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The Return of Spike

Category: Flowers and Vegetables | Posted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 2:46 am

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Several years ago I planted a large round flower pot with various plants. One of these was a spike plant to give the container height. Don't ask me the name of it, a dracaena probably. Well, as common with my container plantings, by the end of the summer the only thing still alive was Spike, and he was a healthy fellow. Spike lived happily in his container, getting bigger and bigger. Two years ago, due to a complete lack of attention, Spike passed away. I never did anything with the container, just let it sit. This winter, when I made a shelter for my container plants I put the large round pot with the deceased Spike in it under the shelter. I did this because I knew a cat or two would get under there to sleep and I thought the container would make a good nest for them. Well lo and behold, the other day I was inspecting everything to see what had survived and what had not, and there coming off to the side of the old trunk was a brand new Spike. He is already about 10 inches tall and I think I will just call him Jr. Simply amazing!!!!!!!

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Busy Yard Day

Category: Flowers and Vegetables | Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:49 pm

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Well the daylilies are planted. We put two new rows between my Mom's driveway and our property line. There is a Bradford pear and two Japanese persimmon trees there and we planted on each side. We could have put them all there but one spot is really low and we didn't have the dirt to fill it in. So we will work on that and divide them next year to plant there. We also reworked a flower bed, took the overgrown canna's out and put my gladioli and the rest of the lilies. It already had daylilies and glads in it, plus a crinum, which I will move, some irises which I have already dug out, a dahlia, and a cardinal flower, which is a native plant. I put the canna's behind Mom's house which has a low spot, so I will see if Glenda's advice works. I am sure it will. Now I have to rake leaves after supper to mulch so my dirt doesn't wash away during the rain. There was 30+ clumps of daylilies, some with as many as 4 fans in them, I figure more than the 50 he said. There was one really different looking daylily so I planted it separate, along with some from another spot that was not doing well bc of lack of sun. I am very anxious to see what the different one will look like. I did save about 8 clumps to share with people who have been so generous with me in the past. All in all it has been a very satisfying day.



Last edited: Mon Mar 12, 2007 9:51 pm

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Interesting Flower Trivia

Category: Flowers and Vegetables | Posted: Sun Mar 04, 2007 2:07 pm

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There are approximately 1300 species of Begonia and the number of hybrids is estimated between 1000 and 2000. Within the Begonia genus, there are plants which are tiny enough to grow in an egg shell and others which can cover a greenhouse wall.

In heraldry, the rose is used as a mark of cadency for a seventh son.

The first recorded plant collectors were the soldiers in the army of Thothmes III, Pharaoh of Egypt, 3500 years ago. In the Temple of Karnak these soldiers are shown bringing back 300 plants as booty from Syria.

The rose is the emblem of the British royal family. The Wars of the Roses are so named because the Lancastrians whose symbol was a red rose were fighting the Yorkists whose symbol was a white rose.

The fleur-de-lis or white lily was the symbol of the French royal family. It is still the symbol of Quebec.

The florin (an Italian gold coin) was so named because of the fleur-de-lis on the back. The fleur-de-lis was also the badge of Florence.

The cactus family is divided into more than 100 genera. For simplicity North American cacti are placed into five groups: the prickly pears, the saguaro cactus group, the hedgehog cacti, the barrel cacti, and the pin-cushion and fishhook cacti.

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I'm Upset

Category: Flowers and Vegetables | Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 2:03 am

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I started my Sunset Hibiscus seeds, had a really good germination rate going, about 75%, and guess what, they dampened off. I am so upset. I used peat pellet, have never had a problem with them and I would think they would be sterilized. I did not over water them and they had excellent air circulation. Now I have 2 seedlings left, with maybe 2 or 3 more peeking through. I have a few seeds left, but I think I will save them and start over in a couple of weeks. AAAAAAAAARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Popping Up Part 2

Category: Flowers and Vegetables | Posted: Mon Jan 01, 2007 4:46 pm

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I got to walk the rest of the yard yesterday, still very sloppy.
I found crocosmia all over, more daylilies, more irises, including the walking irises, they froze but are coming back already.
The surprise was the butterfly ginger and the shell ginger, way early. The hidden lily ginger and pinecone ginger are still dormant, as they should be.
I still didn't get a couple of places checked, but I don't think any of that will be up yet, except the daylilies, most of which are evergreen.

