The Gardens of Gear Acres

First Hosta Purchase of the Year

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Fri, 01 Jun 2018 04:10:00 +0000

I had not intended to buy any hostas today because I was at the garden shop to buy geraniums. We were on our way to the cash register when my eye caught what looked like hostas in the next greenhouse and the hunt for a new hosta was on.

I have over 300 different varieties of hostas in my garden so I am happy to find just one that I don't already own. I walked along the first row saying "Got it. Got it. Got it. Got it." I'm thinking "bummer" as I started down the next row. I am about 5 plants from the end of the last row when I scored gold and that gold would be in the form of Saint Elmo's Fire.

Then I scored again with Fragrant Blue. I already have 3 or 4 from the Fragrant line and they have everything that I like to see in a hosta. The flowers are white and fragrant and they have thick leaves. But this one is different in that it falls into the 'small' size category where as all my other Fragrant line hostas are tall and fall into the medium/large to large size category.

Hostas come in all sizes. From smallest to largest is miniature, dwarf, small, medium, large, extra large, and giant. The smallest hosta that I have in my garden is Pandora's Box and the largest is the giant size Empress Wu.

Buying hostas that stay small and short is what allows you to layer your hostas. There is nothing more striking than to have a tall blue hosta with a small short yellow hosta just ever so slightly tucked underneath the taller blue hosta. This combo will make the blue appear bluer and the yellow will pop even in deep shade.

I was so excited about finding these two that I forgot to put a 3rd hosta in my cart. So tomorrow I will head back and buy 'Barbara Ann'.

Just in case you haven't read any of my other posts on hostas and want to catch up, just type in HOSTA in the search bar at the top on the right side.

I snapped a couple of photos to show you which hosta to buy when you have the option to choose between two of the same hostas.

In the photo above of the hosta 'Barbara Ann', you can see that there is just one stem. There is nothing wrong with buying a single stem plant BUT if you can find a multi stemmed plant like the one below, you then can divide the plant before you put it in the ground. I wrote adetailed post on how to divide hostas several years ago so if you need info on how to divide, you can find that by using the search bar on this blog.

Why divide before you plant? I think the number 1 reason is that it is far easier to divide a small plant then it is to dig up a large, heavy plant and try to divide it without damaging the plant. Hostas are hardy plants and can take a lot of abuse. But my back can't handle the abuse of lifting a heavy plant out of the ground and then try and divide that plant into multiple plants.

The number 2 reason to divide a plant before you put it in the ground is that it lowers your per plant cost. If you buy a plant for $19.99 and you can divide it into 4 plants then the cost per plant went from $19.99 to 5 bucks per plant.

The hostas today cost $8.98 each and had I been able to find one with two stems, it would have lowered my per plant cost to $4.48 each.

My cousin Judy is responsible for my hosta addiction and until I saw all of her different hostas, I thought all hostas were green. How little did I know back then that hostas could be green, blue, yellow, and white and any combination of those colors, even within one leaf.

If after reading my posts on hostas and you find yourself with a hosta addiction, don't blame me. Blame my cousin Judy.

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Our Paw Paw Tree has Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Thu, 31 May 2018 03:16:00 +0000

....and flowers mean that there is a possibility of fruit.

We are shocked because this is just year 3 since we planted the two paw paw trees. Last spring and this spring we actually thought that they had died or were in the process of dying. We will need to remember that they are late blooming trees.

One of the trees has 9 blossoms and the other has 17. All the paw paw literature says that you need at least 2 trees for cross pollination. Unless these flowers get pollinated there will be no fruit.

They are great looking flowers, aren't they?? Can you imagine a 20 foot tree covered with these blossoms?

I doubt that we will have any paw paw fruit last on the branch until it is ripe. The fruit is quite large and heavy and the current state of the tree branches is more twiggy than branchy.

The blueberry bushes are blossoming, too. The flowers are not as striking or showy, as the paw paw blossoms, but I know that these branches can handle the weight of the blueberries.

