Once upon a time..Tales from Carmel by the Sea (California)

Dirt Therapy (Alabama)

Rock Rose (Texas)

Aiken House & Gardens (Canada)

Edible Landscaping (California)

Garden Photo of the Day (Georgia)

Galloping Gardener (England)

This is my blog: Fluffy Flowers (Georgia)

Enjoy!

pretty much anything garden related.
Please bring food to share and a utensil for serving. A chair to sit in outdoors, your plants and your 1-1 trades all individually bagged or boxed, flats or boxes to take your goodies home in!

I will place one specification on the date and trade at my home: my back has gone out. It's only been a week but it's really really bad and nobody can tell me what's going on. If I'm this bad I just can't possibly be a good host to you. If I'm fine then I will do my best to welcome you all and serve you as best I can :)

I supply the place, the toilets (ha ha), drinks, dishes/cutlery/cups and clean up :)

We are pretty much a gluten free household so I can't offer you things like serving utensils but I we have an oven to heat, a kettle....and will have recyclable/compostable goods for eating from and healthy beverages to drink. If you enjoy traditional sodas like coke & pepsi please bring them, we will have fruit soda (and perhaps some snappy -non-child-friendly) punch.
Children and pets: please let your pets remain at home, and please let your small children remain at home also. I'm just not equipped on property (holes in the back yard, etc) nor in the house to have kids younger than 11 or so. It's really not all that fun a day for most kids anyway.
It's all perfectly fine for adults :)

Closer to the trade date, in April I will contact people posting here who are registered GW members who have said they would like to come to the trade, I'll give you my address and phone number at that time, but you must be a GW registered member and I would actually prefer that you have taken the effort to add some information to your personal page. After all, I'm giving you my home address.

Thanks, all!
girlgroupgirl

The little white daisies are annual paludosum daisies.

Fashion Diva (just opened), a new flower here:

Fashion Diva, more fully formed--the photo doesn't show how pretty it is:

Jurassic Park (new for me)--really liked its color and size:

Perpetual Joy--camera doesn't begin to show how nice this one looks live:

Party's Over:

Secret Rites clump:

And, finally, the loudest frog ever! Does anyone know the species name? They sound like dogs barking!

Bishop's Castle rose

Plum Pretty Whiskers Iris

Side yard:

Showbiz roses

New Leaf

Looky Loo

NOID that was bought as Classic Look:

Scottish Reel again:

Grand Circle:

Missouri Mist:

Ringo:

Plum Pretty Whiskers again:

Bayberry Candle:

And Rio Rojo, inspired by Rita's gorgeous photo last year.

Renee

Plum Pretty Whiskers:

First bloom on Looky Loo this year:

New Leaf:

Fashion Passion:

Wonderful, gorgeous 'Scottish Reel' and the first flower is perfect:

Mom's Cantina:

Jean's Thornbird (it was supposed to be Owyhee Desert- Schreiner's made a mistake):

Jean's NOID Yellow:

Jean's NOIDs:

Plum Pretty Whiskers again:

Renee

Seakist:

Palace Symphoney - Staked since it was lying on the ground:

Vienna Waltz:

And Blackalicious - I love this one:

kay

Is there anyone who doesn't know I love purple?

Now YOu Will Know:

Evening Tidings:

A Clump of Decadence:

This is Palace Symphony:

And Overload:

And with Blackalicious, I will quit since fear I have overloaded you:

But I must shoe wyou I have some delicate colors:
oNly a few I admit, but here is Miss Moon beam:

kay

kay

Grape Jelly:

Pink Invasion:

Chinook Arch:

And Skating Party:

kay

GRAND OLD OPRY - Meek'87

More on my blog: http://aimeesroses.wordpress.com/2012/04/04/huntington-gardens-blooms-late-march/

Here is a link that might be useful: Huntington Gardens Blooms on Aimee's Blog

First was Recurring Dream (purply-blue) and Lady Friend.

Northwest Progress.

City Lights.

First time bloom on Telepathy.

First time for Larry Gaulter.

Aaahhhhhh- first time for Peach Royale!

From Lavender's Garden

CMK- I know we're not supposed to mix perennials and annuals, so don't you think it would be nice, to mix in some roses with the asparagus? Maybe on each corner and around the little bench, in the plan? Maybe some shorter roses, on the front corners...just to balance things out? :)

Kitty smells a flower

And then he sees a bee!

Annette

Blooming so far at the picket fence:

Very late in the year, I have a pure white zinnia volunteer. My neighbor had talked so much about wanting some white ones that I pulled it up and repotted and kept it in the greenhouse until I had a few blooms to harvest for her.

