Posted on 12/16/2023 6:27:39 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
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.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
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It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.
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Looking good! :)
Late to the thread. Feel like I’m running a mile a minute these last few days. Time to turn off the Christmas to do list, and check in on the serenity laden weekly garden thread.
Bon, I love your Seafoam Bougainvillea. I love Bougainvillea of every color, and wish, so wish, I could get it to grow here for me in Indiana. So far, no luck. Reminds me of certain parts of Florida where I grew up. Yes, I was born there, too, but what do you know when you’re a wee baby?
Anyway, beautiful Boug you’ve got there! Cute doggy, too!
Will be around $150 but I'll be good to go for years and years. I had my fun with the paper thin trays from the box store that crack when you look at them and are like handling lasagna noodles.
When we get our searing heat and sun - and hot winds, there are few plants that can survive it - bougainvillea never lets us down during those times! I’m trying to collect all different colors plus the variegated varieties. They seem to grow well throughout the southwest and I’ve seen them in Hawaii too.
You can grow wonderful things in Indiana! My dad was from Indianapolis. I remember going with my grandmother out to her massive garden and picking various types of lettuce and beef heart tomatoes that we cannot grow here. She’d make an incredible wilted lettuce salad and serve the tomatoes sliced up. Heaven. The most beautiful impatiens I’ve ever seen in my life were in Indiana. You can also grow amazing tulips, hyacinth, crocuses and other cold-weather bulbs that I cannot.
I took a break yesterday from all the Christmas preparations, yes it get hectic - and my family isn’t even here yet.
Stay sane, friend, it’ll all be over soon and we can kick-back in January after the New Year!
Thanks - I have filled my yard with rescue plants, most off of Lowe’s racks. They told me a lot of it is perfectly fine, just overstock b/c they need to move in Christmas trees or other holiday decor. I always figure if they don’t survive, I haven’t wasted a lot of money, but most do.
Pup was at the groomers about a week ago, his fur grows out very quickly.
You’re right. I have three of the HD trays plus three more that are the trays in my grow light rack. Good stuff - highly recommended.
What I hate most about no longer working for Jung’s is the discount. ;)
Re: 1020 trays. These looked pretty good, too - I watched the video - they look flexible and sturdy. 10/$26.99 with very good reviews. If you have Prime (which I do, living rural with not a lot of shopping options) shipping is free.
RooTrimmer 1020 Nursery Trays, Heavy Duty Seed Starter Tray
These are stronger than the current crumbling ones I have on hand, for sure. I have plenty of recycled nursery pots in many sizes, plus I’ve started stashing cottage cheese/yogurt/sour cream containers thanks to a suggestion from MomWithHope. :)
You are right; we can grow many wonderful and beautiful plants here in Indiana as you mentioned! Sometimes I have to be reminded, so thank you! I planted at least 3 dozen tulip bulbs in early November, and hope that I will be rewarded for that come Spring. I do love and grow impatiens in many of the shady spots in my yard. So I appreciate the gentle nudge of a reminder that you gave me to appreciate what I CAN grow here. I have a tendency to forget that when the skies are gray and dreary and the leaves have fallen. Hugs!
What I miss most being low carb: potatoes & BREAD.
I have tried keto/low carb breads & they are usually not good substitutes for the real thing; however, this looks very promising. I have not made it yet, but when I have time to bake, this is going to be one of the first things I make:
https://www.ibreatheimhungry.com/easy-keto-bread-recipe-low-carb/
Slices & toasts without crumbling.
Thanks! I’m ready to break out the bread machine for the season!
All I use now are old small yogurt containers the larger cottage cheese ones, and if I buy a small nursery veg plant I reuse those. Can’t type much. Had a fall outside. Not too bad.
LOL. My aunt had a fabulous wisteria that bloomed reliably every year - my uncle built an arbor to show it off.
At my aunt’s garden club, a gardening expert who was giving a lecture on “gardening in Indiana” said wisteria will grow in Indiana but never bloom - my aunt pulled out a photo of her wisteria in full bloom and shocked the expert. Her wisteria grew so large it collapsed the arbor.
Sometimes you have to experiment with different things to see what does/doesn’t grow, especially if you live in an area that has many micro-climates like I do, what grows in one neighborhood won’t grow in the next.
Enjoy your tulips! My dear friend grows them - by putting them in the fridge for six weeks before planting - they never repeat bloom and she doesn’t have that much luck with them, I told her to concentrate on bulbs we can grow here - amaryllis, iris, certain varities of lilies and a few others.
Well, there ya go. Case closed. :) (I haven’t bought anything yet!)
That wisteria story is wonderful!
I can’t say that I’ve had much luck with getting the Florida type plants to thrive here. I did have a plumeria plant that was successful for a few years, but I had to give it a LOT of attention. It grew too tall to bring back inside one year, so we could only manage to fit it into the unheated garage that winter. It didn’t survive. It was sad because I had devoted a lot of time to it.
What you may want to do with plumeria - is put Christmas-type lights on it with a timer to keep it warm over the winter months. This has worked for an area above me (as in higher elevation) that gets hard freezes (which kill plumeria)- and they’ve had success with this.
Sorry yours didn’t survive. I love hibiscus but cannot grow the “fancy” verities that are grown in the South and in Hawaii - I’ve lost every one that I’ve tried. They shouldn’t even be sold here and I’ve learned my lesson.
If I ever try to work with plumeria up here again, I will try that trick! Great tip, thanks!
Saturday morning Mrs. Augie tasked me with building a swing frame for the grandkids. We had the swing hanging from an oak tree limb but the tree croaked and we don't want the grands getting smashed by a falling limb so we took it down before that had a chance to happen. I picked up some lumber and fastener hardware at Lowe's on Saturday and unloaded it in the driveway but the rain kept me from making any progress beyond that.
The skies were clear yesterday and I was able to get a good start on the frame. The ground underneath the spot where Mrs. Augie wants to put the swing is full of buried utilities so digging holes for posts isn't an option. That forced me into building the frame on skids, which isn't a terrible thing. When Mrs. Augie gets tired of where it's located I can just pick it up and move it to a new spot.
Brilliant! You are such a handy guy. The Grands are gonna love that. Best. Grandpa. Ever. :)
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