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[Agonistes]

gardening thread.


dearest cletus, i havent started cilantro or the other thing you said, i don't think.  most of the herbs i did start are in a bucket though, till they start sprouting.  i know i have parsley.

cee----i have been caught in more than one blackberry bush in my life.  it's more funny than painful.  check with me again when i get the wasp's nests out of my shed.  i'll try to have video.



also, i managed to snag a root and some growth off my old wisteria tree in the old yard.  i saved some because it's one of the white ones, and you rarely see the color it is.  it's now storming and fucking up the new bed i laid, so some of the seeds might be gone.

[Pope Totalfrog]

I have been trying to get our garden tidied up for the last week or so. I was attacked by a giant rosebush and a couple of triffids but I fought them off with my handy dandy gardening shears.

Seriously though I need to get my veggie garden started. I've been meaning to get it done for so long now that no one actually believes I am going to do it. The main problem I have is that I can never get anything to grow from seeds - they always start out OK and then a week later they shrivel up and die. Stupid suicidal plants.

also, i managed to snag a root

In Australia this means something entirely different...

[Agonistes]

having never witnessed the rain flow off my gutters, i seem to have washed out some seeds and a bit of soil.  upon further observation, the bottom part of my property has water-flow issues altogether.  ladies and gentleman, it's trenching time.


but!  my frankenstinian revival of the formerly glorious wisteria bush we left behind is working out nicely.  i realize it is only slightly easier to kill wisteria than it is kudzu, and kudzu can only be killed with chanting and hiring a motley crew of dwarves and hobbits, but it's my first time cloning, so i ill take the victory.  hope i have the same success with the fig tree, which is only slightly less hard to kill than wisteria.

[lentower]

i'm way behind

i don't even have my rose order in yet

after tax day ...

[Agonistes]

i'm way behind

i don't even have my rose order in yet

after tax day ...

i haven't even thought of growing roses yet.  i've got an orchid that scares me to death, but so far so good.  what kind do you grow?

[lentower]

i'm way behind

i don't even have my rose order in yet

after tax day ...

i haven't even thought of growing roses yet.  i've got an orchid that scares me to death, but so far so good.  what kind do you grow?

i mostly grow hybrid teas and floribundas,
in unusual colors, or combinations of colors.
i also have some shrub roses as borders along my stone walls
next to the sidewalk.
keeps children from walking on the walls,
and dislodging the stones

i also grow breaded iris,
including some varieties that rebloom in the fall.
it's fun to see people go by,
and see the
'WHAT!  iris blooming in Sept?'
starlement ; - }

[CeeGBee]

I was just HERE on Friday & Saturday...  These people take their roses (and horticulture in general) very seriously.

[The Angel Raliel]

Trying to cultivate a Rose of the World

[Agonistes]

i'm way behind

i don't even have my rose order in yet

after tax day ...

i haven't even thought of growing roses yet.  i've got an orchid that scares me to death, but so far so good.  what kind do you grow?

i mostly grow hybrid teas and floribundas,
in unusual colors, or combinations of colors.
i also have some shrub roses as borders along my stone walls
next to the sidewalk.
keeps children from walking on the walls,
and dislodging the stones

i also grow breaded iris,
including some varieties that rebloom in the fall.
it's fun to see people go by,
and see the
'WHAT!  iris blooming in Sept?'
starlement ; - }

that sounds awesome.  irises are pretty plants anyway; i believe there are a few next door on my stepdaughter's property, but i don't know.  i hear there is a sort of daffodil that masquerades as an iris, so i need someone who knows a little better than me to look at them.

i'm probably going to start out with some sort of climbing roses.  as i understand it, they are the lowest maintenance, and you can trim them back in much the same way you do wisteria, which i now have a couple of, trying to cultivate into having their own stem/trunk and act like a bush, instead of trying grab everything in sight and pull my house down like wisteria loves to do.

there was a viney rose bush at my last house (i believe suzy's ex planted it, or rather, made her plant it since suzy's ex pretty much sat in a chair 24/7).  no idea what it was, and it had nothing to climb so it was an awkward shape, but it would faithfully bloom all summer, and change colors through its bloom from a light pink to a deep reddish fuchsia.  i wanted to bring it with me, but it was in bloom, and i figured it had had such good luck where it was, that messing with it would be a mistake.

Trying to cultivate a Rose of the World

like daniel andreev?

[CeeGBee]

...I wanted to bring it with me, but it was in bloom, and i figured it had had such good luck where it was, that messing with it would be a mistake.

Why can't everyone just have THIS MUCH common sense?    [/very short affirming rant]

Anyway, it's better to have something that YOU planted, rather than a plant someone's ex
might have been instrumental in growing...  No?

[Agonistes]

...I wanted to bring it with me, but it was in bloom, and i figured it had had such good luck where it was, that messing with it would be a mistake.