This is a Jelly Bean variety of blueberries. It's a small compact blueberry bush with full size fruit. It is also a prolific fruit bearer and the perfect size for use in the landscape.

The only danger of fruit not lasting until harvest is from finger blight. That is where you pick off and eat all the fruit, one berry at a time, before you have a chance to harvest.

Sometimes R and I walk around the yard during the summer and graze. Then when lunchtime rolls around neither one of us are hungry. Win win for me.

R loves when fall rolls around and he can sample the apple trees every day. He found out that eating 3 apples in one day has an unpleasant effect. I reminded him that the says is....an apple a day, keeps the doctor away.

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Hosta Update...Front Yard Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Sun, 05 Jun 2016 15:40:00 +0000

The hostas are just now starting to look good. We've had a lack of rain in the last week or so that has slowed down the growth of the newer hostas in the back yard so I'll just show off the more mature hostas in the front yard.

Let's start with the front bed in the center of the circular driveway. These hostas get the most sun and the least rain fall but look at them. They look wonderful. Hostas once they are established are really self sufficient.

I only water my established hostas when we are experiencing a drought.

Some of the stand outs in the above beds are the yellowy/orange hostas in the center of the photo. It is called Orange Marmalade. As the summer progresses it turns to more of a yellow.

In the above photo is a bright chartreuse green hosta called I don't know...really. I thought it was Captain Kirk but I just looked on Hosta Library and it isn't Captain Kirk. Might be Rain Forest Surprise.

Hanky Panky is the varigated hosta in the photo above. It goes through several changes as the summer progresses. My favorite phase is right now.

Your blue hosta will be this blue if you keep it in deep shade. The blue comes from a wax coating on the leaves and if left in the sun the wax melts and the hosta will look green.

June Fever (rt) is a fave of mine because of it's thick leaves.

Jimmy Crack Corn is a large leaf yellow with a pie crust edge.

This hosta is considered a giant. Believe it or not, there is a boulder behind that Singing in the Rain hosta. That's Rain Forest Surprise sticking out from underneath it on the right side.

And I'll finish up with one of my all time favorites, Tom Schmid. It's a blue with an almost white margin.

If you like yellow and blue in the same hosta then Great Expectation is another beautiful hosta. But it works best in a shady spot with morning only sun at the most. I have one somewhere in the yard but I currently do not have photo.

So what do you think? I love it when people tell me that they do not like hostas because they are all green. I don't see all green, do you? I do though, see a lot of weeds. Note to self....weed the hosta beds.

2013 Summer Blooms

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Wed, 05 Mar 2014 03:22:00 +0000

I was so busy and the weather was so hot that most of my blooms came and went fairy fast. I did was lucky and captured these blooms before they wilted.

Super Large Lilies

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Sun, 09 Feb 2014 13:38:00 +0000

This past summer was the first time in three years that they survived the deer and were able to bloom.

They are huge.

I need to remember to plant more of these in the fall. Unfortunately, come autumn I am always up to my ears in raking leaves and completely run out of time to do anything else.

Winter Ice Storm Damage

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 09:12:00 +0000

This is so sad. We spent a good part of the summer dead branches, cutting down down trees, and shaping some of our newer trees. It may all be for naught now.

The vertical juniper that we planted 8 years ago was finally big enough to hide the gas meter and exhaust ducts for the two furnaces. Looks like the only thing the juniper is hiding now is the driveway. It will need to be removed and replaced.

The old triple trunk pine that we have spent years removing dead branches and shaping into something other than an awkward half dead pine tree is not a single trunk pine with two broken trunks. It will need removing. This will actually give us a chance to plant a large spruce in the center of the triangle shaped green space. The triple trunk pine was right on the edge and sometimes made it hard for large vehicles to maneuver around the circle driveway.

Our two huge silver maples are a mess and will require professional help. I know they are really prone to breakage but one is well over 100 years old and the other is probably 75 years old.

I had hoped to get an early start on painting the house this spring but I can see that we will probably spend the first month, after the snow melts and the lawn dries up, just trying to pick up branches.

Building Veggie Cages

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:14:00 +0000

The idea to build these tomato cages came while watching a garden show on TV. I can't remember exactly which show it was but that doesn't matter because we changed up the design slightly and modified the building process.

We used old wood from previous demos here at 'The Gear'. Our stash of old wood is now reduced to small pieces and plywood. Either we need to tear something down or we will now have to resort to actually buying wood for our projects.

First step was to buy a roll of fencing. This will determine the measurements you use to cut all your wood. Remember to buy fencing with large openings that are big enough to get your hand or a large tomato through the opening.We cut sections of the fence into lengths that were 4 squares (openings) wide. This made the sides of the cage about 20 inches wide. This particular cage will house pole beans so we are making it twice the height of the fence.

We ripped used lumber into roughly 2 x 2 lengths using the table saw. The TV show ripped a groove down the middle of the 2 X 2 so that you could insert the fencing. We did that for this cage be will modify all future cages to omit this step and just use double pointed staples to hold the fence in place. We found that the groove did not entirely hold the fence in place and that a staple was needed to keep the fence from slipping out of the groove. So if you are going to use staples anyways why bother with cutting the groove in the first place.I painted the sides using flat black spray paint so that it would hopefully look like black iron. I would suggest painting the wood before assembling but I was unable to because it has been raining and I wanted to spray paint outside.Once we had the cage fully assembled and painted it was time to guild the lily. In my attempt to make the cage look like it was assembled out of wrought iron I felt I needed some sort of ornamentation on each corner. So I used a doll head. Say what!!!!???? Yup you read that right a doll head. I went to Michael's Craft store and bought little round wooden balls that they use as doll heads. They worked great because they were flat on one side and were predrilled. I drilled the hole completely through and inserted a nail. I could have used a doubled threaded stud but they are rather expensive and I wanted to keep this project on the cheap side. You could also use old wooden drapery finials or really anything that is interesting and would hold a coat of paint. Wouldn't a small bird look cute perched on the top of the cage?Once the wooden balls were installed I squirted them with some flat black paint and we were done. We will make two more tall cages for pole beans and 5 short cages for tomatoes. I think these cages could also be planted with a climbing rose or maybe clematis plants. They are definitely more visually appealing than the standard wire tomato cages. This would be a great winter project but unfortunately I didn't get the idea until a month ago. Oh well, C'est la vie (such is life).

Yankee Candle has Seed Mats on Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 22:32:00 +0000

Use this promo code XF912A2 to save $10 on a $20 order at the Yankee Candle site.

They currently have seed mats on sale. The three types are wildflower, butterfly garden, and giant pumpkin. See mats are 17 inches wide and 5 feet long. I bought the butterfly garden mat for $1.75 each. That is about the price of one packet of seed.

The seed mats are listed under What's on Sale/miscellaneous.This the description of the butterfly garden mat that I purchased.

Attract multitudes of butterflies with this colorful blend of cornflowers, cosmos, coreopsis, black-eyed Susan, zinnia and more. Contains both annuals and perennials for quick and long lasting color in summer. 17 x 5 long.

Pinespple Sage in Bloom

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:23:00 +0000

Talk about a late bloomer. My pineapple sage has started to bloom.This sage smells just like pineapple. I haven't tried this herb yet but I think pineapple sage would go nicely with ham. I'll have to try that next year.

A Pair of Pears

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 02:46:00 +0000

What a lovely pair of pears. These two perfect pears came from a tree in our yard. This was the first time this particular tree has had fruit and it only produced two pears. We do not spray our fruit trees but we do add organic fertilizer in the spring.

Go to my kitchen blog to see what I did with these two pretty pears.

I will need to get out my binder to find out exactly which variety this is but I am going to take a stab and say they are Bartlett pears.

Hardy Hibiscus

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 04:00:00 +0000

I thought this plant had died. I know that they don't pop out of the ground until late May or early June. But seriously it didn't start to grow until July and then I thought it might just be a weed.

