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Garden, Yard Talk
- Thread starter Huntn
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Mostly Top Soil, with Clay underneath.
I'm in Southern Ontario, so my summers are usually 20-35c range, but my winters can be 5c to -20c
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You probably know, but clay can be tough on some plants as it holds water, sometimes too much water. Some plants like hostas don’t seem to care too much. But with new trees you might have to dig a water drainage system or the hole you dug to plant the tree will fill up with water and holding it, drowning the roots when it rains.
Aug, the Wildflower strip is big and bold, more green than flowers. Many yellow flowers around the bottom can’t be seen in this image. The biggest plants out there have yet to bloom. I took my iPhone out and took a picture with the Plant Snap app to try to identify it and the semi-alarming result is Annual Ragweed. Now Annual Ragweed is not one of the flowers listed in the wildflower seed packet, so I’m hoping that the app mis-identified it. My wife says that some of the perennial flowers don’t bloom the first year so, we‘ll see. ?Wild flower bed update. Right now it looks like a bed of overgrown weeds. Waiting on flowers to start popping.
Annual Ragweed?
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Looks great! The tall flowers with the very fine leaves (in the back ground) are Cosmos and will be very nice soon I suspect.
That foreground plant does look like ragweed! On the other hand don't act to swiftly cuz it could be something good as I suspect it will be but if it starts to get really tiny/small white flowers that appear on spikes that will come out of the top of the plant you probably do not want it.
Yes, ragweed is nothing to cherish, and I'll be quite upset if this was included in a wildflower mix, where it's not mentioned.
Update: I spoke with the supplier who says they don't use any filler, and that they identified this plant as sulfur cosmos. It blooms late summer/fall. So we'll see.
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I’ve identified what has been known in my yard as pesky weed, and no surprise it’s called Chamberbitter and Gripeweed. This plant spews seeds like there is no tomorrow, I’ve been battling this since March.
![E8B53C43-0146-45D1-B5C7-AD7E6DBB7258.png]( "E8B53C43-0146-45D1-B5C7-AD7E6DBB7258.png")
![36B2F6D0-D825-4609-AEF9-EEC48FAEA01C.jpeg]( "36B2F6D0-D825-4609-AEF9-EEC48FAEA01C.jpeg")
So, I liberated some Cranberry Hibiscus seedlings from a worksite. These started off slow, but got quite tall in about a six week period.
![DA3E30FD-E5EB-4A2F-988E-263B3E8ECBB4.jpeg]( "DA3E30FD-E5EB-4A2F-988E-263B3E8ECBB4.jpeg")
Just in the last week, they’ve started to bloom. Many new flower buds
![DBC5F495-29F9-4270-BB34-75AB098E9C80.jpeg]( "DBC5F495-29F9-4270-BB34-75AB098E9C80.jpeg")
Just in the last week, they’ve started to bloom. Many new flower buds
Really interesting looking plant with some nice color.So, I liberated some Cranberry Hibiscus seedlings from a worksite. These started off slow, but got quite tall in about a six week period.
Just in the last week, they’ve started to bloom. Many new flower buds
Do you know what zone they are good too? And I’ll assume they are periennels? We live in Houston and had several hibiscus perish in the 21Feb freeze, but one double hibiscus laughed the hard freeze off.So, I liberated some Cranberry Hibiscus seedlings from a worksite. These started off slow, but got quite tall in about a six week period.
View attachment 1877927
Just in the last week, they’ve started to bloom. Many new flower buds
View attachment 1877928
I’m thinking: Cranberry Hibiscus Seeds (False Roselle) (Hibiscus acetosella) seeds
Yours looks different than this one, or does yours have flowers like below?
Cranberry Hibiscus Seeds hibiscus Acetosella - Etsy
This Seeds item by AndersonsTropicals has 541 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from West Palm Beach, FL. Listed on May 6, 2024
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That’s the one. The flowers have just started to emerge but appear very similar to these. As for where it would grow well, I’d say they’ll do alright. Might need to read up on that.Do you know what zone they are good too? And I’ll assume they are periennels? We live in Houston and had several hibiscus perish in the 21Feb freeze, but one double hibiscus laughed the hard freeze off.
