posted on January 24, 2002 11:44:31 AM new
I had cabin fever today and had to go to Southern States to look at the seed packets for relief. It's in the fifties here but I'll bet winter is far from over. Anyway, I came home with about 10 packets of seed - mostly of aggressive blue plants. I got several varieties of forget-me-nots, columbine, moonflower, morning glories,love-lies-bleeding, and a couple treats for the cats. My landscape designer will hate this as I asked her to design a low maintenance garden. Is anyone else already making plans for the summer garden? I know snowyegret has chosen her tomato varieties.
posted on January 24, 2002 12:11:55 PM new
Your blue flower seeds sound like they're destined to be gorgeous!
I'd really like to make time for gardening this summer, but I feel like the "rip out and straighten up" yard work is all I ever get around to, and not even enough of that to keep it looking nice. I have a ton of ivy to take out in the back yard, leaves to rake, weeds to pull....
But last summer I did plant a few things in the flowerbed in front -- a dahlia, an iris, a blueberry bush, some alyssum (I love the smell!), a rosemary plant, a couple of petunias which started looking straggly "right quick," and another plant that died. Thank goodness the roses kind of do their own thing!
posted on January 24, 2002 12:24:58 PM new
RainyBear, my gardening experience is similar. For the past couple years I've spent more time grubbing out ivy , raking leaves, and trying to stay ahead of the mess. This year I'm going to put in a few more walkways thereby eliminating some of the overgrown flowerbeds.
posted on January 24, 2002 03:35:32 PM new
Saabsister, the morning glories will take over unless you do agressive weeding or just pot them up.
I sow alyssum seed in the spring. The white is the most fragrant. Low maintenance. For my edging, I'm using Lavender Munstead and Provencal.
I use creeping thyme and lavender thyme to cover small (around 10" bare areas, they're very low maintenance.
I grow blue columbines in my blue garden out front. They're low maintenance, and they self seed (the hybrids don't), but they don't like the hot weather. I put in violas, primroses, petunias, and some blue bulbs were already there. Balloon flowers (platycodon) are low maintenance, and seem to like the hot weather.
I grow catnip in my herb garden, but the cats find the plants and eat them You have the right to an informed opinion -Harlan Ellison
posted on January 24, 2002 03:52:53 PM new
Snowyegret, do you have any problem with lavender and the humidity? I seem to be able to keep it only for a season.
I have to grow my catnip in the window box to keep the neighborhood cats away long enough for my cats to have a treat.
posted on January 24, 2002 04:43:12 PM new
I put in 3 different types of lavender last summer. The Hidcote didn't make it, one of the Munsteads died (both are English lavenders), but the other Munstead and the Provencals flourished. They got shade after 2 pm, which seemed to help and we mulched the whole bed.
I also really like heliotrope for the warmer weather. I put some in pots at the front door. Smells wonderful, but you can't let it dry out.
When I lived in New Jersey, I put in a garden, and cosmos and zinnias did well in the humid summer heat. I grew 4 o'clocks that get very fragrant around 4 o'clock, and did well in the humidity and all day full sun. You have the right to an informed opinion -Harlan Ellison
posted on January 24, 2002 05:06:49 PM new
Why not? LoL! It takes a lot of skill to handle gardens. I can kill a house plant so fast that it would amaze you.
posted on January 24, 2002 05:29:07 PM new
I'm really not joking. I have a copy and I'm planing to try it out.
"10 packets of seed - mostly of aggressive blue plants. I will get several varieties of forget-me-nots, columbine, moonflower, morning glories,love-lies-bleeding"
everything except the cat treats.
My husband is going to think that I have flipped but that's not unusual.
posted on January 24, 2002 05:35:58 PM new
Helen, I have a tendency to let my plants duke it out - let the strongest win. But for the last couple years the weeds have won. Instead of going into the garden with a cup of coffee in the morning and looking for the latest shoot to emerge overnight, now I cringe. Once the paths are in place and the beds replanted, gardening will be fun again. But first I've got to get the weeds and overgrown junk taken care of.
posted on January 24, 2002 05:42:09 PM new
I understand that thought about the weeds and the overgrown junk. That's a problem in every facet of my life, including the garden. But I'm really excited about this new venture. It will be interesting to see who wins the battle.
posted on January 24, 2002 05:44:55 PM new
Helen, warning, warning, warning! A friend of mine lived in California. The bank behind her house was covered with ivy, which she decided to tear out. After she did this, she noticed that the retaining walls were starting to shift so she fixed them. Then the walls looked bare so she replanted the garden. Then the house looked shabby by comparision, so she painted the house. Then she went inside and started on the interior. Finally, she felt overwhelmed by projects, got in her car, and left for the East Coast never to return to California except for occasional visits to see her children.
posted on January 24, 2002 06:00:48 PM new
Good grief. That sounds like something that could happen to me. I should have known that... when you mentioned cringing when you go out to observe your garden in the morning with your coffee in your hand. If an experienced gardener such as you cringe, I would probably faint.
