A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2005 What's blooming today Pt III

Well, I don't have much to report - nothing's changed.

The lobelias seem to be 'resting'.

One of my coleus has really moved along nicely though ...



All these pictures are great, everyone - yes, Meg, you are quite the photo journalist.

Oh yeah - I forgot - I have a couple of wandering jews going too. I've already hung it and it's doing well. I'm looking forward to its growth, and having a 'cascade'.

We did a couple of sprigs last year and it did well. It didn't seem to like being here in the apartment though.

Here are some of my new baby hostas

Lantana

Floribunda

Red climber

Glads

Sum & Substance babies

Nice flowers Mary.

Thanks - it ain' much, but it's coming along

My Balsams(Touch-me-nots) and Crepe Myrtles have finally started to bloom!

Balsam


Crepe Myrtles

Thornius the Balsam's are they the same as Balsam Apples? My mother had a vine ovwer west side of house which is now the wash room made a red apple like fruit she called it Balsam apple. Have not seen one in at least 40 yrs. I was just a kid at the Bosque Redondo at that time this is first time I have seen or heard of anything close to it since.

No this is neither the apple or the tree I think Balsams(Touch-me-nots) are in the Impatiens family, but I'm not sure. They make colorful blooms each plant having separate colors from the others. They also cross-polinate to form new colors. The fun things about these flowers is once they lose their petals, just a seed pod is left. Once the seed pod ripens, the slightest touch will cause the seed pod to burst with a loud snap hurling the 20 or so seeds inside it up to 10 feet away (hence, the name, Touch-me-not) where they quickly germinate, grow to maturity and start the process all over again. Once you get a small bed started you soon have acres of them. They have always been a favorite of mine. You can buy the seeds, 4 packs for a dollar, at Walmart. Just look for the name Balsam on the front of the packs.

Hey Loz...do have any pics of your portulacas?

I sure do Vanessa, they are so pretty....I just took the pictures today and haven't had a chance to upload them to imagestation yet.....I'll try to get to that tomorrow so I can post them in here....I have the sundial mix with all different colors.....I think I bought about 10, 6 packs of them when I went to the nursery....so I have them all over the place....

Thornius, touch me nots are in the impatiens family.....it's funny you mention them because my neighbor just dug some up and gave them to me and they are really healthy and coming along nicely.....she warned me how much the spread...LOL Don't you just love gardener neighbors that share their plants with you?????

except for the neighbors who's elephant ears come under your fence uninvited and pop up in the middle of your GARDEN!!!

LOL, that's not a good type of sharing of plants...... My neighbor is a nice older lady in her 70's, but she's extremely active.....and lately she's been loading me up with free plants...I just love it!

G-Mom I have to find me some of those Mexican Petunias I have never seen them around here, any ideas where you came across them?

Karrie, I have some that I'm trying to grow right now...if I can get seeds I'd be happy to send you some. PM me your info if you'd like

Karrie...I bought my Mexican Petunias at Wal-Mart last year...but they don't look like G~Mom's. Mine have pointed petals. The tag an all of them said Mexican Petunia...now I am wondering what I REALLY have!
G~Mom...did you see the pic of mine I posted when they were blooming...is it a different kind or what????????

Here are some Portulacas Vanessa.....I think they look so cute in my little umbrella planter....and the last pic is of my fav. flower--cosmos!

That planter is adorable. I don't think pretty planters would last in my garden a day or should I say a night lol. Which is probably a good thing. I'm already broke lol. Beautiful pictures again loz.

Okay...this may be a REAL stupid question, but is that not the same as what we call the rose moss?

I love that planter so much...I got it from ABC distributing from their clearance section for 4.95 or something like that.....I got my mom one too and she accidentally threw the umbrella stick part away....LOL

Just noticed that I have a stray petunia starting up in the second picture.....didn't even realize that when I took the picture...

Everytime I put out a nice planter, or statue, or even my solar lights I'm scared that I'll wake up one morning and find some of them missing...the teenagers around here are horrible for taking stuff from peoples yards....

BTW, I LOVE sharing pics with you all....

Yep--moss rose actually is what they call it too.....they are one in the same.....and it's not a stupid question...I've always called them portulacas and didn't even know they were called moss rose until I read it in my book.

Whew...thanks for clearing that up for me Loz...I thought I was missing something...well, I AM missing something but that is another story altogether!
I have moss rose EVERYWHERE!!! I didn't realize how much it spreads and goes crazy. Last year the whiteflies got everything and they ate the moss rose up...so, I just thought it was a goner. But...this spring...it came up everywhere...in every pot, in every bed...all over! I guess the seed gets carried in the wind or something....but, they are pretty and I love them so that's okay!

LOL--I know what you mean Vanessa...I have them coming up ALL over the place too....in all the pots and beds...heck if I would've known they'd spread so much I wouldn't have bought so many this year.....Last year they didn't get everywhere like they did this year.

Well here it is the long awaited bloom of the cannas. Next time I'm going to take a picture of the stop sign and maybe I'll get a picture of the cannas.



Oh well I keep plugging away. Hope when the glads bloom I get a better shot.

wow sheri that is absolutely beautiful!! I love the pic of the bouquet and the baby bird!