Saturday Gardening Thread: The Science is Shifting [KT]

After reading about the attempted coup news of the day, nice to have my Shangri la --- the real world we fight to maintain.
Illiniwek

Welcome to the first official week of Summer 2018 on the Gardening Thread! It is weeks like this that I appreciate The Horde. We get some great things in the mail. It's been a wild week for me. Haven't gotten to all of them. Sorry about the short thread. But The Horde supplied the ideas and/or photos which follow.

Wildflowers in the Wild and in the Garden

Cumberland Astro has some friends in Texas who are interested in Indian Paint Brush and Indian Blanket. One of these is an easy summer garden flower. The other is not so easy, and may be better in a wild setting, unless you are doing a meadow or something, because it is a hemiparasite. But it brings up an interesting topic: changes in botanical names.

As a result of developments in the science of genetics, a few decades ago, the Figwort Family, formerly very large, was decimated. Most of its members were moved to other families. Even snapdragons, formerly considered to be models for the family. That is because genetic evidence was more powerful than similarities in plant structure. Changes in botanical names continue at a slower pace today. They remain disconcerting to gardeners. Don't get me started on "Chrysanthemum".

But still, botanical names are less confusing than common names. Especially of wildflowers, as Cumberland Astro has noted. I think the Indian Paintbrushes pretty much retained their genus and species names when they switched families.

Indian Paintbrush

Here is a photo of Scarlet Indian Paintbrush, Castilleja coccinea, one kind of Indian Paintbrush for which seed is offered. It is an Eastern species, though there are many more species in the West. It is apparently pollinated primarily by the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.

If you will be starting Indian Paintbrush in a container, good hosts for many hemiparasitic species include low-growing grasses and sedges like Hairy Grama, Blue Grama, Buffalo Grass, Common Oak Sedge, Sweet Grass, and June Grass. With a knife make a 2" deep cut at the base of the host plant. Sow seed in the cut, making sure seed is not more than 1/8" deep. If host is transplanted at sowing time, the cut is not needed because damaged roots will be available for attachment by the parasite. You may also try sowing hemiparasitic and host species seeds together at the same time. To add hemiparasitic species to existing sites, scatter seed on soil surface (rake in if seed is large) in late fall.

The Forest Service says that this species is found in Texas as well as in more easterly states, though their map doesn't show Texas in its native range. I expect that planting instructions would be similar for other species found in Texas and elsewhere. The Forest Service did provide some other information:

Ironically, this plant was used by Native Americans as both a love charm in food and as a poison used to against their enemies, as this species is known to have toxic properties.

Indian Paintbrush is known to concentrate selenium if it is in the soil. This might account for beneficial properties in small amounts and toxic properties in large amounts.

Owl Clover

As an aside, I was surprised to find that Owl's Clovers, which were never real clovers, has been re-classified into the same genus as Indian Paint Brush. They grow around my house where the land is not cultivated for a season and grasses take hold. They are also hemiparasites.

See the little owls peeking out of the flower? More photos of Owl's Clovers and Paintbrushes at the link.

Fields of Owl's Clover are sometimes seen in places where this plant and its host plants don't get much competition: deserts, alkali flats, sand dunes, etc. They often seem to bloom after their host plants have dried up for the season.

Indian Blanket

In contrast to the hemiparasites above, Indian Blanket, Gaillardia, is a pretty easy summer garden flower to grow in much of the country. This genus is in the Aster Family. There are several species in North and South America. Sometimes it is called 'Firewheel'. Below is G. pulchella, which is found in Texas and much of the Southeast.

Photo by Rhododendrites - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link

Garden hybrids are mostly called 'Gaillardia x grandiflora'. I like 'Arizona Apricot' and the red solid color ones.

Gardens of The Horde

We have been getting some lovely flower photos, but not many veggie photos yet this season. Some nice veggie commentary in the comments though.

Ever wondered what turnip flowers look like? This is what turnips look like the second year. I've eaten my share of turnip blossoms. They're the yellow ones. The blue ones are vetch. Don't think I would eat those flowers. These were grown by Illiniwek, who has the means to dig them under.

Looking forward to some photos or tips from you, too.

If you would like to send information and/or photos for the Saturday Gardening Thread, the address is:

ktinthegarden
at g mail dot com

Include your nic unless you just want to be a lurker.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 12:45 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Well, my tomato plant hasn't turned into a Triffid yet, but is sure as heck getting tall enough to become one.

Posted by: HH at June 23, 2018 12:46 PM (mIJBI)

2 And that top photo looks really serene.

Posted by: HH at June 23, 2018 12:47 PM (mIJBI)

3 I hung a few baskets of petunias out back last week.

They don't like the heat but they last for a little while.

Hummingbirds come through in the evening and like to sip their nectar.

Posted by: Hairyback Guy at June 23, 2018 12:48 PM (EoRCO)

4 HH at June 23, 2018 12:46 PM

But is it getting tomatoes?

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at June 23, 2018 12:50 PM (BVQ+1)

5 The weather in SoCal is the worst spring and now summer I can remember. So cool and cloudy. My tomatoes and peppers and everything are dwarf size and looking weak. I've only gotten 2 zucchini so far when usually I'd be giving them away because we're sick of them. Oh well I guess it's farmers market this weekend then! Even not as many monarchs in the milkweed.

Posted by: keena at June 23, 2018 12:50 PM (RiTnx)

6 I am pleasantly surprised to see volunteers from last year's planting in my deck pots: petunias, pansies and lanai verbena in a lime color.

Still need to fill in a bunch of bare spots, but the freebies are a welcome starter.

Posted by: kallisto at June 23, 2018 12:50 PM (Iz8Py)

7 Hey KT, thanks for the thread again.

I really like the "Walden Pond" photo. Or, it's what I imagine Walden would have looked like.

Posted by: Blake - used scripting salesman at June 23, 2018 12:51 PM (WEBkv)

8 Hairyback Guy at June 23, 2018 12:48 PM

Nice to have those hummingbirds visit close to eye level. Baskets are good for that.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at June 23, 2018 12:51 PM (BVQ+1)

9 KT, yes, some but not a lot so far. Plenty of blooms though.

Posted by: HH at June 23, 2018 12:54 PM (mIJBI)

10 Raining today, and boy do we need it. My mother was over yesterday and asked me how many hours it takes to water all my plants. :-P I am container gardening this year, and told her only 15 minutes. I am sure it does look intimidating to someone with a black thumb (like my mother) though.

