Saturday Gardening Thread: Twisty Turny [Y-not and KT]

Y-not: Greetings gardening morons and moronettes! Welcome to your Saturday Gardening Thread.

In honor of Ted Cruz, today's thread is brought to you by, what else?

Fans of Texas bluebonnets could soon be spotting some beautiful blooms in pastures and along highways. https://t.co/IqE2rXfb9o
— KCEN News (@KCENNews) March 1, 2016

Yours truly is out in meatspace working as a KY GOP caucus official, so KT will be "pushing the button" and launching the Gardening Thread today. This is a rather complex process involving two keys that must be turned simultaneously, a box of ball bearings, and a live chicken. (Pssst, don't tell PETA!)

But before handing the reins over to KT, a few items that crossed my timeline this week...

In addition to Texas bluebonnets, another sign of Spring is expected to be early this year:

Cherry blossom peak bloom is coming early this year! https://t.co/sJeXqygGnA pic.twitter.com/ynGifpsiVQ
— DCist (@DCist) March 2, 2016

Even though we saw some cherry blossoms this winter, peak bloom will occur from March 31 through April 3 this year, the National Cherry Blossom Festival announced this morning.
That's earlier than the historical average of April 4 as well as what we've seen in recent years, according to Cherry Blossom Watch. Peak bloom happens when at least 70 percent of the trees surrounding the tidal basin are blossoming. Changes in weather could revise the forecast in the coming weeks.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival will occur from March 20 to April 17.

Fans of the Gardening Thread might remember that last March we had an entire post devoted to Signs of Spring. Make sure to check it out if you need a boost!

Perhaps your garden still looks more like this:

Check out these beautiful photos of winter bark! ->https://t.co/zyXu3tWg6U #FGgpod #gardening pic.twitter.com/uQMCzkYoZC
— Fine Gardening (@finegardening) February 29, 2016

If so, you might enjoy thinking less about plants and more about how you might furnish your garden or patio. Some nice ideas here:

A Southern garden isn't complete without a vintage garden bench. https://t.co/kzJ1Haz3IE pic.twitter.com/vSPU7myk0d
— Garden & Gun (@gardenandgunmag) March 1, 2016

If you like something a little more modern, there are some nice pieces here. Or maybe you're a do-it-yourselfer.

If any of you have pictures of neat garden or patio furnishing you'd like to show the group, send me an email at bailesworth AT gmail and we'll post them in a future thread.

And now, without further ado, heeeere's KT:

SWAY

For those who caught the discussion last week on the Calendar of the First French Republic, we are now in the month of Ventose, the windy month. It includes parts of February and March. Any wind where you are?

At least one person on Twitter still seems nostalgic for the association between revolution and the romance of rural life represented by that calendar. There are some nice botanical prints for the plants celebrated during the month of Ventose.

O.K., I'm back in March now, in the USA. I thought it would be nice to discuss some plants that sway in the breeze today. But first, I ran across a video with which you might like to sway along, to get into the mood. It includes elbows in motion for Morons still feeling the end of football season at AoSHQ. For Moronettes, there's a guy who knows how to tango. And like Y-not says, Dino never needed autotune. Cool then, cool now.

Actually, all the garden topics I decided to focus on today were inspired by last week's thread which included some excellent comments. Y-not is planning to put in an arbor in her back yard. This prompted some interesting discussion of vines. I hope that we can aggregate some of what we learn from The Horde about vines, particularly grapes, into some sensible summaries. But there were also some vines nobody brought up for use on arbors.

Tromboncino Squash

There are many nice annual flower vines to grow during the first year or two you have an arbor, as your permanent plants become established. I would like to know if you have a favorite annual vine, or maybe a warning about annual vines to avoid. I have a sort of wacky idea for growing some dramatic veggies on an arbor that first year.

One year I grew Cucuzzi gourds and Tromboncino squash together on a fence. They did well together. The vines of both are fairly rampant. I imagined what it would be like walking under a trellis in the moonlight with fruits resembling baseball bats or snakes (the gourds), plus trombones (the squashes), swaying in the breeze all around me. Sitting under an arbor with those fruits swaying above might be interesting, too.

We have already discussed growing and cooking Cucuzzi gourds, a type of Lagenaria. Today, I am focusing on Tromboncino squash, like Tromboncino Albegna. Perfect for Y-not's future arbor, don't you think?

Tromboncino squashes were developed from the same species as butternuts (Cucurbita moschata), but they taste better as summer squash than as winter squash. They are good sauteed with garlic or onion when young, or in soups and casseroles when older. They are sometimes called "zucchini" but their flavor and texture are different from the zucchini we all know, which is from a different species of squash (C. pepo). When allowed to mature into winter squash, they are not particularly sweet and they have sort of a stringy texture. They could probably be used as a substitute for ripe spaghetti squash, maybe with some spaghetti sauce.

Tromboncino squash is one of those strange and yummy veggies non-gardeners usually only see at farmer's markets. Entertaining information and cooking ideas at the link.

C. moschata squashes have solid stems, so they have greater resistance to squash vine borers than some squashes. We don't have squash vine borers here, but this species seems to do better than other squashes in our hot-summer climate. They have no prickles on their stems or leaves, which can be a big plus on a trellis or arbor. Growing on a support should make it easier to control squash bugs, too.

There are some butternut-type squashes that get bigger than Tromboncino squashes. I don't know that I would attempt to grow them on an arbor. One is the Tahitian or Tahitian Melon squash. Sweet enough to eat raw when ripe. Requires a very long season. Can reach 30 pounds. Long and skinny. Seed used to be harder to come by than it is now. Argonaut hybrid is a sweet butternut that can grow to 30 pounds or more. It is elongated, but not like Tromboncino or Tahitian squashes.

TURBULENCE

Flowers, vines or trees swaying in a gentle breeze are lovely. But heavy winds can be a real problem in the yard or garden. My Sunset Western Garden Book includes a list of plants that are resistant to drying interior winds in the West. The section on vines is very, very short. And the closest thing to a vine I see in their list of plants that tolerate salty sea winds is the Ground Morning Glory, which can trail to 3 feet. Do you have experience coping with wind in the garden?

Sometimes plantings or garden structures we think will block wind end up producing turbulence instead. This is a big consideration in planning for fences and windbreaks. Some of the more experienced builders and planters in The Horde may be able to help us avoid pitfalls due to wind and turbulence when we come up with nifty new ideas for the yard or garden. I noticed some mention of "top-heavy" plants in the comments last week, for example. Important to think about when building a trellis or arbor.

I did not expect last week's discussion of Vincent van Gogh, genetic disease and botanical chemistry to lead to insights about the depiction of turbulence in some of his paintings. I find it fascinating that Physicists Love Vincent van Gogh. The mathematically-predictable depiction of turbulence in, for example, "Starry Night" was apparently not evident in paintings completed during the artist's saner periods. This may help explain the unexpected emotional reaction I had to one of his original paintings hanging in the Jeu de Paume, but not to others.

For those unfamiliar with turbulence, it happens to be one of the hardest questions in physics. . .
Nobel-prize winning physicist Werner Heisenberg even reportedly once said: "When I meet God, I am going to ask him two questions: 'Why relativity?' and 'Why turbulence?' I really believe he will have an answer for the first."
And yet, van Gogh represented "turbulence" in paintings ... while sitting in an asylum.

This bit of information makes the song about the painting more interesting. Too bad that Vincent van Gogh's intuition about the chemistry of paint was not as good as his intuition about physics. Many of his famous sunflowers are turning brown.

