How Does Your Garden Grow?

[davi_el_mejor]

We did plant or buy any of the petunias or snap dragons that have popped up in the containers. They're like a thank you gift from nature

The main deck is about 12x8 feet and the tomato landing is about 5x8 feet just to give some dimensions. So if you think you don't have room to do a nice garden, think again!

 

[Gailey]

Davi,

Here is a link that will help you with your tomatoes.

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/art ... atoes.aspx.

Heck, what happened to the hyperlink symbol????

 

[artdecogirl]

Davi, you have awesome container skills! And Neena & Mia are adorable!!!

 

[Loves Vintage]

I wanted to repost my before and after pic again, because, well, it was a lot of work. I'm very sore today! The true after is more developed now. All of the plants are now in, and I hope they are doing well considering it is 99 degrees today. I will water when I get home.

I also wanted to see if I could post two photos in one post. Yay, we can! I don't have any of my other gardening photos here, so I attached a cute picture of Miss Lucy from this weekend. She was helping me!

Gailey - Your thoughfully recommended shade perennial post is no longer. Did you say something about a poppy in your post?

 

[Loves Vintage]

Hi everybody! Gardengloves, I love your hollyhocks, they are awesome! And lovesvintage, I am soooo jealous of your boxwood, I do not have great luck growing them here. What a exciting project. I have not worked on my project, I staked it out and showed DH and he did not like it at all and does not want to disrupt the green space in back so I am coming up with other ideas and will show you when they solidify a little more. I just wanted to show my fellow gardeners this funny pic, I bought this last fall and thought I would have a lovely lavander asiatic and it is lovely but look what is growing from the base! DH said just cut it off but I figure anything that is tough enough to grow in my garden should get a chance so I wil try to split it this fall and move it next to the gaillardia, I thought it was fun!

lcom - What a cute surprise? I am learning to appreciate the boxwoods and am glad I kept them. What zone are you in?

Oh, and btw, I love your ring! One of my favorites here!

 

[Gailey]

I wanted to repost my before and after pic again, because, well, it was a lot of work. I'm very sore today! The true after is more developed now. All of the plants are now in, and I hope they are doing well considering it is 99 degrees today. I will water when I get home.

I also wanted to see if I could post two photos in one post. Yay, we can! I don't have any of my other gardening photos here, so I attached a cute picture of Miss Lucy from this weekend. She was helping me!

Gailey - Your thoughfully recommended shade perennial post is no longer. Did you say something about a poppy in your post?

Oh heck, I have no idear what I said about a poppy, but I doubt I would have been advising putting one into a shade garden unless it was Meconopsis (Himalayan Blue Poppy). Oh now I remember, that is the poppy I recommended. I posted about it earlier on in this thread. It is bound to be there because it was ages ago. It should do well for you in woodland soil.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Davi,

Here is a link that will help you with your tomatoes.

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/art ... atoes.aspx.

Heck, what happened to the hyperlink symbol????

Thank you!!! Would it be better to prune in the evening or can I do it mid-day full heat? We're never up early enough to do anything before the heat sets in (I am but that's because I work at 5 AM half the time) Will pruning effect the already ripening fruit or does it only effect the newest fruit? We usually just let Nature do her thang, but I'd like to see what it's like when we help Her out.


Icom Thank you, all credit really goes to the SO, his thumb is super green, mine is more golden-green I'll tell Neena and Mia they're adorable for you


LV How'd your irises take in this heat? any problems with them? And Lucy is so PRECIOUS!

 

[Loves Vintage]

Yes, that was it, Gailey! Thank you. Now, off to find some. Oh, and I almost took pictures of the soil I took from the woods yesterday. I know you would have been proud of me. Haha. Years and years of decomposed leaves. Perfect!

Davi - The iris flopped over, but I think it will be fine. Can't wait until next year when my efforts will blossom! Thanks for the compliment on Lucy. She is the happiest dog, but often photographs with a sad face. It's her coloring. But, even her coloring couldn't disguise how happy she was to be out and about with her mama yesterday. So sweet!!

