches off my front gardens.
Some of it was slate stepping stone, and one step, that were removed.
The LARGE rocks, my son helped us with a month ago, but the plants
were pretty much out of range...just some affected.

This was a city project to repair all the sewers, which were put in around
1935. Our water line was fixed 5 yrs ago, and the closest part of the garden,
was replanted then. People who were not copper were totally dug out.
Fortunately we were upgraded to copper when the last one was done.
The SE portion of Michigan has had a total sewer redo because run off from the older suburbs like us, was polluting Lake St. Clair. So for the last 10 yrs or so
the massive new sewer was dug, and now the community level work had to be done to match up with the new pipes.

I have a wildflower garden across the street..there are no homes there
since it is the flood plain for a small river (which you cannot see)..it is down a hill. I have trillium, mertensia, may apples, myrtle, day lillies, lemon balm,
some Chinese Lanterns, etc over there...naturalized. They dug up about 30 inches of that too. I sort of wish they would widen the street, since it is soooo narrow...you'd think with all this work, we could squeeze out 12 inches so the garbage truck etc could get down there. But NOOOOO... no planning ahead like that!

We have had 4 wks of this so far, 4 water shut offs, can't park our cars, etc.
Yesterday the breaking up of the cement curbs shook the whole house!
I've had it with it.

They haven't "damaged" much... just told us how much to move. They are leaving rocks on the premises for homes where the people are not home.
No repair for the garden. It is technically illegal to plant on the easement, but I got special permission, since our area is woodsey and natural. So they felt I could be exempted since the garden looks better than grass. It was too hard to mow a small plat of grass and then carry the mower up 20 stairs to the back yard. (we live on a hill). So I made it nicer, anyway, with flowers etc.
The plants all bloom at different times, so something is always going on there.

[braingonebad]

Mrs. D - sorry for your construction nightmare. The water shut offs alone would make me crazy. We have that all the time here, too. And the boil water advisories that go along with them. UGH! Hope they finish up and move along soon.


I think you could grow coreopsis in your pocket. Tough stuff. I had one tiny sprig two years ago, now it's spread all over. I could hand it out to everyone who walks by this month and still have too much.

:D

The tomotoes last year too. A lot of fruit fell and the seeds sprouted. Had I known they would be so successful I never would have bought plants. I have about 50 volunteers. Dh is going to bring some to work and plant them around the rail yard.

Oh, and I have a little tip for you. Neem. It's an insecticide made from chinaberry tree seeds. It has a systemic effect, so it will protect against pests that feed from inside the plant, not just on the surface. And it has a tolerable smell - almost like oranges, not too chemical.

It is almost non toxic to mammals ( they have to eat the Neem or treated plants, and even so, there seems little evidence of effect) and is biodegradable. Since it has to be eaten to be toxic, it has minimal effect on bees or other beneficial bugs/ animals.

And they are now seeing some evidence that it also prevents and treats diseases too.

I bought some concentrate at Lowe's and saved a filbert and some sand cherry trees from the japanese beetles last year.

[lor]

I wonder if you can help me by telling me what hanging flower plant I have. I'll try & describe it. The flower is 3 dark pink petals at the bottom then several light light pink ones with a few dark veins. Are the middle things called stamens? It has a few long dark pink stamens (the same pink as those 3 petals) with tiny white tips. The stamens are about .5 inches long but the one in the center is about .75 inches long. I recently got it & it was lovely. Now it is wilting & the flowers are falling off. Maybe it's because it is so humid out, however. Oh, the leaves are sort of oval but pionty at one end.

Does this discription help you any? LOL. I almost forgot...could it be some sort of Impatient(sp)

Thanks

[Av8rgirl]

I wonder if you can help me by telling me what hanging flower plant I have. I'll try & describe it. The flower is 3 dark pink petals at the bottom then several light light pink ones with a few dark veins. Are the middle things called stamens? It has a few long dark pink stamens (the same pink as those 3 petals) with tiny white tips. The stamens are about .5 inches long but the one in the center is about .75 inches long. I recently got it & it was lovely. Now it is wilting & the flowers are falling off. Maybe it's because it is so humid out, however. Oh, the leaves are sort of oval but pionty at one end.

Does this discription help you any? LOL. I almost forgot...could it be some sort of Impatient(sp)

Thanks
http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:oxU0XvJiskHWaM:http://www.beddingplants.com.au/downloads/IMPATIENS.JPG (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.beddingplants.com.au/downloads/IMPATIENS.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.beddingplants.com.au/flowers/list/flow_hi.htm&h=786&w=1181&sz=1464&hl=en&start=6&um=1&tbnid=oxU0XvJiskHWaM:&tbnh=100&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dimpatiens%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client %3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN)

http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:k4zfO3AMnLehDM:http://flowers109.tripod.com/impatiens2.jpg (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://flowers109.tripod.com/impatiens2.jpg&imgrefurl=http://journals.aol.com/patoco2/impatiens/&h=375&w=500&sz=19&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=k4zfO3AMnLehDM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dimpatiens%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client %3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN)http://tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:zBSSAchI24lM1M:http://www.danheller.com/images/Europe/Scotland/Flowers/new-guinea-impatiens-big.jpg (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.danheller.com/images/Europe/Scotland/Flowers/new-guinea-impatiens-big.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.danheller.com/images/Europe/Scotland/Flowers/Slideshow/img8.html&h=350&w=500&sz=63&hl=en&start=10&um=1&tbnid=zBSSAchI24lM1M:&tbnh=91&tbnw=130&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dimpatiens%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26client %3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN)

These are some pictures of different types of impatiens. Does it look like this? If not, take a picture and post it.

[mrsD]

Well the curbs are in, and we are supposed to be paved next Tues.

The weather has become HOT...90's...which I cannot work in.

I have an idea for the ruined part of the wild side ...they came and smoothed
it a little...I suppose they will grade it too. Up where homes are, they are going to sod.(some homes had alot of damage to do the water line in copper up to the home). But I am hoping I can get the grass cancelled in my wild garden ...
I am going to seed it with, annual babies breath, rudbeckia, (I have those seeds), I have rose campion babies growing in flats, and I will bring back
oxeye daisy seeds from up North and seed that in fall.(we have a ton of those and they are totally hardy) The soil was hardpan, and
awful to deal with, so only the most determined plants grew up to the curb anyway. Now I hope to have some nice flowers there instead. They mixed some of the sand from the road into the dense clay...so I am hopeful I can do something with it now. (anything to make this unpleasant situation, more acceptable.) I just hope my pain levels cooperate! :rolleyes:

[mrsD]

I wonder if you can help me by telling me what hanging flower plant I have. I'll try & describe it. The flower is 3 dark pink petals at the bottom then several light light pink ones with a few dark veins. Are the middle things called stamens? It has a few long dark pink stamens (the same pink as those 3 petals) with tiny white tips. The stamens are about .5 inches long but the one in the center is about .75 inches long. I recently got it & it was lovely. Now it is wilting & the flowers are falling off. Maybe it's because it is so humid out, however. Oh, the leaves are sort of oval but pionty at one end.

Does this discription help you any? LOL. I almost forgot...could it be some sort of Impatient(sp)

Thanks

maybe a fushia?
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.angliangardener.co.uk/Plants%2520pop%2520ups/4133.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.angliangardener.co.uk/Plants%2520pop%2520ups/Fuchsia.html&h=280&w=280&sz=19&tbnid=NEPPaGYdezoJ:&tbnh=114&tbnw=114&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dfushia%2Bplants%2Bpicture&hl=en&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=1&ct=image&cd=3

long stamens like that suggest fushia to me.
(I don't attempt these fancy plants--- so I don't have clue as to what to
do with it.--but sometimes they come infected with mites...and if so it is
impossible to fix them I think for most people).

[lor]

Thankyou Mrsd, Thats what it is. To be specific it's a Sir Matt Busby fuchsia.

We have it hot too. It's 91* right now. When I read about your weather, I looked to see where you are. I'm in the Great Lakes area too....north west Ohio. City is next to lake Erie. http://bestsmileys.com/flowers/2.gif

[mrsD]

Thankyou Mrsd, Thats what it is. To be specific it's a Sir Matt Busby fuchsia.

We have it hot too. It's 91* right now. When I read about your weather, I looked to see where you are. I'm in the Great Lakes area too....north west Ohio. City is next to lake Erie. http://bestsmileys.com/flowers/2.gif

Yep... SE Mich... 3/4 of the year.
summers= the farthest NE of UP.

Right now we have tornado watches....it is very windy...
One year we had a tornado which ripped off a 24inch Red Oak branch off our
front Oak--just like a toothpick...missed the house by inches. And my husband by 10mins...as he left and went down the stairs to the cars to do an errand. I think God was with us that time (about 20 yrs ago). It took us 3 days to cut it up and two
chain saw sharpenings! It was forming over our home (which is on a high hill) and moved on to a close suburb where
it actually touched down for a few seconds. I was inside...not a great experience. The whole house lifted up and sighed,
and then CRASH.... The sirens had just gone off, but you know..."they never really pertain to YOU!"

[braingonebad]

The 40 ft maple across the street snapped in two last night in that wind. I heard the tornado warning on tv and looked out the window to see how it was outside. I thought "Oh, it's not that bad yet." Then WHAM the wind hit, the tree hit the ground (and the road) just as a car was going by.

