Saturday Gardening and Puttering Thread, December 18

Close-up
Saxifraga punctulata

Merry Christmas to The Horde! Getting a little time for puttering, gardening or nature?

Photography

The Alpine Garden Society is doing an Advent Calendar to remind members that Christmas Eve is the last day to submit entries in the 9 categories of its Photographic Competition for this year.

Above is one of their winners from years past. Below is another one.

Alpine Plant in a Pot
Gentiana acaulis 'Frohnleiten'

So blue!

Memories

We discussed the history of poinsettias last week. Interesting stuff. They are spurges, related to some common weeds.

From RTW, an old photo of a 10 foot tall poinsettia:

The photo is from Falfurrias,Texas, taken some time in the late 1950s or early 1960s. The poinsettias were on the south side of the church where they got lots of sunlight. At the time, I thought that all poinsettias grew that big.

I used to have a poinsettia almost that tall in my rented duplex yard in Southern California.

From the archives, 2019:

Larro's Christmas Cactus has bloomed.

This plant is 2 years old, and always indoors back by breakfast nook on north side windows.

Christmas cacti can live for a long time and are sometimes handed down in families for 100 years. My cousin (the one with the geraniums in her basement) has one that has been handed down in her family, and she has given starts to other family members.

Edible Gardening

You may recall that on November 6, we saw photos of spectacular blossoms and green fruit of backyard cactus from jim in Kalifornia.

Well, today we get to see the ripe fruit.

Sorry for the delay in updates on the fruit. Busy, then my Dad passed away (lived to be 95), traveled for his funeral, got back a couple of days ago. Updated pics:

So sorry to hear about the loss of your Dad. Thanks for thinking of us when you got back from the funeral.

Fruit you previously saw on cactus. 5" long, weighed in at 3/4 lb. I took it off too early, still a bit red, should be more Magenta in color.

I waited too long to open the fruit, inside started turning dark. Still tasted good, but not as sweet as I plucked it too early. Note the white flesh and little black seeds; the seeds easily crunch, unlike the prickly pear fruit seeds which are hard as rocks.

Pulled three more fruit this morning that were ready. Because of being gone for a week for my Dad's funeral, picked two after they split open (naturally want to spread their seed). You can see the white flesh and tiny black seeds. Largest came in at about 5" long and 3/4 lb. The top one came in at 1/2lb, the tiny one at 1/4 lb.

They can still have thorns where they were attached to the cactus if those come off with the fruit when removed. The fruit on top still has them, but it was relatively easy for me to cut the fruit around the thorns to removed them.

So fun!

From By-Tor:

Some whole dills and spears and spicy corn relish. The whole dills are Persian cucumbers which I haven't used before but were small enough to fit in the jars. I'm trying to perfect my recipes before the LA County fair next year.

Looks like a good start on fair fare!

Weather

The tornadoes and such in the East are so horrifying. Is everybody Okay?

We have had rain this week. Yay! Some wind, too.

In Utah, they recently had more snow on the fruit trees and barbecue set-ups than they expected.

Provided an opportunity to feed the birds

And when the snow melted, to feed some leftover Thanksgiving pumpkins to hogs out in the country.

Moar Puttering: Is your yard ready for Christmas?

Which song do you think goes best with these decorations?

Might as well jump

Stayin' alive?

Or some other song?

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

ktinthegarden
at that g mail dot com place

Include the nic by which you wish to be known when you comment at AoSHQ,
unless you want to remain a lurker.

Posted by: K.T. at 01:23 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 I am never first. Merry Christmas Horde.

Posted by: Weekreekfarmgirl at December 18, 2021 01:28 PM (pedVB)

2 naturally want to spread their seed....

Pretty standard around these parts.

Posted by: This Place at December 18, 2021 01:30 PM (7bRMQ)

3 I used to have a poinsettia almost that tall in my rented duplex yard in Southern California.

I'm just loving this poinsettia discussion...just discovered my boss has been overwintering a poinsettia for a few years and it's getting tall, to about 3.5 feet.