Harvested lettuce, spinach, mustard greens, and green beans this week.

The Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, peas, and cabbage are all looking great!

Many peppers will be harvested this week. I foresee a day of freezing in my future.

Posted by: Ann at June 23, 2018 12:54 PM (e59uY)

11 One of the wildflowers blooming prolifically in my area right now is Butterfly Weed, don't let the name put you off, it is a beautiful bloomer, and it lives up to its name, you always see butterfly's landing on top of the blooms. Easy to search for a picture of it, it's pretty widely known.

Posted by: Tom Servo at June 23, 2018 12:55 PM (V2Yro)

12 One of the few bummers about living in Texas is that our wildflower season lasts From early April to Late April. But for that brief span, colors explode everywhere.

Posted by: Jak Sucio at June 23, 2018 12:55 PM (Y9uH4)

13

Help on muhtomatoos...

3 plants have turned into a pod person takeover, although not many fruits or flowers... how much should I cut them back, and just suckers or 1/3" vives too?

Posted by: In Vino Veritits at June 23, 2018 12:58 PM (UFLLM)

14 12 One of the few bummers about living in Texas is that our wildflower season lasts From early April to Late April. But for that brief span, colors explode everywhere."

East Texas here, and we've still got great flowers going. Gotta be in a spot with bit of moisture, but over near DFW along the banks of the Trinity is always a marvelous spot to find wonderful bloomings all summer.

Posted by: Tom Servo at June 23, 2018 12:59 PM (V2Yro)

15 As of this morning, our Rose of Sharon shrubs began blooming. Hibiscus syriacus, if you prefer.

Started to send a photo, but Wiki has the precise bloom, in correct color: https://preview.tinyurl.com/yc8pj766

Prediction: Hummingbirds and bees

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at June 23, 2018 01:00 PM (nhAAH)

16 I really like the "Walden Pond" photo. Or, it's what I imagine Walden would have looked like.
Posted by: Blake - used scripting salesman at June 23, 2018 12:51 PM (WEBkv)
---------

That's what I thought. Then I went to see it. I suppose if you squint and can get past the lifeguards, roped-off areas, concessions, parking lots, and the fact that the nearest town is only 2 miles away and was there at the time Thoreau lived there, it looks almost exactly like that!

Beautiful pictures as always, KT!

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 01:02 PM (rhdgT)

17 Does anyone know if the killer romaine epidemic is over?
I haven't had any romaine since people have started getting sick and dying from e coli infected produce. And then on this blog there was discussion about workers defecating in the fields and it makes me not want to eat any greens at all.
Kudos to all of you who are growing your own veggies. At least you know it's safe.

Posted by: kallisto at June 23, 2018 01:02 PM (Iz8Py)

18 Damn! That top photo is lovely. It calls for some good bourbon, a fly rod, and the attitude that lets you appreciate it all. And a comfortable lawn chair.

Posted by: JTB at June 23, 2018 01:05 PM (V+03K)

19 keena at June 23, 2018 12:50 PM

I remember some really cool Junes in Southern California. Fog, too. A lot of people don't know about that feature of the region's weather.

It has been cooler this spring in the San Joaquin Valley, too. We've had several days over the century mark, but interspersed with cooler days.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at June 23, 2018 01:05 PM (BVQ+1)

20 What a lovely photo! Except I'm in middle of mosquito season, so I hope there's a nice wind blowing while I fish in that there pond.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at June 23, 2018 01:07 PM (/+bwe)

21 Tom Servo at June 23, 2018 12:55 PM

Fun that you have butterfly weed growing wild near you. It doesn't transplant well, but if you plant some, it's good near spring bulbs. It emerges late, so the bulbs help you remember not to dig up the roots accidentally, and the plant doesn't shade out the ripening foliage of the bulbs.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at June 23, 2018 01:08 PM (BVQ+1)

22 15 As of this morning, our Rose of Sharon shrubs began blooming. Hibiscus syriacus, if you prefer.

Started to send a photo, but Wiki has the precise bloom, in correct color: https://preview.tinyurl.com/yc8pj766

So that's Rose of Sharon! I have one of those, that exact color, but I've always called it Althea. Also have a white doubled althea that looks almost like a carnation flower.

Posted by: Tom Servo at June 23, 2018 01:08 PM (V2Yro)

23 Also, those barn walls remind me of a corn crib's. Is it for ventilation?

Posted by: NaughtyPine at June 23, 2018 01:08 PM (/+bwe)

24 18 Damn! That top photo is lovely. It calls for some good bourbon, a fly rod, and the attitude that lets you appreciate it all. And a comfortable lawn chair."

Actually that's a picture of some of the 9000 gallons of bourbon that got away from the 1792 distillery.

Posted by: Tom Servo at June 23, 2018 01:10 PM (V2Yro)

25 So that's Rose of Sharon! I have one of those, that exact color, but I've always called it Althea. Also have a white doubled althea that looks almost like a carnation flower.
Posted by: Tom Servo
------------

Yes, it is often called Althea, and I call it that myself in conversations. They will self-propagate like crazy, which is fine by me. I like them.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at June 23, 2018 01:11 PM (R+Cqa)

26 Mrs. JTB brought in the last of our romaine lettuce. The black seeded simpson lasts much longer before bolting. The romaine has made some great salads and I'll miss it. Also nice not having to worry about contaminated produce.

Posted by: JTB at June 23, 2018 01:11 PM (V+03K)

27 Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at June 23, 2018 01:00 PM

Beautiful photo. Does that Rose of Sharon make seeds or is it a seedless variety?

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at June 23, 2018 01:11 PM (BVQ+1)

28 Actually that's a picture of some of the 9000 gallons of bourbon that got away from the 1792 distillery.
Posted by: Tom Servo
-------------

*strips off shirt*

Time for a swim...

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at June 23, 2018 01:11 PM (R+Cqa)

29 Posted by: Hairyback Guy at June 23, 2018 12:48 PM (EoRCO)

Look for wave petunias. We had them in Texas and now in Colorado. They're very heat liking... and they do really well in baskets.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at June 23, 2018 01:11 PM (5/exA)

30 Beautiful photo. Does that Rose of Sharon make seeds or is it a seedless variety?
Posted by: KTbarthedoor
----------

Seeds, see 25

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at June 23, 2018 01:12 PM (Coh3a)

31 24 ... "Actually that's a picture of some of the 9000 gallons of bourbon that got away from the 1792 distillery."

I heard about that warehouse collapse. That is a tragic loss! But the drinking water in the area should be interesting for a while.

Posted by: JTB at June 23, 2018 01:15 PM (V+03K)

32 I heard about that warehouse collapse. That is a tragic loss! But the drinking water in the area should be interesting for a while.
Posted by: JTB
--------

Cop: "Sir, I smell liquor on your breath"

Subject: "Is there anywhere that you don't smell liquor?"

Cop: "Uh...well..."

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at June 23, 2018 01:18 PM (0+2a1)

33 The hairy vetch was recommended to me for waterways, and it offers about a month with those nice purple blooms. The yellow faded and the purple was thick till a week ago. But yeah, turnips are more for the food plots, though I like the yellow display the next year.

I never considered eating them .. reminds me of the song "please please don't eat the daisies" ... Doris Day did the song and movie. There is probably deeper meaning to "let the daisies grow so we can all enjoy ... life" ... certainly many mothers have made a house a home. fits with the last thread. (flower) borders, (traditional) language, (horti) culture ...

Posted by: illiniwek at June 23, 2018 01:22 PM (bT8Z4)

34 Our rose of Sharon are loaded with buds but haven't opened yet. Besides being pretty, they also attract humming birds. Ours are both the lilac color in the link and white and red.

Posted by: JTB at June 23, 2018 01:23 PM (V+03K)

35 I wonder if the barn in the top photo might be an old tobacco drying barn. That much ventilation brings that to mind.

Posted by: JTB at June 23, 2018 01:24 PM (V+03K)

36 Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at June 23, 2018 01:11 PM

You probably called it 'Althea' because one of its common names is 'Shrub Althea'. But the Rose of Sharon is a Hibiscus.

Althaea is a genus that contains the marshmallow. The flowers look a lot like Rose of Sharon flowers. Not as big.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at June 23, 2018 01:25 PM (BVQ+1)

37 Our rose of Sharon are loaded with buds but haven't opened yet. Besides being pretty, they also attract humming birds. Ours are both the lilac color in the link and white and red.
Posted by: JTB
------------

We have white also. Ours bloomed literally overnight, buds to blooms in just a few hours.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at June 23, 2018 01:25 PM (R+Cqa)

38 I have a large yard to mow and it usually takes about1.5 hrs. I enjoy it. I just put on headphone and have a long stretch of motorized meditation. That said, it's frustrating as he'll when it's been raining for 3 days. I got it done yesterday between rain showers. My tomato plants have plenty of small green fruit. Looking forward to those being big and red. My hydrangea is blooming. So far it has one giant pink bloom and a few inches away is a giant blue bloom. I'm hoping to get a few that are blue on one end of the flower, pink on the other end and a stripe of lavender in between. Happy gardening!

Posted by: madamemayhem (uppity wench) at June 23, 2018 01:28 PM (myjNJ)

39 Posted by: JTB at June 23, 2018 01:11 PM (V+03K)
I haven't veggie gardened in a long time, but have vivid memories of a salad made with just harvested oak leaf lettuce greens.
There's nothing like homegrown produce.

Posted by: kallisto at June 23, 2018 01:28 PM (Iz8Py)

40 Where we live in East Texas we can pretty much grow everything. Except....when summer hits it kills all the weaklings. Plants that have thrived here are crepe myrtle, Oak trees (any kind), Texas sage, most cedars and pine trees, forsythia, chaste trees, magnolia, and sweetgum trees. Everything else requires extra watering to survive. Except the weeds. My weeds are the envy of the neighborhood. We also have Rose of Sharon, pecan trees, peach trees, maple trees, Ginko, bay leaf, tomatoes, corn, okra, zucchini/squash, Chinese pistache, hickory trees, dogwood trees, willow trees, elm trees, hydrangea, roses, rosemary, gardenia, camellia, azaleas, and various holly and other hedge like bushes that I don't even know the name of. Our water bills run 3 to 400 dollars a month in the deep summer.

Posted by: Anonymous White Male at June 23, 2018 01:31 PM (9BLnV)

41 You guys made me run over to the window to see if my Rose of Sharon trees had bloomed yet. Just like JTB's, ours are full of buds, but they are still pretty tightly closed.

My basil (in pots on my deck) is doing awful this year. It's hardly growing at all. I think we've had too much rain. They have good drainage, so that's not the problem, but I think they just don't like being one step away from the Ark.

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 01:32 PM (rhdgT)

42 We've had a lot of rain the last week. Not the frog drowning type earlier in the month but steady and frequent enough that nothing gets a chance to completely dry out. The garden seems to be enjoying it, however. We are supposed to get some sunshine this week. Makes me wonder if someone finally sacrificed a virgin or something.

Posted by: JTB at June 23, 2018 01:33 PM (V+03K)

43 Have green tomatoes on all 4 plants I bought, have twice that many volunteers. Have some green peppers but the first peppers never ripen for me. And flowers on all other plants so now just looking for weather to get better.

Posted by: Skip at June 23, 2018 01:33 PM (pHfeF)

44 I grew up calling Hibiscus syriacus Althea, too. They were very popular here in Central Texas when I was a kid. I miss all of those old fashioned plants: Althea, Bells of Ireland, Oxalis (Articulata, I think), Bridal Wreath Spirea. Make me think of my grandmother, who was quite a gardener.

Posted by: Art Rondolet of Malmsey at June 23, 2018 01:43 PM (S+f+m)

45 5 I wonder if the barn in the top photo might be an old tobacco drying barn. That much ventilation brings that to mind.
Posted by: JTB at June 23, 2018 01:24 PM (V+03K)

I hadn't thought of that.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at June 23, 2018 01:48 PM (/+bwe)

46 I miss all of those old fashioned plants: Althea, Bells of Ireland, Oxalis (Articulata, I think), Bridal Wreath Spirea. Make me think of my grandmother, who was quite a gardener.
Posted by: Art Rondolet of Malmsey
-------------

I was amused when a local gardener dismissed Althea with a wave of his hand, saying, "It's one of those heritage plants".

