Morning glory seeds

     Within the past month I just broad casted numerous morning glory seeds in two different gardens in different garden zones.  Both have turned up positive for germination and these seeds were put into soil back in late march for experimental purposes. The rate was low at this point for germination but never the less, it worked up to now. I am going to guess that those other seeds after all the rain we just received will germinate.
     I also broad casted a bunch of half hardy seeds just before all the rain we got last week.  I did this with Four o'clock s, zinnia and cosmos that were thrown and raked into soil, so we shall see.

The Cosmos germinated and came up.

I am starting three different varieties of morning glories tomorrow after soaking the seeds over night in shot glasses, yes in water not liquor.

The varieties are Picotee Blue, Grandpa Ott, and Heavenly Blue.

If interested in seedlings let me know. 

Free of course

 

Small Semi Shade Garden

This is a garden I started last year with a bunch of neglected hydrangeas, baby viburnums, and various semi shade perennials. 

This is one year of full growth given to plants and will be already filled in by this summer.

List of plants are forget me nots ,iris,geum, purple coneflower, lady's mantle, daylillies, phlox, bishops weed,creeping jenny, hosta.

Columbine was broadcasted last year and flowering already.  

FREEZE WARNING

FREEZE ADVISORY

******************

Protect or Bring inside any non-hardy plants which have been placed outside.

Temperatures are going to drop at or below the freezing mark in northeast.

Here is what my living room looks like tonight with having to bring in my non hardy seedlings
I have other trays in random spots as well because of this wonderful weather.

        

Creeping Phlox Pictures

This first Picture was taken last year May 3, 2011

Next picture is same location taken April 19, 2012

You can see how with this crazy spring we had with how everything is thrown off.

Top left azalea in first picture hasn't even bloomed yet but blooming in below one. Yet all creeping phlox is fading in below picture, two full weeks ahead of normal time.   

This is what the results are after planting a small amount of this plant two full seasons ago.  I remember it just being a one gallon pot I bought on a discount rack.

 This is the same case with my Kerria which I am comparing last years pictures.

This picture was taken April 29th, 2011 in full bloom.  You can see in recent posts I have entered that this same plant's flowers have faded already.

If you were hit with that frost we received which I warned about in late march you would have noticed a great decrease in blooms from lilac plants.    

  

Ironweed seeds

     Last fall on a certain golf course I played on for the past two years I have seen an Ironweed plant and wanted to grab some seeds to see if germination was possible. I thought if i could get that seed head I could mass produce this plant a thousand fold.  Going by my results so far this spring with germinating the seeds from that plant it looks like I am going in the right direction.

These following pictures are of one of the mother plants I germinated seeds from.

Its not the one from the golf course but same variety.  

  

 That Damn 'Motorboat' in background has to go.

 For Sale-Best Offer

Rue

     Just adopted a Rue plant, also know as Ruta. I am not too familiar with this plant but it is a plant that goes back to biblical times and has many stories within itself.  It is said to have remedies and medicinal purposes but that might be archaic with modern medicine.
     Never the less, the persuasion from a stubborn old gardener for me to grow this plant has given me the drive to give it a chance. It has a nice aroma when rubbed in between your hands.

     It is also known to drive away unwanted bugs and critters. I took stem cuttings and they are now soaking in water to see if they can develop roots. 

I will get more information on this plant as I find it. 

  

Gardner Lake Update - 04/21/12

      I spent this past Friday and Saturday up at Gardner Lake working in my garden.  On my way up I stopped off at a yard sale at a farm with some real friendly folks.  The farm was called "pequeña granja", translated from Spanish meaning "small farm".
     If I am wrong with the name please correct me.  It was off of route 82 east of Salem four corners.

     

The owners gave me a small tour of the grounds and in return I gave them some seedlings I started.

 Hopefully I will get some of this rhubarb.

The picture doesn't really do any justice for those beautiful flower heads coming out that look like funfetti.

 That is what I call a "Meat Cooker"

   

The following pictures are of the current conditions at Gardner Lake. 

 Looking towards Big Rock Beach

Sandy Beach in below picture

 "Big Rock Exposed"

Garden Pictures from Cabin- 04/21/12

Williams Way

 Dicentra 'Alba'

 Leopard's Bane

Foam Flower

Seedling availability

Here is a list of perennials, annuals and other misc plants.  I have seedlings with most plants for now or will be ready within the next few weeks.  If you are interested, please let me know. They are free of charge of course within arms reach without having to ship.  Will take trades with plants you have if possible. Fair is fair.

