saveinla
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Post by saveinla on May 9, 2022 20:19:36 GMT -5
A fat bee hanging around the deck could be a "carpenter bee". They won't bother you but will make perfectly looking "drilled" holes in the wood. "During the spring, people often notice large, black bees hovering around the outside of their homes. These are likely to be carpenter bees, named for their habit of excavating holes in wood, in order to rear their young. Carpenter bees prefer unpainted, weathered wood, especially softer varieties such as redwood, cedar, cypress and pine. Painted or pressure-treated wood is much less susceptible to attack. Common carpenter bee nesting sites include eaves, rafters, fascia boards, siding, wooden shake roofs, decks and outdoor furniture. Carpenter Bees vs. Bumblebees Carpenter bees resemble bumblebees, but typically have a shiny, hairless abdomen. (Bumblebees usually have a hairy abdomen with black and yellow stripes.) The bees also have different nesting habits—bumblebees nest in an existing cavity often underground (e.g., in abandoned rodent burrows), whereas carpenter bees tunnel into wood to lay their eggs. 1ab. Carpenter bee with shiny abdomen (left), bumblebee (right). Fig. 1: Carpenter bee with shiny abdomen (left), bumblebee (right)." entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef611 ken a.k.a OMK, If you are interested, try to watch the PBS program - A story of surprise and revelation. A wildlife filmmaker spends his time during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown filming the bees in his urban garden and discovers the many diverse species and personalities that exist in this insect family. It was very interesting and I keep watching it every time it comes on. www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/my-garden-thousand-bees-about/26263/#:~:text=A%20story%20of%20surprise%20and,exist%20in%20this%20insect%20family.
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on May 9, 2022 20:26:25 GMT -5
The flowers croaked but the leaves and stems came back to life after about an hour. I added some plant food so we'll see if the pansies come back fully in a few days.
I kept them alive last year till winter so if they survive I just need to remember to heavily water them.
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NoNamePerson
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Is There Anybody OUT There?
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Post by NoNamePerson on May 9, 2022 21:36:39 GMT -5
A fat bee hanging around the deck could be a "carpenter bee". They won't bother you but will make perfectly looking "drilled" holes in the wood. "During the spring, people often notice large, black bees hovering around the outside of their homes. These are likely to be carpenter bees, named for their habit of excavating holes in wood, in order to rear their young. Carpenter bees prefer unpainted, weathered wood, especially softer varieties such as redwood, cedar, cypress and pine. Painted or pressure-treated wood is much less susceptible to attack. Common carpenter bee nesting sites include eaves, rafters, fascia boards, siding, wooden shake roofs, decks and outdoor furniture. Carpenter Bees vs. Bumblebees Carpenter bees resemble bumblebees, but typically have a shiny, hairless abdomen. (Bumblebees usually have a hairy abdomen with black and yellow stripes.) The bees also have different nesting habits—bumblebees nest in an existing cavity often underground (e.g., in abandoned rodent burrows), whereas carpenter bees tunnel into wood to lay their eggs. 1ab. Carpenter bee with shiny abdomen (left), bumblebee (right). Fig. 1: Carpenter bee with shiny abdomen (left), bumblebee (right)." entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef611 ken a.k.a OMK , If you are interested, try to watch the PBS program - A story of surprise and revelation. A wildlife filmmaker spends his time during the coronavirus pandemic lockdown filming the bees in his urban garden and discovers the many diverse species and personalities that exist in this insect family. It was very interesting and I keep watching it every time it comes on. www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/my-garden-thousand-bees-about/26263/#:~:text=A%20story%20of%20surprise%20and,exist%20in%20this%20insect%20family. I watched this the other night! Super interesting. I set dvr so I can watch it again.
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happyhoix
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Post by happyhoix on May 10, 2022 7:19:45 GMT -5
A conversation with a couple of coworkers yesterday got me interested in growing green beans. Since I’m lazy, it sounds like bush beans are a better option for me than pole beans. I only started researching today lol. Apparently they are fairly easy to grow, is that correct? We do like and eat green beans, so I’m interested. Do any of you grow green beans? If so, what kind exactly? I used to grow pole beans but in our area we are plagued by Mexican bean beetles, which are nearly identical to lady bugs but more orange in color rather than red. The lay bright yellow eggs that turn into bright yellow larvae that eat the hell out of the leaves. The only ‘green’ way to control them is to squish them with gloved fingers, which I was initially reluctant to do, but quickly got over that, when I saw how much damage they did. You can spray or dust them, but I really try to avoid that. After a few years, I decided canned green beans are fine for me and stop planting them. Check with your local nurseries to see if they’re bad in your area. Also, bumble bees are like little flying VW bugs and are delightful and non aggressive. One flew into my head last Saturday, apologized and lumbered away. They’re good pollinators. Wasps on the other hand are little demonic bugs. Paper wasps built a nest in a bush near our front water faucet and when I got near the bush to turn on the water one bit me in the ass and raised a lump the size of half an orange. DH got a wild hare to burn the nest, burned half the bush and nearly set the house on fire. Evil demonic flying horrors!
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on May 10, 2022 9:56:25 GMT -5
Yay. I went out this morning and my pansies were back. Several have new blooms.
I watered again because it's a huge pot and I want the entire thing hydrated to encourage them to dig in roots.
My other boxes will likely need watered this afternoon. The soil is finally drying out so I don't have to worry about overwatering.
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CCL
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Post by CCL on May 10, 2022 12:03:45 GMT -5
Yay. I went out this morning and my pansies were back. Several have new blooms. I watered again because it's a huge pot and I want the entire thing hydrated to encourage them to dig in roots. My other boxes will likely need watered this afternoon. The soil is finally drying out so I don't have to worry about overwatering. Those water meters (like Pink got, I think) are pretty handy. I got mine from Amazon for $10. It also reads the sunlight and ph.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2022 13:46:58 GMT -5
A conversation with a couple of coworkers yesterday got me interested in growing green beans. Since I’m lazy, it sounds like bush beans are a better option for me than pole beans. I only started researching today lol. Apparently they are fairly easy to grow, is that correct? We do like and eat green beans, so I’m interested. Do any of you grow green beans? If so, what kind exactly? I used to grow pole beans but in our area we are plagued by Mexican bean beetles, which are nearly identical to lady bugs but more orange in color rather than red. The lay bright yellow eggs that turn into bright yellow larvae that eat the hell out of the leaves. The only ‘green’ way to control them is to squish them with gloved fingers, which I was initially reluctant to do, but quickly got over that, when I saw how much damage they did. You can spray or dust them, but I really try to avoid that. After a few years, I decided canned green beans are fine for me and stop planting them. Check with your local nurseries to see if they’re bad in your area. Also, bumble bees are like little flying VW bugs and are delightful and non aggressive. One flew into my head last Saturday, apologized and lumbered away. They’re good pollinators. Wasps on the other hand are little demonic bugs. Paper wasps built a nest in a bush near our front water faucet and when I got near the bush to turn on the water one bit me in the ass and raised a lump the size of half an orange. DH got a wild hare to burn the nest, burned half the bush and nearly set the house on fire. Evil demonic flying horrors! I forgot about those things! I didn’t look closely enough to be sure they were really ladybugs I saw. Darn it! I agree with you about wasps. I’d never seen red wasps before I moved here. I call them devil wasps. And I’m sorry, but I giggled a little about your wasp related escapades.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2022 13:59:01 GMT -5
I have a teeny tiny tomato growing! I’d just read an article about how to tell if tomato flowers have been pollinated, and I walked over to get a good look at my plants, and spotted the teeny tiny tomato. It’s on the mistreated plant, which started flowering before any of the others. I’m so excited! I can’t wait for Mister to get home so I can show him. Who knew I’d ever get so excited about such things lol. I also have daylily flowers today, on the deck and by the mailbox. And yes, my handy dandy moisture meter has been a huge help with knowing when to water my plants. I got mine off Amazon too. I don’t remember exactly how much it cost, but I’m pretty sure it was less than $15. It has confirmed that in trying to be a good plant Mom, I tend to water my plants when they don’t need it yet.
