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Saturday Gardening Thread: February 9 [KT]

crbapp.jpg

From Le Garde Vieux:

This Crab Apple is a delicate color.

But there's more, from a little earlier:

If you look in the background you can see the redbud trees are blooming also.

Yes, I know that the red buds are actually pink. Don't start with me. This is Alabama.

legardog.jpg

Dogs love red bud trees.

Early Bulbs Bloom

Diogenes sent in the following harbinger of spring last week:

my first bloom of the year.
While the rest of the country is locked in ice, here is the Pacific NW it is unusually balmy today (54*) and this little fellow popped up.

acrocus.jpg

If a crocus comes out and sees its shadow . . . .

I understand that more have come out since, but that they are now under the snow.

And Le Vieux Garde sent the following cheery photo, a follow-up to the photo of the daffodil buds he sent a couple of weeks ago:

They were blooming on 1st of February as I predicted but I was too busy doing less important things to take a photo that day.

daffydl.jpg

Anybody recognize the little creeper blooming under the main attraction?

Winter Gardening

Don in Kansas has gone indoors for some garden photos:

Tolumnia1.jpg

Outside there's snow and ice, but under the lights in the kitchen there's color, such as the Tolumnia above.

Go to the link above to see this and another photo in three dimensions.

TolumniaPinkPanther.jpg

Pink Panther

Gordon in Minnesota is growing basil indoors. He reports that it likes the light.

It likes it so much that the basil is raising this corner of the fixture. It presses so hard against it that it takes some effort to pull the plant away.

basilli.jpg

Interesting light array.

Wonder if some of that basil will be trimmed back for use in a Valentines Day treat?

Gordon also has a question. Any ideas for him?

And if you know of a good source for serious info on flower bulbs, I'd like to know more. Do I really have to dig them up every year?

And some nice information and visuals for us:

We purchased a membership to the arboretum, so I will go see their winter show, which is kind of not huge. Think of nine 10x10 displays based on various countries.

Thanks, Gordon.

Edible Gardening

I have seen seed packets on display even in drug stores. Time to get serious.

Hank Curmudgeon sent in an article about an elementary school student who won a thousand dollar scholarship by growing a giant cabbage in a Bonnie Plants program.

bgcabb.jpg

Could your child be a winner next season?

Valentines Day, Travel and Romance

It's winter here, but not in the Southern Hemisphere. How about we visit New Zealand for some information on roses and other flowers for Valentines Day, lush photos plus a legend about St. Valentine that I hadn't encountered before, which is supposed to explain Valentines Day greetings. Anybody heard this one?

So how did Valentine, a Catholic priest, get in on the act? He was a bishop during the time of the Roman Emperor Claudius the Goth, who outlawed marriage as he felt young men would refuse to go off to fight to maintain his empire if they had wives.

Valentine started marrying couples in secret and word got back to Claudius, who condemned the bishop to death. The prisoner supposedly began exchanging notes with the daughter of his jailer and his last message before he was beheaded in AD 270 ended, ``From your Valentine''.

I also didn't know that Robert Burns died when he was only 37.

I wonder if the casual references to death in the piece above are intended to remind us to stop and smell the roses?

Now it's off to the UK for advice on turning your garden into a love nest.

When you live life at full throttle, you deserve some quiet time to yourself. You need to be in pleasant surroundings and the garden is the perfect place. There's no travelling involved, all home comforts are on the doorstep and it's open all hours.

I reckon that any modern garden should generate less guilt and more romance, so with St Valentine's Day upon us, now's the time to be thinking about how to achieve it.

You can add all sorts of self-indulgent touches to your existing garden without doing a major makeover.

However, the article includes a video from the USA with what seems to me to be a major makeover. Beautiful, though.

There are many suggestions in the piece from the UK. Several are much simpler than the designs in the video. Then there are roses.

The ultimate romantic flowers are roses, but they need to be strongly scented to pull it off. My favourites are "Paul Shirville" (a pale peachy-pink hybrid tea) and "Margaret Merril" (a pearly-white floribunda). Both keep flowering reliably through the summer and they're good for cutting.

For fragrance, try "Madame Gregoire Staechelin", a climbing rose with large, blowsy, pale- pink flowers or "Madame Isaac Pereire" with very rumpled flowers in a shade best described as soft puce.

Red roses have a reputation for romance and "Deep Secret" has the wow factor.

Do you have a favorite fragrant rose?