You should've seen me jump, lol! :eek:

Looked like the car might have gotten hit, but it kept going. There was 30 feet of branches in the road and the neighbor's yard.

I barely slept, keeping an eye on the weather. Somebody has to stay up in case a tornado comes, and round up everyone else - the baby was here, so I was extra cautious.


Rudbeckia - black eyed susans, right?

You want some? I have tons growing. Come on down.

[mrsD]

The 40 ft maple across the street snapped in two last night in that wind. I heard the tornado warning on tv and looked out the window to see how it was outside. I thought "Oh, it's not that bad yet." Then WHAM the wind hit, the tree hit the ground (and the road) just as a car was going by.

You should've seen me jump, lol! :eek:

Looked like the car might have gotten hit, but it kept going. There was 30 feet of branches in the road and the neighbor's yard.

I barely slept, keeping an eye on the weather. Somebody has to stay up in case a tornado comes, and round up everyone else - the baby was here, so I was extra cautious.


Rudbeckia - black eyed susans, right?

You want some? I have tons growing. Come on down.

Thanks for the offer! Wish I could! I might take you up on it this fall though!

You know that tree event you had...reminds me of a Det News/Free Press column writer...she was very popular and very good. I can't recall her name right now..this was a while ago.
She was sitting in her driveway in her car while a storm raged..waiting for it to let up so she could run into the house.
And a tree fell across her car and killed her. A really FREAK thing. ( I tried to find it online, but it is too old).

I have a big packet of seeds of Rudbeckia that I will start up north and get going there. I have tons of outdoor time then.
It is a good way to increase perennials. I do them on the old dock we use as a deck. It is high off the water (back when the water levels were so high) and I can stand next to them and not bend over etc. (like a long table). Easy on the body.

I found some very nice seed suppliers on Ebay. Very reasonable price for huge amounts. So that is where I got mine this season. Depending on my back/leg I might even dig up
some oxeye daisies... and bring them back. This would depend on how many reseeded themselves last season. (the deer don't eat them...it is the only thing the deer avoid).

[tkrik]

Thanks to Curious, she let me know about this thread. I am hoping someone can help me out.

My Aloe Vera plant out grew it's little pot so I replanted it in a larger pot. It is now getting squishy and is looking sick. I don't know how to revive it. The soil is moist enough and certainly this little succulent plant does not need more water.

How can I rescue my little baby from demise? I love succulents especially the aloe plants. We use the aloe for all sorts of things.

[mrsD]

1) your new soil is too moist. Some new potting soils now
come with moisture enhancers added (Miracle grow and some others)...for plants that like to dry out between waterings
this is just not for THEM! Dry lovers may rot. So read the bag of potting soil carefully. For most container plants the moisture thingy is helpful, but not for cactus or succulents.

2) OR... when you moved it, you either buried the crown slightly
deeper by accident, and the crown is rotting out. Some plants cannot stand to be pinched or have soil around their crowns.
I have done dry loving plants, and I try to put sand around the crowns of those. So moisture drains away from that critical area.

I've never done Aloes, but I have seen them.

This website gives some tips...they are similar to what I said.
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/aloe~vera.html

I didn't know they had shallow roots...that would explain maybe your rotting problem?

[braingonebad]

Thanks for the offer! Wish I could! I might take you up on it this fall though!

You know that tree event you had...reminds me of a Det News/Free Press column writer...she was very popular and very good. I can't recall her name right now..this was a while ago.
She was sitting in her driveway in her car while a storm raged..waiting for it to let up so she could run into the house.
And a tree fell across her car and killed her. A really FREAK thing. ( I tried to find it online, but it is too old).

I have a big packet of seeds of Rudbeckia that I will start up north and get going there. I have tons of outdoor time then.
It is a good way to increase perennials. I do them on the old dock we use as a deck. It is high off the water (back when the water levels were so high) and I can stand next to them and not bend over etc. (like a long table). Easy on the body.

I found some very nice seed suppliers on Ebay. Very reasonable price for huge amounts. So that is where I got mine this season. Depending on my back/leg I might even dig up
some oxeye daisies... and bring them back. This would depend on how many reseeded themselves last season. (the deer don't eat them...it is the only thing the deer avoid).

That's what I should do, sell seeds on ebay.

:rolleyes:

I was trying all morning to think if rudbeckia are really black eyed susan or purple coneflowers. Dang, my brain! I think BES are coreopsis.....I never was good at remembering that.

:o

I have tons of both tho so come on down whenever.

It was too cold this spring for the seeds to even start outside, and I just got mine out a couple days ago. I had some poppies, salvia and other stuff I'd saved. They're already sprouting.

