A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Mosses turning brown

Oh Merrill, you hit the nail right on the head. I've been there and done that so many times I've lost count. There was the Yarrow which I planted for the butterflies and I got butterflies, but I had Yarrow coming up everywhere, even out of the bed and in the grass. It took me three years to finally get rid of it. Next was the pink Obedient plant which was anything but obedient! It was taking over one of my perennials beds and it took two years to get rid of it, but I still find one poppping up every once in a while, so I have to keep a close eye on things. Merrill, the list goes on and on and on! The most frustrating thing is that you pay good money for these plants and all you get is headaches in return.

Patti, I find experimenting with ANNUALS in pots outdoors gives me "some" plant education as to watering and sun exposure. 1:They are contained ;2:I can put them anywhere I want quickly, and 3: I already know their going to die at the end of their season. The education is how well did i "treat them during their stay with me" period. This technique has helped me the best to understand the type plant and the area to plant it.A small investment to a larger project!

Merrill, I tend to stick with a few tried and true annuals that I like and use them mostly for their color. I find most of them require a lot of water and their exposure requirements tend to be pretty consistent. I use a lot of Impatiens for shade, and Begonias do well in sun or partial shade, while Petunias and Geraniums do well in sun. Of course, I overwinter my Geraniums and collect some from the neighbors who are throwing them out, but I have to make sure I can get them before the first frost.

Here is a picture of one that I got from a neighbor and overwintered. When she saw it the next year she remarked about what a gorgeous plant it was and asked where I got it. When I told her it was one she gave me, she couldn't believe it. I knew it had to be one of those she she gave me because she's the only one who gave me red ones and I don't buy red. Some of the blooms got almost as big as softballs which were much bigger flowers than when she had it.

Those look gorgeous Patti! I've never tried overwintering before.I like marigolds, impatiens, and moss rose for my 3 permanent patio planters and coleus,asparagus fern, maybe some sage or yarrow as a mix for my larger pots.I'll look and see if I have any photos. I'll post them if i do.

Patti, here are 3 pictures of my 2 pots I planted this year.

Now if I can find the patio planters photos.

Oh, Merrill, your containers are absolutely gorgeous! I love your patio plantings too, especially, the one with the Impatiens!

Thanks Patti,in my opinion the patio planters did so-so; I'll give them a 6.5 on Scale of 1 to 10. I was very pleased with the pots as all seemed to do well and survived the sun and heat. They definitely needed daily attention;but filled in very well. The Pplanters didn't fill in as much as I had hoped;the marigolds and the impatiens; but the moss rose did the best. I compare their little flowers to a "Baskin Robbins 31 Flavors" array of colors.I like changing the annuals each year;so who know's what next year's planting's will be!

Merrill, I don't know when you took the pictures of the patio planters, but you still have some time left for them to fill in a little more. Some of the flowers you have in the containers tend to become a little more bushy so they will look fuller. Of course, these summer temperatures we've been having certainly have taken a toll on everyones gardens and flowers.

Come end of September; I 'll look at the Pplanters and that will help to decide what and how much to plant next year(Annuals).This week has affected all my plants ;negatively as far as visually. But are they doing something positive below the surface? Are the roots of the new shade plantings perennials establishing?This might be a new forum posting as to what should i be doing now and next month?

Boy, I hear you, Merrill! This has been a rough summer for everyone! I think your perennials will be okay if you've kept them watered during this heat wave. They always die back in the winter anyway, but come next spring they'll start poking their little heads out.

Back to the mosses. I'm actually seeing how they spread! Between the flagstone I'm seeing tiny moss heads coming up. It's like they are seed plantings;but are there just because a real plant was placed in the one foot vicinity this spring. I understand that they don't have a real root system so I'm amazed at what I'm seeing! I was told that it would probably take about a year to fill in the area that I wanted to fill. After 5 months I thought no way; but now I think that is very attainable! I'll see if I can post some time line pictures.