13,520 Garden Web Discussions | Perennials

Well, here I am, eight days later, and I still have yellow jackets - except now I'm assuming I have ANGRY yellow jackets. Some are swarming inside the glass bowl and some are going in and out a new entrance hole.

Plan B starts tonight. The malathion is mixed and waiting on the deck. Layers of clothes are in the kitchen (for easy peeling in case they come after me). And to add just the right amount of hilarity to my ensemble, I dug out a headlamp to wear...thought it would be nice to see what I was doing.

The adventure Part II begins at ten. Update tomorrow.

Oh, and floral, I just loved that story!

This post was edited by ruth_mi on Sat, Aug 16, 14 at 20:50

They finally seem to be gone...but that bowl's not moving anytime soon. The day after spraying I still saw a few flying in and out. I was going to spray again last night but decided to wait. So relieved to be done with this!

I think next time I'd spray first, possibly throwing a glass bowl on top of the hole after spraying.

Really appreciate everyone's input!

i would never have the guts to do that ...

dig it up ... edge the bed ... separate the two ... replant ...

and next time.. stay on top of it ... its much easier to remove a few new pieces of grass in spring.. than redig the whole bunch ... eh ... been there.. done that ...

ken

Thanks to both of you. I think I will do as Ken said and dig it out. I may start tonight because tomorrow is rain and that will be good if I have to plant the snow in summer back. Shouldn't take too long. I thought I would probably have to do that. I love the snow in summer so will do what it takes . The lawn is next to the bed so some just seems to grow in the edge of the flower bed. Or I didn't get it all out when I planted the snow in summer last fall. Yes Ken you are so right I need to be better in tune to this and get it out the minute I see it. Thanks again to both of you for your help.

next to my deck ... over the septic.. i have a 6 by 10 foot plot ... usually all 4 oclocks...

and since they open in the afternoon.. in season... the deck is wafted with stink .. good stink ... whn i sit out there in the evening ....

and it attracts the hummers ... [i used to wear an orange ball cap ... and the hummers would buzz my head thinking i was some giant orange flower .. boy .. that gets the juices flowing.. like some F16 in your ear ... lol ]

first time in 20 years... the seeds didnt winter over for me ...

also in the plot.. is annual poppy ... annual celosia ... and there used to be larkspur.. but come to think of it.. they were gone this year also ... hmmmm ...

so mass plantings can be glorious.. if you have the space ...

ken

As Ken said so perfectly mass plantings can be glorious.. if you have the space.

I so need an acre lot...sigh.

This post was edited by rouge21 on Mon, Aug 18, 14 at 11:03

Very interesting. I usually use gloves because my alkaline soil is so drying to the hands, but it says we can inhale it, too. I know it does elevate my mood, but I thought it was sunshine and being out in nature. Who knew it's something in the soil, too!

I'm wondering if this would apply to potting mix as well. That could explain why so many people, including me, look forward to winter sowing. It makes me feel good in January to play with soil and seeds when it's cold and icy outside.

I always wear gloves when I garden. Can't STAND the feeling of dirt on hands or especially under nails.

two things... you posted also ...

ken

Nice! Rearranging is always a fun task, especially when it involves a new plant or two. And I agree about the buzzing and flitting. It's a pleasant reminder of the larger picture of why a healthy garden is important.

Congrats on a productive and enjoyable day!

Another vote of "no problem" for your fall planting plan. I think a lot of us do moving and dividing in the fall. I've learned that if it's something marginally hardy, the fall might not be ideal, but otherwise, go for it!

Thanks for joining and posting!

Thank you everyone. Great tips.

It is too dry. You can see space between the growing medium and the pot -- indicating the growing medium is dry as a bone. Best thing to do is to soak it in a bucket or large bowl of water, letting the medium wick up the water from underneath; this will fully saturate it. If you water from above when the medium is that dry, it will just run right through and out the bottom of the pot.