Keep this in mind when producing still life paintings of your garden flowers. Your garden paintings might be famous someday, too. You never know.

Y-not: Thanks KT!

One more link to put a "Spring" in your step:

Frances Mayes� love letter to the magnolia has us dreaming of spring. https://t.co/Dz9VfFmVOh pic.twitter.com/kklf2ApcW3
— Garden & Gun (@gardenandgunmag) February 29, 2016

For those who don't know, Frances Mayes is the author of "Under the Tuscan Sun."

What's happening in YOUR gardens this week?

Posted by: Open Blogger at 12:30 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 To enlarge my garden or not?

Posted by: Skip at March 05, 2016 12:27 PM (fizMZ)

2 To enlarge my garden or not?
Posted by: Skip at March 05, 2016 12:27 PM (fizMZ

Sure! But remember to stop somewhere around the neighbor's yard.

Posted by: MarkY at March 05, 2016 12:29 PM (BKyfF)

3 not first!

Posted by: redc1c4 at March 05, 2016 12:29 PM (Se2El)

4 We're expanding this year. We had let the larger veggie garden go til the new house was built.
Hauled compost in last week, and tilled. This week it's the start of the deer fencing.

Posted by: MarkY at March 05, 2016 12:31 PM (BKyfF)

5 Pondering engaging on side about 16 inches but besides work of moving fences would make the downspout dump into garden. So that water has to be taken into account as wouldn't want a wash out to happen.

Posted by: Skip at March 05, 2016 12:31 PM (fizMZ)

6 Hey! I didn't break the blog! Thanks to everybody for the instructions.

If a backtrack or ping got messed up, sorry.

Lost the chicken.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 12:32 PM (qahv/)

7 Skip, there are ways to direct that downspout water to your advantage.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 12:34 PM (qahv/)

8 **imitating Silvio from the Sopranos imitating Michael Corleone from Godfather III**

Just when I thought I was out... they. pulled. me. back. in.

Posted by: The Chicken at March 05, 2016 12:34 PM (H9MG5)

9 I have a question I hoped someone on this thread might be able to help with.

I currently have an over-abundance of sapodillas and am going to try my hand at canning for the first time.

My question.. what is the pH value of a sapodilla?

I was able to wiki oodles of nutrition value information about the sapodilla but I was having trouble discovering the pH value.

The canning guide I was reading specified that whatever I was canning needed to be acidic, if I was to use the 'heat only' method of canning (which I can do with existing equipment/pots/etc).

If it wasn't acidic, it said I needed to use a 'pressure' method for canning (meaning I have to go out and buy stuff).

Any info/help or tips the horde could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by: bahabuddha at March 05, 2016 12:35 PM (eZuvD)

10 if you want to put in a fence that will survive some of the winds we get here in SoCal, there's a couple key steps.

1, use metal poles, ensuring that the bottom of the pipe is totally enclosed in concrete, then fill the interior above ground with more concrete, so the pipes can't bend. (happened to a buddy who lives in the Cajon Pass)

2. space the cedar planks out on both sides of the stringers, so that air can pass through the fence, rather than function as a speed brake. you still get your privacy, and keep pets in the yard, but it's much more likely to stay standing.

3. do NOT totally wall up both sides, or you'll create a really great place for rats to live...

Posted by: redc1c4 at March 05, 2016 12:35 PM (Se2El)

11 Was listening to the PBS garden show this morning and Mike McGrath always warns beetle traps actually draw in more than you would normally have. I'm thinking this year might see more than has been the case as winter wasn't very bad. Hard frost does kill lots of insects and years after one are much more free of them.

Posted by: Skip at March 05, 2016 12:35 PM (fizMZ)

12 Skip, there are ways to direct that downspout water to your advantage.
First thing I thought, too... then I realized he said "move the fence". Bigger deal.
Look at gardening more vertically instead of horizontally?

Posted by: MarkY at March 05, 2016 12:36 PM (BKyfF)

13 What kind of deer fencing are you using, MarkY?

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 12:36 PM (qahv/)

14 I have made a system with my sump pump for drought years that water instead of dumping out on lawn gets run in a perforated pvc line to the Japonica bushes on end of house.

Posted by: Skip at March 05, 2016 12:38 PM (fizMZ)

15 It is currently snowing on my garden.

But it will be 60 degrees out in two days.

/sigh. Michigan.

Posted by: shibumi who is awaiting SMOD at March 05, 2016 12:40 PM (7FH+T)

16 I think the Sioux called March the month of snowblindness. Except they probably said "moon" for month and they didn't speak English.

Posted by: Rokshox at March 05, 2016 12:41 PM (Ap82b)

17 10 And put the nice side of the fence toward your neighbors.

Posted by: Rokshox at March 05, 2016 12:43 PM (Ap82b)

18 Re: deer fencing.
Light wire mesh to 4' on t-posts at 8' centers, then 1/2" conduit wired to the posts, and 8' deer mesh to the top.
We've read to hang some ribbons here and there to keep it visible.
I can't find the brand name on it, but there are tons of them out there, including at the orange big box.

Posted by: MarkY at March 05, 2016 12:44 PM (BKyfF)

19 I'm pondering my options on enlargement, using, piping through, or around.
But need to decide soon.
Did turnover compost into soil this past week on first nice day to be out, it's supposed to get to 70 Wednesday so spring must be getting here quick.

Posted by: Skip at March 05, 2016 12:44 PM (fizMZ)

20 Was listening to the PBS garden show this morning and Mike McGrath
always warns beetle traps actually draw in more than you would normally
have.
============

I get the impression that Mike always places his beetle traps far away from his gardens and closer to his neighbor's

Posted by: mrp at March 05, 2016 12:47 PM (JBggj)

21 Good Morning Garden Morons! what gorgeous day here in Central Texas. I went to one of our local nurseries yesterday and purchased 9 different varieties of tomatoes, determinate and indeterminate. I am so excited. I told my husband that I was going to control myself and only buy two... I also bought some Asian peppers and some Japanese eggplant. Don't usually have much luck with these, but I never quit trying! It has been warm here so my little winter garden is almost over. I pulled the last of the carrots and turnips today and the lettuce has got so bitter that I cant eat it.

Posted by: dreadpirateroberta at March 05, 2016 12:47 PM (z1kKI)

22 Two years ago the top above 4 feet of a tomato row was munched off, it had to be deer even though everyone says deer don't like tomatoes.

Posted by: Skip at March 05, 2016 12:48 PM (fizMZ)

23 Just for the record, I like Rosemary Clooney's version of Sway better.

One of the first native spring flowers locally is the Indian Plum. It has a bright green lanceolate leaves that smell like watermelon leaves, white flowers, and a purplish stone fruit that the birds tend to eat before they get ripe.

http://nativeplantwildlifegarden.com/indian-plum/

Last weekend I dug some shoots from a bush on the side of the road and planted them at the corner of the property. It is also supposed to be an attractor of early native bees and pollinators who remember to stick around during the main flowering period, so I the idea is that it might be good for pollinating my fruit trees.

Other than that, the narcissus and Asian quinces are blooming.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 05, 2016 12:49 PM (q2o38)

24 Don't know if they are the same thing but I look forward to the spring Virginia bluebells each year. Carpets of varied shades of blue made even prettier when seen in dappled sunlight.

Posted by: JTB at March 05, 2016 12:49 PM (FvdPb)

25 Spray your tomatoes with an Epsom salt solution. Google it. Amazing results.

Posted by: Rokshox at March 05, 2016 12:50 PM (Ap82b)

26 KT if you need another chicken, I can send the one just hatched yesterday. Don't worry about her being lonely though, by the end of the week she'll be joined by about 130 more.

