You bet! It's considered a "woody" plant so it should do just fine in the spring. Prune it back to about 5" and be sure to fertilize it in the early spring.

Well, the seed and bulb catalogues are rolling in and we're still enjoying the tomatoes and peppers we put up from last year's garden.

:)

Hard to believe, but spring will come someday. Are the rest of you thinking about what you're going to do this year? I can't wait till the ground thaws.

Getting ready for my seeds! I bought 3 varieties of small zinnias...going to try them instead of gazanias in my containers.

I bought 3 colors from Park
Fire
orange
white

25 seeds each. I'll start them indoors in late March or early April.

Gotta get my lights ready first. Haven't done indoors in a while :o

I ordered a bunch of seeds from Burpee this year: tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumber, impatiens, purple wave petunia, moonflower... Our youngest son knows the botany professor from NIU. He's going to get some custom hybrid tomato plants just for our area!

I'm planning on doing mostly container gardening this year unless the boys want to remove the sod from my old garden patch and we can put extra tomatoes out there.

I think most of the rabbits are gone due to the growing hawk population in our area. I only saw one rabbit this winter and we normally have at least three of them living under our deck even in the cold weather.

more...
 

I'd like to add....

I found many more varieties on the WEBSITE of Park's compared to the catalog.

So you all might want to look online too. They have more than
they illustrate in the catalogs because of costs, I think.

There are some seed deals on Ebay. Some are very inexpensive.
But not all of them are. So look there too.
I bought some bulk wildflower Oxeye daisies and black eyed susans for very very little money. I am going to sow these where the city destroyed the little garden I do on their property, fixing our water mains last year.

But some of the Ebay cultivars were actually more than Park seed! So look around before buying!

Ebay was my only source of Lychnis (rose campion) and Silene, which I like to naturalize too. The big seed companies don't carry either.

Mrs D, have you ever sprouted hibiscus seeds? I gathered seed from my Disco Belles Hibiscus (hardy) and I'd love to try growing them. Any tips?

Also, I ordered a set of 5 hardy hibiscus in pinks, reds and a white. These are supposed to go (from smallest) about 4' to (tallest) 5 or 6'! YAY! Gonna plant them in the new bed toward the side of the road where people walk past all the time.

;)

I was thinking of underplanting with either snapdragons or petunias.

I had to look this one up.

It appears that the seed coat on these seeds is thick.
I found some gardeners on the net and they recommend:
1) soak overnight in water then push into your seed starting mix and cover. 2-3 weeks.

OR
2) lightly sandpaper with very fine sandpaper, the outer coat and do the same.

If you do not prepare the seed, it can take 2 to 3 months to
germinate.

Transplant when there are 4 true leaves.

This is what Thompson Morgan says to do:
http://www.tmseeds.com/product/6715.html

I've never done them, but I have done other seeds with tough coats. Daylily is one example. Iris is another.

There is a way to overwinter the seeds outside, but I think that time has passed.

Thanks! I'll let you know how I do. I'm not very good w/ seeds though, so it'll be a major victory if anything happens.

:p

With daylilies, I just dry the seeds on a shelf in the shed and plant them right in the flower bed. I started with 3 dl's, now I have 9. About half are hybreds - which is easy to do - just rub a flower from one plant onto the flower from another, then mark that flower and let it go to seed. (I tie a string loosely around the stem)

BTW, my crocus are blooming!

I see tulip, daff and hyacinth leaves. Johnny jump ups, tick seed, snapdragons and hollyhocks are turning green.

Ohhh, I'm going to love it here!!! Thanks for this thread, this is my passion! So so so excited, like a silly little kid!
I tell my DH, don't buy me jewelry, make-up, kitchen stuff, for my birthday....just buy me pallets of rock, dirt, & plants.

I do have one question on the dang roses....I live in the sandhills of NC. NOTHING but sand. I have planted quite a few roses, none do good. I have tried planting directly into the sand, also amending it with organic matter, all the way to opening up a 40lb bag of compost garden soil & poking holes into it at the bottom, bury the whole bag & plant in that...But the BEST roses I have are the ones I accidently left in their pot, inside a rubber container that is filled with rainwater Most the time?? Those are some "wet feet"

Why? Will this last? It's been 2 years now & plan on leaving it there as a test!