Why can't everyone just have THIS MUCH common sense?   [/very short affirming rant]

Anyway, it's better to have something that YOU planted, rather than a plant someone's ex
might have been instrumental in growing...  No?

well, that was my point.  i had already undone the stuff in the yard that had been suggested by the former regime (i won't go into detail but railroad ties were involved; it looked like a kitsch farm bordello).  and, from speaking with a former neighbor of my dad's, who was a rose whisperer, i learned transplanting even the hardiest of roses is like, anathema unless it just cannot be avoided.  ESPECIALLY when it is busy blooming.  plus, you are absolutely right; i have no need of ex-girlfriend flowers.

my only reason for considering keeping it was the maintenance-free living it was into; the thing even came back after weed-whacker accidents, before i took over the yard.  also suzy liked the fact that it changed color, and her interest in growing things was almost nil because she thinks she has no talent at it.  but, since i am easing into this farm life, i don't mind working up to plants we choose together, and i've already tricked her into planting a dogwood that lived, so she can see that she does not in fact have the touch of death.

[lentower]

iris and roses both need some care.
roses more if you want them to bloom throughout the warm season.
if anyone wants, i could share the tips

roses can be transplanted right after the ground thaws,
before they push new leaves and shoots
you just get as much of the bare roots as possible,
can cut back the tops heavily - but above a few bud points
(shoot buds, not flower buds).
you have to replant at the same depth.
mixing some peat moss, compost, and fertilizer in to the soil,
away from the bare roots helps.

except for digging the rose out,
this is the same as planting a bare root rose
one gets via mail order.

[Agonistes]

len, i bet in an old city like boston you can see some rosebushes that are centuries old...do all varieties have to be transplanted out of the cold, or are there sorts that go dormant?  i know you guys have big winters.  some of the really older houses down here are still reseeding gardens that were planted like three hundred years ago, and probably last tended around the civil war, in some cases.  there is a magnolia tree in mobile that has a trunk the size of a volvo.  it's right near the grave of the guy who invented mardi gras.

i'm just getting a compost bin built (and drainage trenches dug, thanks to a storm showing me  this property is just stupid without drainage), so i'm a little ways away from roses, but i'm interested in what you have to share about them.  recently i helped a friend clear off this huge amazing trellis they have from which we removed, no kidding, about 700 pounds of wisteria and rose vine, cutting the plants back so we could repair the trellis and they could climb all over again this summer and enact a rose-wisteria color war.  the trunks on those climbing roses were about six inches in diameter; i have never seen anything like it.  i believe we decided they'd been planted there about twenty years ago.  they say that the horrible semi-tropical summers we have are really suited to the climbing type of rose, so i am hunting for a good variety with a unique color eventually.  this year i'm going to focus on a fortress-like trellis/gazebo sort of edifice.

if all goes well with the climbing roses, i'm going to try some bush varieties, or the other sort (i don't know what you'd call all the types).

also, what's a good company to order from, in your opinion?

[lentower]

not sure about real old rose bushes in Boston.

i have enough land, that i just run two compost piles.
alternate years for harvesting them.
the worms in the soil do most of the work.
i don't even turn them any more.
the soil under the pile/bin becomes rich from
the compost and worms too, and is worth harvesting.

a good way to prepare a new bed, if you have a year,
is to just run a compost pile on top of it.

i have an electric mulcher, and make my own mulch from
branches, etc.  
I don't mulch what I trim off the roses,
even if it went into the compost pile,
i don't want to run the risk
of infecting the roses.
the rose clippings go out at the curb as yard waste.

i was just talking about how to move a rose,
if you wanted it in a new location.
no need to disturb the roots at all otherwise.

what's important about  winterizing roses,
where it gets cold dry +/or freezes in the winter,
is to prevent dehydration.
so when you get the first frost, get all the leaves off,
and cut the canes back to about a foot off the ground.
then mound them about 6 inches with dirt or mulch.

the mounding is particularly important with
hybrid teas. floribundas,and fancy roses.
they are almost always grafted onto hardy root stock,
which, at best, blooms once a year with tiny mono-chrome roses.
the mound prevents the graft from drying out,
which kills the canes above it with the fancy roses.

for this reason, you also want to totally remove any new
shoots/canes that grow out of the ground.
they are just taking nutrients and water from the fancy rose
stock above the graft.

[lentower]

I mostly buy Jackson & Perkins, and Weeks roses.

I have found they survive the longest.

I may try growers in Zones colder than mine.
Even with mounding and pruning.  I get some winter kill most years.

There is a grower that offers roses on their own roots
http://www.heirloomroses.com/
but the roses I got from them, died out over a few winters.

[imaginary friend]

not sure about real old rose bushes in Boston.

there's gotta be some. my neighbor has roses that she tells me have been thriving there for decades with no input from her...and our winters are way more brutal than yours.

Ag: does your state govt. (or some local college) have planting/garden tips to help people take advantage of your local climate?

#@!

[lentower]

Ag: does your state govt. (or some local college) have planting/garden tips to help people take advantage of your local climate?

Almost every county/parish in the US has a branch of the
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative_extension_service
which is a good place to get info about plants

[Agonistes]

not sure about real old rose bushes in Boston.

there's gotta be some. my neighbor has roses that she tells me have been thriving there for decades with no input from her...and our winters are way more brutal than yours.

