Cosmos and Marigolds and Thyme 2009

I should have noted this earlier, but did not get a chance to note it until now. For future reference, cosmos have shallow roots and can get a bit untidy. The gutter wasn't working properly this year and the water from the gutter spilled out over them causing the stems to fall over. The stems did not right themselves up, but continued to grow prostrate along the ground while the main stem threw off several upright stems which then flowered. They were planted too early this year and was only able to come into bloom once before the frost killed them.

The marigolds from the marigold/sunflower mix seemed to do well. The seed packet seems to be a mix. There were red marigolds with orange accents and solid orange marigolds. I wish there were more of the solid orange ones. The lighter colors seem more cheery.

I planted Park Seed's English Thyme seeds with Miracle-Gro Seed Starting Potting Mix in Jiffy pots about a week ago. I had them on a heating mat at first, but took them off the heat since the package states, "Place in a cool location." They are starting to come up now, but some of them seem to have white fuzz on them indicative of damping off. I took the plastic cover off of the plastic shoe box they are in. Hopefully that will help to air them out and prevent seedling rot.

This summer I also bravely re-potted the orchid that I brought from Lowes thanks to U's encouragement and it seems to be doing well. The blooms fell off, but at least it is still. Right now it has six leaves, one which is coming in. The terracotta orchid pot it is in now will allow for drainage, whereas the decorative pot it was in had no drainage holes and I never knew whether I was watering it enough or not.

Small Cupped Daffodil Barrett Browning

Planted 10 daffodils yesterday by along the rock wall next to the arborvitae.

Learned today that the orange lilies out back are daylilies which are also known as ditch lilies.

Hosta Aphrodite and Russian Sage

After a long wait for the Hosta Aphrodite and the Russian Sage, the order finally came in today. Unfortunately, this week also seems to be one of the hottest of the year. Normally I would wait until conditions are perfect (properly prepared hole with compost, cool weather, etc.) and when I am feeling good and ready to plant them, but because August is going to be a busy month, I decided to plant the seedlings within minutes of opening the package. I was surprised by the size of the plants. I as expecting something similar to the size of the plants that Home Depot was selling; these came in a small box in 3" containers. When I put them outside, I didn't add compost to the hole since I didn't have a lot of time but I did manage to water them.

The hosta is in the backyard near the corner of the bathroom next to some large rocks. I should have leveled the sloped ground, but forgot. It wasn't until I had to water it and noticed that adding too much water too fast, caused it to leak downwards away from the plant that I realized my mistake. I'll correct it during better weather, but it was late when I discovered the package and was quickly getting dark.

The Russian Sage is out in the front between two grassy types of plants from the previous owner. It is looking a bit small and lonely, but I hope that it will grow and fill out.

Christopher's lobelia and coreposis received an overzealous trim today since it was looking very scraggly. Hopefully, it will grow again...

July 12, 2009

All of the sunflowers potted with the organic soil are sprouting. Still waiting for the 3 potted in seed starting soil to show signs of life.

Marigolds are doing well and many have already started to sprout.

Lavender and sage have still not shown signs of life.

Strawberry plants seem to be doing well with daily watering.

Lobelia and coreposis are also doing well with daily watering.

Geranium did not get any water today.

Mint, Italian flat-leafed parsley and Thai basil seem to be doing well so far.

Chinese coriander/cilantro was repotted in a container without drainage holes since it was the only container around. Roots were too tangled to separate.

Cosmos are doing well and growing quickly.

July 11, 2009

Found out yesterday while browsing in Home Depot's gardening center that the flowers in C's hanging basket are Lobelia and Tickseed (Coreopsis).

Marigolds have started to grow.

One of the sunflowers started in the Miracle-Gro organic potting mix has started to grow. The ones planted in the Miracle-Gro seed-starting mix have not appeared yet.

Next time when using seed-starting mix, make sure that the soil has been tamped down so that it can absorb the water from the bottom of the peat pot.

Thinking of planting Russian sage in the front between the tall grass and fuzzy grass.

July 9, 2009

Watered the boxwoods for 30 minutes using a drip hose. Watered the other plants also. Cilantro did not get any water yesterday and was very wilted today.

Strawberry plants seem to be flowering again. The bottom of the bag is not doing as well as the top of the bag. Plant them in a trough next time. Strawberry plants at the top of the growin' bag are looking healthy.

Christopher's purple and yellow plant is looking much healthier. It may be because it is getting regular waterings, i.e., every day, instead of once in a while.

Geraniums flowers are starting to get brown. Will have to tend to them later today since I've been busy.

Basil: checked for signs of brown spots which were there before I plucked off the infected leaves. No signs of brown spots.

Cosmos in the ground are doing well and are growing. The taller ones are about 5 inches tall already. Seems to be an easy plant to grow.

True Lavender. Gave one to C's mom for the Fourth of July, so now there are two left and they are about 3 inches tall. They seem to be doing well in their peat pots. They get water almost every day since they seem to get dry almost every day. Will continue to water whenever they are dry until they are in the ground.