I’m thinking: Cranberry Hibiscus Seeds (False Roselle) (Hibiscus acetosella) seeds
Yours looks different than this one, or does yours have flowers like below?
Cranberry Hibiscus Seeds hibiscus Acetosella - Etsy
This Seeds item by AndersonsTropicals has 541 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from West Palm Beach, FL. Listed on May 6, 2024www.etsy.com
Bee House- Anyone put these out? Any experts? Just bought one, inexpensive, I don’t know how effective they are in giving solitary bees a place to lay their eggs or how effective they are from year to year without cleaning the tubes out. If the babies break out, then maybe the adult bees come back and clean out the holes themselves.
This one looks bigger than it actually is about 14” tall. Looks pretty though.
![1072FE35-4A4D-4B71-9B97-20D99B1439DC.jpeg]( "1072FE35-4A4D-4B71-9B97-20D99B1439DC.jpeg")
Just bought one, inexpensive, I don’t know how effective they are in giving solitary bees a place to lay their eggs or how effective they are from year to year without cleaning the tubes out. If the babies break out, then maybe the adult bees come back and clean out the holes themselves.This one looks bigger than it actually is about 14” tall. Looks pretty though.
Wooden Insect House, Bee House,Ladybirds House,Handmade Natural Bug Habitat Attracts Bees, Butterflies, Ladybugs,Attract Pollinators to Improve Garden Productivity,Outdoor Garden Backyard Décor
Wooden Insect House, Bee House,Ladybirds House,Handmade Natural Bug Habitat Attracts Bees, Butterflies, Ladybugs,Attract Pollinators to Improve Garden Productivity,Outdoor Garden Backyard Décor
smile.amazon.com
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You could always do home made elevated off ground soil boxes to grow thing! Plus you learn to make your own DIY GreenHouse!
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My wife decided to plant up a bunch of pots, and although we’ve had pots in the past, they were in the sprinkler zone, and those plants typically send roots down though the drainage holes into the dirt so they don’t need as much watering as if they were just reliant on moisture in the pot. The new pots sit on the deck and need watering every other day in the oven which is our back yard.
A nice lady at a local garden center, gave me some cuttings of stapelia, succulents similar to cactus but minus the needles. I just stuck them in some dirt and they grew.
View attachment 1797719
Stapelia, left and right in turquoise rocks
View attachment 1797718
Not my pic.
My Stapelia cuttings turned out nicely, Looks like they are developing buds. Not sure how well they handle a freeze but it froze last night and supposed to again tonight so they are on holiday in our kitchen With the snake plants…
IsBee House- Anyone put these out? Any experts?
This one looks bigger than it actually is about 14” tall. Looks pretty though.
Wooden Insect House, Bee House,Ladybirds House,Handmade Natural Bug Habitat Attracts Bees, Butterflies, Ladybugs,Attract Pollinators to Improve Garden Productivity,Outdoor Garden Backyard Décor
Wooden Insect House, Bee House,Ladybirds House,Handmade Natural Bug Habitat Attracts Bees, Butterflies, Ladybugs,Attract Pollinators to Improve Garden Productivity,Outdoor Garden Backyard Décorsmile.amazon.com
Is this for mason bee's?Bee House- Anyone put these out? Any experts?
This one looks bigger than it actually is about 14” tall. Looks pretty though.
Wooden Insect House, Bee House,Ladybirds House,Handmade Natural Bug Habitat Attracts Bees, Butterflies, Ladybugs,Attract Pollinators to Improve Garden Productivity,Outdoor Garden Backyard Décor
Wooden Insect House, Bee House,Ladybirds House,Handmade Natural Bug Habitat Attracts Bees, Butterflies, Ladybugs,Attract Pollinators to Improve Garden Productivity,Outdoor Garden Backyard Décorsmile.amazon.com
It is for solitary bees, of which mason bees are included. So I’ll assume some of the holes in this house are designed for them?