Critters

Not much time to see the Monarch at Pismo Beach. The grove closes at the end of the month. It's quite a sight if you ever have a chance to see them.

Gardens of the Horde

Wee Kreek Farm Girl sent some updates. Here is a sample. More next week:

We are having a bit of a cold spell here, flirting with 32 degrees. I thought I would send you a picture of our freeze precautions we have to take with our mango tree. Also a picture of the heat source we put inside. A mango tree can take cold down to 25 degrees, however it will die back to the trunk and you will not get any mangoes that year as the tree puts all its energy into growing back its limbs, ask me how I know. So now whenever we get below 35 out come the lamps and sheets. This is a Carrie Mango and we got the most unbelievable Mangoes from it two years ago a year after we put it in and last year it got hit by a frost so I am hoping for Mangoes this year again if all goes well. I don't think I ever had a truly ripe mango before I grew one. From what I have read you aren't supposed to pick mangoes you are supposed to let them fall off the tree, then they are ripe.

mngo2.JPG

mngo.JPG

Lastly a picture of one of my lemons on the tree. This is a lisbon lemon, this is the best year we have ever had from this tree which we put in 14 years ago. It has given us many, many lemons this year and they are HUGE. I am not sure if you can tell from the pictures but they are bigger than grapefruit. I have had to freeze some of the juice as we are getting so many at once it is difficult to use them all. We had a lemon cream pasta sauce last night just trying to use up some juice. No complaining however, as it has taken 14 years to get here.

llemon.JPG

That's not how I normally think of Lisbon lemons. The pasta sounds delicious.


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 want to remain a lurker.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 12:58 PM




Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Is that cabbage pic for real? If so, that is really, really big.

Posted by: HH at February 09, 2019 12:58 PM (mIJBI)

2 I put an upside down box over my new finger lime tree. It didn't actually freeze but stayed at 34 degrees for over 24 hours.

Posted by: lin-duh at February 09, 2019 01:02 PM (kufk0)

3 Hi KT!!

Posted by: Weasel at February 09, 2019 01:03 PM (MVjcR)

4 Hi lin-duh!

Posted by: Weasel at February 09, 2019 01:04 PM (MVjcR)

5 If my fruit tree saplings (put in a year ago) are already showing new growth, is it too late to prune them? It was on my "to do" list last month and just sort of slipped.

Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at February 09, 2019 01:05 PM (qc+VF)

6 Anybody recognize the little creeper blooming under the main attraction?
-----
Looks kinda like marjoram.

Posted by: Captain Obvious at February 09, 2019 01:06 PM (Hx3Yn)

7
I just checked. I'm in the southeast corner of Pennsylvania and my bulbs are popping already. Maybe in six weeks or so they'll bloom.

Posted by: Newest Nic at February 09, 2019 01:06 PM (jYje5)

8 Oh thank goodness, pretty garden pics on top of the ugly modern art. We got a taste of winter here the past few days. Just a few inches of snow, but it was cold enough to have that winter squeak. Warming up today.

Posted by: PaleRider is simply irredeemable at February 09, 2019 01:06 PM (wLU3U)

9 Hey weasel! All set for tonight? Is weasel lady going too?

Posted by: lin-duh at February 09, 2019 01:08 PM (kufk0)

10 My redbud blooms are purple.

Posted by: BignJames at February 09, 2019 01:08 PM (cxHbL)

11 My redbud blooms are purple.
Posted by: BignJames
-----
showoff!!!

Posted by: lin-duh at February 09, 2019 01:08 PM (kufk0)

12 HH at February 09, 2019 12:58 PM

I'm just surprised that cabbage isn't from Alaska.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at February 09, 2019 01:11 PM (BVQ+1)

13 Speaking of critters, the warm weather had the frogs sounding off very, very loudly. I could hear them through the apartment door.
Yesterday we had a cold snap. The frogs were all silent. Hope they're okay, but the lack of noise is kind of refreshing.

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at February 09, 2019 01:12 PM (l9m7l)

14 That's an very large cab bage


Posted by: REDACTED at February 09, 2019 01:12 PM (RZ6R1)

15 hiya

Posted by: JT at February 09, 2019 01:12 PM (ejTiV)

16 I'm in the mood for garden porn.

Posted by: Miley, the Duchess at February 09, 2019 01:12 PM (NMAzL)

17 Hi, Weasel!

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at February 09, 2019 01:12 PM (BVQ+1)

18 lin-duh at February 09, 2019 01:02 PM

Are there hardiness guidelines for the finger lime?

