Gardening, anyone?

Jazzygirl

TwoHobbies- the salvia is doing great, does really well here and the phlox is doing well too. Thrifts are trickier though.

We have had a ton of rain this year with El Ninjo and monsoons so everything here is doing so well this year. I lost two trees with the drought, and replanted a couple and my big ash tree has been almost half dead but has rallied this year with some pruning AND all the moisture. We may get a snowy winter, which is more moisture for the dry earth here.

AZ, NM and TX are coming out of there multi-year droughts. I just wish CA could get more moisture, they are still hurting.

Jazzygirl

Geraniums are loving all the rain.

djol1950

I turned to gardening on my balcony. I go out there and sit everyday and feel transformed and forget all about the big "C". I'll include a few pics. Most of my seed came from Burpee and most did not thrive. Contacted Burpee and they told me my planters were not deep enough and the plants I sought to grow were all wrong for a balcony garden. Great !! where in their manual did it say not to use for a balcony garden. They will be helping me put in a winter veggie garden with recommendations for my area and next summer helping me design a new garden. Fortunately they have credited me for all my seed and plants I purchased from them.

My Indeterminate tomatoes are not 7 feet tall, I only have 8 tomatoes just sitting there not turning red, the determinate early girl never produced anything and the cherry tomatoes (semi-determinate) are also stalled. I lost my cucumber plant to a virus. Still waiting on the pepper plant to produce ... something. I do have nice flowers though. Was hoping I could eat from the produce I am growing this summer. Burpee told me maybe Fall when it cools down my tomatoes may turn red, LOL.

Between the planters, soil, fertilizer and pest control I sent a fortune and so far nothing is growing very well.

Will enclose pics of some of the success, LOL.

Jazzygirl

Took a quick trip to Home Depot this morning to get just a few things to spruce up the gardens. Did not find any mums, but added some lantana's to my front pots. They do well in the heat and should be nice into the fall. We usually don't get a hard freeze here until very late October or even in to November. So whatever I plant now will hopefully continue to be good through the fall!

TwoHobbies

Lantanas are another of my favorites. Because they are multicolored. I think I see a pattern here.

djol, I don't know where you live but we have had such a cool, rainy summer here in the midwest that I would not have had one tomato had I planted any. Strawberries were weak this year and very late. We just got real warmth and a break from the rain the last couple of weeks and finally my petunias are filling out. Even my planters on the north side didn't really thrive. Only the marigolds and zinnias looked good. The south side ones are fine. I'm trying to grow sunflowers in containers to outsmart the chipmunks. I have a few that are just starting to get buds so I may see a few after all, but I was starting to think I wouldn't even get one sunflower before fall.

I'd have been happy to share rain with California or anywhere else that needs it!

Jazzygirl

My russian sage in the back yard got pruned tonight as all the rain has made it grow out of control and it is now crowding everything in one corner of the garden. Shoots are growing up everywhere around the area, between the cacti, etc. Sage gone wild!

I was always told not to water them much as if they get too much water, they explode with growth. Now I have seen it with my own eyes! This is the wettest summer I have seen here at the house, and although many things have grown in/filled in nicely this year, some things have needed to be pruned back a couple times.

Such a problem to have in the desert, eh?

djol1950

Hi TwoHobbies ~ I live in Northern Virginia and it's been very rainy and humid here. One thing Burpee told me is that with the shortening of days and cooling off at night here most flowers and plants will be turning to seed and producing more flowers and veggies which I see occurring now.

A little tiny hummingbird has suddenly been frequently my garden. She is soo cute as she squeaks every time she takes a sip. She has finally found the nectar feeder. She is about 2 inches long and has white tips to her tails. She will also fly right up to my face before she flies away. I keep telling her I am sweet but do not produce any nectar, haha.

Jo

Anonymous

Hi everyone, love all the recent photos and hummingbird stories. They are so inspiring.

djol, I can empathize with your garden difficulties. I have a small but productive vegetable garden in my yard, and everything was pounded by a severe hailstorm a few weeks ago. I had only a few little plant nubs left, including my Early Girl tomatoes! I have been amazed, though, at how well some of my plants have recovered. One of the tomato plants is still tiny and struggling, but the other looks healthy and even has some flowers on it. So, I am hopeful that I will still have some fall tomatoes. Your green tomatoes look nice, and the zinnia is lovely!

Jazzy, the containers look great. I like lantana very much, too. My lantana containers got pounded by the hail I mentioned as well, but have recovered beautifully.

Here's a few pics of what's going on in my garden this week.

Jazzygirl

Kiki- beautiful photos. What is the top photo? The bees are loving it too!

I love sunflowers and the butterfly bush with the butterfly tops the whole series off!

Anonymous

Thanks, Jazzy. The top photo is Blue Spirea, a wonderful drought-tolerant perennial. Yes, the bees have been going nuts for it. I love watching them do their thing, and knowing that my garden is helping the pollinators

Teka

Husband and I took a 4 day mini-vacation to Maine.

The following photos were taken at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens.

I love the blue fish.

We enjoyed watching the black and white dragonflies chasing each other at the ponds.

We saw so many beautiful garden ornaments like the following Orb Sculpture on the left............

None for sale in the gift shop!

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is set on nearly 300 acres and the largest botanical garden in New England.

Jazzygirl

Teka- the photos are wonderful. Maine is so pretty this time of the year. Our family always spent time there in August in the summers when I was a younger person.

The final picture you posted is so tranquil and would have found it hard to leave such a lovely spot. The blue fish are really a great addition to those gardens too. Did they have any for sale in their gift shop?

Teka

We enjoyed watching the black and white dragonflies chasing each other at the ponds.

We saw so many beautiful garden ornaments like the following one on the left........................

None for sale in the gift shop!

Jazzygirl

Teka- what a spectacular place. What were the names of these gardens?

Teka

Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens is 270 acres and the largest botanical garden in New England.

Jazzygirl

Wow, that is a huge garden. You must have been tired after that visit! Thank you for sharing the lovely pics! Making my home office work this afternoon a bit more enjoyable as I look at your photos!

Jackbirdie

thanks for sharing those lovely pics! I love Maine and it reminded me of a lovely trip I took with my father there.

Anonymous

Teka, beautiful photos from Maine! Love the Fish in the Garden.

Jazzygirl

I forgot to post this picture from last week when I was in Santa Fe. I was on a second story patio having a cocktail before a concert and looked down and saw these amazing hanging pots down on the plaza!

Teka

Such pretty colors!

_______________________________________________________________________________

I was able to get the following 2 photos............

*indigo bunting*

*goldfinch and indigo bunting*

Monis

Anybody's vegetable gardens exploding? Hubby and I have been taking lots of excess produce to work to share. Harvesting 3 different kinds of cucumbers, artichokes, zucchini, tomatoes, green onions, tomatillos. Lots of bell peppers, jalapeños and serranos on the vine. Here's a couple shots of the garden a couple weeks ago:

Monis

All the sunflowers growing in the garden are volunteers. Some of them have clusters of smaller flowers and others have just one huge one. This is the monster of them all. Flower is bigger than our heads.

Jazzygirl

Monis- well, I don't have a veggie garden, but if I lived closer to you, I would certainly stop by for all the extras coming out of yours! How beautiful and those sunflowers are absolutely outstanding! You lucky girl!

Jackbirdie

That is a monster! Love your sundial!

Jazzygirl

Look who has been hanging around my backyard bird feeder. Rufous hummingbird, he chases off all the other kinds (very aggressive).

Jackbirdie

What a great pic of the Rufous!

I so love the hummers. I moved to a new house this week and before I unpacked boxes I hung 3 feeders in my new yard. I left my old feeder at the old house, hoping the occupants carry on feeding them.

This morning early, I heard the unmistakable sounds. They found me already! So happy.

70charger

it is official, my veggie garden is a bust do to crappy weather. Threw out broccoli, 1 inch crown then bloomed. Threw out cabbage, 5 leaves does not make a head. might have enough carrots in 2 rows for a meal. 2 tomatoe plants have given 4 tomatoes. I sowed 4 double rows of peas, 25ft long. produced about 20 cups of peas. such a disappointment this year.

I love all the pics. Big green thumbs up to the veggie gardens.

quiltlibrarian

70charger I hear you. first no rain and now the heat. not a good gardening summer.

TwoHobbies

I did not plant a veggie garden this year and I think I'm glad I didn't bother. Basil and strawberries did not do well and I still do not have sunflowers. Buds are getting bigger though. Even my annuals didn't do great. I can report that I have beautiful marigolds and zinnias. Also I planted the wave petunias in the ground and they are fantastic. I will never plant a regular petunia again.

Beautiful pictures. I adore sunflowers and hummingbirds. You westerners are lucky to get a variety of hummingbirds. We only have ruby-throated.

Those beautiful pictures of the botanic garden reminded me I should go take a walk in mine again. I haven't been there for several weeks.

Jazzygirl

TwoHobbies- we are lucky to have so many kinds here. I have 3-4 varieties in my backyard over the course of the summer. I feel very blessed and many of them fly right up to me, no fear. The rufous is not friendly though, too busy chasing off other hummers.

I got invited to some outdoor music at the botanical gardens next Thursday. You made me realize I need to go down a bit early to see what is blooming. I have not been there since very early Spring (March!) They have a wonderful butterfly pavilion that should be open this visit. Some good pics should come soon.

My seedums should be in color soon. Will post pics of those soon!