I am planting a lot more zinnias this year.
kay

iris "Gypsy Romance" - my favorite. this is not photoshop, colors are really that brilliant

From Iris 2010

From Iris 2010

From Iris 2010

Got the blues . . .

From Iris 2010

From Iris 2010

Samurai Warrior and blooms of 'ravenswin​g' cow parsley

From Iris 2008

iris samurai warrior in front of red barberry

From Iris 2010

baptisia australis(​wild blue indigo) makes a great foil for this particular iris - late and tall

From Iris 2010

From Iris 2010

iris Dover Beach - photo is inadequate to how gorgeous these were, and long blooming too.

From Iris 2010

From Iris 2010

From Iris 2008

From Iris 2008

prettiest flower of all (and look at the size of those blooms!)

From Iris 2008

BTW - I'm cross posting to iris forum.

This is her tomato bed. It has been invaded by Mme Julia Correvon and Jackmanni clematis, red asiatic lilies and screaming pink ivy geraniums.

Oh yeah- we met the nicest English lady down the street on Mother's Day, and got a tour of her HUGE cottage garden. I'm trying to finagle a good day to go over and snap some shots for you all.
Renee

I have gotten rid of all ants with this stuff Big black ants, red ants.

And many, many more!

Maid of Orange border iris

New Arbor

Frequent Flyer with Paludosum Daisies

Lady Friend and Total Recall

Alice Goodman and Lady Friend

New Leaf with Mariposa Autumn in the background

It finally rained in Southern California.
Renee

Oh, and I have lemon bomb too, but so far after 8 years it is still confined to one 5x15' bed and hasn't made the leap for freedom.

Blue mist flower-it can come up through a concrete sidewalk. It spreads by seeds, roots, rhyzomes and magic. It has a mind of it's own and plan for world domination. The fact that the hummers and flutterbys love it so much is a diversion to throw you off the track-it's a wolf in sheep's clothing, a garden terrorist, Osama Bin Misty. In my own defense, I didn't pay money for it, I got it in a trade from a formerly trusted friend who shall remain nameless.

I have (dis)obedient plant too, but find that it can be contained in an area if you have a trench around it. The roots only like to go so far underground and they don't like to jump over anything. And the roots also are easy to see when you dig it up, so it's not nearly such a formidable enemy as Hostile Takeover, Lemon Bomb or Osama Bin Misty. Cheryl

Healthy Hollyhock Spray
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. canola oil
1/2 tsp. Ivory dish liquid soap
1/2 C. white vinegar
1 gallon water.

Gail

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q=sunshine+blue+caryopteris&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=

We have 2 different kinds (I can't remember which) and we love them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Google Images

When I put down newspaper to get rid of some weeds, I found I had more worms under it, than anywhere else.

ellen

Try these alternatives to commercial chemical products
by N. E. MacDougald

Borax - Cockroaches & ants hate it. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp around affected plants or areas. Caution: too much Borax is toxic, so stick with the tiny amount given and keep out of reach of children and pets).

Liquid garlic - Sprayed on plants & in orchards, it keeps birds away.

Garlic Barrier - Peel and mince a head of garlic; add to a quart of water; let it sit a few hours. Strain and spray. (I use this method. Can be used year round, if needed. Does not affect taste of fruit. You can also add crushed mint- repels aphids and ants.)

HOMEMADE PESTICIDES

Diluted vinegar - also called acetic acid-is a fine organic weed killer. Dilute it to 5%, 10%, or 20% strength with water----yes, the stuff you use to clean floors---and pour it into a spray bottle or if you need to cover a large area, a backpack sprayer. Vinegar acts as a defoliant, not a poison.Spray it onto the plants you want to kill, but wait for hot, sunny weather for best results. Spraying on cool, overcast days will have no effect. (note: If you use 5% apple-cider vinegar that you use for cooking, you need not dilute it.)

Dishwater - is an effective and virtually free insecticide. Put your (used) dishwater in a watering can and use it on mums and hostas. For a stronger insecticide, add three tablespoons of dishwashing detergent to a gallon of water and use it weekly.

Saltwater spray - is as simple as it sounds and works on cabbage worms and spider mites. Dissolve a couple of Tablespoons of salt in a gallon of water, mix and spray.

Spearmint-hot pepper-horseradish spray - is effective on a variety of insects. Mix the spearmint leaves horseradish, onion tops andpeppers together with sufficient water to cover everything. Strain the solution. After mixing all of these, add a half-gallon of water and 2 Tablespoons of liquid dishwashing detergent. Dilute this solution 50/50 with water. Use to spray most plants safely. You can store this solution for a few days in a cool place.

Ingredients:
1/2 cp. of hot peppers
1/2 cp. fresh spearmint
1/2 cp. horseradish, roots and leaves
1/2 cp green onion tops
2 Tbsp.liquid dishwashing detergent
Water (as needed to dilute).

