Viewing comments posted by bxncbx

I bought a cheap plastic cold frame in the Fall of 2015 and planted North Pole in it. During our extremely warm December the seeds germinated. While they didn't grow much when January (and cold temps) came, they survived up until we had a record cold night of -1F.

Now that warmer weather has arrived, a few more seeds have germinated. The plants are growing well and should be ready for harvest at the end of April.

When trying to grow this plant from seed under grow lights, I have found the seedlings to be extremely susceptible to fungus gnats. For two years I have lost 75% of my seedlings due to the larvae. A soil drench for the larvae and yellow sticky traps for the adults are a must!

I planted Chinese Houses as a way to mask the dying foliage of my spring bulbs. It did a great job! It sets seed easily, so I won't be surprised if it reseeds itself next year.

Very large flowers compared to the ones being sold in stores. Bloomed from seed the first year and continued blooming until hot weather arrived. Will continue to bloom until heat wave temperatures if planted in partial shade.

This is a very tasty personal-sized melon. It has sweet, green flesh. The seed cavity is fairly large, but the rind is very thin, so you end up with more flesh than you might expect. Good for short-season and Northern growers or anyone who doesn't have a lot of space. Grows great on a trellis. Fruit emits a scent when ripe and turns yellow. Will not slip easily from the vine!

Grew this vine for the first time this year. Beautiful flowers that open before sunset. This plant grew far taller than the stated 15 feet! It climbed 3 stories, almost to the roof! As the vine grew, it produced flushes of flowers as the lower flowers were pollinated. It produced a ton of seeds for me and I expect it will probably reseed readily. And don't be fooled by the "thorns." They are rubbery and harmless.

I'm afraid Collaboration may be culled from the garden this year. For the second year in a row, over 90% of the flowers just won't open properly. It doesn't seem as though the flowers are getting hung up. The plant was moved and seems happy (more and better foliage and scapes), but the flowers are always floppy or curled in on themselves. None of my other daylilies have this problem. I hate to do it, though, because when the rare one does open it is very pretty.

I'm not sure whether it is due to the two thunderstorms yesterday, but today when the first flower of Ebony Circle opened this morning I was amazed at how fragrant the bloom was. Even from several feet away you could smell that single bloom. No small feat considering my Lilium regale are also blooming and they are extremely fragrant!

My favorite new addition to the garden this year is Dot Paul. From the very first bloom to the last, I was enchanted by her beauty. I expected a typical peach bloom. Instead I got the most vibrant coral color I have ever seen! To me, it is a perfect blend of orange and pink. And that warm tropical color just glows! I can understand now why this plant has withstood the test of time.

I grew Petunia Double Cascade Orchid Mist from seed this year specifically to plant in a hanging basket. I also gave plants to my neighbor for her hanging basket when the petunia it came with died. The flowers are large and showy. It also continues to flower well even without deadheading, but I think it was misnamed because the plants do not cascade. For the most part, they are upright in both baskets. I will definitely grow them again because the flowers are gorgeous, but I'll plant them in the ground or in a planter. I think the wave petunias would do better in hanging baskets.

I've owned Siloam Virginia Henson since at least 2008. Neglected, it never bloomed for me. For the past year I have been regularly watering and fertilizing my daylilies. SVH has responded to this treatment and has bloomed for the first time this year! It bloomed midseason for me. I have SVH planted on a slope for erosion control. It needs more attention than many of my other daylilies, so I'd recommend planting it somewhere more accessible.

I'm editing this because I think it did bloom but I never noticed it since it is very short and was among the last bloomers for me for several years. I think the first few years it bloomed later (due to no fertilizer) so I had stopped going to the corner of the garden where it is planted by the time it started to bloom. Since I wrote this comment it has bloomed reliably for me starting in midseason but extending into late season. I now have planted a very late daylily in the same area so I'm more aware of when it blooms. I've also thinned some daylilies next to it to make it more noticeable and give it more sunlight. But I really should move it closer to the front of the border.

I bought Holly Hill Tangelo several years ago and planted it in a small raised bed. It looked healthy enough but never bloomed. For the past year I've been diligent about watering and feeding my neglected daylilies on a regular basis. I'm happy to say this has worked wonders for HHT. The plant sent up 4 scapes this year! The blooms were a much deeper color than ones I'd seen down South. That may have been due to our very mild summer. I dabbed some pollen on it and I got seeds so it is at least pod fertile.

I bought Dot Dot 4 years ago and it has not done well at all in my garden. I have it in my front yard, where it gets ample sunlight (southwestern exposure). For the last year it has been pampered (daily watering in summer, regular feedings, and mulch to keep down weeds and pests). Still no flowers! Other neglected daylilies of mine that hadn't bloomed before sent up multiple scapes this year with the same treatment. I've since moved it to a pot in preparation to send it to a friend down South.

I grew this for the first time this year and my plants are all about a foot tall. I started them from seed and didn't transplant them when I should have. I guess that stunted them? I also noticed that without regular watering and feeding, the foliage on my plants turns green with just a hint of red.

Forsyth White Clouds is the first near-white daylily I ever bought, and because I loved it so much I've added several more. The flowers are large and eye-catching. It is pretty close to white to my eyes, unlike some others I've bought. It did very well for years in a smallish raised bed with other daylilies. However, it suffered greatly from the very cold winter we had and the cool, wet spring. I'm hoping it's still alive as I have 1 small fan that might be it. The NYBG also had this variety planted in the ground and it appeared to have died also. Despite being a dormant it appears to be less hardy than other daylilies in very cold temperatures.

Edited to add an update (7/10/19): The small fan survived and has slowly increased. The last two years (with mild winters and no late freezes) it has bloomed fairly well. I don't think it will ever be completely hardy for me but I've moved it to a fairly sheltered spot to give it a good chance of surviving.

If you are looking for a very nice late double, this is your daylily! I've grown it for several years now and it is a very reliable double. I believe I had my first single flower on 1 clump (I have 2 clumps; I liked it so much I bought it twice) this year. The flowers are gorgeous and it blooms well even if neglected. Previously it was my latest blooming daylily (late July-mid August), but I've since added ones that bloom later. This is one daylily that I will always have in my garden!

I've grown Alice Faye for many years in a small pot. It has always bloomed well for me, although the bud count has been lower and so has the scape height. I've decided to finally move her to my front yard in a mixed border. The flowers are small, but they have good substance. She also doesn't set a ton of bee pods like some other small-flowered daylilies. I'm hoping that once she's out of the pot, she'll finally reach her full potential. She blooms midseason for me in NYC.

Edited to add that I decided to give her a prime spot in the backyard after dividing her and giving some to a friend.

Edited to add update in 2019. Since planting Alice Faye in the ground the plant has performed almost unbelievably better. The branching and bud count have increased enormously although they are still not quite as good as registered. Each year it has put on an amazing display! I also use it to test pollen from tetraploid daylilies since it is extremely pod fertile. With ample water and fertilizer the color of the flowers has become much more vibrant also. This is definitely a cultivar you want planted in the ground!

Antirrhinum Frosted Sunset is one tough little plant! I have a couple of them planted under a large pine tree. They are constantly water stressed in full sun, yet they have bloomed for months. When first planted, mine needed staking, but they eventually developed sturdy stems. I gave a few plants to my neighbor. Little kids play in the yard constantly, so those poor plants have been pulled up, stepped on, and had stems broken off, but they keep blooming and growing despite spotty watering and little fertilizer.

My plants are shorter than 12", but they spread to make nice bushy plants. The leaves were much more variegated in the spring. Now only a couple of leaves have faint stripes of white. They set lots of seed pods, so in mild climates they could conceivably self sow. I started my seed indoors in January from an unopened seed packet bought in 2008.

I had no problems with any insect pests or diseases. If you need a short, front of the border snapdragon I would definitely recommend this variety!

I've grown Majorette for 2 years now from seed. The first year I grew them, most of the plants behaved as if they were annuals. They bloomed and then died in the fall. Only one plant returned this year. I forgot they were supposed to come back, so I started more seed this year. Some have bloomed, but others appear to be behaving like true biennials. The flowers are lovely, but the plants appear to be quite susceptible to rust. It was a huge problem last year. This year we have had a much cooler, less humid summer, so I've barely seen any rust.

I grew 4 plants of Stock Sugar & Spice mix. Only 1 of the 4 has double flowers.