Gardening, Puttering and Adventure Thread, June 29

*****

Good afternoon folks. KT is under the weather and asked if I could fill in. So here I am. Feel free to jump in Gardening, Puttering and Adventures. Just remember no politics or current events. Or you'll be mucking stalls for fertilizer.

Today's opening photo is of the Wisconsin State Flower, wood violet, or Viola papilionacea for those fancy flower gardeners.

It seems every State or Commonwealth has some form of animal, fish, flower, plants, etc.

So how did Wisconsin get the wood violet for state flower instead of the cad yellow dandelion?

Why is the wood violet Wisconsin's state flower?
According to the Wisconsin Blue Book, school children in 1908 nominated four candidates for the state flower: the wood violet, wild rose, trailing arbutus and white water lily. On Arbor Day 1909, the final vote was taken, and the wood violet won. It was officially recognized as Wisconsin's state flower by law in 1949.
However, Wisconsin residents admired the wood violet long before it was the state's official flower, Proflowers.com says. Pictures of the flower appeared on a state stamp all the way back in 1848.
Wood violets top a Spring Sangria cocktail at Goodkind in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood
Are wood violets native to Wisconsin?
Yes, wood violets are native to Wisconsin and much of eastern North America.
According to Proflowers, wood violets can be found in nearly all Wisconsin counties and thrive in wet woodlands.

*****

I have dabbled with perennials and annuals for a few years. Our last home had wonderful perennial flower beds. Plus I added more. Our newest home, 6 years, doesn't have as many beds. But, the beds we do have survived pretty well against the Frozen Tundra winters, Whitetail deer and cottontail rabbits as well as snowshoe hares.

Health has been an issue this year and the flower gardening has been pretty much non-existent. We will have to plant some more perennials and fill the various pots and planters with annuals. Instead of traveling to a garden center, I'm thinking about obtaining a small greenhouse. Holy Moly!!!! I had no idea there were that many plans yet alone videos for greenhouses.

So you're probably thinking, have you ever planted anything from scratch. Glad you asked. I have used milk jugs to act as little mini-greenhouses. I have had success with Lupines, Rudbeckia, Coneflowers, Shasta Daisy to name but a few.

Here's hoping that KT makes a quick recovery and is back next Saturday. Same garden channel, same garden time.

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian at 01:01 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Hey chlorophyll

Posted by: Ciampino - hoisted by petard at June 29, 2024 01:02 PM (qfLjt)

2 What a trooper MisHum!
Thanks for covering for KT.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 29, 2024 01:04 PM (7oAQI)

3 2 What a trooper MisHum!
Thanks for covering for KT.
Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 29, 2024 01:04 PM (7oAQI)

You're welcome
I even get back to my old stomping grounds today, The AoS Pet Thread

Posted by: Misanthropic Humanitarian Who Lives In The Thawed Out Tundra at June 29, 2024 01:05 PM (QXQ4l)

4 Notified the others.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 29, 2024 01:08 PM (7oAQI)

5 Dang it.
The garden thread is my reminder to go weed my garden. Well, its only two tomato plants, but still.
Later gang.

Posted by: Diogenes at June 29, 2024 01:09 PM (W/lyH)

6 Wow, MusHum! You are working overtime today! Thank you for filling in.

Posted by: Emmie at June 29, 2024 01:11 PM (Sf2cq)

7 Gardening thread!!
My weekly reminder I didn't water enough last week.
Probably should get on that.

Posted by: Reforger at June 29, 2024 01:12 PM (xcIvR)

8 Good afternoon Greenthumbs
Have first green tomato starting. Dozens of gree peppers but nothing ripen yet

Posted by: Skip at June 29, 2024 01:13 PM (fwDg9)

9 Errrr...
Mrs. R. is in the shower.
I will wait.

Posted by: Reforger at June 29, 2024 01:13 PM (xcIvR)

10 Mis Hum you are a trooper

Posted by: Skip at June 29, 2024 01:18 PM (fwDg9)

11 We haven't had rain since June 4. Last night we got .07" and were grateful for it. Corn's sad, beans are sad, tomatoes are doing well, peppers are doing well.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at June 29, 2024 01:23 PM (w6EFb)

12 You don’t see them much around this part of TX but head south and east from here and you will see bluebonnets everywhere. Yes it is legal to pick them and has been legal since 1973.