I talked my wife into taking off 3 days this week so I'd have 5 in a row to plant...I'm sick, and I only want to go to bed. I'm going to have to be out working anyway.

Posted by: traye at March 05, 2016 12:50 PM (E+bs+)

27 I don't see how they can say the cherry blossoms will come early this year. My bradford pears are normally blooming by now and they haven't even started budding yet. Could this be political influence in DC to help promote the global warming scam? What I am seeing is longer and longer Winters indicative of a coming ice age, which the OFA has said we are looking at.

And they have a much better record than NOAA.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 12:50 PM (t2KH5)

28 McGrath goes for natural repellents he was advising a late summer application on lawn to kill grubs but I'm not sure what it is,

Posted by: Skip at March 05, 2016 12:52 PM (fizMZ)

29 Skip, good to know that you're thinking through the hydrological engineering angle. Millions, don't. The trouble with careful drainage planning is that you're always digging in mud. Once the soil is fit to dig, it's got stuff growing in it. Dammit.

Finally and "elbows" video with actual...elbows. And very nice elbows, too. Most of her joints appeared pleasingly supple. She must not garden much.

Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 05, 2016 12:52 PM (xq1UY)

30 Deer eat everything. They may not keep coming back for it, but they'll try anything once... or twice.
I think one deer tries something new. Others smell their poop, and follow them around. A few years back, I noticed something had nipped at a few squash. Two days later, everything was gone... fruit, leaves, stems, everything!
The word got out somehow.

Posted by: MarkY at March 05, 2016 12:52 PM (BKyfF)

31 27 Maybe not this year with big El Nino in Pacific.

Posted by: Rokshox at March 05, 2016 12:53 PM (Ap82b)

32 bahabuddha at March 05, 2016 12:35 PM

I can't find anything on canning sapodillas, either. Have you tried cooking some to see if you like the flavor? For some reason, I am thinking "canned bananas". I wonder if some off-flavors develop during canning?

You could try canning a few jars that would be used right away to see if you like them canned. But would it be possible to puree and freeze them, maybe with a little lemon juice or vitamin C? Sapodilla is reportedly nice for quick breads.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 12:53 PM (qahv/)

33 Wasn't Texas Bluebonnett a Bond girl>

Posted by: Wyatt Earp at March 05, 2016 12:53 PM (Agn5J)

34 I'm a fan of the Murmansk Redbonnet.

Posted by: Ready For Hillary!!11!! at March 05, 2016 12:54 PM (Dwehj)

35 Posted by: bahabuddha at March 05,

I have to do ph for my hydro and order very inexpensive test kits off amazon.

Posted by: traye at March 05, 2016 12:54 PM (E+bs+)

36 We used to have a quite complicated equation in Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow (Thermo) that predicted turbulence flow in water systems. I can't remember it now because once I got out of school I never used it again.

But according to the local weather people it is supposed to start warming up here this upcoming week. And I will break out yee olde leave sweeper and start cleaning up all the leaves in the yard.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 12:56 PM (t2KH5)

37 And our camellias are going crazy up here in Washington State. Still have to try a crepe myrtle.

Posted by: Skookumchuk at March 05, 2016 12:56 PM (/WPPJ)

38 McGrath goes for natural repellents he was advising a late summer application on lawn to kill grubs but I'm not sure what it is,
Probably milky spores. Common "organic" non-solution.
Epsom salts is magnesium sulfate. Sulfur lowers pH so would be fine on maters. Magnesium supposedly intensifies flowering. (Old remedy for failing dogwoods).

Posted by: MarkY at March 05, 2016 12:57 PM (BKyfF)

39 it's allegedly going to rain here in my part of The Valley, like totally...

i'll believe it if/when it happens, since so far in this El Nope-o, we've gotten maybe 6 inches of rain total.

my natives plants are happy, but everything else in the neighborhood is looking a bit peaked, except for the folks who don't mind big water bills.

Posted by: redc1c4 at March 05, 2016 12:58 PM (Se2El)

40
Am I the only one who saw the photo of that vintage garden bench and thought, boobs?

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at March 05, 2016 01:01 PM (o98Jz)

41 OT but I am enjoying this even tho I am not religious:

Frontline - From Jesus to Christ: The First Christians (Part 1)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gD2guEX9Jpg

Part 2 is in the youtube sidebar.

Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 05, 2016 01:01 PM (iQIUe)

42 >>>I can't remember it now because once I got out of school I never used it again.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 12:56 PM (t2KH5)

***

Reynolds Number?

Posted by: An Poc ar Buile at March 05, 2016 01:01 PM (w4Oi6)

43 We will be watching you gardeners very closely this Spring.

Posted by: The Colgate Water Police at March 05, 2016 01:01 PM (Dwehj)

44 >>>Am I the only one who saw the photo of that vintage garden bench and thought, boobs?

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at March 05, 2016 01:01 PM (o98Jz)

***

Moire' pattern. Dizziness.

Posted by: An Poc ar Buile at March 05, 2016 01:03 PM (w4Oi6)

45 good source for info on #Failifornia native plants, to include vines, whether for the dry interior or the salty sea air:

http://theodorepayne.org/

also, i'd be reticent about the Morning Glory: if it's the one our neighbor planted awhile back, that shit's worse than kudzu... it's grown over 3 yards now, killed a variety of bushes, shrubs and trees, and is hard as hell to kill off.

Posted by: redc1c4 at March 05, 2016 01:03 PM (Se2El)

46 37
And our camellias are going crazy up here in Washington State. Still have to try a crepe myrtle.

Posted by: Skookumchuk at March 05, 2016 12:56 PM (/WPPJ)

I have one camellia blooming now, many others not yet but they are smaller. The crepe myrtles usually don't start blooming here until about mid June. I would not count on crepe myrtles doing too well in Washington State. They are more of a southern plant. I would consult a local nursery before spending time, money, and effort trying to plant them there.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 01:04 PM (t2KH5)

47 You think you have a feel for turbulence, based on a lifetime of wet fingers in the air. Then you smoke-test an indoor range fan system just once, and you're puzzled for a lifetime. Air is crazy stuff.

My big barn roof and large attached "airin' deck" (my uncles managed to pronounce that "Adirondack") have been convinced to drain through old commercial-size troughing into several plastic 55-gal drums, raised on solid concrete blocks. There's just enough height there to enable slow hose watering in a drought. In a normal year when there's just a couple of light dry spells, they're still low enough to dip-fill large watering cans. I have found can-watering to be not too onerous a chore once in a while, as long as there is some quantity of whiskey involved.

I'm all for buried drainage, but I toyed with the idea of buried watering lines for years and always ended up with deeper plows. I'm not re-planting those seep lines every season.

Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 05, 2016 01:04 PM (xq1UY)

48 The square foot gardening is an intensive gardening system that puts things like melons and squash on trellises.
I know the pumpkins that grew in my compost heap did stay well hanging off the wire, so apparently the heavier squash will hang well if they are trained to it.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 05, 2016 01:04 PM (q2o38)

49 Here in Oklahoma we don't have bluebonnets, but, the redbud trees are starting to bloom. The Eastern Redbud is the state tree and they are gorgeous. The Bradford and other pear trees are in full glorious bloom.

http://tinyurl.com/j7trokf

Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes now franchising Lulu Snackbars at March 05, 2016 01:04 PM (kXoT0)

50 42 Reynolds Number?