Ag: does your state govt. (or some local college) have planting/garden tips to help people take advantage of your local climate?

#@!

probably?  there's auburn university, which is our version of an agricultural college, when they aren't busy playing football.  they have all sorts of courses on that sort of thing, and i think they do work out in the farming community to diversify people's land, and such.  things grow here like crazy; even pot used to just grow wild by the side of the road, my grandmother told me, till they ran around killing it all.  i don't know if the state govt has a lot of advice, but they have been known to help a farm or two and educate a little here and there, so i would imagine there is some type of program.  i feel like i heard recently about someone/a group giving or getting free seeds and some education on growing them, but i can't place it.




len, that is some detailed information on roses.  i did not realize they did things like grafting onto a root system, though of course i guess they'd have to do stuff like that for hybrids and so on.  roses are so very complicated; i might never progress beyond some climbers and a low-maintenance bush or two.

i am jealous of your two compost heaps; so far i'm about halfway through building just one.   i've started a worm bed for bait with my son in law; very simple construction.  you dig out a bit of sod, then throw down an old carpet doormat or piece of old rug onto the ground, cover it with loose dirt, and cover that with your old coffee grounds, instead of throwing them out.  within a month, nightcrawlers as long as your arm, and good for throwing a couple of worms into the compost or garden.

[lentower]

Kmart here is selling Windmill roses for $6.99 each.
(they might be out in Alabama)
Some of them looked to be in good shape.
I got some to do a hedge with.
May be some seasons before
I know how they compare to J&P and Weeks

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

J&P has a test panel,
where you get four roses to evaluate for about 60% of normal retail.
people who return the evaluations get first crack at joining
next year.  Often closes to newcomers in January.
http://www.jacksonandperkins.com/gardening/GP/listpage/RoseTestPanel

[lentower]

Ag: does your state govt. (or some local college) have planting/garden tips to help people take advantage of your local climate?

Almost every county/parish in the US has a branch of the
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative_extension_service
which is a good place to get info about plants

The Cooperative Extension offices are funded by the
Department of Agriculture, and usually there is a partnership with
the state government.

They often have a working farm +/or garden,
and (usually) really want to help.

[lentower]

len, that is some detailed information on roses.  i did not realize they did things like grafting onto a root system, though of course i guess they'd have to do stuff like that for hybrids and so on.  roses are so very complicated; i might never progress beyond some climbers and a low-maintenance bush or two.

my dad is really, Really, REALLY into plants,
he landscaped the first house he and mom owned.
including a rose garden.

rose care isn't complicated,
though if you want them to bloom throughout the season
you have to put a little time in.

more when I have time.

[Agonistes]

i have planted/submerged in water a handful of weeping pussy willow cuttings, both softwood and even some hardwood.  from everything i have read, it's hard to get this stuff to NOT grow, so we shall see.

i''ve also taken some japanese maple cuttings.  i hear if you can get them to grow, they make really amazing bonzai trees.  i have a few books on bonzai, but it's never been something i have had the space or time to try.  if these cuttings take, i will have quite a few plants to work with.

i am very much an immediate result type of person, so the waiting is hard.

edit:  i want this in my garden.

[tanqgirl]

were growing garlic, strawberries, raspberries, beans of some sort, lots of tomatoes, peppers, onions, potatoes, peas, rutabagas, rhubarb, squash, basil, cilantro, oregano, corn, peppermint, lemon balm, sage, lavender, and a whole bunch of flowers and probably other random stuff i cant think of right now

[imaginary friend]

my best friend used to grow this flowering plant (not a very pretty one, btw) that had tiny white blossoms...that tasted almost exactly like onions. damn good eatin' - you should think about growing some.

#@!

[CeeGBee]

A lot of onions do have tiny white flowers...  It was probably a relative.

[Agonistes]

i'm growing some garlic, also.

[tanqgirl]

speaking of related to onion plants...i'm about to make cheesy biscuits and we're out of garlic powder so i have to use mooshed up real garlic and i believe it's from our garden? i dont really know...

update: my computer died while i was writing this and i have now finished and eaten those biscuits and they were delicious!

[imaginary friend]

my best friend used to grow this flowering plant (not a very pretty one, btw) that had tiny white blossoms...that tasted almost exactly like onions. damn good eatin' - you should think about growing some.

#@!

I asked her a little while ago; they're chive blossoms. her chive plants are blooming right now.

#@!

[tanqgirl]

my best friend used to grow this flowering plant (not a very pretty one, btw) that had tiny white blossoms...that tasted almost exactly like onions. damn good eatin' - you should think about growing some.

#@!

I asked her a little while ago; they're chive blossoms. her chive plants are blooming right now.

#@!

oh duhs!! i love chives, that makes sense now!

hubs said that so i had something to do till i get a job that doesnt involve sitting on my ass (like sewing, playing piano, and writing) he'd make me my own little garden!!! i'm so excited, i'm gonna do mostly herbs but i know we have some extra tomato and other fun stuff seeds sitting around so i'll have my own that i get to take care of!!! i so excited!!!!


look at me NOT double posting 

my pole beans are the first things coming up!! and yes they really are THAT green!