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at June 23, 2018 01:49 PM (RNno0)

47 KT, Hope your friend is doing better.

Also, check out the thread before the gardening thread KT put up. She has a music video of Ella Fitzgerald singing with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. Wonderful sounds!

To keep this on a gardening topic, it is great music to play while eating salads from your garden. :-)

Posted by: JTB at June 23, 2018 01:51 PM (V+03K)

48 You guys made me run over to the window to see if my
Rose of Sharon trees had bloomed yet. Just like JTB's, ours are full
of buds, but they are still pretty tightly closed.

...

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 01:32 PM (rhdgT)
I do NOT understand the love for Rose of Sharon trees. I view them as an aggressive weed-tree that needs the frequent tender loving care of a back-hoe and roundup.

Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at June 23, 2018 01:51 PM (n9EOP)

49 All three of my roses got hammered by hail last week but they seem to have recovered nicely.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at June 23, 2018 01:53 PM (5/exA)

50 I remember Day of the Triffids.

Posted by: PhilDirt at June 23, 2018 01:56 PM (45Obe)

51 11 Tom Servo

If the flowers are orange, it is Butterfly Milkweed. Our various Sulfur butterflies love it.

Here is the definitive site on Kansas Flowers and Grasses: https://tinyurl.com/ycnxqsus

Posted by: NaCly Dog at June 23, 2018 01:58 PM (hyuyC)

52 I have a patch of prairie on the property. Rather than mow, I would burn.

But I noticed an endangered butterfly (the regal fritillary) flying all around. So this year I did not burn, which is supposed to help the butterfly numbers.

Next year I have to burn to keep the bluestem free of invasive trees.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at June 23, 2018 02:03 PM (hyuyC)

53 I know rose of Sharon has a reputation for spreading like crazy but in over thirty years that hasn't been a problem in our yard. We've had a few come up in odd places but only a few. Perhaps because we mow between and around them that limits the spread.

As to the gardener who dismissed althea as a 'heritage' plant: did it occur to them they are still around because they are popular, pretty, acclimated, or all three? What an attitude.

Posted by: JTB at June 23, 2018 02:03 PM (V+03K)

54 I do NOT understand the love for Rose of Sharon trees. I view them as an aggressive weed-tree that needs the frequent tender loving care of a back-hoe and roundup.
Posted by: Comrade Hrothgar at June 23, 2018 01:51 PM (n9EOP)
---------

You know what? Mine must be a different sort. My parents brought them over from clippings they took from theirs. Mine are little trees, and have never spread sideways, only grown up. They are beautiful when they bloom. My mom calls them Rose of Sharon but maybe they are something else? I don't know. But they are very pretty.

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 02:07 PM (rhdgT)

55 Now Virginia creeper, THAT I have a real problem with. The strangulator.

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 02:08 PM (rhdgT)

56 So dry around here the pastures never did green up. Looks like the dead of Winter. Depressing.

Posted by: Ronster at June 23, 2018 02:08 PM (e2ms4)

57 Our container with the romaine lettuce is now empty. Any suggestions as to what we might plant this late in the season in that space? We're in Zone 7 and there is likely some serious heat yet to come. I thought about a second crop of romaine put in around the end of July or mid-August but didn't know if they needed cooler temps to sprout.

Posted by: JTB at June 23, 2018 02:08 PM (V+03K)

58 45
5 I wonder if the barn in the top photo might be an old tobacco drying barn. That much ventilation brings that to mind.

Posted by: JTB at June 23, 2018 01:24 PM (V+03K)

I hadn't thought of that.

Posted by: NaughtyPine at June 23, 2018 01:48 PM (/+bwe)

Works great for your hobo pelts and lib scalps, too.

Posted by: flounderbot, rebel, vulgarian, deplorabot, winner at June 23, 2018 02:09 PM (5jVnA)

59 JTB, what about basil? I'm of the opinion that one can never have enough, and if you start it now it will last long after any other you have going now.

Or parsley. It won't do too much if you plant it now, but will start going gangbusters again in the fall when it gets cooler. And it will come back again next year.

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 02:12 PM (rhdgT)

60 Every year I see the life cycling though the prairie.

The straw color of winter gives way to green gradually. If you burn in the early spring, black ash coats the ground, and it greens up fully in two weeks.

Then we get the white and yellow of daisies. The butterfly start to appear, and are all over when the Missouri goldenrods take over from the fading daisies.

Amidst the gold bracts I see the occasional bright orange of butterfly milkweed, with many butterflies in attendance. As they fade, I see crown vetch with the white and purple flowers (I have no horses, so the toxins are of no concern).

Brightness highlights musk thistle, a beautiful explosion of bright purple. Alas, it is a noxious weed, and I put on leather gloves to pull it out by it's roots before seeds start. The butterflies are unhappy.

And that is where we are today. Canadian Goldenrod is in my future, with other flowers.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at June 23, 2018 02:12 PM (hyuyC)

61 Good day to you, esteemed bluebell.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at June 23, 2018 02:15 PM (hyuyC)

62 Bluebell, I had to buy a new basil plant this morning. The one in my garden died. That has never happened. I wonder if I over watered it. The Rosemary is growing fine as well as the chives. Normally by now my basil plant is huge. What a disappointment.

Posted by: Jewells45 at June 23, 2018 02:19 PM (dUJdY)

63 JTB don't know how big the container is but maybe some variety of pepper?

Posted by: Jewells45 at June 23, 2018 02:20 PM (dUJdY)

64 *waves at NaCly

Posted by: Jewells45 at June 23, 2018 02:21 PM (dUJdY)

65 My oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor) is in full bloom now,

It is a fairly tall, multi-stemmed bush that puts out huge masses of tiny cream colored flowers. It is native to west of the rockies, and grows well in the open.

It is not so popular with the honeybees, but every small native bee and some beetles cannot stay away. I can ID the small mason bees, and hoverflies and the small bumblebees, but I can't tell finer than that. I also can't ID the beetles because beetles.

I have been working on a number of native flowering plants so I can attract native bees to my yard all year long. I planted Indian plum this spring, and I am looking at plants like Ninebark (Physocarpus since there are a lot of ninebarks) and Service berry

I suppose I needed a hobby.