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Things Are Popping Up All Over

Category: Flowers and Vegetables | Posted: Sun Dec 31, 2006 2:52 pm

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I checked part of the yard before the BIG rain. We have canna shoots coming up , lots of them, they will freeze , but will come back again. I have daffodils, snowdrops, irises. Irises are all over the place, even where we dug them out after they finished blooming in the spring. We thought we had them all, but they are coming up anyway. Guess I will dig them out and throw them in the ditch, they will do good there. My daylilies are putting out new growth, but some haven't come back yet, they are probably the dormant ones. Hope I didn't loose them. One amaryllis is rotten, hope it wasn't my pretty double. I have vinca vine, plain and varigated going crazy. I found several rootings of the seven sisters rose I will have to dig out when it gets a little warmer. Our yard is a sloppy mess but I will try and check the side and back beds tomorrow.

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Realistic Spring Shopping List

Category: Flowers and Vegetables | Posted: Fri Dec 29, 2006 3:18 am

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OK, I am going to be realistic here.

I do want some new daylilies, and since I can't afford the new introductions that cost hundreds apiece I will settle for the WalMart/KMart varieties. Maybe 5 or six, that is being realistic.

And although I would love to order tons of seeds, I already have tons of seeds. I do want the Brazilian Fireworks and Snail Vine seeds, and maybe the two new morning glories, Rosita and Sunrise Serenade, and the Star Ipomoea. I also want some new Mt. Fuji morning glory seeds because they don't come back true to color from the seeds I saved. And I want to find the purple moonflower vine seed, that is being realistic.

I don't thing I will get any new roses, unless I find one I just can't resist, or two or three. And I may need some new gladioli bulbs, because I stored mine in the uninsulated tin shed and they may have froze, I haven't had a chance to check yet. Even if they didn't I think I need a few more, they are, after all , my favorite flower. That is being realistic.

Now if I run across a ginger or a canna lily I don't have I will do my very best to resist them, but realistically I don't think I can do that. That is being realistic.

So come on everyone, let's all be realistic here, if I can do it so can you.

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Yeah For Daylilies!!!!!!!!!!!!

Category: Flowers and Vegetables | Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2006 3:52 am

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I got something to begin looking forward to for spring. While browsing the reduced Christmas goods on my lunch hour today, and being bored by it, I went outside onto the patio at the garden center. There, kinda hidden to one side, were 2 big displays of bulbs, still shrink wrapped. Me, being the nosey person I am, but only when it comes to flowers, went and had a look. I saw at least 6 different daylilies. One display was behind the other and all I could see on it was the top row. I am going back tomorrow and see if maybe they have opened them. The only one I had ever heard of was Pardon Me, a red rebloomer. There was a beautiful two tone lavender/ purple. Can't wait till payday. LOL

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1st Freeze Tonight

Category: Flowers and Vegetables | Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2006 2:07 am

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Tonight we get our first freeze, a bit early at that. Goodbye butterfly ginger, I cut the last of it to bring to Mom along with some roses. Goodbye impatiens and moonflower vine, no more until next year. Bye, bye thunbergia vine, it did far better than I thought it would and hopefully I will get some more started for next year. No more zinnias, lantana, cannas, or morning glories. I do feel blessed to get to enjoy these plants and many others for such a long time, but I am always sad to see them go with the first freeze. But I will still have the roses, they usually have a flower or two at all times. And I already see signs of spring, new irises coming up all over, and daffodils popping up their slim green blades. So while others rest for our short winter, these are gearing up to bloom, and the seed and plant catalogs will be coming in the mail. I can wile away those winter blues with dreams of next years beauties.

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