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at February 09, 2019 01:13 PM (BVQ+1)

19 Hey Weasel! Wish this had been set up last year - my NoVA days are done

Posted by: Miley, the Duchess at February 09, 2019 01:14 PM (NMAzL)

20 Is that cabbage pic for real? If so, that is really, really big.

It's proof that pixies are real!
-- Arthur Conan Doyle

Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at February 09, 2019 01:15 PM (qc+VF)

21 Bob the Bilderberg at February 09, 2019 01:05 PM

Dormant pruning leads to new growth where you make pruning cuts. Pruning during active growth does not. It is recommended to prune apricots during dry weather if possible.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at February 09, 2019 01:15 PM (BVQ+1)

22 Is the gardener with the huge lemons here? Can you overnight some of that frozen lemon juice to me? I'll pay for it!!

Posted by: kallisto at February 09, 2019 01:16 PM (DJFLF)

23 Captain Obvious at February 09, 2019 01:06 PM

Yes, it does. Don't think it is marjoram, though.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at February 09, 2019 01:16 PM (BVQ+1)

24 wuts this crab apple u speakem of

crabapple white man

Posted by: Liz at February 09, 2019 01:17 PM (RZ6R1)

25 Taking my wife to the orchid greenhouse/nursery for Valentines Day.....lunch and or dinner included.

https://carter-and-holmes.com/

Posted by: BignJames at February 09, 2019 01:18 PM (cxHbL)

26 Dormant pruning leads to new growth where you make pruning cuts. Pruning during active growth does not.

Thank you. I might be good then because it's some lower branches that I want gone.

Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at February 09, 2019 01:19 PM (qc+VF)

27 Posted by: Bob the Bilderberg at February 09, 2019 01:15 PM (qc+VF)

Heh...

Oddly enough, I know what yer talking about.

Posted by: HH at February 09, 2019 01:19 PM (mIJBI)

28 Had a eastern Redbud I planted like 12 yrs ago.

Killer tree

Big maple fell this winter and whacked it

Now I'm sadz

Posted by: REDACTED at February 09, 2019 01:19 PM (RZ6R1)

29 Now I'm sadz

Posted by: REDACTED at February 09, 2019 01:19 PM (RZ6R1)

Too bad.....they're beautiful in early spring.

Posted by: BignJames at February 09, 2019 01:22 PM (cxHbL)

30 Too bad.....they're beautiful in early spring.
Posted by: BignJames at February 09, 2019 01:22 PM (cxHbL)

IK I'm really bummed

Posted by: REDACTED at February 09, 2019 01:22 PM (RZ6R1)

31 Wow. Such wonderful colors for a February morn. Gotta find me a crab apple tree. Thanks for the pretty.

Posted by: The Invisible Hand at February 09, 2019 01:23 PM (YpRda)

32 Not a lot of time to comment today but I'll be back to read the post and comments later tonight. The gardening thread is a pleasant weekly interlude and I never miss it. Thanks KT.

PS: I love the brown poodle and the little girl with the cabbage. (Yes, I'm imagining 50 gallons of sauerkraut and the world's biggest boiled dinner.)

Posted by: JTB at February 09, 2019 01:23 PM (bmdz3)

33 The kid that won a scholarship actually LOST. If she goes to college instead of works in a nursery, she risks becoming traumatized for life by the snowflakes and faculty around her.

Posted by: Jonah Kyle at February 09, 2019 01:25 PM (SH7Tr)

34 Just noticed that I hadn't included the photo of the mango tree in its frost enclosure. Check it out.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at February 09, 2019 01:26 PM (BVQ+1)

35 "Balmy?"

You should be on THIS side of the hill.

Winter took its sweet time getting here... But, Oh boy.

Posted by: franksalterego at February 09, 2019 01:29 PM (3cq8T)

36 is that apricot poodle or a goldendoodle ?

Posted by: REDACTED at February 09, 2019 01:30 PM (RZ6R1)

37 Posted by: BignJames at February 09, 2019 01:18 PM (cxHbL)
That sounds like a lovely outing.
Longwood Gardens is hosting its annual Orchid Extravaganza until March 24.

