Could they do better in dappled/partial shade?

I found a purple shamrock in our pine straw earlier. I have one in my memorial shade garden, but I'm trying to figure out how one made it across the yard.

I'm already halfway done. It helps if you water the ground first. I filled a small 13g kitchen trash bag of roots and found a rather large long since rotted root. It was really spongey compared to the smaller roots I dug up (those had to be cut out and this one just broke off) so I think it has been rotting since before I cut the tree down four years ago. I'm going to take a break tomorrow and do some more digging Thursday. I want to amend the soil and hopefully plant a Vitex there this year.

The grass looks like crap at the moment because it is mostly weeds. I really think it needs to be aerated. The ground is so compacted.

porkpal said: Could they do better in dappled/partial shade?

Probably, but we don't have much of that here. And, we used to get a lot of rain. Now, it is a light rain every month or so with no dew for the 4 hottest months of the year. Brutal.

Dew, my grass stayed soaked til 2 pm today, and the humidity is still pretty low. Bracing posts went up, stains went on, and tomorro I have poly to seal the stains...made a judgement call and amended my garden plans, that fence panel will stay a fence panel and I will chill on 16' trellis wires awhile. Meanwhile the 8' ones are to be shaped and placed. Dreading hammering those t posts in.

Drive your T posts after a good rain.

Or soak the ground ahead of time.

hlutzow said: We've been on the upper edge of gardenia heat tolerance until last year.

Gardenias love the heat here, 95 every day, starting soon, but need to be watered thoroughly at least every 2 weeks when it doesn't rain.

The drought has started early this year. Really hoping this was going to be a summer of regular rain. Can't remember the last one of those.

Been dry here also this spring. We have good rain moving in tonight and lasting through the weekend but that's supposed to be a regular deal during the Spring. I'm already watering plants when I shouldn't be.

Same here. Our grass is getting crunchy.

I forgot to soak my cypress vine seeds (and sand them down some) before I planted them a couple weeks ago. I'm not sure that it is imperative to sprouting, but I haven't seen anything yet.

But, I think I noticed some new seeds popping up in the last couple days from my annual seed mix. I didn't do a good job spreading them (but this is my first time), so I guess we will see how everything does down the road.

I did end up soaking three more cypress vine seeds (after sanding them) and noticed out of three, one never swelled up. It was still hard when I pulled it out of the water. I wonder if some of the seeds are duds and what the chances are that the two I had planted already are also duds.

Cypress vine seeds popped up here after disappearing for 10 or 15 years -cannot tell with those seeds. I have been maintaining a spot soak after our 4" rain a week ago, already spray painted where the posts are going though...and soak again.
Dug a hole to place a bottom removed 5 gal pot, ground is quite wet 18" down, got ONE African blue basil planted in that pot and my arm gave out again, durn it. Cleaned the new crop of army worms off the carrots, fuzzy caterpillars off of everything I could, need to remember to carry the insecticidal soap up there for my carrots. Tried to loosen the soil around plants, it sets so hard...lots of weeding in my future. Need more cardboard.

I wish I could send you some of the 1000 cypress vines that I expect to pop up soon.
Gotten dry here too, windy days really dry things out.

Yes, that wind does dry things out quickly. Today was a wonderful, no wind day, but wind is to come tomorrow with rain and wind for the following 3 days. Saturday's rain may not be that bad but we do need the rain.

A little got done outside today but never as much as I would like to get done. Tomorrow is a Dr. day plus our fiber optics is getting put into the house. I hope I can get in some outside time.

I am also trying to germinate Cypress vine seeds. I have never grown them before so I just did what I do with other seeds ~ wrap them in a wet paper towel. They are doing absolutely nothing. I was expecting them to send out a tiny white root but no luck. Some even began to rot. May be that my seeds are too old or is there some secret to getting them to germinate?

tigerpaws said: I am also trying to germinate Cypress vine seeds. I have never grown them before so I just did what I do with other seeds ~ wrap them in a wet paper towel. They are doing absolutely nothing. I was expecting them to send out a tiny white root but no luck. Some even began to rot. May be that my seeds are too old or is there some secret to getting them to germinate?

I scored them with some sandpaper (just a small spot) and soaked them overnight in warm water. They should open up by morning.

I've grown both Cypress Vine and Cardinal Climbers, and find Cardinal Climbers are a bit more robust, both in germination and growth. But Cypress Vine always germinates rather quickly for me as well. I started my Cardinal Climbers this year, I might have soaked them only over night, and planted in the Park's Bio-Dome in the sponges on March 31st, and the shortest is 7", longest is 14" today, and that's typical results for Cypress Vine too.

Are your seeds old by chance? I know I've germinated both seeds that were packaged for at least 2 years ago, since I usually only plant enough for one trellis.

I just bought mine in February.

I didn't finish half of what is left of the ring garden bed because I started sweating. I was hoping to finish tomorrow, but I will have to break up what is left into 2-4 days. It is warmer today than it was the other day and it is going to be hotter next week (71 atm 😓). I will have to start working in the evening. DH will be able to help me then. I managed to dig this root out though.

I thought you found a leg complete with a boot

That's what DH said!