Posted by: Kindltot at June 23, 2018 02:22 PM (2K6fY)

66 I didn't get curly parsley this year yet but the other year had it in a pot which brought inside in winter and took it back out in spring again to live another year.
I but fresh sweet basil leaf chopped up fine in my salad every day.

Posted by: Skip at June 23, 2018 02:23 PM (pHfeF)

67 I would bet that barn is a tobacco barn like in SC, no right barn would be like that in the north.

Posted by: Skip at June 23, 2018 02:25 PM (pHfeF)

68 Now Virginia creeper, THAT I have a real problem with. The strangulator.

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 02:08 PM (rhdgT)

Luxury!

The Himalaya blackberries on the back fence may have eaten another paperboy

Posted by: Kindltot at June 23, 2018 02:26 PM (2K6fY)

69 Oh, and no rain showed up yet that was forecasted today yet.

Posted by: Skip at June 23, 2018 02:26 PM (pHfeF)

70 If you want something that is interesting looking, hardy, and extremely invasive, plant a Passion Flower, or Passion Vine. It has been blooming here for a week or so and has begun to attract the gulf fritillary, or Agraulis vanillae. There will be some spiky, reddish orange caterpillars shortly. After they feed on the Passion Vine, they tend to form pupae on our roof overhang above the flowers. I eventually have to brush the empty pupae off in the fall as they will stay there for years if I don't. New Passion Vines will start up in the yard, usually within 30 feet of the old ones and must be pulled up or they will be everywhere.

Posted by: Anonymous White Male at June 23, 2018 02:26 PM (9BLnV)

71 I have wild blackberry. They are primordial. They were here before man and they will be here after we are gone.

Round-Up? They laugh at round-up.

Posted by: JAS at June 23, 2018 02:29 PM (3HNOQ)

72 Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 02:07 PM (rhdgT)

Perhaps you have a less virulent strain, but although mine have rather pretty and prolific blossoms, they drop seeds that will germinate in concrete and between the birds and the wind they spread everywhere requiring me to spend hours plucking tiny RoS trees out of my yard, patio, sidewalk, flower beds, and driveway!

Posted by: Hrothgar at June 23, 2018 02:30 PM (n9EOP)

73 If their like some of my "plants", they use Round-Up as a breath freshener.

Posted by: Anonymous White Male at June 23, 2018 02:30 PM (9BLnV)

74 Weeds weeds now we can smoke weed legally Oct 17th
Canadienses something or other wots gardening for other than relaxation and oblivion.."I came upon a field of golden daffodils....and the womyns applauded"

Posted by: saf at June 23, 2018 02:32 PM (5IHGB)

75 Brightness highlights musk thistle, a beautiful explosion of bright purple. Alas, it is a noxious weed, and I put on leather gloves to pull it out by it's roots before seeds start. The butterflies are unhappy.

And that is where we are today. Canadian Goldenrod is in my future, with other flowers."

I've loved the times when I've lived in places where you could watch that progression! I lived in Fort Worth for a few years (which is about where the Great Plains end) and there was a patch of undisturbed prairie out west of town, next to the Clear Fork of the Trinity, and it would always have the most beautiful flowers, all summer long, but as you say there was a handoff from one set to the next. And there were thistles too! Yeah, I understand completely why you gotta get rid of those.

btw, thanks to your link, I'm sure what I see around here is butterfly milkweed.

Posted by: Tom Servo at June 23, 2018 02:32 PM (k1TUh)

76 Waves shyly back at Jewells45.

Put next year on your calendar. You can help me burn some pasture. We need an early Spring day with low winds, so it's hard to find.

Just let me put out the fires before they get too big.

I got a story about that when I had a reflash fire into the woods to the west. 175 feet away from the house, with only 100 feet of hose.

The flames were 3 feet taller than me, and could endanger 2 other houses if the woods caught fire. I went through a pressure sprayer and three fire extinguishers slowing the fire down before my up-the-hill neighbor Norma saved the day with 100 feet of more hose.

A long day.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at June 23, 2018 02:32 PM (hyuyC)

77 Jewells, Thanks for the suggestion but we've never had great luck with peppers for some reason so we stopped trying. But bluebell's suggestion for parsley might be the ticket. We use use it in salads, soups, and the idea of a batch of tabouli with ingredients from our garden sounds great.

BTW, the container is a full size EarthBox.

Posted by: JTB at June 23, 2018 02:33 PM (V+03K)

78 The Himalaya blackberries on the back fence may have eaten another paperboy
Posted by: Kindltot at June 23, 2018 02:26 PM (2K6fY)
----------

But if you can eat the blackberries, I don't see the problem.

Hiya, Salty!

Jewells, sorry about your basil plant. Seems I'm not the only one. I don't have much of a green thumb - okay, none really - but I've always been able to grow herbs in pots on my deck. Now it seems like I can't even do that anymore. Well, my mint is still okay. And before everyone chimes in about how it's impossible to kill mint, I'm here to tell you it's not impossible in bluebell-world.

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 02:40 PM (rhdgT)

79 My mother said that she was so happy when Prohibition ended. She could go to a party and not be obligated to drink.

So it is with me and pot. Plenty in my youth. Don't care now. Need to be "the best version of me."

Posted by: JAS at June 23, 2018 02:41 PM (3HNOQ)

80 Oh, and I wasn't vigilant enough this year and now we have a house wren nest with four eggs in one of my hanging baskets on my front porch. Which means my plant will die (I'm always afraid to water it after the babies hatch) and I'll have bird poop all over my front porch. Bah humbug.

Every year they want to do that, and I always try to catch the nests before they finish them, and remove them. Then they go elsewhere. But if they finish the nests and lay eggs, I leave them, of course. I'd say I'm vigilant enough 50% of the time.

The birdies here call me Aunt Bluebell.

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 02:43 PM (rhdgT)

81 Howdy garden horde. Have company coming so I have been mowing, spraying, trimming etc etc etc since 0800. Regarding blackberries laughing at Roundup - I completely concur. I've been able to give it a hangover with brush killer, but no more than that.