My little ones are just plugging along and really skimpy. But the stems are very woody and I plan to cut the whole plant down and repot into fresh soil after Christmas just to see what pops up during the summer.

Posted by: kallistx at December 18, 2021 01:30 PM (DJFLF)

4 We received our first seed catalog this season: Jung. Yes, I've been thumbing through it a lot.

Let the dreams and unrealistic plans begin!

Posted by: JTB at December 18, 2021 01:30 PM (7EjX1)

5 Making Christmas cookies for the neighbors on our street today, what is left of them. We lost 4 on our street this year. We should have a lot of change on the street this year. Maybe a fellow gardener will buy one of the houses.

Posted by: Weekreekfarmgirl at December 18, 2021 01:31 PM (pedVB)

6 I have a dragon fruit cactus but it hasn't made fruit yet. It is quite the sprawling affair. Hopefully this year.

Posted by: Weekreekfarmgirl at December 18, 2021 01:33 PM (pedVB)

7 We should have a lot of change on the street this year. Maybe a fellow gardener will buy one of the houses.

Posted by: Weekreekfarmgirl at December 18, 2021 01:31 PM (pedVB)

Hopefully not unvetted Afghans put there by Joe.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at December 18, 2021 01:34 PM (7bRMQ)

8 also, re: poinsettias.

Yesterday farmer's market was selling the best shade yet: a cream with blush pink center on the "flowers".

It reminds me of the blush pink roses I love so much.

Posted by: kallistx at December 18, 2021 01:34 PM (DJFLF)

9 Good afternoon Greenthumbs
Thankfully no snow here yet, in fact my Anaheim peppers are still alive in my mini greenhouse and have a bunch more tiny peppers stated.

Posted by: Skip at December 18, 2021 01:35 PM (2JoB8)

10 Love those photos of the alpine plants. For some reason they have always appealed to me. Perhaps it's they seem cute, small, and with intense color.

Posted by: JTB at December 18, 2021 01:37 PM (7EjX1)

11 I don't think the Afghans would like the cowboys around here, and I don't think the cowboys would take to the Afghans...

Posted by: Weekreekfarmgirl at December 18, 2021 01:38 PM (pedVB)

12 Congrats, Weekreekfarmgirl!

Nice to hear about your dragon fruit.

Posted by: KT at December 18, 2021 01:40 PM (0ghg2)

13 >> So blue!

Dabba dee badda die
Dabba dee badda die
Dabba dee badda die

Posted by: 40 Miles North at December 18, 2021 01:40 PM (uWF4x)

14 Snowing here, but already thinking about spring planting.

My mother's subdivision is like a Disney movie with all the critters: squirrels, birds, deer, and a roving gang of turkeys. She had over 26 birds one day. I call the ringleader Major Tom. They are becoming entitled about all the cracked corn I fling at them. I love when the point man yodels and they all come a-running down the hill.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at December 18, 2021 01:40 PM (Dc2NZ)

15 Gardening is one of great blessings.

Posted by: Jack S Pfogbound Esq at December 18, 2021 01:45 PM (9X60i)

16 A couple of the mint and basil cuttings have put out roots in water. In a couple of weeks they may be ready to plant in potting soil.

I'm very careful about planting mint outdoors. We had a few mint plants in pots, not in the ground, over thirty years ago and they tried to take over the neighborhood.

Posted by: JTB at December 18, 2021 01:45 PM (7EjX1)

17 "I saw Santa hanging from the roof?"

Posted by: Been Lurking, but clearly been posting too at December 18, 2021 01:45 PM (rDgjh)

18 I love Christmas cactus! I have quite a few, the oldest of which is over 15 years old. It's huge!

Just to mention a late-in-the-game realization: I always thought that they were desert cacti so I watered them infrequently but kept them in very bright light. They bloomed sporadically but not exactly magnificently. So, one day a couple of years ago, I was in a plant store and noticed that the soil in their Christmas cactus was pretty wet. I asked the plant lady about that and she told me something that has made all the difference- they're tropical cacti! Needless to say, I came home and started watering my plants a whole lot more! Their blooms are spectacular! I still laugh about that every time they start to bloom. I'm amazed I didn't kill them.

Posted by: Moonbeam at December 18, 2021 01:47 PM (rbKZ6)

19 Merry Christmas garden folk!

Posted by: Diogenes at December 18, 2021 01:48 PM (axyOa)

20 Husband's sister has their mother's Christmas cactus. It's nice because she was their mom's primary caregiver during her final illness so it provides a warm connection year after year.

We stayed in their house last year while they were gone and I was terrified that I would some how manage to kill the cactus while we were there.

Song suggestion for the decorating pic: You Keep Me Hangin' On by the Supremes.

Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at December 18, 2021 01:48 PM (fTtFy)

21 Our area has had rather mild weather recently. The last two days were sunny and in the sixties. It felt like a gentle spring day. I know it won't last and I don't mind cold weather but I can do without ice and snow.

Posted by: JTB at December 18, 2021 01:50 PM (7EjX1)

22 Is there anything I can plant in pots that will survive outside in the winter? I need to spruce up the entryway.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at December 18, 2021 01:51 PM (Dc2NZ)

23 I still have my Dad's fuschia-colored Christmas cactus; he died in '16. It's blooming. I may lose his white African violet this year, but I'm trying to rejuvenate it.

Got the last of my oak leaves ground up with push mower or dragged on a tarp to the compost heap on Thursday, right before the rain next day. So I'm proud. Been trying to stay ahead of them for a month. Have a lot of huge oaks and they are always a challenge, and I'm way over 29.

Love that beautiful Alpine plant and the cactus fruit!

Posted by: skywch at December 18, 2021 01:57 PM (sKjat)

24 Our little Christmas cacti have blooms. (I'm sure the timing is just a coincidence.) Love the deep blood red blossoms. They are currently in several small pots. I should repot them into one container to get a better and larger effect. These were the post-holiday sale plants we got a decade ago for 25 cents. I can't believe I haven't killed them yet.

I wish the standard keyboard still had a 'cent' symbol like on my manual typewriters. Or maybe I'm the only one left who would use it.

Posted by: JTB at December 18, 2021 01:58 PM (7EjX1)

25 I've never done any canning, but I wanted to get started next summer. I hear that proper canning lids are impossible to come by - the ones at Amazon are purported to be made in the USA but actually come from China, and the failure rate of sealing is unacceptable. Does anyone have any advice?

My future MiL has tons of jars with screw lids and used tops (but of course you're not supposed to reuse them because of bacteria).

Posted by: Miley, the Duchess at December 18, 2021 01:58 PM (Mzdiz)

26 Mrs. JTB got me a couple of bulbs to have blooms in the office during the winter. One amaryllis and a paperwhite. They haven't blossomed yet but I swear yoi can almost see them grow while watching.

Posted by: JTB at December 18, 2021 02:00 PM (7EjX1)

27 The builders gave us a nice poinsettia last Christmas, after we moved into the house (actually 3 plants in one pot). I had it on the back porch (north facing) all summer and it grew 6-8" - but of course I've now brought it indoors and it's languishing. Too lazy to do the 12 hours of darkness thing to get bracts because it's too big.

Posted by: Miley, the Duchess at December 18, 2021 02:01 PM (Mzdiz)

28 Mrs. JTB got me a couple of bulbs to have blooms in the office during the winter. One amaryllis and a paperwhite. They haven't blossomed yet but I swear yoi can almost see them grow while watching.

Posted by: JTB at December 18, 2021 02:00 PM (7EjX1)

Paperwhites remind me of my grandmother. The scent is from her bathroom. Funny.

Posted by: Miley, the Duchess at December 18, 2021 02:02 PM (Mzdiz)

29 The Christmas cactus that was moms is blooming. Of course I think of her everyday but looking at it makes me smile and brings back memories.

Posted by: Jewells45 deplorablethug#FJB at December 18, 2021 02:03 PM (nxdel)

30 JTB : I always grow my best gardens in the winter. By mid-June, reality conks me on the head, and I accept the reality that I'm doing nothing spectacular this summer, either. And by mid-August, the weeds have won.