Posted by: Catch Thirty-Thr33 at June 29, 2024 01:24 PM (8sMut)

13 Gramps built a greenhouse using discarded windows. Uncle ran a gas line to it for a small heater in the very middle of it.
Not too many wooden window frames these days.

Posted by: Braenyard at June 29, 2024 01:25 PM (0b3lL)

14 >>> 11 We haven't had rain since June 4. Last night we got .07" and were grateful for it. Corn's sad, beans are sad, tomatoes are doing well, peppers are doing well.
Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at June 29, 2024 01:23 PM (w6EFb)

The average annual rainfall here is just over 48" but the hottest months of summer have the least rain. I'm not sure what we've gotten YTD but it seems to be *way* more than usual (up until a few weeks ago which seems to have started the summer dip). So my fruit trees produced lots of fruit, but they got cooties. And I need to figure out how to reduce or kill the %)&*^)#^& hornworms that always get after the tomatoes.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at June 29, 2024 01:27 PM (llON8)

15
In my younger days I landscaped the hell out of my couple acre property. Two pretty much ornamental putting greens* with cups, flags, sand traps, etc. Tons of shrubs, concrete walkways I installed myself. Plenty of perennials.

Now I look at the walkways that I have to spend a few days every year power-washing, the shrubs I have to trim, the sand traps I have to weed, the high maintenance putting greens, the lawn I have to mow, the beds that need weeding... and I want to go back in time and slay the guy who installed all that 'stuff' over the years.

But it is real purty to look at, at the end of the day when the work is done, drink in hand.

* gonna write more about this

Posted by: Divide by Zero at June 29, 2024 01:27 PM (RKVpM)

16 Yes, thanks MisHum for the "OT" and hope KT is feeling better soon.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at June 29, 2024 01:29 PM (llON8)

17 In East Texas, we have had an extraordinary amount of rain this year. Average YTD total for the end of June is 22.72 inches; 2024 YTD total is 45.71 inches. The plant world has reacted like it's the Garden of Eden! Ironically, some things have *not* flowered as much; I hava a big Hibiscus in front that should have showy big red flowers; I have been giving it fertilizer yet so far not a single bloom, although it has doubled in size and is now nearly 3' tall. Hopefully soon it will burst forth in abundance.

My Crinum Lilies are all starting to bloom, though. They always come out by July 4th.

Posted by: Tom Servo at June 29, 2024 01:31 PM (wyMQY)

18 *Or you'll be mucking stalls for fertilizer.*

She was only a stableman's daughter, but all the horsemen knew her.

Posted by: Sorry. Couldn't resist. at June 29, 2024 01:33 PM (dg+HA)

19
I hava a big Hibiscus in front that should have showy big red flowers; I have been giving it fertilizer yet so far not a single bloom, although it has doubled in size and is now nearly 3' tall. Hopefully soon it will burst forth in abundance.

_________

I understand that Hibiscus does not like a lot of water.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at June 29, 2024 01:33 PM (1Nxff)

20 Feel better, KT!

Posted by: 40 Miles North at June 29, 2024 01:34 PM (uWF4x)

21 Our Century Plants (is that the common lingo?) have bloomed beautifully. Wow.

Posted by: Live from Madhouse Farm at June 29, 2024 01:34 PM (vwMQp)

22 HelenaHandbasket, be glad you missed the mini-hurricane that Tyler got hit with about 3 weeks ago. We're *still* cleaning up downed trees from that mess. (85+ mph straight line winds over most of the city)

Posted by: Tom Servo at June 29, 2024 01:35 PM (wyMQY)

23 Though open containers around didn't get much in them my rain barrel is full from a quick night downpour

Posted by: Skip at June 29, 2024 01:35 PM (fwDg9)

24 My tomatoes are doing much better this year than the prior two, even though they are afflicted with whiteflies. I'm getting accustomed to the different growing conditions in the mid south.

When the sun starts baking the tomatoes around noon, I turn on the water to a drip irrigation line until the shade returns around 6:00. So far I have had no cracking or blossom end rot. I did, however, get a note from the water company who noticed my meter was showing usage while no one was home. They apparently didn't notice the drip line was running and thought we might have an interior leak we should check out.

Posted by: Emmie at June 29, 2024 01:35 PM (Sf2cq)

25 The weather recently has been tough for gardens: very hot and very dry. Haven't had to mow the grass for a couple of weeks. (That part doesn't break my heart.) The squash blossoms in the container couldn't take it and withered even though I was careful about watering but the leaves and stems look healthy. I wonder if there will be follow on blossoms later. However, we have plenty of green cherry tomatoes coming along. I should look at the instructions that came with the plants to see if they are drought hearty.

