Viewing comments posted by gardenfish

This has to be the toughest tomato I've ever grown, it just shrugs off disease and insects! It produces a really attractive slightly flattened red tomato, and the fruit has that old fashioned tomato flavor.
It doesn't bear a lot of fruit, but here in the South summer temps get into the high nineties and all tomatoes quit producing. I've grown this tomato before, and it resumed bearing fruit in the cooler autumn months.

I have been growing this annual salvia since 2000, and it has re seeded reliably ever since. Although the data base entry states that it may not come true from re seeding, I have find it to be exactly the same as the original plant I planted in 2000. I have given away hundreds of seedlings, making this a top pass along plant. It takes heat and humidity with ease, and once established is fairly drought resistant. As long as it is kept dead headed, it will bloom until a hard frost takes it down in the late fall or winter. This is a very valuable plant for anyone wanting to attract butterflies or bees to their garden.

Truly one of the easiest plants that can be grown. Very tough, it can endure over or under watering. Mine blooms 12 months of the year, even when I bring it inside for the winter. This plant grows rapidly and the branches can grow up to a foot in one season. It looks best when the branches are pruned, this allows the plant to bush out and have a more pleasing shape. These plants are long lived; mine is 17 years old. They like to be pot bound and don't require frequent repotting, a good thing considering they are covered with half inch, wicked thorns.

Although I sometimes have issues with other Euphorbias, I find this one easy to grow, providing it's not over watered. Just give it plenty of sun in a spot sheltered from the wind and it grows well without having to fuss over it. I bought a tiny one in the Spring of 2019 and now in the Fall of 2020 it has quadrupled in size. The more sun it gets the brighter the coloring becomes.

Just purchased at a Flower and Garden show. The plants came from a greenhouse and they are in full bloom. They are much taller than the specified height either in the database or on the plant tag. The flowers are somewhat smaller than I expected, but the same brilliant orange as in photos. My first cuphea, which I bought for the hummingbirds. These will need to be transplanted as soon as possible, because the roots are coming out of the bottoms of the pots. I think this plant will be very large, so a fairly big pot will be needed. Cupheas are supposed to be heat and humidity lovers, both which I have in abundance.

I just bought this plant at a state Flower and Garden show. I've always wanted one. The overtone smell is rose, but there is an undertone of lemon. Very different from zonal. I plan to keep it in as a houseplant. Zonal geraniums often flag in my summer heat.

Possibly the best smelling rose, ever! I adore mine even though it has a tendency to get Black Spot; it is chronic in my area. If this rose is deadheaded, it will bloom continuously. A wonderful rose.

I tried a new zinnia elegans this year, the varietal name was "Forecast". It produced a pleasing mix of single flowers in pastels and brights, all complementary colors. All of a sudden, a dahlia style flower in an unusual color of faded rose popped up! I do not know if this was a mistake by Burpee or a throwback. For anyone growing zinnias, I highly recommend this variety; strong, sturdy stems, minimal need for staking, and so far, no powdery mildew!

First time growing this tomato, though I have grown Brad Gates' tomatoes for years; I am nuts about them! This particular variety is not stable, as previously noted in the comments and the plant statistics; for example, my fruit is growing noticeably larger than indicated. Mine are just beginning to ripen, I am anxiously awaiting the taste. I will post a picture when they ripen further.

This is a yellow cherry whose varietal name is unknown (the picture submitted is mine). It is sweet, blemish free and crack free. I will be saving the seed in order to try to germinate this tomato for next year. I think this is a tomato worth saving! I have grown various yellow cherries before, but none that I have liked as well as this one.

THE phlox for butterflies, especially swallowtails. Some comments state this particular phlox is prone to mildew, but I haven't had any on mine; fungal diseases are endemic in my area. Very tough plant. Blooms continuously.

This is a wonderful plant for bumblebees because it blooms more or less on a continual basis. It produces long waving flower stalks that wave in the breeze and it it very funny to watch the bumblebees holding on for dear life! Also very good for honey bees. Drought resistant once established.

Although I have been growing peppers for many years, I have not grown this variety until this year. When you look at pictures of varieties of plants you are
considering growing, you usually think, Oh, that won't get as big/as pretty/as whatever. The fruit on this variety DOES get as big as the picture! One fruit off of my plant measured 8 and one half inches long. Not a great big plant, but a heavy producer and beautiful to look at.

When I planted this salvia I wasn't planting it for the hummingbirds; I just liked the color. i have found out this summer that they are gaga over this salvia, they can't get enough of it! I always thought hummingbirds prefer red; at least that is what a lot of books say. I guess hummingbirds don't read the books! This salvia is pretty tough, although I have noticed it seems to need a little more water than other salvias. (I have 9 varieties). If it is deadheaded, it blooms well through the fall.

I originally purchased this plant 20 years ago, and it willingly re-seeds itself every year. I have seen comments that it does not grow true from seed, but I can compare pictures I took then (with a throw away camera) to pictures I took recently with my I Pad and I can't see any difference. I have given away literally hundreds of seedlings; it is (to me) the ultimate pass along plant. Where I live the ruby-throated hummingbirds go nuts over it; they seem to prefer it over many other plants. It is a very tough plant, and drought resistant when established.

I planted this rose 5 years ago. I didn't know how to cut back climbing roses, so in February I cut it back just like a shrub hybrid rose. Oops! it didn't seem to mind, rewarding me with so many blooms it bent the trellis. Top star performer! Blooms continuously for me from march through the first hard frost. it is so breathtaking when in full bloom in the spring I have had people driving by stop and ask me the variety. I have found it to have only moderate resistance to black spot, but black spot is endemic in my area, You seldom see any roses that don't have it. The blooms have a beautiful swirl pattern when they open, and the fragrance is reminiscent of the hybrid tea 'Fragrant Cloud.' It produces large, strong canes each year.

This is a wonderful rose for the hot, humid south. Floribundas usually do better here than hybrid teas. My Iceberg blooms continually from mid-March until frost. The summer flowers are only slightly smaller than the first blooms of spring. It is not as susceptible to black spot, which is a chronic problem here. An added bonus is the fragrance; a honey-blackberry combo... delicious!

The best cayenne for drying. Plant grows to the size of a small tree in areas with long summers, and bears hundreds of peppers right up until a hard frost. (almost Thanksgiving in my area). I dry these peppers in a dehydrator, then process in a food processor to make pepper flakes and chili powder.

Beautiful tomato, famous heirloom variety; but a very poor yield. Matures very slowly. For a larger harvest try "Black Prince" or "Carbon", similar tasting heirlooms that produce better, have a greater yield, and are not so prone to cracking.

I am growing this variety for the fist time this year. A beautiful tomato, however It is not resistant to fungal and bacterial spot diseases. Mine has a spot disease (verified by testing) which has spread to other tomato plants in my raised bed. I would not recommend this variety for hot, humid southern states, where these diseases are endemic.