Posted by: An Poc ar Buile at March 05, 2016 01:01 PM (w4Oi6)

That was part of it IIRC.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 01:05 PM (t2KH5)

51
Wasn't Texas Bluebonnett a Bond girl>

Posted by: Wyatt Earp at March 05, 2016 12:53 PM (Agn5J)

I shudder to think of what might turn up if I look that up in Urban Dictionary.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at March 05, 2016 01:07 PM (o98Jz)

52 I thought the east was suppose to be hit by a snowstorm? We were suppose to get rain but as usual, we may get a late drizzle.

Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 05, 2016 01:08 PM (iQIUe)

53 Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 12:53

Thanks for checking! I know next to nothing to plants, so I was worried that the pH value might have been hidden in the nutrition value numbers, and I just didn't know what to look for.

I've pureed some; it's delicious swirled into vanilla ice cream. I find it really tastes like chewing gum.

Posted by: traye at March 05, 2016 12:54

Thanks. I might end up doing that. I just thought it so strange that the wiki pages would have so much info but not mention the pH.

Posted by: bahabuddha at March 05, 2016 01:08 PM (eZuvD)

54 Here in Oklahoma we don't have bluebonnets, but, the redbud trees are starting to bloom. The Eastern Redbud is the state tree and they are gorgeous. The Bradford and other pear trees are in full glorious bloom.

http://tinyurl.com/j7trokf
Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes now franchising Lulu Snackbars at March 05, 2016 01:04 PM (kXoT0)

Several states north of you are encouraging folks to NOT plant the ornamental pears now. They're going to seed, and becoming invasive, especially in riparian (wet) areas.
Just a heads up. They are impressive, aren't they?

Posted by: MarkY at March 05, 2016 01:09 PM (BKyfF)

55 I shudder to think of what might turn up if I look that up in Urban Dictionary.

It's a trap!

Posted by: Admiral Redbud at March 05, 2016 01:09 PM (Dwehj)

56 BTW my cherry tree and the apple trees are the last thing to bloom here . They don't normally start blooming until about mid-April.

(other than the crepe myrtles which I am not sure I would call a "bloom".)

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 01:10 PM (t2KH5)

57 Posted by: votermom at March 05, 2016 12:46 PM (cbfNE)

The hyacinths I planted around the live oak have bben blooming one at a time instead of all together. I can't complain too much since I pretty much just stuck the bulbs in the ground after they had finished blooming in the container I got them in.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 05, 2016 01:11 PM (GDulk)

58 The pH may change through the maturity too, some of the plums are very tart when just ripe, and go sweeter as they get more mature.

Posted by: Kindltot at March 05, 2016 01:12 PM (q2o38)

59 I should have mentioned. As you plan watering and drainage, give a thought to rainbarrels and standing water. There are some good and easy-to use mosquito larva killers (one of my faves is "Mosquito Torpedo"). Make sure you use one. I also frame fine (used) screen material over my water barrels. Seems to help.

With the zika and dengue getting a free ride here now, some local health authorities might actually start paying attention and could go all Walter Reed and WC Gorgas on your ass -- and they would be right.

Posted by: Stringer Davis at March 05, 2016 01:13 PM (xq1UY)

60 54 Several states north of you are encouraging folks to
NOT plant the ornamental pears now. They're going to seed, and
becoming invasive, especially in riparian (wet) areas.

Just a heads up. They are impressive, aren't they?

Posted by: MarkY at March 05, 2016 01:09 PM (BKyfF)

From what I have heard the eco-Nazis hate the bradford pear. They call it the Frankenstein tree. They do that because they are made by grafting the flowering upper to a thorn bush/tree root system. When the tree dies it leaves the thorn stuff to spread. And the trees don't live all that long compared to other trees.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 01:14 PM (t2KH5)

61 If Billary had spent as much time planting Bluebonnets as Lady Bird, Arkansas would be a much prettier state in the spring time. If she carried that flower planting to NY we wouldn't have to be putting up with her now.

Posted by: Hank at March 05, 2016 01:14 PM (MCoXK)

62 The magnolical photo is gorgeous, Y-not.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 01:17 PM (qahv/)

63 Thanks for the lovely thread.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 05, 2016 01:17 PM (egOGm)

64 Magnolical is a new one for autocucumber.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 01:18 PM (qahv/)

65 From what I have heard the eco-Nazis hate the bradford pear. They call it the Frankenstein tree. They do that because they are made by grafting the flowering upper to a thorn bush/tree root system. When the tree dies it leaves the thorn stuff to spread. And the trees don't live all that long compared to other trees.
Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 01:14 PM (t2KH5)

Well, I'm not an eco-Nazi, but I am an arborist, and I don't hate the tree, but wouldn't plant it, either.
The more urban you are, the safer it is to plant.

Posted by: MarkY at March 05, 2016 01:19 PM (BKyfF)

66 I thought the east was suppose to be hit by a snowstorm? We were suppose to get rain but as usual, we may get a late drizzle.
Posted by: Bruce With a Wang!
----------------

FWIW, snow flurries in W. NC day before yesterday.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at March 05, 2016 01:19 PM (9mTYi)

67 If anybody wants to send David the Good a heads up, I am planning to use one of his videos soon.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 01:19 PM (qahv/)

68 Hey, get the hell off lawn owned by the collective!

Posted by: Surly old Sanders at March 05, 2016 01:20 PM (vRNwc)

69 This map shows the growing zones for crepe myrtle of different varieties. You can grow them in WA if you live near the coast of the ocean. But I would still consult a local nursery.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 01:20 PM (t2KH5)

70 Vic, one of the local nurseries has the reader board out for "Crape Myrtles"

Posted by: Kindltot at March 05, 2016 01:22 PM (q2o38)

71 dreadpirateroberta at March 05, 2016 12:47 PM

Glad you are having a nice gardening day in Central Texas. It's time to plant maters here, too. Possible heavy rain forecast soon, though. About time.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 01:22 PM (qahv/)

72 9
I have a question I hoped someone on this thread might be able to help with.

I currently have an over-abundance of sapodillas and am going to try my hand at canning for the first time.

My question.. what is the pH value of a sapodilla?

I was able to wiki oodles of nutrition value information about the sapodilla but I was having trouble discovering the pH value.

The canning guide I was reading specified that whatever I was
canning needed to be acidic, if I was to use the 'heat only' method of
canning (which I can do with existing equipment/pots/etc).

If it wasn't acidic, it said I needed to use a 'pressure' method for canning (meaning I have to go out and buy stuff).

Any info/help or tips the horde could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Posted by: bahabuddha at March 05, 2016 12:35 PM (eZuvD)

Most things have a range of pH -- even tomatoes. Best way is to get some strips and measure. If not acidic enough, you can also add some citric acid.

Posted by: cthulhu at March 05, 2016 01:22 PM (EzgxV)

73 65 Well, I'm not an eco-Nazi, but I am an arborist, and I don't hate the tree, but wouldn't plant it, either.

The more urban you are, the safer it is to plant.

Posted by: MarkY at March 05, 2016 01:19 PM (BKyfF)

I love them, but I only planted one. But all my neighbors have them and they are all over my town and county. But we are more or less an urban area. The county is a small county but has 70,000 people squashed in.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 01:23 PM (t2KH5)

74 Oops left out the link for the map

http://tinyurl.com/zm6d8mk

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 01:24 PM (t2KH5)

75 Cruz should be able to steal Kansas from Trump today, but Trump will win all of the other states. Lyin' Ted will celebrate splitting the Kansas delegates with Trump by eating one booger for each delegate won.

Posted by: BBQ Bob at March 05, 2016 01:25 PM (R1a9g)

76 Wow, Vic. That shows most all Mo. in the "no-go" zone.
Nurseries sell them here with the proviso that they will die back to the ground on occasion. (KCMo)

Posted by: MarkY at March 05, 2016 01:27 PM (BKyfF)

77 I don't belong in a gardening thread but KY GOP was too good not to make a remark! Carry on!!!

Posted by: Hadoop at March 05, 2016 01:28 PM (2X7pN)

78 Kindltot at March 05, 2016 12:49 PM

Kinda jealous that you live where there are so many edible fruits growing wild. And some of those native bees in the Northwest are excellent for pollinating fruit trees.

The Rosemary Clooney version of SWAY is great. Actually, I found two versions just now - one slow and one faster. She didn't need autotune, either.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 01:29 PM (qahv/)

79 76
Wow, Vic. That shows most all Mo. in the "no-go" zone.

Nurseries sell them here with the proviso that they will die back to the ground on occasion. (KCMo)

Posted by: MarkY at March 05, 2016 01:27 PM (BKyfF)

I saw one recommendation that said if you were in Zone 5 or below you could grow them but you needed to protect them in the Winter. That would be hard to do once they get mature. My neighbor's tree is quite large.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 01:29 PM (t2KH5)

80 Everything is putting out here........except the mesquites.

Always trust the mesquite tree. He will not be fooled.

Posted by: Ricardo Kill at March 05, 2016 01:30 PM (9ym/8)

81 Meanwhile Mariners tickets on sale today!

Posted by: Diogenes at March 05, 2016 01:31 PM (6Odec)

82 We have one church downtown that has a professional taking care of their crepe myrtles. They cut them back to short little stubby things every Winter. I don't like that and neither me nor my neighbors have ever done that and haven't had any problems.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 01:32 PM (t2KH5)

83 Sorry you're sick, Traye. Mr. Bar the Door is working with a fever today, too.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 01:32 PM (qahv/)

84 I just realized I am spelling that like the food crepe instead of the tree crape. Just reminds me, I haven't made crepes in a while.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 01:35 PM (t2KH5)

85 >>Marco Rubio took the main stage at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) shortly after noon today and was met by a fawning packed house.

The crowd roared when he came out. It roared when, before taking questions from CNN's Dana Bash, he held up a bottle of water and asked her to hang on while he took a drink. It roared when he defended the Second Amendment and said that a belief in an all-powerful God is necessary to make sense of America's founding.

But his longest, loudest applause line of the appearance was a clear dig on front-runner Donald Trump. "I won't let the movement be hijacked by someone who's not a conservative!" he said. The statement was met with a prolonged standing ovation and enthusiastic cheering.

"Being a conservative can never be about how loud you're willing to scream, how angry you're willing to be, or how many names you're willing to call people," he said earlier in the speech. He also noted that Trump had backed out of speaking at the event, adding that that isn't particularly surprising since, last time he checked, CPAC "is for conservatives.">>>

lol. the most conservativey conservatives that ever conserved.

Posted by: x at March 05, 2016 01:37 PM (nFwvY)

86 Just finished binge watching House of Cards.

The last episode is frightening.

Worth the watch morons.

Posted by: mpfs at March 05, 2016 01:39 PM (WB14v)

87 When's the day Mariners fans with season tickets start selling them or giving them away?
Have they been mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet?

Posted by: Hank at March 05, 2016 01:39 PM (MCoXK)

88
The last episode is frightening.

Worth the watch morons.
Posted by: mpfs at March 05, 2016 01:39 PM (WB14v)

=======
Nah, it's great. I can finally get behind Frank and Clare.

Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 05, 2016 01:44 PM (iQIUe)

89 Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 01:32 PM (t2KH5)

That seems to be the standard way of pruning since all the towns here do the same with the crape myrtles in the medians.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 05, 2016 01:44 PM (GDulk)

90 redc1c4 at March 05, 2016 01:03 PM

Thanks for the link on CA native plants.

You are right. There are some really, really invasive morning glories, but I don't think Ground Morning Glory is one of them.

Convolvus sabatius or Convolvus mauritanica does not grow very big. There is also a Bush Morning Glory with big white flowers. It grows all by itself on roadsides around here. There is one bushy morning glory out there with a massive root, but I can't remember which one it is.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 01:45 PM (qahv/)

91 OT: just went to the Wichita caucus. Line was literally 1/2 mile long. 4 poll boxes for thousands of people. Insanity. Lots of Cruz stickers and Trump paraphernalia. Hear Trump's speech was booed pretty good.

Posted by: Parker at March 05, 2016 01:46 PM (twG1r)

92 I'm the one who advised Cruz to wear a blue bonnet. I think she will make a wonderful president.

Posted by: Caitlyn Jenner at March 05, 2016 01:48 PM (V/11D)

93 Darn it. Out of Crape Myrtle range. Guess that explains why I didn't know what it was, when Y-Not posted pics of her new place-- they don't grow here. Such a lovely plant, though.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 05, 2016 01:51 PM (044Fx)

94 Bruce,
You have to admit you didn't see this coming.
Wow.

Posted by: mpfs at March 05, 2016 01:51 PM (WB14v)

95 Glenn Beck under investigation by the Secret Service for threatening to stab Trump. Story at the Daily Caller.

Posted by: Stay out da Bushes at March 05, 2016 01:52 PM (th7n/)

96 MarkY at March 05, 2016 01:19 PM

You are an arborist? Cool.

Sunset says that (for the West) there are better ornamental pears than the Bradford, for split-resistance. Do you have an opinion on this?

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 01:52 PM (qahv/)

97 "Glenn Beck under investigation by the Secret Service for threatening to stab Trump."

Whoa.

Posted by: Ricardo Kill at March 05, 2016 01:53 PM (9ym/8)

98 Moved to a new piece of land and set up a garden 2 seasons ago. I love my tomato plants, but it seems like there is blight spores in the soil..just when they start to bloom and set fruit, the spot start and later the leaves drop. I still get tomatoes, but they can't be as good as from healthy plants. It affects a couple of other thing too, but not as bad. Tried the copper based things....might slow it down, hard to tell. Is there anything that can be done? I think the spore are just "in the area" so spot treating may not even help. Has anyone had this problem and solved it? Plants start out super healthy and glowing green.....and then......slow death.

Posted by: Mimzey at March 05, 2016 01:55 PM (aRUb8)

99 This bench, I discovered I could have flown to Mexico and bought the bench and had it sent back for what I paid for it a mile down the road.

But I still love it. Two horse heads carved on the back. It's like a cowboy bench.

I'm telling you, the plants around this bench create a little scene that provokes women around here to want to be in it. Potted plants on the other side too, it's surrounded like a little jungle patch. In Denver. It's odd. And in its spot the whole thing attracts attention.

This one, mine is sun bleached http://tinyurl.com/gr23qjg
On the terrace http://tinyurl.com/zheyu7m

Posted by: bour3 at March 05, 2016 01:55 PM (5x3+2)

100 Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 05, 2016 01:51 PM (044Fx)

Unfortunately, they get nasty, sticky spots all over them in the summer and the flowers don't have much scent. The only reason I still have a couple is because they are *tough* and refuse to die. That and the would is okay for smoking meat and reasonable for certain craft projects so I've made a virtue out of necessity and intend to harvest the twigs and small branches each year.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 05, 2016 01:56 PM (GDulk)

101 'Why relativity?' and 'Why turbulence?'

Once I got in an accident and they took my to the hospital in a turdbulance.

Posted by: Mr. Hanky at March 05, 2016 01:57 PM (V/11D)

102 Hank @ 87

It's like Disneyland here. An opportunity to stand in line for two hours just to spend a couple hundred bucks. I hope I score extra moron points today.