Zinnia seedlings-multiple varieties
Canna bulbs and seeds-green leaf- red flower- pictures posted on this blog
Sunflowers- Mammoth Russian and Teddy Bear varieties
Ironweed- Latin is 'Vernonia'- great late bloomer with large structure.
4'oclocks-seedlings and seeds-easy germination
Castor bean plant- only a couple limited- *please research before requesting
Kerria- golden guinea-offshoots
Baptisia
Snake Gourd-Interesting fall plant
Asclepias tuberosa- seeds-easy germination
Morning Glory-You name color- I have it- seeds and seedlings
Ligularia Desdemona- seedlings and seeds
Viburnum- double file seedlings-fast grower
Purple Amaranth-seeds-weed like, but great plant- please see picture on this blog
Tobacco plant-seeds
Bee Balm root cuttings-multiple colors
Foxglove seedlings
Forget-me-nots
Bishops weed seedlings
Liatris seedlings
Pee Gee Hydrangea seedlings
Rose of Sharon seedlings- your guess of color with all the cross pollination.
Cosmos- Just started seeds- Plant was 5 feet high in full sun last year. I have extra seeds
Rudbeckia- 'Herbstsonne'
Bleeding Heart- seedlings
Columbine-seedlings
Amsonia- Blue Star- seedlings
Callicarpa-American beauty berry- small plants
Gooseneck Loosestrife- lysimachia clethroides - root cuttings and plants-do research.
Chameleon Plant- Houttuynia cordata 




That is it for now- will continue with more as I germinate more seeds or find more babies.

I have some very limited varieties I have started which i haven't listed due to getting established for next years crop.  Feel free to ask, I might have it.  

*Please accept the fact that some spelling might be off with plant descriptions. 

Soaking Seeds

     Most hard shell plant seeds need some sort of soaking in water at least overnight to make sure germination is a success.

I have recently been working with canna lily seeds, morning glory seeds, and Four o'clock s.

The canna seeds I have been attempting to germinate need some help.  I have been scraping them using a cheese grater.  I do this while holding the seed with pliers to expose the inner white layer. 

  I soaked the canna lily seeds for about a day or two.  I also throw into the same water some morning glory and 4 o'clock s seeds not nicked but you can take a sharp knife and nick them if you want which I find to work just as well.  I have found sometimes it doesn't hurt or help either way.

 I even just started some castor bean seeds too as well.  I soaked them for a day in a different water container due to its extreme toxicity.

Here is a peat pot with my newly germinated canna lily seeds.

 

My little greenhouse getting overloaded with seed trays and pots of various seedlings.

 

 Once again I have a big surplus of the three seeds mentioned in start of this post. 

The below picture is of the canna lily being discussed.

 

Early Spring Garden Pictures

I took a few Pictures with nothing much blooming but with a lot of promise with this new deer fence installed.

A dense mat of bee balm making its way outside its boundaries which is always the case.

Yellow flowering plant in all pictures is Kerria Golden Guinea.

I bought this plant from a grower in Maryland back in 2003 before it was even on the radar.

Now I am seeing it in a lot of nurseries this spring for some reason.  

Reason being that it is a fast grower and spreader very similar to Forsythia.

Actually its been one of the most easily propagated plants I have worked with.

  

 Will someone please buy that sailboat in the background or we are going to create an artificial reef in the lake for a fisherman's paradise.

Gardner Lake Update

I am thinking by this picture, we will be needing a lot of RAIN soon.

Upcoming Posts

I will be going into the great wooded area of Eastern Connecticut for the next couple days and will come back with plenty of informative information related to the horticultural world so stay tuned.

I am sure I will have plenty to post when I get back.

Lasdon Park Arboretum and Veterans Memorial- April 7th

Lasdon Park Arboretum and Veterans Memorial

Update 04/07/12

Decided to make it a monthly visit to make a post on seasonal progression with the development of the landscape display and yearly evolution.

Didn't take too many pictures this time around.  Wasn't much of a change with plants blooming with this weird weather.

Following English Garden has been the biggest change worth focusing on.

Grape Hyacinth

Buyer Beware

Just a reminder-"Still Too Early" for annuals and tender plants. Don't be fooled with the warm weather.  Frost is still a threat until mid-May in our area.  I see the garden centers loading up on these plants that will not survive a good frost so if you decide to purchase, do not put them into ground until after the last frost. Leave them in pots and put outside when its warm and bring them in at night. You can see the sign "annuals" in background, at this point they just wanna make a buck.

"Perennial" weeds

I enjoy my Perennials, but there a few that have become such a nuisance, I feel the yard is doomed when they are introduced.

Rose campion, gloriosa daisy, and non hybrid achillea flower are the "Big Three".  They are growing within grass on front lawn and anywhere else.

   Gloriosa Daisies

 Rose Campion

 achillea flower

                                                                           



On the other hand,  perennials that I like that take over are bishops weed, bee balm, evening primrose, forget-me-nots, columbine, creeping jenny to name a few.  


BTW if you like these flowers, I have them in bulk at no cost.
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