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happyhoix
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Post by happyhoix on May 10, 2022 14:02:11 GMT -5
I have a teeny tiny tomato growing! I’d just read an article about how to tell if tomato flowers have been pollinated, and I walked over to get a good look at my plants, and spotted the teeny tiny tomato. It’s on the mistreated plant, which started flowering before any of the others. I’m so excited! I can’t wait for Mister to get home so I can show him. Who knew I’d ever get so excited about such things lol. I also have daylily flowers today, on the deck and by the mailbox. And yes, my handy dandy moisture meter has been a huge help with knowing when to water my plants. I got mine off Amazon too. I don’t remember exactly how much it cost, but I’m pretty sure it was less than $15. It has confirmed that in trying to be a good plant Mom, I tend to water my plants when they don’t need it yet. I suspect I don’t water often enough especially when it gets so frigging hot and humid. I probably need one of those thingies.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2022 14:04:47 GMT -5
I also have a confession. The way tomato plants are hairy kinda creeps me out, it’s creeped me out since the first ones were delivered. Idk why. And idk why I have so many silly quirks. But I just ignore this one. I have tomatoes to grow, I can’t let my quirks get in the way.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2022 14:05:42 GMT -5
I have a teeny tiny tomato growing! I’d just read an article about how to tell if tomato flowers have been pollinated, and I walked over to get a good look at my plants, and spotted the teeny tiny tomato. It’s on the mistreated plant, which started flowering before any of the others. I’m so excited! I can’t wait for Mister to get home so I can show him. Who knew I’d ever get so excited about such things lol. I also have daylily flowers today, on the deck and by the mailbox. And yes, my handy dandy moisture meter has been a huge help with knowing when to water my plants. I got mine off Amazon too. I don’t remember exactly how much it cost, but I’m pretty sure it was less than $15. It has confirmed that in trying to be a good plant Mom, I tend to water my plants when they don’t need it yet. [img alt=" " src="//storage2.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/embarrassed.png" class="smile"] I suspect I don’t water often enough especially when it gets so frigging hot and humid. I probably need one of those thingies. Well, you can always do what Ken recommended and stick your finger in the soil to see if it’s dry.
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azucena
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Post by azucena on May 10, 2022 14:09:47 GMT -5
I also have a confession. The way tomato plants are hairy kinda creeps me out, it’s creeped me out since the first ones were delivered. Idk why. And idk why I have so many silly quirks. But I just ignore this one. I have tomatoes to grow, I can’t let my quirks get in the way. I think the hair likely protects them from certain creepy crawlies. Think of it more like you have something in common as they don't like most bugs either.
Hey, maybe you can stop shaving your legs and the bugs will leave you alone too
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2022 14:17:51 GMT -5
I also have a confession. The way tomato plants are hairy kinda creeps me out, it’s creeped me out since the first ones were delivered. Idk why. And idk why I have so many silly quirks. But I just ignore this one. I have tomatoes to grow, I can’t let my quirks get in the way. I think the hair likely protects them from certain creepy crawlies. Think of it more like you have something in common as they don't like most bugs either.
Hey, maybe you can stop shaving your legs and the bugs will leave you alone too
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Cookies Galore
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Post by Cookies Galore on May 10, 2022 15:31:45 GMT -5
I'm picking up my (free) tomato plants on Sunday, and hopefully some other goodies. Once I know what I'm going to grow this year will dictate what else I plant in my backyard. I just did a shit ton of weeding over the last week (and filled four yard bags; I have a postage stamp yard, ugh) and ripped out the lavender plant that went astray, i.e., too big to prune and was taking over that section of flower bed.
Someone near me runs an annual tomato plant giveaway and I take advantage. I reserved four plants (one cherry, two Roma, one slicer boy). I surprised myself last year and had great success with beets, so I'm hoping the person with beets will be at the tomato pick-up. Once I have my tomato/other veggies in hand then I'll have a better idea of how much stonecrop to buy. I have three plants already and they've been propogating perfectly so I want to fill the rest of the flower bed with more stonecrop and maybe some more salvia.
