springcolor---I do a lot of trading in the late fall/winter, after collecting throughout the summer and fall. Just get a hold of me then. Would love to trade with you !!

very nice SC.. my salpiglossis didn't do well with the heavy rain we had this spring.. most rotted.. I just gave up on them yours look nice!!.. such a neat flower

keyi said:Love those dark poppies. I don't have good luck with poppies here for some reason.
Here are 2 dahlias from seed:

A datura, I break off most of the flowers when they wilt so as not to have tons of these!

Keyi, how long does it take growing dahlia from seed to bloom?

Lily, I grow dahlias from seed, too. I start mine early in the GH, around March, and I have blooms now.

Woofie, thanks for the info. I will raid my friend's garden and picked those dried Dahlia flower heads.

Ha! That funny! Even though I grow the darn things from seed every year, I'd never thought about snagging seeds from them! I get seeds from everything else, but never thought about collecting them from the dahlias!

I just planted the dahlia seed this spring.
Duane, your garden must be just lovely!!!

my ocd deadheading usually stops me from collecting dahlia seed

Ha! I'm so bad about neglecting deadheading......except for the dahlias! That's probably why I've never thought to collect seed!

I've pretty much stopped deadheading. For one thing, the heat has been too intolerable, I can't stand being out there. And I hope that by not deadheading, the plants will just do dormant, as opposed to croaking. And it's so dry..

Larem

might be a wise choice Karen

Yeah, we're getting some of that nasty heat now, too. Supposed to be 98 today. I run out, water for 5 minutes and run back in. How long has it been this bad for you, Karen?

my clary sage I sowed last year.. just love it.. I swear it looks different everyday

That's pretty. I bet the hummers love it!

haven't been in the area to see lately.. not an easy sitting spot.. missing the show but they visit me on the deck enough

Woofie, it has just been a warm year. Winter was exceptionaly warm and snow-less. Spring was early and warmer than normal, too. Summer has been hot. Today was the first cooler day for a while with a high of only 90°. Prior to today, we'd had 12 days in a row of over 90°, with the past 4 days over 100. And high humidity. And with those temps, only a trace of rain so far this month, 1.2" in June... a brutal garden year. Three new corydalis fried. Several clumps of snapdragons fried too. My beautiful gaura is almost fried, has yet to put out a flower this year....

Because of the mild winter, bugs that normally die off, didn't. Bugs are awful. When you walk through our yard, you stir up a cloud of leafhoppers. They've caused aster yellows in at least 3 of my echinaceas. Leafminers are getting things they never touched before, like nicotiana and coleus. Red spider mites cover the foliage on most of my flowers... it's endless.

Karen

so heartbreaking.. sorry bud

Oh, that sounds just awful! So sorry, Karen. Your garden is so lovely, it must be just heartbreaking to have to deal with these sort of conditions.
I was fighting the opposite problem up until the last few days. Rain, rain and still more rain soaking everything.....and then all of a sudden dry nasty hot weather with temps jumping up into the 90s. Weird weather!

Karen, sorry to here about your yard. You put so much hard work into the gardens. We are starting to get a bit of heat now 75-80. Its been so cold and wet. I have mildew on the petunias and the blooms on my daylilies are muddy colors if they open. Mostly they just are rotten, roses too. Going to be nice for at least a week, so things should improve. Hope things turn arond for you as well.

Alexander Palm Seeds


RobertB