Mumsy's Romantic Garden Advice

[MumsyII]

Thank you! I am really looking forward to the class, as much as the ones tied to my major and I am fanatic about those so it really says something. Classes start on Monday and I'm already knee-deep in the book.

I know that display! The indoor section is great for ideas. My daughter really likes it when we go to Mulhalls, it's where I go to get any landscaping things for the house. Their staff is very knowledgeable and helpful. When we went in the spring to get tomato plant supplies, they were giving away daisy plants with every purchase and let her pick one. Miraculously, it is still alive and kicking.

I will have to look up where the Heron Haven is, and take a trip out there with my daughter. Thank you for posting about it. I'm originally from California and there's so much awesome here that is tucked away into little nooks of the city, I'm still learning where to find them.

We all have our favorite nurseries. Some I go to just to escape and dream. Some are my places of choice to purchase. The best in my estimation are those that put together awesome vignettes of plants that give me inspiration.

Omaha is home to many friends of mine. Close friends. They are like family. When I get a chance to travel, Omaha is my go to place. I play Blue Grass and old time folk music on a couple stringed instruments. I've got a Banjo-uke and a mandolin. My friends all play in bands over there and they have taught me. So when I visit, we jam, go out to great eateries, and they show me all the parks and arboretums. Another couple places you should look up is Tranquility Park and the OPPD arboretum. Great places to see native plants and trees.


Wild mushrooms growing in Tranquility Park. Omaha, Nebraska.


Tradescantia (Spiderwort) growing wild at Heron Haven. A nice perennial for wild areas.

Every region has places like this. Where I live the region is dripping with rain forests, national parks, and wildlife habitat. Great places to get ideas for your garden. Zoos are also great places to see what kind of trees and shrubs will grow in your area. Take your camera, note book, and a picnic and enjoy.

 

[Jessica Lynn]

Tradescantia (Spiderwort) growing wild at Heron Haven. A nice perennial for wild areas.

We always called those "wild four o'clocks" when I was little. It's nice to find out what they really are!

 

[Kassaundra]

I knew they were spider wort, but we used to call them pollution plants (I think b/c they grow roadside a lot) but not sure.

 

[MumsyII]

Tradescantia ohiensis, (spider wort) is hard to find in nurseries here. I used to have a deep blue and a white variety. They died out years ago. They are charming in their wildflower kind of look and behavior. I always liked how the individual blossoms turn into a drop of water when spent. They are sometimes called Brides tears for this reason. Some places they are called Blue Jacket. I have heard of a deep pink one and there is a named variety called 'Blushing Bride'.

It never set seed in my garden. Pity. I wish I still had it.

Tradescantia is related to Wandering Jew and the Spider plant. There are thousands of types. It's native to America.

 

[Leahs Mom]

I got behind!!!!! I'm way back on post 342

But hopefully will catch up this weekend!

 

[BlueMouse]

so.... I pointed out to my husband that I had weeded the stump and planted some nice flowers that would sort of naturalize it. He said: "I thought it was pretty the way it was."

He'll like it once the creeping jenny takes over and the liverwort grows up a bit.... I'm moving on to making some defined areas of garden, putting up a small fence and archway, removing some sod. I won't plant anything this year, but just get the area defined and hopefully mulch down the weeds. Then I can dream over my garden catalogs all winter... I want one more fruit tree, maybe a pear, and a couple BIG roses. I was thinking of getting a Grandiflora, the Scarlett Knight cultivar gets good reviews for actually having a fragrance and being (relatively) disease free and it repeats. I love repeating roses. I'm thinking of planting blueberry bushes along the fence, with some shorter perennials or reseeding annuals in front of them.... starting to get ideas... Love seeing all of the photos and hearing about people's plants here, it's really getting my mind going.



Rose "Angel Face" just started blooming. My husband brought this home one day this spring. He saw it at a local garden center, said he couldn't resist bringing it home for me because of the name.



calendula. I grew this very sucessfully from seed. It opens bright tangerine and then fades to creamy orange. I'm hoping it reseeds here, and saving some seed hoping to start new plants for next year. Calendula is not only a very pretty flower but a dead useful plant.

PS. I'm jealous of the college course, it sounds like an amazing and fascinating opportunity!!

 

[midnightroo]

Love spider wort. We had a purple plant, but the others crowded it out. Might have to look I to finding more and a place for them in the garden. They do have a nice look to them.

Beautiful rose blue mouse! You are so head of the game! Have you looked into lasagna gardening? You could do something like that for the areas where you want to plant in the spring so it will be already to go for you when you are ready. Plus you don't have to dig up the sod.

Our calendula is yellow

Our first cantaloupe/ muskmelon. Hubby brought the seeds home from work and I threw them in the garden not expecting them to grow, because they never do for me, and they have done very well this year. I picked this one too early, I am still learning on when to pick melons, I never seem to get it just right.

 

[armorfirelady]

Beautiful pictures everyone.

While camping we stopped at a store and they rose of Sharon bushes that had double flowers. It was stunning. My mom looked for seed pods on it but its still to early. I was hoping to grab a couple seed pods to being back home.

There are a lot of grape vines at the sate park we are at. I was going to cut a few snips off

to bring back home but they all have this fungus/spore on them so I won't. My mom thought a clipping of one that was on same plant but spore free would be ok but I am afraid it will still get them since the other leaves have it.

 

[Kassaundra]

Beautiful pictures everyone.

While camping we stopped at a store and they rose of Sharon bushes that had double flowers. It was stunning. My mom looked for seed pods on it but its still to early. I was hoping to grab a couple seed pods to being back home.

There are a lot of grape vines at the sate park we are at. I was going to cut a few snips off to bring back home but they all have this fungus/spore on them so I won't. My mom thought a clipping of one that was on same plant but spore free would be ok but I am afraid it will still get them since the other leaves have it.

I would think you would be more likely to get a double flowered bush from a cutting rather then seeds from that bush.

 

[armorfirelady]

Hmmm I never thought of that kaussandra ....... I would of thought the seeds would be the same as the plant? Hmmmmmm maybe if we go back that way we take a cutting. After we ask of course . Tho I doubt the attendants at the had station would care lol