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Gardening Thread

you should remember that some bulbs do not produce for a year or 2. make sure to ask the people at the small local shop.
 
you should remember that some bulbs do not produce for a year or 2. make sure to ask the people at the small local shop.

yeah, i'm kind of going for "immediately gratification" on this one. i definitely want something that's going to be pretty NOW (or at least this year). that may not be the best option if it's going to be a couple of years before i actually have flowers.
 
you could be in trouble, mint will grow like crazy and if you "turned the soil" without removing the mint (i.e. tilled it up) it will be everywhere! always plant mint in containers because the spread like crazy and even a small piece of their vine will grow. it is highly invasive, runners will go everywhere, and you may need to figure out a way to kill it...not sure of the best way.

i would figure it out before you plant anything in the box...it will crowd and kill your plants.

Spent a couple hours last night with it. That was a pain. I think we sorted it out. The plot in the box is pretty small (4x10), but that mint had runners every square foot of the box. Damn.
 
yeah, i'm kind of going for "immediately gratification" on this one. i definitely want something that's going to be pretty NOW (or at least this year). that may not be the best option if it's going to be a couple of years before i actually have flowers.

Since the planters are so large, another option would be to get a focal plant for the center, maybe one that flowers in the spring, and plant some late summer flowering bulbs around it. That would ensure you have color throughout the season. We've done that with great success in our flower beds.
 
Since the planters are so large, another option would be to get a focal plant for the center, maybe one that flowers in the spring, and plant some late summer flowering bulbs around it. That would ensure you have color throughout the season. We've done that with great success in our flower beds.

actually, when i first got the planters, that was the mental image i had of what i would do. but i'm so clueless about potting plants in general that i don't really know where to start. what would be a good plant to have as a focal plant? how do i make sure that the focal plant and the other plants have the same watering needs? i know it's not food, but do i have to worry about things like one plant leaching more of the nutrients from the soil, making it harder to grow the other?

sorry, i'm honestly clueless.
 
totally need to get a big pot and grow my own mint.

I've got some chocolate mint I'll give you if you'd like. It tastes like an Andes mint, and is great for chocolate flavored mint juleps.

actually, when i first got the planters, that was the mental image i had of what i would do. but i'm so clueless about potting plants in general that i don't really know where to start. what would be a good plant to have as a focal plant? how do i make sure that the focal plant and the other plants have the same watering needs? i know it's not food, but do i have to worry about things like one plant leaching more of the nutrients from the soil, making it harder to grow the other?

sorry, i'm honestly clueless.


Check out this for some help:
http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/07238.html

Mrs Tsy loves calla lillies, so that is the focal flower of our beds.
 
Spent a couple hours last night with it. That was a pain. I think we sorted it out. The plot in the box is pretty small (4x10), but that mint had runners every square foot of the box. Damn.

i think i read somewhere that you can spread out newspaper over the box and kill it or hit it with roundup. i mean, you really need to get most of it out or it will be everywhere! lol...i know you are not really interested in roundup but it only stays in the soil for about 24-48 hours. if i remember correctly. now, before you plant anything, is the best time to kill it all (especially if it has not rained in a few days).

i wish you luck...i did a similar thing when i first started my garden.
 
do you just do white calla lillies? what are the other flowers around the calla lillies? are they all one color?

Definitely mix up the color. We've got them planted about 3' apart along the front of our porch. Dark callas are amazingly beautiful. There are deep purple callas that go well against the backdrop of my white house. I prefer reds/yellows/orange flowers to be honest. In addition to the callas, we also have day lilies, tulips, dahlias, amaryllis, and iris'.
 
i think i read somewhere that you can spread out newspaper over the box and kill it or hit it with roundup. i mean, you really need to get most of it out or it will be everywhere! lol...i know you are not really interested in roundup but it only stays in the soil for about 24-48 hours. if i remember correctly. now, before you plant anything, is the best time to kill it all (especially if it has not rained in a few days).

i wish you luck...i did a similar thing when i first started my garden.

we did the newspaper trick, and as i said, spent a good 2 hours last night trying to get every trace we could. it was incredible how much they had spread in the 2 weeks since we moved the pot of mint outside (it spread from the pot to the soil seemingly overnight after one 75 degree day).
 
we did the newspaper trick, and as i said, spent a good 2 hours last night trying to get every trace we could. it was incredible how much they had spread in the 2 weeks since we moved the pot of mint outside (it spread from the pot to the soil seemingly overnight after one 75 degree day).

Another option that works well if you have the time is to cover the area with a clear piece of plastic. Cover the area, and leave it for a week or two. It uses the sunlight to heat up the soil underneath the plastic to kill all seeds, runners and bulbs. I wouldnt advise it if you are just wanting to do certain areas, but if you are wanting to kill everything and start over, that is an organic option.

The deets:
http://www.weekendgardener.net/organic-weed-killer/solarization-100710.htm
 
i love calla lilies and the dark ones are fantastic but they can be finicky plants: 1. they are perennials and grow and reproduce quickly (bulbs); 2. need moist (not wet) and well drained soil; 3. they don't do well when moved a lot (planter); 4. sun issues (depending on where you live), they may do better in indirect light or partial shade


also, i have dogs that like to eat plants or grass from time to time and i think they can be bad for animals. just FYI
 
Another option that works well if you have the time is to cover the area with a clear piece of plastic. Cover the area, and leave it for a week or two. It uses the sunlight to heat up the soil underneath the plastic to kill all seeds, runners and bulbs. I wouldnt advise it if you are just wanting to do certain areas, but if you are wanting to kill everything and start over, that is an organic option.

The deets:
http://www.weekendgardener.net/organic-weed-killer/solarization-100710.htm

thanks, i don't think that i have read about that before! that is a great idea but they said 4-6 weeks for lots of sun or high temps and 8-10 weeks for cooler temps. in cooler areas (my guess zone 7, where i am and the time of year) they said black plastic works as well but i am not sure which one to use...only 4 weeks to planting season!

very interesting!
 
i love calla lilies and the dark ones are fantastic but they can be finicky plants: 1. they are perennials and grow and reproduce quickly (bulbs); 2. need moist (not wet) and well drained soil; 3. they don't do well when moved a lot (planter); 4. sun issues (depending on where you live), they may do better in indirect light or partial shade


also, i have dogs that like to eat plants or grass from time to time and i think they can be bad for animals. just FYI

there is absolutely no possible way for me to shade what is in the planters short of actually putting up a tent around them (which would obviously defeat the purpose of trying to do something pretty), so yeah, i can't do something that needs indirect light.

the planters are in the front of my house, and my dog goes out in the back, so i don't THINK that that's a concern for me. with that said, there are plenty of animals in my neighborhood that run free, and i don't want to hurt any of them, so that might be a concern too. thanks for the advice! i think i at least now have a better idea of the TYPE of look i'm going for. i just need to find flowers that are non-toxic and can deal with the unfiltered light.

thanks!
 
thanks, i don't think that i have read about that before! that is a great idea but they said 4-6 weeks for lots of sun or high temps and 8-10 weeks for cooler temps. in cooler areas (my guess zone 7, where i am and the time of year) they said black plastic works as well but i am not sure which one to use...only 4 weeks to planting season!

very interesting!

I live right on the Yadkin River, and we're constantly getting "moody grass" in our soil from the floods. I'm actually going to cover my garden with plastic this weekend to be ready to plant by mid April. I've searched far and near and the plastic trick is the only thing that will kill it. I hate this stuff.
bermudagrass_NC_002.jpg
 
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