This last one is my favorite organic solution that I have used since the 70s. I predominantly use it for spraying roses, strawberries and all fruit-bearing vines, bushes, brambles and trees, but it can be good for anything bothered by Japanese beetles, mites, thrips, aphids, ants, and etc. Grasshoppers don't like it either. It softens the exoskeletons of hard-shelled insects, which causes them to die.

(Note: For Tent caterpillars, I simply use a torch and burn them out of my trees. It is very effective!)

Beneficial Insects..................................Controls
Aphid midges................................Aphids
Beneficial wasps............................Green Peach & Apple Aphids
Dragonflies.................................Mosquitoes, Gnats
Ground Beetles..............................Cabbge-root maggots, cutworms, snails, slug eggs, armyworms,, tent caterpillars

Lacewings...................................Aphids, scale, sm. caterpillars, thrips
"Ladybugs"..................................Aphids, mealybugs, spider mites
Mealybug destroyer..........................Mealybugs
Minute pirate bug...........................Thrips, mites
Parasitic wasps.............................Whitefly, aphids, some pest caterpillars
Predatory mites.............................Fungus gnats, thrips, spider mites

Rose beetles................................Root maggot
Scale predator beetles......................Soft scales
Spined soldier bug..........................Colorado potato & Mexican bean beetle
Syrphid flies...............................Aphids
Tachnid flies...............................Tent caterpillars & armyworms
------------------------------------------------------
end

These things will not kill 100% of the insects - they are not poisons, but it will keep them in-check for a more natural solution to pest infestations in the garden.

~Annie

TM, I can not believe how beautifully this corner garden of yours has filled out over the past few years since you planted it. Your Hollyhocks are to die for!

I really wish I had written down the name of the person who posted this recipe here on the forum a few years ago, so I could give credit where credit is due. Please forgive me, whoever you are. Perhaps this will help some of you who have problems with rust. I never needed it, yeah! but I don't have any hollyhocks at moment either, so I can't really say how well it works from personal experience.

MeMo

Healthy Hollyhock Spray

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 Tbl. Canola Oil
1/2 tsp. Ivory dish soap
1/2 Cup White Vinegar
1 gal. Water

Here is a link that might be useful: Preparing Plants For Shipping

Ingrid

Some thoughts for you:

"Do you split up all of your seeds when you first get them, or do you wait until someone wants some or how do you do that part???"

With seeds I purchase or receive in trades, I do pretty much what Doris does and usually don't put them on my trade list until after I'm done sowing. However, when I harvest something that I want to sow, and I have plenty of it, I will divy it up right away and add some to my sow stash and some to my trade list/trade box.

"Oh, and where is there info about how to plant different seeds. like perennials, annuals and some of the herbs. Someone told me how to plant stevia, but I am unsure about rosmary, and many of the perennials in the book I am reading say it can take 2-8 weeks."

I use the following databases a lot to figure out when I want to start my seeds. I.e., if the database says a seed needs a cold period, I will know I need to winter sow it in January/February cuz that's the only time we get 'cold' temps. Most seeds are pretty forgiving though, and you will be fine just throwing them out the door without looking up info on them. However, if you enjoy research, as I do, there's lots of good info at these sites:

A great resource for determining whether a particular seed requires cold or warm temps to germinate is the Seed Germination Database at the Backyard Gardener site.

http://www.backyardgardener.com/tm1.html

The Seed Site is a wonderful resource. It has pics of teeny-tiny seedlings to help you identify what's coming up in containers that have lost their labels and also has a good germination database.

http://www.theseedsite.co.uk/

Tom Clothier's site has germination databases for perennials, annuals/biennuals, penstemons(?!?) and trees/shrubs

http://tomclothier.hort.net/

Lastly, if you can't find germination info at any of the above. B & T World seeds lists 35,000 seeds and has germination info on most of them.

You can look up plants at:

http://b-and-t-world-seeds.com/

Re hybrids coming true. Not much to add to Sue's excellent post, except that I have become hooked on growing rose's from seeds. Like hybrid daylilies, hybrid roses have such complex ancestories that the babies are often quite different from mom; Sometimes they are butt ugly, but sometimes they are really, really lovely and the payoff is quite satisfying. (It's cheaper than gambling in Vegas...)

Healthy Hollyhock Spray

1 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
1 T. Canola Oil
1/2 tsp. Ivory Dish Soap
1/2 C. White Vinegar
1 gal. water

MeMo

Here is a link that might be useful: Here you can visit the photo-archive

I omit the pesticide he recommended in 1978 and the liqued iron (my blue stuff had iron) and just mix one five gallon bucketful of dilute, ready-to-apply mix:

5 tablespoons of that fertilizer stuff that turns the water blue, your choice.
1/3 cup fish emulsion fertilizer
1/3 cup Epsom salts
5 gallons of water.