 

[gardengloves]

Thanks so much Davi and LV for reposting the photos. Looks like we lost the entire discussion on soil composition and Gailey's information, I figure we lost around 40 posts-- but as long as we have the panty hose tip, we should all be OK I am glad to see the pictures reposted.

LV - What a cute dog, Luci is adorable - and congrats on the new baby coming., take it easy in this heat.

Davi- I really like your morning glory string trick. I've done that too with great results. The morning glories scamper right up the string.

Gailey - send some of that storm you are waiting for down this way--- It's blazing hot and feels like it hasn't rained in a month... I tried to spray a bit today, but the water from the hose was scalding hot , I had to let it run for ten minutes. Birds look kinda stunned, saw one with mouth open standing on umbrella top and barely moved when I came out. I'm going to set up the sprinkler so the birds can get a bit of relief.

 

[lulu]

Oh, it's in the 90's in Michigan too. I've been throwing ice in the birdbath!

 

[Gailey]

Oh I don't want to move east with all that humidity. The heat I can cope with, but humidity, yuk. I really love my dry mountain air.

If someone gives me some hints about what questions I answered, I'll re-post my answers. But I tell you, my head is a leaky bucket, I remember nothing!

But I have been taking some cool photos.

Davi, can you go over the multiple photo posting again in easy step by step instructions suitable for old ladies who are not that technically capable - pretty please!

 

[Gailey]

Davi,

Here is a link that will help you with your tomatoes.

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/art ... atoes.aspx.

Heck, what happened to the hyperlink symbol????

Thank you!!! Would it be better to prune in the evening or can I do it mid-day full heat? We're never up early enough to do anything before the heat sets in (I am but that's because I work at 5 AM half the time) Will pruning effect the already ripening fruit or does it only effect the newest fruit? We usually just let Nature do her thang, but I'd like to see what it's like when we help Her out.


Icom Thank you, all credit really goes to the SO, his thumb is super green, mine is more golden-green I'll tell Neena and Mia they're adorable for you


LV How'd your irises take in this heat? any problems with them? And Lucy is so PRECIOUS!

Common sense tells me it would be better not to do it in a blazing heatwave, but truth be told, I have never pruned a tomato in my life. I think the idea is that you get bigger fruit but maybe less. If the hyperlink feature comes back - which I loved, I will find some stuff for you.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Gailey, luckily in PS2 you can attach 4 photos per post. I don't think it gets any easier than that but I'll still go over it

I haven't figured out the actual link to photos in the PS2 yet. Once I do (I'm at work so I'm at the mercy of their computer system, it will have to wait until I get home) I will update so you can put in more than 4 pics in one post

 

[artdecogirl]

Loves vintage, Thank you! We are zones 4/3. I bought a boxwood that is supposed to be good for 4 but it gets some winterkill and has not thrived. I generally do not try to force anything to my enviroment because it just takes too much work but boxwoods are so english looking, I love them! And I love Lucy , she is very sweet looking.

 

[House Cat]

Davi,

Here is a link that will help you with your tomatoes.

http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/art ... atoes.aspx.

Heck, what happened to the hyperlink symbol????

Thank you!!! Would it be better to prune in the evening or can I do it mid-day full heat? We're never up early enough to do anything before the heat sets in (I am but that's because I work at 5 AM half the time) Will pruning effect the already ripening fruit or does it only effect the newest fruit? We usually just let Nature do her thang, but I'd like to see what it's like when we help Her out.


Icom Thank you, all credit really goes to the SO, his thumb is super green, mine is more golden-green I'll tell Neena and Mia they're adorable for you


LV How'd your irises take in this heat? any problems with them? And Lucy is so PRECIOUS!

If the suckers on your tomato are small, the weather won't matter as far as pruning goes. I just go out and pop them off with my fingers. The reason I prune out suckers is not so much for fruit size or sugar production, I do it because I like to train one pretty vine up on a large bamboo pole. Inevitably, they split and I'm left tying multiple stems, but that happens later. If you prune suckers, you will get larger fruit because there will be less of them. Pruning the suckers won't do anything to speed up the ripening of fruit. That's been my experience anyway.