Posted by: kallisto at February 09, 2019 01:30 PM (DJFLF)

38
9 Hey weasel! All set for tonight? Is weasel lady going too?
Posted by: lin-duh at February 09, 2019 01:08 PM (kufk0)
-----
Tonight?

Posted by: Weasel at February 09, 2019 01:35 PM (MVjcR)

39 Hi Miley! I blame bluebell.

Posted by: Weasel at February 09, 2019 01:35 PM (MVjcR)

40 Love that little crocus. So brave. Diogenes has some naturalized together. He thinks that first one is a "Tommie". As I recall, they're not supposed to be as tasty to rodents as some of the other species.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at February 09, 2019 01:36 PM (BVQ+1)

41 36 that's Molly Golightly, a six y/o standard poodle. She's apricot under all that mud.
She says she's a water dog not a show dog.

Le Garde Vieux

Posted by: Le Garde Vieux at February 09, 2019 01:38 PM (swldI)

42 Wee Farm Girl

You didn't mention where you are.
That's an impressive lemon.

Posted by: Le Garde Vieux at February 09, 2019 01:39 PM (swldI)

43 And if you know of a good source for serious info on flower bulbs, I'd
like to know more. Do I really have to dig them up every year? [i/]
Gordon, I am no expert, but I had a small gardening side-business in Los Angeles for several years, and specialized in basic flower bulbs. We also have an 'ette who works for a bulb company; not sure if she knows anything per se, and I"ll let her decide of she wants to speak up! (Not sure if she even comes on the Gardening Thread, to be honest!)

Everything depends on where you live; I could recommend books, but it wouldn't do you any good if you live in area with a different climate than the author is writing about.
You dig bulbs to protect them from the cold, and it's generally things like dahlias and amaryllis, which come from places like Mexico ( dahlias) and Africa (amaryllis)
I don't dig my dahlias up here in Zone 6b; I probably should, but most of them do just fine. We have long hot summers, and our winters can be very cold, but are almost always never very long and are always tempered by days in the 60s and 70s.
You don't have to dig tulips and daffodils, but you may have to grow tulips as annuals if you live in a warm climate like Los Angeles. Many bulbs need cold spells.
Anything else, I'd be happy to see if I can answer, but I can't guarantee I'd be able to!


Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at February 09, 2019 01:48 PM (s17JZ)

44 I used to grow antique roses. My favorite for fragrance was the red hybrid perpetual General Jacqueminot, or "General Jack." In appearance it is an okay red rose, but the fragrance is intense. It only blooms once a year, though when it does the display is spectacular. It's in the family tree of most modern red roses.

Eglantine is also memorably fragrant, though it's the foliage that's aromatic. It smells like apples. When conditions are right, you can smell it from thirty feet away. Although easy to grow, it's not for small gardens: it gets big, and the prickles are fierce.

I'm also quite fond of rugosa roses. Their fragrance is different from most other roses, being spicy rather than fruity.

Posted by: Don at February 09, 2019 01:49 PM (2odZQ)

45 SORRY!

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at February 09, 2019 01:50 PM (s17JZ)

46 I have a potting shed/small porch on the back side of my garage. (open to the yard along one side) This year, I covered the open area with heavy sheet plastic and put a small electric heater inside; it's worked out very well as an easy to do winter greenhouse.

Posted by: Tom Servo at February 09, 2019 01:52 PM (V2Yro)

47 If you have too many lemons, you can also make preserved lemons. Just follow the instructions on the internet. Basically you cut them in half, sprinkle very generously in kosher salt, and smush them all into a jar together until the juice covers them. I use a saurkraut stomper to really smash them down. I can get 6-8 little meyer lemons into a pint canning jar. Your giants may need to be cut up a bit more! Apply canning lid and let mature at room temperature for one month. Refrigerate. Keeps indefinitely.

To use, remove a rind, scrape off and discard the lemon pulp, rinse the peel under running water, and then chop up for use. You can also soak them for a while in water to extract more salt.

Bright, lemony flavor infuses into your food without the lemon acidity or extra liquid from juice. I love mincing them with garlic for making a rub on baked chicken.

Posted by: lauraw at February 09, 2019 01:56 PM (/NTv1)

48 Don in Ks. has a good eye and a good camera!
It's cold here, and crappy, but last week I brought a sprig of witchhazel in.
Spidery little yellow flower, but what a harbinger of spring.
Sorry, didn't think to take a pic.

