Garden Geeks thread

[leswp1]

Got out last cuke today. Beans are mostly spent but tomatoes, S squash, zukes are still going. The hummingbirds are still here. Everyone else says theirs are gone but ours are buzzing about demented, fighting each other over the sage and fuchsia. We had extreme drought for weeks. Most of my perennials are crisped but the side garden planted this yr (in the shadow of the house for a lot of the day) is happy.

[dxmnkd316]

Nice work!!! I'm sure the payoff will be huge when you're done.

(I know the feeling not being able to plant.)

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

I’m wrecked. Dug up the quack grass, planted a new garden. For my backyard that had a back section of nothing but crap- bought a ton of natives to plant back there.

dog wood, prairie smoke, blazing sun, phlox, blue cap iris

now I can’t even move to plant them as my lower back has some serious issues

and I’ve spent like 1k at Gertens this summer I am sure

[leswp1]

As a climate change fiend, I’m making changes now to get heat and drought tolerant plants, as I’m sure many sane people are doing.

Real fun will be getting perennials for my backyard, which need to tolerate full sun but also standing water at times

I know this pain. So far Monarda, Filipendula, Iris, Vervain, and digitalis seem to be doing OK

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Excellent choices and *ahem* perennial short listers.

As a climate change fiend, I’m making changes now to get heat and drought tolerant plants, as I’m sure many sane people are doing.

Real fun will be getting perennials for my backyard, which need to tolerate full sun but also standing water at times

[leswp1]

Last few yrs grew papyrus in pots on the deck. Paired with coleus. They grow HUGE, have beautiful structure, act like a screen and have interest even after the cold kills them. Trying to figure out if I want to do the same combo again.

[dxmnkd316]

Excellent choices and *ahem* perennial short listers.

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Nice. I make all my own except for a few banding baskets. Spent a lot this year but always center my two centerpiece containers around a big tropical and then pergilla, grasses (this year I chose Fiber Optic), salvia, coleus and a few others. Then vinca, petunias and caliobrocha all over the other containers
this year my favorite is trandescondia zebrina- was always my grandmas favorite although that’s not the name it’s always been known by

[dxmnkd316]

Lol don’t worry.

you know what really bothered me about Gertens this year? Maybe it’s like this every year but I didn’t notice til now…every combo planter has freaking geraniums in them. I hate geraniums and just wanted a few hanging baskets. So bachmanns it was

We love making our own and matching the flowers. This year's crop was:

Lantana (one of my favorites - found a guava one this year that smells incredible)
(regular) verbena
heliotope
marigolds (first time for us)
gomphrena (poofs!)
zinnias
snap dragons
cuphea
gypsophelia
gerber daisy
dahlia
regal geraniums
and a few others I can't remember

were hoping our native bed comes back in full this year. Tons of native coneflowers, dianthus, salvia, bee balm. We spread a bunch of their seeds too in the fall.

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

I figured. I almost rewrote that to make sure I didn't come off the wrong way. Sorry about that. Wasn't my intention.

Lol don’t worry.

you know what really bothered me about Gertens this year? Maybe it’s like this every year but I didn’t notice til now…every combo planter has freaking geraniums in them. I hate geraniums and just wanted a few hanging baskets. So bachmanns it was

[leswp1]

Digging a new garden bed. Went to get some amendments at the local discount store where I usually get flats of generic stuff. Usually people do not plant until Memorial Day weekend as we have frost sometimes until about then. I was going to wait until next week to get the flats. The place is almost cleaned out. Came home with stuff I was not prepared to have yet but refuse to pay 4$ a flat so oh well. Meanwhile at the local nursery they barely have some stuff out and are selling generic stuff way before it is safe to buy.
Tomatoes were slow to start as we have had chilly temps and I start them on my sunporch. All of a sudden we have 80F and poof. All the flowering trees came out and are dropping petals in 3 days or less.
I have kept a garden journal for 21 yrs and looking at the changes in temp and when things bloom is really something. Some things are still on schedule, others are blooming earlier. What used to be sequenced blooms in the garden is now a crap shoot

[dxmnkd316]

Oh I know all the secrets to Gertens. Love that place.

i have 1-2 things I will go to bachmanns for, that’s it.

I figured. I almost rewrote that to make sure I didn't come off the wrong way. Sorry about that. Wasn't my intention.

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Oh I know all the secrets to Gertens. Love that place.

i have 1-2 things I will go to bachmanns for, that’s it.

[dxmnkd316]

Gertens has been a absolute ****show this week. Went there Tuesday at noon and overflow lots were full.

fml I need to go there again tomorrow

Street parking was all the way back to the turn onto their street. If you're willing to walk a couple blocks, no big deal.

It is extremely hard to beat their prices and quality. We try to shop as local as we can. Small family owned shops > Gerten's >> Menards >> Home Depot. For about a quarter cheaper, we got herbs 2x the size of the Despot or Menards. Which isn't to say the quality is **** at either, it's just not Gertens.

for the out-of-towners: it's a mega greenhouse and garden store that's almost impossible to believe. Take a look at the satellite

https://goo.gl/maps/UAYe4iKjTHT3JwYb9

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Gertens has been a absolute ****show this week. Went there Tuesday at noon and overflow lots were full.

fml I need to go there again tomorrow