If you're a purist, you could use compost tea instead of the blue fertilizer and water and just add fish emulsion and Epsom salts.

To minimize sloshing out all my solution, I put everything except water in two five gallon buckets on my little wagon, pull them to the area I'm going to fertilize, add water to the first bucket, dip and pour on everything in easy reach until it's gone and then move on to fill the second bucket at the next area. Oh, you add solution by size of plant. The daylily people put 2-4 cups, by size of clump.

Warning: Fish emulsion is awfully smelly. One year there was a recipe on the daylily forum for something even worse that added alfalfa and let it ferment for a day or so. It was not for those who can't abide bad smells, lemme tell you!

Libby, we should start a thread about pretty plants that just aren't cute any more.
My Sago Palm has 34 new fronds this spring.
It was cute when it finally had 12 one year and 16 the next....
Now I have to start a tropical bed around it so it doesn't look 'funny' or it might need to go.
Nell

12. If you just have to know if it is forming roots you can very, very gently pull on the end of the cutting. If you feel resistance it is rooting.

13. When you see roots coming out of the bottom of the pot, replant it in a larger pot.

Note: If you notice mold growing around the stem you can open the bag and spray it with hydrogen peroxide diluted with water. Say 3 tablespoons in a quart of water.

Hope that this helps. I have very good results with this method. The most important thing is to resist the urge to mess with it too much.

Cheers,
Collin

Here's a sort of gardener's vacation:
In New York, Diane Ackerman talks about gardening/life in Cultivating Delight. (I loved A Natural History of the Senses also, which has some mentions of her passions, like rose gardening.) I can't remember there being any how-to's, but the imagery is wonderful. I remember her mentioning her sassafras trees, which I still can't get established here...grr...

Also from New York was Sara Stein, author of Noah's Garden (and Planting Noah's Garden, My Weeds, etc). She is pro-natives and will be happy to tell you why. I can't say that I agree with all of her writing, but her books have been a big influence on me.

And yet again in New York, Lee Reich grows Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden. My copy is very well-thumbed. If only I had room for a few more fruit trees..

Then, in Vermont, Dorothy Sucher buys a blue farmhouse in The Invisible Garden. The characters she meets are entertaining. While in Vermont, you might visit Jamaica Kincaid, who wrote My Garden (Book). She talks about her hatred of winter, trips she has taken and her life in general and, of course, gardening.

In Missouri (or Maine, depending), you can find Sue Hubbell discussing bees, various other invertebrates, plants, and living in the country. Not exactly a gardening book, but I've enjoyed all of her books. Try A Country Year: Living the Questions.

In California, Amy Stewart moves to a sea-side cottage in From the Ground Up. She offers up advice, laughs, and many qoutes from other authors that are great leads to other works. I also enjoyed her book on worms, called The Earth Moved.

Also in California, Peter D'Amato will tell you how you too can cultivate The Savage Garden. Okay, so this is pretty much a How-To, but if you've ever felt jealous that my bog is prettier than yours, this will be a good read for you. Actually, he makes raising carnivorous plants sound very easy (it is) and walks you through all the steps. What I liked most is his "you can do it!" way of writing.

Then, in England, Beverly Nichols has written many hilarious books about his gardening. Good campy fun. Down the Garden Path begins with him buying a new place after reading an obituary while at sea.

Stop by the Chiltern Hills where Claire Leighton writes about her garden in Four Hedges. You've probably seen her engravings used in other books. She'll tell you about her chalky soil among other things.

In Europe, Daniel Blajan writes about Foxgloves and Hedgehog Days: Secrets in a Country garden. I want hedgehogs!! He wants you to see the magic inherent in gardens. Great light reading.

And my copy of Jurgen Dahl's The Curious Gardener is still extensively bookmarked. Read about odd food-stuffs (odd to me), stinky plants, frost flowers, etc. Wonderful essays.

One of my favorite "classics" is The Gardener's Year by Karel Capek, I laugh every time I read it. Whenever I'm planting "sticks", fighting a hose, or balancing on an elbow and toe to reach a weed, I think of his book.

And last, how about some Chickens in Your Backyard? Rick and Gail Luttmann will tell you how in this very basic and low-scare how-to book. It was one of the 1st chicken books I read and it lead me on to others. I still dream of having chickens... I suppose that's sort of a para-gardening book.

Okay, can you tell it's too hot to garden today?
Kent
(glad the blanket flower seeds did well Georgeanne!)

Here is a link that might be useful: Pronouncing Botanical Latin: