Gardening

[Newfherder]

It sounds beautiful, Fancygirl! Is there any chance that we can persuade you to post pictures?

[canuckinchile]

I second that Fancygirl I would love to see pictures!

[ClosetNerd]

HELP!!

I just got too close to my favorite Rose bust with the lawnmower and I broke the main part of the bush off!

I didn't mow it. I just bumped it with the wheel and a whole branch broke off at the base.
It's the only new growth the bush had this year and has 6 or 7 buds on it.
Someone please tell me I can save the branch!
I have it in a glass of water with some Miracle grow rose food in it.
Can I root this out and plant it?

I only got 5 or 6 blooms total last year when I first planted them,
and only 3 bushes survived the winter.
I would be crushed to lose all of that growth!

[Gutmutter]

I remember when I worked in a greenhouse we dipped cuttings in something like "Rootone" and put it in wet sand. I'd go to garden shop and ask or do a google search. I don't think putting it in water will work.

[ClosetNerd]

thanks! I will try that and hope it'll take

[misskitty]

Hi,fellow gardeners!!!I just found out about this thread and what do you know,I'm an avid gardener for years now.I have a back garden planted mostly with perennials and a front garden that has won a recognition award for 3 of the last 4 years from our local horticultural society.I design and assemble my dozen or so planters and baskets and start some annuals from seeds in the early spring.My garden is more or less like an English garden and I always strive to have continous blooms all through out the season in my Zone 5 area.I think my garden now is maybe about 70% perennials.What started as a very sunny garden is now one third shade after 22 yrs.I've had mistakes in the past and learned from it.For example,I only plant hardy roses now,like explorer roses,Austin roses and some floribundas,instead of hybrid teas.I'm looking forward to sharing or getting some info from some of you.

Could you be so kind as to post some photos! I'd love to see how everything looks!

I've just replanted some regular ferns, an Alaskan Fern, a variety of hostas ( gold, blue, and varigated), and put in Stonecrop, Primrose, Beebalm,two Clematis, Ladysmantle, and a Weigela. I'm also putting in some groundcovers which include Creeping Jenny and Pussy Toes! I have a lot of shade or hot sun. I tend to lose sturdy perrenials every year which is frustrating but I'm in Zone 4.

I just got one of my beautiful elm trees cut down because it had broken branches and was half-dead on a major branch. It was also rotting inside from where the water got in over the years and had to come out. It was 65 feet tall. I miss it. And so do my squirrels. And my kitties who used to watch the squirrels come down that tree.

[Veruka]

I came home from a few days vacation earlier this week, and found an actual bee-balm bloom in my yard. I was so excited I started jumping up and down. That's one of my favorite flowers -- I've always loved that they look like fireworks and bloom around the 4th of July. Given the number of flowers I've lost to rabbits this year, it was a small victory that I just had to enjoy. Even though the rabbits have not touched the beebalm, I cut this flower and put it in a vase ... just in case.


OH! And I have to add ... When I was out of town, I went to visit Cleveland where I lived for 28 years befoe moving to Atlanta. While I was there, I went to see my old next door neighbor, who I just adored, and who was an avid gardener as well. We used to joke that we coordinated our gardens to share -- she grew the tomatoes, I grew the basil,etc. Well she took me out for an extensive tour of the side of her house (not really) so that i could sneak a peak at my old yard. The stupid girl who bought my house tore out most of the good stuff I planted!!!! I planted a bunch of tulip and daffodil bulbs, and she actually took the time to dig them all up! In a dirt area by the driveway where I planted some aguga and creeping jenny, she tore it all out and left it as dirt! In all the areas where I planted all sorts of annuals for cutting flowers, she's got nothing. I guess my neighbor has asked her a few times what she's planting, and made some friendly suggestons, and she's pretty much said she's planting nothing. So sad ... but at least she planted one basil plant, so my neighbor can sneak over and harvest some to enjoy her tomato basil sauce!

[canuckinchile]

Good plan Veruka. I had one lonely Peony bloom, so I cut it too!

[Rattus]

Veruka, the woman sounds mad. It's one thing to not be into gardening, another thing entirely to dig up an existing garden and wait for mud to occur.

And speaking of bee balm, I have a balm of some sort in the backyard that attracts bumble bees like mad, but it's not the standard bee balm. At least I'm assuming it's a balm because the leaves look like the pesky but delightful smelling lemon balm that is locating itself all over our property. Anyway, the flowers are purple and look sort of like a bottle brush. I don't have a picture because they're not in bloom yet, but does that sound familiar to anyone? I want to get another couple of them because it's doing fantastically well in the shade.

[Gutmutter]

I have a purple bee balm and a white bee balm and every year I have a good crop I dig some up and start a new patch. It spreads if you help it and the bees love it. I love any plant that comes up on its own and blooms every year. I have several patches of my mom's "gooseneck" plant - no idea of the real name. It's a late bloomer and forms a spray of tiny white blossoms in an elegant curving, tapered cone like a goose's neck. It also spreads if given half a chance. My fractured leg was poorly timed for my garden. I have all my perennials coming back and a few annuals filling in, but a lot of weeds and no veggies.