Posted by: Captain Josepha Sabin -- bitterly clinging to the deplorable life '70s style! at December 18, 2021 02:04 PM (j0p94)

31 and they tried to take over the neighborhood.

Posted by: JTB at December 18, 2021 01:45 PM (7EjX1)

just doing what mint does.

fun fact: esteemed commenter "bluebell" actually killed a mint plant. I thought I was bad when I killed a thyme plant. Without a shiv even.

Posted by: kallistx at December 18, 2021 02:09 PM (DJFLF)

32 22 Is there anything I can plant in pots that will survive outside in the winter? I need to spruce up the entryway.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at December 18, 2021 01:51 PM (Dc2NZ)

I don't know if this is failsafe, so take it FWIW...

but I planted Dusty Miller for the first time a couple years ago. It lasted through the first winter, kept growing, and is now still alive even though frost has killed most of the other plants.

Posted by: kallistx at December 18, 2021 02:10 PM (DJFLF)

33 Skip -

Do you want any moonflower seeds ?

Posted by: JT at December 18, 2021 02:11 PM (arJlL)

34 Hiya moonbeam !

Posted by: JT at December 18, 2021 02:11 PM (arJlL)

35 28 ... "Paperwhites remind me of my grandmother. The scent is from her bathroom. Funny."

Hi Miley,

Paperwhite scent makes me think of a light incense stick. Takes me back to my hippie days. (Actually, I was a very unsuccessful hippie. Wrong attitude and I looked more like Grizzly Adams than some emaciated druggie.)

Posted by: JTB at December 18, 2021 02:14 PM (7EjX1)

36 Love the cactus fruit! Don't look nearly as thorny as prickly pear fruits.

Posted by: KT at December 18, 2021 02:17 PM (0ghg2)

37 And the pickles and relish look great, too. Those Persian cucumbers have distinctive ridges.

Posted by: KT at December 18, 2021 02:18 PM (0ghg2)

38 I like the photo with juncos on the ground. They are one of my favorite small backyard birds along with chickadees and titmice. Unfortunately, we only see them during the coldest weather, usually with snow on the ground. Some old-time locals call them snow birds.

Posted by: JTB at December 18, 2021 02:19 PM (7EjX1)

39 but I planted Dusty Miller for the first time a couple years ago. It lasted through the first winter, kept growing, and is now still alive even though frost has killed most of the other plants.
Posted by: kallistx at December 18, 2021 02:10 PM (DJFLF)
--

That just might work! My neighbor has some that hasn't died...yet.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at December 18, 2021 02:19 PM (Dc2NZ)

40 Thank you for the thread. And thank you to those of you who submitted content. My Christmas cactus, I hope I can keep it blooming.
Those Saxifraga punctulatas are unbelievable. I can not believe the effort God/evolution/the simulation puts into details. Just so a specific bee or bug will find its symbiotic friends. Or maybe just for our enjoyment. Beautiful.

Posted by: MikeM at December 18, 2021 02:21 PM (Se2s/)

41
the cream/blush pink poinsettias are the third ones down.

https://tinyurl.com/2p995fax

at the end the blogger features a poinsettia with a half white/half red leaf, like the guy in that TOS episode who was split right down the middle between black and white

Posted by: kallistx at December 18, 2021 02:21 PM (DJFLF)

42 All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at December 18, 2021 01:51 PM

Where are you? One of the difficulties with plants in pots in winter is keeping the potting mix hydrated. Another is keeping the leaves hydrated when it freezes.

More southerly and lower locations will have a greater choice of plants.

Posted by: KT at December 18, 2021 02:21 PM (0ghg2)

43 Some old-time locals call them snow birds.
Posted by: JTB

"Beneath the snowy mantle cold and clean...."

Hiya JTB !

Merry Christmas to you and the Missus !

Posted by: JT at December 18, 2021 02:22 PM (arJlL)

44 I should try growing Persian (we called them Lebanese) cucumbers again. We didn't have much luck but the few we did get were darn tasty. I bet they would make good light dill pickles.

