A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion The Banter Hall Gardener's Chat Kenny's Garden

I'm not sure if I can do a 'blog' here, I just figured it would be easier here because I come here everyday, instead of opening an actual blog.

May 19:

It's Victoria Day today, national holiday and everything's closed except the rare few...including walmart garden center. I don't like walmart, but I still went to their garden center for their deals. They advertised in the flyers, floribunda roses for $4.97. It opened at 7am, and I got there at 9:20 (first bus was at 8:55). I didn't expect any left, or not much selection left, and I was partially right. Lots of single pink medium blooming roses and a few ratty looking floribunda roses. I picked up a floribunda, and one of those single pink roses. They were in 2 gallon pots, and even if they die, for $4.97 i've got to admit, it was pretty cheap. I'll find out the names later. I also bough a fuschia (one of my favourite flowers) and (after much coveting of Diane's) my own Osteospermum. I'll get pics later. My left arm's sore from carrying the rose bush...and I just got back. I might go back later, for another one, but I'm just thinking, will I complain when I run out of space and will I take the time to bother digging another hole or bed for the rose? I think two bushes are enough, besides I already have a yellow one from my uncle last fall. Today's purchases totaled just under $16

I tried out the new hose I bought yesterday, not too bad, but a bit too rigid. I'm thinking I shoudl have bought a higher quality heavy duty hose instead of a medium duty cheap brandless hose...but the difference is twice the amount for the branded!

Kenny - I enjoyed reading what you've been up to today. I wish you great luck with your rose bushes. I can't grow them here, because the deer eat them down to the quick, thorns and all, silly animals!

What color osteospermum did you get?

That is a good deal, Kenny. I also need to buy a new hose and I'm poor too and always go for the cheaper hoses. I have to replace my hose again this year. This will be my 3rd hose in almost 6 years so at laest the cheaper last for a couple years. I'm sore from wedding and pruning yesterday but not too bad.

Thanks guys! The osteospermum is white with a dark blue center. Reading the osteospermum thread,im thinking it may be white soprano.

You won't believe this, the hose looks like its going to break...they're a weak spot about two inches from the nozzle part. Oh well...

I finished planting one rose bush, the other will be planted later. I also overseeded the lawn, but ran out of topsoil, so I ended up digging from the gardeb bed. I'll fill in more soil sometime soon...I hope.

So far plants I've bought:

Fennel
Cherry Sweet peppers
Lobelia, Blue
Snapdragons, White
Fuschia
Osteospermum
roses

Sounds good Kenny...we'll be waiting for pics soon

yep, kenny--i agree with tamara---what you have done so far sounds real good-- I too cannot wait for pictures.

Kenny~I haven't gotten a chance to get to town yet. Have you found a white bleeding heart yet?

I'll try find you one when I finally get there, last year they had them in bags as a root division. It'll be easy to ship that way.

No pics yet, I'm going out for birthday dinner with my family in ten minutes (even though my birthday's Sunday, its a bit cheaper on the weekdays)

Tamara, no white bleeding heart to be found, not even in pots (which is usually about 3X as expensive as bagged plants) I have found some pretty expensive fern leaf bleeding hearts, but had to let them go, my budget doesn't allow for them. Tamara, if they do have bagged root divisions, for less than say $5-6, if you can, could you get me one and I'll pay you back + shipping? If not, don't worry; thanks for helping me look.

Today, I went across the street to the little garden center of the supermarket and picked out a few annuals, $12 not too bad methinks:
2X 4 pack orange marigolds
2X 4 pack white impatiens
2X 4 pack salvia 'Victoria Blue'
1X 4 pack Petunia Dreams Salmon
1X 4 pack Petunia Dreams rose Picotee

Got a few things done this weekend:

Friday May 23:

I bought another fuschia (red sepals and white 'collar'), semi double blooming, and also a miniature yellow rose. It says its supposed to be hardy to zone 5, so i guess we'll just have to see...

Saturday May 24:

Planted two containers and a hanging basket (I'll get pics soon I promise)
Container #1: Red and white fuchsia surrounded by white impatiens
Container #2: Single fuchsia (white sepals and single magenta collar)
Hanging Basket: White impatiens in the middle, surrounded by three dark blue lobelia.

I ended up planting 4 dahlias into the ground, and also the two cell packs of petunias in front, with the osteospermum in the middle.

Sunday May 25:

Since its my birthday, I treated myself to two brugmansias, both double whites though both are noids (nameless). I've planted one by itself in a 2 gallon pot, and have yet to plant the second one (in the ground most likely). Its a nice and shiny 22*C today (72*F). I still have lots of things to plant, my brugs and some elephant's ears (eddo).

Welllllllll good for you Kenny,, I can't believe you found dble whites brugs there ,,
Njoynit sent me Monika - dbl pink- I believe but it didn't make it,, it was a very thin piece about the size of a pencil, I did my best to get it to root,, it just wouldn't ,,
Much success with them Kenny,, and again Happy Birthday!

thanks Diane, I'll send you some cuttings come fall (that is if they survive ) There was another one sorta orangy, but I liked the double whites better

Well, to end the day, I planted the other white brug into the ground, as well as two canna lilies (bronze leaves, and orange flowers I think, 'Durban') The marigolds went into the ground. It's going to reach 25*C/77*F tomorrow and fell like 30*C/86*C I water them in well, and will water them again tomorrow morning.

While I was digging, I found a long nail. Looks like an old fashioned square nail with a round head. Freaked me out, I thought it was a coffin nail, and still do. I'm freaking out, haven't told anyone yet.

I moved out two more dahlias I sprouted outside, and two brugs. I'm hoping they live through...

Oh yeah, last thing, remember how I said I found roses on sale for $4.97? The flyer said one day only...I went back and saw some more left, so I checked how much they'd usually cost...guess what, still $4.97! I want to buy more, but I'm almost out of space! BTW, the ones I got were 'Floribunda rose 'Cyclamen'' (Rosa multiflora x 'Cyclamen') and Therese Bugnet rose (supposed to be a rugosa rose from the info I read online)

I have more than enough space for flowers.Your yard must be PACKED full of flowers!

Enrique, not that I don't have room, just don't want to dig anymore beds. I have a small one and hope this will limit my spending on plants.

Talk about good feelings! It was supposed to rain and storm today, but it was also going to reach 'high' temps (well for spring at least). So this morning, I got up extra early to water well because they said the storm was going to come in the afternoon. knowing sometimes these predictions are a bit off, I figured I'd water just to make it safe, and guess what? It didn't rain or storm, but got up to a high of 82*F or so (27*C). Had I not watered, my plants would be wilted now, a sixth sense?

Wow, you are sure getting warm temps Kenny.

....oh by the way Kenny, those nails were used in everything, i'm sure it waw from an old building.

Finally...pics!!

What I just planted today:


Where the brugs will go, definately not enough space for all of them!


My awful lawn


My neighbour's perfect lawn

The passionflower that I grew from seed:

Container:

beautiful and an inspiration, maybe i'll get motivated...

Thanks Jiffy! At first I was thinking that the few annuals that I bough wasn't enough to fill in the space, then after I planted everything, it seemed to have filled the bed pretty well. I tried to plant the perennials further away from the brugs, because I know when I go to dig them up, I might get the perennials roots as well. I think I'm going to put some elephant's ears and castors to fill in the spaces between the brugs. I need something to fill in the space, and I was thinking maybe letting some vines 'crawl' on the ground. I was thinking maybe some sweet potato vines, or morning glories. I want to grow some scarlet runner beans, but I don't think I have the space to. I also can't seem to find tall enough bamboo stakes to let train them on.

I grow my scarlet beans on fishing twine lines Kenny. Just wrap the line on plastic stakes(dollar store) and hammer in the ground and attach the fishing line to something else and leave them run up.

Good idea Tamara! I went to walmart (the superstore up in the middle of nowhere instead of the one in the mall, the supercenter had an actual garden center with people who know what they're doing whereas the people from the store at the mall have no clue what they're doing). There was a person at the garden center (the walmart in the mall) looking for organic cow manure. The kid showed her and tried to sell her regular manure. When she told the kid she was looking for organic manure, he just cursed her and told her to stop being a b**** and buy what other people instead of the organic s****. He said it was cow s*** one way or another. Makes me wonder why those kids aren't helping cart stuff into customer's cars instead of going around trying to act like they know what they're doing cuz clearly they don't. Just sad. And today, I went to the walmart at the mall and strolled around their garden center, and they left a wooden pallet in the middle of the aisle. This poor old lady tripped over the corner of the pallet and the associates didn't do anything. They just looked over to see what the racket was, and then turned away. I helped the old lady up an dsaw if she was alright, and she said she was fine. And she said something which I tough was quite right (in chinese): you live for flowers you'll die for flowers. I really hope the lady is fine. So I went to the garden center of the supercenter to finish spending the rest of the gift card (I would have preferred cash over a gift card but its a gift so I'm not complaining) and bought a few things:
from the last purchase:
50' garden hose
grass seed
miniature rose
2 double white brugs
osteospermum
2 roses (all the plants seem to be doing surprisingly well, even the brugs. the mini rose is blooming, I bough it in bud and planted it in the ground)
from yesterday's purchase:
2 bags of potting soil (which IMO is c**p, had I known I wouldn't have bought it, but I needed to use up the balance on the card. It felt/looked like and is probably just topsoil and sand.)
2 6-packs of red salvia
1 6-pack dusty miller slverdust
1 6-pack super parfait raspberry dianthus
1 6-pack wizard jade coleus

I ran to the garden center of the supermarket (sorta community owned small business) and bough another bag of potting soil from them because I ran out and now what they sold was potting soil. It was crumbly with lots of organic material inside, and some perlite for drainage, and was all loose had no clumps in it (unlike the walmart stuff). The annuals they sell are a bit smaller than the walmart ones, but cheaper and took off better and faster than any other annual transplants I've ever bought.

I finished planting some more containers, and in all here are the combos:

single double white brugmansia (the container may be a bit small, I think its just a 2 gallon container)

single fuchsia white and fushcia

white impatiens with red and white fuchsia (in the middle)

(hanging) white impatiens (in the middle) and dark blue lobelia

chocolate mint, lemon balm, rue, and rosemary (can you believe they printed tender perennial on the tag for french lavender, but just perennial on the rosemary? I'm thinking of bringing the tag and dead plant back to them next year )

2 containers of scarlet sage and dusty miller (in the middle)

coleus and elephant's ears (in the middle)

dusty miller, coleus, and scarlet runner beans

scarlet runner beans and sedum (might not work because the beans need water and the sedum and stay drier, but I guess the beans will soak up all the water first..or rather I'm hope)

scarlet sage, dusty miller, and pinks

gracious Kenny--you sure are ambitious.---I am impressed.--when do you sleep???

and thanks for all the pictures--keep them coming.

Wow kenny...you certainly went all out this year. Can't wait to see more pics.

Some of my containers

More...

kenny, those are so nice. than you for sharing

Great pics kenny...your plants looks so healthy.


Are you growing any veggies this year?

No Veggies Tamara, but I did plant some Florence fennel for butterflies if I get any I went to the farmer's market just now, and spent just $7 and got a few good plants (it would've cost me twice as much elsewhere)
Annual transplants were $1 each (2 plants in each for the ones I bought but 4 for the others like coleus etc.) I picked up a gazania and 2 dahlias. I bought a 4" pot of wandering jew (I thought it was a moses in a cradle, but I like it all the same) for $2. I also bought 2 of what I though were lavenders, but it turned out they were rosemaries, for $1 each (they sell for $3 each at the place across the street, but the pots they have a a bit larger (3.5") the ones I bought were 2.5", not bad) It's going to be hot today, so I'll plant later tonight and let the storm tomorrow water them in.

Well, what is a blog, other than just plain keeping a journal . . . keeping a continuous account of your thoughts, events, etc.

So, why shouldn't you 'blog' here . . . that's the idea of the forums - to communicate your thoughts, tell what's happening with you and your gardening.

How's the weather up your way? Did you get any of the thunder they predicted tonight?

It's nice down here - the heat's lifted and it's a cool night.

I got up scratching though - probably 'cause I was sitting on the ground in the early evening, digging. It was just one of those jobs - on a slant, so I couldn't sit on my crate to do it. And I can't crouch . . . knees just won't cooperate.

Your gardening looks great - is that those violets that were on sale at Canadian Tire's gardening section?

I got 'em too. They were like $1.69 a pot - approximately . . . they weren't named, but a man in the store told me he's got 'em growing in the grass - I think he's thinking of the wild violets - I got them all over the place.

Maybe they aren't violets . . . I dunno'. But I like them.

Hi Carly, how are you? True said about blogs, they are so useful especially when you have to vent...much better than throwing a tantrum (and my tantrums are catastrophic...typical teen rebellion?) I went to bed at 12 last night and I didn't hear any thunder, but this morning I went out to water bu the ground and sidewalks are still wet. They are predicting thunderstorms for today and tomorrow and showers on Tuesday. The sky's cleared up now, the gray clouds have moved out. It is pretty cool, just 23*c here, but would I be right in assuming you live near the lake? Usually the lake and surrounding area are a few degree warmer in winter and cooler in summer. I used to crouch to dig and it strained my back and knees, so I figured just kneel and ruin the jeans instead. I don't know what happened but after I went out last night, the pinky side of my left hand started to itch and th more I scratched the worse it got. I didn't have any jewelweed, and once I left it alone it stopped itching. I don't recall touching an plants, just the watering can...oh well, at least it's gone now.

Thank you! your garden is looking great too! I didn't plant any violets, but are you talking about the hanging basket? The white are impatiens and the blues are lobelia. I called my johnny jump ups (Viola tricolor) violets until I also found out there were wild violets. I love the wild ones so much but they don't sell them around here. I let my JJUs and forget me nots self seed and I think they make a mighty fine combo especially en masse. I find plants at Cdn tire and other hardware stores are a bit more expensive, but they may be a better quality for sure. Its just that working on a limited budget, quantity has to come before quality, but when it comes to house plants, I'm willing to spend the extra dollar or two to get a nice healthy one. After all houseplants are inside and I would hate to have a sick plant contaminate the other plants. What else are you growing in your garden this year Carly?

No, I meant the two clay coloured pots on the ground - with the pink flowers.

As for what's growing in my garden? The pansies, of course - daisies here and there, a lot of idunnosia . . . I don't worry about what it is anymore - if it looks good, I let it go.

I have some small sunflowers (everybody's got 'em) coming up - looking forward to their blooms.

Some lavender - just a small cluster that somebody bought me last year - she died about two weeks later.

Other than what you see on my blog . . . er . . . er . . . journal here, that's about it.

Oh, yeah - I love the johnny jump ups - haven't seen them on the lot here for a while . . . I usually go out and dig 'em up from the side of the road. That's where they grow wild - down by the tracks.

I used to keep them under a tree - called it my 'wild violet circle'. Now, I just let whatever wants to grow, grow . . .

Carly, I think I have some johnny jump ups, would you like me to send you some seeds? I have a small patch of seedlings from last year sprouting now, I could try sending a glob of seedlings? Sorry I'm sure which plant you're talking about, maybe if you quote the message with the picture I can tell you the name?

It was gray this morning and I didn't water. I came back about an hour ago and went out to water all my plants, it never ended up raining, let alone a thunderstorm. Nothing wilted surprisingly! Humidex is 38*C now, that's 100.4*F!! And it's till going to get higher!

some AC worker came friday to work on the AC. I have a butterfly bush on one side and a peony and lily of the valley on the other side of the AC. They stepped on the lily of the valley, and they went back to the car to get a part. So while they went back, I put a brick in the middle of the patch so they can step on the brick instead. He came back, saw the brick, and stepped next to the brick, on two feet this time (first time was one foot) and he leaned back, broke of half the peony buds and the leaves. So now the peony has a side with all broken leaves and buds. once I saw they were up against the peony, I cut off the peony blooms to bring inside just in case they broke all the buds, but luckily I have some left, and the rest opened up today. I was going to bring some flowers to school for someone, and I just thought to use hosta leaves to match the peonies (the hostas are green with a white brim, the peonies are pale pale yellow in the center wit hthe first layer of petals being pale pink, a double peony). I put four hosta leaves in a glass juice bottle and the peony in the middle so the hosta looks like sepals. It looks quite good me thinks.

I put two pieces of wandering jew into a coloured pill jar to root yesterday and I already see roots growing! yipee! I also put a lemon balm stem and an African violet leaf, hopefully they all root and I'll have new plants!

I just realized my thoughts are very scattered today, sorry if Im confusing anyone. It's like this at school too, I can think straight, but when I have to write an essay, my thoughts and arguments just don't make sense...unless I plan out my essay and other writing assignments really really well...

kenny, you made perfect sense to me. and i'm glad your peony made it. i feel for you on the humidex. ours is 112.7*F right now.

OK . . . I'll pm my mailing addy.