The Garden Thread that two people wanted

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

My donkey tail has lots of flowers on  . I usually just get one or two.

[notthatamanda]

Love it.

I dug yesterday and didn't find any potatoes. Found some ginger, I don't think more than I planted. One dahlia multiplied nicely, next year I'll be able to plant them all along the road.

[LilyBLily]

The donkey tail looks neat. A succulent?

I finally got a bloom out of my morning glory. It never blooms until October and I have at last realized that's because it gets no morning sun the rest of the year. Well, I think that's the reason. The sun's arc has changed dramatically.

I have 525 bulbs to plant and want to dig up my cannas and maybe the two or three remaining callas. The weather is turning cold this week after rain so it's a good time to dig. No gnats, and the garden dirt isn't like concrete.

I also have a small ambition to move a bush to a sunnier location, but it's a risk. It might be smarter to see if I can find one to buy, even this late in the season. We're edging toward our first freeze but nowhere near frozen ground yet, so it's at least theoretically possible to plant something new. It's a toss up these days whether we will have more drought in winter than in summer, though.   

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

The donkey tail looks neat. A succulent?

Yes, it's a succulent.

Good luck planting all those bulbs. Sounds like a lot of work.   

[Maggie Ann]

The donkey tail looks neat. A succulent?

Yes, it's a succulent.

Good luck planting all those bulbs. Sounds like a lot of work.

My donkey's tail bloomed, but the blooms died before I noticed it. We'd been parking the car in the driveway right next to the tree where it's hanging so I always had a good view of it. Then I cleared out the garage so I could park the car where it's protected. That's why I didn't notice the blooms.

My Dendrobiums just keep on putting out flower stalks and buds so I wasn't surprised to see three of my plants blooming just a few weeks after the last flowers died off. I was surprised to see one of my Vandas, which are notoriously reluctant to bloom, put out an 8 inch stalk with too many buds to count.

[LilyBLily]

The first spot I chose for the bulbs--most of them are tiny: chionodoxa, camassia, muscari--has a very thin layer of former sod over fill dirt, which around here is always decomposing shale. It's nasty stuff that grows nothing. I might have gotten down three inches before I had to give up from sheer exhaustion. A shovel won't do the job, and even the spading fork--a shorter version of a pitchfork with thicker tines--was having trouble. So was I. I called it a day.

At this rate, it'll take me three tries just to get one hole dug. It'll be a couple of feet around, and these bulbs do not need much space for their roots, but what a chore. When I order the bulbs I always forget what hard labor it is to plant them.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

The first spot I chose for the bulbs--most of them are tiny: chionodoxa, camassia, muscari--has a very thin layer of former sod over fill dirt, which around here is always decomposing shale. It's nasty stuff that grows nothing. I might have gotten down three inches before I had to give up from sheer exhaustion. A shovel won't do the job, and even the spading fork--a shorter version of a pitchfork with thicker tines--was having trouble. So was I. I called it a day.

At this rate, it'll take me three tries just to get one hole dug. It'll be a couple of feet around, and these bulbs do not need much space for their roots, but what a chore. When I order the bulbs I always forget what hard labor it is to plant them.

I get bored after planting about 30 cuttings of the same plant  .

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

I planted this plant about three or more years ago. Not sure where I got it from (definitely didn't buy it) or what it is, but thought I'd put it in my succulent section. It wasn't doing anything and I thought I'd take it out, but it suddenly put out a flower  . The flower has been growing now for about three months. We are anxiously awaiting the final opening of the flower to see what it is. The flower identifying app doesn't seem to work on my phone. 

[LilyBLily]

That's dramatic. Maybe put the photo up on iNaturalist and see if someone identifies it.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

That's dramatic. Maybe put the photo up on iNaturalist and see if someone identifies it.

Thanks. I'll maybe just go to the local nursery and ask them. Will wait until it flowers properly. It's taking ages 

[Maggie Ann]

That's dramatic. Maybe put the photo up on iNaturalist and see if someone identifies it.

Thanks. I'll maybe just go to the local nursery and ask them. Will wait until it flowers properly. It's taking ages 

How did your garden survive the ditch digging?

[Post-Crisis D]

Looks like maybe a yucca or hesperaloe.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

That's dramatic. Maybe put the photo up on iNaturalist and see if someone identifies it.

Thanks. I'll maybe just go to the local nursery and ask them. Will wait until it flowers properly. It's taking ages 

How did your garden survive the ditch digging?