Posted by: Diogenes at March 05, 2016 01:57 PM (6Odec)

103 Can someone help me with lilies of the valley? I've tried planting the stick-looking things that are supposed to turn into lilies, and gotten nothing.

Posted by: Barb the Evil Genius at March 05, 2016 01:59 PM (sCQ6C)

104 Mimzey, if this helps at all:

http://tinyurl.com/jgr34w8

Posted by: Ricardo Kill at March 05, 2016 02:02 PM (9ym/8)

105 97
"Glenn Beck under investigation by the Secret Service for threatening to stab Trump."

Whoa.

Posted by: Ricardo Kill at March 05, 2016 01:53 PM (9ym/

It's bullshit. He was goofing with Stu. Most likely some leftie "SWATTED" him.Also, the government brownshirts are letting people know...Shut up or we'll fuck with you.

Posted by: Mimzey at March 05, 2016 02:04 PM (aRUb8)

106 Dioceses @ 102

I have in-law family and friends in WA. I rag them on the Mariners and they get me back by ragging on the 49ers. They don't have much to say about the Giants except "swell".

Posted by: Hank at March 05, 2016 02:05 PM (MCoXK)

107 104
Mimzey, if this helps at all:

http://tinyurl.com/jgr34w8

Posted by: Ricardo Kill at March 05, 2016 02:02 PM (9ym/

Thanks Ricardo!

Posted by: Mimzey at March 05, 2016 02:05 PM (aRUb8)

108 Crape myrtles: The "regular" ones get mildew in humid climates. Some hybrids, named after Indian tribes, have less of a mildew problem, at least in full sun.

There are crape myrtles suited to containers that can be grown outside their normal range.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 02:06 PM (qahv/)

109 103
Can someone help me with lilies of the valley? I've tried planting the
stick-looking things that are supposed to turn into lilies, and gotten
nothing.

Posted by: Barb the Evil Genius at March 05, 2016 01:59 PM (sCQ6C)

Aren't Lilies of The Valley small inconspicuous ground cover? The wild ones grow common here. Very small and fragrant flowers.

Posted by: Mimzey at March 05, 2016 02:07 PM (aRUb8)

110 ground morning glory sounds suspiciously like creeping jenny to me. I don't know if its hard to kill with herbicide but it is invasive. People will sell anything. I even saw goats heads /punture vine seeds for sale on ebay once. (ground up into powder it is supposed to stimulate or mimic testosterone or something like that)

Posted by: PaleRider at March 05, 2016 02:08 PM (tq5N4)

111 Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 05, 2016 01:56 PM

Thanks for that info, Polliwog! A flower that size should either smell good or be pest/disease resistant, IMO.

And (o/t):

If SS is going after Beck, certainly they must also pursue Miss Lindsey--- right? /

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 05, 2016 02:08 PM (044Fx)

112 Bruce,
You have to admit you didn't see this coming.
Wow.
Posted by: mpfs at March 05, 2016 01:51 PM (WB14v)

================
If you mean the BEEP, it was no surprise since it is a sign of the times. And Frank was hammering the jihadis. The surprise was that they were local boys (which in real life shdnt surprise me, either). The only surprise I had is that they let two go and the very hard response by FU and Clare.

Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 05, 2016 02:08 PM (iQIUe)

113 Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 05, 2016 01:56 PM (GDulk)

Really, self?! The *wood* is decent for use in a smoker.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 05, 2016 02:09 PM (GDulk)

114 Hank @ 106.
49'ers???!!!
They are right to rag on you about them. That said, I've always liked the Giants.

Posted by: Diogenes at March 05, 2016 02:11 PM (6Odec)

115 Mimsey,

If what you have is Late Blight, Ricardo Kill's link is excellent information. You might want to make sure that what your plants get is not some other tomato disease, though.

If you can get the disease identified, there may be some resistant cultivars you can buy. There are a few late blight-resistant tomatoes, for example.

In general, good air circulation and sunshine limit damage from fungi of many different types.

Keep us posted.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 02:11 PM (qahv/)

116 Posted by: PaleRider at March 05, 2016 02:08 PM (tq5N4)

I hate goatheads (nature's caltrops) so much. Our first house had been a rental and it looked like the renter had thought goatheads were the desired lawn plant. The kids *cried* when I sent them out to play, not that I could really blame them, and the burrs tracked in on people's shoes destroyed the cheap contractor linoleum in the kitchen. It took three years of pulling by hand to make the lawn look reasonable.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 05, 2016 02:14 PM (GDulk)

117 Thanks too, KT, on crape myrtles. Running out of room for potted stuff.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 05, 2016 02:14 PM (044Fx)

118 27 What I am seeing is longer and longer Winters indicative of a coming ice age, which the OFA has said we are looking at.
Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 12:50 PM (t2KH5)

Just a Maunder Minimum little ice age, not a full blown glaciers covering down below the Great Lakes ice age.

Posted by: bebe's boobs destroy at March 05, 2016 02:15 PM (k53nK)

119 You shd all plant Naked Ladies.

Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 05, 2016 02:16 PM (iQIUe)

120 Okay, I'm going to be "that guy". There is an open thread below this one. I don't want people to have to wade through politics and Mariners baseball to find my wonderful pearls of wisdom (because we all know that's what this thread is about right? Right...? Guys..?)

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 05, 2016 02:17 PM (GDulk)

121
Cant forget the havoc the floods had on TX. Terrible lost of life.

Posted by: Bruce With a Wang! at March 05, 2016 02:18 PM (iQIUe)

122 Yes, I love the fragrance of lilies of the valley. What I've bought in the store that was labeled as lily of the valley was something that looked like a brown twig, which was apparently supposed to take root and start growing. Tried it twice and gotten nothing.

Posted by: Barb the Evil Genius at March 05, 2016 02:19 PM (sCQ6C)

123 Pet thread up

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 02:19 PM (t2KH5)

124 I hear ya Poliwog.
Did I mention my crocus have really bloomed? Looking good and they are in Mariner colors!

Posted by: Diogenes at March 05, 2016 02:21 PM (6Odec)

125 IIRC, crape myrtles are supposed to be shrubs, not trees, but humans have been screwing with them to the point where they kinda are...

Posted by: redc1c4 at March 05, 2016 02:22 PM (Se2El)

126 PaleRider at March 05, 2016 02:08 PM

Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia) has yellow flowers. It can be invasive, and some of its relatives are REALLY invasive. There is a yellow-leaved on for shade. They need water. Can be grown in hanging baskets.

Ground Morning Glory has lavender flowers that look like those terrible, invasive Bindweed flowers, except for the color. Doesn't need much water.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 02:23 PM (qahv/)

127
If what you have is Late Blight, Ricardo Kill's
link is excellent information. You might want to make sure that what
your plants get is not some other tomato disease, though.

If you
can get the disease identified, there may be some resistant cultivars
you can buy. There are a few late blight-resistant tomatoes, for
example.

In general, good air circulation and sunshine limit damage from fungi of many different types.

Keep us posted.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 02:11 PM (qahv/)

I'm pretty sure it's late blight. Gonna try a couple of things from Ricardos link...Might do a small burn over the surface. I suspect even doing that, if spores are in the area they will blow in. I'll let you know.....but it'll be a while. I'm up in N.Wis.

Posted by: Mimzey at March 05, 2016 02:24 PM (aRUb8)

128 KT,
Much rain your way yet? Nothing measurable here yet.

Posted by: CaliGirl at March 05, 2016 02:25 PM (egOGm)

129 122
Yes, I love the fragrance of lilies of the valley. What I've bought in
the store that was labeled as lily of the valley was something that
looked like a brown twig, which was apparently supposed to take root and
start growing. Tried it twice and gotten nothing.

