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Re: The Gardening Shed

Posted: September 1st, 2013, 3:48 pm
by moira finnie
Wendy, I think you hit on a couple of issues with the Hinoki cypress. Since they were from a big box store, I doubt if they had ever been outside of a green house before going home with me. I also think I need to face facts about repotting. I tend to think "here's your new home, plant! make the best of it." and that is not fair to its potential. That ficus that has perked up since putting it on the patio DEFINITELY needs a new pot. I am hoping that will help it do better inside this winter if I give it a new container.
JackFavell wrote:Not to harp on the subject, but what is that outstanding blue petunia? Do you have any idea of the name of it? I love blue flowers but can never find the petunias in that color, they usually have all the pinks, deep velvety purples and reds, or even yellows, but never blue around here.
All I can tell you is that they caught my eye at Lowes or Home Depot because the flowers were so small compared to most wave petunias. I have seen similar sized ones in some gardens this last month in a beautiful shade of coral and a darker blue. Perhaps this is a new variety that will be available again next Spring. I like them because they remind me of wild violets that I love but don't expect to have any luck growing in pots. Here's a still of the blues closeup. One reason I thought I'd take these pics was to con myself into working on my water color skills. These pics certainly could make some decent pictures.
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Re: The Gardening Shed

Posted: September 1st, 2013, 5:11 pm
by MissGoddess
The greatest danger I have found for windowsill planters is that cats prefer them to any bed or cushion you might provide and even weeds do not take kindly to being used as a mattress.


you've sized up the problem, exactly! it would be knocked over, dug out or mashed flat the moment I left for work. :D

but i will keep what you say about the hardiness of herbs in mind for when I (eventually) move to a (hopefully) more plant-friendly place.

Re: The Gardening Shed

Posted: September 1st, 2013, 6:16 pm
by MissGoddess
All of these were "rescue" plants as they were all found near-death in the bargain bins or clearance shelves of grocery stores or Lowe's. It is not only that we are cheap: it is that there is a profound sadness to a plant being destined for a trash bin because no one would love it. Even the most miserable little thing has flourished when given a home.


"rescue plants"...how touching...I've often felt the same and my mother, an avid gardener, does as well. anything living will respond to care.

Re: The Gardening Shed

Posted: September 1st, 2013, 7:13 pm
by moira finnie
Your garden is so beautiful, Masha! I had to leave my perennials behind when I moved so the sight of your beautiful hostas, rosemary, thyme and other plants does my heart good. I just love rosemary's shape and smell. Also hostas with their hardiness and many variations just keep giving back for years.

By the way, almost everything I purchased was tiny when I found it and I don't think I paid more than $2.99 for anything. It's just been a good year, and almost no work, which has surprised me more than I can fathom. The unexpected abundance has been a serendipitous gift, not really a result of much effort.

Re: The Gardening Shed

Posted: September 1st, 2013, 7:59 pm
by JackFavell
We have a pen with a felt tip which can be filled with any liquid. We keep It filled with: Round-Up so that he can paint only what needs to die and it will not disturb plants near it. It is usual that he needs to put streaks of it on only a few leaves which will not touch the other plants. Ours is brass and is lined with tin and it has the feature that the tip can be pressed in to pump more liquid into the tip. It is an industrial model which my fiance acquired so very long ago that he does not remember when or where it came into his possession.

I must think that less expensive models should be available from art supply houses.
That's a GREAT idea, Masha! THANK YOU! You could very possibly make money off of that idea, you know. :D

Re: The Gardening Shed

Posted: September 1st, 2013, 8:18 pm
by JackFavell
Thanks for the gorgeous pic of the beautiful blue petunia, Moira. I may copy it and tape the photo in my garden or up against my window so I can pretend it's mine!

And Masha, your lovely herb garden is wonderful! This is what I mean by a controlled spillage, with the plants spilling out from a nicely patterned square. Perfect!

I feel the same about rescue plants. I have a lot of them in my garden, but my prize is a purple rhododendron that I actually rescued from an abandoned bank building across the street from my MIL's house. They were literally ripping the plants out when we arrived one day, and I asked for the one that was left. They let me take it, and it has flourished beyond belief. It stands right next to my front door and blooms sometimes twice during the summer, depending on how long it stays warm. It always makes me happy to look at it.

MissG, I would second Masha's advice about herbs doing well on a windowsill with less than wonderful light. I've got a southern window in the kitchen, but the neighbors put an addition on the back of their house that blocks most of the sun out, and our garage blocks the rest of the light. I've grown rosemary, small olive trees and a mandarin orange plant in front of that window, all with pretty good success. None of them made it more than 3 years there, but I blame that on my lackadaisical gardening, not on the light issues. Sometimes when I thought they looked a little peaked, I rotated them into the living room or dining room for a while, which are west and east exposures, but have more light pouring in. Do you have any balcony space outside?

Re: The Gardening Shed

Posted: September 2nd, 2013, 12:40 pm
by MissGoddess
Do you have any balcony space outside?


ha! i'm afraid not. just a fire escape that i wouldn't trust even in the event of a fire. :D

since i have none of my own, here are some pix of my mother's patio plants that she just emailed me...she has a plot elsewhere where she grows furiously all sorts of things i couldn't begin to name. I don't know the names of any of the others, but as you can see in the last picture she has quite a few cacti which have been blooming like they were in Shinbone and not Germany. :D


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Re: The Gardening Shed

Posted: September 2nd, 2013, 12:53 pm
by JackFavell
WOW! Those are incredible! Are there two white flowered hydrangea shrubs? It looks like one is a flat flowered 'lacecap' Hydrangea. The shrub with the pointier long white flower heads looks like a 'Limelight' Hydrangea Paniculata. Unless there's only one of them, and my eyes are playing tricks on me.


I don't know the tropical plants.

Re: The Gardening Shed

Posted: September 2nd, 2013, 12:58 pm
by moira finnie
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Those are hydrangeas that you showed above, one of the loveliest of perennials that come in beautiful hues of white to deep blue (almost purple). I had to leave behind a bush that was six feet tall of these when I moved. It was such a great plant. All I did was trim it back to the terminal buds after it was done blooming and every year it was more spectacular.

These are all beautiful plants, Miss G. I am very impressed with the cactii and their dramatic flowers. Your mother must have a very green thumb. Thanks so much for sharing these images.

Re: The Gardening Shed

Posted: September 2nd, 2013, 4:55 pm
by MissGoddess
My mom just told me that the hydrangea is what was left of those planted in her main garden and transplanted to the pot. The weather has been very strange in Europe this year so she had lots of early flowerings from mild temps yet many plantings did not fare well due to very little rain her area. I'm glad you all enjoyed the pics. She doesn't share her garden much with others but it is her passion. Her father, my grandfather, was a real artist with plants and owned a nursery. Ny earliest memories are of the sights and smells of a green house.

Re: The Gardening Shed

Posted: September 2nd, 2013, 7:54 pm
by JackFavell
That's a wonderful memory, MissG. I am glad your mom was able to keep some of the plants from her other garden.