Your All Things Plants weekly news

for March 19, 2015

This Week's Gardening Ideas:

Sempervivum and Sedum- the Perfect Container Plants in Any Zone

By CDsSister
March 19, 2015
Sempervivum and Sedum- the Perfect Container Plants in Any Zone

Growing in Colorodo can be a challenge, but using containers, I can grow some of my favorite plants. (387 words - Read the full article)

Refurbishing a Sedum Chair

By pardalinum
March 18, 2015
Refurbishing a Sedum Chair

Garden projects incorporating sedum and sempervivum need occasional maintenance to continue looking good. (450 words - Read the full article)

Tiny Beauties

By goldfinch4
March 17, 2015
Tiny Beauties

I think it’s safe to say that most of us collect sempervivums for the diversity of the rosettes, but it would be a shame to ignore the beauty of their tiny flowers. (482 words - Read the full article)

Sempervivum and Sedum Oddities

By valleylynn
March 16, 2015
Sempervivum and Sedum Oddities

There are many oddities to be found within the Sempervivum and Sedum genera, such as crested plants and sports. Here we will look at just a few of them. (910 words - Read the full article)

A Low-Water-Use Sedum Accent Garden

By pardalinum
March 15, 2015
A Low-Water-Use Sedum Accent Garden

If you live in an area where water costs are high, you might consider making an "accent" garden using various sedums. (775 words - Read the full article)

Celebrating Sempervivum

By dave
March 14, 2015
Celebrating Sempervivum

We open the Sempervivum Celebration Week with a look at the top cultivars, top comments, most thumbed images, and more! (763 words - Read the full article)

Raised Garden Bed - No Longer a Neighborhood Litter Box!

By HeidiOregon
March 13, 2015
Raised Garden Bed - No Longer a Neighborhood Litter Box!

Our empty raised garden beds appear to be a favorite restroom spot for cats in our neighborhood (and there are many). Planting seeds or new plant starts is a crapshoot... literally! We came up with an easy, inexpensive solution. (379 words - Read the full article)

The most popular images last week from our plant database:

By Cem9165:
Image from plant ID 142222
By HamiltonSquare:
Image from plant ID 230986
By valleylynn:
Image from plant ID 74672
By Cem9165:
Image from plant ID 238258
By kidfishing:
Image from plant ID 33025
By goldfinch4:
Image from plant ID 537101
By floota:
Image from plant ID 47571
By goldfinch4:
Image from plant ID 538998
By lyle627:
Image from plant ID 181847

The most popular Multi-Plant Photos from last week:

Photo by Natalie:
Image by Natalie
Photo by kniphofia:
Image by kniphofia
Photo by Paul2032:
Image by Paul2032
Photo by Paul2032:
Image by Paul2032
Photo by springcolor:
Image by springcolor
Photo by Paul2032:
Image by Paul2032
Photo by Paul2032:
Image by Paul2032
Photo by 4susiesjoy:
Image by 4susiesjoy
Photo by Paul2032:
Image by Paul2032

Noteworthy acorn tips given this week:

12 people gave for the idea "Raised Garden Bed - No Longer a Neighborhood Litter Box!" by HeidiOregon

6 people gave for the idea "Sempervivum and Sedum Oddities" by valleylynn

6 people gave for the idea "Tiny Beauties" by goldfinch4

4 people gave for the idea "Refurbishing a Sedum Chair" by pardalinum

4 people gave for the idea "A Low-Water-Use Sedum Accent Garden" by pardalinum

4 people gave for the idea "Sempervivum and Sedum- the Perfect Container Plants in Any Zone" by CDsSister

4 people gave for post #811801 in "Banner for March 19, 2015 by dirtdorphins" by dirtdorphins

3 people gave for post #811461 in "Hello Buggycrazy, hello Leftwood! These are the Lilies I grew from your seeds" by Mutisia

3 people gave for post #810287 in "Banner for March 16, 2015 by valleylynn" by valleylynn

2 people gave for post #809216 in "Banner for March 14, 2015 by ge1836" by ge1836

The most active threads this week:

