How is your garden looking today?

Only if you been giving it some water.

BBB
Dys stopped by my house yesterday while Diane was napping and I took him out to the back yard to see my strawberries. I had just covered them and everything else with steer manure so I had to wash off the few ripe sweet berries to feed to him.

We had a nice rainfall this afternoon, which will help disperse the steer manure. Thunder accompanied the rain, which makes Maddy and Dolly a little nervous.

BBB

I've been watering it every other day. I dug out a ring in the front yard and put in 10 Canna tubers and surrounded them with a ring of begonias and an outer ring of landscape blocks. All I have so far is a nice looking ring of blocks and begonias. I'm getting impatient.

might think you are over-watering, tubers like to dry out with very well drained soil and you could easily wait for weeks rather than days.

I think deep watering once or twice a week for your tubers should be the right amount.

Francis -- Any more? I am very impressed with your garden! That last rose photograph looked as perfect as a bouquet -- someone knows how to prune. Are those blue-belled flowers Campanulas or Ramps? They're a nice companion plant for both the rose and the daisies.

JB -- Cannas can be slow and unreliable in my zone. I have some that overwintered in pots outside, but I'd think you should be seeing something soon or else it may be time to quickly put in something else. Mine are eight inches high -- they look insipid though and I've heavily planted around them.

I was thinking of posting some photos of plant disasters -- spent irises, the heat-shocked lupine...

I bought a hanging basket of "Million Bells" in the most awesome shade of dark violet . Hoping it will do fine hanging in the sun until the first frost (as promised). Anyone else have these?

Dys -- your garden is looking bright and very New Mexican -- I like it.

Yep, I've been talking about them, have a bunch of them. (Million bells.) REALLY like them. Have white, cherry, and that same dark violet in two sets of containers (white + cherry plus asparagus fern in hanging baskets; cherry + dark violet + asparagus fern, some white trailing flower and pink verbena in urns.)

They seem to need sun to keep the vibrant color -- the ones in the baskets are hale and hearty but the new cherry flowers are a much more subdued pink. The cherry ones in the urns, with more sun, are staying nice and vibrant.

Plant Power Quiz
Plant Power Quiz

QUESTIONS

(1) Some plants are adapted for survival during long periods without rain. Many such plants have fleshy leaves and stems that store water.

What is the scientific name for plants like these?

saprophytes
bryophytes
xerophytes
rhizomes

(2) The shape currently recommended for tree planting holes is

Very deep and narrow
Very shallow and narrow
Very deep and wide
Shallow and very wide

(3) This perennial is related to the Boxwood shrub.

Liriope
Pachysandra
Perovskia
Thermopsis

(4) This genus name means "dolphin-shaped flower".

Aconitum
Bletilla
Convallaria
Delphinium

(5) Which "greenhouse gas" is absorbed by plants, in the process of photosynthesis, and converted into plant sugars?

methane
nitrous oxide
carbon dioxide
nitrogen

(6) Which of these plants is native to North America?

California pepper tree
Jerusalem artichoke
Kentucky bluegrass
tumbleweed


(7) Scratching or breaking the seed coat to aid germination is called:

scarification
oxygenation
dormancy
pollination

(8) What is the sole function maintained by the flowers of plants?

producing fruit
attracting insects
pleasing people with color and fragrance
sexual reproduction

SEE ANSWERS BELOW















1) The correct answer was: xerophytes

2) The correct answer was: Shallow and very wide

3) The correct answer was: Pachysandra

4) The correct answer was: Delphinium

5) The correct answer was: carbon dioxide

6) The correct answer was: Jerusalem artichoke

7) The correct answer was: scarification

8) The correct answer was: sexual reproduction

Spring Gardening Quiz
Spring Gardening Quiz

QUESTIONS

(1) To get the best flavour, you should plant the Mexican or Greek variety of which herb?

Oregano
Cilantro
Basil
Marjoram

(2) What disease do cucumber beetles spread?

Verticulum Wilt
Bacterial Wilt
Fusarium Wilt
Anthracnose

(3) This type of plant has leaves that can smell like roses, nutmeg, coconut, lemon, lime, and lemon-rose (among others).

Marigolds
Roses
Petunias
Geraniums

(4) The name 'Rosemary' comes from the Latin for which of the following?

Star of the Sea
Bitter Rose
Mary of the Roses
Dew of the Sea

(5) This plant, which produces long magenta-violet spikes, can be found in the wild, where it can become extremely invasive and destructive. Varieties grown for home gardens are cultivated to be less invasive. Its name derives from its use as a medicinal herb.

Purple Loosestrife
Burdock
Hawkweed
Spiderwort

(6) Potatoes are in which family?

Carrot Family (Umbelliferae)
Tomato Family (Solanaceae)
Pea Family (Leguminosae)
Morning Glory Family (Convolvulaceae)

(7) "Ox-Eye", "Shasta", and "Montauk" are varieties of this common and ever-popular flower, found abundantly in the wild.

Chrysanthemum
Narcissus
Violet
Daisy

(8) What is the best location to plant tall or climbing plants?

South side of the garden
North side of the garden
East side of the garden
West side of the garden

(9) This unusual perennial produces silvery, flocked foliage and flowers of a contrasting deep magenta-purple. It is sometimes found in the wild.

Rose Campion
Salvia
Veronica
Artemesia

(10) What is the best level of soil ph for MOST plants?

2.5 - 3.5
3.5 - 5.5
5.5 - 7.5
8.0 - 9.0

ANSWERS ARE BELOW
























1) The correct answer was: Oregano

2) The correct answer was: Bacterial Wilt

3) The correct answer was: Geraniums

4) The correct answer was: Dew of the Sea

5) The correct answer was: Purple Loosestrife

6) The correct answer was: Tomato Family (Solanaceae)

7) The correct answer was: Daisy

8) The correct answer was: North side of the garden

9) The correct answer was: Rose Campion

10) The correct answer was: 5.5 - 7.5

Re: Plant Power Quiz
I'll try (answers (?) in red)



oops... didn't realize 'til here that you had the answers!! Missed a couple!

I'm not well versed in plants names but I've someone around that knows all latin names. I like them for their beauty...

Another rose, then minutes ago :

MaaaAaan...!

That's some camera you've got, too.

The organic gardening quiz
The organic gardening quiz

QUESTIONS

1. If you see weeds in the garden, what should you do?

Pull them out and put them in the compost pile.
Mulch them so they can't get light and grow.
Hoe them to cut their roots.
All of the above

2. What should you do when you see ladybugs in your garden?

Relax, your aphids will all be gone soon.
Get out your bug poison, and kill the little suckers.
Sing 'Ladybug, Ladybug, Fly away home', so they'll leave.
All of the above.

3. What must you consider when planning a garden?

How rich, loose, and full of nutrients is the soil.
How much sunlight the plants will recieve in this spot.
How much or how little water your plants will need to grow well.
All of the above.

4. Good citizens and human beings do which of the following?

Buy a gas guzzling car that can kill anyone it hits.
Live in harmony with all living things and protect the earth.
Teach their children to consume, consume, consume.
Buy things you don't really need, and then throw them away.

5. Do we want birds in our garden?

No, they may poop on the car in the driveway.
No, they will eat all the worms you bought for your garden.
Yes, they eat lots and lots of bugs and sing for you.
All of the above.

6. Why are worms good for the soil?

They aerate it with their burrows.
They digest organic matter in the soil.
Their waste releases nitrogen into the soil.
All of the above.

7. Which of these will kill weeds?

Baking soda.
Salt.
Mulch.
All of the above.

8. What do you do with all the kitchen scraps that aren't meat?

Put them down the garbage disposal.
Put them in the compost pile.
Throw them in the trash.
Feed them to your pets.

9. What are companion plants?

Friends in the garden who hang out together.
Plants that help their neighbors ward off bad bugs.
Plants that keep elderly rich plants company.
Plants that grow in a double form.

10. What shouldn't you use to fertilize plants?

Worms.
Composted plants.
Miracle Grow.
Composted manure.

ANSWERS ARE BELOW











1. All of the above

2. Relax, your aphids will all be gone soon.

3. All of the above.

4. Live in harmony with all living things and protect the earth.

5. Yes, they eat lots and lots of bugs and sing for you.

6. All of the above.

7. All of the above.

8. Put them in the compost pile.

9. Plants that help their neighbors ward off bad bugs.

10. Miracle Grow.

Australian Holiday Gardening Quiz
Test your Australian garden knowledge with this holiday quiz.

1. Which plant has the common name bear's breeches?

a) The willow, Salix babylonica
b) The fern Humata tyermannii
c) The cornflower Centaurea cyanus
d) The perennial Acanthus mollis

2. In which state is the famous garden Heronswood?

a) ACT
b) NT
c) VIC
d) TAS

3. What coniferous tree was discovered in the Blue Mountains at the end of the 20th century?

a) Plum pine
b) Wollemi pine
c) Stone pine
d) Pinyon pine

4. For what is Malcolm Campbell best known?

a) As a plant breeder
b) As an ethnobotanist
c) As a TV presenter
d) As an author of gardening books

5. How are sweet peas propagated?

a) cutting
b) layering
c) division
d) seed

6. What does the technique thigmomorphogenesis describe?

a) stroking plants to promote good growth
b) micropropagation in an agar solution
c) gene splitting
d) preserving plant material in ice

7. What would you do with a trug?

a) use it to grub out roots
b) spray it with insecticide
c) eat it
d) fill it with flowers, fruit and vegetables

8. To which family does grevillea belong?

a) Proteaceae
b) Myrtaceae
c) Rubiaceae
d) Araceae

9. Who was a famous landscaper?

a) Gertrude Stein
b) Gertrude Jekyll
c) Gladys Greenbaum
d) Gloria Jackson

10. Which of the following is botanically unrelated?

a) eggplant
b) tomato
c) cucumber
d) chilli
11. Which of the following plants like growing in trees?

a) bromeliads
b) brachychitons
c) bugles
d) browallias

12. Which term describes the aeration of turf

a) scarifying
b) spiking
c) stratifying
d) strafing

13. What colour are the flowers of the rose 'Albertine'?

a) cherry red
b) champagne
c) salmon pink
d) lavender

14. Which of the following has an edible flower?

a) strawberry
b) daylily
c) daffodil
d) datura

15. Which of the following flowers changes colour according to soil pH?

a) ixora
b) buddleja
c) camellia
d) hydrangea

16. Which of the following is a major pest of azaleas?

a) white wax scale
b) aphids
c) lace bug
d) oedema

17. Which of the following trees is evergreen?

a) Japanese maple
b) Jamaican fiddlewood
c) English oak
d) Chinese elm

18. 'Kirin' is a cultivar of which plant?

a) Azalea
b) Gordonia
c) Michelia
d) Fuchsia

19. What are bracts?

a) soil-borne fungi
b) hooks for suspending hanging baskets
c) colourful leaves at the base of a flower
d) a type of secateurs

20. What has the Latin name Tacca chanteri?

a) bat plant
b) bog plant
c) bush basil
d) blue cohosh

ANSWERS BELOW










Answers
1. d); 2. c); 3. b); 4. c); 5. d); 6. a); 7. d); 8. a); 9. b); 10. c); 11. a); 12. b); 13. c); 14. b); 15. d); 16. c); 17. b); 18. a); 19. c); 20. a).

Piffka
Piffka, don't feel bad. I missed two of the questions in the first quiz.

BBB

And in the second, BBB?? Another couple.


Francis -- The new rose is so perfect (and perfectly photographed, too). I'm glad to think it is glowing with life right now. You must be very pleased to have so much beauty in your garden. (Don't stop!)


Sozobe -- Thanks for the tip on the million bells! There was also a very nice golden variety that I coveted. Did you see that color? I think I'll see if I can find them as starts rather than in finished baskets. Meanwhile, I'm going to move these lovelies to the spot with the most sun.

Let's change :

Just beautiful Francis, especially the water lilies. That
would be perfect breeding ground for Mosquitos here in
our climate....

Francis --- La Vie en Rose... and not just pink roses but "pink" waterlilies. I am amazed -- those are stunningly beautiful.

Also from today?










Mosquitos? LOL

Here, mosquitoes dont molest me that much...