The sun keeps trying. The clouds are winning. I didn't get much painting done yesterday. The wood trim is too wet. I'll try again next week.
Out in the garden, the squash are going nuts.
San Marzano tomatoes
Nicotiana, purple. This was supposed to be highly fragrant. Perhaps my nose is broken?
The daylilies are pushing up through the mulch and soil I piled on the in December.
Red coreopsis is falling over under the weight of the rain.
Larkspur "earl gray" is too.
And the rudbeckia.
Today, I'm going to turn my attention to the bed beside the basement door. It was my plan to have datura growing here. I'll transplant some seedlings that sprouted in the white bed from all the seeds I tossed out earlier this year. There are LOTS to choose from. I haven't decided if I will leave the nasturtiums. The four o'clocks will be staying, but perhaps moved around a bit.
Dying datura. Cause: unknown.
That orange hybrid tea rose I planted last week...it's pink. At least that bed is a pink/orange bed. So it can stay.
I've also decided it's past time to finish the rain barrel. It would have been overflowing by now.
Gotta run to the post office. Trading a rooted white brug for pink cuttings.
5:10pm 81 and muggy. Threatening rain all day, but I got the door trim painted with two coats. I stripped all the leaves from the datura and transplanted some seedlings from the back yard. I pulled some weeds and broke the fitting for my rainbarrel. Green fists have large forearms attached. I'll pick up another piece from Lowe's tomorrow. Heavy storms should be rolling in tonight around 7pm.
10 comments:
Over 3 weeks since we got any rain (and then only 1/2"). Ground is hard and dry. I've not planted out any WS plants because where they are going, there is no source of water. I will keep them in pots as long as possible so I can water them up by the house. Meanwhile, I'm working on my rain dance.
This is obviously the best course of action because my verification word is...LOGIC. Go figure...
LOL Kris. I would be more than happy to send you some rain. I've got far more than I need. Of course, this summer, I'll be doing my own dances hoping for just an afternoon sprinkle.
It looks really nice there. Your squash and tomato plants look great. It seems like the plants are enjoying the rain.
Keep the nasturtiums and eat them!
Go out after dark and see if your nicotiana has fragrance. They keep it bottled until after dark.
Are you sure that Datura is dying? They get that speckled leaf thing which I guess is a fungus. I just let the ugly leaves fall off, they'll put on more leaves. Not to worry. Sometimes the sphinx moth larvae eat the leaves totally gone. They put on more.
I'll save seeds of the dark purple swirl one, later on.
Gwen, I pick leaves from the nasties all the time in the yard. Love the flavor. Spicy, like pepper.
Nell, I've tried late night 10pm or so, early morning, 6am, and all day long. Not a bit of fragrance as far as I can tell. The white in the backyard is very nice, and clean. This one, nothing. There's another one just starting to bud now. Let's see if it does any better.
I didn't remove the datura. I did transplant some others from the moon garden and removed all the leaves from this one. I found some critters and lots of slugs. I hope that fungus doesn't stick around. The rain hasn't helped.
send some rain this way! we need it! :)
love the plantings..:)
Tom,
I have just picked up the "stuff" for my shoe box sized cloner. I hope you don't mind the questions......the shoe boxes I have on hand I bought to winter sow in, and they have clear lids, does that matter? Should the tops be white so no light gets through? I have a couple of other questions concerning the plants as well. When these cuttings grow roots, do you plant them into holding containers or directly into the bed where you want them? If placed into holding containers for them to become more stable, do these cuttings have to be hardened off before placing outside in their final location? Much thanks! Judy
Judy,
I use a second shoebox as a cover to control humidity. The lid is white but it shouldn't matter too much. You'll just have to keep an eye out for algae and green goo. If you're painting the bottom box like I did, go ahead and paint the underside of the lid to block light.
I move my cuttings from the cloner to containers and place them in full shade. Some get baggies or covers to hold in humidity especially now that it's so warm. After a week, I move them into sun if that's where they will live, but remove the cover. Then, plant them out when I get around to it. :) They do need to be hardened off since their only light source has been a fluorescent bulb. Good luck! let me know how it goes.
Best advice, sterilize the box and your cutting tools with 10% bleach solution before taking any cuttings. If a cutting rots or turns to mush, try again later in the spring once the growth has firmed up a bit.
Tom - your san marzano tomatoes look fantastic!
Post a Comment