Reblooming Irises - are drooping leaves a charactoristic?
Sue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh
13 days ago
last modified: 13 days ago
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mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
13 days agoSue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh thanked mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)Markay MD-Zone 7A (8A on new map)
13 days agoSue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh thanked Markay MD-Zone 7A (8A on new map)Related Discussions
Mum pinching help
Comments (27)Looking back at responses I hope no one thought I was implying that any mum pinching was a silly waste of time. I just wanted to point out that my generic pots of mums bought in the fall are all newer cultivars that don't need pinching. Most of the fall mums around here are started in pots in June and just sit there on drip irrigation till they bloom in the fall. No pinching done, just space them enough so they grow up and out into nice full pots. I was actually considering pinching mine earlier in the year. Since they were a couple weeks ahead due to the non-winter I was going to pinch (actually chop) them all the way to the ground in June so they wouldn't overgrow. But like many of my good intentions in springtime it kind of faded away.... partly because I know I would have taken all the tops and rooted them as cuttings and filled half the veggie garden with chrysanthemums....See MoreShould I start over?
Comments (5)brer, depending on where you live (all I see is zone 7), it's possible that the problem is your plant selection and not you. There are many MANY plants that do fabulously well further north that will pout, and downright die in our climate. For instance, echinaceas are absolutely nothing special here. They bloom one time beautifully, then begin to mold, droop, and generally look ratty for the rest of the summer. Any rebloom is pitiful looking and you wish they hadn't bothered. Ditto for shasta daisies. They're great for about three weeks in the spring. Then, you might as well cut them down. Don't even get me started on bearded irises or hostas. Do you see? All of these are in the Top Ten List of Easiest Perennials to grow. But NOT for the south! It took me years to figure this out. I was ready to give up gardening until I found some neighbors who informed me that I was beating myself over the head trying to grow campanulas, and their kin. :) From what you tell us, you are doing perfectly good soil work. (Basically, you're doing lasagna gardening in stages). There shouldn't be any need whatsoever to start over. If you want to beef up your soil, try to add more chopped leaves to your beds in the fall instead of pinestraw, since leaves are more nutritious. Then next year, mulch with grass clippings or compost. In other words, give your soil a more varied diet. Add a good sprinkle of cotttonseed meal around your plants in the spring and again at mid summer. Our growing season here is six and half to seven months long, as opposed to three up north. It's my experience that plants need more nutrition here even with excellent soil, if you really want them to do their best. And then, of course, you have to learn to turn off your inner critic, at least sometimes. I'm one of those people who take people through my gardens pointing out every flaw because that's what I see. I'm trying to realize that this is NATURE. A certain amount of "imperfection" is what makes it look NATURAL. Go outside tomorrow early morning when the light is soft and just walk around (no weeders or gloves allowed). Force yourself to listen to the birdsong, really see the color, form and texture in your garden, and rejoice in all you DO have..... I bet you'll find your garden is alot better than you thought. :)...See MoreSome more rambling
Comments (34)Beautiful pictures Marcia! One question, why would we be so stupid as to show pics of our weeds. I've deleted some gorgeous pictures of some of the beds because it showed the glorious crop of weeds around it. Weed eating is not a favorite past time for the hubby. I made a (can't even call it a dent) small blip in the pot ghetto yesterday because I planted all my annuals in the ground. I still have some containers to do but that can wait while I work to get more things into the ground. The potted, with many scapes, daylilies can now look for permanent homes. Right now it is drizzling (not forecasted) but hopefully, can get the two tacky gh's down and out of the way so I can move my benches from the deck of the building to hold my tropical bonsai, so all lights can be turned off. THEN, I can take the newly arrived hosta and the companion plants I purchased for them to their new location. I'm not planting them just yet but going to stick the pots in the ground where I think they will permanently live. After all those chores, I will only have about 100 hosta seedlings to contend with and where they will live for the summer. I do see a light at the end of the very long tunnel. Brooke...See MoreNEW: new obf * may* April showers bring May flowers swap
Comments (114)I received my wonderful box from Margaret this week having received my red shrimp plant a couple weeks before. Poor box - he was in "priority" mail for 6-7 days! All arrived well though, here is what I received: Six big beautiful succulents Spring Pot Percher Snail Pot Hanger Pruning Shears Bag of GREAT seeds that I wanted and the cutest garden turtle ever Thanks so much Margaret I love everything! Sue G...See MoreSue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh
11 days agoMarkay MD-Zone 7A (8A on new map)
11 days agoSue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh thanked Markay MD-Zone 7A (8A on new map)Sue Hughes Zone 6b in Pittsburgh
8 days agoMarkay MD-Zone 7A (8A on new map)
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