What planting has just out-done itself, for you this year?

16 years ago

For me, it's been the Yellow Sweet Potatoe Vines!! They are just enormous

this year--the biggest ever for me, and I have them every year!

And, my Coleus have done very well, too!!

So, besides hosta, what's going gang-busters for you in your garden?

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Comments (9)

Hosta_Haven
16 years ago
My bee balm reached 5.5 - 6 FEET tall - they were incredible! It made a lot of insects happy, including some hummingbird moths.

The red salvias I planted on the deck are doing great and attracting lots of hummingbirds this month.

My red glads are glorious - I just cut two bunches and brought in the house.

I only have one sweet potatoe vine up on the deck...thanks to the chipmunks and squirrels...who dig them up and eat them like apples. They do (the varmints) provide entertainment for my hubby and kitties, though.

Char
bean_counter_z4
16 years ago
Janice, my Dad plants those chartruese potato vines in a big pot in his driveway every spring. It's become a standing joke with us that the vine will engulf the drive before frost. The neighbor reported her dog went near there a week ago and hasn't been seen since. (She was joking of course)

We have a community beautification program that plants huge baskets of those vines with vivid wine colored petunias and hangs them from antique-like lamp posts along city streets. Stunning. The vines are at about 10-feet now. Next year they are on my must try list.
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Imabirdnut, I don't water my Rue at all once it gets established. Even in the drought this summer, I just ignored it. It did great - much better than had I watered it even the smallest bit. Are you growing it in the ground or in pots? I did not have any luck with it in pots either. It likes partial shade and very dry soil, with some clay in it, rather than potting mix in pots. It bloomed like crazy this summer with not water and quite a bit of shade in my backyard, but it has taken some experimentation to figure out its likes and dislikes, and it is also a short-lived perennial - 5 or 6 years max - after which it gets very woody and won't resprout from the woody stems. In the Northern zones it can take a lot more sun, but from the upper south to warmer zones it prefers some shade fromn our hot sun. I may have actually bought 'Attraction' which I believe is smaller in size. As long as the butterflies like it, whichever it is, is okay with me, too. I had a Nanho Blue that did not attract them at all, so I hope to avoid that problem.
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Mandrin1~ Close up of what Rosemarie Oil has done for my plants!
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Hi Beth. Welcome! I use Fish Emulsion as soon as I can get my plants outside as a preventative on any possible sucking insect and it works for me. I spray with it at least once a month now and more so before I bring them in for the winter. I have no pest issues with the trees I treat except for mites after a long period indoors if the winter is extremely dry and cold, which it has been. Too, I forget to treat a plant or two before bringing them in such as my Olive Tree because I left it out way beyond my other plants and it will get attacked by mites which can spread to surrounding plants. At least every other pest that seems to attack many others trees such as Mealy, Thrips, and Scale are not a problem at all and I thank the Fish Emulsion for this. Now that I can't spray with F.E in my home, I have to watch for mites at least since especially towards the end of winter. Now I have been using Rosemary Oil because they are indoors, and the stuff smells good too and it has done wonders for my trees. Not a one mite damaged leaf to be found after a month on any of my plants and just because I don't seem to have a problem anymore, I'll treat again once a month until I can stick them outside again to be safe. Then once outside, I'll start using Fish Emulsion again. :-) Mike
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Something I propagated this year were 18 cuttings from my Walker's Low catmint. The other day I decided to look at them to see if they had rooted and 3 out of the 4 I looked at had really nice big healthy roots so I transplanted them into the garden. I think most of the others will have roots as well but it started pouring rain so I quit! Yah, I'm a wimp, but the mosquitoes came out full force when it started raining. I'll definitely take more cuttings next spring as I'd like to edge some of the beds with it, especially my rose garden.
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bluepoppy
16 years ago
Earlier in the year, my Endless Summer Hydranga was really colorful with BIG pink, violet and blue blooms. I was very happy since I didnt really go out of my way to protect it last winter (zone 5).

{{gwi:893241}}
Janice
Original Author
16 years ago
Sigh!!! I've never been successful in growing Hydrangea--tried many times! My mother had two, one on either side
of the steps leading down to the bridge that crossed a creek--they were over my head and twice as wide!!! That
was in N.C. and they were in full sun a good part of the day!!! I still have some dried blooms from them--and they
were from 13 years ago, now! Love em!
hostarox
16 years ago
Janice, try hydrangea 'Annabelle' , 'Limelight' or 'Pink Diamond' buy gallon-or larger- plants in bloom to be sure you are getting the correct ones. They will thrive for you, promise!
;-))
Janice
Original Author
16 years ago
Oh--thank you, Rox! I have made a note of what you suggested! I can't wait to try them!!

LOL--bean counter--loved the sweet potatoe vines and dog story! I think I'll keep an eye on
our black lab around ours now!!! I believe it COULD happen, for sure!
phil
16 years ago
Elephant Ears are my best growing plants. They are 7 foot tall and one has 7 leaves. I guess that is why I like BIG Hosta.
phil
avoirgold
16 years ago
Does crabgrass count? Here in central Maryland we have been having a terrible drought and Jul/Aug temps of 90-115. Even so, my tall phlox and blue fortune agastache did very well.

Jen
toymr2mk2
16 years ago
I have a wild phlox that I got during one of my visits to my uncles up in the mountains. I moved it from my fathers earlier this year and put it in a spot of only partial sun mainly because of time and space constraints. I swear that thing has been in bloom for 2 months! I have another in a sunnier place that didn't bloom for half that. I am very impressed and can't wait to see what it does next year. I also have a variagated polemonium that Curtis (M2M) sent me earlier this year that has done great. I never thought they would do well here with the heat and humidity but have been very surprised with it.
Art

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What planting has just out-done itself, for you this year?

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Hosta_Haven

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What planting has just out-done itself, for you this year?

Comments (9)

Hosta_Haven

bean_counter_z4

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hostarox

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