Posted by: MarkY at February 09, 2019 01:57 PM (QJZQO)

49 Good afternoon Greenthumbs and Snowmen.
Wondering if giant cabbage would be bitter tasting

Posted by: Skip at February 09, 2019 01:57 PM (/rm4P)

50 Don,
Rugosas here are on the way out. Very subject to the viral rosette disease... few beds left.
I have NOT seen the problem on hybrid teas or climbers.

Posted by: MarkY at February 09, 2019 02:01 PM (QJZQO)

51 What is the best way to search the oldest archives here?

First comment of mine I can google is May 15, 2004. But it wasn't my first.

Posted by: blaster at February 09, 2019 02:01 PM (ZfRYq)

52 I love old roses, too, but Madame Isaac does best when you peg her ( get yer minds out' the gutter, Morons) and is thorny as all get out. Madame Gregoire is a beauty, and does best where you can view her from underneath, as she has a rather droopy habit. (Forgive me i the video addresses this, it won't play for me)
My favorite antique roses are the Bourbons and Portlands. Comte de Chambord is a fave and I think David Austin used her in his breeding. Louise Odier is a stunner, too. I think Madame Isaac is a Bourbon. Zepherine Drouhin is a climbing Bourbon that is all but thornless, smells insanely good and is reputed to do well in shadier spots. I have never had much luck with her in any situation, and I find the color rather garish, but the few blooms I did get really did have incredible fragrance.
Between the deer and the humid Southern nights, I am about ready to give up on roses, though.

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at February 09, 2019 02:02 PM (s17JZ)

53 I used to keep hybrid teas, Tammy. I've been told by people with swimming pools, it's a toss-up which is more labor intensive.

Posted by: MarkY at February 09, 2019 02:04 PM (QJZQO)

54 Posted by: MarkY at February 09, 2019 01:57 PM (QJZQO)

Do you have a fragrant variety? I have Jelena, got her for Fall color, which is magnificent, but she has no scent whatsoever.

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at February 09, 2019 02:04 PM (s17JZ)

55 After 36 years of marriage I still think the sight of my wife bent over working in the garden is sexy! I love gardening, just saying. Still trying to talk her into naked gardening.

Posted by: Publius Erectius Ignoramus (formerly functionally erect) at February 09, 2019 02:05 PM (5yqyH)

56 From Idaho's Treasure Valley: We've had a mild season, which I guess I could describe as a several-months long late autumn. Now Winter has showed up. Not much below freezing today, but there's an inch of snow that was trying to come down sideways all morning, and a stormy/snowy week predicted.

Husband had a tree guy in to give an estimate on bringing a crew and truck, and spending the whole day looking over our 20-ish trees and pruning them properly. Their current schedule has them here on Valentines Day (!). (The romantic garden above is... well, very nice... but I truly enjoy walking between my raised beds, even in winter, remembering all the food my husband and I have grown together, all the planning we've done together, all the work we've done together, all the garden pleasures yet to come - and who's to say that's not just as romantic?)

Raked more leaves on Thursday, to be sure it got done before the snow hit. I'd already finished the part of my lawn on the north side of the driveway. This week, I finished the section inside the arc of the driveway ("the outer island"), and just got started on the south side, the largest section - with 2 Annoying Sycamores, and a butt-ton or two of their leaves still waiting for me...

Not much to say this week, so my Johnny-Jump-Ups can have their moment in the (weak) Sun - yesterday I checked, and yes, there were still flowers out there. If anyone needs something that's winter-tough, this is your baby!

The creeper with the daffodils looks like Persian Speedwell (Veronica persica) - I used to have that in the lawns of my CA house and always looked forward to its little blooms.

Posted by: Pat* at February 09, 2019 02:08 PM (2pX/F)

57 I spoke too soon about my crocus. It's now buried under 12 inches of global warming.

Posted by: Diogenes at February 09, 2019 02:09 PM (0tfLf)

58 Posted by: MarkY at February 09, 2019 02:04 PM (QJZQO)

I've never had a pool, but roses can be VERY labor intensive! I am not gonna spray, and pruneconstantly and so forth, so I never attempted too many HTs; I had a few floribundas, iirc, but mostly stuck to David Austins and the old fashioned ones. And that was in L.A., where you don't have near the issues you do out in the Ozarkian countryside, LOL!
Speaking of David Austin, he passed away in December. I was so devastated to hear it; I had hoped to meet him this summer. What a contribution he made to horticulture. And by all accounts, a lovely, humble British gentleman of the old school. 92 years is a good run, though. God rest his soul.