Posted by: Muad'dib at June 23, 2018 02:44 PM (WRL6O)

82 Regarding the barn, it looks to me like a corn crib for ear corn. From back when we did things that way.

Posted by: Muad'dib at June 23, 2018 02:45 PM (WRL6O)

83 bluebell, will the wrens tolerate a pressure sprayer set to mist? Or a short stream of water from a nozzle?

Posted by: NaCly Dog at June 23, 2018 02:46 PM (hyuyC)

84 81
Howdy garden horde. Have company coming so I have been mowing, spraying,
trimming etc etc etc since 0800. Regarding blackberries laughing at
Roundup - I completely concur. I've been able to give it a hangover with
brush killer, but no more than that.

Posted by: Muad'dib at June 23, 2018 02:44 PM (WRL6O)

I have been able to keep them at bay for a few years with a healthy spray of Roundup. It kills the ones that it contacts, but you have to soak them. And then their friends seem to come back for revenge.

It's time for another spray.

Posted by: flounderbot, rebel, vulgarian, deplorabot, winner at June 23, 2018 02:49 PM (5jVnA)

85 Salty, I'm just afraid of drowning them or getting them too soggy. It's okay. I'm pro-life, and that extends to my baby birdies as well!

Plus at least I'll have a good excuse for my plants instead of my usual one, which is negligence.

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 02:49 PM (rhdgT)

86 bluebell

Ah. I let that plant die so others would live.

Don't look at the other plants, please.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at June 23, 2018 02:51 PM (hyuyC)

87 Hey Sis! 4 grand babies show up here this evening!

Posted by: Muad'dib at June 23, 2018 02:51 PM (WRL6O)

88 I'm done mowing for the week here, so I can hang my laundry.

There is something magical about being able to hang laundry and get the sheets crisply dry.
Bath towels not so much, of course.

Posted by: Kindltot at June 23, 2018 02:51 PM (2K6fY)

89 Hey Sis! 4 grand babies show up here this evening!
Posted by: Muad'dib at June 23, 2018 02:51 PM (WRL6O)
----------

You lucky duck! How long are they staying?

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 02:53 PM (rhdgT)

90 "I wonder if the barn in the top photo might be an old tobacco drying barn. That much ventilation brings that to mind.

Posted by: JTB
Maud'dib has it exactly right. They called it the corn crib. They fed whole ears to the cattle ... back when they picked by hand. Not sure if the cows actaully at the cobs, I assume they just ate the corn off the cob. It has straw in it now, outer few inches gets wet but rest is still useful even after 20 years.

Posted by: illiniwek at June 23, 2018 02:53 PM (bT8Z4)

91 Don't hang anything you don't want Sun-bleached.

But yeah. line-dried sheets and other things are the best.

Posted by: JAS at June 23, 2018 02:53 PM (3HNOQ)

92 JTB at June 23, 2018 02:33 PM

I recommend Giant Italian Parsley as a main ingredient. Buy some seeds.

Thanks for the good wishes for our friend, too. He is supposed to be transferred from the hospital to rehab today. He made quick progress once they stopped his internal bleeding.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at June 23, 2018 02:54 PM (BVQ+1)

93 >You lucky duck! How long are they staying?

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 02:53 PM (rhdgT)

A full week! We have lots of fun stuff planned. DIL is 6 months along on #5.

Posted by: Muad'dib at June 23, 2018 02:54 PM (WRL6O)

94 A full week! We have lots of fun stuff planned. DIL is 6 months along on #5.
Posted by: Muad'dib at June 23, 2018 02:54 PM (WRL6O)
-----------

Oh wow, that is so wicked awesome. Have a fantastic time.

Will you and your wife be taking a trip down there in 3 months to see the new little one?

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 02:58 PM (rhdgT)

95 >Will you and your wife be taking a trip down there in 3 months to see the new little one?

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 02:58 PM (rhdgT)

That is indeed the plan.

Posted by: Muad'dib at June 23, 2018 03:01 PM (WRL6O)

96 Well.

I'm having an exciting life watching the grass grow.

Literally!
: -))

After drag leveling ~20x24' in the back yard, we mixed the grass seed in with the mulch & raked it over. Have been watering 5 minutes every hour & lo & behold, green is visible!

Blue hitachi gamma.

Praying it helps cut down on the dust in the house.

Posted by: Adriane the Green Thumb, NOT Critic ... at June 23, 2018 03:03 PM (AoK0a)

97 Mentioned bugs defoliating my lilies a couple of weeks ago. Been using Ortho Bug b Gone on the leaves and (Don't remember) Snail Bait.

Oddly, it seems they continued eating the older leaves but haven't touched the new ones.

Posted by: Braenyard at June 23, 2018 03:03 PM (r7qNw)

98 That is indeed the plan.
Posted by: Muad'dib at June 23, 2018 03:01 PM (WRL6O)
---------

Good for you. That is really something to look forward to.

I'll be living vicariously through others for the foreseeable future. My daughter's friend who lives in our neighborhood is due in the fall. And my friend just found out she is going to be a grandmother - their daughter got married last September. In fact, that's the wedding I was attending when Weasel decided to tell everyone on the food thread that I was MIA because I was in jail. The birth of the shiv story. I guess I got that going for me.

Posted by: bluebell at June 23, 2018 03:08 PM (rhdgT)

99 Not sure if the cows actaully at the cobs, I assume they just ate the corn off the cob. It has straw in it now, outer few inches gets wet but rest is still useful even after 20 years."

I'll bet they ate the whole thing - I remember being around some horses a long time ago that just absolutely loved corn cobs. And I had a dog once too, that would treat corn cobs as a big treat and crunch them all up - provided there was still a bit of butter left on it from us!

Posted by: Tom Servo at June 23, 2018 03:12 PM (k1TUh)

100
Gusty north wind on the verge of windstorm in NorCal. 104f. We just need one(1) idiot and one(1) weedwacker for a 300,000 acre wildfire. Though I'll setlle for one of Jerry's Kids lighting a 'cooking fire' to cook their .89 cent pack of Bar-S weiners and burning down half of Redding.

I do miss breathing forest fire smoke.

Posted by: 13times at June 23, 2018 03:12 PM (K3B2k)

101 I've been spraying goats heads every day that rain is not predicted. Last year both horse and I were sound and while I did some spraying I chose to go have fun. Hopefully next year will be sound and I will have put a huge dent in the burrs and can keep them under control and still do a lot of riding.