Our purple Columbine in our front yard is blooming and our kousa dogwood has little green flowers starting to appear. Blooms soon!
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CCL
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Post by CCL on May 10, 2022 16:22:50 GMT -5
Went out to water my raised bed and couldn't help but notice it's starting to look like a little garden
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2022 17:50:30 GMT -5
Mister is on the riding mower, cutting the back yard, and he kept yelling at me. I finally understood he wanted me to “come here”. He wanted to show me that 4 or 5 of my tiger lillies DID survive being dug up, and are growing! Mister knows even less about plants than I do after all the endless research I’ve done, but even he knew they were something different from the regular grass and weeds in the yard. He wanted to know why they were in the “middle of the yard”, which they are not, they are off to one side and I’d showed him where I planted them, which he knew because he was the first to see that the bulbs had been dug up by some unknown critter. I purposefully planted them far away from the deck because I was advised that they produce a LOT of pollen, which I am allergic to. Anyway, I’m glad he didn’t mow them down, and I’m beyond happy to know a few of them are growing, after I thought all of them had been dug up by critters. Tennesseer, I have a few tiger lillies growing! And I’m excited about it. First the teeny tiny tomato, now this. I don’t know what to do with myself right now.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on May 10, 2022 17:53:18 GMT -5
Mister is on the riding mower, cutting the back yard, and he kept yelling at me. I finally understood he wanted me to “come here”. He wanted to show me that 4 or 5 of my tiger lillies DID survive being dug up, and are growing! Mister knows even less about plants than I do after all the endless research I’ve done, but even he knew they were something different from the regular grass and weeds in the yard. He wanted to know why they were in the “middle of the yard”, which they are not, they are off to one side and I’d showed him where I planted them, which he knew because he was the first to see that the bulbs had been dug up by some unknown critter. I purposefully planted them far away from the deck because I was advised that they produce a LOT of pollen, which I am allergic to. Anyway, I’m glad he didn’t mow them down, and I’m beyond happy to know a few of them are growing, after I thought all of them had been dug up by critters. Tennesseer, I have a few tiger lillies growing! And I’m excited about it. First the teeny tiny tomato, now this. I don’t know what to do with myself right now. All was not lost. Yea! Any activity on the tuberose? None here.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2022 17:55:31 GMT -5
I kinda want to go look at them again, but there are so many creepy crawlies in our yard that I’d feel better with my “gardening boots” on. I just have on Nike slides right now, that I ventured out there wearing.
Maybe I’ll “strap up” with my gardening boots tomorrow and go take a closer look. It’s enough for today, to know they survived and are growing.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on May 10, 2022 17:59:44 GMT -5
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2022 18:07:03 GMT -5
Mister is on the riding mower, cutting the back yard, and he kept yelling at me. I finally understood he wanted me to “come here”. He wanted to show me that 4 or 5 of my tiger lillies DID survive being dug up, and are growing! Mister knows even less about plants than I do after all the endless research I’ve done, but even he knew they were something different from the regular grass and weeds in the yard. He wanted to know why they were in the “middle of the yard”, which they are not, they are off to one side and I’d showed him where I planted them, which he knew because he was the first to see that the bulbs had been dug up by some unknown critter. I purposefully planted them far away from the deck because I was advised that they produce a LOT of pollen, which I am allergic to. Anyway, I’m glad he didn’t mow them down, and I’m beyond happy to know a few of them are growing, after I thought all of them had been dug up by critters. Tennesseer , I have a few tiger lillies growing! And I’m excited about it. First the teeny tiny tomato, now this. I don’t know what to do with myself right now. All was not lost. Yea! Any activity on the tuberose? None here. IKR! I am so excited that some of them DID survive. I was really sad when I thought all of them had been dug up and destroyed. No activity on the tuberose besides the one I told y’all sprouted a few weeks ago. It is now about 6” tall. But no signs of life from the other 2 bulbs. I told Mister yesterday that I needed him to poke around and see what is going on with the other 2 bulbs, but I forgot to actually have him do it. Are you not seeing anything at all from your bulbs?