I am not sure of the exact variety of hibiscus but it is a cross between red and hot pink.
Rain drops on a red Knock Out rose.One of the few Midnight Blue roses that was not devoured by Japanese beetles.
The gardens are winding down and soon I will be cutting flowers back, throwing out tomato plants, and raking leaves.

End of Summer Produce

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:30:00 +0000

Earlier this spring I bought a bag of discounted bulbs. I threw them in a pot and forgot about them. Look what I have now.......Isn't it beautiful. I think it is an anemone. I'll have to check my folder to be sure but I do know that whatever it is isn't hardy and that is why I planted them in a pot. I don't particularly care for bulbs or plants that need to be dug up in the fall, stored all winter, and replanted in the spring. I just don't have the time. But I think for these lovely blooms I will make an exception to the rule.

The photo below shows the Royal Standard hostas that I transplanted. You can also see the Irish and Scotch mosses that I planted last month. This is probably as far as I will get on this project this year.

The utility company, Consumers Energy, marked some of our trees for removal. Thank goodness they came by when they did as I was just getting ready to call the tree trimmers to remove them.
Time is running out on the produce here at 'The Gear'. The tomatoes are past their prime but are slowly turning out a dozen or so every day. I've been passing our extras on to neighbors family, friends, and anyone who will even look my way. Cathy, my neighbor, has been canning. She past along a a couple of jars of stewed tomatoes. I used one jar the other day. I mixed it with a carton of V8 herbal tomato soup and then poured it over some fresh 4 cheese ravioli. It was soooooo good.
The Asian pears are ripe. What in the world do you do with three trees full of pears? I also have an additional 2 trees with Comice and Keifer pears but those trees only have a few pears each. The red Bartlett pear tree is still young and did not produce fruit this year.
Check out the size of those pears. What a pair of pears!Next year when I have a little more time I will try and make pear sauce and apple/pear sauce. I did bake a pear cobbler but was disappointed in the results. R says it was just fine but it wasn't what I expected. It seemed too doughy. I think I actually wanted a crisp or something along that line.

A Special Box Arrived Today

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:25:00 +0000

A box arrived in the mail today from my blogger friend Sandy. It was a box of iris bulbs.
R loves irises. So recently I purchased several bulbs to add to our iris collection. But now I have a bountiful supply of blue irises. Thank you Sandy.

I was able to plant three areas with iris bulbs....in front of the house, side yard by the deck, and out front by the fence. This will give me color in the yard between the tulip/lilac bloom time and peony bloom time.

Thank you again Sandy.

Tomatoes, Copper Misters, & More Hosta Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 05:17:00 +0000

We are up to our ears in tomatoes. AND for the very first time we have plums.

In the photo below we have Belgium Giant, Marglobe, Golden Jubilee, Amish Paste, Black Russian, and Early Girl. The plums are a Japanese variety called Satsuma.
I need everyone to keep their eyes open for these copper mister/sprinkler things. They are shaped like a mushroom and have a squirter on the top. I bought these two at Meijer two years ago. They had 4 but I talked myself out of the other two. I really need 4. If anyone sees them any where for any amount, let me know. I will forever be in your debt.
What would a garden report be without a post about hostas? I've been slowly working on my miniature hosta bed. I planted some Royal Standard hostas around a large tree next to the sidewalk. Rather than having all miniature hostas I added a clump of Irish moss and Scotch moss.I really hope we can finish the fountain next year. The blue tarp doesn't blend well with the rest of the garden or with anything else for that matter.

Onion and Garlic Chives

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 04:52:00 +0000

Today I made a quick run to Lowe's to see what they had on sale in the garden center. This time of year is perfect for scoring loads of deals on perennials. They may not look their best but come next year you will be happy you only paid a fraction of the full price.

I have both onion chives and garlic chives planted in my garden. The onion chives are doing great and are multiplying. The garlic chives on the other hand seem to be slow growers. I've been looking for three more plants to fill in but garlic chives are harder to come by. Today was my lucky day. I was able to get three very healthy plants to fill in my garlic chive plot.

Garlic chives have a flatter leaf and a white blossom which blooms later in the year.