I took some pics of some of the weeds I leave alone in the horse pens. They are called bean weeds around here but I could not find a match for bean weed on duck so I guess its a local nickname. Purple flowers and then they from bean/pea pods that are about 2 inches long and quite narrow and thin.

Posted by: PaleRider, simply irredeemable at June 23, 2018 03:17 PM (r4KP2)

102 OK.
Lawn Tractor wouldn't keep running. It was fuel starved. Replaced the fuel filter to no avail.

Started disassembling the carb but stopped.

Gumout forced start:
_Took the air cleaner off and poured a taste of gasoline down the throat
_started the engine and sprayed Gumout in the throat while the engine was running. (sprayed about 3 seconds)
_the engine would die each time it ran out of gas but I noticed it was beginning to run a little longer.
_continued with the taste of gas, three second Gumout until it would run on its own.

I let it run (rough) about three minutes then started the Gumout again but allowing more time between sprays.

Then (while it was still running) I poured about three oz of Sea Foam in the tank (contained no more than 1/2 gal), stirred, and then allowed the engine to run about ten more minutes at smooth idle.

Whew. I didn't want to take that carb apart.
Now I can go cut.

Posted by: Braenyard at June 23, 2018 03:18 PM (r7qNw)

103 Boethius wrote: Compare the length of a moment with the period of ten thousand years; the first, however miniscule, does exist as a fraction of a second. But that number of years, or any multiple of it that you may name, cannot even be compared with a limitless extent of time, the reason being that comparisons can be drawn between finite things, but not between finite and infinite.

So when Progressives bring up Jesus or Christianity and ask you to ignore laws, or pick sides on evil vs. evil just ask them where they will spend eternity?

Posted by: rhennigantx at June 23, 2018 03:18 PM (JFO2v)

104 Cows will eat cobs. Cow will also eat corn stalks.
After we had picked the corn would break up the stalks and put them in the feeding troughs.

Posted by: Braenyard at June 23, 2018 03:22 PM (r7qNw)

105 KT, Thanks for the giant Italian parsley suggestion. Should be easy to get seeds.

Glad your friend is doing better. These kind of things do, indeed, keep matters in perspective.

Posted by: JTB at June 23, 2018 03:29 PM (V+03K)

106 Yea cows like corn. So what.

Posted by: Little Boy Blue at June 23, 2018 03:33 PM (UdKB7)

107 Jimmy cracked corn, but I don't care.

Posted by: Cicero (@cicero) at June 23, 2018 03:37 PM (B1rg0)

108 Horses like corn stalks and husks same as cows and you can give them non moldy garden leftovers but horses are susceptible to a mold that grows on corn. They get a nerve poisoning effect, lose coordination and die. Cows are not affected by that mold so can be turned out on harvested corn fields or fed baled cornstalks in bad hay years supplemented with something to get their daily protein high enough.

Posted by: PaleRider, simply irredeemable at June 23, 2018 03:39 PM (r4KP2)

109 At the brewery I worked on they get rid of the barley/oats mix leftover to a cow farmer.

Posted by: Skip at June 23, 2018 03:46 PM (pHfeF)

110 We are battling fungus in our garden-we have had so much rain, and so little sun it's becoming a real problem.

I also have pondered that some plants I bought from a garden store may have harbored the fungus, because it's only in the bed in which they are planted. Everything I started from seed is okay. We are spraying organic fungicide, to keep the stuff from spreading, but it's starting to cost a chunk of money.

I am in awe of subsistence farmers who deal with this in gardens that provide their food. I am blessed to be able to go to a grocery store, but I am beginning to have a greater appreciation for non-GMO/non organic means of protecting crops. It works, and you have food.

Posted by: moki at June 23, 2018 03:47 PM (V+V48)

111 Starting to get tomatoes- cherry, plum and some heirloom. 25 plants in all. Should have a good harvest.

Posted by: Mr Aspirin Factory at June 23, 2018 03:49 PM (HizHb)

112 I've been spraying goats heads every day that rain is not predicted.

Those things are evil. I go through my lawn in hands and knees looking for the plant if I step on one of its evil spawn. The first year we were in the house I must have pulled a couple a hundred out. And on the side where the rocks are, I burn those little bastards when I find them. It's the only thing xeriscape is good for.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at June 23, 2018 03:49 PM (qWg0i)

113
Brush along the fence lines in the dog pens chopped down and pens and lawn (about an acre and a half) mowed. Temperature is 91, feels like 103. That's it for the day.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at June 23, 2018 03:50 PM (LsBY9)

114 COJ. They are evil burrs and will hide under or in other plants. I used to try to avoid spraying when I was younger but with a couple acres of sand horse pens I just cannot keep up w/o using 2-4-D spray. I choose that because it only kills plants that absorb it thru the leaves, no residual in the soil. Thus I can let other weeds that the bees like remain and keep the sand from blowing around as much. We are too sandy and lack water to get grass growing which would be the ideal.

Posted by: PaleRider, simply irredeemable at June 23, 2018 03:58 PM (r4KP2)

115 thanks for the "cows eat the cobs" insights. actually that sounded right cuz I couldn't imagine the cows stripping off the kernels. And when they do silage they just take the whole stalk. But you real farmers know this stuff inside and out ... I never had my own cattle.

I could run a couple dozen head, maybe a milk cow ... but there is WORK involved. I'm starting with a few chickens ... we'll see about the rest. lol

Posted by: illiniwek at June 23, 2018 04:05 PM (bT8Z4)

116 If you have chickens and a pond, you won't have free range chickens. For long.

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at June 23, 2018 04:11 PM (qWg0i)

117 "I am in awe of subsistence farmers who deal with
this in gardens that provide their food." Posted by: moki

some of these homesteaders start with all the "pure" off grid, no chemicals, etc. dreams. Many go back on grid, which I think makes sense as long as the grid is nearby. Same with chemicals ... be smart but many will lose crops and trees and give up trying to be so "pure", while there are very safe chemical choices.

the latest for me is the Japanese Beetle ... those traps work, but when it's warm and they swarm, they can destroy crops, maybe even kill off the grapes, fruit trees, etc. Sevin knocks them right down, and the flowers can be avoided to save the pollinators.

