Fresh out of the camera this morning.

23 Jul '07 7:33 am

I realized I (like so many of us here at Moosey's) haven't been shooting any photos lately. Since I didn't have the excuse of it being winter here I felt I needed to pick up the camera, go forth and take photos. Hope you enjoy them.

23 Jul '07 7:08 pm

Hi, Mark- Thanks for referring me here in your other message! I'm really impressed with your garden! And, yes, it turns out that your summer climate is very much like the one here. We tend to get more rain, I think, but there's usually at least one 6-week drought, and, since there's not much depth of topsoil on this rocky island, gardens dry out really quickly.

Loved all your pictures! Even the one of the empty pot where you had to move plants because of the heat, etc., made me feel good, since I'm not the only one who's had to do things like that! Very Happy

In the picture of the empty hole with the Gunnera, what's the other plant (shrub?) with the tiny leaves that tends to droop a bit? It looks interesting! That Gunnera is going to look really great once you get the pond in front of it, won't it? Is it going to be a still pond, with water lilies or something like that, or do you plan to have moving water in it? Or have you got that far in your plans yet?

I also really liked that picture of the island bed with the tall cactus with the fuzzy covering. Is that what is called an "Old Man's beard" cactus? And what's the plant with the candelabra-shaped flower head behind it? Is it an Agave or an Aloe? Do you think I could get something that has a head of flowers like that to grow here in a pot, maybe? That way I could bring it inside for winter and get it out of the rain and extreme cold.

Your Penstemon reminds me of my late "Sour Grapes". Is it that one? Whatever, it's really great!

How did your garden lights work out? Mine are fine, but now I need MORE!! Twisted Evil

Of course, I have really cheap electricity here (3rd cheapest in N. America), and with LED lights and solar ones, it won't cost too much.

I'm so glad that you and Jack are back from holidays! I've missed communicating with you guys! And everyone else seems to be too busy to get on the forum, so it's been really quiet.

Oh, yes, about the newly-sprouted Kniphofias: they just took their own good time to germinate! I actually planted them about a month ago, as soon as they arrived from Tasmania. And speaking of that, I have to remember to send some Trillium seeds out tomorrow to Jack in S. Africa. I've been a collecting maniac of late, as the Trilliums tend to ripen their seeds at very irregular rates. One day, they're not ready, and the next, they've opened and spilled all the seeds out! So I went collecting each day for 4 days to get enough to send off. Now I have to get out so I don't miss the Fritillaria seeds which are ripening quickly. I want some for my garden this year.

I found homes for another 6 of last year's primula seedlings today, but I still have a lot left. What to do? There are way more than I need, and I haven't the heart to compost them! And I have 3 more batches from this year's seeding still to deal with!! My garden is becoming VERY crowded! But it keeps the weeds down! Very Happy

Well, that's it for today. Again, I really liked your pictures! I'd love to see your garden for real, so to speak!

Cheers!

gordonf

24 Jul '07 7:19 am

Glad you liked the show. The plant with the smaller leaves, infront of the Gunnera is a loncera but it isn't one of the vining honeysuckles. I think it was Loncera nitida also called "Box Honeysuckle". I bought a cultivar, 'Silver Beauty' I think, which is supposed to have silver leaf margins but most of it has reverted. I like the way the smaller leaves look beside those of its behemouth neighbor. It is shaded both by the Gunnera, the bamboo behind it and the tall fence behind them both so I've never seen it bloom. Oh well, it earns its place in the garden for the folliage contrast alone.

The number one thing I want from my future pond is the reflection of the sky above. The second thing I want is for it to breed frogs and dragon flies, without also breeding mosquitos. I'll probably tailor marginal plantings to try to make the pond 'fit in' more naturally but I don't have any firmer ideas about particular plants yet. I agree the Gunnera will look good with a pond infront of it. It's funny that was the first thing planted in that part of the garden, at least 10 years ago. It has waited a long time.

The fuzzy, taller cacti are 'Strausii' but I forget what kind beyond that. It isn't the 'old man' cactus which gets both taller and larger in girth, but grows much slower. You could definitely grow the 'candleabra' looking succulent provided you kept it indoors during colder weather and avoided letting it get too much rain (even that might not matter if it drained well enough). It is a Euphorbia lambii that I bought in San Diego. It is pushing its limits a bit to grow it outside here but so far so good and I didn't cover it this past winter which was our hardest in years.

I envy you the ability to grow Fritallarias. They were one of my earliest obsessions. Local nurseries don't stock them and try hard to convince one not to try them here. Well, no one gets to grow everything.

