What's growing? - Page 2

jeepcurlygurl · 06-08-2008, 09:00 PM

The middle pot has basil and parsley just starting.

That forget me not was a volunteer from who knows where. I love them and plant them in every garden I make, but never planted them here as I have such a tiny space and they reseed like crazy.
But he showed up so I'll just have to move the babies out of the way if they get to be too much.
I love volunteers.

Cynaminbear · 06-09-2008, 10:03 PM

Oops, I meant basil. Balsam's a tree. lol

Caleilani · 06-21-2008, 03:27 PM

Right now,I'm just growing tomatoes,and they have been doing so well,I may plant other things.

lionese · 06-21-2008, 08:01 PM

I'm extremely green deprived. I live in Phoenix. All those lovely green garden pics make me sad. Nothing does well in our 112-120 degree summer days except cactus. They even do better with a little shade! Needless to say my hair is always needing more moisture! As the song says, "Might as well be walking on the sun"!

Snarls · 06-23-2008, 09:26 AM

So, lionese, do you rake your rocks? I've been told that's what people in Phoenix do, instead of mowing the lawn.

Oh, and my other question--so do you not have bindweed in Phoenix?

I found a little monarch catepillar on my milkweed last night. It's about time! I've had that milkweed for 3 years now.

Our last shade tree was damaged and removed. So trying to come to terms with converting my partial shade garden to a full sun garden. AGAIN, lol. In the last 10 years, it's gone from full sun, to partial sun, to fairly deep shade, and now back to full sun.

jeepcurlygurl · 06-23-2008, 09:55 AM

Yay for caterpillers!
I used to plant dill at my old house just for the swallowtails. I'll have to plant some here and see if I get some caterpillers.

lionese · 06-23-2008, 10:04 AM

Yep, that's about it, Castella. Can you believe our HOA rules say we have to have some grass in the front yard as well as the backyard?! So since water is such a treasured resource in the desert, we all have these itty bitty lawns. We could practically cut them with a pair of scissors! Our HOA rules also say we can't have desert landscapes in our yards. That means no cactus! But we all break the rules a bit. We're all retired in our "hood". So breaking the rules reminds us of the 60s! Groovy, huh?!

Snarls · 06-23-2008, 10:30 AM

I'd say your HOA needs to update its policies! My brother lives in Denver, and his tiny yard is mostly rock with a few shrubs which don't require much water. They used to have strictly enforced rules about when and how much you could water and they encouraged people to replace their water hogging lawns with "diet" plantings.

I guess the bummer about living in Colorado is, even if you live somewhere that has water, the wildlife will show you no mercy!

Can you grow succulents other than cacti, like aloe? (that's not a cactus, is it?)

lionese · 06-23-2008, 10:46 AM

Yes, you're right. Our HOA does need an update. But since all the board is at least 55 yrs. old, change is not embraced. My husband and I have found that true for most people our age. On the other hand, we embrace change. Everything changes. My curly hair changes everyday! By the way, do you or anyone else have trouble with gardenia buds browning and dropping? They actually can be grown here in Phoenix and do quite well if given afternoon shade. We have three on our north facing patio. They receive morning sun and afternoon shade. But recently, all our buds all browning out and dropping before they open.

jeepcurlygurl · 06-23-2008, 07:02 PM

Here's part of my teeny front yard. Things are really growing quickly.
When I bought the townhouse it had just been built and had brand new landscaping. Soon after I moved in I dug up all the bland hideous shrubs and replaced them with things that I like. In the front yard I planted grasses, spirea, liatris, coneflower, black eyed susan, clematis, dianthis, and I always plant some nasturtiums and morning glories.

VTmom · 06-23-2008, 07:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lionese

By the way, do you or anyone else have trouble with gardenia buds browning and dropping? They actually can be grown here in Phoenix and do quite well if given afternoon shade. We have three on our north facing patio. They receive morning sun and afternoon shade. But recently, all our buds all browning out and dropping before they open.

We have regular gardenias and dwarf gardenias. I absolutely love their scent. I've always heard, and found it to be so, that if you touch the bud or flower, it will brown and drop. If yours is doing it without being touched, I don't know what the problem is.

VTmom · 06-23-2008, 07:28 PM

wow, jeep, your yard looks beautiful! I wish I could grow something. I have such a black thumb that it's not even funny.

