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Any gardeners out there? If so, come in and have some tea and tell us all about your garden. Now that the weather is finally warming up (lows of 36 degrees in MAY? What's up with that?) I am finally getting to work in my own little garden. I have nastertians (planted at least), snapdragons, mallows, hollyhocks, roses, herbs - and, of course, lots of lobelias! I especially like Crystal Palace, an old but very attractive variety with dark blue flowers on a background of bronze leaves. Right now there are a lot of tulips - late this year - and Virginia bluebells. So, those of you who follow in the way of our beloved Sam Gamgee, what are you growing?
From: Seattle, WA | Registered: Jan 2002
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I absolutely love gardens, but I'm afraid I have something a brown thumb. My garden at home has a few roses, bleeding hearts, irises, tulips, and mums, but most of the stuff is bushy things like Aezalias(sp?), hollies, forsythia, and something my neighbor calls a "butterfly bush" - it's huge!
The saddest thing about this summer is when I will have to chop down a georgious cherry tree that is right next to my house. If I don't, its roots will ruin the foundation so it has to go! But it's really pretty...
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I have inherited a hand of death from my father. We tried to grow something edible on our balcony. But whatever we have tried, be it peas or cucumbers or whatever either died miserably, or produced pathetic crops.
My grandfather had a great garden in our summer cottage, but after he died and we were left in charge, it wasn´t until long that the garden has returned to a more natural state.
From: The Hells of Iron | Registered: Nov 2001
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Thank you very much indeed for the offer of tea and a chance to chat about green matters. I was converted to gardening four years ago by my brother, who courageously maintains both vegetable and flower gardens and even a large pond in a Zone 3 garden.
Would you be Zone 7 or 8? I have a zone 6, but this year frost has played nasty and not left at the predicted date of April 20. My white bleeding heart is three feet tall, though, and ready to bloom.
I work around shade, shade, and more shade, but greater discussion must, unfortunately, be left to next week. I have commitments which limit my access here at MT for several days.
I look forward to future discussions.
Bethberry
From: the Bonfire Glade in the Old Forest | Registered: Dec 2001
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i love gardening. last year i planted some corn, peas, and tomatos. and lots of flowers. my favorite flower is Lizianthus (i dont know if i spelled that right) it has pretty spiraling leaves and buds, and it closes up every night. i keep it in a pot on my window sill. what are these zones you guys are talking about?
From: oregon! | Registered: Mar 2002
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Like you, Bethberry, I too was a convert to gardening. My wife's the one who got me into it. But, like many, we've had a late-season cold snap and we're running late. The May 7 & 8 frost wasn't that unusual -- our average last frost in SW Idaho is May 6 -- but it SNOWED May 5, for crying out loud.
Generally, I do the fruits and veggies while my wife does the flowers. So I can't offer any flower discussion. But we grow tomatoes, cantaloupe, peppers, lettuce, green beans, watermelon, raspberries, strawberries, cucumbers (2 or 3 varieties), and sometimes squash and zucchini. We live just outside the northern edge of the Great Basin desert, so we're pretty dry. But, thanks to all you American taxpayers, we have irrigation that makes gardening much easier and more predictable than it was in my native, MUCH wetter Gulf Coast region.
I'd be happy to offer advice on any of the fruits and vegetables mentioned above. Meanwhile, let me ask the first specific gardening question: How do you get rid of those pesky squash bugs? You know, those parasites who suck a plant dry and reappear every year? They're the main reason why we don't grow squash and zucchini every year. They are the WORST garden pests ever.
From: Meridian ID | Registered: Dec 2001
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Bethberry, I'm in zone 8, which in the Pacific Northwest usually means we can plant tender annuals in April, but not this year! I am just now purchasing impatiens for my hanging baskets. It was a little too iffy before. I too have to work around a lot of shade. I have several maples and an enormous horse chestnut, which, dispite the fact that it is messy and a lot of work , I dearly love.
Lady Liriana, the 'zones' we are talking about are USDA climate zones, which are usually determined by the last average frost date in an area and can be used to generally gage what and when you can plant. Since you live in Oregon, you can get an even better idea of what your area is like by looking it up in the Sunset Western Garden Book. These zones take other factors (wind, rainfall, etc.) into account as well. For example, although Seattle and the Skagit Valley (famed for tulips) are both USDA zone 8, Seattle is Sunset zone 5 and the Skagit is Sunset zone 4.
Deraj, one of my cherry trees is getting old and has to go, as well as one of the maples. I hate having to have trees taken down, which helps to explain why Sam is my favorite LOTR character!
bombadil, I wish I could help with the squash bug thing, but know nothing about them. The enemy here is the Giant Slugs of DOOOOOMM!!!
From: Seattle, WA | Registered: Jan 2002
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Lady Liriana the yellow for zones 2 and 8 look a lot alike on that map - if you are in Oregon you are probably an 8. Much much warmer than a 2.
It's nice here today (60s). The cats are sitting out in the sun and I am soaking the moss for the hanging baskets. The cherry blossums are just about gone but the horse chestnut and the rhodys are getting ready to bloom. Hurrah for Spring!
From: Seattle, WA | Registered: Jan 2002
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our rose bushes are just starting to grow buds and a few of them have opened. we have 19 pink rose bushes. they are looking really good this year.
the raspberry bush we have is getting too big. its starting to take over every thing. its climing up the fence, and the side of the house.
From: oregon! | Registered: Mar 2002
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These are my completed project so far: designing the new beds for the back garden, tidying up my own beds, sowing the seeds, and finally sorting out an old crazy paving path - this includes taking all the weeds out, clearing all the moss of the stones and recemnting int eh loose stones
From: Wizard land though I'm most often found in the V.O.E | Registered: Apr 2002
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I'm gonna be unusally busy this summer -- anybody know where or how I can hire an Entwife to take care of my garden?
From: Meridian ID | Registered: Dec 2001
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Wow, am I glad to see Minas Tirith back and get to visit with you all again! Bethberry, looks like you picked the right week to have to be offline.
My nasturtians are coming up! I don't know why I am also so anxious when I plant seeds. They come up as a rule, but it is so hard for me to believe it until I actually see the seedlings. (Oh me of little faith....) My horse chestnut is blooming and it is gorgeous!
beladur, have you done all that already THIS YEAR? WOW! I thought I was doing good to get the hanging baskets done (two of them are done at any rate).
From: Seattle, WA | Registered: Jan 2002
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Well, my trilliums would have been blooming, but the dang squirrels (or maybe the neighbourhood night-marauding cats) crushed their stems just before the buds opened. Lilies of the valley in my "bog" (wettish area) aren't quite ready to bloom.
My primroses are still in bloom and also my brunnera, just planted last year. I have both a variegated plant and the main species; the pure, intense shade of blue blows me away. My narcissus and Rip van Winkle daffs in the backyard have bloomed, but none yet in the front, which receives bright indirect sun only until later in the afternoon. My two kerria shrubs (one double flowered, one single) are both stunning; I hope the blooms do continue throughout the summer at least intermittently like the books say.
My ferns are coming up, even, finally, my Japanese painted fern and the hostas. The Solomon's Seal has just unfurled its first leaves.
With a very small yard (I live in a large, urban area) and so much shade (no veggies for me, sadly, bombadil) I plant mainly for leaf texture, shape, and colour. I have a 'tapestry' hedge designed to blend leaves together rather than look like one continuous line, so I have about four shrubs with variegated leaves and two with golden leaves. If I have any gardening gurus whose ideas I follow here it is the Brit Russell Paige and the Canadian Marjorie Harris.
The magnolias in other yards have just about finished their bloom. I cannot believe we can grow magnolias up here; they are so thoroughly part of my idea of the American south.
Well, this is probably quite long enough for a post!
Bethberry
From: the Bonfire Glade in the Old Forest | Registered: Dec 2001
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I grow various fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, bell peppers, hot peppers, cucumbers, watermelon, cantalope, bird house gourds, strawberries, and blackberries. I also have flowering vines and various other flowers to provide food for hummingbirds. There are also various bushes that provide berries for other birds in the fall and winter. Most of my ornamental plantings are geared toward providing food and habitat for birds and other critters.
bombadil: For squash bugs you can dust with Sevin powder if you do not mind using chemical insecticides. I use Sevin sometimes. Follow the directions on the package.
There are some organic type insecticides that kind of work. They are ryania, rotenone, and sabadilla. There is also a blend of canola oil and pyrethrins called Pyola that is reported to be very effective. You can also use insecticidal soap.
You can also try hand picking the bugs off of the plant, or placing flat wood boards near the plants. The bugs hide under the board then you can kill them the next morning. Squishing them can release chemicals that can attract other adults, so you can put them in a container with soap or a little cooking oil and water. That will drown them. I use this method when there are a lot of bees around. The Sevin dust might kill the bees and pollination might not take place.
Using other plants to control pests works sometimes. Try planting catnip nearby. It can act as a repellant. Interplanting radishes, marigolds, or nasturtiums works sometimes, too, as do peppermint, or spearmint. I have planted masses of marigolds around the vegetables before and it did seem to help. Mints have to be controlled, though, since they can spread quite aggressively. Planting bee balm helps too, and hummingbirds love those so that is a bonus.
[ 05-18-2002, 09:07 AM: Message edited by: gram ]
From: New Zealand | Registered: Aug 2000
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Wow, gram, thanks for the wonderful suggestions! Some we'd already tried, some are new.
We tried Sevin dust early on in the battle, but, as you said, it killed friendly bugs too. We like our bees. Same problem with other insecticides.
I've also tried the oil-and-water thing, not only for killing the bugs themselves but also for drowning the eggs after scraping them off the undersides of the leaves. That actually worked well for a while, but it got too tedious as the plants got larger. And squashing the squash bugs just makes you vulnerable to their best defense: Their stench. Good grief, their guts stink! No wonder the birds don't eat them.
I'll try the soap and the boards this year. Thanks again for the advice.
Meanwhile: We have LETTUCE! We have LETTUCE! We've had more frost this week, but the lettuce (green and red-leaf) is thriving. It's delicious, but it serves to remind me of what is perhaps God's greatest joke to gardeners: lettuce thrives in May and June, tomatoes in August and September.
From: Meridian ID | Registered: Dec 2001
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in the back yard now, we have our bleeding hears blooming. last year my sister's geese ate them. but this year they are leaving them alone. and our rhodadendron bushes are blooming. our dusty miller plant has grown alot. it is falling out of its pot now. on of those big 3 feet tall wooden ones. in the front yard the lambs ears are coming up. and the japanese maple is looking great, i love the red leaves on it. and we have some beautiful daisies as well. the problem i have now is the afids on the roses. i dont like using chemicals on them but nothing else seems to work well enough.
[ 05-18-2002, 05:08 PM: Message edited by: Lady Liriana ]
From: oregon! | Registered: Mar 2002
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It rained intermittently today, but now it is absolutely beautiful outside and I have finished the large hanging basket. This year it has gold-leaf brocopa, blue brocopa, creeping charlie, creeping jenny, three colors of "Million bells, Nemesias, Baby breath, marigold "Lulu", ivy geraniams and vincas. This is the basket that goes in the coveted sun spot. The 2 smaller moss baskets have impatiens, trailing lobelias and fuchias and don't get a lot of sun. There is also a regular basket with tuberous begonias, brocopas and nasturtians. The moss baskets are always an expensive, soggy, time-consuming mess and though they are always worth it, I am happy to see them done.
Bethberry,your garden sounds beautiful. Shade gardens are a real challenge but can look so peaceful and interesting. I planted trilliums one year but had no luck with them. (Like you, I have problems with the squirrels getting into everything. There are lots here since they love the horse chestnuts.) I do have two nice patches of Solomon Seal, underplanted with sweet woodruff. Unfortunately one is right next to the dead maple and I suspect will be crushed when that maple is taken down in the next couple of weeks - so, naturally, this is the best it has ever looked.
Lady Liriana, I only have 6 roses but have the same problem with the aphids. I usually use Safer Soap. Only problem, of course, is that it rains frequently and washes the soap right off. Better than nothing, I suppose, but I hate to use anything more potent. They are all over the irises too - sometimes I just go out and smash them there, though.
Gram, thanks for the tips! I have been known to plant marigolds to keep the slugs out of everything else. Slugs are able to mow down a marigold overnight.
From: Seattle, WA | Registered: Jan 2002
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Miz Lobelia and bombadil, you are both welcome. That information is gleaned from other gardeners, personal experience, and from the Agricultural Center.
I am not an organic garderner, athough I do find myself trying to avoid chemical insecticides and chemical fertilizers as much as possible. When it comes down to loosing a crop or using chemicals, though, there is no hesitation in using chemicals in moderation.
The compost pile provides lots of good soil amendments and nutritives. It is amazing how well the compost helps. If you do not compost, it is highly recommended that you do.
(P.S.: Another amazing thing is how many typing errors were in this post...or maybe not. )
From: New Zealand | Registered: Aug 2000
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My camellia is going to have four whole blossums on it, which is actually a good thing since I was afraid it was only going to have the one. So the big question is: What am I doing wrong? Everyone elses' camillias are covered with blossums and they went through the same winter. Any good camellia tips?
From: Seattle, WA | Registered: Jan 2002
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Hello Miz of the Floral Name, sorry about your camellia, maybe I can help. 1- If your camellia is young & newly planted it may not flower well for a few years until it gets well established. 2- I have heard that camellia's do not like the morning sun & often grow best on a west wall where they will only get afternoon sunshine & protection from frost. 3- I believe that camellia's prefer a slightly acid soil. 4- If it is growing in a pot and has been for a few years then it may be just a simple case of feeding it. Hope this helps! BTW, I used to be a gardener & now pot & grow over a million plants of some 20 or so varieties. I've been working with plants, in some form or other, for nearly 18 years & find them to bring a certain calmness & happiness to a,(what has now become), vocation that I think few other jobs can. Maybe it has something to do with working so close to the source of that thing that gives us all life, air. Great thread & just out of interest to all you non-British residents of MT it's Chelsea Flower Show week over here in the UK.
[ 05-22-2002, 01:49 PM: Message edited by: Wetwang ]
From: West Sussex UK, well on the seafront in Bognor Regis actually! | Registered: Jan 2002
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I will pass on this suggestion from my brother about how to handle aphids. He says they live in symbiotic relationship with ants, and if you get rid of the ants, you get rid of the aphids. He recommends pouring boiling water down the ant holes. He also suggests making a light spray (for leaves) of water mixed with a small amount of regular kitchen dish detergeant.
Here are some home remedies which I am lifting out of the Jan/Feb issue of Gardening Life.
For black spot, powdery mildew: --mix 2 tablespoons /30ml of baking soda in two quarts/litres of water and spray.
For rust: --mix 2 tablespoons/ 30 ml of baking soda, two quarts/ litres of water, 3 tablespoons/ 45ml of horticultural oil and 1 tablespoon/ 15 ml of liquid seaweed. Makes a good insecticide, too.
I haven't yet had the need to try these, though.
We had a small shower of snow and frost on the weekend! A month after our last expected frost date!
Bethberry
From: the Bonfire Glade in the Old Forest | Registered: Dec 2001
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Greetings all! Ok. I have question for all you. Are there any flowers that could be compared to flowers from Tolkien's works? I thought I'd try doin' a Tolkien garden. YAY!
Registered: Jan 2002
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