Posted by: JTB at December 18, 2021 02:22 PM (7EjX1)

45 KT, I'm in Michigan.

Maybe my best option is just taking the pots indoors.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at December 18, 2021 02:24 PM (Dc2NZ)

46 All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at December 18, 2021 01:51 PM

Where are you?

Posted by: KT

(Whatever ya do, DON'T ask her where the Mitten Kingdom is !)

Posted by: JT at December 18, 2021 02:24 PM (arJlL)

47 kallistx at December 18, 2021 02:21 PM

Those poinsettia varieties are great!

Posted by: KT at December 18, 2021 02:24 PM (0ghg2)

48 did the last lef pick up off of 8 acres yesterday

cleaner than Le Trianon

Posted by: REDACTED at December 18, 2021 02:24 PM (us2H3)

49 43 ...

Hi JT and Merry Christmas to you as well.

Posted by: JTB at December 18, 2021 02:25 PM (7EjX1)

50 did the last lef pick up off of 8 acres yesterday

lef Erikson ?

Posted by: JT at December 18, 2021 02:25 PM (arJlL)

51 Wife is attempting refrigerator kraut. The stuff you buy at the store is usually not fermented enough.

Posted by: Ronster at December 18, 2021 02:26 PM (FgTbj)

52 All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at December 18, 2021 02:24 PM

You might go for some red twig dogwood (hardy to Zone 2). Some junipers are pretty hardy.

Otherwise, you could put some pine cones in the pots and change decorations (Christmas, New Years, Valentines, etc.)

Posted by: KT at December 18, 2021 02:35 PM (0ghg2)

53 Indoor plants don't survive here long.

Posted by: Skip at December 18, 2021 02:39 PM (2JoB8)

54 From Boise area: Not much to say, this time of year. Nighttime temperatures in the 20's F. We got the snow (studded) tires on my car this week. I spent 1.5 hours this morning raking leaves out of the streetside drainage ditches, in advance of more snow. (We had an inch already, a bit of which is still around.)

We're finishing up a batch of hard cider this weekend, by dry-hopping it with Citra hops. Then we'll start a new batch.

I have a pot of Miners Lettuce in a sheltered spot behind the house - the leaves still look alive. I miss the huge ones we had back in CA; these are from Territorial Seed Co. and doubtless have different genetics.

I noticed a few tulip tips in the pots behind the house - wasn't expecting that. Often the hyacinth shows tips in January, but I definitely wasn't expecting the tulips to poke up in December. Oh, and those Johnny Jump-Ups - still blooming despite a low of 19 F this week.

Posted by: Pat* at December 18, 2021 02:41 PM (2pX/F)

55 At Aldi I saw a case of hard cider arranged with a little door for each can. Yep, you guessed it: a hard cider advent calendar.

Because nothing says let's celebrate the coming of the Messiah like hard cider.

Posted by: Just sayin' at December 18, 2021 02:45 PM (y831n)

56 ll Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes

Potted live Christmas (spruce/fir/pine) trees and then either plant them or give them away when they get too large.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at December 18, 2021 02:46 PM (E3cdF)

57 Indoor plants don't survive here long.
Posted by: Skip

Bullets flyin' ?

Posted by: JT at December 18, 2021 02:47 PM (arJlL)

58 34 Hiya moonbeam !
Posted by: JT at December 18, 2021 02:11 PM

Howdy JT!

Posted by: Moonbeam at December 18, 2021 02:52 PM (rbKZ6)

59 KT, I will check those out.

And AZ, I thought about that too.

Posted by: All Hail Eris, She-Wolf of the 'Ettes 'Ettes at December 18, 2021 02:54 PM (Dc2NZ)

60 Howdy JT!
Posted by: Moonbeam

Posted by: JT at December 18, 2021 02:55 PM (arJlL)

61 Do you think the guy that named the aardvaark had the hiccups ?

(Oh, that's right, this ain't the Pet Thread)

Posted by: JT at December 18, 2021 02:57 PM (arJlL)

62
And AZ, I thought about that too.
Posted by: All Hail Eris

You might just go to the garden center (are they open in winter there?