I have had something similar here for a number of years now and they seem to be very popular with the bees and other insects too. I do not clean mine out like you are supposed too but the bees themselves seem to take care of it and I have not noticed any problems. I did have one of those fancy bee house with the paper tubes that actually seemed to get some funk and killed all the bees but all the natural wood ones I have are fine year after year.
Good Luck!
Freeze Warning Feb 2022-
Tonight it’s predicted to go down to 33F. For the Houston suburbs that usually means a freeze here. Next week it’s predicted to get as cold as 26F for 2 nights in a row but be in the 40s during the day.
So I have to make a decision, option 1 is bring the lemon tree (really a shrub) in a pot into the kitchen. Option 2 is to move it into a small shed and bag it. Option 3 is to wrap the tree with Christmas lights and bag it.
I have time before the serious freeze, but for tonight I’m going with the Christmas lights bagged. Next week, I’m thinking the shed, Xmas lights and bagged, lights under the bag. The material I’m using is from an old 6 layer material that was a car cover.
![88C2EDEC-9DF6-491C-BD78-8F86BE6A2942.jpeg]( "88C2EDEC-9DF6-491C-BD78-8F86BE6A2942.jpeg")
Tonight it’s predicted to go down to 33F. For the Houston suburbs that usually means a freeze here. Next week it’s predicted to get as cold as 26F for 2 nights in a row but be in the 40s during the day.
So I have to make a decision, option 1 is bring the lemon tree (really a shrub) in a pot into the kitchen. Option 2 is to move it into a small shed and bag it. Option 3 is to wrap the tree with Christmas lights and bag it.
I have time before the serious freeze, but for tonight I’m going with the Christmas lights bagged. Next week, I’m thinking the shed, Xmas lights and bagged, lights under the bag. The material I’m using is from an old 6 layer material that was a car cover.
Last night at the Cauldron of the Devil, the my lemon tres seen dancing:
Now that I’ve been thinking about the upcoming frigidity, why not go all the way and instead of 2 strings of Xmas lights, put a heat light in there! Option 4, tree in the shed, bagged, with a heat lamp inside the bag. Even though this is somewhat of a chore, easier than dragging it into the kitchen,
28F this morning here (Houston). I’m just happy we are on the tale end of this. And it’s going to freeze again tonight and Saturday night. There are some greatful plants throwing a breakfast party In our kitchen. And my guess/hope is the lemon tree/bush wrapped in the shed with the 250w heat lamp although missing the party is relatively comfortable. I’m realizing now the chink in the heat lamp plan would be if we lost electricity.
Reports yesterday were that the Texas Electrical grid independent from the National grid, had about 20% reserve over usage. This is the first year, I’ve heard of Texans buying generators for Winter. You know we already have them for Hurricane season. Since I went with a gas generator, I’m keeping my gasoline stockpile from Hurricane season until the end of Feb just in case. Then zi burn it in the cars.
Reports yesterday were that the Texas Electrical grid independent from the National grid, had about 20% reserve over usage. This is the first year, I’ve heard of Texans buying generators for Winter. You know we already have them for Hurricane season. Since I went with a gas generator, I’m keeping my gasoline stockpile from Hurricane season until the end of Feb just in case. Then zi burn it in the cars.
Made some bird houses the other day in anticipation of spring. This style usually attracts wrens which can eat a ton of caterpillars (cabbage moth, cut worms etc... is what I was seeing) out of your garden plants. When I say a ton, we are talking one, two, three at a time every 10-20 minutes when they are raising their young. When they run out of caterpillars they start bringing spiders and then whatever possible.
![PXL_20220207_130639170.jpg]( "PXL_20220207_130639170.jpg")
Its 50 here today so it must be warmer down south I hope, did everybody make it, Lemon wise?
Last year my lemon tree died. My current lemon tree is portable so this year as you know it went to the shed, a small 10x10 plastic shed, wrapped it and put a heat lamp in there and it came out happy as can be, baby lemons and new blooms intact.
If it was too big to move, I would have draped it in incandescent Christmas lights and wrapped it.