Was 94 Sunday; 37 tonight(w/isolated frost)

[Dazed_Lily]

Is this nuts or what ?!
It was 94 on Sunday and is supposed to go down to 37 or so tonight ! Some frost in isolated places. Huh ?! I'll toss plastic over the screen door contraption I've got over potted the daylily seeds.

Got lots of rain last night--no hail--yay!

[Rebecca]

48 here right now with the high forecasted to reach all of 54. Down to 34 tonight. Stupid-crazy weather for sure. Don''t remember how warm it was Saturday or Sunday, but it sure felt good. Temps are supposed to be back to normal tomorrow, but I'm not so sure since this front isn't moving through very fast.

Oh well, it isn't like we can do anything about it and as far as the rain goes, all of my plants need it and especially the borrowed garden, It isn't like I've had time to haul water over there the last week. . . . . .I'll take the rain - even if it does delay things I had planned on getting done. I need the rest anywat! LOL!


Rebecca

[Ann B.]

Rebecca,

The rest will do you good! The rain will help even more. Enjoy!

It is raining here, a welcome rain that is slow, but steady for now. There was some lightening, and one bolt made me jump. After turning off the fan in the old gh, shutting the door so that it is not damaged any more than it has been already, I decided to swing around to the west side of the house. One of the dark burgandy/purple lost tags that I have had for so long is about to open. I suspect it will open tomorrow. It's one of my favorites of the ones that I have had for a long time.

It sure is nice to have rain (no floods)!!! :D

[Rebecca]

The brief shower ended up hanging aroound all morning and a good part of the afternoon, a good soaking rain, which I know the borrowed garden needed. I spent most of the morning waiting on packages I though should come today, but didn't. Took a good many "cat naps"; Gabby and I went to the store and picked up a few groceries. All of the kitties have been nearly as annoyed as I have been that it's been to wet and cold to be outside. Gabby hates getting his feet wet, so it bothers him the most. Sometimes he's worse than a spoild 3 year old child!

We, meaning Gabby and I, went to the local Wal-Mart yesterday to get a bag of potting soil and some perlite. He wouldn't stay in the car so ending up haveing to take him in with me. I just popped into the garden center and didn't gop through the store 0 why push my luck. One of the women who worked the L>W Dept with me is now working the garden shop so she kept Gabby occupied while I got the perlite. After I paid for my purchases we went out to the corral to see what was there and Gabby investigates just about every nook and crany there, meowing his soft meow all the while. They didn't have anything different that the usual stuff. Found out that another co-worker was railroaded and gotten rid of. Along with a lot of other that I didn't know. This sure seems like a pretty hostile environment to have to work in any more.

Got home then and potted up something, I forget what it was and potted up the new lily bulbs I got to replace the ones that didn't make it through the winter. 'Samur' a lovely soft pink Asiatic. Lucked out and got 4 bulbs in a 3 pack. They'll most likely get moved to the mound bed this fall, replacing others for it's softer coloring.

Got a start on expanding the bed behind my patio and moved a couple of the daylilies, removed two and still have two to either move or remove. Then I hope to fit in some I had to move from the other bed.

Temps down to 33 tonight and I am just keeping my fingers crossed that we don't get a frost. Yhe rain and cooler temps will help all the newly potted plants get a good start and it will keep me out of the gardens for a few days until they dry out enough to dig in again. I have a spot all prepped for the dwarf flowering almond, just have to get it dug up and carried over and planted. Then i'll prun it up, give it a does of Superthrive and say a liitle prayer that it likes it's new home and will thrive there.



All for now,


Rebecca

[sue salley]

Rebecca, It has rained here everyday too. Had enough of a break yesterday afternoon to get out and clean out around my flowering almond and clean out and expand the front door garden. I plan to plant the glads that Cathy sent me and some pretty geraniums in that bed. I did find a few bee balms in the very corner. They will stay for now til front garden is ready. The hummingbirds love them so I do like them at the front door where I can watch them feed. The bed is now almost double in size and I think it looks good. It will be very nice with the glads and the geraniums with pretty pink blooms.
Cathy, I saw on the weather channel that you have frost warnings. Hope you didn't have anything hurt by it. It is cool here but not that cool! It feels cooler because of all the moisture. It is supposed to rain everyday but Friday. Yeah, I am off Friday.

[Dazed_Lily]

Wow ! You guys are inspiring me to 'get with the program' this weekend with getting my daylilies in the ground !
I don't think we had the frost that was warned about but I did through a sheet over the potted daylily seedlings just in case(removed it this morning already). One side benefit of the rain and cold was that I actually cleaned the inside of my house. That may not happen again for a long while ! ;)

[sue salley]

Cathy, So am I supposed to clean house since it is raining. I really need to but we will wait and see if it happens or not.
They have taken the rain out of the forecast for Thursday which is my other day off. I might actually get something done outside.
I just saw on the news that there were a lot of trees down last night and one fell on a house. There was a lot of thunder and lightening. I was driving to work and the lightening was intense. Of course the minute I got there the rain started coming down in torrents. Of course the umbrella is in my car that is in the shop.

[Rebecca]

Only gentle rains here yesterday, but brother did it get cold last night, lower 30's! Only 45 right now and they say we'll make it to 60. . . . well it better hurry up, cause I'm a freezin!

Of course the cooler temps are good for all of the plants I've had to pot up so I won't complain too loudly.



Rebecca

[sue salley]

So much for cleaning house. I have been on ebay ordering plants,but only those I either lost or really,really,really wanted. Here is a list:
double spider wort
pink chablis spider wort
bilberry ice spider wort (one of my faves)
Coral Iris
Memphis Memory Siberian iris
black elephant ear (for planters in front)
monster dinosaur fern
hardy amaryllis
yellow lilac (to replace mine)
lavender twist redbud (contorted,weeping on gotta have list)

I thought it was time to treat myself. I sure can't do this very often.
Was supposed to go wildflower hunting this weekend but they are calling for storms,again.

[Dazed_Lily]

You HAVE been busy !
We'll have to call you Spider wort Woman !
I had one--just a plain prairie one- but it decided to hide on me real good when I was moving. I had found it at a house that was being torn down and didn’t know what it was, it was just in foliage, but thought it had to be something good because it was alone and it just had that look. After much research I figured out what it was. Did you know that they are also called cow-slobbers ?!
Great list of plants; they should look beautiful !

[Ann B.]

Sue, Sounds like a lot of fun to me! And you deserve to pamper yourself as often as possible...

It rained last night, and it was raining most of the day. We received about 2" here in the last 24 hours, so that helps a LOT!

No rain in the forecast for the next couple of days, but the temps will fall to the lower 80's. That will be a welcome relief.

Then, some rain this weekend. My plants say, "Thank you. Thank You. Thank YOU!" and so do I!

Thanks for sending some rain down my way! And I do really appreciate the cooler temps...

Cathy, it is unreal to go from the 90-100 range and dip back down to frost or near frost. That has got to be frustrating!

BTW, my FFO daylily was indeed the purple/burgandy one on the west side of the fence. There's not much left of the bloom, so I won't try to take a picture.

The H. Johnsonii blooms (in the gardens) did just fine.

I am pleased and relieved to get GOOD, SOLID, but not too heavy RAIN! Gotta change clothes and go back outside to pollinate those Johnsonii.

[sue salley]

Spider wort is one of my faves. I have the plain purple a white and Sweet Kate that has golden foliage and purple blooms. They will grow about anywhere. I couldn't resist these. The pink chablis is a knockout.
I hope the hardy amaryllis is truly hardy. Actually the picture looks like a crinum, you never know what you are getting. I don't care if it is a crinum I just like to know what I have. I have a place right by the front door waiting for it.

[Dazed_Lily]

Sue-I know what you mean about your ‘crinaryllis’. I wanted surprise lily bulbs(aka naked lady) and realized, after I bid, that the photo looked spidery- more like a pink lycoris radiata. The seller said that the ‘borrowed’ photo looked most like them and that they were given to her by her aunt and that they grew for the seller for years. That was enough for me to know…all I really care about is hardiness. And those bulbs are in a big pot and as happy as clams—whatever they are !

[sue salley]

I got one of my orders from ebay today. The spiderworts each had a bloom open on them. The pink chablis is not as pink as I thought it would be but still very pretty. I was worried because it seemed to take so long to arrive but the plants all came in great shape. The seller is Hirts Garden. They had a lot of things that I have found to be hard to find. I was really excited to find the coral iris. Look it up. It has very showy seed pods. I've never seen an iris like it.
The Memphis Memory Siberian iris leaves are very long. I was wondering if I should cut them back when I plant them. What do you think , or should I leave them alone? I would love to have blooms this year.
BTW there are several plants in each pot so I have a good start of each.

[Dazed_Lily]

Wow ! You lucked out ! I had seen Hirt's on Ebay and even called them once about availability, so I knew there was a human who actually got up and checked a bin, not a computer screen !
For some reason I didn't order at the time but am glad to hear of your experience.
I am not guru on plants but I would suppose as long as the iris leaves aren't discolored or ratty that leaving them on would be goodness.
I read your other post about the lupine seeds...amazing !My seeds are kinda just sitting there in shock wondering what season it is . We have had more than enough rain and more is coming and it has gotten cold. I acyaully had a daffodil bloom today in my window box. All theothers are just foliage. I think they didn't get theirproper chill period with the move but a daffodil in May is quite unusual here.
I am going to climb the walls if I can't get out there and rip up the last of that landscape fabric (at least in front of the house) and get the soil prepared and maybe get some daylilies in. As long as there is no lightening and it isn't pouring, I'm goingout there !
So glad about your flowers and I hope you can takepix of those spiderworts.
Hey, I'm going to check Hirt's website and Ebay listings....

[sue salley]

Cathy, The Hardy Amarylis is indeed Crinum Powelii. Got the order today and the bulb is HUGE. It has a 6" sprout so I must try to dig a big hole today. The crinum and amarylis are from the same family from S.America I found out after a little research so I guess it can be classidied as a hardy amarylis. Either way I am excited to have it.

[Dazed_Lily]

Good Sue ! Anything big and healthy is a welcome sight !
I am pooped right now and still have to drag myself to the shower.
Yesterday's gardening started in the afternoon after morning grocery shopping and Wally Worlding(cause some of their things, like fruit, is cheaper). Ripped up more of that awful landscape fabric and tilled much of the area in prep for the daylilies. Later that day I had to get my garaged lilies that were still in cardboard boxes into the ground..did that til I couldn't see because it was so dark out. Started up again after church today. Took about 2 hours. Then found some more bulbs to plant(some very sorry looking liatis). Snuck a nap in in the afternoon but I am still tired !
Soo much left to do !

It was windy and chilly as the day went on today, sunny with high clouds occasionally. Should be 70/40's til midweek and then 80/50's thru the w/e with no rain predicted. Good cause I gotta plant !