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Post by icebucketjohn on Apr 4, 2015 16:20:34 GMT -5
When I'm not on the trails... which is not often enough, I do spend alot time in the yard growing flowers and veggies. Anybody else have the same vice too? In the basement, I've already started from seed my Tomato's & Peppers along with numerous flower bulbs & tubers... Canna's, Calla Lilly's, Dahlias, etc. |
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Post by dunkard on Apr 4, 2015 17:05:28 GMT -5
Nice looking flowers.
We are between houses right now so no garden this year. When we get settled down again we'll have a little vegetable garden, corn, green beans, peppers and tomatoes mainly. I have a soft spot for orchids but I've had limited success growing them.
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Post by icebucketjohn on Apr 5, 2015 7:59:05 GMT -5
My garden isn't big enough for planting corn, but the backbone of my garden are Peppers & Tomato's. I'll start 22 flats in the basement and give 90% of them to friends, neighbors, relatives & co-workers. I enjoy a variety of both: Peppers include Italian Marconi Sweet, Hungarian Hot Wax, Hungarian Medium Block, Yellow Bell, Red Bell, Orange Bell, Jalapeno & Cayenne. Tomato's this year include: Beefsteak, Sweet 100 Cherry, Delicious, Haulers, Amanda Orange, Yellow Globe, Brandywine and Hillbilly. |
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rpcv
Forum Elder
Posts: 170
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Post by rpcv on Apr 5, 2015 8:05:37 GMT -5
We have a big garden, too. I'll post some pictures later when I have a bit more time. We do tomatoes, peppers, various cucumbers and squash, asparagus. It goes one. I'm just starting to get into flowers. When we moved in two years ago, our first priority was establishing the vegetable garden (tomatoes!) and now that it is in good shape, I'm starting to look around for places to put flower beds.
BTW, those lilies are spectacular. Are they Turk's Cap?
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Post by icebucketjohn on Apr 5, 2015 8:17:58 GMT -5
Right on. Those Orange Flowers are Turkish Caps. I dug them up a few year ago while working in WVa as a Utility Forester for Davey Tree. They transplanted very well. Here's a few more flower pics. |
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Post by Admin on Apr 5, 2015 9:36:22 GMT -5
I'm into flowers. My soil is way to sandy to mess with veggies. I just raked out my beds and was happy to find a lot of survivors. I work mostly with perennials. So far our bleeding hearts, bugle weed, shasta daisies, black eyed Susans, Japanese fern, iris, and beards tongue is back. The lithrum should come back. I have my fingers crossed for a return of the tickseed coreopsis, red bee balm and guara (a bieniel).
My red buds should be blooming soon. Our new (planted last year) white dogwood and Ann Magnolia (a deciduous variety) have buds.
The little crocus has multiplied 4 fold. The strong winds yesterday knocked some of them down. I don't have photos to share. I had them on my phone but deletged them to make room for granddaughter photos.
I'm adding at least Virginia Blue Bells and Lily of the Valley this year ... OH! and a pink Dogwood.
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Post by icebucketjohn on Apr 5, 2015 10:25:47 GMT -5
As of Easter Sunday, Here in NE Ohio, my Snowdrops are in full bloom while the Daffodils & Tulips have poked their noses out of the ground. Hostas, Clemantis, Turkish Caps,Bleeding Hearts, Trumpet Vine & Lilly of the Valley & Corabells are still in sleeping.
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vdeal
Forum Elder
Posts: 616
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Post by vdeal on Apr 5, 2015 16:43:39 GMT -5
Ive been gardening since the 1970's and organically since around 79. I have a pretty large garden and grow nearly all the vegetables we eat year round. I've also got an orchard I'm bringing along slowly and some grape vines. My wife does the flowers but the crocuses are just blooming here in the mts. of WV with daffodils not far behind.
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Post by icebucketjohn on Apr 6, 2015 5:18:34 GMT -5
vdeal: Where in WVa? I graduated from WVU, lived in Elkins while working for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service at Bowden National Fish Hatchery during my college days. Loved the state, The Mon National Forest and still have a number of ole college friends throughout the state. Apple orchard? Are you making wine yet? |
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Post by Admin on Aug 4, 2015 12:43:41 GMT -5
I didn't have any photos to share in my earlier post. I have them now. A major expansion was the raised bed on the left (below).  a shot looking down the hill.  About 20 feet of Bridal Reef that's never has a trim. It's 16 years old.  The deck or back garden. The tall fellow with red flowers is Cardinal Flower. I have humming bird friends that visit when ever I water it which is quite frequently. I just deadheaded it hoping to get a second bloom.  I don't have photos of the front of the house. Although I think Ice Bucket has me beat I was quite surprised when we did a plant inventory. We have 122 different species and or cultivars of species of perenials (I don't fool with annuals), ornamental shrubs and trees. |
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Post by icebucketjohn on Aug 4, 2015 14:25:19 GMT -5
WOW!!! Gorgeous Patio, Walkway, Stoneworks, Fencing & Flora Mike. Are those lil' white flowers Florabunda Roses? I can tell you right off the bat that I'm not in your league when it comes to the backyard. I've done mine 'on the cheap' in comparison.
THUMBS UP!!! Thanks for sharing.
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Post by Admin on Aug 4, 2015 16:32:53 GMT -5
They are old fashion "Bridal Wreath", a spirea not often found in current garden shops.
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Post by Admin on Aug 7, 2015 7:21:14 GMT -5
You might think it's hard to get excited about gardening but we've been planting a lot of hummingbird and butterfly friendly plants this year. We had a pair of h-birds visiting a couple of times a day for an extended period and yesterday a Monarch butterfly laid eggs on our Swamp Milkweed.
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Post by icebucketjohn on Aug 9, 2015 9:27:56 GMT -5
Veggies are in their prime., getting lots of peppers and tomato's Attachments:
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vdeal
Forum Elder
Posts: 616
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Post by vdeal on Aug 10, 2015 7:48:00 GMT -5
Tomatoes are doing badly in the WV mts. this year. Too cool and too much rain early in the year. The cool season veggies have done really well though.
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Post by icebucketjohn on Aug 11, 2015 5:32:40 GMT -5
Mike: Could you list the Hummingbird/Butterfly Plants you have in your abode? I'm always interested in attracting them. Here's a list of my annuals & perrenials:
Hostas
Turkish Caps
Dahlias
Mexican Sunflower
Hollyhocks
Japanese Iris
German Iris
Lucifer Flower
Stella De Oro
Impatients (New G & Regular)
Marigolds
Asiatic Lillies
Day Lilly's
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Post by Admin on Aug 11, 2015 13:36:40 GMT -5
Unfortunately I don't think most of those attract HBs and BFs with the exception of Hollyhocks. Have you seen them hanging around. I usually think flowers with deep throats or tubes for at least the HBs though many BFs like them as well. In the other direction think of perennials with buttons. I've attached a link that contains a .doc file. Let me know if you can read it. Note that what I have marked as attractors is based on first hand observations. There are other published attractors on the list but I have not seen an insect on them (i.e. Hydrangeas).Also, song birds, including gold finches love the seeds of the "button" and Blazing Stars so don't be in a rush to hack them down after the bloom is over. You'll get another show. Mike's Flower Garden List |
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Post by Admin on Aug 11, 2015 13:45:43 GMT -5
P.S. Add Butterfly Bush for both.
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Post by Admin on Aug 16, 2015 10:52:33 GMT -5
I could post these photos on the Flora and Fauna boards but since the topic here has changed a bit towards butterfly gardens I'll put them here. The poor quality is due to the facts that thay were taken with a phone camera while sipping wine (either Pinot Gregio or Malbec - take your pick! Spicebush Swallowtail on Butterfly Bush:  Eastern Tiger Swallowtail on Joe Pye Weed (Little Joe):  Monarch BF depositing eggs on Swamp Milkweed:  It's official! We're Butterfly Foster Parents:  |
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Post by Admin on Aug 18, 2015 11:00:33 GMT -5
The tiny cat photo was taken last Friday. It's Tuesday now. Here we're looking at the southern end of a northbound caterpillar. Note the thumb for a frame of reference. They grow fast!  |
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