Little bit of everything project thread lol

[teddytn]

7 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Chomp no more!, haha..

Some progress pictures from a long day of slinging rock.. Remember, this is just stage #1.. Though the most important part. 

Perfect morning for awaiting delivery..


A perfect drop.. no rock slung across the driveway... and what 14.5 Tons of rock looks like out of the gate.






Lotza'  progress today.. 

Liked the tone of the rock before spraying it down as i'd fill each area.. Like it even more once the dust is washed off.. Is a touch brighter( a good thing, as it will reflect more sun, stay cooler and further help keep more moisture in the soil ), w / more blue tones that i'd had thought, but definitely complements the grey / white colors of the house, esp. since those colors pick up the color of the sky when the house is shaded.  Looking at the rock closer after spraying down, a nice mix of light white -ish / gray -ish blue,, gold, and rose tinted tones. Is a Limestone-type stone rather than Granite.




Area out by the mailbox.. Seems bare but, as there are plants in there.. More to be added over the next several months as well.. Maybe some real'  goodies near the mailbox itself..   Rock is going in just in time to start tossing around seed of some of the annual, monsoon season stuff in various spots as well. Blue lines in the last picture represent the " culvert " i etched out to drain off runoff that should run down the side entry bed. Bigger rocks ..and likely a couple buckets worth of collected wash grit will finalize the " finished " look as things progress.  Filling in the rectangle as well as i go along..  Only thing i'm not thrilled with are the two stumps on either side of the walkway.. Eventually will get a saws all to try and cut them down closer to just below the rock.. or, to a point where larger rocks will cover them. 










Side entryway bed.. Some small seedling- size things in there already,  picking up some other, bigger things for this bed next week.  Teal outline / X is that last little patch of grass i need to cut out. Was going to put a patch of Grit in there for access to the lawn but decided to just extend the bed. Need to get more Scalloped edging as well.

Small section up by the porch ..and the famous family Otter that has traveled cross country..  I'd had a pair of Coonties in here but they never snapped out of a " looking awful " streak , so they got tossed. Thinking i let them go too dry awhile back, then watered too much after i put them in out here to try and save them.. No worries.. Some of the Tropical Sage seedlings i have going in there now.  Running the 1/2" drip line under the concrete edging where the hose/ irrigation valves are also.



Bed up against the house.. Magenta outline is where the different colored " path " grit will go, once i get it cleaned out again.






Side bed between our lawn and the neighbors.. Can see most of the plants in there better now, lol..





Looking at the same from the street by the street light..  False Rhodes Grass ( Leptochloa crinita ) and AZ Milkweed ( Asclepias angustifolia ) just starting to wake up.. twiggy- looking Senna / Cassia wislizenii to the left closest to the street light pole should green up soon. Need to straighten out the border edging. 




Section right around the streetlight.. Beavertails / Echinocereus trigs. are in there, i promise, lol.

Only section left to fill in out front is the open spot marked w/ the yellow X.. Have to clean out the friggin'  Bermuda that re appeared before i fill it in..  Then i start filling in the planting areas out back..




As mentioned, this is step 1.. After the gravel is down, some more plants installed, it should be time for another grit / rock collecting trip. There's an area not far from where the Boulders area is out east of Florence were some blackish / dark brown, lava- type rock is scattered along the roadside i may seek out. 

Wow step 1 was a big step lol. That is a good colored mix. I meant I ask you before what your tools of choice are to remove the grass/ Bermuda grass? There’s tons of places all around TN where they blasted roads through hills where you can be the crazy side of the road guy and load your Hyundai Elantra truck with rocks lol. Seems like it would be cool to head into the desert and go rock hunting!!

[Silas_Sancona]

12 hours ago, teddytn said:

Wow step 1 was a big step lol. That is a good colored mix. I meant I ask you before what your tools of choice are to remove the grass/ Bermuda grass? There’s tons of places all around TN where they blasted roads through hills where you can be the crazy side of the road guy and load your Hyundai Elantra truck with rocks lol. Seems like it would be cool to head into the desert and go rock hunting!!

A lot of work for sure, lol.. Finished up the beds out back ..and still have ~ roughly ~ a ton / ton and a half left, even w/ a few low spots / other spots to cover / even out a bit more..  Probably put whats left below/ around the larger Bougainvilleas on the north wall out back..


Aside from Texas - for finding Holey Rock, or S. Florida ..For Oolite / Limestone- type Cap rock,  Desert is probably one of the best places to find all sorts of interesting stone..  With the varied geology out here, you can find everything from stuff that is full of Quartz, and Granite types,  to various types of Metamorphic and Lava - derived rock, ..and all sorts of other stuff..  inc stuff that might contain streaks of Copper, Silver, ..maybe even Gold - if you're real lucky,  lol..  and stuff that has gem stone- type things like Azurite, Malachite, Turquoise, etc in it. Couple years back, some guys out rock hounding in the desert found a new type of gem stone called Sonoranite.. is not a bit expensive to acquire cut and polished.  Been talk of re- exploring an area near Nogales in S. AZ for a certain type of unique Blue Opal recently as well.  

Even w/ out finding stuff like that,  plenty of stone that contains various Agates and certain types of Onyx / Volcanic Glass is pretty abundant in different parts of the state ..Then of course, there's Petrified Wood ..which i'm pretty sure can be collected in specific, designated spots in the north east part of the state.. -at least a certain amount of it..  ..And that's just here in AZ ..include areas further west in CA, Nevada, Utah Western Colorado, and New Mexico  and there's even more neat stuff to be found.

Obviously, it's hands off in protected areas, but most road cuts, and certain areas that are part of the State Trust / BLM are fare game for doing some rock hounding..

As far as what i used to cut out all the grass?  ..and dig the trenches for irrigation?  This little bugger did it all. 

Bought one of those Razorback Cap Rock shovels thinking it would do the job..  Worked ..but the smaller shovel worked best.. Cap Rock shovel doesn't have a " step " on either side of the blade, which makes it hard ( and sorta painful on the feet, lol,  ( ...unless wearing boots / steel toes ) to get under the Bermuda / cut through more compacted soil.. Didn't cut roots as well as i'd had thought either ( Other Cap Rock shovels i have used in the past do though )

Eventually, will get a similar shovel as this one, just all steel since there were times i really tested this shovel's strength, lol Never been a fan of Wood or Fiberglass handled gardening tools anyway (  always end up breaking them, haha )

[teddytn]

21 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

A lot of work for sure, lol.. Finished up the beds out back ..and still have ~ roughly ~ a ton / ton and a half left, even w/ a few low spots / other spots to cover / even out a bit more..  Probably put whats left below/ around the larger Bougainvilleas on the north wall out back..


Aside from Texas - for finding Holey Rock, or S. Florida ..For Oolite / Limestone- type Cap rock,  Desert is probably one of the best places to find all sorts of interesting stone..  With the varied geology out here, you can find everything from stuff that is full of Quartz, and Granite types,  to various types of Metamorphic and Lava - derived rock, ..and all sorts of other stuff..  inc stuff that might contain streaks of Copper, Silver, ..maybe even Gold - if you're real lucky,  lol..  and stuff that has gem stone- type things like Azurite, Malachite, Turquoise, etc in it. Couple years back, some guys out rock hounding in the desert found a new type of gem stone called Sonoranite.. is not a bit expensive to acquire cut and polished.  Been talk of re- exploring an area near Nogales in S. AZ for a certain type of unique Blue Opal recently as well.  

Even w/ out finding stuff like that,  plenty of stone that contains various Agates and certain types of Onyx / Volcanic Glass is pretty abundant in different parts of the state ..Then of course, there's Petrified Wood ..which i'm pretty sure can be collected in specific, designated spots in the north east part of the state.. -at least a certain amount of it..  ..And that's just here in AZ ..include areas further west in CA, Nevada, Utah Western Colorado, and New Mexico  and there's even more neat stuff to be found.

Obviously, it's hands off in protected areas, but most road cuts, and certain areas that are part of the State Trust / BLM are fare game for doing some rock hounding..

As far as what i used to cut out all the grass?  ..and dig the trenches for irrigation?  This little bugger did it all. 

Bought one of those Razorback Cap Rock shovels thinking it would do the job..  Worked ..but the smaller shovel worked best.. Cap Rock shovel doesn't have a " step " on either side of the blade, which makes it hard ( and sorta painful on the feet, lol,  ( ...unless wearing boots / steel toes ) to get under the Bermuda / cut through more compacted soil.. Didn't cut roots as well as i'd had thought either ( Other Cap Rock shovels i have used in the past do though )

Eventually, will get a similar shovel as this one, just all steel since there were times i really tested this shovel's strength, lol Never been a fan of Wood or Fiberglass handled gardening tools anyway (  always end up breaking them, haha )

Yeah I was curious, I bust a shovel handle every other year..maybe less often. I’ve got no less than 4 shovel heads in the garage (tokens of garden conquests no one but me cares about) . Looks like a little bigger potato shovel basically. I’ve got a few square nosed shovels, most regularly use the general garden type pointed nose, too many rocks here for anything else. The wife was shaking her head at me when I started excavating for the greenhouse. I duct taped 4 pieces of steel flat bar around the shape lol handle to blade area (where it always breaks) -rocks . Also cut and formed a piece of aluminum plate into the inside of my wheel barrow. She asked what I was doing?!?….”A warrior must have the proper weapons and armor for battle”…then the head shaking began lololol!!!!

My grandfather told me a lot of useful information through the lens of old man sayings that I could care less about at the time when I was younger. Here’s two. Knowledge is power, and you must have the right tool for the job. 

[teddytn]

Speaking of the wife, she scanned through the PDN catalog and marked a few selections she liked. Ordered those and a few for myself of course lol, anyway had to get to a good point on the new raised bed, where at least the ferns she wanted will go (shade section I mentioned previously). S. Miamiensis and poliomintha bustamante (Mexican oregano) we’re my 2. Her choices are pretty legit for the old lady, non gardener lol. Here’s the progress on the bedThinking the Godzilla front and center flanked by the other two ferns, need to get the bed filled and mess with placement when they get here. The godzilla supposedly gets massive for an athyrium. The wife struck again, came home from work today and she picked this up on her travels. Another excellent pick for $8 imo. Song bird columbine - aquilegia hybridGarden flowers don’t get too much better than that.Planted that down staggered in between 2 S. Minors. 

[Allen]

16 hours ago, teddytn said:

Yeah I was curious, I bust a shovel handle every other year..maybe less often. I’ve got no less than 4 shovel heads in the garage (tokens of garden conquests no one but me cares about) . Looks like a little bigger potato shovel basically. I’ve got a few square nosed shovels, most regularly use the general garden type pointed nose, too many rocks here for anything else. The wife was shaking her head at me when I started excavating for the greenhouse. I duct taped 4 pieces of steel flat bar around the shape lol handle to blade area (where it always breaks) -rocks . Also cut and formed a piece of aluminum plate into the inside of my wheel barrow. She asked what I was doing?!?….”A warrior must have the proper weapons and armor for battle”…then the head shaking began lololol!!!!

My grandfather told me a lot of useful information through the lens of old man sayings that I could care less about at the time when I was younger. Here’s two. Knowledge is power, and you must have the right tool for the job. 

http://www.wolverinetoolsonline.com/index.php?cPath=2924_2929

I am rough on shovels.  Cant break these.  I have the drain spade one with the d handle to dig plants

Edited March 15, 2022 by Allen

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, Allen said:

http://www.wolverinetoolsonline.com/index.php?cPath=2924_2929

I am rough on shovels.  Cant break these.  I have the drain spade one with the d handle to dig plants

Wolverine is a great company.  Initial cost is worth the investment.

[teddytn]

On 3/15/2022 at 12:11 PM, Allen said:

http://www.wolverinetoolsonline.com/index.php?cPath=2924_2929

I am rough on shovels.  Cant break these.  I have the drain spade one with the d handle to dig plants

Now that’s a great suggestion!!! Wow honestly never dawned on me to order a pro level shovel! Haha. Thank you. I saw my shovel in another pic I took. Here’s the battle equipment right now. Shovel as stated, there’s the wheel barrow . I can buy a new one anytime I want…idk something about tools, I get attached and can’t throw them out. 
Do you like the model you’ve got? 

[teddytn]

Been scouring the rock quarry at work for cool looking rocks everyday lately on lunch. Definitely looking for more tan/ brown and multicolored rocks than I used in the desert-esque raised bed. Got all the planting spots ready for the new agaves, may start planting soon…New rocks are to make rock rings for the yuccas in the row behind the agaves. Really excited to get that thing all planted and gravel mulched. 
Next on the list is get the slope next to the garden stairs ready to plant, going to do an entirely opuntia garden there. I honestly love them, top 10 favorite plant for sure. 

[Allen]

1 hour ago, teddytn said:

Now that’s a great suggestion!!! Wow honestly never dawned on me to order a pro level shovel! Haha. Thank you. I saw my shovel in another pic I took. Here’s the battle equipment right now. Shovel as stated, there’s the wheel barrow . I can buy a new one anytime I want…idk something about tools, I get attached and can’t throw them out. 
Do you like the model you’ve got? 

https://pacforest.com/Item/22

Yea I love it.  had a hard time finding a spot for you to buy one.  I got it local at a nursery.  You can pry on it with all your weight.  No weak point to break.  You can dig trees, plants, holes or whatever.  I like the longer one to dig deeper holes.  If you like a different shape look around.

 

[teddytn]

1 minute ago, Allen said:

https://pacforest.com/Item/22

Yea I love it.  had a hard time finding a spot for you to buy one.  I got it local at a nursery.  You can pry on it with all your weight.  No weak point to break.  You can dig trees, plants, holes or whatever.  I like the longer one to dig deeper holes.  If you like a different shape look around.

 

That’s really cool, I need a tough one. Was digging today and felt my shovel get a little loose in the handle prying a few rocks out. Thanks again for the suggestion 

[Silas_Sancona]

28 minutes ago, Allen said:

had a hard time finding a spot for you to buy one. 

That's the one annoying thing about the company..  They're sold up north in Flagstaff apparently, but no " walk in and buy one " place here in the Valley offers them,  ..easy enough to purchase online, through Wolverine of course.

[teddytn]

Little needle palm I just got in the mail. Put him in a 1gallon, keep him potted until at least next spring. Saw palmetto I planted last week, put a bin over it for the last cold blast, didn’t bother it at all. If it sticks long term I’ll be surprised, changed my mind and planted in the most protected south facing spot I had left. If it sticks and grows to block the window I’ll consider it a success. Better day shot, in the middle of the raised bed. There’s all the seedlings I’ve been bringing out after work and back in for the night. Have 4 more community pots to go to separate. Need to get more pots and traysBeen leaving all my other potted palms, yuccas, and cactus out for the night. May have to bring them in forecast is calling for at least another night in the high 30’s potentially. Finished planting my mini sabal row. Trunkers in the back and minors in the front. Trunkers - Brazoria, palmetto, Birmingham, Blackburniana, sabal palmetto fat boy, Brazoria. We’ll see how she goes. Opposite directionPath to the left in the last pic is on the list to get reworked. One of the let’s smother the Bermuda grass with deep mulch failures lol, definitely going to dig out and fill with gravel, maybe flagstone stepping stones haven’t decided yet, definitely getting touched this year. Planted sabal mexicana front and center here, testing my limits with this one for sure. After all the success stories after palmageddon in TX I feel it’s at least worth a trial run. Gave it some room in case it sticks. Plenty of good spots left to plant more flowering things in here. Started filling the upper raised bed, plant delights box should be here tomorrow!!!

[teddytn]

Finally started sowing some flowering seeds. I’ve been spreading the assorted “southern blend” and “butterfly blend” wildflower mixes for a few years. Always good to use as a first year new bed, and plant my desired specimen plants the next season. Acquiring a lot of plants in a short amount of time and especially over the winter when I couldn’t plant them, the roles have reversed. Leaving planting spots as I go in some new beds to start some perennial and annual flowers. One of my daughters was interested and helped me pick out seed packs a while back. Here she is today spreading seeds. Always cool when the kids or wife gets involved and wants to garden. Usually solo on my plant endeavors. We pulled the mulch back, put down a layer of composted cow manure, sprinkled seeds, (no matter how many seeds no more than half a pack. Going to plant other half down in the yard, repetition in the landscape very much appeals to me) covered lightly with composted cow manure and a light layer of mulch, filled out tag and added an A or P as a reminder, walked away. Literally so quick and painless. Have 30 bags of seeds, should get 60 spots seeded, we’ll see what comes up….

Here’s what we got in today

[teddytn]

Plant delights showed up today, so excited for that. Got some cool ones this go around all thanks to the wife! Had to squeeze a palm into the order of course. 
Sabal miamiensis Haven’t found too much info on that one. I’ve read all the same stuff on the internet as everyone else. Just so rare, I don’t think too many people have it planted too far north. PDN has obviously had success, but I’m not entirely convinced that different party’s aren’t calling different species the same name. Some show pictures of it trunking, different look than a palmetto, but close. Others have it ever low to the ground, similar habit to etonia. Time will tell. 
Usually but a few plants at a time, comes in normal square shipping box. 8 this time, the plants show up in these basically drink carriers, but with cardboard straps and specifically made to the size of their pots. I thought that was the bees knees. 

[amh]

2 hours ago, teddytn said:

Finally started sowing some flowering seeds. I’ve been spreading the assorted “southern blend” and “butterfly blend” wildflower mixes for a few years. Always good to use as a first year new bed, and plant my desired specimen plants the next season. Acquiring a lot of plants in a short amount of time and especially over the winter when I couldn’t plant them, the roles have reversed. Leaving planting spots as I go in some new beds to start some perennial and annual flowers. One of my daughters was interested and helped me pick out seed packs a while back. Here she is today spreading seeds. Always cool when the kids or wife gets involved and wants to garden. Usually solo on my plant endeavors. We pulled the mulch back, put down a layer of composted cow manure, sprinkled seeds, (no matter how many seeds no more than half a pack. Going to plant other half down in the yard, repetition in the landscape very much appeals to me) covered lightly with composted cow manure and a light layer of mulch, filled out tag and added an A or P as a reminder, walked away. Literally so quick and painless. Have 30 bags of seeds, should get 60 spots seeded, we’ll see what comes up….

Here’s what we got in today

Great progress,

The bluebonnets will really shine when planted in the more open areas of your yard. Here is what the pasture looks like on a normal year.

 

[teddytn]

5 hours ago, amh said:

Great progress,

The bluebonnets will really shine when planted in the more open areas of your yard. Here is what the pasture looks like on a normal year.

 

I’m trying here lol. That looks incredible. Do they seed and come back the next year reliably, the bluebonnets? Never messed with them before. Saw they were the Texas state flower, planted next to the texas sabal lol, totally by chance my daughter picked where to put what seed. Cool though!!

[teddytn]

I’ve been in love with Japanese maples that other people have, haven’t figured out which varieties to try….I’ll honestly give it to lowes they’ve been branching out and expanding their plant offerings it seems every year. Saw this today caught my eye15’x15’ is a good sized small tree, have tons of huge trees maples, pine, oak. A few smaller landscape trees, flowering crab apple, cherry blossom, red bud. Don’t have a red leaf tree either….for $225 I’ll keep looking lol. Had to grab some gravel, mulch, vermiculite, composted cow manure, composted humus. Left with that plus 6 plants! It’s spring what can I say lol. Here’s what I needed to stock up on planting material for. Time to repot these 6 Trachycarpus fortunei I got last year. Could feel in the pot they had some good root development. Put them in deep 1 gallon pots. 

[teddytn]

Plants that just somehow jumped onto my cart lol. Overwintered an el jefe jalapeño in the plant room, stopped growing in its tracks early winter, but never lost its leaves. Anyway, inspired by uk palms insane potted pepper collection, going to pot a bunch up and see what I can get to hang on a few seasons. 
CayenneTabasco, I’ve grown this before as an annual in the ground, can get massive in a season.Mentioned previously I was going to attempt to put my big boy gardening underoos on this year lol, what I mean is expanding my plant collection and attempting to make some of my gardening weaknesses my strengths. I always spend more time, energy, and money on full sun plants. Very rarely buy and plant shade plants.

Winter bells lenton rose. Super cool evergreen late winter flowering plants. Carnival black olive coral bellsCarnival cocomint coral bells

[amh]

6 hours ago, teddytn said:

I’m trying here lol. That looks incredible. Do they seed and come back the next year reliably, the bluebonnets? Never messed with them before. Saw they were the Texas state flower, planted next to the texas sabal lol, totally by chance my daughter picked where to put what seed. Cool though!!

The bluebonnets will reliably seed and spread. The pods will dry and explode, which helps distribute the seeds. The seeds usually germinate in late summer through fall, so you may not see anything for a while. Its a good wildflower and nitrogen fixer for your orchard.

[teddytn]

17 minutes ago, amh said:

The bluebonnets will reliably seed and spread. The pods will dry and explode, which helps distribute the seeds. The seeds usually germinate in late summer through fall, so you may not see anything for a while. Its a good wildflower and nitrogen fixer for your orchard.

Ok good to know about reseeding and germination time. That’s perfect about the orchard. Digging out all the grass, starting to build up the soil and replace the grass with flowering ground cover is on the eventual to do list. Would rather have basically a meadow throughout than grass. Man thank you for mentioning that!! 

[amh]

12 minutes ago, teddytn said:

Ok good to know about reseeding and germination time. That’s perfect about the orchard. Digging out all the grass, starting to build up the soil and replace the grass with flowering ground cover is on the eventual to do list. Would rather have basically a meadow throughout than grass. Man thank you for mentioning that!! 

Now don't go anti-grass on me. Stick with native grasses and add wildflowers along with some non-native flowers like borage. Passiflora incarnata is another must have for fences or planting around big trees.

[teddytn]

1 hour ago, amh said:

Now don't go anti-grass on me. Stick with native grasses and add wildflowers along with some non-native flowers like borage. Passiflora incarnata is another must have for fences or planting around big trees.

Have to get up to speed on the native grasses. Funny you mention Passion flower, got some on the heat mat right now. Never grown them before 

[amh]

3 hours ago, teddytn said:

Have to get up to speed on the native grasses. Funny you mention Passion flower, got some on the heat mat right now. Never grown them before 

Passion flowers are fairly easy to grow, I usually soak the seeds in a mixture of warm water and vinegar for 48 hours and then plant.

The vines are deer resistant and attract bees.

[teddytn]

14 hours ago, amh said:

Passion flowers are fairly easy to grow, I usually soak the seeds in a mixture of warm water and vinegar for 48 hours and then plant.

The vines are deer resistant and attract bees.

The flower looks unreal, almost hard to believe it exists lol. Why the vinegar? 

[teddytn]

I think I wanted to like these metal tags more than I do…to be honest I hate them, when I look out in the yard these bright white tags catch my eye, looks like trash. Might be better if they were more of an earth tone color, or under a bigger bush type plant. Going to replace them all today with standard small write on tags. This is how I learn, have to try it out, not everything is a keeper lol #sidequests

Muy fehobonito

[Silas_Sancona]

Some stuff picked up yesterday for the yard:

Was lucky enough to find both Pipevines i'd been tracking down. Pipevine Swallowtails should be happy:

Southwestern/ Watson's Pipevine, Aristiolochia watsonii. Picked up one, -for now.. Waiting to how seed i'd collected last summer germinates before adding a couple more around the yard later. A little more sun, heat, drought tolerant than the other sp. i picked up... but will grow a bit faster / fuller w/ more shade / water..  Have heard they aren't all that thrilled when transplanting, so not a plant you'd disturb much when planting out.



White - Veined Pipevine, Aristiolochia fimbriata.. South American sp. that does well here, provided bright shade and regular moisture. Had heard the Pipevine Swallowtails will use this sp. as a host plant ( ..or use it more ) if the native isn't around.  Will be an interesting experiment regardless.



Mealy Cap Sage, Salvia farinacea.. A popular, warm season bedding plant for many, a durable pollinator magnet for warm areas, esp wild strains vs. some of the weaker cultivars out there. Like Salvia reptans and azurea / S. a. var. grandiflora, S. fairaneca is a perfect, blue flowered complement to leafy, tropical- esque looking,  Red or Orangish - flowered Sages like Salvia coccinea, darcyi, greggii / microphylla / lemmonii, elegans, etc..  Interesting that the plants in the nursery are just starting to wake up, while plants in a couple of the entry display beds are filling out / pushing some flowers atm.



Chocolate Flower, well.. one of them, lol..  Berlanderia lyrata.. Name says it all. Native to the Southwestern U.S., parts of Mexico and the Southern U.S. as well. Durable, but does better w/ a little extra water / shade, here at least. Flowers are very fragrant, esp. on warm, humid evenings/ mornings. Scent can carry some distance as well.  Stamens can be collected and used like Saffron, and have a flavor similar to Chocolate. Take time to build themselves up but can eventually form colonies roughly 3ft wide.



Not picked up yesterday, but the Yerba Mansa ( Anemopsis californica ) i'd collected offsets of a few months ago are starting to really perk up now..  Will have to watch these closely because they can spread quite a bit and fill a large area pretty easily if provided lots of water and left alone.



Bigger of the two pots of Ratibida columnifera, Mexican Hats ( Copper red form ) seedlings i'd started last November, starting to perk up after planting out. Rootball on both pots wasn't completely filled out and tended to crumble when planting.. Nothing keeping them watered while settling in doesn't help remedy.. Gotta love tough plants.





Other stuff from yesterday's trip going in ..in other areas:

Penstemon superbus

Zephyranthes candida.. one of two or 3 Rain Lilies, and some other tough, summer flowering bulbs i plan on planting here..

Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii.. Standard Red Turk's Cap Hibiscus / Mallow.   Picked up one, for now.. Should be easy to start cuttings for more later.  Fruit is supposedly edible, but small ..and kind of bland ( from descriptions about it )

Glandularia gooddingii, one of our native Verbena. Not quite as long lived as Purple Lantana, or fine - leaved as  the popular, non- native, South American Verbena  but takes sun/ heat / drought far better. Will reseed to form good sized colonies as well. Been a challenge trying to find these for sale over the last few years..

[amh]

10 hours ago, teddytn said:

The flower looks unreal, almost hard to believe it exists lol. Why the vinegar? 

I don't know for sure. Some say it helps water penetrate the seed coat and others say it helps neutralize germination inhibiting compounds in the seed coat.

All I know is that it helps.

Wish I knew the correct reason.

[Silas_Sancona]

3 minutes ago, amh said:

I don't know for sure. Some say it helps water penetrate the seed coat and others say it helps neutralize germination inhibiting compounds in the seed coat.

All I know is that it helps.

Wish I knew the correct reason.

Both would be the reason to use it as neutraizing any germ. inhibitors would allow moisture through the seed coat. Interesting idea since i've never had to do anything when sowing seed of Passifloras..  Keeping them warm was the biggest thing, otherwise they'd just sit until it was warm, or they rotted ( or something ate them ).

[amh]

1 minute ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Both would be the reason to use it as neutraizing any germ. inhibitors would allow moisture through the seed coat. Interesting idea since i've never had to do anything when sowing seed of Passifloras..  Keeping them warm was the biggest thing, otherwise they'd just sit until it was warm, or they rotted ( or something ate them ).

Freshness matters, newer seeds will germinate fairly quickly, but older seeds will need treatment.

[Silas_Sancona]

Few more things planted ( Pictures are always better than just descriptions ):

Glandularia gooddingii.. I really should have grabbed a couple more.. No worries though, these reseed pretty easily.



Penstemon superbus. Salvia reptans, W. TX Form, just to the right, behind the Penstemon, starting to settle in.




Turk's Cap, Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii.. No need to really dig up the Bermuda over here, Turk's Cap should be able to keep up with it. Will have to trim the grass by hand until the Turk's Cap gets large enough to shade out the grass below it's canopy.  While these can tolerate quite a bit of heat, wall on this side of the house will provide just enough shade during the day from how the sun angle is through the worst part of summer. Microclimate on this side of the house should also keep it flowering all year since the wall faces south and stays quite warm through the winter. ( additional wall that separates the front / back yards on this side of the house blocks any cool breezes from the west.  Wind rarely blows from the east / southeast here most of the year, except during Monsoon season.





 

[teddytn]

3 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Few more things planted ( Pictures are always better than just descriptions ):

Glandularia gooddingii.. I really should have grabbed a couple more.. No worries though, these reseed pretty easily.



Penstemon superbus. Salvia reptans, W. TX Form, just to the right, behind the Penstemon, starting to settle in.




Turk's Cap, Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii.. No need to really dig up the Bermuda over here, Turk's Cap should be able to keep up with it. Will have to trim the grass by hand until the Turk's Cap gets large enough to shade out the grass below it's canopy.  While these can tolerate quite a bit of heat, wall on this side of the house will provide just enough shade during the day from how the sun angle is through the worst part of summer. Microclimate on this side of the house should also keep it flowering all year since the wall faces south and stays quite warm through the winter. ( additional wall that separates the front / back yards on this side of the house blocks any cool breezes from the west.  Wind rarely blows from the east / southeast here most of the year, except during Monsoon season.





 

There’s a gigantic amount of plants, there’s hundreds of species in some plant families. I love seeing what some people post, so many plants I’ve never heard of, you’ve always got new ones to me at least lol. Gets me researching. One I’ve been aware of for a little while is penstemon, I’ve yet to grow any. Seems like the perfect flowering plant to intermix in the landscape that wouldn’t need to be watered here after establishment. Will definitely try a few out in this new berm. Need to make some more progress on that this week, almost time to start planting. 

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, teddytn said:

There’s a gigantic amount of plants, there’s hundreds of species in some plant families. I love seeing what some people post, so many plants I’ve never heard of, you’ve always got new ones to me at least lol. Gets me researching. One I’ve been aware of for a little while is penstemon, I’ve yet to grow any. Seems like the perfect flowering plant to intermix in the landscape that wouldn’t need to be watered here after establishment. Will definitely try a few out in this new berm. Need to make some more progress on that this week, almost time to start planting. 

For  a majority of Natives for your area, look over Prairie Moon Nursery's inventory.. ( may be another mail order place that sells natives in Missouri ) Some great stuff.. Pull a few things from them that i know from / grew while living in KS that have a chance of surviving here ( Most stuff from back east won't.. Too hot / dry.. no chill period in the winter < here > )

Some of our native flowering things ..esp. stuff from the mid/ higher elevations of the mountains would also be worthy of - at least - trialing there..

..W/ Penstemons, ( and some other things like Phlox ) stay away from any / all named cultivars / hybrids.. Might look pretty, but most are weak / end up being very short lived.  Species are the toughest.. 

[teddytn]

Finished filling this bed and got it planted. Showed pics of the other plants already, here’s the ferns. Definitely doesn’t look like much now, but will get 3’ tall and wide eventually. 
arthyrium godzilla This one makes a gorgeous clump 12” tall and wide. This one starts lighter, but will turn a deep dull red similar to the color of the pine bark mulch. 
arthyrium burgundy laceAnother 12” plant, this one starts dark and turns lighter out on the tips to a cool grey. 
arthyrium silver fallsThis filtered morning sun is all the east side of the house gets. Tons of canopy overhead here. Really looking forward to this filling in and getting some more ferns going in. Need to find a hosta or 2 I like. And definitely want to try some hardy orchids that @Silas_Sancona suggested. Front and center is the Godzilla behind the white tag lol, can’t be tempted to plant differently based on current plant size, have to always remember mature size. Should look pretty slick when filled in around that azalea. 

[teddytn]

14 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

For  a majority of Natives for your area, look over Prairie Moon Nursery's inventory.. ( may be another mail order place that sells natives in Missouri ) Some great stuff.. Pull a few things from them that i know from / grew while living in KS that have a chance of surviving here ( Most stuff from back east won't.. Too hot / dry.. no chill period in the winter < here > )

Some of our native flowering things ..esp. stuff from the mid/ higher elevations of the mountains would also be worthy of - at least - trialing there..

..W/ Penstemons, ( and some other things like Phlox ) stay away from any / all named cultivars / hybrids.. Might look pretty, but most are weak / end up being very short lived.  Species are the toughest.. 

That’s how I’m looking at most new plantings are literally trials. I’ve got a few cool plants that have stuck, definitely comfortable enough to start spreading my wings and experimenting. Appreciate the recommendation on prairie moon , I’ll check them out for sure!! Was meaning to ask you about some recommendations on salvias, there’s some that are offered here, big box and that. Really starting to love these dry land shrubby/ herby type plant. Lavender, rosemary, have a a few Russian sage planted that do ok…I feel like I saw you post maybe a Texas sage/ salvia? the other day somewhere that made my jaw drop and remember saying “Oooohhhh sh**!!” Lol. Like electric blue and pretty big by the looks of it if I remember correctly??

Edited March 23, 2022 by teddytn

[amh]

4 minutes ago, teddytn said:

That’s how I’m looking at most new plantings are literally trials. I’ve got a few cool plants that have stuck, definitely comfortable enough to start spreading my wings and experimenting. Appreciate the recommendation on prairie moon , I’ll check them out for sure!! Was meaning to ask you about some recommendations on salvias, there’s some that are offered here, big box and that. Really starting to love these dry land shrubby/ herby type plant. Lavender, rosemary, have a a few Russian sage planted that do ok…I feel like I saw you post maybe a Texas sage/ salvia? the other day somewhere that made my jaw drop and remember saying “Oooohhhh sh**!!” Lol. Like electric blue and pretty big by the looks of it if I remember correctly??

"Indigo Spires" is a great salvia for full sun, but I do not know its cold hardiness.

[Silas_Sancona]

30 minutes ago, amh said:

"Indigo Spires" is a great salvia for full sun, but I do not know its cold hardiness.

Think " X Indigo Spires " is a cross involving S. farinacea and longispicata from Mexico.. Supposedly root hardy down to zone 7a.  Great, tough Salvia for sure.. though maybe not quite as long lived as standard S. farinacea.

[Silas_Sancona]

43 minutes ago, teddytn said:

That’s how I’m looking at most new plantings are literally trials. I’ve got a few cool plants that have stuck, definitely comfortable enough to start spreading my wings and experimenting. Appreciate the recommendation on prairie moon , I’ll check them out for sure!! Was meaning to ask you about some recommendations on salvias, there’s some that are offered here, big box and that. Really starting to love these dry land shrubby/ herby type plant. Lavender, rosemary, have a a few Russian sage planted that do ok…I feel like I saw you post maybe a Texas sage/ salvia? the other day somewhere that made my jaw drop and remember saying “Oooohhhh sh**!!” Lol. Like electric blue and pretty big by the looks of it if I remember correctly??

