Florida's heat and humidity bothered them not in the least. The smaller cultivars are great in containers and will brighten any spot. Several cultivars have been introduced, mostly in smaller sizes than the species.
However, as my experience above illustrates, there are pitfalls that can trip you up. In these times of difficult economic circumstances, the fact that plants grown from seed can be much less expensive than those in bought in stores might be another motivator...
Sometimes, pellets get crushed, so don't panic if you get a packet of little crumbles. Look for varieties with brightly colored throats and contrasting veining. I like to combine petunias with more delicate flowers such as sweet alyssum or blue lobelia,...
They knew they were like some little greenhouses!At first, I sowed Morning Glories (Ipomoea) in pots and then replanted it in the garden, near the fences and they were climbing all over it, blooming in different colors.
You can also direct-sow tender annuals after the soil warms up. Winter is turning to Spring, and you still have a stash of empty milk jugs you were saving for "winter sowing?" Put them to use! It's not too late to grow plants with the winter sowing method.
This means that the seedlings will have a full summer and fall to get sufficiently large that they can tolerate the coming winter.Of course many aloes do not live in a climate where there is much of a winter (temperature-wise) and many of these aloes...
The white Shasta Daisy adds interest and reflects the white picotee of the lily.This larger spring vignette plays a bed of red Flanders Poppies against a sea of green grass, daffodil foliage, and hydrangea bushes.Questions?
Keep damp until seeds germinate. One-inch, roselike flowers of pink, white, yellow, orange, purple, scarlet, and combinations of these open in the bright light of day.Some varieties remain closed at night or on cloudy days.
You can start off with a cool season crop such as spinach, lettuce, broccoli, when this crop is harvested you can sow another warm weather crop such as beans, eggplant, etc. It is 23 inches square and 6 inches high.
For me, spring planting is one of the best times of year in the garden. New roots will grow all along the buried part of the stem. Watering your garden will take up less water and less of your time with a simple irrigation system in place.You may have...
It gives you the amount to plant in order to have a specific amount to preserve. The depth that the seeds need to be planted. Some seeds require light to germinate so you just need to lay them on the soil surface and not cover them with anything.
The pots are made from processed cow manure, so at planting time the entire pot may be directly planted into the soil, the pot breaks down over time with the manure adding nutrients to the soil.Use a good quality potting mix in which to transplant your...
I like to have a fan directed on my plants 4-5 hours per day to aid in air circulation.Don't keep the soil too moist; let the surface dry before watering. Manufacturers have also introduced some new fluorescent bulbs labeled as "sunlight" or "daylight"...
If you don't have a source for pine needles, let me send you some of mine! But seriously, a one dollar box of toothpicks would work just as well.Now obviously these labels are not very sturdy, so I do not expect for them to last once I plant my seedlings...
Seeds can be saved from year to year. Usually it is cooked as a pot herb, and both the green- and red-stemmed varieties retain a fresh green color when cooked. Ceylon spinach, Indian spinach, vine spinach, and Malabar nightshade.Malabar spinach grows...
Once the cuttings are rooted, plant them in individual pots. Common flower names can be quite descriptive and uplifting (think Morning Glory), but some can be downright misleading and even have a somewhat nasty connotation.
A controller to maintain the temperature at an even 78°F seemed like a good investment.If the prices on seedling heat mats and controllers make you wince, there are some DIY alternatives.
It was fortunate that I did, because the parent tree was brought down in a fierce storm shortly after.The seed germinated well and here are six seedlings on 14th February 2006, perhaps 10 - 15 cm tall.
These antique flowers can be found in many gardens and in countless settings. Glance over the neighbor's fence, and you are likely to see several antique flowers peeking back at you.
I thought I should better make a list with what flowers and veggies I would like to have in the garden. On my sketch I imagined many roses planted in front of the house and on both sides, but now I only have twoyellow-pink hybrid tea roses.
Do not cover them, as they need light for germination. Well after danger of frost, transplant the seedlings outside to a sunny spot. They may be slow to begin active growth (depending on the temperature) but once it warms up totally they'll be off.
Of course there is planning to be done, and if we're lucky, a stack of garden books received as holiday gifts to be read before the spring. Wait until all danger of frost has passed before planting these out.The once-common Asclepias syriaca is critical...
Candytuft are a group of low plants found mostly in southern Europe. They may also be grown fromSo whether you prefer to grow annuals or perennials, live inor mild, there are candytufts that are suitable for your garden.
If you have a super eyesight you may see very close to the hilum a real tiny hole, the micropyle that is the trace of the pollen tube that came to pollinate the ovule. Observe it carefully; it is covered by a tegument or skin which protects it just like...
Drip water systems are ideal for perennials, and mulching is beneficial to new perennial gardens. Decide whether you want to sow your perennial seeds indoors or directly into your garden or flowerbed during the spring to early summer.
The new friends are reluctant to lose the camaraderie.For any newbies out there who are a little reluctant to jump in and start trading, try reading through thefirst. There were lots of participants in the swaps I talked about in this article who had...
Will heuchera become the next hosta? In his much heralded reference book, "The Hostapedia"*, Mark Zilis lists 7,400 hostas, most differing in leaf shape, size, color, variegation pattern, texture, or some combination of those leaf attributes.