Posted by: Barb the Evil Genius at March 05, 2016 02:19 PM (sCQ6C)
If they're like the wild ones around here, they prefer shade to sun.

Posted by: Mimzey at March 05, 2016 02:26 PM (aRUb8)

130 thanks KT. I've always thought bindweed and creeping jenny were the same plant. Its the bindweed that morning glory plants look so much like that I would hesitate to plant them, I always think, "looks just like bindweed except blue colored flower instead of just white/very pale pink."

Posted by: PaleRider at March 05, 2016 02:28 PM (tq5N4)

131 125
IIRC, crape myrtles are supposed to be shrubs, not trees, but humans
have been screwing with them to the point where they kinda are...

Posted by: redc1c4 at March 05, 2016 02:22 PM (Se2El)

I have left my crape myrtles more as shrubs. I said earlier that I hadn't had many problems not pruning them back, but I did have all but one die one Winter. It was extreme conditions though. We had three straight days of 20's weather in May. I am surprised everything in my yard didn't die.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 02:29 PM (t2KH5)

132 Lol, BWaW-- I have a few clumps of those!

-----

Goatheads, ugh! We had a big patch at edge of property, which we worked for 3-4 years to eradicate. They respond very well to 2-4D but the damned burrs remain viable *forever*. Just had to get them to sprout, spray, remove, repeat.

Too bad bindweed isn't that easy! It grows back after every spray. I've tried 2-4D, triclopyr, glyphosate, regular strength sprays, dilute sprays, extra-strong sprays, pulling, digging... the weeds are getting *weaker* but still coming up. I'm getting weaker, too!

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 05, 2016 02:31 PM (044Fx)

133 Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 02:23 PM (qahv/)

Aren't bindweed and morning glory both convovulas? In which case they pretty much *are* the same thing.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 05, 2016 02:33 PM (GDulk)

134 Barb the Evil Genius at March 05, 2016 01:59 PM

If you have trouble starting Lily of the Valley during the dormant season, you can buy some potted ones and plant them out after they bloom. Remove the flower stems. Get a kind you like.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 02:34 PM (qahv/)

135 Aren't bindweed and morning glory both convovulas? In which case they pretty much *are* the same thing.

In the case of bindweed vs. classic blue morning glory: Yes, they share the name.

I've grown the blue hybrid MG (on purpose, even!) but it actually died back from frost, never to be seen again. Unlike the !@#$% ground morning glory...

The white stuff on the roadsides is Ipomoea, I think.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 05, 2016 02:40 PM (044Fx)

136 I had to call up some pictures of this "goathead weed" y'all are talking about because I had never heard of them. They look like what we call sand spurs around here. I used to live in a couple of places that were eat up with those things.

They are a real PITA. I have never tried a herbicide on them but burning them out every year when they turn brown got rid of them in one place I lived.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 02:40 PM (t2KH5)

137 Yes, Polliwog, Bindweed is also a Convolvus. It is awful.

I have never seen Ground Morning Glory get out of control, though. They use it in containers in So. Cal. quite a bit.

There are some invasive large-flowered morning glories, too. And some that are more well-behaved.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 02:41 PM (qahv/)

138 CaliGirl,

We have only had a few dribbles of rain so far. Big cell headed our way on radar, though. Hope it produces.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 02:43 PM (qahv/)

139 Moonflower, that's the name-- big white flowers and a morning glory-like vine, and they open at night. Ipomoea is part of convolvula family? I guess?

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 05, 2016 02:43 PM (044Fx)

140 69, sorry about the delayed response. Out moving some firewood. Now the University of Washington botanical garden has a crepe myrtle that must be 50 ft high, so that gives me hope. But I will talk with the local gardeners.

Posted by: Skookumchuk at March 05, 2016 02:43 PM (/WPPJ)

141 Vic, we wanted to kill our puncture vines with fire, but inside city limits, so ... nope.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 05, 2016 02:44 PM (044Fx)

142 Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 02:40 PM (t2KH5)

Looked up sand spurs and it isn't the same thing, although the burrs are indeed similar. Goathead grows along the ground and is a succulent with yellow flowers that *looks* like something desirable until the seed balls, each made of about half a dozen individual caltrops, develop. The other problem is that all the spreading "branches" have hair-like growths along their length that *sting* if the weeds are pulled with bare hands.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 05, 2016 02:48 PM (GDulk)

143 141
Vic, we wanted to kill our puncture vines with fire, but inside city limits, so ... nope.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 05, 2016 02:44 PM (044Fx)

The one yard we were burning off on was way out in the country. But they don't get too snotty in the city burning stuff either. You can't burn anything though when they declare black flag days. (Windy with a drought day).

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 02:51 PM (t2KH5)

144 142
Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 02:40 PM (t2KH5)

Looked up sand spurs and it isn't the same thing, although the burrs
are indeed similar. Goathead grows along the ground and is a succulent
with yellow flowers that *looks* like something desirable until the seed
balls, each made of about half a dozen individual caltrops, develop.
The other problem is that all the spreading "branches" have hair-like
growths along their length that *sting* if the weeds are pulled with
bare hands.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 05, 2016 02:48 PM (GDulk)

Yuk, death weed. I would try round up if going to a herbicide. It will kill anything if you mix it right.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 02:53 PM (t2KH5)

145 I tried burning the goat heads once because I had heard burning was a good control but it didn't work well for me in our loose sand. I spray and then hoe up and bag ones that have already set burrs. Its helping but with a couple acres of sand that can't be planted in something else to crowd out the burrs because the horses eat or trample most things and being in an area where they are prolific in the ditches and untended spots its a perpetual exercise.

Posted by: PaleRider at March 05, 2016 02:57 PM (tq5N4)

146 145
I tried burning the goat heads once because I had heard burning was a
good control but it didn't work well for me in our loose sand. I spray
and then hoe up and bag ones that have already set burrs. Its helping
but with a couple acres of sand that can't be planted in something else
to crowd out the burrs because the horses eat or trample most things
and being in an area where they are prolific in the ditches and untended
spots its a perpetual exercise.

Posted by: PaleRider at March 05, 2016 02:57 PM (tq5N4)

Will centipede grow in your area? It usually does well in sand and it will choke out a lot of noxious stuff. The seeds are expensive as hell though. Most people here by it by the roll from grass places and then cut small plugs from those and plant them checkerboard style. You have to water them a lot though initially until the root system gets established. That can be expensive in some places as well.

Posted by: Vic-we have no party at March 05, 2016 03:02 PM (t2KH5)

147 There are two weevils that eat puncture vine (goatweed, toritos). One eats the plant, the other eats the seeds. Expensive to order the insects, though.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 03:05 PM (qahv/)

148 pro tip on tomatoes: they are hard as hell on the soil to begin with, and our yard is pretty heavy clay, so we went to Home Despot, found two large plastic pots (24" dia? maybe bigger) with cracks and such, so we got them for chump change, and buried them up to the rim, after putting some gravel in the bottom of the hole, for drainage.

every year we plant maters, we just dig out the soil from the year before, and start with new out of the bag. the tired stuff gets scattered around, amending the clay, and the maters grow like gangbusters, at least in normal years.

the last few summers haven't been conducive to them,and this year isn't looking any different, so ima just plant hot peppers instead. they don't seem to give a damn, one way or the other.