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at February 09, 2019 02:10 PM (s17JZ)

59 Actually went back to the archives. First ace posts here at ace.mu.nu are in April 2004. My first post is May 15, 2004.

A couple names from that era. Lauraw and JeffB.

Posted by: blaster at February 09, 2019 02:12 PM (ZfRYq)

60 Tammy, I have none now.
I used to keep the "classics" cause I loved fragrance more than color... Chrysler Imperial, JFK, Peace, etc.
I really don't know if they're classics, but they were the same types that my Dad kept when i was a kid, so... classics!

Kansas City has a Rose Garden just south of the Plaza in a park that, when a wedding's not going on, is worth the price of admission (free).
Hare & Hare design.

Posted by: MarkY at February 09, 2019 02:12 PM (QJZQO)

61 Anybody recognize the little creeper blooming under the main attraction?

Pretty sure that's ground ivy.

Posted by: Dusty at February 09, 2019 02:13 PM (F+8iM)

62 https://tinyurl.com/y6l9o2s7

Posted by: MarkY at February 09, 2019 02:16 PM (QJZQO)

63 " Is the gardener with the huge lemons here? Can you overnight some of that frozen lemon juice to me? I'll pay for it!!"

I am here, and yes I do have large lemons.. don't know why they grow that big but they do.

Thanks for the tip about preserving lemons, I may have to try that. I like Lemon pickle that you get in the Indian restaurants, maybe I could do that.

Le Garde Vieux, I am 30 minutes north of Phoenix in Arizona.



Posted by: wee kreek farm girl at February 09, 2019 02:17 PM (2F2iG)

64 Twenty degrees out, 6 to 8 inches of new snow, wind blowing 25 + mph I'm heading back to my work room to check my seed inventory

Posted by: Publius Erectius Ignoramus (formerly functionally erect) at February 09, 2019 02:17 PM (5yqyH)

65 I agree with Pat that the little creeper is speedwell, or veronica. It produces a pretty little lavender flower,

Posted by: Ama at February 09, 2019 02:19 PM (7RgAz)

66 Posted by: MarkY at February 09, 2019 02:12 PM (QJZQO)

I kneel in awe before you for growing roses in KC! I struggle mightily in Northern Arkansas! Next time I am up that way, I"ll search out that garden, thanks so much!
Totally agree on the fragrance... that's why I like the older varieties and Austins, too! Even the (usually) once-a-year bloom on the old roses is totally worth it for that angelic fragrance.

I am blessed with wild roses down here... there's a week in June where I almost can't go inside. When they're blooming, it kinda makes you wonder what's left over for Heaven.

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at February 09, 2019 02:19 PM (s17JZ)

67 That little thing under the daffs is speedwell. A weedy species of veronica.

Posted by: Cornfed at February 09, 2019 02:19 PM (D4vhB)

68 57

hah.

Posted by: franksalterego at February 09, 2019 02:21 PM (3cq8T)

69 Blooms in other parts of the country right now piss me off. It's so friggin' cold and snowy right now in the Heartland. Ugghhh. There is no way the bulbs are going to come up early this year.

Posted by: Cornfed at February 09, 2019 02:21 PM (D4vhB)

70 And I'll third the Veronica, makes a great groundcover, albeit invasive in some scenarios. Never when you want it to be, though, which I always thought was odd.

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at February 09, 2019 02:23 PM (s17JZ)

71 Don at February 09, 2019 01:49 PM

I have been intrigued by the idea of Eglantine Roses, but never dared plant one. I have had some Rugosas, including a hybrid bred by Ralph Moore, whom I met once.

Interesting guy.

The hips of rugosa roses can be so big. I think they were the preferred kinds used to prevent scurvy in the UK during WWII.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at February 09, 2019 02:23 PM (BVQ+1)

72 I am normally not a huge fan of white blooms or weeping forms of anything, but I have seen the prettiest crabapple on a youtube channel I subscribe to (Garden Answer, highly recommend!) It's called Donald Weyman, or something like that. Really pretty.

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at February 09, 2019 02:25 PM (s17JZ)

73 MarkY at February 09, 2019 02:16 PM

What a beautiful photo!

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at February 09, 2019 02:26 PM (BVQ+1)

74 Mark Y

Is that Fellows?

