Posted by (Chip) on September 25, 2009

Wow! I’m more than a little jealous also. Our flowering plants are not as pretty as these.We focus on veggies and sadly it shows. We are adding a rose and honeysuckle to the border of our garden this weekend so wish us luck I showed the pics to my wife - her response with a sigh was ” Maybe someday our garden will be that pretty .” I guess she is a little jealous too.

Posted by (Janna) on September 25, 2009

Penny, I have a confession to make. I am jealous of your show-stopping plumbago, your cassia, your pond, your pink stool and the incredible VARIETY of plants, flowers and veggies in your garden. Your display of pagoda puts mine to shame, but I will be transplanting the volunteers and try to catch up with you one day. The beautiful blooms and zero maintenance of the pagoda puts it at the top of my “love it” list. It’s been a fun (and inexpensive) gardening summer - thanks in large part to cuttings and seeds from you, Susan and Janice!

Posted by (Janna) on September 25, 2009

Thanks for your nice words, Chip. I am jealous of your unique bird cages and the fact that you can grow veggies! I’ve always had much more luck with flowers than with vegetables. You’ll have to submit photos of your rose and honeysuckle - I’m sure they will do well for you. Are you and your wife planning to go on the “Dirt Field Trip” to Rick’s flower farm in October? I hope so, I’m looking forward to it. We will all exchange more seeds and cuttings!

Posted by (Janna) on September 25, 2009

P.S. Maybe “dog poop” DOES fertilize. Ha, ha!

Posted by (Chip) on September 25, 2009

I just love flowering plant’s all way’s have. If my wife and I had some acres to grow thing’s we would be dangerous. I really like those cat wisker’s and datura is really an eye popper.  By the way my butter nut is blooming and doing well my corn is doing ok and every thing is starting to grow nicely in few week’s it should be some thing to see as long as the bug’s leave me alone!...“Chip”

Posted by (Chip) on September 25, 2009

penny try zipper creme bean’s you can’t kill those and they put nit. into your soil in stead of removeing it no fuss no muss. we use them to get an area ready for planting getting rid of them is some thing else after you pull them up an put some thing in there place they just keep popping up. they would be a good project for kids because you just can’t kill them and the help amend the soil
.....“Chip”...

Posted by (Iluvpumpkins) on September 25, 2009

OK, I feel left out of the loop. I need, want some cat whiskers. I have not seen them for sale any where. Being a School Nurse and dealing with the Swine fly or H1N1, I am behind on what is going on at The Dirt. Someone please put me down for a cutting. Janna your yard looks great!!!!!!!! Janice

Posted by (Janna) on September 25, 2009

Janice, I’m going to start more cuttings this weekend and will make sure that I have some cat’s whiskers for you!

Posted by (Janna) on September 25, 2009

Chip, if you want some cat’s whiskers, I will start some for you, too! I’m also going to save some datura seeds…

Posted by (Iluvpumpkins) on September 25, 2009

Janna thanks for the cuttings. Cake and plant cuttings are on the menu for Rick’s place on Halloween. I look forward to meeting everyone. Janice

Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on September 26, 2009

Look at all the fun people on this blog. How did I miss this one?

Janna’s garden, as always, looks awesome. She did a wonderful job with those susan vines and datura plant. It is so fun to see a gift take off like that and thrive under someone’s loving garden hands.

The Miss Mary pagoda that Penny shared with us is also another plant that I can’t wait to share with others when it shows up in unexpected places. Thanks Penny.

BTW——the blue sky vine is going strong on 3 trellises (from one plant) and will need a good haircut very soon. And the morning glory plant from Janice, I believe, is taller than me and still blooming. I had to stake it because it got the leans. I love that one. I’ll have to take a picture of it.

Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on September 26, 2009

I have trouble with veggies too Penny and could use those pointers from Chip and his wife. I guess there isn’t as much pressure with flowers because we aren’t expecting to eat them at some point. But I am ready to put some into the ground to try yet again. I like that zipper bean idea to amend the soil though. Do you eat zipper cream beans or just grow them? I’d love an interesting new bean for soup. Don’t laugh Chip if this is only something you feed to cows.

Sorry I’ll miss The Dirt outing but sure would love some of those red hots and cat’s whiskers cuttings.

Oh yeah——I am watching closely the hollyhocks. When is the bloom time for them?

Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on September 26, 2009

You are welcome anytime, Penny. I’m thinking my yard doesn’t look all that different but then we are our own worst critics, aren’t we. Besides I have all these new plants from friends, right?

Black eyed peas, huh? I’ve never had those either. My Ohio is showing, I’m afraid.