If your suckers are large though, you may want to wait until the evening. Also, if they are large enough, you can root those suckers in water or wet vermiculite and start a whole other plant for late harvest, if your weather permits. Mine does, we can harvest into November, early December. The good thing about starting suckers is that they will flower very soon which allows for earlier harvest than you'd get with seeds.

I prune suckers when they are very small. The reason? Eventually, they begin growing tomatoes. When that happens, there's no way I'm pruning that stem! I grow heirlooms and just a few plants, so I cherish every fruit!

I don't top off. I am usually pulling out my plants for winter crops before it is time to top off my plants. I have a very tiny lil veggie garden so I have no choice. Ahh, to have a big space someday!

 

[Gailey]

Loves vintage, Thank you! We are zones 4/3. I bought a boxwood that is supposed to be good for 4 but it gets some winterkill and has not thrived. I generally do not try to force anything to my enviroment because it just takes too much work but boxwoods are so english looking, I love them! And I love Lucy , she is very sweet looking.

Icom, try looking for Korean Boxwood. That will grow in 3B, so you might have more luck if you can find it.

 

[House Cat]

Gailey,

I love the daisy in your avatar. I vaguely remember reading that you created it, am I right? If so, is it selling anywhere in the States? I have far too many places in my yard that should be graced by its presence.

 

[Gailey]

Gailey,

I love the daisy in your avatar. I vaguely remember reading that you created it, am I right? If so, is it selling anywhere in the States? I have far too many places in my yard that should be graced by its presence.

Hey House Cat,

You have a good memory. Yes, that is my photo of my beloved Leucanthemum "Crazy Daisy", planted in all of my gardens in honour of my crazy friend Shirley who I lost to Breast Cancer 8 years ago, just before I started my business.

Dave's Garden lists 7 vendors who stock the plant, but I don't think you should have too much trouble finding it:

http://davesgarden.com/products/ps/go/54683/

 

[Rhea]

I haven't entirely caught up and am mostly just here to brag right now! I should be ashamed for that but I'm just too excited!

We have a smallish patio that we grow on, plus a small amount of space along the back of the flat under our kitchen windows. The patio is 11 ft x 11.5 ft, and the ground space is 1.5 ft x 8 ft. We planted 2 potato plants in containers to do properly but then realised that we had some potatoes that were sprouting and either needed to be thrown away or planted so we threw them in another 4 containers. Yesterday we dug them up, a bit early but the tomatoes need to go outside now so we need those containers back, and we have 7 lbs of potatoes!

So far we're growing: 6 pots of potatoes, 7 tomato plants, 10 strawberry plants, 3 sweet peppers, 2 chillies, and various different herbs in about 10 small pots. Some of the herbs are struggling, not sure why, but overall we aren't doing badly! I'm so excited that after a couple of years we're starting to get the hang of it and able to go through a cycle so we're able to get the most out of our garden.

 

[gardengloves]

Hi Addy,

Welcome, pictures please... we love bragging rights...

I got some ideas this weekend. We visited a relative and she had green beans growing in containers on her patio. They grow like a vine,plus you can pick the green beans and put them in a salad!... She also had a cucumber vine growing - it was amazing. Too late in the season now, but next year I am doing a vegetable garden, and getting some green bean seeds.

 

[artdecogirl]

I thought I would revive this thread to see what was happening in the gardens now and to shamelessly share some pics of things I am happy about in mine! I took a pic of the entire garden just to show how full it got, I had to fight the urge to pack it in there and now this week I am looking at moving some stuff that is too crowded, I also wanted to show my husbands sunflowers, they make such a statement, he will let them go a little bit longer then take them in to dry and put them out for the birds this winter. I also took a pic of the sedum, I love this plant, the foilage is nice in the summer and the color is amazing in the fall and it tolerates most anything, I do not have to baby it. And last the lavander, I just wanted to show it because I have poor luck growing it and this plant has lived 2 years now and looks great this year. I wish I had some great mums to show but they don't seem to live for me But I will just plant more sedum
Anybody have some mums to share?

 

[packrat]

Great pics and what a beautiful garden! Looking at all the pictures really brightens my day.

I've got some new ones of our backyard since JD finished most of the walkway. I was waiting to show them until we got sunlight pics-the ones I have it was a dreary day-but..when it's sunny I'm the only one home to go on the roof and that will sooo not be happening.

 

[artdecogirl]

Thanks Packrat, I just looked at your pics and was wondering if you took them from the roof, your walkway looks so cool from that vantage point. A girls gotta do what a girls gotta do, right! ?

 

[packrat]

Thanks Decogirl! Yeah, if he wants me on the roof to take pics he's going to have to build me some stairs.

 

[gardengloves]

Deco ,

Your garden looks so lush and lovely. It grew by leaps and bounds. the sedum are beautiful, and those sunflowers are huge

Its been a strange season, very early growth after snowy wet winter, plants peaking during August, months of heat and what feels like a draught, and finally the mums are off to a very late start. They are just opening now. I planted this a year ago, and it doubled in size, but still hasn't quite opened. Thanks for reviving this thread, we still have a few autumn plants to open, mums, asters...

 

[gardengloves]

A Coopers Hawk showed in my yard this weekend- biggest thing I ever saw. Sat on the deck watching the bird feeder, came three days in row, just watching the birds at the feeder, sat for 10 minutes at time. Big amazing bird, but yikes, it's head rotated like the exorcist. Yikes, the birds seemed to lay low while hawk was nearby.. I ran to the bird guides books and pretty sure its a Cooper Hawk, lots of stripes on tail. This hawk patiently scoped out the bird feeder from three locations...

I've got these squirrels that race up the bird feeders and ruin the party, shake all the seed out and gorge on the birds food.. Discovered a good trick, we put vaseline on the pole and squirrel can't grip, thought I was smart and now squirrels trying to figure out how to make flying leap from deck, we like to keep feeder close to bushes so birds can take cover from hawks. Can't be sure if hawk wants the squirrels or the birds. Cardinal and finches pretty smart, they vanish when hawk appears.

 

[artdecogirl]

Thanks Gardengloves, That mum is going to be awesome when it opens up! The birdfeeders are so fun to watch, those big birds freak me out, DH is the birder and he constantly battles squirels, racoons and the occasional bear, it's become personal I think and it sounds like it is for you too, vasaline!? thats hillarious!!!

 

[gardengloves]

Thanks Gardengloves, That mum is going to be awesome when it opens up! The birdfeeders are so fun to watch, those big birds freak me out, DH is the birder and he constantly battles squirels, racoons and the occasional bear, it's become personal I think and it sounds like it is for you too, vasaline!? thats hillarious!!!

Thanks Deco, if anyone remembers the 1988 movie Funny Farm about a couple from the city moving to the country and the Criterion brothers, well its sorta like that with my husband and the squirrels, life has narrowed down to us and the bird feeder ---- but the squirrels are fat and well fed, and doing just fine. Even the Hawk has given up!

 

[gardengloves]

some fall colors, this is it folks - the end of the season, but it has its special colors and treats, its getting pretty windy and cool here

thanks everyone for sharing your beautiful gardens

 

[JonyLeaber]

old woman tries to get Hercule Poirot to help her but she fears she's being watched; she slips him a clue; he goes up to see her to find she has died the night before; he refuses to accept the story of her family that it is a natural death so he investigates; there is a foreign nurse-companion type person who inherits the old woman's money so she is the prime suspect; the family does not accept this because they don't believe she could have been poisoned since they all ate the same food; Poirot finds out the family slipped her some oysters (the old woman's favorite food - forbidden by her doctor) which were poisoned; the oyster shells lining the family's garden gave them away.