Oh Hell! just post a picture! My husband would probably mow my garden down anyway.
posted on January 24, 2002 06:27:35 PM new
I was laughing at Saabsister's post, Helen. When I moved into my first house in Toronto, I had never gardened before. There was one flower bed which extended 1/2 way along my back fence. I extended it the rest of the way across. The following year I extended the bed along one side, then the other. When I ran out of perimeter, I dug up the center of the yard and added a big flower bed.
There had been two existing dwarf plum trees when I moved in. I added a cherry tree, a 5-in-1 dwarf apple tree, dwarf peach tree and an apricot tree. This is all on one small city lot.
I finally had to move, because I had no more room to add a new bed or plant trees.
I'm envious when I read the posts on this thread. I live in a much harsher climate where there is a much shorter gardening season.
posted on January 24, 2002 06:32:31 PM new
Snowyegret, a few years ago I had a great compost pile - even a slop bucket on my back deck for the kitchen scraps waiting to go into the pile. The slop bucket was a possum magnet. Every winter I have to barracade the crawl space against those marauders. Last winter I had to replace the flex duct because they got into the crawl space and decided that that wasn't good enough - they had to snuggle up to the very heat source itself. We were wondering why the kitchen was cool and stinky.
posted on January 24, 2002 07:47:21 PM new
Irene, we have a peach tree out front. It needs a little friend, so I'm thinking a weeping cherry,
Saabsister, I did that, and had a possum coming up with her babies clinging to her! LoL.
Helen, you can certainly do it. We all were beginners. I'm still a beginner.
The rhodies and azaleas love acid soil, and the coffee grounds help that. Maybe they like caffeine too. You have the right to an informed opinion -Harlan Ellison
posted on January 26, 2002 10:02:49 PM new
I haven't seen a gardening post in a long time. I'm in zone 5 so the past few months have been spent oogling over the catalogs.
Last year was my moving plants around year, this year should be good, with all the colors where I want them.
Front yard has 3, everblooming(blue/purple) clematis. Purple salvia, and yellows, like coreopsis and buttercup. I accent with splotches of coral or apricot, mostly roses that color.
I tried the new reblooming daylilies and they are terrific. The back and sides have white/pinks/reds/blues/purples. Scabiosa is a favorite, iris, wisteria, clematis, coneflower, white heliotrope, oh forget it, too many to list them all.
I had to pull out my english ivy too (a two-day job). I have a little ivy growing into my metal fence that I just make sure I trim regularly and I think it'll be okay...but I better watch my neighbor's yard or they'll be calling me over to pull it out there too.
I'm just dying to get out there and see something growing. My friend lives in Atlanta and says it's Spring there and they're getting ready to plant things NOW. I can't imagine it.
Does anyone use a cold frame? Or have a greenhouse? I keep thinking it would be worth the investment so I can buy tender perennials and store them...but I dunno. Any experience with it? And, any help with seed growing indoors? I've had terrible luck with seeds inside, very little survives.
posted on January 27, 2002 07:04:30 AM new
Stockticker, I'm in zone 6 or 7 depending on the map one uses. It's been like spring this weekend, but I'm sure that won't last. Are you specifically looking for garden space when you're house-hunting?
Virakech, your garden sounds nice. I've never used a cold frame. I've started seeds indoors without success. The plants emerge and then damp off even when I've sterilized the soil. I've started roses from the seed from a rosehip and wisteria from seed but the plants get a few inches tall and suddenly damp off.
posted on January 27, 2002 09:20:32 AM new
Hi Saabsister. I was in zone 6 when I lived in Toronto. I miss being able to grow the roses, fruit trees, and minature evergreens.
My gardens have always faced north. I've done really well with shade and semi-shade gardens but I am determined that my next garden will have lots of sun. It will be zone 3 climate like here in Calgary, but unlike Calgary I'll have warm/hot nights which means I can finally grow tomatoes again.
posted on January 27, 2002 09:24:14 AM new
saabsister, you mentioned in an earlier post you started your catnip inside. I can never seem to get catnip to grow. I did one time and it came back the next year and that was it. What's your secret. My cats would love to know.
posted on January 27, 2002 01:17:35 PM new
With seeds, I use peat pots, and a plastic bottom, and clear plastic cover. Bottom water or mist heavily, and don't let the pots dry out completely. Keep them out of full sun. When the weather warms, I move them outside and take off the clear tops, giving them filtered sun. When it comes time to plant, rip one or two sides of the pot, and stick it in the ground.
I got my Boxcar Willie and Mortgage Lifters yesterday.
You have the right to an informed opinion -Harlan Ellison
[ edited by snowyegret on Jan 27, 2002 01:19 PM ]
bare areas, they're very low maintenance.
