FLOWER

FLOWER: CHRISTMAS CACTUS

2006-12-21T18:49:00.000-08:00

CHRISTMAS CACTUS

2006-12-10T18:15:00.000-08:00

Christmas cactus is an easy-to-grow house plant that asks for special treatment only to guarantee bloom. When growth rate slows in early fall, it should be moved to a low-light situation, given no water for a period of four weeks (usually, the month of October). Return to normal light and water regularly in order to get bloom during the winter months.

POINSETTIAS

2006-12-06T20:59:00.000-08:00

Well, its that time of the year when poinsettias are so popular. I was in Argentina one June (which was their fall season) and they had poinsettia trees. Yes, they were tall bushes, no they actually were trees. They were not loaded with blooms like the ones we buy in the stores, but they were definitely poinsettias.

Poinsettias need bright light in order to hold their color and adequate humidity to prevent leaves dropping. In a cool but sunny window, with daily watering and good drainage and humidity, a Christmas poinsettia may stay attractive for several weeks.

If you want to try to keep this plant over for another year, sink the pot in a sunny garden location after frost danger has passed. Prune the stems severely, and water and fertilize regularly until cool nights arrive. Then, lift the pot and bring indoors again to a cool, sunny window and you might receive the bonus of another season of bloom.

For some very good flower information view: theflowerexpert.com
They have a blog that you can make comments on, or even add to the blog your own information. I will be referring to this site often as they seem to be professionals.

PLANTING AND GROWING HOLLYHOCKS

2006-11-13T20:42:00.000-08:00

Hollyhocks are a biennial, producing clumps of rough-textured leaves the first year from seed and tall flower stalks the next year. The flowers open from tightly wrapped buds beginning at the bottoms of the stalks and progressing toward the tops, producing a summer-long display. Hollyhocks sometimes are short-lived perennials and self-sow. The self-sown plants often differ from the original plant. You can also plant seeds in the fall or spring. Flowers of hollyhocks may be single, double, or even semidouble and are yellow, white, rose, pink, red, lavender, and almost black. There are hollyhocks along a car wash in town that are all red. They are a beautiful scene as you drive by. Flowers may be ruffled or fringed. The old-fashioned types can reach 12 feet tall; modern hybrids grow 2 to 8 feet tall and 18 inches wide. The best place for hollyhocks are in the background of gardens. I have them planted at the back of my perennial garden in front of a white lattice panel.

Hollyhocks require full sun, fertile, well-drained soil; water and fertilize regularly. Plants usually need staking. Rust fungus, Japanese beetles and spider mites disfigure foliage, but not flowers; pest control needed.

PLANTING HOSTAS

2006-11-05T16:54:00.000-08:00

I will be dividing my hostas this fall. I have several plants that are growing along the east side of my house. Last spring I built a block patio and have now decided to put hostas around the edges. Hostas grow into clumps that can easily be divided. I have had success dividing them in the spring or the fall. In just a couple of years, each plant has increased to a nice full clump.

There are so many kinds of hostas. I mostly have the larger plants, as they make such a nice spread around the foundation on the east side of the house. Also, they grow with such thick foliage weeds seldom have a chance to grow among them.

Hostas have leaves that are heavily veined or puckered. They have leaf colors that are emerald green, blue-gray, cream, yellow and in many variegated patterns. Hostas form lush clumps that vary in size from dwarf to knee-high. Many types produce lilylike flowers that can be lavender, purple, or white, blooming in mid to late summer. Hosta foliage are eye-catching and last the entire growing season. Plants grow 6 inches to 3 feet tall and wide.

Hostas combine well with fine-textured plants such as ferns and astilbes. They grow best in light to full shade. There are plants now that grow in sunlight, but I haven't tried them. They like fertile, humus-rich, moist soil, but tolerate average conditions. I find they require little care and even though this was a very hot, dry summer, I didn't water them often.

PLANTING HIBISCUS SEEDS

2006-11-01T20:58:00.000-08:00

Have you noticed those large blooms in the summer on hibiscus bushes? The flowers can measure up to 12 inches across and are composed of red, pink or white petals that are crinkled like tissue paper. They are startlingly large saucer-shaped flowers, beginning to bloom in late summer and continuing until frost. Another name for these flowers is rose mallow (that is what my mother used to call them). The plants grow 5 to 8 feet tall and are excellent for damp or wet spots in the garden. Plant container-grown plants in spring, spacing at least 3 feet apart or sow seeds in the spring. I have just now sown seeds in my flower garden. I have learned that I need to mark them so I'll know what they are when they emerge late in the spring. They like full sun but can do well in light shade. Fertile, humus-rich, moist to wet soil is what they like best. Be sure to leave plenty of room, as they do make quite a large bush-like plant.

PLANTING BULBS FOR SPRING BLOOMS

2006-10-26T20:20:00.000-07:00

The earliest blooms in the spring are crocuses. They are a promise that spring is on its way. The bulbs can be planted in your garden or your lawn for naturalizing. I enjoy a mixture of lavender, yellow and white crocuses blooming before any plant life is seen. These plants multiply annually for increased beauty year after year.

Hyacinths are clusters of blooms that make a large flower with a deliciously fragrant aroma. Hyacinth blooms usually stay fresh for quite a while. We usually connect hyacinths with purple and white blooms, but catalogs now advertise red, maroon, blue, pink, lavender and various colors. These blooms are so large it only takes a few to fill any corner of your garden with beauty and a heavenly fragrance.

PLANTING FLOWER BULBS

A great way to buy bulbs is in an assortment of outstanding varieties. Bulbs need at least four to six hours of direct sunlight per day during their active growth period in the spring. Remember it will be sunny under deciduous trees into The spring before leaves have developed. Spring-flowering bulbs can be planted anytime in the fall. Bulbs need a cold dormant period before starting their growth and blooming cycle. Water bulbs thoroughly at planting time and as you would all of your garden plants during their growing season. Bulbs will bloom the first year after planting. They should be left in the ground all year where winters are cold. In warm areas many spring-flowering bulbs will need an annual out-of-the-ground cooling. When planting bulbs, applying a bulb plant food will encourage bulbs to grow larger and bloom longer and brighter.

PLANTING BULBS

2006-10-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

PLANTING FALL FLOWER BULBS AND CHRYSANTHEMUMS

2006-10-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

October 21

I am continuing with information about iris. I have the Hybrid iris and there are so many colors available: blue, yellow, orange, salmon, bronze, dark purple, and many more. Also many iris have a combination of colors, ruffled edges, etc. There is very little work involved for the large beautiful blooms they create. I love to bring in bouquets and have that wonderful fragrance in my home. Iris do require full sunlight. My gardening book states they require rich, well-drained soil during summer dormancy. As I've said my iris bed is not well-drained soil. But here in Missouri the summers are rarely wet, so I guess there isn't a problem with too much water during the summer. But we have had rather damp, wet winters and so far I've never lost any iris. They just continue to thrive!

Beautiful, bright daffodils! They seem to bring the spring sunshine. I prefer the simple yellow kind; I guess that would be the plain old fashioned daffodils. Of course, I don't object to the giant sized blooms of the newer varieties. The flower catalogs have double ones, white with orange centers, even pink daffodils. Groupings of daffodils are showy and enhance your garden. They can be planted in your lawn for naturalizing. After they have flowered, cut their foliage and stems down to the ground level before mowing. They do not require special care and multiply each year, bringing increased beauty to your lawn or garden.

October 20

FALL FLOWER BULBS

Its time to plant bulbs. I receive these beautiful fall catalogs so I surely cannot forget about the bulbs! There are many new varieties that ensure success in our gardens. Go to dirtdivasgardening.blogspot.com for some very good information on tulips. I was happy to read the information as I haven't had very good luck with tulips coming back.

Three or four years ago I planted Blue Grape Hyacinths and they have been a large success. They bloom very faithfully every spring and increase every year. I have most of them planted around my climatis and lace vine so they are quite showy. The vines have very little growth on the ground, therefore the hyacinths add quite a nice touch.

If you want something easy, just plant an iris bed. I have never bought an iris as they have all been given to me. The lower end of one of my flower beds does not drain well. I planted it with iris and they are doing beautifully. I really don't think you can kill an iris! I've seen people leave plants lay around for several days before planting, at any time of the year, and still they grew. It is good to thin them out every three or four years - that is how I had mine given to me. Friends were thinning their beds so were glad to have someone to give them to.

Chrysanthemums in the Fall

My mums are just beginning to bloom. I have them planted on the south side of the house in mixed colors. In just the past couple of years a friend told me to be sure to buy the hearty chrysanthemums if I wanted them to come back every year. I had complained to her that they were dying out after a year or two. I had just been buying those pretty potted plants at WalMart or the grocery store and they weren't the hearty mums. I dug up starts from my friend's garden and the past two years I have been very happy with them.

One of the great things about mums are the little care I give them. They start out little plants in the spring and I begin to wonder if they have died out some. Then by June they have grown to large plants and growing tall. By the end of June I cut them back to about 8 to 12 inches. We had a very dry summer this year and I watered them some but did not worry about making sure they were watered as much as most of my flowers. I did put some fertilizer (manure) on them early this spring, but never fertilized them any more after that. We have had a frost in the area now, but the mums just become more beautiful!

I really love my mum display. Most everything else has finished blooming or been frosted, but the mums are a beautiful fall color display.

My variety of mums are light purple single daisies, copper-orange pompons, rust-reds tight buttons, yellow pompons, and lavender-pink pompons. They are mostly shaped in mounds, but a few are a loose mound.

I have looked in my flower Gardening Guide and this book calls perennial mums a hybrid chrysanthemum. This was what I called a hearty mum.

Chrysanthemums require full sun, humus-rich, well-drained, acid soil. So I presume I have the proper requirements for my mum garden as they surely do very well.

PLANTING A CHRYSANTHEMUM FLOWER BED

If you would like to start a mum bed, plant bare-root or small container-grown plants in spring, placing them 3 feet apart. Remember if you want them to come back every year purchase the hybrid chrysanthemums. Divide mums every three or four years in the spring to keep vigorous.
Cut back old stems early spring. During the summer months plants will put out some blooms; these should be pinched to promote later blooming. Again the last of June or early July cut back plants to about 8 inches tall; this helps plants stay compact.