Subject OP Area Replies
Iris Diseases.....Paul2032Irises forum59
What did you do in the Iris garden today?Paul2032Irises forum56
Show Us Your Blooms - Spring 2015 - Part 1MoirisIrises forum52
How to protect plants from weed killer???klcAsk a Question forum50
Tropical Permaculture.MetrosiderosPermaculture forum35
Celebrating SempervivumvalleylynnCelebrating Sempervivum32
Bearded iris in CanadamarioncastletonIrises forum23
Iris hitrioides: anyone growing them?gemini_sageIrises forum23
The Fundamentals of DormancyadmmadDaylilies forum22

Some new reviews from the ATP Green Pages:

Weedwhacker recommended Fedco Seeds and wrote:

I discovered this company this year when I was searching for a bean variety called "Limelight." After ordering I quickly received an acknowledgment that stated the seeds would be shipped in 2 weeks, and received them as promised. LOTS of open-pollinated varieties. This will likely be a major seed source for me in the future.

Weedwhacker recommended Johnny's Selected Seeds and wrote:

I order seeds from Johnny's pretty much every year and have never been disappointed. Their catalog and website offer a wealth of information about growing, season extending, and so on. Many, many varieties of "salad greens," in particular. The only negative in my mind is that they seem to be leaning further in the direction of hybrids and carrying fewer open pollinated varieties. Definitely 2 thumbs up for this company!

KentPfeiffer recommended Forestfarm and wrote:

Forestfarm offers an amazing selection, especially trees and shrubs. Plants are always of the highest quality. Shipping charges are pretty high, but that's inevitable given the size of the plants and the care with which they are packed.

patrob recommended High Country Gardens and wrote:

My order of four salvias and two penstemons arrived exactly when scheduled, and the plants are all healthy, though some are smaller than I expected. They were well packaged and were not damaged by the FedEx man's throwing the box onto the porch because of ice on the walk and steps. I would order from High Country Gardens again because they offer many unusual varieties that I cannot find in nurseries in my area.

donnabking recommended Kartuz Greenhouses and wrote:

I just received my order from Kartuz Greenhouses. I am extremely satisfied. I ordered Achimenes. My bulbs were very nice, very healthy, and some were even beginning to sprout, so they seem very eager to grow. The nursery is owned by an older gentleman and his brother, both in their 70's. I understood him to say they had three employees, so it's a small outfit, but they offer a LARGE selection of Achimenes. I found the pricing to be fair, as I got 5 bulbs of everything, some of my packages had extra bulbs, for $7.99 each variety, whereas on eBay I have been paying $5-10 for 1-2 bulbs plus $4-9 shipping. So I really liked those prices. Each package had a very nice named plastic marker included in it, which I found very useful when potting them to keep them identified. The gentleman I spoke with who took my order was so friendly. We talked for probably about 15 minutes after I placed my order. What a great guy. We had a wonderful plant discussion and he told me about their nursery. A few weeks later, I called back, and we chatted again. He was just as friendly and unhurried. Great nursery, great products, great rapport! I highly recommend this nursery! Donna King

dyzzypyxxy recommended Tomato Growers Supply and wrote:

Great selection of so many varieties of tomatoes, and also peppers and eggplant. I've had excellent service and quick delivery from them, and I like that they are a local Florida-based company.

dyzzypyxxy recommended Tropiflora and wrote:

Luckily for me, I live fairly near Tropiflora, so they have not had to send me anything. It is my gardener's "treat" to go and visit there, and I make it a point to attend their spring and fall Plant Festivals. If you are ever visiting this area, be sure to go to Tropiflora, and save room to take home plants! Fabulous unusual plants, the most impressive array of bromeliads and tillandsias I've ever seen, and wonderful supplies. It is totally worthwhile to join their VIPP program. You get a discount, and one e-mail per week with their specials listed.

plantladylin recommended Tropicalplantsandmore.com and wrote:

Gee, I'm sorry I'm so late in writing this review. Last summer I ordered a couple of orchids and a bark slab mount for my Staghorn Fern and I can't express how happy I was with my purchases. Tropical Plants and More gets an A+ from me. Ken offers quality products and very healthy plants! The packing and shipping were outstanding and the plants were perfect upon arrival. I will definitely be a returning customer!

dyzzypyxxy recommended Texas Water Lilies and wrote:

Good service and nice, healthy plants from Texas Water Lilies. I like their selection and their prices are pretty reasonable even compared to buying locally.

We keep growing, because ATP is where all the excitement is these days! Check out these numbers from last week: