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Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

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Azastan
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#251

Post by Azastan »

You guys still did better than I did in the produce department. Although, now that I think about it, I may have some potatoes hiding under the hay along the road front (I planted them there to see how they'd do, had forgotten about them until now LOL).

However! I did do a great job of growing dahlias. Did you know that the indigenous peoples of Mexico apparently consumed the tubers of at least one of the 42 odd species of dahlias?
I'm a Hottie with a star Oct 9 2021.jpg
I'm a Hottie with a star Oct 9 2021.jpg (72.46 KiB) Viewed 804 times
This is I'm a Hottie (with a star). It's not the real I'm a Hottie, which is a bright almost neon pink, but it came to me labeled as I'm a Hottie. Since I have the real one as well, I need to differentiate between the two. I actually like this one better, but don't know what it's true name is.
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Azastan
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#252

Post by Azastan »

I'm a Hottie Star top and I'm a Hottie bottom Oct 10 2021.jpg
I'm a Hottie Star top and I'm a Hottie bottom Oct 10 2021.jpg (82.32 KiB) Viewed 802 times
Here's the two together for comparison.
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#253

Post by MsDaisy »

Azastan wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 3:46 pm This is I'm a Hottie (with a star). It's not the real I'm a Hottie, which is a bright almost neon pink, but it came to me labeled as I'm a Hottie. Since I have the real one as well, I need to differentiate between the two. I actually like this one better, but don't know what it's true name is.
ETA, I should have said "they're" beautiful!
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#254

Post by bill_g »

Patagoniagirl wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 3:11 pm Okay, I'll go next. Last year all I got was "baby reds". This year its Alien Spuds.

Last year not enough basil. This year too much, even after using, freezing and trying to give away. The most frequently used herbs and spices in this neck of the woods are salt, pepper and ketchup.
Spud Uglies are not uncommon. They just get sidelined for other uses. The pretty ones get bagged for retail sales.
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#255

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

Dahlia delirium!!!! :lovestruck:
"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.
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Azastan
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#256

Post by Azastan »

Skipley Spot of Gold Oct 17 2021.jpg
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This is a late season bloom of Skipley Spot of Gold. They become lighter coloured as the season advances. The flowers are like porcelain balls, accented with tiny gold dots at the end of each petal. This is one of my favourite dahlias.
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#257

Post by AndyinPA »

Lovely1
"Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears… To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies." -Octavia E. Butler
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#258

Post by Phoenix520 »

It’s a Hottie (with a star) is my favorite too. Such a lovely blush pink.

Skipley - how do they get the gold spot there? It’s also gorg.
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Azastan
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#259

Post by Azastan »

Phoenix520 wrote: Mon Oct 18, 2021 3:19 pm It’s a Hottie (with a star) is my favorite too. Such a lovely blush pink.

Skipley - how do they get the gold spot there? It’s also gorg.
I much prefer IAH* to the regular IAH, just wish I knew what it was!

Interestingly, the little gold spots are something which turn up on other dahlias, but Spot of Gold retains them, and the other dahlias lose the spots!
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#260

Post by MsDaisy »

As the seasons change I’m back to tending the indoor plants. I just repotted both those Orchids on the table. I’ve somehow become the recipient of lots of plants from other people. I have 28 plants in my house. 10 hanging from the ceilings and the rest scattered on tables and in very large pots on the floor all through the house. I have to keep a plant diary to keep track of who got repotted when.

This is my kitchen jungle corner. We quit getting Christmas trees every year and just decorate the Norfolk Pine. :lol:
Plants.jpg
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The Philodendron on the left got cut back by about half this past summer, it was going nuts. Those front windows (there are 3 side by side about a foot apart) face mostly Northwest so each one has a bamboo shade that we have to let down in the summer once the sun gets around to that side of the house. We also had to have those windows coated with a sun film of some sort to keep the kitchen from being 90° in the dead of summer.
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#261

Post by AndyinPA »

Love those! I also have lots of indoor plants, but most are in the kitchen window (orchids and tillandsias) or in the living room at the south/southwest facing windows.
"Choose your leaders with wisdom and forethought. To be led by a coward is to be controlled by all that the coward fears… To be led by a liar is to ask to be told lies." -Octavia E. Butler
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#262

Post by keith »

We had a couple of heavy windstorms in the last month, nothing like the US midwest tornado attack, but good enough.

A month ago we lost a couple of mid size branches off the gum tree - which left behind a vaguely unstable widow maker, and now the day before yesterday we lost the major upright branch. Its mostly still attached, and most of the branches are laying across some bushes on our side of the fence. But there are some light branches kinda hanging over the fence. The widow maker is hanging over the edge of the house, so its a worry, but it didn't do anything more in the most recent windstorm, so I'm not too worried.

Tree Guy says its time for the tree to be put to sleep, but he can't get to it till the beginning of February. An other big storm like the other day could twist off the remaining support at the break point and roll the whole thing over into the neighbor's yard, but that is unlikely since it is pretty much protected from the wind by the Maleluca tree.

Speaking of the Maleluca tree, the Tree Guy volunteered that its natural growth has created a weak fork, and we need to strap it up so it doesn't split in half. I think we will do that, cause it is a great tree and it is actually the species that used to grow here before invasion. There are a lot of them in our street, but they are constantly being butchered by the power company to keep them away from the power lines. Ours is the best 'unbutchered' example in the neighborhood.

(I was gonna add a picture, but figuring out where to host it is just too darn much trouble).
Has everybody heard about the bird?
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#263

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

https://www.treehugger.com/how-become-z ... er-5216222
How to Become a Zero Waste Gardener
Learn how to move beyond recycling to have an even bigger impact.


When we talk about zero waste, many people zero straight in on recycling. But recycling alone is not enough. In fact, recycling is the last of the zero waste steps that we can take to reduce waste and become more sustainable in our homes and gardens. Before recycling, we should think about the four other "Rs": refuse, reduce, reuse, and repair.

Refuse to Contribute to Damaging Systems

But we can refuse to buy seeds in plastic or plants in plastic pots—instead collecting our own seeds, propagating our own plants from divisions or cuttings, or choosing to buy from suppliers who package in a more sustainable way. And we can find different solutions for a range of plastic gardening products.

There's a chance that you use peat in your garden, which contributes to the destruction of peat bogs. Laying waste to these precious carbon sinks and biodiversity hotspots leads to a different but equally problematic type of waste. But we can refuse peat composts and peat-based potting mixes, and instead choose a peat-free alternative for containers. Alternatively, we can make our own composts at home.

As gardeners, we should also all refuse to use any synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers. Instead, we can take an entirely organic and natural integrated approach.

Knowing what to say "no" to is one of the first steps in becoming a truly zero waste gardener.
"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#264

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

https://www.treehugger.com/study-small- ... es-5216648
Study: Small Gardens Are Just As Crucial for Bee Conservation As Big Ones
Urban gardens are a critical source of food and habitat for pollinators.


“While the precise shape of the seasonal nectar supply curve and the contributions of specific plant taxa will differ in other cities and years," said Tew, "the general findings of extreme variability and turnover among single gardens but temporal stability across multiple gardens are very likely to apply in other cities because the principle that gardens comprise many small habitat patches which differ independently in their management remains true wherever they are located.”

As for what gardeners can specifically do, Tew suggested prioritizing shrubs, climbers, and trees—these made up for the majority of nectar supply in the study. He also encouraged the planting of deep, tubular, open flowers that become important later in the year for hoverflies and solitary bees. And he recommended ensuring both year-round flowering and a variety of different habitats to support pollinators at different stages of their lifecycles.

Unsurprisingly, the research backs up much of what Treehugger permaculture expert Elizabeth Waddington has been advising in her articles. Whether it’s choosing bee-friendly plants, designing and maintaining a garden for bumblebees, or letting your lawn become a little less manicured (and a lot more interesting!), the general principles appear to encourage diversity, be OK with a little mess, and plant a whole bunch of flowers.
"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.
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Azastan
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#265

Post by Azastan »

Tiredretiredlawyer wrote: Sun Jan 30, 2022 6:23 pm https://www.treehugger.com/study-small- ... es-5216648
Study: Small Gardens Are Just As Crucial for Bee Conservation As Big Ones
Urban gardens are a critical source of food and habitat for pollinators.


“While the precise shape of the seasonal nectar supply curve and the contributions of specific plant taxa will differ in other cities and years," said Tew, "the general findings of extreme variability and turnover among single gardens but temporal stability across multiple gardens are very likely to apply in other cities because the principle that gardens comprise many small habitat patches which differ independently in their management remains true wherever they are located.”

As for what gardeners can specifically do, Tew suggested prioritizing shrubs, climbers, and trees—these made up for the majority of nectar supply in the study. He also encouraged the planting of deep, tubular, open flowers that become important later in the year for hoverflies and solitary bees. And he recommended ensuring both year-round flowering and a variety of different habitats to support pollinators at different stages of their lifecycles.

Unsurprisingly, the research backs up much of what Treehugger permaculture expert Elizabeth Waddington has been advising in her articles. Whether it’s choosing bee-friendly plants, designing and maintaining a garden for bumblebees, or letting your lawn become a little less manicured (and a lot more interesting!), the general principles appear to encourage diversity, be OK with a little mess, and plant a whole bunch of flowers.
Some of the best flowers for bees are dahlias--in particular, the 'open centered' types, such as collarettes, mignons, anemone flowered, singles, etc.

This is Kelsey Sunshine, a collarette.
kelseysunshine.jpg
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#266

Post by RVInit »

I used to keep honeybees when I lived on one of the preserves I managed. They were able to collect from lots of different areas every day. It's fascinating to watch the workers fly out of the hive, orient themselves to the sun, and then each one takes off in whatever direction it is collecting from. It's not unusual to identify 4,5, 6 or even 7 different directions being used in any particular day. The foragers leave the hive first, go off in different directions and come back with samples which they share with the other workers. They give samples to the other bees and then do a dance called a "waggle dance" which gives the workers the exact direction and distance to fly in order to collect the same nectar and pollen they have just sampled. As each bee comes back, they do the waggle dance in turn for another group of bees, who then go to that same place to collect nectar and pollen. There is additional complication to it, but this is the general idea.

One reason a hobby hive has worker bees that are generally healthier and longer lived is because bees that are kept on property where there is a large variety of food within a couple of miles are generally healthier. Just like if a human ate the same meal every single day, they would not probably be as healthy as a person who eats a variety. Commercial beekeepers take their hives to feed on a single plant - Almonds, blueberries, etc. The amount of time a worker bee lives is about a month, which is about (more or less, depending) the amount of time a crop is pollinating. So, commercial worker bees generally eat the same foods or a somewhat limited variety for most of their lives. Of course, they hoard food, both pollen and nectar, so as they are feeding on blueberry pollen, they still have almond pollen and nectar in their stores. But still, commercial bees in general eat less varied food. That is one of the factors (among many) that contributed to the bees being susceptible to colony collapse, which hit commercial beekeepers really hard. You don't hear about it so much any more, but commercial beekeepers in recent years continue to lose about 45% of their hives. That is super scary, especially considering that we have wiped out a large percentage of native bee populations due to how we farm.

OMG. Don't get me started. I miss my beekeeping, and miss mentoring new beekeepers. We need more bees and beekeepers, that is for sure. Anyone who is interested, PM me and I will be happy to point you in the right direction to get you a successful start.
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#267

Post by Estiveo »

My last house had a much bigger, mostly sunny, yard. In addition to a modest veggie garden and a small, but very sincere, punkin patch, I kept two patches of of native wildflowers. Also an herb garden, dahlias and bearded irises. The bees seemed to like all of it.

Now, in my tiny patch of Mirkwood, the only things for the bees is my one rather large bird of paradise (hummingbirds like it too, also) and a good sized water gum tree that just hums with bees when it blooms.
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#268

Post by Tiredretiredlawyer »

https://www.treehugger.com/eat-dandelio ... ds-4858806
16 Edible Weeds: Dandelions, Purslane, and More

Weeds are widely believed to be a gardener's arch-enemy. They stifle crops, steal water, hog sunlight, and create what some deem an eyesore in otherwise impeccably groomed flowerbeds and lawns. They're not all bad, though: Edible weeds, it turns out, are exceedingly useful.

Instead of burning your abundance of dandelions, chickweed, or wild amaranth—or worse, spraying them with toxic weedkiller—take the zero-waste approach and repurpose them into dandelion tea, amaranth seed polenta, or chickweed pesto.

Here are 16 edible weeds and how to incorporate them into your diet.

The quintessential weed, dandelions are rich in vitamins A, C, and K. They also contain vitamin E, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, and B vitamins.2 Every part of this flowering herb, from the roots to the bright-yellow blossoms, can be eaten raw or cooked.

Dandelion leaves can be harvested at any point in the growing season, and while the youngest leaves are considered to be less bitter and more palatable raw, the bigger leaves make delightful salad additions. If raw dandelion leaves don't appeal to you, they can also be steamed or added to a stir-fry or soup, which can make them taste less bitter. The sweet and crunchy flowers can be eaten raw or breaded and fried. Use them to make dandelion wine or syrup. The root of the dandelion can be dried and roasted and used as a coffee substitute or added to any recipe that calls for root vegetables.


"Mickey Mouse and I grew up together." - Ruthie Tompson, Disney animation checker and scene planner and one of the first women to become a member of the International Photographers Union in 1952.
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Re: Gardening and Lawn Maintenance

#269

Post by humblescribe »

You are a hardier soul than I, TRL.

We don't spray weeds. We pull or we hoe. We don't really have dandelions, chickweed, or amaranth. We do have spurge, purslane, and a couple of others that I believe that are toxic if consumed. Miner's lettuce does make the occasional appearance, though. We tried some once to augment a salad. Not a fan.

I wonder what our friends at tree huggers have to say about spurge.
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