Garlic Chive

Onion chives on the other hand have leaves that are tubular and have a light purple or pinkish flower in the spring.

Onion Chive

Onion Chive Blossom

I also bought several dark burgundy leaf sedum to plant between the Autumn Joy that I planted earlier in the year.

I also scored two Pink Double Delight cone flowers. They rang up $14.95 each. Egads! They were pretty ragged looking so I asked if they were on sale. The cashier called over some one who had the authority to verify prices. She took one look at them and said "ring them up at 4 each." Now that is more like it.

It kind of reminds me of a cross between a pincushion flower and a cone flower. Now I just need to find a place to plant them.

There's Fungus Among Us

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 02:33:00 +0000

Mr. Frost was trimming his large magnolia tree and cut off a limb that had shelf or bracket fungus on it.This shelf bracket fungus was bigger than my hand.We also had shelf fungus growing on a log we were saving. Earlier this summer while my husband was cutting up the dead trees we had cut down he came across a limb that had been hollowed out by a bird (probably woodpecker).Look at how smooth the bird was able to carve out the limb. Amazing.

Miniature Hostas

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 02:14:00 +0000

I couldn't resist the urge to snap a few photos of my miniature hostas. Some were in bloom but all were cute as a button. I placed a quarter in the photos so that you could better gauge the size of these miniature plants.

This is my newest miniature hosta acquisition....Teeny Weeny. The quarter is that round white disk in the bottom right corner.
This one is called Dragon Tails. This plant is 3 years old and was started with a single eye.Rock Princess....rocks...don't you think?The next two photos are of unusual hostas that are in my garden. The first photo is Praying Hands, a small upright hosta.
The next one is Fire Island, a small yellow hosta with red stems.Here's an up close photo of the stems. From far away it appears that the stems are solid red but up close you notice the stems are covered with red dots.
I have no ideas why this particular hosta has holes in the leaves. None of my other hostas have this affliction.

Butterflies and Tomatoes

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 04:55:00 +0000

In between, running off trespassers and spectators from the Buick Open urinating in my bushes, we were able to enjoy one male Tiger Swallowtail and three Monarch butterflies.The Tiger Swallowtail was easy to photograph. I stood there for at least 15 minutes as he went from flower to flower. The Monarch butterflies were more skittish but at one time three of them were flying around my head.

If you are interested in Monarch butterflies visit the Monarch Watch site. This site is loaded with all sorts of interesting Monarch info.

Any day now we will have more tomatoes than we can eat. But today we finally got a small taste of what is to come.
The Brown Berry heirloom tomato was listed as a cherry tomato but I think it is too big to be classified as a cherry but it is also too small for a small tomato. When you slice it, it reminds me of a Black Russian style tomato kind of dark green in the center. Taste was so so.

Lordy lordy.....I just noticed I spelled heirloom incorrectly on the paper plate. How embarrassing. I would take another photo but we ate the tomatoes. Sorry my paper plate didn't have spell check.

Cone Flowers Upclose

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:40:00 +0000

My cone flowers are doing great this year. Probably the best year yet. So I got out the camera and snapped a few for future reference.

I planted two different varieties. Magna was one type and I forgot the name of the other. I just looked up the correct names......the photo below is of Magnus and the second photo is Ruby Star.

Did you notice that the petals are different? On one type the petal sticks out and the other the petals droop. I could stick a Viagra joke in here but I won't. Just chuckle and smirk and let's move on.

Look...it's a little honey bee. He's a busy little bee.

I've Got a Monkey on my Back and It's Called Daylily

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 03:58:00 +0000

Oh boy.......I figured out how to legitimize my day lily addiction.

Once I get my fence row cleared out and plant more lilacs, I will need to fill in spots with plants that are hardy. Day lilies fit the bill. Day lilies are on sale right now.

So that means I bought more day lilies.

