Gardeners! Share your garden photos and garden chatter here.

[Photo Lady]

last spring summer blooms

 

[SquarePeg]

Went to Costco today - 8 dahlia tubers for $14! That’s such a bargain.

So the bag of 8 dahlia tubers I got from Costco was really 8 clumps of tubers. Some had broken necks but most clumps had at least 2 or 3 nice tubers with a lot of crown. I put them in clear baggies with a damp cotton ball in indirect light and they developed a ton of eyes. I separated them and ended up with 23 tubers. Potted those up in some loose soil and they have all started to sprout. No idea where I’m going to put 23 dinner plate dahlia plants! Also have 10 tubers coming this month that I ordered online in the winter. I’ll be giving them away!

 

[SquarePeg]

An update on poor stunted flower bed tulips. They are all blooming on 2-3” stems! From what I read this could be water or temperature related. They need cold to release the hormne that makes the stems grow.

Could be that the weird warm mid winter messed them up or could be the flower bed, which is a brick box attached to the house, never got cold enough to trigger their growth hormones. Or, it could be that they didn’t get enough moisture over the winter as this bed is under a roof overhang and doesn’t always get snow and rain. I watered them the last two days and they have had a bit of a growth spurt but seem destined to be dwarfed!

These are supposed to be 22” stems. I don’t think I planted them too deep and even if I had it certainly wasn’t 20” too deep.

 

[terri]

An update on poor stunted flower bed tulips. They are all blooming on 2-3” stems! From what I read this could be water or temperature related. They need cold to release the hormne that makes the stems grow.

View attachment 265077


Could be that the weird warm mid winter messed them up or could be the flower bed, which is a brick box attached to the house, never got cold enough to trigger their growth hormones. Or, it could be that they didn’t get enough moisture over the winter as this bed is under a roof overhang and doesn’t always get snow and rain. I watered them the last two days and they have had a bit of a growth spurt but seem destined to be dwarfed!

View attachment 265075

These are supposed to be 22” stems. I don’t think I planted them too deep and even if I had it certainly wasn’t 20” too deep.

That is definitely weird. No, you didn't plant them 20" too deep, I agree with you that it's likely weather related. It could just be a one-off, too - next year they could pop up and reach a more usual height.

How long have these been in the bed? Did you see them at full height before? Wondering if the bulbs could have been mislabeled. I've brought home two items from different nurseries that turned out mislabeled.

 

[Original katomi]

Next time it’s dry, I will take some more pics everything is starting to sprout, I had run out of space and then the wind mixed with salt and sand from the beach/sea front killed off all the beans and peas that had got to 5inches high. Oh well,

 

[SquarePeg]

That is definitely weird. No, you didn't plant them 20" too deep, I agree with you that it's likely weather related. It could just be a one-off, too - next year they could pop up and reach a more usual height.

How long have these been in the bed? Did you see them at full height before? Wondering if the bulbs could have been mislabeled. I've brought home two items from different nurseries that turned out mislabeled.

The bulbs were new - and bought from an expensive importer. Looks like it was lack of water. I was initially worried about tulips in that bed because it’s beneath our roof overhang and doesn’t get a lot of natural moisture. I thought we got enough snow and sideways rain but I guess not. I’ve watered the last 3 mornings and they’ve improved a bit Next year I’ll either move them or figure out some way to water them occasionally Would have to be by hand as I turn off the spigots in November or they freeze

 

[SquarePeg]

Next time it’s dry, I will take some more pics everything is starting to sprout, I had run out of space and then the wind mixed with salt and sand from the beach/sea front killed off all the beans and peas that had got to 5inches high. Oh well,

Sorry to hear about the beans and peas. We are still over a month away from our last frost date here (5/15). I’m trying to do the things that are cold hardy and get the rest ready but I don’t want to clean up the beds until the insects come out of hibernation.

Getting ready to put my hummingbird feeders out soon. Furthest north I’ve heard sighted is NC so they still have a long way to go. Can’t wait!!!

 

[terri]

Getting ready to put my hummingbird feeders out soon. Furthest north I’ve heard sighted is NC so they still have a long way to go. Can’t wait!!!

Agreed! I've asked a local birding supplier when to put out feeders. Apparently, it's better to put them out even if seems early because there are always a few enterprising ones. I'm told mid-April is perfectly fine. Tapping my toes impatiently!

 

[cgw]

The bulbs were new - and bought from an expensive importer. Looks like it was lack of water. I was initially worried about tulips in that bed because it’s beneath our roof overhang and doesn’t get a lot of natural moisture. I thought we got enough snow and sideways rain but I guess not. I’ve watered the last 3 mornings and they’ve improved a bit Next year I’ll either move them or figure out some way to water them occasionally Would have to be by hand as I turn off the spigots in November or they freeze

View attachment 265099

Be patient. Don't remove the leaves post-blooming till they're yellowed and done pumping nutrients into the bulbs for next spring. OCD types around us cut the leaves off post-flowering and wonder why the tulips poop out after a couple years--doh! Very pretty display.

 

[wobe]

Back 'home' and spring has certainly arrived, Dad's cherry tree and camelllia are out in full bloom showing the rest of the garden how it's done.

 

[jeffashman]

My wife handed me the kitchen scrap bucket to take to the compost. Sitting on top were three nice sized ginger rhizomes. Just stuffed them in a flower bed. We'll see.

 

[wobe]

My wife handed me the kitchen scrap bucket to take to the compost. Sitting on top were three nice sized ginger rhizomes. Just stuffed them in a flower bed. We'll see.

Did that with an avacado stone a few years back and now its the same height as me.

 

[jeffashman]

Did that with an avacado stone a few years back and now its the same height as me.

I have one of those in a planter. It's about 3 feet in height at this point. I need to transplant it into a larger container. Here's an iPhone shot of the little beast...
Untitled by Jeff Ashman, on Flickr

 

[jeffashman]

Mama Bunny decided to rip out all of the Pansies at the back of the half barrel and dig a little nest. No young'uns yet, but I'll let her be. I put up a protective barrier to keep the dogs from digging in there... Nixie came back to the house the other day with a mouth full of rabbit fur from the nest... will be getting plants for the other planet in the next week, and will be looking for creative planter ideas for the back yard, wood is just too expensive, and the prices on what used to be cheap water/wash bins have gone through the roof.

 

[SquarePeg]

Mama Bunny decided to rip out all of the Pansies at the back of the half barrel and dig a little nest. No young'uns yet, but I'll let her be. I put up a protective barrier to keep the dogs from digging in there... Nixie came back to the house the other day with a mouth full of rabbit fur from the nest... will be getting plants for the other planet in the next week, and will be looking for creative planter ideas for the back yard, wood is just too expensive, and the prices on what used to be cheap water/wash bins have gone through the roof.

Yeah it’s crazy what they are charging for that stuff! I got two decent metal raised garden beds at job lot for $40 each and that was a bargain compared to the hundreds they’re charging for similar beds from Vego etc. I was looking for a metal tub last year to make a fountain and gave up due to the outrageous prices.

For creative planter ideas, I saw a YouTube where this woman used old metal file cabinets. She removed the drawers, flipped it so that cabinet opening was now the top, drilled holes in the bottom and sprayed it matte black. They looked pretty nice when she was done. Very modern, and free - so many places giving away outdated office supplies like that. If you’re handy you can build your own out of pallets. Also free.