The 2019 Gardening Thread.

[posiepurrs]

I think I am fighting a losing battle with bittersweet. I am going to have to resort to chemicals and pray I can just get the vine instead of the junipers it is growing in. I am slowly getting the gardens back in shape but it will probably be several years before I am somewhat satisfied with them. If I could keep the hubby from mowing down some plants I put in to enlarge the side of one of my beds it would be great! I moved several large hostas and ferns to the bed, thinking that since they were big he would realize they were supposed to be there - NOPE! He buzzed them right to the ground with the lawn tractor. As you can guess he isn't a gardener. Our local grocery store floral department had miniature rose plants buy one get one free. I got one of every color and since there were 4 plants in a 4" pot to make it full, I split them into individual pots and am growing them on. Next spring I should have a nice miniature rose garden. This winter I will probably sink the pots into the ground in a sheltered location to overwinter them.

 

[Purrrfectttales]

I think I am fighting a losing battle with bittersweet. I am going to have to resort to chemicals and pray I can just get the vine instead of the junipers it is growing in. I am slowly getting the gardens back in shape but it will probably be several years before I am somewhat satisfied with them. If I could keep the hubby from mowing down some plants I put in to enlarge the side of one of my beds it would be great! I moved several large hostas and ferns to the bed, thinking that since they were big he would realize they were supposed to be there - NOPE! He buzzed them right to the ground with the lawn tractor. As you can guess he isn't a gardener. Our local grocery store floral department had miniature rose plants buy one get one free. I got one of every color and since there were 4 plants in a 4" pot to make it full, I split them into individual pots and am growing them on. Next spring I should have a nice miniature rose garden. This winter I will probably sink the pots into the ground in a sheltered location to overwinter them.

He just thought they were REALLY big weeds!
This plant business is a lot of work. I find myself struggling to take care of all my animals vs. my plants. The plants tend to suffer because I'm too busy playing with all the kittens! You just have to do the best you can and hopefully get a few pretty plants out of it. I was distracted and let a bunch of deer come and destroy my gladiolus for the year. Ohhh well. Next year.

 

[posiepurrs]

He just thought they were REALLY big weeds!
This plant business is a lot of work. I find myself struggling to take care of all my animals vs. my plants. The plants tend to suffer because I'm too busy playing with all the kittens! You just have to do the best you can and hopefully get a few pretty plants out of it. I was distracted and let a bunch of deer come and destroy my gladiolus for the year. Ohhh well. Next year.

Yes it is a LOT of work. I am a certified Master Gardener so put pressure on myself about the way the yard looks - after all I can't have the neighbors laughing at me! I also am a Persian breeder so I have my hands full there. Although we haven't had a litter in 4 years I am starting back into breeding and I show too so that is a TON of work! It is all a labor of love though and I enjoy it (except pulling weeds in 90 degree heat!).

 

[catapault]

Buy some white wire coat hangers at Wal-Mart. Use wire cutters to cut off the hook portion at the "shoulder" - two cuts. Then cut the long straight portion in half - one cut. You now have 2 triangles with the straight portion slightly longer than the angled piece. Shove the straight piece into the ground at the edge of your bed. Next one, repeat. Keep going until you have a simple little "fence" marking the no-mow line. I reccomend white as it is more visible to spouses who cannot tell wanted plants from weeds.

 

[catapault]

posiepurrs if you can reach the bittersweet leaves - get one of those thingies used for dampening the glue on envelopes - look like a little bottle with a sponge top. Fill with Roundup and carefully paint it on the leaves. If you have it, add a spreader-sticker to the Roundup.

 

[foxxycat]

Buy some white wire coat hangers at Wal-Mart. Use wire cutters to cut off the hook portion at the "shoulder" - two cuts. Then cut the long straight portion in half - one cut. You now have 2 triangles with the straight portion slightly longer than the angled piece. Shove the straight piece into the ground at the edge of your bed. Next one, repeat. Keep going until you have a simple little "fence" marking the no-mow line. I reccomend white as it is more visible to spouses who cannot tell wanted plants from weeds.

Thats a really good idea. Jon mows down plants all the time. I put rocks in front to show the border and he moves them then mows in. I have some white fencing to put up. A few years ago he pulled it out and threw it out. so now I have bits and pieces to use as a fence. He keeps saying it looks stupid. So I politely said go buy me some fencing. It hasn't shown up yet.


I got some things done last night but it was hot humid and miserable. Wondercided the side road woods where we hang out. Mosquitoes were swarming me attacking so sprayed myself which they didn't like. The wondercide didn't last as long as it should have and it has a nice cedar oil smell. It's a natural bug killer. Has to be applied 3 times to work. Once a week 2 timea then monthly. The 32 ounce bottle wasnt enough. Ordered gallon full strength stuff. Will apply Friday night to rest of areas.

Cut a ton of brush and watched Bee stare at this bird for hours.

There were some dead plants from transplanting. Watered them. The site said these like hot dry areas but they obviously don't like it. If these don't do well I will move them into the swamp area where pumpkins are.

Oh woodchuck dined on leaves of pumpkins but I think we can get an owl statue or something down there to deter the little .

This morning up and out at 5am, moved the tire garden with tomatoes. They don't like the wet feet. Some of the leaves turning yellow. I tried to slide one of the tires over and the dirt slid out. So have to put something under the tires to lift up over the wet dirt. I put mulch under that one this morning to see if this works. The weird thing is the areas that are lower than this area are bone dry. So strange how different areas are swampy vs dry and not level.


So I still have to move two of the tires tomorrow morning. And the mulch should help. Some are now got flowers on them which is really cool.

 

[foxxycat]

I'm trying to upload photos but the internet is stupid slow right now.

 

[posiepurrs]

For those of you with chives giving you problems- harvest the blooms before they go to seed. Whip the blooms into butter- great for baked potatoes!

 

[rubysmama]

The latest flower to bloom is a dark pink Astilbe. I'll wait a few more days for more of it to open, then I'll take pics and post them. I also have some purple bell-like flowers about to open.

I am no gardening expert at all but I'm trying my hand at various things.

Everything looks pretty good for not being an expert! BTW, welcome to TCS. We have a New Cats on the Block forum if you'd like to "formally" introduce yourself and your cat(s).

It's Christmas in July. Michele's Christmas cactus has It's first bloom on it.

Isn't it funny when they do that.

rubysmama Use a flame weeder. They are like a Bernzomatic shop torch used for soldering with a somewhat longer tube. Excellent for weeds in non-flammable areas like the crack between driveway and sidewalk or in gravel. You are not trying to incinerate the weeds, just heat them up until the leaf color changes so you know the cells in the leaf have ruptured.

Wow. That sounds a little bit more heavy duty than I'm willing to get into for my small unwanted chives plant. But I have heard of using them to get rid of Creeping Charlie and other invasive weeds.

The deck looks pretty when the sun comes out.

Really beautiful.

Oh woodchuck dined on leaves of pumpkins

Oh no.

This morning up and out at 5am, moved the tire garden with tomatoes. They don't like the wet feet. Some of the leaves turning yellow.

That happened to some of my annuals I have in pots in a planter. The planter doesn't have holes and we got so much rain over the weekend that the water was reaching the holes in the plants' pots, and waterlogging them. Will have to watch for that next time it rains.

For those of you with chives giving you problems- harvest the blooms before they go to seed. Whip the blooms into butter- great for baked potatoes!

You mean the purple flowers? Didn't realize you could eat them.

 

[posiepurrs]

Yes they are edible, just break them up , mix into softened butter and let sit to blend flavors. You can also use them in salads.

 

[LTS3]

Just wanted to post the link to an extension office finder if any of you gardeners ever need help or have questions: Gardening Know How Sometimes they have classes and workshops on a variety of gardening topics.

 

[Norachan]

Really beautiful

Thank you.



I managed to move all the kabocha from the compost heap into planters today. I threw away any sickly looking ones to give the bigger, healthy ones a bit more space so hopefully they'll keep growing.

 

[rubysmama]

Yes they are edible, just break them up , mix into softened butter and let sit to blend flavors. You can also use them in salads.

I don't have any chives anymore, other than my driveway ones and they don't get flowers. However, I can't quite imagine eating those flowers.

Another perennial is blooming. Anyone know what it's called?

 

[posiepurrs]

Looks like platycodon.

 

[catapault]

Very nice! It is Campanula punctata.

Platycodon, aka balloon flower, is upward facing with 5 points when the little balloon opens up

 

[posiepurrs]

Very nice! It is Campanula punctata.

Platycodon, aka balloon flower, is upward facing with 5 points when the little balloon opens up

You are right! I feel dumb now because campanula was my first thought. Why I decided on platycodon, I don’t know unless it was my brain being fried by the heatwave we are having.

 

[posiepurrs]

Master Gardeners | American Horticultural Society
Getting in touch with your local Master Gardeners can be helpful too. They work hot lines, give lectures etc all at no cost to you- at least we were not allowed to charge when I was training.

 

[rubysmama]

Very nice! It is Campanula punctata.

Thanks! It's one of the plants I got from my neighbour, so it didn't come with a name tag, though I'm sure she probably knows its name.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

I've started to harvest some bigger tomatoes now. Today I sliced one and layered it with fresh mozzarella, olive oil and basil. It was really good! Unfortunately I didn't have fresh basil; but the freeze-dried was still good.

We've had storms roll through the last few days so I haven't actually been outside to water. I need to get out and check over my potted flowers. My african daisies are looking very tall but I don't see any blooms at the moment. I hope it will put more out!

My mother has a really nice cluster of black-eyed susans right now. She's snipped a few for inside too. They remind me of my grandparents. I need to look up to see if that's something I can split and transplant.

 

[Norachan]

It rained here non stop from late Thursday evening until Monday morning. My marigolds and petunias have dissolved! The flowers are all mush.



I've cut the flowers off and hopefully some new ones will grow in their place. I also spent about an hour hacking my way through the weeds so the cats have a path around their enclosure, stopping at all the outdoor cat trees.

Only another week or so of monsoon, according to the weather forecast.