Roses:
 

I grow in containers on vacation because the rocks there eat up any soil I put down. So I grow in containers.

Containers or at least a raised bed may help.
Not only water filters away in sand. FOOD/nutrients do too, and roses are heavy feeders! Too much nitrogen (first number) makes for bushiness and fewer flowers. Not enough phosphate slows blooms too(middle number).

I can't grow roses here because I don't have much sun.
So maybe some rose growers will show up here.

Roses are tougher than gardeners think. I have all but two of the many I've planted in 20 yrs.

:eek:

Some, I've even tried to kill off, lol. They're still here.

I'd say this, if it's alive in a container, just change her soil when she goes dormant in the late fall every other year or so. When you do, look for mushy roots and trim those off if there are any.

You'll also have a chance to rid her of any pests by rinsing off the roots. You may want to give her a larger container as she gets bigger. A 5 gal paint bucket should do, or ask at a bakery if they have buckets that size. Drill a few holes and there you go.

You should see what I have stuff growing in, lol. My tropical hibiscus tree is still in that plastic 2 gallon thing it came in 2 yrs ago. I put that in an antique bucket and she's trying to bloom now, in my bird room.

growing in sand can be done. I have a front garden (pictures in my album) that is 90% sand.

One trains the roots of the plants to go DOWN so that they don't dry out so fast. I had to move some when we had the big dig up of the street last spring. I had a saponaria plant that I had to move and it was over 12 inches down!

If you sprinkle often but not water deeply every few days, the roots stay at the top and then when the sand dries out, the plant suffers.

So training does take some initial time but can pay off in very dry areas. That garden in the pics is below 100yr old oaks. And I was told by a garden "expert" that growing anything under oaks is impossible--- and I am doing it by following simple logic.
water correctly
feed appropriately
weed when necessary
have adequate light for the right plant

These are the only tricks I use. And I have failures, and just move on.

I think container gardening is the way to go for many things under certain situations. I do it up North and a little bit here.
In containers you can mix in SoilMoist granules and get up to 5 to 7 days between watering! You can use the new pelleted long acting fertilizers too..they are great for feeding. Some of the new fancy (if you have the money) containers are SELF watering now.
I like the big resin urns that Costco has now, for about $20.
I have 3 now, and they work really well and look nice (see my album pics).

Being in the Sandhills is a challenge. The weather patterns changing does not help. We just upgraded from a zone 7 to an 8....This so far has worked for me, it does sound weird, but it works. I use plastic bags, the ones from food shopping. I dig the hole much larger than needed, line with these crumpled up bags, cover with the original sand & then add compost & the plant. I'm not worried about root rot as the roots seem to find their way thru just fine. Plus less leeching of nutrients thru the sand. I have only been here for 5-6 years now so I don't know long term...But for now it seems to work.

Also on the cheap side are those heavy plastic storage containers at Walmart & such. I drill several holes in the bottom, then completely bury the container. It's not hard because it's all sand. Not a rock or pebble to be found! This is also good if you have Voles! {little, evil, hungry,monsters!}

burying containers did not work for me. We get really hard
freezes, and they just push up --frost heave.

Where you are you can get away with that. It is a good idea if you don't get totally frozen ground like we do.

Mrs D - Gardengirl is from the Carolina's (from what the line under her avatar says).

So I guess they don't get the freeze we get up here. But my brother - who lives near me, not far south of lake Erie, has a couple plants buried in container. In those beds, they keep them from heaving by covering with rock for mulch.

I think as long as the dirt and cover are heavy enough, you can get away with it. The planter has holes too, and if the plant's roots get though and grab outside dirt, that'll help.

You are so right about the Water Grabber stuff. All potted plants should have that. Hyponex's soil has that plus slow release food built in. I used that in my nail keg palnters - it was worth the extra couple bucks.

I can't believe all the stuff that's coming up already. Something else every time I look. Today, I see iris turning green, mullien, campanula, columbine, false sunflowers and fresh growth on the lavender.

:)

yeah... I have crocuses and snowdrops.

We put out the 12-12-12 on the some of the beds. Hubby has
been raking oak leaves all week so far. We've had nice weather.

This week I am starting some perennial seeds.(in the house under lights).

I am so glad we are on the way out of winter finally! WHEW!

