Somebody Stop The Madness

Decisions, decisions.

Easy for you maybe but anyone who knows me
knows I run things over, under and around in
my mind, even in my dreams at night until a final
decision is made on anything.
Starting in the Spring when the first flowers are
being potted or sown I am already starting a list
for the fall planting or next winters seed list.







Every new posting of the blogs that shows a flower
that is so pretty and that will grown in my zone 5
garden is added onto the never ending list of prospects.
I say never ending because just when the list is just
being whittled down to size a new variety of echinacea,
phlox or hydrangea appears on the gardening world
scene.







To add to the clutter in my mind the gardening
catalogs started arriving earlier this fall.
They all naturally have the glaring words
"New For 2010", "Spring of 2010" on each issue.
On cold, rainy evenings (when the house is clean)
we look through every page folding the pages on the
corners and marking another potential new seed
or plant that would look wonderful in the garden.
We go through them over and over again adding
some to the now 'Monster List' of plants.

And then it happens. The day fast approaches
when we have to sort through the list and finally
decide what will be ordered for winter sowing.
We set and ponder in our minds the layout of the
garden beds. Which flower will go best with the
plants we already have? Will the colors clash?
How tall will the new ones added get and where
can they be placed in the beds? Does it need more
or less sun? Will it take some partial shade?
How much room does it need to grow well in?
When is its blooming period?






Do not forget the plants in the basement.....




and the ones over wintering in the house have to
be accounted for in the decision process.



Then do not forget all of the seeds blog friends and
seed swap friends have sent are to be included
into the seed or planting frenzy.
Decisions now have to be made, it is crunch and
countdown time.
Draw up a diagram of the beds and try to
pencil them in with the plants that are already there.
Do not forget the bulbs and roots that are planted
in the bed too. You don't want to dig into them.
Scratch that seed. Cannot find a suitable place for
that bright flower, so cross it off.
But, you moan and groan "I really love that one".

Somebody has got to stop the madness!!!!

So like all practical and knowing gardeners
the decisions, diagrams, and plans are ready and
your mind is finally made up.
It is really quite simple .......

you just make another new flowerbed.




Happy Gardening Everyone!

A Time To Plant & A Time To Uproot

I had to say goodbye to my Mimosa tree over the
weekend. A collapse in the septic system meant new
lines had to be put in and of course my little Mimosa tree
was in the way and had to be uprooted.



It was just getting big enough to get some beautiful
blooms on it last summer. The butterflies and hummingbirds
just flocked to it when it was in bloom.
A few years ago I had a large one between the garage and
the house but it became a problem where it was located so
it was cut down.



They can get a little messy when the blooms and seed pods
start dropping so always plant them in an open area where
the seed pods can be raked up easily. That was the reason
for cutting the older one down, it left a mess on the garage
roof and eaves, and left a mess on the sidewalks and flower
beds below it.

I have two other small ones that I planted three years ago
and they do grow very fast and bloom after about seven
years so all is not lost and there will be Mimosa's
blooming again in a few years and far enough away from
creating any problems.

Many consider it an invasive tree because of the seed pods
cause spreading of the trees. In all my years I have seen maybe
ten new trees starting from seed in my beds or yard of
which I easily just pulled up. They are also spread if planted
near streams where the pods travel down stream.
So this are all considerations when deciding to plant a Mimosa
new Mimosa tree.

Planted in the right areas their beauty, fragrance and
blooms which draws butterflies and humming birds into the yard
far out weigh the minor inconvenience of raking a few seed pods
and pulling up a few new sprouts when I am weeding.


.

Since this is St. Patrick's Day, to all of those who are Irish and to
us who are of Irish descent:

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid you
Wherever you go.

May luck be our companion
May friends stand by our side
May history remind us all
Of Ireland's faith and pride.
May God bless us with happiness
May love and faith abide.

And:

As you slide down the banister of life,
May the splinters never point in the wrong direction!

Some Irish Gold in the Irish Gold Rose

Fingers Crossed and Seed Germination

Well some of the seeds that were sown have germinated
and are doing very well. It is so good to see things growing
again and my fingers are crossed that they will continue to
do so.I do not have the best record when it comes to the
germination and transplanting of plants.

Some of the old faithfuls that are growing are a mixture
of Impatiens,which are a staple for the many shady areas
around the house, a mix of Verbena and Duchess Light Blue
Torenia.
Rose Queen Diascia for the hanging baskets and window boxes.

I have also Blue & White Lobelia, Yellow Angel Trumpets and
Osteospurmum.



I may have to give up on the Osteospurmum because I do
not have much luck in germinating them.
The one in the basement over wintering is doing fine
so I will at least have one for the Spring.

Some new plants that I am trying this year is Red Easy Wave
Petunia, mixed Pentas and the Black Velvet Rose Geraniums.
I am excited about the Black Velvet series of Geraniums because of
the dark leaves combined with the Rose colored Geranium.
Also new for me and growing are:



Crescendo Mix Primrose



Marine Heliotrope
I have been told that Heliotrope has a great fragrance.



Regatta Rose Lobelia
I just fell in love with the color of this Lobelia.

I have many more seeds to get sowed and have determined
to get it done tomorrow. Amongst which are seeds saved from
tall Phlox, Stella de Ora Lily, Armeria, Gladioli, and some more
annuals.

Some of the seeds and plants that I have just about given up on
ever doing well for me are:
Osteospurmum, Mustead Lavender, Delphinium, Larkspur and
Moon flower vines, all of which I would dearly love to grow.
My thumb is brown when it comes to germinating and
transplanting them.

Blotanical Withdraw Symptoms

Where O' Where are you? Where have you Gone!

Are we experiencing technical difficulties?

Is my computer net working system on the blink?

Somebody's got to do something!!

I have not been able to get onto Blotanical for two day's now
and as bad as it may sound I do believe I am going into Blotanical
withdraw mode.




What is Blotanical you may or may not ask.
Founded by Stuart Robinson of "Gardening Tips 'n Ideas" from
western Australia.
It is a community and networking site where gardeners interact with
other gardeners from all over the world and put their gardens up for all to see.
It is the place where gardeners and garden bloggers go to interact and share
their experiences, knowledge, triumphs and even failures with other
garden enthusiast's. You do not have to be a blogger or even have a garden
to enjoy Blotanical. If you love flowers and nature or wish you had a garden,
then Blotanical will bring you all of this and photographs from every corner of
our world.
I joined in July of 2008 and since that time have been able to learn so
much from fellow gardeners who have shared their knowledge and friendship.
I have been able to see and learn about flowers and plants from all over the
world. I tried finding garden bloggers by search engines but few showed
up. Then I happened across a reference to Blotanical from an Ohio garden
blog and decided to join. I found it all and more on one site and did not
have to bog down my favorites feature with listings of blogs.
It is where the joy and peace that gardening brings is shared with
others and those who are addicted to plants get their fix.
AND I need my fix!
Hey, it is winter, cold, dreary, and snowing and the seeds have
been sowed to germinate for spring plantings.
What's a gardener to do?



What is going on in the gardens of all of my fellow gardeners from the states?
Is it still 108 degrees in Australia and are their gardens drying up and dying?
How is the winter sowing and seed starting going?
What are the Mediterranean or Desert gardeners doing?
Is Canadian, Swedish and German gardeners still snowed under?
What is happening to gardening in England, Wales and Scotland.
Who knew petunias were growing in Egypt.
Are there new plants blooming in India, Portugal, Sudan, South Africa,
France, Italy, Cyprus, Japan, Indonesia,and Malaysia.
There has to be pictures of flowers from China, Taiwan, Brunei, Thailand,
or the Philippines.

Hey, what is happening down on the Farm?

Now you see my dilemma. Now to find out what the problem might
be that is causing Blotanical not to appear on my web server.
Somebody's got to do something!

Sumac In A Winter Landscape

I do a lot of Genealogy research so while checking in on a local
cemetery, I noticed growing along the outer fence, on the bank area,
several Sumac bushes or trees.
Sumac trees do not generally impress me until Autumn when their
leaves turn bright orange and red.
But today,on what was a cloudy, dreary day, the deep red seed
heads were really very pretty. In the right area they would make
a beautiful winter contrast against a covering of snow.
These seed heads were holding up well as they have survived
the several snow and ice storms we have had so far this winter.






Smooth Bark (Rhus Glabra)


Researching the Sumac's that grow in Ohio, there are two
varieties, the smooth Bark Sumac and Staghorn.
I believe the one pictured is of the Smooth Bark variety, when
the seed heads were compared to pictures from the Ohio
Department of Natural Resources website.

The berries have very little pulp and are mostly seeds.
They are not the first choice for wildlife food, but birds and
animals will eat them when food supplies are exhausted.
They will grow in any type soil, even in dry gravely areas.
This would explain why they were growing so well on the bank
along the fence row which is right along the highway. The soil
there is hard, yellow, rocky clay and with the sloping hillside it
is very dry in the summer.
They are growing in full sun her but will grow in partial sun.

They spread by root suckers, seeds from the female shrubs,
and by sprawling lateral branches.
Because they will grow in full sun anywhere they are used
to control soil erosion.
Since they grow along roadsides they will with stand salt spray
as well as air pollutants.
They can stand up to cold weather and grown in zones 3 - 9.


Two warnings about using sumac as an ornamental:

Sumacs form a clump by sending up root suckers so there is
always a chance it will become invasive.
Sumacs have weak wood that breaks easily in severe weather.

Velvety Gloxinias Fill The Need For Color

Last Spring I started some Gloxinias from seed
and I just love the velvety trumpet shaped flowers
and velvet leaves.
Gloxinias (Sinningia speciosa)were originally native to
Brazil and other parts of South America. The large bell
shaped flowers of Gloxinia's come in varying shades of
white, blues, reds, pinks and purples.
The indoor flower grows to 12 inches tall and wide.
Indoors place your new Gloxinia in bright indirect
lighting. Full sun may burn the slightly furry leaves.

Water when the soil has dried 1/2" to 1" from
the surface.Avoid splashing water on the leaves
as this may cause spotting. Indoors feed
monthly with a balanced liquid
fertilizer. Remove spent Gloxinia flowers as
they appear.

When your Gloxinia plant stops flowering... just
be patient it will soon be flowering again.

When all flowering is completed, the plant will
decline and go into a resting state. As the plant
declines, start watering less often, then stop
watering altogether and let the leaves die.
Allow the tuberous stem to rest 2 to 4 months in
dry soil.
Keep an eye on the plant and when new growth
appears, resume watering.




This red one is just gorgeous. Red's are hard to
show up true on my camera but this is very close.

I also grew this purple and white speckled one.





Gloxinias can be grown from seed, tubers,
or leaf or stem cuttings the same as African Violet
cuttings. The seeds take about six months till
blooming. I started my seeds in March.





Diseases are an infrequent problem in the home
environment. Gloxinia may develop root
rot from over watering. Leaves may be damaged
by cold water, so keep water off of the foliage.
Insect and related pests of Gloxinia's include mites.

They are well worth the effort to grow and are
brightening up my home and filling that need
for a burst of flowering color we gardeners
miss when the flowers outdoors have gone to
sleep for the season.

Mimosa Seed Pods

My Mimosa Tree has so many Seed Pods this Fall.

Details on Mimosa Tree are as follows:

Mimosa ( Albizia julibrissin Durazz. L.) silk tree

Mimosa was introduced into the United States as an ornamental from
Asia and Africa. It has escaped into fields and waste areas and
its distribution in the United States is from the mid-Atlantic states
south and as far west as Indiana. It is a flat-topped, thornless,
deciduous tree which reaches 35' in height.
This fast-growing, deciduous tree has a low branching, open,
spreading habit and delicate, lacy, almost fern-like foliage. Fragrant,
silky, pink puffy pompom blooms, two inches in diameter, appear
from late April to early July creating a spectacular sight.

Light requirement: tree grows in full sun
Soil tolerances: clay; loam; sand; acidic; alkaline; extended flooding;
well-drained
Drought tolerance: high
Aerosol salt tolerance: moderate

Hummingbird's, Bee's and Butterflies love my Mimosa tree's and its
pink, airy blooms in the Summer. I also love it that when the sun
goes down in the evening the leaves on the tree fold up. It is amazing
to watch.

I have to tell you that it is considered invasive, because
many small trees can come up from the seeds. I have found a
few in my yard but they are easily pulled up, others were left to
transplant in other areas of the yard because of their beauty and
to draw in more Hummingbird's, Bee's, and Butterflies.

Make sure also that they are not planted near your sidewalks,
swimming pools, etc. because the falling flowers and seed pods
can be messy. This was learn from experience when I planted
one beside the garage. The spent flowers and seed pods collected
on the roof, eaves and the sidewalk and had to be cleaned off.
I did not want the mess so it was cut down. So plan before you
plant them, preferably in an open area, unless you do not
mind the clean up. Consider the nearness to your
neighbors yards also.
Of the two that have grown to maturity it takes about
seven years before the blooms appear. In my Zone 5 area
it starts blooming near the end of June.

Since there are so many seed pods this Fall and after the
descriptions of pros and cons on the tree, if there is anyone
who would like some seeds for SASE please feel free
to contact me Ldawns1@hocking.net and I will get back with
you on the details.

From seed it is a long process that includes storing the seed
for 6 months to simulate dormancy.