Posted by: JTB at June 29, 2024 01:35 PM (zudum)

26 kill the %)&*^)#^& hornworms that always get after the tomatoes.
Posted by: Helena Handbasket

BT right?

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 29, 2024 01:36 PM (7oAQI)

27 Hot and muggy day here, so I'll appreciate my flowers from indoors.

Weeded and dug up a flower bed out back. Dug up and trimmed some sad leggy pansies (ha!) and repositioned them in a clump so they'll have more impact. Planted some petunias and blue salvia. The delphiniums are blooming and it all makes for a picture postcard now.

Late spring/early summer reboot.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at June 29, 2024 01:36 PM (kpS4V)

28 Hope KT feels better soon. In the meantime, thanks to Mis Hum for filling in.

Posted by: JTB at June 29, 2024 01:37 PM (zudum)

29 But it is real purty to look at, at the end of the day when the work is done, drink in hand.

* gonna write more about this

Posted by: Divide by Zero at June 29, 2024 01:27 PM (RKVpM)

Maintenance is a bitch. We have so much weeding and watering to do, but it IS beautiful.

Working on getting the hardiest deer-resistant perennials into the beds we've already created, and thinking of ways to cut down on the amount of work that needs to be done.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at June 29, 2024 01:38 PM (w6EFb)

30 The rain has been a tonic for my tomatoes, which are the most fecund triffids I've ever had. Maters the size of my fist. Well, a baby's fist -- but a big baby!

Got a few new varieties that I can't wait to try.

Posted by: All Hail Eris at June 29, 2024 01:39 PM (kpS4V)

31
The little crape myrtle trees we planted a couple of months ago are flowering. It's nice to see. Her Majesty was pleased.

Posted by: Hadrian the Seventh at June 29, 2024 01:39 PM (1Nxff)

32 thinking of ways to cut down on the amount of work that needs to be done.
Posted by: Miley, okravangelist

Heh!
How many feet and rows of corn, tomatoes, and okra do you have planted?

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 29, 2024 01:40 PM (7oAQI)

33 kill the %)&*^)#^& hornworms that always get after the tomatoes.
Posted by: Helena Handbasket

BT right?

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 29, 2024 01:36 PM (7oAQI)

They got 1 1/2 of my Tiny Tim cherry tomatoes, here by the back porch. I cut off the leaf it was on and squooshed it. I promptly went out to the garden to see if my 37 plants had any signs. Not yet. I may go out tonight with a black light to see if there are any little ones out there.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at June 29, 2024 01:42 PM (w6EFb)

34 My Crinum Lilies are all starting to bloom, though. They always come out by July 4th.
Posted by: Tom Servo at June 29, 2024 01:31 PM (wyMQY)

Those sound interesting to me. I quickly skimmed a couple of websites and found there are varieties that are hardy in my zone but nobody's saying anything about fragrance. Do they smell nice?

Posted by: Emmie at June 29, 2024 01:44 PM (Sf2cq)

35 I have a row of Altheas about 3' from the sunny side of the house. A sun/heat barrier. They're 3 years old and about 7' tall. Now the sunny side of the house is the shady side of the house. - yes there are trees that take care of the sun as it rises higher in the sky.

Posted by: Braenyard at June 29, 2024 01:44 PM (0b3lL)

36 We bought a female jojoba last fall and put it on 3 gal ever 3 days. It must like the sun and heat a lot as it has started to put on a growth spurt.
The same for the 7 (now 6 palo verde volunteer trees) that we put on the same watering system. They are on the edge of the property and are really looking good.
All the trees were subsisting on desert rainfall before the drip system. I guess they are reacting favorable to the scheduled watering.

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 29, 2024 01:45 PM (7oAQI)

37 How many feet and rows of corn, tomatoes, and okra do you have planted?

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 29, 2024 01:40 PM (7oAQI)

Ha! Less than last year. 350 ft of corn, 150 ft of okra, 100 ft of tomatoes, 250 ft of green beans (1/3 of which didn't make it), and 100 ft of peas. 12 hills of various melons and 4 of pumpkins.

I'm thinking of planting some Roma green beans to take up the slack.

This year we have mulch cloth between the rows of everything except the corn, and straw in the rows themselves. That should help. When it's dry, the weeds keep growing, so we need to nip that in the bud.