Daring Deception.....a lovely day lily for close to the house. I also bought a dark purple day lily but it is currently not blooming.I bought 6 each of these two types of miniature day lilies. The yellow variety is eenie meenie and the other variety is eenie allegro. They only grow to 12 inches tall. We decided to use hot bright colors in the outside fence row planting area. Our reasoning was that as people speed by at 55 mph they will be able to see bright flowers easier than plants with flowers of subdued color like pale pink.I can also add in all the orange/dark rust color day lilies I have in the back yard.

Speaking of addictions. I normally cut the flowers stalks off my hostas unless they are white. Since I have been side tracked with other projects, this chore went undone. But lo and behold look......one of the hostas has bloomed with a dark purple flower stalk. Not only dark purple but stripped dark purple.

I Feel a Day Lily Addiction Starting

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 03:25:00 +0000

I like easy to care for plants. You know the kind you stick in the ground and occasionally water and maybe give them a dose of fertilizer now and again. Finicky plants don't belong in my garden, I haven't the patience for them. This is why I like hostas, day lilies, shrub roses, and peonies.

My hosta addiction is going strong but I rarely find a hosta I don't already own. I might be able to add one or two here and there but I'll save those spots for something special. So it's on to day lilies. I purchased several more the other day and filled in a bed that has killed a handful of plants already. This bed also has irises happily growing so I know day lilies can take the heat and occasionally dryness that this bed throws at it's residents.

Check out these additional day lilies that are now blooming in my yard.

An unknown variety that was on sale for 5 bucks.
Inwood
Strawberry CandyPandora's Box
I have finally figure out which is which with these next two day lilies.

This is Silk Stockings and.....
this is Bela Lugosi........I think......don't hold me to it.
I have another variety that should open tomorrow.

Garden Update

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 14:29:00 +0000

Let take a walk around and see what is new in the garden.

Only a few new flowers blooming in the garden currently. Of course the hostas are in bloom but I normally cut the flowers off the hostas unless it's a white fragrant bloom.

The next two photos from different angles of the same hosta bed out by the street. You can see in the second photo the awful looking chair link fence. My plan is to paint it satin black in the hopes that it fades into the background when you look at it. Right now it just sticks out like a sore thumb.
Here are two of my favorites hostas. June in the foreground and Krossa Regal in the background. Slightly to the left is the upright hosta called Praying Hands.Normally I do not mulch but I found that at this house is it necessary. This rose bed by the driveway is just one of those places. The lavender is finally starting to look filled in and spectacular. But of course there is always one or two plants that will not cooperate. I am waiting to remove one almost dead lavender and will buy two to replace it when plants go on sale this fall.
An unmarked sale rose that I recently purchased.A Portland rose that is very fragrant but on the small side. Also the blooms last maybe two days, max.
These three butterfly bushes are suppose to be Black Knight but I am skeptical. They tend to me more of a medium purple and no where near as dark as the photos of Black Knight that I have seen elsewhere.This I believe is a white version of Veronica or the common name Speedwell but don't quote me on that.

Fruit on the Trees and on the Ground

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:24:00 +0000

I'm at loss for why our fruit will not stay on the trees. R thinks it's because the tree just are not big enough yet to sustain the fruit.

All the peaches, nectarines, and apricots have all dropped off the trees. Apples, plums, and pears are hanging on. The plums are falling but we still have fruit on the trees. The Stanley plums are doing the best of all the plum varieties. The pears have always done well especially the Asian pears. We didn't spray the apples so they are looking bad but at least 50% are still on the trees.

These next photos are of 3 different types of plums. We have a 4th type, Satsuma plum, but the Japanese beetles have had a sweet old time and have destroyed all the fruit and some of the leaves.
20th Century Asian Pear.

Another variety of Asian pear.The next two are Comice and Keiffer but I don't know which is which.
We also have some tomatoes. Earlier in the week we had our first BLT of the year that was made with one of our home grown tomatoes. Despite the unfriendly tomato weather, we did pick two maters this last week. Even though we planted Early Girl, our first tomato was a smallest Mortgage Lifter and an average size Amish Paste tomato. While taking photos today I noticed several more that are starting to turn. Early Girl was not among them. I guess I must have bought the late blooming variety of Early Girl.Either Brown Berry or Grape tomato.