If you ever come down to the bay area Gordon I hope you will come by for a visit. You'll definitely get a cuppa and if you come when I'm on break from teaching I cook you up something better. Bring your trunks and you can park your back infront of a jet in the hot tub to recover from the drive.

I was really sorry to learn that Moosey had been in San Francisco on her world tour. I would have loved to drive her around to gardens or have her over. Maybe next time.

Adios!

24 Jul '07 12:07 pm

Hi, Mark, and thanks for all the information. I'll begin looking for that euphorbia. Since your climate is so much like mine, I really can't see why you shouldn't be able to grow fritillarias, at least the smaller, native ones called, "Chocolate Lilies" because of their dark flowers. I could send you some seed to try, if you'd like. I'm going to collect some for myself in a week or so, so just let me know your mailing address if you'd like some. My "personal" email address is: gordonf@email.com.

I really like your vision for the pond. It's nice to have frogs and dragonflies around. I get a few tree frogs, although I haven't heard any so far this year. And once in a while a dragonfly visits my little barrel pond, which is always a highlight of my day (it doesn't take much after you've retired!! Very Happy

)!

All the best!

gordonf

24 Jul '07 5:11 pm

I have no idea how easy it would be from seed but all the flowers leave a nice big seed about the size of a nasturtium seed. I could collect some for you. The only problem is they usually disappear while they're still pretty green. I suspect some bird likes them. Would you recommend putting some fine material around them?

I'd be game to try the frittilaria seed but I'd appreciate your suggestions on how and when to start them. I'm not very accomplished in this area.

You said that R-word again. Ah, retirement. Some day, probably in about 7 or 8 years. I'm 54 and have only taught about 17 years. I'll be looking better for retirement if I can hold out a while. I'm still enjoying the teaching so far so we'll see.

Oh, I posted some more photos in this same forum this morning to show how new planter and table came out. Here is the connector:
http://forums.mooseyscountrygarden.com/viewtopic.php?p=10311#10311

Nighty night.

24 Jul '07 5:26 pm

Hi again, Mark-

I'd love some seeds of E. lambinii if you could send me some! And, yes, I'd suggest covering them with a mesh or even a light paper bag so they can ripen without being eaten.

As for the fritilaria seeds, I'll get some for you when I collect mine. I'm just going to plant them in a pot as soon as I get them and keep them in a shady place, watering them when I water other plants - I treat them as closely as they would be in the wild, with water every week or so until the fall rains come. When late winter arrives, it might be a good idea to bury the pot in the ground to prevent drying out in that "in-between" time when it's easy to forget about watering because it's still cool out. With luck, they should sprout in the spring. The seedlings will look like tiny blades of grass, so don't get carried away with weeding them! I did that once and pulled out a bunch of kniphofia seedlings! And this spring I nearly did the same with a bunch of snowdrop seedlings.

Just email me the address to send them to and I'll get them to you!

Cheers!

gordonf

25 Jul '07 4:30 am

Hi Mark! Great garden pictures to enjoy! Your Blanket flower is surely my winner! I just love its bright sunny colors and fabulous glow in the center, plus the interesting formation on its outer edges that reminds me of Lacecap Hydrangea! Me too love your pond project and wish you success with your lovely vision! Thanks lots for sharing! Very Happy

25 Jul '07 2:44 pm

Hi, Mark-

I picked the seeds today and they are now drying in the oven (turned off, of course!). I should have them in the mail to you on Friday. Good luck with them!

Cheers,

gordonf

25 Jul '07 5:14 pm

I'm not certain when I should pick the Euphorbia seeds. There are more on it than I remembered but they seem kind of green. I think I shoot a close up for you tomorrow to get your opinion about how long to wait before harvesting them. With your detailed directions I look forward to trying these fritallaria seeds.

25 Jul '07 6:43 pm

Hi, Mark- I'd wait until the pods (if that's what the seeds are in) look as if they are ready to split open. Perhaps a slight split on one side or something like that. That's why a light paper bag is good to put over them; that way, if you miss the opportune moment, they'll just spill the seeds into the bag. I do that sometimes with poppy seed pods, especially if the flower was a particular one that I wanted to propagate. Otherwise all the pods look the same! The seed pods I picked today were like that - they had split just a bit in one joint, so I picked them.

Cheers!

gord

Fresh out of the camera this morning.

Fresh out of the camera this morning.

Wow!

Thanks for stopping in, Gordon.

Thanks!

Would you like seeds from the E. lambii?

Seeds

Fritillaria Seeds

Thanks Gordon.

Seeds