Posted by: pawn at February 09, 2019 02:26 PM (RQgLd)

75 MarkY, it's a shame about the rugosas and disease.

Chrysler Imperial was another of my favorites. Excellent color, form and fragrance, and the plants could take the Kansas heat. You did have to pick the flowers before they fully opened in hot weather, though, or the heat would blast them. (This is the case for all deep red roses here.) I also liked Peace, though it had at best a weak fragrance. Another hybrid tea that does well in Kansas is Tiffany, pink and yellow and nicely fragrant.

Posted by: Don at February 09, 2019 02:28 PM (2odZQ)

76 I need to stop on way home soon to get a gas line replacement for my tractor, which then will get me to gather leaves. Have a pikle out back that need to be chopped up for the compost pile.

Posted by: Skip at February 09, 2019 02:28 PM (/rm4P)

77 Fellows?
It's at Loose Park. 160 acres, and the most used park in the city. A de facto arboretum, pond, walking trail on the periphery, playground for the kiddies, site of a Civil War battle... and safe, which is the jewel in the crown.

Posted by: MarkY at February 09, 2019 02:30 PM (QJZQO)

78 My Meyer lemon tree has gone crazy and I spent last night making a bunch of preserved lemons for my friends and me. The kitchen smelled amazing! I love the smell of citrus.
My only citrus tree that has not yet produced fruit is the kaffir lime tree. But I only use the leaves on that so it doesn't really matter. That one needs a ton of iron and nitrogen to stay green.

Posted by: keena at February 09, 2019 02:31 PM (RiTnx)

79 Play nice, all.
Time to go fire up the stove in the woodshed, and pretend to be productive.
Can't WAIT for spring!

Posted by: MarkY at February 09, 2019 02:33 PM (QJZQO)

80 Tammy al-Thor at February 09, 2019 02:02 PM

Great information. Thanks. Ever grown one of the roses that were famous in New Orleans and environs? Some of the Teas and Bourbons come to mind. I've seen some spectacular second-story roses. Too tall for deer to reach the blossoms.

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at February 09, 2019 02:34 PM (BVQ+1)

81

Posted by: KTbarthedoor at February 09, 2019 02:34 PM (BVQ+1)

Too cold here for classic teas ( most of which are yellow) . I do at the moment have one ( a pair) that is much ballyhooed for having survived Katrina fully unscathed and bursting in bloom a month later, but after 4 years, it has not impressed me much.
Climbers take a while to settle in, but after 4 years, I still only get scattered bloom. Not worth it to me, though it is very disease resistant and I don't mind having bought them, since the proceeds went towards something which escapes me at the moment...maybe resuscitating the gardens that were destroyed?
Let me go look it up, it seems like it should have been perfect for my area..

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at February 09, 2019 02:43 PM (s17JZ)

82 Balmy in the Pacific Northwest??????

I got 5+" of snow and it is projected to snow all next week . . . .

Posted by: The Man from Athens at February 09, 2019 02:48 PM (QMwOT)

83 Peggy Martin is the name they gave it. My front porch has a bridge off of it.. can you imagine how excited I was to get this rose?? Alas.
Even though mine have not performed as advertised, it's a lovely story.

https://tinyurl.com/yy8vpnlk
The problem with deer eating the roses is that they eat the canes,.... wouldn't matter if it grew 20 stories tall, the damned things would just cut them off a foot off the ground.

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at February 09, 2019 02:51 PM (s17JZ)

84 Wife just read the posts. Got the raised eyebrow look. Suggested I go out and start the naked gardening now. Windchill is below zero, think I'll pass on that.

Posted by: Publius Erectius Ignoramus (formerly functionally erect) at February 09, 2019 02:53 PM (5yqyH)

85 -3F with -24 windchill here. The frost plants are doing well. Good harvest of snow.

Posted by: Archer at February 09, 2019 02:59 PM (vzk+c)

86 Thanks for reminding me it is time to prune my raspberry patch. I will do that now.
I don't know if a raspberry patch is much of a garden, but raspberries and tomatoes are the extent of it here for the time being.

Posted by: Bad Science at February 09, 2019 03:00 PM (SV+lA)

87 Wow, I could sure make a lot of cabbage rolls with that sucker!

Posted by: Jewells45 at February 09, 2019 03:02 PM (dUJdY)

88 Made a comment during the week heard some weather organisation is claiming last year was the 4th hottest ever, yet I can't get tomatoes to grow because of the wet cool weather.