I killed them one day, and collected a couple gallons of them in the phermone traps ... then after 3" of rain had to reapply the Sevin ... has to be done. kill kill kill. heh

anyway, I hate to see those that try so hard fail just because they refuse to use (very safe) chemicals. But if they can make it work, fine ... but I still think they could save many days of work and have more/better food if they accepted some chemicals. "drugs are gooood", to repurpose that old phrase.

Posted by: illiniwek at June 23, 2018 04:15 PM (bT8Z4)

118 Anyone have luck growing clematis? Without it running amok? I may put some out by the mailbox but I don't want it running off into the neighbors yard. Any suggestions?

Posted by: CrotchetyOldJarhead at June 23, 2018 04:20 PM (qWg0i)

119 I could run a couple dozen head, maybe a milk cow ... but there is WORK involved. I'm starting with a few chickens ... we'll see about the rest. lol

Posted by: illiniwek
---------------

The country folk say, three cows and a bull, you eat meat free. Yeah, and country folk know what they are doing to start with.

Posted by: Braenyard at June 23, 2018 04:21 PM (r7qNw)

120
Anyone have luck growing clematis? Without it running amok? I may put
some out by the mailbox but I don't want it running off into the
neighbors yard. Any suggestions?
Get a large-flowered variety, like 'Nelly Moser' or 'Dr. Ruppel'-- they don't grow as tall as others.
Do not, repeat, do NOT plant a c. montana (like mine, that was featured on a previous garden thread!), as they will grow 30 feet or more!
Be sure to read their tags at the garden center, and just know that you'll need to do at least *a little* pruning anyway... but they are oh-so-pretty and are worth the trouble.
Good luck!

Posted by: JQ at June 23, 2018 04:39 PM (yD/Pf)

121 ...there's a lake of stew, and of whiskey too, you can paddle all around in a big canoe...

Posted by: Came a hobo hikin' at June 23, 2018 04:41 PM (VWE5i)

122 "

Help on muhtomatoos...

3 plants have turned into a pod person takeover, although not many fruits or flowers... how much should I cut them back, and just suckers or 1/3" vives too?

Not exactly sure what you mean but it sounds like you managed to get herbicide too close to them. If it's really bad you may just have to bite the bullet and replant. They may overcome it and be fine - but they might too.

Posted by: JEM1 at June 23, 2018 04:56 PM (89dxs)

123 Might NOT too!

Posted by: JEM1 at June 23, 2018 04:57 PM (89dxs)

124 On the blackberries that won't die. Try 3 oz of roundup PLUS 3 oz weed b gone mixture per gallon of water. Add a drop or two of dishwashing detergent.

Posted by: JEM1 at June 23, 2018 04:58 PM (89dxs)

125 On the blackberries that won't die. Try 3 oz of roundup PLUS 3 oz weed b gone mixture per gallon of water. Add a drop or two of dishwashing detergent.

Posted by: JEM1 at June 23, 2018 04:58 PM (89dxs)

For any vine type weed, try a product with triclopyr as an active ingredient.

Triclopyr won't even bother your cool season grasses at the proper rate. Shrubs and hardwoods are are susceptible, though.

Posted by: golfman at June 23, 2018 05:07 PM (If3tB)

126 Since last week's report from Idaho's Treasure Valley was soooo looooong, and since I'm busy attending a Project Appleseed event this weekend, I'll make this one short. (I'm trying to shoot a Rifleman score with a bolt-action mag-fed .22 rifle, instead of the semi auto I did it with last time, if anyone knows what this means. If you're curious what that means, post in the Gun Thread, or here, and I'll post more info.)

Anyway - it continues to be cooler than I expected, and we had rain last week - hoping against hope that we aren't overrun with mosquitoes this summer. (I bet we all know how it feels when you're just settling down to sleep, lights are out - and then you hear that little whiiiine...)

The lettuce and spinach got pulled out, so it's back to store-bought salad mix, which I buy tomatoes to go with - no way tomatoes are ready yet. I do have the last of the 2nd and 3rd plantings of spring radishes, and some green onions.

I pulled out, processed and froze most of the spring carrots (nowhere near as much as I hoped, maybe half of a gallon freezer bag at most) - the small ones that are left will be for fresh eating. I did replant some fall carrots.

We've picked and grilled the first few zucchini.

We only planted a half-row of Asian pod peas, but we're definitely not keeping up with eating their production! We have a full row of shelling peas, which have a LOT of pods, which we're starting to harvest as the pods get fat. I'm getting pretty fast at shelling peas. We ate one batch so far, yum!

The strawberries continue to produce, though lightly; we've nibbled the first few the red raspberries.

I've been cutting lots of lavender.

I really ought to send a photo this coming week, of what's happened with the last compost bin from last fall, which had a lot of overripe tomatoes in it, one of the bins I turned over this spring - we think it's hilarious.

Looking at last week and this week, the photos give me a case of nostalgia for the non-political parts of California. I lived close enough to Edgewood Park & Preserve in San Mateo County to savor its beauty many times. Plenty of Clarkia, Indian Paintbrush, Owl's Clover, and Ocean Spray (#65) - plus wild clematis vine, with its white powder-puff flowers.

#120, I want to find out more about the Dr. Ruppel that the clematis variety is named after - I wonder if anyone knows who that was, or who named that variety for him?

Posted by: Pat* at June 23, 2018 11:24 PM (2pX/F)

127 Pat*, I have no idea who Dr. Ruppel was... but the clematis flower is a gorgeous, vibrant blue/purple and red/hot pink striped petals, large-flowered variety that I just love.

Unfortunately, it is simply *dwarfed* by the long-sprawling c. montana, planted nearby.

...and I thoroughly enjoy your posts! My hat's off to your gardening stamina!

Posted by: JQ at June 24, 2018 12:25 AM (yD/Pf)

128 Trying to post a pic of the biggest broccoli we got, growing in pots:

http://tinypic.com/r/ mmww2w/9

harvested last weekend!

Posted by: JQ at June 24, 2018 02:50 AM (yD/Pf)

129 Pat* at June 23, 2018 11:24 PM
Thanks for the report. Yes, you should sent a photo.

Posted by: KT at June 24, 2018 06:30 PM (BVQ+1)

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