nobleheart:

mmmm elderberry wine?

BerniceC:
Ornamental Ginger
AFAIK

I'll look into it

Bamboo is beautiful but it is extremely invasive, in spite of what you read
The bamboo shoots can be cut down by mowing but while you are not looking they are shooting the other way and will get under your fences, out buildings, foundations and walkways and they can lift everything out of place after 5 years. I accidentally planted some next to out greenhouse 4 years ago and we cannot stop it's growth. It will require a backhoe to get it all out.

On the other hand, If you have a mass of property and no structures to be concerned with, you can grow a gorgeous jungle with just this bamboo

http://www.lewisbamboo.com/aurea3.html

nobleheart:

Good cartoon
Reminds me of my childhood days

skipinnz:

Wonderful tip
I'll have to run out and buy some beer. it being dark now

Wait.... I have beer in the fridge
Will Corona Light work?

Truth is
I have never had so many slugs in my gardens
When I wake up there are a few stupid ones just waiting for me to turn them into a pillar of salt
But the big ones....the breeders...are hiding where I cannot see them
I have cats at home and don't know how to kill the slugs without killing my cats
Anyone have any suggestions?

Rose:  Neem won't work on this problem

 lol

nobleheart:

Pistacio ice cream is also wonderful

But after hearing about slugs, I'm not really hungry

Foxy Lady:

What did you do to the tiger now?
He was a voice of reason in a sea of chaos
(yeah, sure)

Please stop in from time to time PT
just to see how our gardens grow!

The girls will take it over from here on.
Right girls?

nobleheart:

Are you just yanking our chain or are you really interested in the plant kingdom?
I am not a botanist
I wish I had the knowledge to be one
I am a simple grower of crops and we can't grow or sell those fungi here!  LOL

WatfordFC:

Sounds like you have spider mites.
They are tiny and difficult to see but the webs are a dead giveaway.

Insecticidal soap is sold at any nursery or garden store and is not harmful to the enviornment.

You must spray several times per the instructions on the label to be effective and kill the adults and the larvae.
Good luck!

WatfordFC:

Get some insecticidal soap right away and spray it every 4 days

WatfordFC:

Check the underside of the leaves to see if there are any creepy crawlies on it

WatfordFC:

I have searched google to try to find a picture of a betulia but had no luck
All I could surmise is that it is a variety of begonia....perhaps similar to a rex begonia.  Is it an indoor plant?  I know that rex begonias can be tricky as too much or too little water can kill them quickly.  Also it is suseptible to spider mite infestation.

spicieangel:

I wonder if you could plant some orchids on your driftwood, if your winters are so mild.  You don't really plant them, more like attach them with some moss and wire or string and the roots grow into the crevases.

Groucho:

Ferns, daylillies, astilbe, hosta

spicieangel:
.Do those yuccas survive the winters there?

If so you might be able to add a lot of tropicals around them

Groucho:

Are you looking for annuals or perennials for your shady spot?  Any type of fern would be lovely although they do not flower.
 

Spicieangel:

are you going to keep them inside or outside?  What is the climate etc? Orchids can attach themselves to driftwood but need a little special care

Skipinnz:
You are absolutely right about the fact that one should never prune hydrangea until their blooms have died.  I prefer to wait until the following fall. The flowers buds are only produced on last years growth. To cut any hydrangea back  limits it's  potential, especially if they are newly planted.

Therefore
 Rose:P Be patient. I have seen some Easter Lilies and Mother's Day Hydrangeas turn into beautiful monstrous shrubs any gardener would be proud to own.

Just wanted to pop in and see if anyone has any problems or boasts about their gardens

I don't think we need any more links to esoteric sites...

Practical advice on real gardening issues are in order

Foxy:  How's that petunia?

plaintiger:

Why not?

Foxy Lady:

Did you check to see if the stems or branches on the sick side got crushed or damaged?  Petunias are so delicate that just a little pressure can damage the stems and they don't recover.  Maybe you need to cut it back a little more on that side.

If I could see it I might have a better idea.  
As Tiger said, at least it's perking up on one side already.  That's a start!

Rose:

Who is this Clever Hunk?
Sounds like a guy I would like to meet

Foxy Lady:

You may need to cut that wave petunia back hard now to encourage new growth at the base of the stems...by cutting off the long stragly or leggy ones, it will send out new shoots lcloser to the roots which will create more blossoms for you.  After you cut it back, feed it.

Good luck...what color are the flowers?...mine are pale pink

Foxy Lady:

I know exactly what happened.  We've had lots of rain and rain makes the blooms of petunias turn to mush.  All you need to do is pinch off those mushy flowers and it will send out new blossoms in a few days.  Petunias usually need a lot of water, but their flowers can't take the beating a heavy rain does to them.  Don't worry...it is not dying, just needs a little TLC to force new blooms

By the way, mine look the same

We've been expecting a fairly large storm that may last through Saturday.

It shouldn't be a problem to any of the gardens unless we get hail, which is not unusual for this time of year. Hail can rip through everything like a machete and plants cannot recover from that damage.

GL to all in the northeast tonight.

There's heavy thunder and lightening at my house right now.

nobleheart:

Wherever there are flowers there is romance.
Thanks for the pic of the cute parrots
Reminds me of my grandparents

But I wonder what else is there in this jungle.

I am a simple grower of annuals and perennials.
That type of flora bogles my mind

nobleheart:

Great pics
Thanks for that
Duck weed is usually a drain clogger in agricultural areas but I am sure it is essential in the forests where great palms grow.