) and see what they have available.
Anything that stays green, or alive as the case may be, would work.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at December 18, 2021 02:57 PM (E3cdF)

63 PET NOOD

Posted by: Skip at December 18, 2021 03:03 PM (2JoB8)

64 Brought in the potted jalapeno and put it in the solarium. Still producing, but has little white things on the leaves. Probably dead aphids. Bastards.

Posted by: Ronster at December 18, 2021 03:03 PM (FgTbj)

65 Thanks to KT and all the contributors to this great thread. And Merry Christmas to all!

Posted by: JTB at December 18, 2021 03:04 PM (7EjX1)

66 I'm looking ahead to gardening season in our new location. Thinking about several of these for juglone-intolerant crops:

https://www.agardenpatch.com/
Garden-Patch-Grow-Box/

Similar to Earth Box with a couple of design tweaks.

Posted by: Emmie at December 18, 2021 03:05 PM (6RgRK)

67 Super late here.

A patient gave me a bonsai this last week. It's 16 years later old and about nine inches tall. I'm so scared I'm going to kill it. It is just beautiful. It's in a clay planter with a beautiful pebble garden with a path and a rock and a couple of tiny wizards conversing

Guess I better study up!

Posted by: nurse ratched at December 18, 2021 03:23 PM (U2p+3)

68 I've never done any canning, but I wanted to get started next summer. I hear that proper canning lids are impossible to come by - the ones at Amazon are purported to be made in the USA but actually come from China, and the failure rate of sealing is unacceptable. Does anyone have any advice?
My future MiL has tons of jars with screw lids and used tops (but of course you're not supposed to reuse them because of bacteria).
Posted by: Miley, the Duchess at December 18, 2021 01:58 PM (Mzdiz)

Miley you can get lids at Fillmore Container ( https://www.fillmorecontainer.com ) and they have the generics available
You can reuse the screwlids if you want to, the canning temperature will kill bacteria, OR you can buy new ones from Fillmore

the Mason jar lids can be bought in a sleeve of 175, and you can use them all if you get busy. I used a whole sleeve last year. They are made by Technocap, and they do work in my exerience

Posted by: Kindltot at December 18, 2021 03:37 PM (ZMraq)

69 no guarantee on the re-used caps actually sealing, which is a real concern.
but if you have no other choices, then it can be done.

Posted by: Kindltot at December 18, 2021 03:41 PM (ZMraq)

70 Posted by: Just sayin' at December 18, 2021 02:45 PM (y831n)

They've been making Advent Calendars with chocolate for a while; I guess the next step was with liquor. I think that's been around of a few years. As a kid my family always had Advent calendars and I was quite happy with just opening the little window for the pictures.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at December 18, 2021 04:43 PM (KBCaU)

71 Sorry; that comment was in the wrong thread.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at December 18, 2021 04:44 PM (KBCaU)

72 On topic! Friend came over with his Jeep and a Stihl chainsaw, and we toppled over the dead stump of my mulberry tree, and tried to to cut it up. Damn! that is hard old wood. I will service up my little Homelite saw, and see if I can buck the log up. It has a better chain on it than the Stihl does.

Friend also carried away the large chunk of my dead Saguaro that toppled over in June. He makes walking sticks from the inner poles. They are gorgeous.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at December 18, 2021 04:49 PM (P3gRi)

73 the Mason jar lids can be bought in a sleeve of 175, and you can use them all if you get busy. I used a whole sleeve last year. They are made by Technocap, and they do work in my exerience

Posted by: Kindltot at December 18, 2021 03:37 PM (ZMraq)

Thank you!

Posted by: Miley, the Duchess at December 18, 2021 05:08 PM (Mzdiz)

74 Miley: look up reusing canning lids. You can boil them for about 20 minutes to rejuvinate the seal then reuse them. If i had a 2%fail on new lids, then the reused lids have about a 6% fail. Worth it when you cant find new.

Posted by: S.Lynn at December 25, 2021 02:06 PM (ICbXt)

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