It was a really late start this year, but next year will be different. I want to minimize what Publius needs to do - he's got enough with mowing the fields and tinkering with machines.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at June 29, 2024 01:48 PM (w6EFb)

38
Ha! Less than last year. 350 ft of corn, 150 ft of okra, 100 ft of tomatoes, 250 ft of green beans (1/3 of which didn't make it), and 100 ft of peas. 12 hills of various melons and 4 of pumpkins.
Posted by: Miley, okravangelist

I think I can identify how to lessen the amount of gardening you need to do...
I rest my case!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 29, 2024 01:50 PM (7oAQI)

39 Down the street from us here at Ms G's place, inherited from her mum and dad, are three large specimen shrub trees. The street is one lane one way and is heavily used by bikers and strollers, as it runs along a lakefront.

Very shady street, huge 100 year old red oaks arching overhead, these specimens are bottlebrush buckeye, aesculus parviflora. They are an understory tree, thriving in deep shade, growing in clumps of thin stemmed mini-trees, topping out at maybe 10 feet.

And they are in full flower right now. Gorgeous.

Posted by: Mr Gaga at June 29, 2024 01:51 PM (ZtgZZ)

40 The weather has been tough on lawns and gardens but our Rose of Sharon are thriving. Despite their fragile appearance, they must be pretty tough. We planted some tiny rooted ones 30+ years ago. During that time they have withstood droughts, ice storms, drenching rains that turned the yard into a morass, and an invasion of Japanese beetles for several years. They just continue to grow and flower and have become a pleasant green screen for part of the back yard. Wish I could take credit for their success.

Posted by: JTB at June 29, 2024 01:52 PM (zudum)

41 Oh, and 15 ft of cukes.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at June 29, 2024 01:54 PM (w6EFb)

42 I think I can identify how to lessen the amount of gardening you need to do...
I rest my case!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 29, 2024 01:50 PM (7oAQI)

Dude, this is only 1/3 of the corn we planted last year. Weeding that almost killed me.

Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at June 29, 2024 01:55 PM (w6EFb)

43 Wish I could take credit for their success.
Posted by: JTB

You planted them so it's all on you no matter what you claim!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 29, 2024 02:03 PM (7oAQI)

44 >>> 22 HelenaHandbasket, be glad you missed the mini-hurricane that Tyler got hit with about 3 weeks ago. We're *still* cleaning up downed trees from that mess. (85+ mph straight line winds over most of the city)
Posted by: Tom Servo at June 29, 2024 01:35 PM (wyMQY)

We got something along those lines almost the same time last year and it was *nasty*. Power was out ~60 hours for me and I happened to get in a conversation with a lady from the power co - she mentioned the guys cleaning up the mess were putting in massive OT and some were getting IVs to get re-hydrated. I would guess it's a bit worse in the city and 'burbs with more people affected, and maybe houses closer together makes it more interesting to clear fallen trees.

Also thanks for the numbers on our rainfall - I didn't realize just how much more we'd gotten!

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at June 29, 2024 02:04 PM (llON8)

45 >>> 33
==
They got 1 1/2 of my Tiny Tim cherry tomatoes, here by the back porch. I cut off the leaf it was on and squooshed it. I promptly went out to the garden to see if my 37 plants had any signs. Not yet. I may go out tonight with a black light to see if there are any little ones out there.
Posted by: Miley, okravangelist at June 29, 2024 01:42 PM (w6EFb)

I cut the droopy leaves off mine and gave them to the chickens.

Tried the black light once but no luck - probably little ones at the time and maybe they were hiding on the underside of the leaves? So I might go hunting again tonight. If nothing else I can drop the leaves far away from the plants and hope the toads and frogs find them overnight.

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at June 29, 2024 02:08 PM (llON8)

46 Re: tomato hornworms, there's a biologic treatment that's specific to certain caterpillars, but is nontoxic to other insects, birds and mammals. Check at a real garden center.

Posted by: BillyD at June 29, 2024 02:10 PM (F6Xpw)

47
Wife picked our first produce yesterday. A few radishes.

Posted by: Ronster at June 29, 2024 02:16 PM (TS8/c)

48 Bought the wife a new zero turn mower. She is a little jerky on the steering and goes in circles a lot. She will get it figured out eventually.