Posted by (Janna) on September 27, 2009

Zipper Cream cowpeas are black-eyed peas? Born and raised in Tampa, I’ve never heard black-eyed peas called anything else. I like them though - maybe I could even grow them since Chip says you can’t kill them and they’re good for amending the soil.

Susan, we’ll miss you on the flower farm outing, but don’t worry - gotcha’ covered on the red hots and cat’s whiskers cuttings. I started several of them yesterday and I’m sure we’ll find a way to get them to you…

Posted by (Janna) on September 27, 2009

Just want to say thanks again to everyone for the nice compliments on my garden. I so appreciate all the seeds and cuttings I was given by FOD (friends of the dirt). I’d love to see some more pictures of all of your gardens!

P.S. I’ve run into several few people at Lowe’s and Home Depot who have told me that they read this blog, but don’t comment. For you folks, if you’re reading this, please comment! I think all gardeners have tips to share and questions to ask. (Even if you’re like me and have more questions than tips!)

Posted by (Chip) on September 27, 2009

the Zipper creme’s are a bean they are called cow pea’s because of how they are used by farmer’s
the farmer would plant them where he wants a new crop later let’s them grow take’s what he want’s
when he is ready to plant that area lets the cow’s in they take care of the beans and fertilize the area the beans put nit. in the soil and the cow’s do what cows do and the farmer turn’s over what is left and can plant a cash crop! Every thing just work’s out the bean isn’t the best for eating it is ok some folk’s like them a lot but they do not need any fertilizer’s or anything just poor soil that we got in spade’s…“Chip”..

Posted by (Janna) on September 27, 2009

Okay, “several few people” was a typo. Ha, ha! Literally, I’ve spoken with at least 5 or 6 people in garden departments who read this blog. Want to see your comments!

Posted by (Janna) on September 27, 2009

Very interesting cowpeas lesson, Chip! Thanks.

Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on September 27, 2009

Thanks Janna, you are a peach. Those cuttings will be greatly appreciated.

And thanks Chip for the cowpea lesson. now we know why they call it that and a new way to amend soil at the same time. I think I’ll skip the eating part.

And yes, it would be awesome to have other folks comment and share garden pictures. I love looking at people’s yards, getting ideas and sharing those cuttings.  And like Janna, I have waaaay more questions than tips. I have a few right now——like why are my rose leaves turning yellow. They are suffering so lately? Help. Too much rain? Not enough?

Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on September 27, 2009

Before I moved to Florida in 2000 I was only a balcony gardening gal in apartments all my life, mainly houseplants. So until I had a yard to play in I was basically a newbie to gardening and totally new to gardening in Florida. I learned the hard way in a big way. I thought everything would grow in Florida and boy was I wrong. So I surfed the net, read about gardening in Florida, read Monica Brandies columns, listened to Tom McCubbin on 540AM radio on Sat. mornings, asked my gardening customers,and found Penny and Kim. And I still make mistakes. Soooo——I ask questions and keep making mistakes until I can come up with a semblance of what I want. And then nature laughs at me with a freeze or a drought and I am humbled yet again.

Posted by (Susan Gillespie) on September 27, 2009

Penny is right. If you have a plant you want to save or see flourish you are now a gardener and earn the right to ask any question you want. Believe me there are no stupid questions. Not here.

Posted by (Iluvpumpkins) on September 28, 2009

Susan or Janna asked me the other day when the Hollyhocks will bloom. Last year they started sending up shoots when they reached about 3 feet tall. Let us know when they bloom. Janice

Posted by (JanC) on October 04, 2009

Janna - your garden is unbelievable!  Can’t wait to see it in person!!!

Posted by (Janna) on October 04, 2009

Thanks, JanC! Want to see your pics of MI gardens and foliage!

Janice, my recently identified hollyhock is ready to burst! It has a huge spire with several buds. Just this morning, I noticed deep pink petals starting to emerge. This is one of the hollyhocks from your seeds that I got at Greenfest. BTW, it IS about 3 feet tall…

Posted by (Janna) on October 05, 2009

Congratulations, Janice - you have a “grandbloom!” Yesterday morning, I took a couple photos of the buds with a little pink starting to show through. RIGHT after my 6:40 p.m. blog comment, I went out for my evening garden “walk-through” and the first thing I saw was a big pink fully opened bloom! I was so excited that I yelled for my husband to come and see. Okay, maybe I’m easily amused - my husband didn’t fully share my excitement (especially on football Sunday), but I was fascinated by how quickly it went from bud to flower! Can’t wait to see how it looks tonight….I’ll send some pics.