WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD VOLUME 38 SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

Free Republic | September 13, 2013 | greeneyes

[greeneyes]

The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.

This thread is non-political, although you will find that most here are conservative folks. No matter what, you won’t be flamed and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.

It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread ... there is no telling where it will go and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us!

NOTE: This is a once a week ping list. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest are welcomed, so feel free to post them at any time.

[greeneyes]

Violas are so pretty. I usually just have on big pot of mums in a planter on the front porch. My flowers in the front yard are daylilies, iris, phlox, and roses.

Sometimes, I sprinkle Johnny JumpUps in between the roses.

[JRandomFreeper]

Everthing for the fall is now planted. I did more work on the compost pile, since everything from the summer has been harvested.

Now that it's cooled off, I'm going to give mushrooms a try again. I'm sterilizing horse poop for that.

The July/August/September break is now officially over. I'll have something to do with the garden almost every day until spring, when I get really busy.

/johnny

[greeneyes]

OK. So I have the book “Growing Medicinal Herbs In as Little as 50 Square Feet”.

Here is the list of what they say will grow in partial shade:

Chamomile, Roman
Comfrey
Garlic
Lemon Balm
Marshmallow or Malva
Mugwort
Stinging Nettle
Pennyroyal
Peppermint
Valerian
Yarrow

Of course this is not an all inclusive list.

[mlizzy]

My husband purchased me these roses nine days ago and they haven't yet lost any petals. Some of the leaves are turning yellow, and a few of those have dropped, but lo and behold, I noticed a couple of days ago all this brand new growth sprouting from the stems of all the roses. This has never happened to me before, and it's happening at a time I'm looking to find a good rose bush for our Mary Garden. [It's a miracle!] :)

I'm thinking maybe I can place some Saran Wrap around the base of the new growth and add in some rooting compound. Then if I'm successful, and actually get roots, I'm wondering if I could plant these this fall [outside]?

[greeneyes]

Nothing to lose by trying! Good Luck.

[sockmonkey]

Then if I'm successful, and actually get roots, I'm wondering if I could plant these this fall [outside]?

My dad did that with some long stemmed red roses, probably 25 years ago. Everyone said, they wouldn't grow bacause roses have to be grafted on to hardy root stock

He's long dead, but those roses are still alive where he planted them.

[mlizzy]

Thanks for the list greeneyes; I was happy to see garlic on there. And I know for a fact lemon balm will grow in part shade, however, it gets ratty looking in the middle of the summer. When I had the time, I cut it all back (and it regrew and looked nice).

BUT, it will take over everything (after we moved a backhoe was needed to take it out). From this experience, I only plant [any] mint in a container.

[Marcella]

“Here is the list of what they say will grow in partial shade:”

I just copied that list and have the rest of what you have posted to me also copied. You are telling me wheat is grown in Texas - I wonder where as I've never seen it or I haven't seen it to know what it was. I'll have to research growing wheat this far south with the heat, etc..

One of the advantages Texas has is BIG SPACE. It is so large, and wet some places and dry some places and desert in some places, and really hot in the south but not so hot in the north, etc.. Wheat could be growing in parts of Texas where I have never been. Hmm, I'm thinking up in the Texas panhandle - I'll bet it's there.

[mlizzy]

Interesting, I’m going to give this a try; as greeneyes says I’ve got nothing to lose... Thank you!

[sockmonkey]

You are telling me wheat is grown in Texas - I wonder where as I've never seen it or I haven't seen it to know what it was.

Some of my inlaws grow wheat up around Dalhart.

[greeneyes]

Well, I don’t know where exactly in Texas wheat is grown, but Missouri grows wheat in the winter and is planted in the spring for fall harvest, so the spring wheat must be pretty heat tolerant.

There are grains grown all over the world even in hot and somewhat arid regions. It’s just a matter of matching your climate with whatever grain you want to try-My guess is you can grow winter wheat. Do you ever get a frost?

Another thing I thought of while I was outside, I saw some wild rose hips. I can’t really grow citrus here, but herbal teas often have rose hips.

Now rose hips are a powerful source of vitamin C. Rosa Rugosa has rose hips about the diameter of a dime. It also makes a good somewhat impenetrable hedge, and has beautiful flowers. So that’s my homegrown source of vitamin c.

And the ones I have are doing well in partial shade. Japenese Beatles love them though, so we have had to hang beatle traps around them.

[greeneyes]

Yep I only plant mint in a container. See my post 211, you might be interested in Rosa Rugosa Rose Hips.

[mlizzy]

Just looked them up, thank you; beautiful plant/bush. How do you use the rose hips for your vitamin C?

[greeneyes]

I like to add it to tea. You can just crush them and add to the tea leaves in your tea ball. I pick them in the fall, and put them in between paper plates on top of the refrigerator to dry.

Here’s some more how to info and recipes:

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/butler95.html

[Marcella]

Dalhart is in the northwest corner of the Texas Panhandle. Looks like I picked the best place for wheat, that being the panhandle. That is the most northern part of Texas.

[greeneyes]

I am going to try to convince hubby to try to make some rose hip wine. That sounds like it would be really good for several ailments.LOL

[tillacum]

I puncture small holes in the bottom of the cooler, then glue the top to the bottom, so there’s always a small amount of moisture for whatever’s in the cooler. I’ve done this for
3 years. The coolers do a good job.

[tillacum]

My friend LOVES her keyhole gardens. She has them everywhere
She has them in quite a few shops too. I don’t think she
puts her wigglers in those, though. Right now she’s planted, I think 16 different vegetables in 2 of her gardens. We’ve seen pictures of keyhole gardens made of stone, bricks, curved aluminum, wood. Our Community Garden was once a Wagon Repair shop, then a farm with horses & cows, chickens, you name it. We’ve found parts of wheels, all sorts of metal parts for something or other, chards of plates, bowls, pieces of kitchen sinks, tiny, tiny bottles, bricks, pieces of bricks, and other stuff. We’re going to make a keyhole garden from some of this stuff, plus pieces of found broken concrete, and arrange is “artistically” hubby says “if it can be artistically arranged. I’ve even found quite a few old marbles. I still have some marbles I had as a child, so I know old marbles, even my steeley.

[tillacum]

UH OH, those new builders will be in a world of hurt if the water comes rushing in. We’ve seen and heard it happening.
NEVER build in a flood plain. It’ll flood sooner or later.

[Marcella]

“I puncture small holes in the bottom of the cooler, then glue the top to the bottom, so there’s always a small amount of moisture for whatever’s in the cooler. I’ve done this for 3 years. The coolers do a good job.”

If they are totally cheap, which they are, and you've already gotten three years use out of them, that's worth it. There are two dollars stores on my “shopping street”, the most unique street in the world for shopping. That one street has everything except your medical doctor and hospital which is 5-6 minutes away from that street.

Rightly, how do you feel about our shopping street from HEB down to Lowes? You must be as aware as I am, of everything and anything being available to the right and left on that street.