Posted by: redc1c4 at March 05, 2016 03:06 PM (Se2El)

149 JQ Flyover at March 05, 2016 02:43 PM

Moonflowers are intriguing. I guess they can be invasive in a few parts of the country.

Ipomoea and Convolvus are in the same family. Sometimes they still call Ipomoea morning glories, the large-flowered ones, "Convolvus". This is confusing because one species is Ipomoea tricolor. There is also a Convolvus tricolor - a dwarf morning glory. Its flowers are charming.

Sweet potatoes are also an Ipomoea species. There is an Ace of Spades ornamental sweet potato.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 03:17 PM (qahv/)

150 Mimzey,

You might want to try Mountain Magic tomatoes. They are Late Blight resistant and have good flavor. Cocktail-sized tomatoes.

There are others. Check descriptions of tomato plants sold in your area.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 03:19 PM (qahv/)

151 150
Mimzey,

You might want to try Mountain Magic tomatoes. They are Late Blight resistant and have good flavor. Cocktail-sized tomatoes.

There are others. Check descriptions of tomato plants sold in your area.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 03:19 PM (qahv/)

That would be great! Where do you get seed from as I doubt I could by plants here.

Posted by: Mimzey at March 05, 2016 03:38 PM (aRUb8)

152
With apologies to the denizens of the frozen tundra, this winter has been too short!

I'll be mowing again soon. :-(

Posted by: Spun and Murky at March 05, 2016 03:58 PM (LtQCz)

153 Mr. Doubting Thomasina and I drove down HWY 16 to Kerrville from North Texas the week before last. The bluebonnets were already out and gorgeous.

Posted by: Doubting Thomasina at March 05, 2016 04:16 PM (JcXSX)

154 Posted by: Spun and Murky at March 05, 2016 03:58 PM (LtQCz)

Here in the Houston area Son has had to mow once a month all winter. I don't think he had to do that the other two winters we've been here.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at March 05, 2016 04:21 PM (GDulk)

155 You might want to try Mountain Magic tomatoes. They are Late Blight resistant and have good flavor. Cocktail-sized tomatoes.

There are others. Check descriptions of tomato plants sold in your area.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 03:19 PM (qahv/)

I stuck the Bing on it....Seeds sold by Burpee. The state it's true breakthru in resistance...hope so.

Posted by: Mimzey at March 05, 2016 04:37 PM (aRUb8)

156
Here in the Houston area Son has had to mow once a month all winter.

The only stuff getting tall enough to mow here, 4 hours north of Houston, is weeds and winter rye. I clip the rye and give to the chickens. They eat it like spaghetti.

I expect the Bermuda and dallisgrass to come to life soon with no more hard freezes in the forecast.

Posted by: Spun and Murky at March 05, 2016 04:51 PM (mVjMU)

157 When we moved into this house, someone had planted a bunch of morning glories which grow over the arch into the backyard. I just love them! We don't get a ton of wind where I live in SoCal as we are within miles of the coast but just inland enough to miss the "marine layer".

Better half in bed with Motrin now. I thought he was going way to fast when he tilled up all my raised beds and threw the compost on top....

Harvested a ton of red onions, carrots and snap peas today. Turned over the cover crops and will start the seedlings in a couple weeks. Tomatomania is coming to the local garden in a few weeks and that is when I start to go into overdrive! Give me any suggestions you have for prolific tasty tomatoes. I usually do some San Marzanos for sauce and last year we loved the Pink Berkeley Tie Dye and Momotaro. I've got little seedlings from the U of FL super tomato plants that I learned about here. So excited!!
Going to try some corn this year and I am sure I will see the yard turn into a squirrel run but here I go....

Posted by: keena at March 05, 2016 05:41 PM (RiTnx)

158 We went to the big Home & Garden show today at the convention center. I'd say there was about 10 percent cooking stuff, 50 percent home, 30 percent outdoorsy stuff that wasn't really garden, and all told, perhaps 4 gardening booths in the whole joint. And it's a big joint. One lonely place was selling seed. Another featured compost. There was one that had cedar planting boxes.

One place will come in, dig and plant your garden, and even show up and weed and water it for you. For a fee, of course. But you keep the veggies.

There were six booths that sold massage chairs.

Posted by: Gordon at March 05, 2016 05:51 PM (R+3uy)

159 Keena, if you want prolific, try the Chocolate Cherry tomato. They're purple-brown, come in rafts of 10-25 fruits, and are larger than most cherries--an inch or a bit more in size. The flavor is more complex than most cherry tomatoes also.

But plan on giving them some room, and support. My one little plant (it was a grafted one) threw off multiple stalks that went all the way up and over my 7-foot support system and pretty much came back down the other side. When I tried to prune it, I could hear it laughing at me, and it would respond by growing another six inches overnight.

We probably pulled 1200-1500 fruits off of it, and it was still setting new fruits in early November, in Minnesota.

Posted by: Gordon at March 05, 2016 05:59 PM (R+3uy)

160 keena at March 05, 2016 05:41 PM

Were your morning glories Blue Dawn Flowers, the perennial, or multi-colored morning glories, Keena?

If you would like to try an orange tomato, Sweet Tangerine would probably be good. In So. Cal, you may be able to do Azoychka, which has great flavor.

Sorry about your better half and the post-gardening Motrin. Maybe that is why Gordon saw so many massage chairs at the Home and Garden show.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 06:03 PM (qahv/)

161
Got a new book via USPS today. Good Berry, Bad Berry by Helen Yoest.

I'll save the review for the Book Thread tomorrow, cuz pictures... and willow, rip...

Posted by: Spun and Murky at March 05, 2016 06:50 PM (NDVSb)

162 Had to run errands, and now the thread is dead. Darn. Thanks for your replies, KT.

I grew a dark-leaved sweet potato last year, "Blackie" which has deeply lobed leaves. Looked stunning with peachy-salmon colored petunias! It roots easily, but I wasn't able to keep the cuttings alive over winter. Too dark in this house, possibly. Oh well.

I planted a purple-glazed strawberry jar with primroses and lentenrose last weekend. Had to really cram the primroses into those pockets, but they've survived. Love all the colors.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 05, 2016 08:22 PM (044Fx)

163 link to primroses pic:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/h6v323f

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 05, 2016 08:38 PM (044Fx)

164 The strawberry jar looks great, JQ! I don't think I have ever see Lenten rose offered for sale around here. Can you keep it as a perennial where you live?

I love the idea of a dark-leaved sweet potato with peachy-salmon petunias. They sell those dark-flowered nasturtiums with cream-colored ones, but I always thought they would look better with salmon or apricot flowers.

One of the dark-leaved sweet potatoes has tubers that are supposed to taste good. Can't remember which one right now.

Posted by: KT at March 05, 2016 11:08 PM (qahv/)

165 Thanks, KT! When the primroses start looking ratty, I'll put in petunias or something...

So far, Lenten rose is perennial here. But, I must admit-- Hellebores are a new thing for me-- put the *first* one under our maple tree 2 years ago and it's thriving. (It's a white one, not too greenish or purplish, and has spread just a little so I guess it's happy)

Was thrilled to find purple ones this winter, so will see if they do as well.

Don't know if you can scroll thru my photobucket, but if so-- the purple azalea (close-up of flowers) was a division of grandmother's plant. That photo was taken today, and it's been blooming for a week.
She called it 'Korean azalea' and it was a gift from a friend, supposedly brought over from South Korea.

USDA zone 6 here.

Posted by: JQ Flyover at March 06, 2016 12:34 AM (044Fx)

166 I'll check it out during the week. .

Posted by: KT at March 06, 2016 10:05 AM (qahv/)

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