Posted by: Ronster at June 29, 2024 02:25 PM (TS8/c)

49 You are so hard-working , MisHum!

Posted by: vmom stabby stabby stabby stabby stabamillion at June 29, 2024 02:25 PM (Ka3bZ)

50 She is a little jerky on the steering and goes in circles a lot

Used to date one like that.

Posted by: Commissar of Plenty and Lysenkoism in Solidarity with the Struggle at June 29, 2024 02:37 PM (7HnhV)

51 I trimmed back my apple branches that were drooping to the ground, and nipped back the asian pear a bit, since I only want it to get six feet tall.
I transplanted all my apple seedlings into larger pots, and I am staking them up to keep them upright. My best grower has put on a yard so far this year and some are sort of spindly.
I lost track of which seedling is what variety, so I will have to wait until they start fruiting, I guess.

The garden is at the point where the only things that seems exuberant are the thistles and pigweed but it is all growing. I am getting peas and greens, so the garden is producing.

Posted by: Kindltot at June 29, 2024 02:41 PM (D7oie)

52 Miley, My solutions are not other people's solutions, but I plant squash in among my corn, so when it gets going it blocks out the weeds. It won't put out as much as if it were in the open, but I don't care since that is not why I plant it there. I plant squash after the corn gets shin-high, since the squash will also shade out the corn if it gets a jump on it.
Eventually all I have to do is shoulder through and pull the thistles and amaranth when they get tall enough, and trim back the squash leaves if they get too enthusiastic.

Posted by: Kindltot at June 29, 2024 02:48 PM (D7oie)

53 I'm doing laundry and considering pilfering a few beautiful hydrangeas from my courtyard. They are a gorgeous medium blue.

Posted by: nurse ratched at June 29, 2024 02:52 PM (xZri3)

54 52 Miley, My solutions are not other people's solutions, but I plant squash in among my corn, so when it gets going it blocks out the weeds. It won't put out as much as if it were in the open, but I don't care since that is not why I plant it there. I plant squash after the corn gets shin-high, since the squash will also shade out the corn if it gets a jump on it.
Eventually all I have to do is shoulder through and pull the thistles and amaranth when they get tall enough, and trim back the squash leaves if they get too enthusiastic.
Posted by: Kindltot at June 29, 2024 02:48 PM (D7oie
Peas under corn, too. It is the way of my people.

Posted by: Eromero at June 29, 2024 03:03 PM (o2ZRX)

55 Nood MisHum pet thread

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at June 29, 2024 03:04 PM (hvsSs)

56 Thanks for the gardening thread, Mis Hum! Hope K.T. gets to feeling better soon!

I am normally busy with other things this time of day on a Saturday, but it's hot enough outside today that i decided to escape the heat. So splendid to have a gardening thread to escape to!

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at June 29, 2024 03:04 PM (U3L4U)

57 Ben Shapiro on the radio, yesterday, claiming that Trump took his debate advice. I had to listen a few more minutes - I think he really believes it.

Posted by: Braenyard at June 29, 2024 03:13 PM (0b3lL)

58 oops wrong thread

Posted by: Braenyard at June 29, 2024 03:14 PM (0b3lL)

59 Eminem, I’m late to answer but the Crinums have a nice scent but not very strong. They are a classic southern planting, they do well in heat and are very lovely to look at. Lots of varieties, I have reddish-pink.

Posted by: Tom Servo at June 29, 2024 03:42 PM (pgG81)

60 From Boise area: Highs near 100 F, so all garden work is done early. I planted some purple sweet potato slips I got as remainders, and will see what I can get out of them with a shorter growing season than they prefer (they can hide in the mini-greenhouse if there's an early frost).

The red penstemon and fireweed are blooming by the shed. The purple larkspurs, columbine, yellow chamomile, and Sweet William pinks are blooming in the raised bed. The small day-lilies out front are blooming and the backyard large one is budding. The linden tree is blooming so the yellow swallowtails are active.

We pruned the barberries out front. I hand-sheared the grass and weeds around the tomato bags so Husband could actually get in there with a weed-whacker.

I had to dig a surprise potato plant out of the strawberry bed, which had only formed one small potato - I needed the space for strawberry runners. I've been harvesting shelling peas, and oregano. I made some ground eggshell-vinegar-water solution and put it on all the tomatoes, in hopes of preventing blossom end rot, which we've had lots of problems with. I spotted the first tomatoes on one of the plants!

Posted by: Pat* at June 29, 2024 04:37 PM (cA2eT)

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