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on May 10, 2022 18:17:43 GMT -5
All was not lost. Yea! Any activity on the tuberose? None here. IKR! I am so excited that some of them DID survive. I was really sad when I thought all of them had been dug up and destroyed. No activity on the tuberose besides the one I told y’all sprouted a few weeks ago. It is now about 6” tall. But no signs of life from the other 2 bulbs. I told Mister yesterday that I needed him to poke around and see what is going on with the other 2 bulbs, but I forgot to actually have him do it. Are you not seeing anything at all from your bulbs? As the Lily stems get taller, keep your eye out for the brown bulblets which you will find at the junction of the stem and leaf. Those are your future lily bulbs. Let some of the bulblets mature and fall to the ground. Collect a few bulblets and scatter them on the ground/soil elsewhere if you want lillies some place else. Remember they get tall-about six feet tall and the flowers are at the top.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2022 19:16:10 GMT -5
IKR! I am so excited that some of them DID survive. I was really sad when I thought all of them had been dug up and destroyed. No activity on the tuberose besides the one I told y’all sprouted a few weeks ago. It is now about 6” tall. But no signs of life from the other 2 bulbs. I told Mister yesterday that I needed him to poke around and see what is going on with the other 2 bulbs, but I forgot to actually have him do it. Are you not seeing anything at all from your bulbs? As the Lily stems get taller, keep your eye out for the brown bulblets which you will find at the junction of the stem and leaf. Those are your future lily bulbs. Let some of the bulblets mature and fall to the ground. Collect a few bulblets and scatter them on the ground/soil elsewhere if you want lillies some place else. Remember they get tall-about six feet tall and the flowers are at the top. I remember that they get tall, I purposefully planted them where they might help screen the view of our deck from people passing by. I can also see them from my bedroom window in the spot I chose. Now I have a new spot for Newbie to escort me to so I can see what’s going on. Right now I’m just really happy that I didn’t lose all the ones I planted. I will follow your advice to tend to them.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2022 19:30:56 GMT -5
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on May 10, 2022 19:39:17 GMT -5
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2022 19:44:10 GMT -5
Uh oh! Like I said, only one of mine has sprouted. I keep watching for signs of life from the other 2, but so far nothing. What are we supposed to do now? Enquiring minds want to know.
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Tennesseer
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Post by Tennesseer on May 10, 2022 20:10:11 GMT -5
Uh oh! Like I said, only one of mine has sprouted. I keep watching for signs of life from the other 2, but so far nothing. What are we supposed to do now? Enquiring minds want to know. By zinnia seeds and scatter them all over the place.
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ken a.k.a OMK
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They killed Kenny, the bastards.
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Post by ken a.k.a OMK on May 10, 2022 20:26:43 GMT -5
I planted a lot of seeds on 4/12 then the weather turned cold. None germinated......yet. Now that the temps are 72/52 I hope to see germination, but the squirrels have been digging. Zinnias and sunflowers. I have Hyacinth bean plants started inside that are 1' tall and ready to go out.
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CCL
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Post by CCL on May 11, 2022 3:53:44 GMT -5
Uh oh! Like I said, only one of mine has sprouted. I keep watching for signs of life from the other 2, but so far nothing. What are we supposed to do now? Enquiring minds want to know. By zinnia seeds and scatter them all over the place. I like zinnias. They're great for a cutting garden. I really like the big, showy ones you can see from the street. Gotta keep the neighbors wishing they could grow flowers like mine lol. My peony bush has doubled in size in just a few days. Lots of buds, finally. I planted it 4 years ago, so it's taken a while. I've got another I planted last year, but it's still a tiny little thing. I don't expect to see any flowers this year on that one. My little crabapple in front along with my hostas are really starting to grow, too. I like looking out the window at them
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azucena
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Post by azucena on May 11, 2022 6:26:43 GMT -5
My peony has flowers on it too. Flowers that DH says stink - further proof that his sniffer is broken as I've never heard anyone say peonies stink. Both DDs told him he was crazy.
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CCL
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Post by CCL on May 11, 2022 7:10:16 GMT -5
Peonies smell wonderful.
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