We still have trenches everywhere  They are over two months behind time. Had to take my Ixora out and put it in a bag, but its been there for weeks and looks like it has died, but I won't give up on it. 

[Maggie Ann]

That's dramatic. Maybe put the photo up on iNaturalist and see if someone identifies it.

Thanks. I'll maybe just go to the local nursery and ask them. Will wait until it flowers properly. It's taking ages 

How did your garden survive the ditch digging?

We still have trenches everywhere  They are over two months behind time. Had to take my Ixora out and put it in a bag, but its been there for weeks and looks like it has died, but I won't give up on it. 

I hear ya'. I have a couple of orchids I won't give up on.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

My neighour gave me a selection of tiny cacti when she re-did her garden. One of them opened yesterday  . It was only open for a few hours and then closed again. Today it opened again, but not as fully. Now waiting to see if any of the other varieties flower.

[LilyBLily]

That looks beautiful. I love surprises in the garden.

[Vijaya]

oh how beautiful!

[notthatamanda]

Oh wow, that's stunning.

[idontknowyet]

So pretty!

[idontknowyet]

My fall/winter garden is starting to take shape.
A little over 3k spinach seedlings have popped up.
My peas and lettuce are lagging.
The lettuce im not surprised with. It seems to take forever to get going. The peas  just seem to be taking forever to germinate. The potatoes were planted after and a few of them were up before the  peas.
Also planted kale, kholrabi, brussel sprouts and beets.
Waiting on the onion starts to be delivered. I'm also starting cabbage, broc, and cauli in pots this year.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

My neighbour's ponytail palm is again in flower, but it is a new neighbour who has changed the garden enormously. They have white Christmas lights in the palm and they look so pretty at night, but unfortunately it doesn't take a very good pic in the dark. 

[Maggie Ann]

My neighbour's ponytail palm is again in flower, but it is a new neighbour who has changed the garden enormously. They have white Christmas lights in the palm and they look so pretty at night, but unfortunately it doesn't take a very good pic in the dark.

Wonderful picture, Jan. I love the little guys on the bench beneath the palms.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

My neighbour's ponytail palm is again in flower, but it is a new neighbour who has changed the garden enormously. They have white Christmas lights in the palm and they look so pretty at night, but unfortunately it doesn't take a very good pic in the dark.

Wonderful picture, Jan. I love the little guys on the bench beneath the palms.

Her garden is full of all sorts of quirky things as she loves doing craft work.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

Grew this 2.3 kg butternut squash from the compost heap. It had loads of flowers and a few small butternuts that wizened and died, but this one just kept growing. 

[LilyBLily]

Impressive!

By contrast, I grew a handful of cherry tomatoes this year. That's it.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

Impressive!

By contrast, I grew a handful of cherry tomatoes this year. That's it.

I chucked a few cherry tomatoes into the garden last year and hoped for the best - and was lucky to find them growing a few months ago. They are spreading quite a lot and I've been getting about 40 a day. Been giving them away or freezing the ones I have over.  Also eat them like sweets 

[Vijaya]

Oooh, what a big, beautiful squash. I love volunteers from the compost heap. And cherry tomatoes are such a sweet treat!

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

Oooh, what a big, beautiful squash. I love volunteers from the compost heap. And cherry tomatoes are such a sweet treat!

Yes, and expensive to buy here. It was always a treat if I bought them - but now I'm treating all my neighbours as well 

[Maggie Ann]

My Christmas Cactus bloomed in time for Christmas

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

My Christmas Cactus bloomed in time for Christmas

How lovely. 

[LilyBLily]

That's nice. My indoor plants are mostly the kind that don't have blooms one notices. Aloe occasionally puts out some tiny white flowers on a long stem.

The lantana I dug up and brought inside has visible flowers but also is producing very large leaves and is a total water hog, too. Annoying as an indoor plant.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

One of the ponytail palms in our retirement village has pink flowers  . Apparently these are the female plants. The ivory flowers are the male plants. If they are close together the female may bear fruit. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a male one close by.

[Maggie Ann]

Jan, you have spectacular landscaping in your retirement village.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

Jan, you have spectacular landscaping in your retirement village.