Yes, TX / Mealy Cap Sage, S farinacea, but there are a bunch of other sp. from Texas as well..  Salvia azurea,  Pitcher Sage is a taller, blue flowered sp. that should already grow in your area, or close by.. Should do fine where you're located..

Tropical Red Sage, S. coccinea should do good there, though it may die completely in winter, ( have heard of it returning from the roots in 8a though ) then return from seed in spring / summer ..is a great " filler " for shady / somewhat moist spots.  Can see it also tolerates our exceptional heat pretty well also.

Salvia greggii / microphylla / lemmonii ( lemmonii is often hybridized w/ the first two species )  You'll likely see these offered in the big box stores ( pretty popular )..  Great sages, and supposedly hardy to zone 6, but thinking they'd get knocked down then resprout after the winter there.. All sorts of colors.

Pineapple Sage, S. elegans may ..or may not.. survive winters there ( from the roots )

Two awesome, tropical sages ( for flowers ) S. patens, and S. guaranitica.. both of these supposedly can survive ( returning from the roots ) in zone 7b though they'll also seed.

...That's just the short list, lol.. 

[amh]

48 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Think " X Indigo Spires " is a cross involving S. farinacea and longispicata from Mexico.. Supposedly root hardy down to zone 7a.  Great, tough Salvia for sure.. though maybe not quite as long lived as standard S. farinacea.

Yes it is a hybrid and you are correct about its lifespan. Salvia farinacea seems to live indefinitely.

28 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Yes, TX / Mealy Cap Sage, S farinacea, but there are a bunch of other sp. from Texas as well..  Salvia azurea,  Pitcher Sage is a taller, blue flowered sp. that should already grow in your area, or close by.. Should do fine where you're located..

Tropical Red Sage, S. coccinea should do good there, though it may die completely in winter, ( have heard of it returning from the roots in 8a though ) then return from seed in spring / summer ..is a great " filler " for shady / somewhat moist spots.  Can see it also tolerates our exceptional heat pretty well also.

Salvia greggii / microphylla / lemmonii ( lemmonii is often hybridized w/ the first two species )  You'll likely see these offered in the big box stores ( pretty popular )..  Great sages, and supposedly hardy to zone 6, but thinking they'd get knocked down then resprout after the winter there.. All sorts of colors.

Pineapple Sage, S. elegans may ..or may not.. survive winters there ( from the roots )

Two awesome, tropical sages ( for flowers ) S. patens, and S. guaranitica.. both of these supposedly can survive ( returning from the roots ) in zone 7b though they'll also seed.

...That's just the short list, lol.. 

Both Salvia elegans and coccinea will not survive 8A or colder winters, but S. elegans can easily be rooted from cuttings in water.

I personally prefer the herbaceous salvias compared to the deciduous type.

[Silas_Sancona]

4 minutes ago, amh said:

Yes it is a hybrid and you are correct about its lifespan. Salvia farinacea seems to live indefinitely.

Both Salvia elegans and coccinea will not survive 8A or colder winters, but S. elegans can easily be rooted from cuttings in water.

I personally prefer the herbaceous salvias compared to the deciduous type.

They might not return from the roots, but often will reseed..  S. coccinea  can be grown ( as an annual ) as far north as zone 4 or 5.   S. blepharophylla, darcyi, and roemeriana are other great, red flowered sages that are also supposedly hardy to zone 7 and above.

Flowers By the Sea, perhaps the best authority ( and nursery ) regarding the Genus lists like 10 pages / 245 sp. worth of Salvia for Zone 7.

They list something like 21 pages / 504 sp for Zone 9 ( and above ) though, lol

Like them all, esp the native,  Mexican, and S. American sps.

[teddytn]

3 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

For  a majority of Natives for your area, look over Prairie Moon Nursery's inventory.. ( may be another mail order place that sells natives in Missouri ) Some great stuff.. Pull a few things from them that i know from / grew while living in KS that have a chance of surviving here ( Most stuff from back east won't.. Too hot / dry.. no chill period in the winter < here > )

Some of our native flowering things ..esp. stuff from the mid/ higher elevations of the mountains would also be worthy of - at least - trialing there..

..W/ Penstemons, ( and some other things like Phlox ) stay away from any / all named cultivars / hybrids.. Might look pretty, but most are weak / end up being very short lived.  Species are the toughest.. 

Where has prairie moon been all my life?!?! Crazy selection, really good prices and how damn cool is the range map! Just became reintroduced to asters, forgot there were so many, flower here and get overlooked like too many natives do. People think that if they didn’t plant it then it’s a weed and should get pulled out. It’s unreal all the places in the yard I’ve stopped mowing and watched different species of plants slowly start starting to get a foot hold again. Eye opening looking at that broken out by county. May stumble through a forested/ natural meadow area and never come upon an amazing plant that is plentiful one county away. Wow thanks for that recommendation!