30july2004Love in a Mist, Annuals

Kerry reports at the DNC. Amazing euphoria at the official convention.
I never thought the day would come.

I grew Love in a Mist, started the seed in March. Next year I won't worry about starting it so early, but seed the 16 inch pots I like to fill with stuff that spent the winter on the porch. Those little seeds grow. I love this plant. Next year also brachiocrome or Swan River Daisy. Delicate foliage and blue flowers are so wonderful, I hope Ashcroft doesn't find out and outlaw them.
Lobilia and purble Fushia in a pot send me this year. I brought a Fusha pip home from Alma's garden last fall. I got one from Debbie's garden this year. Easy stuff to root in wet soil. Keeping it in the Jan and Feb cold on the porch is a trick. Maybe I will take a cutting in the house in case the porch is too cold. I lost some delicate things last winter even though I kept the temp slightly above freezing.
Other annuals I like to save seed of are Cosmos, Impatiens, Sweet Anne (though this usually seed itself), Nasturtum, Bachlor's Button, Geranium ( I also save the plants in a bag to start again in Feb. when the indoor pots get scraggly), Calendula. This year I tucked seed in pots, kept them moist, and it was magic, I got little suprises all summer.
I also save some impatiens from freezing in the house. They object to the low light, dry conditions, but come back. They object again on being moved outside, but can't help themselves. Impatiens are also easy to root. It is easier for me to do this than to buy flats and transplant, not to mention the expense of buying flats.
I have been given the job of landscapeing two beds at the church for a September show. Not much looks happy at nurseries this time of year. I have started Thyme and Majoram and like that idea so much, I'll start more. I have a few lavender plants, I'll put them in, but they are small- just started this spring. Geraniums are easy to root. Adjuga is getting out of hand in front, I may be sorry that is will take over, but all I have to do is pull it. I'd better start more stuff, Bye.

29july04 Lamb's Ears, Hops

Temp Sunny and clear high of 82º. 64º at my thermometer at 9:00 am.

Lamb's Ears. I was worried about them becoming invasive for the first couple of years. Now they barely hold on and are not my favorite border plant in the decorative front yard beds. Yesterday I prepared a flat of them to transplant down at the church. They need to be transplanted. Roots get old and they grow too far from their roots.
If I want to use them to expand the borders of my beds by taking over grassy areas, I need to replant the tips and discard the old roots. It will refresh their vigor. Also I no longer worry about their becoming invasive. All I have to do is neglect them for a few years and pull them out, if I don't want them anymore.
I like this plant. My friend Yvonne gave it to me over 5 years ago.

Hops. I ordered some hop plants to climb up the "clubhouse" #2 son and husband made over ten years ago. It is 8 feet off the ground and no longer sturdy enough to let the grandchildren play there but will make a grand trellis. The little hop rhisomes came at a bad time, so they were potted and put out behind the garage until the garden party was over. [behind the garage, where the compost pile and raspberries are has gotten quite exuberant this summer with all the rain. Squash (planted) and tomatoes (wild) are growing out of the verdant soil, despite the bunnies.]
When the party was sufficently over and I had energy for the orphans, only one rhisome had survived. My friend David told me they needed water and gave me a whole book about growing hops. There are more than one variety and two kinds of hops. I put the thing in a 16 inch pot with Pansys and Curry plant where I had room. I have to stake it. The tendrils, there are many and supposed to be limited to two in spring for hop production, are quite sticky and climb up the stake well. I may plant them out on the clubhouse or I may leave them in the pot next year, easier to keep watered. They need a neutral ph. I'm having second thoughts about hops. Maybe I want to grow quiwi instead. What ever I put out there, I have to do it early before the Wren family nest out there. Papa Wren protests mightily when I do much out there. Those Wrens are busy, with three broods a year all making their racket. I love it.

28july04

I let the kale go to seed. I get mostly open pollenated varieties. In a record somewhere it says what the variety is. We enjoyed the yellow kale flowers in june and when I got around to pulling up the kale, it was brown so I put a whole plant in a bucket in the garage to dry.
I planted some seed around July 15th. Today I transplanted very healthy seedlings with second and third leaves. Now I only have to figureout where to put these lovelies where the bunnies won't get them. I postulate that fresh seeds are way good.

27july2004

It rained. At 11:17 it was 57.2ºF.
-Time to trim things back and plant perenials. Sprouting are Hyssop and New England Asters.
-Alma says New England Asters will be called "weedy" by the church people so we can't use them in the landscape. Maybe if we put a sign out there that tells about our fabulous "natives garden". Maybe NWF has a gardening for wildlife designation for Churches. Maybe we ought to sign up.
-Planted lettuces and broccoli chair height and higher. So far no bunnies have gotten them.
-Pots need to be gotten ready for the August dry spell. Lillies are almost done. Turks Head asiatics are just starting their show