CleverHunk:

Some of those blooms are hard to believe!

I noticed that the 2nd and 3rd were taken in Hanalei, on Kauai
I was just there in April, but it rained alot :(

There are beautiful orchids and palms of many different varieties growing in peoples yards. I was ablt to get a private tour at the Na Aina Botanical Garden outside of Princeville, but it was raining there too. It was a private garden at one time, now open for tours
Thanks for the cool pics.

Foxy Lady:

You are right...today we had a surprise visit of the sun. I was able to plant up some things in my mother-in-law's garden in between showers. Lucky!
And she loved it. I pulled out 3 overgrown rose bushes and transplanted them for her to another area. Then I put in 3 trellises with clematis, along with blue salvia, rose pentas, tricolor sweet potatoe vine, pink shades gazania and white sweet alyssum. It's going to be very pretty for her all summer

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies!

Just in time for Mother's day and planting season, those of us in the northeast are looking forward to over a week of rain.
I really dislike gardening in the rain...but, the plants actually love it. In fact, optimum conditions for planting anything is during cloudy weather. There is less shock to the plant when the skies are grey.

I broke my own rule because the weather has been mild
I have planted verbena, begonias, osteospermum, diascia, geraniums, lobelia, ageratum, nierembergia, scavoela, alyssum, browalia, coleous and dusty miller.

I don't forcee another freeze here in NY and the plants have been hardened off enough they should be ready.

Yet to plant: Gazanias, madevilla, wave petunias
They're a little more tender

So how does your garden grow?

plaintiger:

My grandpaents took me to the NY Worlds Fair in 1964, and Disney had an exhibit of It's a Small World... with the boats and singing figures from all over the world. It was so enchanting when I was 8 and my grandmother loved it too!

We were all so innocent and secure back then...I guess

When I was at Disneyworld 10 years ago they had a tour through a gigantic greenhouse where everything was growing in water. I wonder if it's still there.

plaintiger:

I know that!

Just looking for an oportunity to flatter you!

Have a great day, everybody

Foxy Lady:

Hi Foxy

Why is there a little green (1) after the link to our Gardening board
on my favorite boards site?

I have never seen this before

plaintiger:
You are a master of photography, no doubt about it
I actually have one of that variety tillapsia
It has stopped blooming so it looks now like a beached sea urchin...but I know it will flower again.

Thanks for that picture

Did you clink on the link I made 6 messages back?
Lots of good info and pics of tillandsia
I believe the plural would be tillandsias

night owl:

Sorry I am a careless speller...ask anyone I play with.
You are correct about the correct spelling...I was wrong.
Did you figure out what they are though?

night owl:

Actually epiphytes such as tillandsias do need water...what they don't need is soil. They bebefit from misting them every day and keeping them in a shady spot. We have ours hanging on pieces of bark on the walls of our retail shop. Like orchids, they may flower only once a year, depending upon where you live. I have a feeling they are going to become more popular, retail wise.

Tillandsias

I have a few in my greenhouse...they are very interesting and some are very beautiful

*edited for spelling*

*edited just a touch more for spelling* (hope You don't mind, Ma'am... :)

rednaz23:

You have the right idea going to a greenhouse or garden center. They can recommend some perennials that will do well in your zone. More than anything, you would want to know what colors your mother likes. Whatever you get should coordinate with the plants she has already in her garden, when they are in bloom. If you want to plant up that entire space for her, I recommend some tall plants in back, like lithrum (blue flowers) and something lower in front, perhaps day lilies which come in a variety of colors and maybe a little row of annuals in front, like alyssum, for instance. Any reputable garden center should be able to advise you.

Oh, and as an extra gift, maybe you and your mom could plant them toghether. I know I would love some of my kids to help me a little in the garden!

rednaz23:
We need to know more about your Mom
Nothing personal: just what zone she lives in. May I assume she is in Minnesota too?
Does she like to garden?
What areas need planting around her home?
How much do you want to spend?
Are you buying annuals or perennials?

There is so much out there it's hard to narrow it down without more information

plaintiger:

That must be the answer!
That knucklehead. Thanks PT...mystery solved.

Foxy Lady:
I don't understand it either since the roots are what needs to survive for the plant to keep growing back every spring...but for some reason that gardener of mine, when he mowed them down in the early spring just as they were sprouting, killed 'em for sure. They never came back!

Have a great day...I am going to the Greenhouse!

Rose:
The peonies I had were ordered from a catalog as roots, and they were very slow growing. I actually didn't have blooms on them for at least 4 years. You can divide peopny roots from existing plants fairly easily and supposedly any pieces of the root will grow into a new plant. Maybe your neighbor could give you a couple of her roots?

They are easy to grow once they are established which can take a couple of years. I always feel that true perennials take 3 growing seasons to become mature.

Foxy Lady:
2 springs ago my gardener cut down my peonies with the lawn mower just as they were popping up out of the ground and they never came back

I was so sad because I had moved them from one house to another and had them almost 10 years.

plaintiger:

I hope you have a warm body nearby to comfort you, but I am sure you are never alone afaik

Rose...no wonder Hollyhocks don't grow like weeds where you live. Their little bodies would freeze dead in the winters you have. They don't work for me as perennials at all. I wish they grew like weeds here. I love their flowers.

plaintiger:
Are you staying dry?

We needed it, surely

I guess it's my own acronym for asfarasiknow.
Doesn't that make sense?

What is faik?