[braingonebad]

1) your new soil is too moist. Some new potting soils now
come with moisture enhancers added (Miracle grow and some others)...for plants that like to dry out between waterings
this is just not for THEM! Dry lovers may rot. So read the bag of potting soil carefully. For most container plants the moisture thingy is helpful, but not for cactus or succulents.

2) OR... when you moved it, you either buried the crown slightly
deeper by accident, and the crown is rotting out. Some plants cannot stand to be pinched or have soil around their crowns.
I have done dry loving plants, and I try to put sand around the crowns of those. So moisture drains away from that critical area.

I've never done Aloes, but I have seen them.

This website gives some tips...they are similar to what I said.
http://www.thegardenhelper.com/aloe~vera.html

I didn't know they had shallow roots...that would explain maybe your rotting problem?

I think you hit it on the head with the soil being too moist. I have an aloe. It does not like to be re-potted, does not like to be moved, and needs very little water.

I use cheap potting soil - no water retaining or fertilizer added, just dirt. I mixed it with really bad, old, used potting soil - about 2 parts new to one part old.

That way, it was almost dusty and had less nutrients in it. It does not like plastic pots, either. Terra cotta works best. They like a hard environment. And only go up one pot size when you replant it. They kind of like to be crowded.

It can be moved outside for summer, but it looks bad until it adjusts. Then it prefers inderect light and needs to be where the wind won't beat it up and it won't get knocked over.

I must be neglecting mine well as I've had it 3+ yrs and it now has babies.

[tkrik]

Thanks! I did think of the moisture part as I wet the soil some before replanting. I may have had it too wet. I'm going to let it dry out for a while before watering.

I did add rocks to the bottom to keep it well drained. I will try the sand idea as well.

I didn't know about the larger pot.:eek: I went a few sizes up to give it plenty of room to grow.

Again, thanks for the help.

[braingonebad]

You want just enough pot to hold the plant up, really. And that's one of the reasons clay works - those aloes can get big, so the heavy clay pot doesn't have to be large to be able to stand up to the plant.


I'll try to post a pic of mine - it's pretty big, about a foot tall. It looks like it should be growing out west.

[tkrik]

You want just enough pot to hold the plant up, really. And that's one of the reasons clay works - those aloes can get big, so the heavy clay pot doesn't have to be large to be able to stand up to the plant.


I'll try to post a pic of mine - it's pretty big, about a foot tall. It looks like it should be growing out west.

Oh man, I've traumatized the poor thing. It is a clay pot but too big for the guy I'm guessing. I am hesitant about replanting again right now. I may bring it in to a nursery that is close by my house tomorrow. They should be able to help us out.

Succulents are great plants for us westerners, especially in the arid climates and the heat we have in the summer.

[Av8rgirl]

Rudbeckia is Black-eyed Susan

Coreopsis is Tickseed

Coneflower is also known as Echinachea

[braingonebad]

Rudbeckia is Black-eyed Susan

Coreopsis is Tickseed

Coneflower is also known as Echinachea


Thanks. That's why I'm confused - because I have all three, and tickseed looks like a Susan relative.

I knew tickseed was a coreopsis so I keep wanting to put the Susans in there too, duh.


I have a question...can you divide a galardia? I have some kind of hybrid - one popped up that looks almost like the color of my goblin, but more red, and tall as the burgundy galardia.

Go figure, as much trouble as I've had getting either of those to grow, now there's a volunteer that's going gangbusters. It just came up last year - in a bad spot of course - it needs to be moved and maybe divided if possible.

[mrsD]

Thanks. That's why I'm confused - because I have all three, and tickseed looks like a Susan relative.

I knew tickseed was a coreopsis so I keep wanting to put the Susans in there too, duh.


I have a question...can you divide a galardia? I have some kind of hybrid - one popped up that looks almost like the color of my goblin, but more red, and tall as the burgundy galardia.

Go figure, as much trouble as I've had getting either of those to grow, now there's a volunteer that's going gangbusters. It just came up last year - in a bad spot of course - it needs to be moved and maybe divided if possible.

Some black-eyed susans are highly colored...like that!
If it is tall, maybe it is just a "sport".
Black-eyed susans are also called Gloriosa Daisies:
http://www.humeseeds.com/glrsadsy.htm

The rudbeckia typically have hairy leaves.

Here are gallardia types:
http://www.eastendcommunity.com/plants/gaillardia.htm

They do look alike! There are even black-eyed daisies with green eyes now...I put in some seeds last year up north when we left, and hope some took, and will grow this year.
I'll take pictures of them if they germinated. (I learned this trick a while back, and it works sometimes! I sprinkle them in my containers on the porch and if Mother Nature is in a good mood, I have some surprises when I get back up there. They are protected from rabbits and deer on the porch wall).