Gear Acres' Day Lilies

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 03:45:00 +0000

Despite the cool weather........let me rephrase that......despite the cold weather we have been experiencing in Michigan this July the day lilies are blooming.

I like day lilies. They are so reliable. I have never lost a transplanted day lily and day lilies are fairly bug resistant. About the only insects that have harmed any of my day lilies are the ants. The ants built an ant hill on top of the plant and this causes the leaves to die but I bet it will come back next year.

I've tried to keep my day lily buying limited to pinks, purples, reds, and whites. This spring I transplanted a day lily of unknown color from the Torrey Road house to the Grand Blanc house. The plant never bloomed because it was planted in heavy shade. This past week it bloomed. Once I saw the bloom it jogged my memory and I remember buying it. I have no idea the name but I purchased it because it was a very very dark purple....almost black.The next day lilies are called Little Grapette. They are short like me.These are kind of red and kind of burgundy. Pardon Me is the name.
I think the next day lily is called Prairie Blue Eyes.
I have no idea what the name is of this cream color day lily. More than likely it was labeled 'white' but I think it is more of a cream color than white.When it comes to day lilies I prefer mine to be tetraploids.

According to Daylilies.org

Tetraploid daylilies are heralded by some growers as having a number of advantages over diploids. In the tetraploid:

Flowers tend to be larger.
Colors of the flower tend to be more intense.
Scapes tend to be sturdier and stronger.
Substance of both flower and foliage tend to be heavier.
Vegetative vigor in leaf, stem, and flower tend to be greater.
Breeding possibilities tend to be greater because of an increased number of chromosomes

Diploid

Diploid daylilies continue to charm growers with their exquisite flower form, grace, and color.

Good pink daylilies are still more prevalent in the diploid ranks.
Spider and double daylilies are still more prevalent in the diploid ranks.
Diploid daylilies are easier to cross than tetraploids.
Many diploid daylilies have been converted to tetraploids, thus advancing the tetraploid lines.

There are more diploids than tetraploids.

I like tetraploids because the petals are thicker.

The fact that I can just cut them down to the ground in the fall and that's it is another big advantage of day lilies. Another plus is that when they need dividing you can just cut them in half with a shovel, throw the divided plant into a hole and viola......new plant.

I promised you an updated photo of the Monarda (bee balm) plant. Guess what???? Last year I must of purchased multiple colors because I have flowers that are red, burgundy, pink, and light lavender.
Here are a couple of light pink lilies that sprouted up in the middle of my white lilies.My cone flowers are in full bloom.
And before you think that I have forsaken my hostas, here is a photo of Blue Mouse Ears in bloom. Isn't it just adorable. The entire clump is about the size of my hand.

New Garden Tool and More Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (Jan Marie) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 04:40:00 +0000

My neighbor, Mr. Frost, gave me this garden tool a couple of weeks ago. It works great. I have soil that tends to compact and get hard. This tool breaks up the clumps and loosens the weeds.
Here is the soil around the roses after a quick tune up with the Garden Claw. A bonus is that it needs no fuel except elbow grease and emits no hydrocarbon filled emissions.I think this daisy is called Crazy Daisy and the one below it is Sunny Side Up.
This is a close up of my neighbor's climbing rose. I think it is called Seven Sisters. We have the south side of the fence so we get to enjoy the flowers more than they do. The flowers are on the small side but they bloom in large clusters. They only bloom once a summer but appear to be very very hardy.
These lilies are blooming in the back and the lilies in the following photo are blooming in the front yard. Don't they look like white lilies that have been spray painted in the center.
This pink lily is accessorized with a little green bug.
This Monarda or bee balm is just starting to bloom. I think I am going to try and find other colors of bee balm. I really like how they change daily as they mature. I'll try to get a newer photo tomorrow so you can see the difference a day makes.The lavender is looking great!!!!!
I bought two pink lavender plants last year. The jury's out on whether or not they stay in the current location with all the other lavender. My initial reaction is they are kinda blah.