Reading the Baker Creek catalogue is my sadistic muse! Punishment for buying a house with nothing but shade and not being able to convince the female type that we need to move to the country.
What's Growing in the Garden
- Thread starter trc65
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White wisteria do smell good! A few years ago, was looking to buy one and I fell into a bunch of webpages that harbored a hatred for them - saying they were the most invasive plants of all time, - Guess they hadn't met up with kudzu yet! I can't say I've seen a white one growing wild - only the light purple ones.
When we received the catalog we ordered, my wife and I went through it. We only ordered about 1/3 of what we wanted to - only so much room to plant stuff! We already have a list started of things we want to order and try for next year...
I would say we have about 50 others that haven't bloomed yet. Things are just getting going for our daylily garden. We are up to 75 different varieties, about 12 of which I have hybridized myself.
@Mike Hill - As far as moving to the country goes, my wife and I would in an instant, if it were possible. But, we live in a parsonage. We're very content and happy living in the house we are currently calling home. We are also quite content living in a small city of about 3,000 people. Lots of rural and farms around us - plenty of farmers in the congregation I serve. But my wife and I also hope to one day have the chance to have our own little piece of land - even just a handful of acres - out in the country.
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- #506
I do plant a few heirloom tomato varieties, some open pollinated varieties and a few hybrids. Can get some great flavor variations from heirloom varieties (and color/size variations), but many times the heirloom plants don't have the disease resistance or uniformity I like for processing.
There are exceptions of course, but I find a mix of types works for my use.
I'll have to see which ones we planted that are heirloom. I'd be interested in trading seeds from some of y'all for varieties I've never tried.
Trey, that is major league kewl! I have probably about 20 varieties in the ground. Have a few in pots I don't have space for yet. Supposedly have a couple of people that hybridize daylilies around here, but they must do it somewhere else that at their house. I did recently meet and visit with a hellebore hybridizer here - that was cool and opened my eyes to the possibilities with them. Now, if you find you have any frilly and ruffledy daylilies you don't need!!!!!! I've saved a few seed pods over the year, but never have planted them. On a very limited basis, I have tried hosta hybridizing. Have one bunch of about 50, but to date, nothing looks like it will make me rich! I'll give them another year or two then give them to the Hosta Society.
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- #509
One that I've started growing regularly is 'Old Brooks', great tasting slicer/processing tomato. Good size and very meaty. Also grow 'Brandywine' off and on, but didn't put any garden this year. I've never bothered saving seed, there are many producers of heirloom seed, it's cheap to buy and a packet of seed can last me 5-10 years depending on numbers I grow each year.
We have several hostas, but I haven't ever tried hybridizing them. I have several daylily hybrids that are unique. I have 1 that changes color throughout the day. The only frustrating thing for me is waiting 3 years on a hybrid to bloom for the first time. It's a patience game I suppose. If I ever get a true blue one, I'll retire early
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My favorite of all time tomato - at least until I find one I like better - and it is an heirloom by some standards - introduced in early 60's and does well in the humid hot mid south - Bradley. Indeterminate with lower acidity, but loads of flavor.
Or one with a lot of fragrance! Hostas - sorta like figs can sorta completely change coats in the 3 year wait. One at immaturity may be streaked, but in 3 years solid green. I have over 125 different hostas. - They grow well in shade! and I gots lots of shade!We have several hostas, but I haven't ever tried hybridizing them. I have several daylily hybrids that are unique. I have 1 that changes color throughout the day. The only frustrating thing for me is waiting 3 years on a hybrid to bloom for the first time. It's a patience game I suppose. If I ever get a true blue one, I'll retire early
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- #513
I prefer acidic tomatoes, with the exception of 'SunSugar' an orange, high sugar, cherry variety. Can pick it when it's yellow for some acidity, or wait till it ripens to orange and get a very sweet snack. We keep a bowl full of them on the table for snacking "in season".
Otherwise, my crop is split between slicer types and 8 plants of 'Mariana' that I use for sauce, canning whole and drying.
Otherwise, my crop is split between slicer types and 8 plants of 'Mariana' that I use for sauce, canning whole and drying.
No hostas here. Dang deer won't let them grow without munching them down to nothing
Yeh, I don't have problems with deer, but do have a two-pronged attack. To a lesser extent those slime-ball slugs, no pun intended. But worse are the moles and voles. They can make a big 4x4x4 mature hosta with huge leaves dwindle down to a nub over the winter without you knowing it until spring. They were absolutely destroying my micros. I sunk some chicken wire into the ground around the micros to save them. Seems to have worked for the time being. I have a hosta care nursery area where I dig up the damaged ones and nurse them back to plantable size.
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- #516
We've got lots of deer and hostas and so far I've been mostly successful with repellent applied right at emergence of the hostas. Once the leaves have expanded and hardened a bit, they don't seem to bother the hostas, they then go after my begonias an impatiens....
Luckily, don't really have a slug problem and few voles/moles.
Luckily, don't really have a slug problem and few voles/moles.
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We're starting to get a few "Big Beef" and "Yellow Pear" Tomatoes. I'm getting about two a day and the cow pasture is getting about four a day from blossom end rot... Most of the later fruits don't have it but the early ones did...
Alan
Alan
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- #518
My tomatoes are almost knee high now
Wish you told me when you were here. Our hostas totally took over the front flowerbeds. I threw some of them over in the edge of the woods and they kept growing. Mine must be the junk ones. Can hardly kill them.
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- #520
Some hosta are weird that way. Last fall was doing some landscaping for a lady and she wanted six beautiful mature Empress Wu hostas removed and replaced with boxwoods and river rock.... Yeah, I know there is no accounting for a lack of taste. Those hostas were easily 6' diameter and 4.5' tall.
Anyway, we had to cut them out with spades and pry bars and just let the pieces of hosta sit on a trailer (in the sun) for two weeks. Finally had some free time and thought what the heck, planted 5 pieces of them. Every one is up and growing nicely. Will be a couple years until they reach full size, but I've got them spaced 7' apart and got a bunch of seed grown heuchera and astilbe to fill in space and add some color until they mature.
Anyway, we had to cut them out with spades and pry bars and just let the pieces of hosta sit on a trailer (in the sun) for two weeks. Finally had some free time and thought what the heck, planted 5 pieces of them. Every one is up and growing nicely. Will be a couple years until they reach full size, but I've got them spaced 7' apart and got a bunch of seed grown heuchera and astilbe to fill in space and add some color until they mature.