Viewing comments posted by cwhitt

The two photos posted look different - are they both the same thing? Is the difference because it is a hybrid?

I am fond of Sempervivum Tectorum because it has actually been in my family for 100 years! It was only here at garden.org that I found out it was a "Semp" - we always just called them Hens & Chicks. Until recently, I thought there was only one variety of Semps, but the Semp forum here is extremely active and I found there are many, many varieties of Semps. Some of them are mostly red, and some of them are rather fuzzy. I don't think all of those may be as hardy as this one though - this one is very hardy (at least a hundred years hardy!). I live in Ohio (zone 6) and my semps do very well here - both in summer and winter. Each 'hen" sends out smaller ones, called "chicks." They grow in a big mass and make a good ground cover for sunny areas. I also use them for erosion control and they are great for that. They are trouble free, require minimal water, and weeds or grass will not grow through them at all. When I transplant them to different areas, I just pull them up, lay them down where I want them, and sprinkle a little dirt over the root. They look great all lined up along a walkway and will keep soil from washing onto the sidewalk. On occasion, they will bloom - sending up a tall stalk with pink flowers on them. Blooming signals their death though, which is not usually a problem because they usually produce several chicks first. And if you are interested in crossing Semps to breed new varieties, you need them to bloom to do that. The Semp forum is great here, and can help you with that, or give you more information.

Sweet Woodruff is a shade loving ground cover and also an herb. It grows well here in Ohio (zone 6). In the spring it gets a delicate little white flower on it. The rest of the growing season it is still quite beautiful because of the deep green small star shaped leaves. It has a lovely light fragrance, and "in the olden days" was scattered indoors on the floor as an air freshener. It also has some medicinal uses. It spreads rather slowly, and I would not call it invasive, even though I have read that, given the right conditions, it could be - but I have never run into that. Instead, I have found that forms a nice uniform cover in shady areas. It likes to be kept fairly moist, and the leaves will turn brown at the edges during drought conditions. Also, it seems to like good soil with humus. I think it is a classy little plant and it is my favorite ground cover.

When you think Christmas Cactus, think "tropical" and not "cactus". It really is a tropical plant, and needs a lot more water than a cactus. It also likes lower light than a cactus - more like a house plant does. All of this changes though if you want to get your Christmas Cactus to bloom again. To get it to bloom, you need to start early - just after it blooms the first time. After it blooms, let it rest for a while - I give mine about a month. After the resting period, I start giving it medium doses of a general houseplant fertilizer, such as Miracle Grow, and water weekly - but don't let it stay soggy. Around August, take the plant to bright light - I take mine outdoors. Transition it into the sunlight, or else it might get sun burned. Also cut way down on the watering - I hardly water it at all. I leave it outside in the sun with low water for the rest of the summer, and then bring it back inside to its indoor spot when the nighttime temperature start getting low - do not leave it out in a frost. Resume normal weekly watering. After a few weeks - usually right before the Christmas holidays, you will see the buds of flowers start to form.

Many times the label will say Picotee, when it is actually Picotee Picasso. Picotee has pure white petals with the red picotee thread around the edge of the petal. Picotee Picasso looks the same, except it tends to have a blush of tiny red spots on some or all of the petals. Both are pretty. Picotee seems to be a good breeder and will cross with itself, and many other hippeastrum. But I have never got it to cross with Butterfly Papilio, which is its own species. The seeds form in pods and are papery thin. It is often easiest to get the seeds to sprout by floating them in a bowl of water. Plant them after a root grows, or even wait until a root and then a leaf appears. Be prepared to wait quite a while for a flower though - it takes 3-5 years to get big enough to bloom.

This Canada Thistle is pretty invasive and can really take over an area very quickly. It can choke out other plants and wildflowers quickly. They are growing at at the condo where I live (Ohio), but they just happen to be growing in a small area contained on all sides by asphalt. Otherwise, they would probably need to be removed as too invasive for our condo setting. But even though the plant is invasive, I can see that it has it benefits in its contained area. The goldfinches love them, and it might not be an accident that the goldfinches showed up at the same time the thistle started growing. Also, tons of bees are attracted to the masses of light purple flowers. In the fall, they do tend to lose their appeal a little and start to look a little weedy. Even so, it is nice to have this little area of wildness in a formal condo setting.

These sweet peppers stay a lime green color for pretty long, but if you don't pick them right away, they will eventually turn red. They have a sweet and fairly mild flavor, especially if you wait until they turn red. I use them in casseroles, salads and soup, but I also just cut the top off, dump the seeds out and lay them flat on a baking sheet and broil/bake them. They are flavorful enough that you do not need any sort of seasoning or oil on them - really quite tasty just baked, and this is my favorite way to eat them. Living in a condo with limited space, I often grow them on my patio in a pot, and for me they actually grow better in the pot than in our Ohio soil that is heavy clay. The pot has no drainage holes, but these peppers seem to really love a lot of water - it seems like the more water I gave them, the more peppers they formed.

I have mixed feelings about Amur Honeysuckle. It is considered an invasive and noxious plant here in Ohio, and I just heard that it is now banned from sale here. It does seem to have taken over along the parking lot of my workplace, and it crowds out other plants. People are encouraged to destroy it if they find it growing. On the flip side of that, it makes a nice barrier hedge, smells good when in bloom, and keeps its berries into winter (which the birds will not eat). It is quite a beautiful sight to see when the snow coats the red berries.

Right now (Feb, 2018) Mandonii is almost impossible to get, and the cost of a mature bulb is usually quite high -- over $240 each -- if you can even find one. Even the seeds are pricey: I paid $10 for each seed. The only place I could find either -- bulbs or seeds -- was on eBay, and the offering is scarce -- few and far between. The seeds I bought did grow, and after almost 3 years are getting big enough to expect a possible bud in the next year, I hope. So, if you really want Mandonii, expect to pay a premium price, and buy it as soon as it is offered. If one is offered, it sells immediately, so do not wait more than a moment or two. Either that, or DO wait -- probably at least a few more years until there are more of them on the market. Seeds are a little easier to get, but they will take 3 or more years to bloom. It is your gamble to decide whether mature bulbs will be on the market before your seeds get big enough to bloom. As for me, I took the gamble.

This rose has been in my Ohio garden for about 16 years now. It and a yellow rose called Radiant Perfume are the only 2 roses that I have never had a problem with. It has been subjected to drought and high humidity and still grows well with not too much black spot. This is a great-looking rose for a vase. The only regret I have about it is that the color does fade after a few days, and it turns from a fiery orange to a lighter peach color. I wish it would keep its brilliant color. Also, I do wish it had a stronger scent, but even without a strong scent, it is well worth having in my garden just for the great bud shape and color. It is a rose you will really want to cut and show off in a vase. A great addition to my small area of garden space.

I have had this rose in my Ohio garden for about15 years now, and it is still doing great. It has come through drought and excessive humidity, and the leaves always remain a dark leathery green, with very little black spot. It is the strongest smelling rose I own. I put a single rose in a vase and put it on my desk at work - it scents the entire office. I have been very impressed with it - it is one of only 2 roses that have remained strong and trouble free in my rose bed over the years. Since I live in a condo, the space it is growing in is rather small, but it still continues to thrive. My favorite rose!