I just realized I never hard pruned my butterfly bush in the fall. Should I just cut it down now? I'm pretty sure it grows new branches every spring.

Clematis question
 

Hi all,

I have a Jackmanii clematis that does well in our backyard. I've always cut it down to ground level in early spring and it comes back full by midsummer. Would it work to just leave the old vines up? Will they all come to life again? Or will some of them be dead? Will it grow larger if I do it this way? Thanks in advance. :)

Planting roses in sand
 

Dear Gardengrl, Go on-line and type planting roses in sand. There are many websites on the subject. Maybe there are only certain varieties that do well in sand. Check it out, and happy planting!

I read somewhere that there are three types of clematis, and so also three ways to trim. Unfortunately, it did not give specific names - like Jackmanii - it just described a bit about how to tell where to cut.



I do not recall any of these plants needing to be cut all the way to the ground, and you may be causing yours to use more energy to regrow than necessary.

I'm still new at clematis, so I can't be of more help, sorry. I just wait till they leaf up and trim off the dead stuff.

The best way, and most efficient, to prune and keep a butterfly bush looking nice is to cut in back almost to the ground every spring. You can use lopers or a chain saw depending on how large the limbs are.

It blooms on new wood every year.

Hi Wiz!

Brain is correct, there are three categories of Clematis based on how to prune them. I advise clients to keep the tags that come with them so they know which ones need to be pruned how; however you are not likely to kill them if they are not pruned properly as they are very resilient!

The Jackmanii is a summer bloomer and also blooms on new wood. Therefore, it should be pruned back each year so you will have better blooms. However, if you want it to grow taller each year, don't cut it back as far as you did the year before.

Here's a good website that explains the 3 categories of clematis.

http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/c...824028038.html

Thanks Cheryl and Brain, :)

I cut it back to about 12 inches. Last spring I divided it to put in another part of the yard. That plant was trimmed back by the rabbits over the winter. It has growth already too.

Jackmanii is one of my favorites. I wish I had a place in my yard to plant them so I could see them. I just did a landscape design for a friend and one entire fence line off their patio was several different colors of clematis. I can hardly wait for them to bloom!

Gardener wannabe
 

I am such a novice at gardening. My DH has always taken care of the yard. But we just moved and the yard is huge! There is so much to be done and I know it will take years to get it in shape, but I thought it would be nice to start with some flowerbeds.

I just jumped the gun on spring and spent a lot of $$$ at WalMart on several varieties. If I list their names, will you tell me which ones I Don't need to worry about planting too early? I know pansies are very resilient, and I bought lots of them and violas.

But I don't know about these:

• Cannulas
• Phalaris (grassy bush thing)
• Anemone
• Petunias
• Alyssium

I'm guessing the hyacinths will be okay in the cold, as they are from bulbs? They are about 8-10 inches tall.

It just won't warm up here!!! :confused: It actually started to snow when we were loading this stuff in the truck, lol.

But this weekend should be nice. BTW, I know FlyGirl knows I'm in central Utah, but maybe the rest of you gardeners don't.

One more question. We have a lovely view of the nearby mountains from our back patio, except there is a construction company that parks their unattractive vehicles a few hundred yards away.

We need something that will grow 10-15 feet high along a stretch of about 50 feet of fence. That way we won't have to look at the road graders, but we can still see the mountains. The fence isn't particularly sturdy, but it does keep the neighbor's horses from getting into the yard.

Thanks for any suggestions.

You could try sweet peas (there are perennial types). I'm starting some from seed this spring in fact.

Also Morning glorys are easy from seed. And there are the
old standby Hollyhocks.

Most really tall flowering plants you would probably have to do from seed. Clematis is tricky I think.

But there are ivy's, and other vines like that. Those would be available in stores. If this is in full sun? Try some green beans!

You could do bushes in front of the fence... upright cedars are pretty elegant (but they would cost more money in the beginning.)

What are your watering potentials there? Can you reach with a hose? If you cannot water, you'd have to have something that likes dry conditions. I'd consider light and water first, then move on to the other choices based on those.

Hmmm, I hadn't thought about cedars. Green beans, lol! The fence is only about 4' high. Maybe some corn! ;)

Yes, it is full sun and yes, we can drag a hose.

If I can figure out how to do it, I'll post a "before" picture.

Hollyhocks or sunflowers will grow higher than your 4' fence, and you can stake if needed. The morning glory or perennial sweet peas sound good to cover the fence itself.

My hollyhocks get about5-6 ft high, but check what kind of sunflowers, as they vary in height depending on the kind you get. Some get 12-15 ft high.

I find Lowe's and Menard's are good for inexpensive trees and shrubs, if you want to go that route. I'm partial to purple sand cherry's, as they bloom in the spring and have red/purple foliage all summer/fall. They grow fairly quick, not too large, nice and graceful.

It's nice to get something that's already 4-5 ft high or better.

Hiya Twink! I haven't been able to get on the pc lately, but I'm still here:D

Did you consider Bamboo? There are many to choose from & in your climate I do not believe they are likely to run rampard?? I planted a 30' x 2' living fence of the "Black Bamboo". It will take a few years to establish itself but then will go wild on me here in the south...so I had to dig in a barrier 3' down also. Mine is growing at about 15' but even the taller ones will stop growing at the point they are cut from & then produce side shoots to fill in.

Another idea...raised beds...that way you can plant even shorter growing plants.

Please DO show before & afters pics!:D

Hehe! I hang out too much at Home Depot! I forgot to use my 10% off discount coupon Saturday and I'm still mad!

I bought some brick edging for a flowerbed and some more plants. Still haven't planted any! (Too cold). We keep them in our garage and open the door when the afternoon sun is shining.

I have a landscaper coming tomorrow to have a look and then draw up some plans. We need some garden walls here and there because of a slope.

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll be back with more questions, I'm sure!

Okay, I didn't know you could divide them. Cool!

Twink - You might want to figure out your zone and *last frost* before you put a bunch of ploants in. It's likely okay by now, but I saw your posts were in April.

You can check online or in mags with mail order companies for this info, or luck out at Home Depot. Some of those people, not all of them, do garden and know their stuff.

I usually ask serious garden questions at a nursery, not a big store, and get better results.

OR ask a neighbor with a great yard. Real gardeners love to help you out.

I just don't wanna see you loose your plants and hard work to a cold snap - been there, done that.

I'm moving from zone 5 to zone 9, so I'm a novice all over again.

Thanks Brain, et al, for your suggestions. And thanks, Cheryl, for the helpful PM (typed one-handed!).

Now that the weather is nice and warm, I did get most of 'em planted. Then I bought some more and moved them around. Then I decided the poor lil (existing) daffodils needed some sun, so moved the pansies around (again) to make room.

Then last night we bought some Morefor my shady flowerbed. I've never gardened in my whole life, and I just can't get enough flowers! The nice thing about our new yard is the 2 dozen or so mature trees, so I can work in shade much of the time.

My Dad planted a yellow rosebush a few years ago -- it must have 300 or 400 blooms on it. I can't help but think of him whenever I see it. Unfortunately, it will have to be moved to make way for DH's future carport to park his truck. (truckport?) Any tips on moving a stickery rosebush?

Wait till it's done blooming, trim it back, and WEAR PROTECTION! LOL....

:eek:


You're supposed to leave a pile of loosened dirt - an upside down cone shape - in the hole and set the rose's roots on that. Be sure not to plant deeper than the *heart*. You'll notice the thickest part of the trunk, it's almost a ball or lump - that's the heart.

Right at the top of the trunk, where that gets thick, leave some of that out of the dirt - I leave an inch or two exposed, make sure the soft roots are in the dirt.

Than tamp it in and water/feed like any other plant.

I've moved almost all my roses and they do fine. Only problem - usually, the root will grow back, and you wind up with some wild rose you don't want, because they're all grafts these days...

I'm trying to find an herbicide that'll kill off about 6 of that kind of rose right now.

:rolleyes:

Round Up for poison Ivy, you think?



now you know why roses symbolize love, cuz they have a heart.

Well, the flowers are doing well, blooming nice and on time. But the weather - cloudy, no rain until last two days, cooler than usual - seems to be putting the veggies behind schedule.

There are peppers on - sweet hungies. But just now getting buds on the tomatoes and the plants are small. The cukes barely grew. The lettuce is almost ready to seed, so I know the other stuff is not on course.

:(

Hello! I'm new to this whole gardening thing and was wondering some things :)

I want to start a small garden. Not food of any sort because my dad has a half acre of tomato plants peppers squash and other edibles, but some nice flowers that I could have to look at or read by :)

I live in Massachusetts and know nothing other than frost is bad for plants. My downstairs neighbor collaborates on the garden with my dad and has some exotic flowers from costa rice but they die after 1 season.


I was hoping to plant some annuals that will spring up every year and are easy to maintain. Being in MA our soil is very rocky and lacking nutrients and the spot I want to plant in is shady and already has a bunch of shrubs and things around it.

My mom once had a bleeding heart plant that did well in the spot that I picked (the poor plant was mowed over and killed by my brother :/) so maybe I could get one of those since it thrived so well in that spot.

I need some ideas for shade loving annuals and easy to maintain (won't be over grown) and have some pretty flowers. If anyone has any suggestions please feel free :)

Thanks :)

I think you mean perennials, which come back after winters?

It is really hard to give advice generally without seeing the location. If the area gets 1/2 day sun, you could put in some of the new day lilies that continuously bloom all summer. Stella D'oro is one variety..dwarf and cute.

Annuals don't come back in your Zone, unless they reseed.
Counting on seeds doesn't work well, because some don't come back true to form. Petunias are like this...they will reseed but lose their colors and change to a more generic flower.

I would sign up for Park's seed catalog, and also Thompson Morgan. They have websites too, with lots of information and
pictures of flowers along with where to put them for best results.

There is a lot of failure in gardening. So don't get discouraged. Just move on.

Perennials like daisies and black eyed susans are easy to do too, but you need some sun for them as well. At this time nurseries may not have alot of stock left, esp for annuals. Sometimes they put stuff up on sale to get rid of it too. I go to a seasonal guy who sets up shop on a vacant lot nearby and he has tremendous bargains, if you know what you want etc.

Reading the catalogs helps you in the end to choose what you like and what will like the spot you are intending to fill. ;)

Good advice from Mrs D.

I love catalogues for the info and inspiration. Also if you have a really good local nursery, the better local gardeners will know about it. Go there and ask questions.

I've been gardening over 20 yrs, and have found local-grown plants often do better than ordered ones. We have a lot of nurseries around, but I'll pay more at the one where they propagate the local plants - it's been here forever.

And if you get chummy with neighbors, you'd be surprised who's willing to share sprouts.

;)

Also like Mrs D said, don't let the failures get you down. I lose plants every year. It's part of the challenge. And then you really feel triumphant sometimes, when you get them to thrive.

It's all part of the game.

My sis asked me why I did so well at this. I told her two rules in my garden -

1) if I like it it's a flower, if not it's a weed.

2) pull the dead stuff out before anyone else sees it. Then you always look like you have a green thumb.

Keep on trying with things too - I moved my Red Hot Poker, which is supposed to be really easy to grow - every year for the 5 yrs I've had it. Finally, it's blooming.

Some things I have that might work for you - Toad lily, turtleheads and monk's hood, maybe jupiter's beard. Bulbs might work.

I think rhodedendrons and azaleas like acid soil, but they may need more light.

The shrubs will be a challenge because they contribute to the acidity of the soil. But I planted purple coneflowers, forget-me-nots and hollyhocks on an acid bed where we just took out shrubs and they are doing well.

fava beans
 

Hi. Do you know anything about fava beans (where in the country are you located?) I am in TN and our favas were not "bit" until 24 degrees. I read somewhere on the net that they will come back up from the roots when the weather warms up. I don't know wether to cut the wilted plants off or not, there are still some greenish leaves and a feeling of suspended animation in the plants. I wonder if I cut them off if the cold rains & snow would ruin the roots? Anyway, I am thinking about leaving them just the way they are to see what happens next. Any ideas?? Aunt Bean

Sorry I didn't see your post till just now! I don't know a thing about fava beans. But I hear you are having a hard winter down there - snow, cold and what all.

I leave almost everything as is until spring - for the reason you mention. It adds insulation for the roots. I'll know in spring what to cut off. Also, it provides habitat and maybe food for wildlife, and the rotting vegetation feeds the plants.

Mt theory is whatever that plant took out of the ground is in the plant. If you put the dead plant back in the ground, it is just the right fertilizer.

And also, you end up removing the least waste from your garden.

I hope the harsh winter did not do too much damage to your garden. Let us know.