Thanks  . We are blessed with a sub-tropical climate so most things grow in abundance (including the weeds  ). We have some avid gardeners who take on the common ground. Unfortunately we still have the plumbers with us. Covid and other delays have meant a 6 mth job is now in its 9th month and still a long way off being finished. Our most enthusiastic gardener is fed-up as his lovely bank was demolished and he's been re-designing it into a rockery with steps made from retrieved bricks from the digging up of the trenches etc. It was starting to take shape as he re-planted everything - and then the plumbers had to dig out the huge pipe joins and cement underneath them, so a lot of his hard work was undone 

I'm waiting to replant my ixora until I'm sure they are finished and gone. The poor plant has been in a plastic sack for about 3 months, but it has flowered so I hope it will survive the replant. 

[LilyBLily]

Refreshing to see your plants as the current view from my window might as well be the steppes of Asia--complete with howling winds.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Saw a pileated woodpecker today.  I'd never seen one before.  It was pretty cool.  Big sucker, too.  Probably just passing through, but maybe he'll stick around and build a nest.

I also saw the red-tailed hawk that's sort of staked a claim here.  He likes perching on top of the bird feeder pole every now and then.  Naturally, the seed-eating birds are reluctant to go near the thing, so the feeders remain deserted until he leaves.

It's crazy how much interesting stuff you can see just by looking out the window from time to time.

[LilyBLily]

Someone I know has a cage of sparrows in their yard and a hawk likes to come sit on top. Can't get at the sparrows but keeps hoping, apparently.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Someone I know has a cage of sparrows in their yard and a hawk likes to come sit on top. Can't get at the sparrows but keeps hoping, apparently.

I can imagine the hawk saying something like this:





 

[Jeff Tanyard]

My forehead is peeling.  I burned a bunch of sticks and logs on Saturday, and I was out in the sun for a while.  First time I can recall ever getting sunburned in February.   

Some of the grass has started greening up.  Between that and this week's weather forecast, I'm afraid spring will arrive too early and then a cold snap in late March or April will kill all the new growth.

I haven't seen the pileated woodpecker again.  I guess he was just passing through.  Too bad; there's a big dead pine in the woods that he think he would have liked very much.

The maple trees have started blooming, but they're cold-weather trees, so they usually bloom early.

Looking forward to the dogwood and holly flowers.   

[LilyBLily]

We found our first crocus two days ago, and the very early tiny iris are poking their noses up. Lots of snowdrops. The very earliest daffodils, tete-a-tete, are in my estimation only a few days from blooming. It hasn't been an early spring, despite the warming cover of snow and ice. We've had these iris bloom in February sometimes. Not this year.

Saw a large hawk yesterday who was chasing a squirrel, but he gave up. Once the squirrel reaches the trees, he's more agile than the hawk and can escape. This hawk gave up early.

[idontknowyet]

We're transitioning from our winter garden to our spring garden.

I kills me because i have like 40lbs of kale that my family can't eat.

[Vijaya]

Kale chips. They are delicious with oil, salt, garlic. Even my dog, who won't eat anything green loves them.

We used to have a myna bird that died from a heart attack because he didn't know he was safe in the cage when a hawk threatens him. Here we have a pair of hawks I really enjoy watching on my walks. They're so beautiful.

I think spring is here to stay--our starts are doing good and we'll get them outdoors in a couple of weeks.

[Maggie Ann]

Went to an orchid show a couple of weeks ago and here's what I bought.

Very few vendors but I'm going to another show this weekend and hope to have a better selection.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

Hope they all survive. They look lovely.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

My amethyst vine is in bloom. It very much wants to creep along my fence, but that will cut off my view so I'm training it into a bush shape. 

[Maggie Ann]

My amethyst vine is in bloom. It very much wants to creep along my fence, but that will cut off my view so I'm training it into a bush shape. 

Beautiful, but they can take over.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

My amethyst vine is in bloom. It very much wants to creep along my fence, but that will cut off my view so I'm training it into a bush shape. 

Beautiful, but they can take over.

Yes, they do seem to be very enthusiastic when they get going. I'll have to be brutal with the trimming back. 

[idontknowyet]

With flowers that beautiful i'd have such a hard time cutting them back.

[Jan Hurst-Nicholson]

With flowers that beautiful i'd have such a hard time cutting them back.

I'll wait until it's stopped flowering before getting the secateurs out 

[Maggie Ann]

Went to an orchid show yesterday. Some spectacular displays and I just wanted to show you one extra spectacular orchid. It's a Dendrobium Nobile and I'm guessing it's about 4 feet long.