Hubby does all the gardening (he's good at it). I wouldn't know where to begin...

jeepcurlygurl · 06-23-2008, 07:49 PM

Thanks VT mom!
I am a very lazy gardener/landscaper. I don't baby my plants. Over the years I've found things that are hard to kill, cheap, easy to find, easy to plant, and don't require alot of maintenance.
If I could only plant 2 things I would choose dianthus which blooms for many months and a non-invasive miscanthus which looks good in every season.

Cynaminbear · 06-24-2008, 07:52 AM

Jeepy, your garden is nice! Liatris is so hardy, I had no idea. My neighbor gave me a couple plants, and I was impatient for it to spread so I bought some bulbs, too. Well, as seems to be the case for almost everything I plant, it's all over! But, I love it so I don't pull out any volunteers unless it's growing in the driveway (gravel) or the unfinished walking path.

The strawberries are ripe but tart, nothing sweet this year. I figure not enough sun and too much rain. I don't do anything to them and just let them grown.
The tomatoes and peppers I planted are all but dead. It wasn't the fire that killed them, though. When he told me I could plant in the spot he forgot he put down some fertilizer/weed killer. There isn't another spot to put a tomato plant so I'm without this year. Pumpkins and watermelon have 3-4 leaves. Ha! they're just an experiment, anyway.
I've been wanting to plant milkweed, and now I'll add dill to the list. However, if my husband is going to insist on spraying for weeds/fertilizing the grass, I'll have to restrict the butterfly attracting plants to the front yard.

lazy loops · 06-24-2008, 09:03 AM

Speaking of butterfly caterpillars, on the way back from walking maybe 4 miles last evening my son & I found a big beautiful bright green & sparsely spotted caterpillar on the path.

Just from the vague description, does anyone know what type it might have been?

xcptnl · 06-24-2008, 11:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xcptnl

All our periannuals are doing their thing! The hydranga has buds all over it! (This is our first spring/summer with all the new plants because we planted them last spring). I moved the jade plant onto the deck. We bought the hangers for either side of the garage and I planted a planter for the front steps. I did impatiens for those. We added a forsythia bush about 2 weeks ago.

I bought some super sweet cherry tomato plants - and did a container planter for them. They are growing like weeds! I think I bought to many though - I might pull a couple out. But they are supposed to have tomatos in 65-70 days!!!

My tomato plants have flowers on them!!! They are about 2 feet tall!! Amazing!

Snarls · 06-26-2008, 08:13 PM

LL, did your catepillar have horns or spikes? For some reason I'm thinking of this vivid green catepillar that's like a tomato hornbeast or something.

Xcptnl, one of my tomato plants had a tiny tomato on it but the plant is only 8" or so high! I plucked the tomato off. I've been pinching the blooms off, too.

I think we're "growing" an adolescent racoon! We're in the city, but the coons travel through the water sewers in the street. I think this one lost his mom, because I saw his little face peeping out of the street drain a few weeks ago, and he looked so sad and forlorn and confused. I told him to get back back down there and stood around until he disappeared so he wouldn't get run over. Well so now I just saw his rounder beanbag butt bustling out of my small vegetable patch. Where he hasn't touched any of the vegetables, he's been chewing my clematis! Poor thing doesn't have his mom to show him the ropes. We had orphaned mice last year that also didn't really know how to forage, they would alpine up my zinnia and eat the blooms.

Part of me is thinking eek rabies, and the other part is already planning lavish meals to leave out for this little guy!

jeepcurlygurl · 06-27-2008, 06:04 AM

Awww. I'm a sucker for baby anythings. I'd definitely be 'accidently' dropping goodies in the yard for him. I feed the birds here (just bread and crackers and things, not birdseed because that attracts the rats which I am not so fond of) so I get racoon and skunk visitors once in awhile.

lionese · 07-06-2008, 01:11 PM

Hey you guys, I'm out here in the sweltering desert and I keep checking for more of your beautiful green garden pics but haven't seen anymore. I need a green fix! When you have a chance, post some more, please.

2poodles · 07-06-2008, 01:20 PM

Hi lionese - if you click on my fotki and use curls as a password, you'll find some of my garden photos. They're a couple of years old, but I haven't gotten around to taking any new pics yet....too busy in the garden!