This is why I replant stuff that is replanted in straight potting mix (I make about a 50:50 mix of potting mix and high quality topsoil) - pure potting soil dries out in the blink of an eye, I have neither the time nor the desire to be a slave to my potted plants.

Hopefully the plant will be fine with a good from-below soaking; you will have to keep it well-watered after that, though. :0)

Agree. It looks like you could easily lift the whole ball out. If there is peat in the potting soil and its been allowed to become bone dry it will just repel water and the water will run down the sides and out the holes without wetting the soil. I'd soak the whole root ball especially if its packed with roots, loosen the roots in the outer soil and repot it in a larger pot as indicated by mxk or plant it in the ground where it would be happiest.

I'll try and get a picture later this afternoon.

Yes, it does take over the world, or at least it tries.

As promised, Photograph of Pycnanthemum muticum

I pulled out about half of it last year. So about everything past the rudbeckia is new. A big positive to having all of it this year, is this is the first time in ages the rudbeckia has bloomed. Usually the deer get to it at some point.

I suspect that "ground freeze " means different things to different people. I suspect the following is a dumb statement.

My sister in Alaska says her found freeze come from below, from the permafrost and there is no "extending the season" without a heated greenhouse.. Mulching does not help from that. Here in Texas the most "Ground freeze" I get is a rare less than 1 inch crust of freeze from a frost on top of the BARE soil. Usually never under tree cover or even grass cover. Mulch is a solution. A frost cover is a great solution. I remember not being able to dig in NH and NY state because the freeze was pretty deep. Sparks came off the shovel. we were building a kiln. That was a long time ago. I garden all winter long here.. planting shrubs and trees in December and january is smiled apron. I do try to get my trees in in October.

Thx all, think I'll xplant when nite temps hit 50s, be sure to use the "big gob of soil" technique, they'll love me next Spring.

They are beautiful, but lifting and storing isn't for me.

I love the various colours; they really come together when they are planted in a swath and are a similar height.

eeeeeeeewwwwwww.
Don't ducks eat snails and slugs? Maybe you could bring in a flock.... although I'm not sure how all the trampling and rooting about and pooping would fit into your garden scheme :)
ugh, even in pots things are not safe. I can't imagine.
Have you ever tried to loop a copper strip around the pot?

I do like the packaging, I've seen a couple pics from the UK of plants delivered this way.... also I love those Santa Rosa "socks". I hoard them for use in the summer to store dug up bulbs, they're just like those mesh bags usually used.... except I have no mesh bags, so socks it is! -socks, another good reason to order.... and they have a fall sale.... no. I will resist.
Unless I consider a few orders thrown out left and right to be "packaging research"? That might work!

I was working staining beams in a house and their yard had a major infestation of good sized snails. I took a bunch home for dinner and made my husband really happy. One could not walk in the yard without crunching on them. It was really creepy. They lined all the pots and the low fence. I parked on the street and scrubbed my work shoes off when I sat in my car.

As to the nifty packaging, It is good to see that some industrial arts packaging talents are being directed to these large nurseries. Annie's annuals and HCG have gotten both very different but ingeniously effective mailing systems.

Yellow echinacea (e. paradoxa) blooms only in spring, so there is no point in dead heading. Interspecific hybrids involving it have been weak in my experience. Here's a shot of it...

I have found a variety "Aloha" that blooms "summer through first frost". Anyone have experience with this one and what the upkeep is?

Gardeners:

That seems to be the one thing I'm running low on.....patience ; ) Seriously, I need to try to add that virtue to my strengths! I'm definitely still trying to root them but it might take a while to figure it out on my own. You know what they say work smarter not harder. That's why I thought I'd cheat and just ask around to all those folks who have already put in the hard work.

Learn to take pride & enjoy satisfaction with your garden successes, big and small. I began designing my garden beds in 2006. They were "finished" and looking like the pictures in my head by 2011, mostly thanks to winter sowing. Now I look them and wonder what I'm supposed to do from here on?

Gardening teaches patience since plants have their own agendas and timetables but the rewards of learning are well worth the effort.