Posted by: Skip at February 09, 2019 03:08 PM (/rm4P)

89 nice to see the early blooms ... redbuds and crabapple make nice displays. This spring I'll receive a Royalty Flowering crabapple as a replacement for one that never budded out last year. The other flowering trees I have are inside the garden fence ... with intent to move some of them into deer territory when they are larger.

The biggest thing I'm planting this spring is all my power lines (to the house and others to barns) that have really cluttered my Eastern view. No more overhead wires within 100 yards of the house ... which will be nice. The snow mostly melted and the grass underneath still has a little green, but winter still in full force.

One of my uncle's middle name was Valentine ... must be a good old German name. cheers to the gardeners ...

Posted by: illiniwek at February 09, 2019 03:08 PM (Cus5s)

90 That little green thing looks to be what is called around here ground ivy or creeping charley. It is labeled as a weed, but I value it as a worry free ground cover. It thrives in shade and does tend to dive for cover if it starts receiving too much sun. Reproduction is dead easy. Pinch off a branch of it, carry it to where you want it to grow, then drop it. That's it. If you happen to step on it, it releases a beautiful odor. In my yard, it covers a multitude of sins. It requires absolutely no care whatsoever, although I have been known to give a favorite clump a drink of water during a long dry spell.

Posted by: Captain Josepha Sabin at February 09, 2019 03:14 PM (lag2z)

91 Posted by: Publius Erectius Ignoramus (formerly functionally erect) at February 09, 2019 02:53 PM (5yqyH)

LOL!!!!

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at February 09, 2019 03:15 PM (s17JZ)

92 I set up a beehive next to my Meyer lemon and mandarin orange trees. The interior of the hive is over 90 degrees, which I think has allowed my citrus to thrive in coastal Pacific Northwet for over 15 years, so far.

Posted by: ram at February 09, 2019 03:18 PM (FpyGl)

93 The creeper looks like "Herb Robert".

Posted by: lonetown at February 09, 2019 03:23 PM (RJNUb)

94 KT,
Do you have the albino gecko? We have 4 geckos, one is an albino.

Posted by: lin-duh at February 09, 2019 03:59 PM (kufk0)

95 Skip, if it's a NASA claim, you can disregard it. Their climatology is so corrupted that sadly, none of their claims can be relied upon.

Tammy, my bulbs are in zone 4 Minnesota.

Posted by: Gordon Scott at February 09, 2019 06:08 PM (sQFKZ)

96 Haven't been around to visit the gardening thread.

Daffodils are in bloom at Che Blake.

Also, there are trees that bloom early around the area that are covered in white blossoms. I can't find the name, though.

KT, any idea?

Large white blossoms, very rough bark on the tree.

Posted by: Blake - used bridge salesman at February 09, 2019 06:48 PM (WEBkv)

97 Posted by: Gordon Scott at February 09, 2019 06:08 PM (sQFKZ)

I have in-laws up there!
What bulbs are you wanting to grow?

Posted by: Tammy al-Thor at February 09, 2019 06:53 PM (s17JZ)

98 Blake - used bridge salesman at February 09, 2019 06:48 P
There are flowering pears around here. Some are spectacular. Trees with bigger blossoms may be some kind of magnolia.

Posted by: KT at February 09, 2019 07:42 PM (BVQ+1)

99 lin-duh at February 09, 2019 03:59 PM
The albino gecko in the Pet Thread belongs to a friend's daughter and her husband. He was given custody of it through his work.

Posted by: KT at February 09, 2019 07:48 PM (BVQ+1)

100 Thanks KT.

I'll try to get a picture.

When these trees bloom around Bakersfield, it's spectacular.

Oddly enough, these trees bloom before Spring and the blossoms are gone right around the time Spring starts in the Central Valley.

Posted by: Blake - used bridge salesman at February 09, 2019 08:50 PM (WEBkv)

101 "When these trees bloom around Bakersfield" sounds like a Buck Owens song.

Posted by: Gordon at February 10, 2019 07:30 AM (0YEyB)

102 I didn't know that the Flowering Quince was a part of the Crabapple family.

Posted by: jefferson101 at February 10, 2019 08:51 AM (DVYF2)

103 They are both members of the Rosaceae, so they in fact are in the same family. And yes, it is a bit early for flowering crabs, probably even in Alabama.

Posted by: Don at February 10, 2019 03:05 PM (2odZQ)

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