tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post7362812820971593884..comments2023-12-21T01:10:25.829-06:00Comments on Urban Oasis: Belated Bloom Day ... August, 2008Iowa Victory Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07220818462081082930noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post-68798311437213551942008-08-18T23:33:00.000-05:002008-08-18T23:33:00.000-05:00Shady, how on earth did I miss you the first time ...Shady, how on earth did I miss you the first time through, sorry! Thanks, and glad you liked them! Sometimes I try be arty, but Fernymoss is better at that. I've always told Olivia (my photog inspiration and coach) that I consider myself more of a 'documentarian' or 'archivist,' whereas the other two are artists. <BR/><BR/>And the new cam sure helps too! I think it plays a big role in some of the quality shots we've gotten.Iowa Victory Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07220818462081082930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post-39376907496890085662008-08-18T23:28:00.000-05:002008-08-18T23:28:00.000-05:00Hi Annie, You snuck in one me again, lol ... glad ...Hi Annie, <BR/>You snuck in one me again, lol ... glad to see you here. I think mallows are real toughies but if they're faltering in your summer, that must be one severe drought you're having! I can remember years like that and it's frustrating and sad to be a gardener during such summers.<BR/><BR/>I know what you mean by not getting what you think from specific zinnias. We do have one (hasn't bloomed yet if it's out there) called 'Red Queen' which is really a nice deep one. We like to buy these mixes and single varieties that Target sells under the "Sean Conway Cutting Garden" brand. We really love the "State Fair" mix because it's chock full of all sorts of fun colors and they get almost 4-5 ft tall and bloom constantly. We usually throw a cactus type mix in with them as well so we have a little bit of everything. <BR/><BR/>If you only want/can grow one flower and have plenty of sun, it's a cheap way to get rapid gratification and lots of color! Love em...Iowa Victory Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07220818462081082930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post-10913794623608750072008-08-18T23:18:00.000-05:002008-08-18T23:18:00.000-05:00Hi Marnie,Yeah, I'm not very good at that special ...Hi Marnie,<BR/>Yeah, I'm not very good at that special day type thing either but I got a lot of good shots on Sat, and since they fit no particular theme, I figured, why not?<BR/><BR/>Glad you liked the tour! You have the Prairie Mallow too, sounds like yours has taken over, but so has ours. On my big weeding binge in July, I dug and pulled quite a few and they went to the compost. We should have done that with Zebrina too. Hey, maybe you could have a patch of Zebrina and Pink Mallow together and see who out thugs who! (or not, if you prefer!)<BR/><BR/>Oh, and here's something you can do (if you haven't already) to control them a bit: just prune them down taking pods and all. If yours is like mine, it's pretty much done and seeding. Only reason I haven't hacked them yet is I'm collecting some for Gail and others who want to give it a try.<BR/><BR/>I can't imagine it not growing for your friend either, unless she has some critter or bird who likes the seeds. I imagine that our respective winters are much the same, so I'm baffled too.Iowa Victory Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07220818462081082930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post-63545644881481054492008-08-18T23:16:00.000-05:002008-08-18T23:16:00.000-05:00Zebrina mallow must be one of the most adaptable p...Zebrina mallow must be one of the most adaptable plants in the country - even in our heat and with only hose water instead of rain a few plants are alive. There are even a few blooms. But mallow barely survives here and none of the flowers approach the beauty of the mallow in your photo with its bee butt. <BR/><BR/>The orange zinnias are great - wish I had them instead of my supposed lipstick reds that bloomed rose. More zinnias next year for sure. <BR/><BR/>I'll be back for the unfolding of those apricot blushed petals, IVG!<BR/><BR/>Annie at the Transplantable RoseAnnie in Austinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14662139490401110432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post-7500675480349361372008-08-18T23:11:00.000-05:002008-08-18T23:11:00.000-05:00Hi Daisy, You want weedy beauty, get yourself some...Hi Daisy, <BR/>You want weedy beauty, get yourself some Zebrina seeds and be prepared to pamper them a bit their first year -- or better yet, get some seeds and plant them where you want them after frost. Ours come up in droves every year, and I now regret I wasn't pulling or digging them up to move. Oh well. They're technically an annual but are always there after one successful year in the garden. You could do a very attractive mix with them and a nice mix of Hollyhocks (which are biennial, so they only grow the first year then bloom 2nd). That would be quite pretty...<BR/><BR/>They definitely wouldn't be "hardy" where you are, but as long as they have 2-4 good hot months and lots of sun, I think you could pull it off. If you can grow Zinnias there, these will too.Iowa Victory Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07220818462081082930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post-47548852437920915712008-08-18T23:07:00.000-05:002008-08-18T23:07:00.000-05:00Hey Janet!That's horridly hot for your area isn't ...Hey Janet!<BR/>That's horridly hot for your area isn't it? I always think of Portland as one of those perpetually rainy places. Maybe the rain will help cool things down a bit for you and give the roses a drink.<BR/><BR/>Good for you chasing off the exterminator dude! Anyone who came to my door offering for me to pay them to get rid of some of our favorite insects would get a real earful from me!<BR/><BR/>I scold people who complain about bees (ok, if you're allergic, that's a totally different story!), and quickly let them know that without bees, no honey, important things like flowers and veggies won't do their thing because they need the bees.<BR/><BR/>Earlier this summer (I wrote a post about it in June) when we were having the flooding, we thought ours had been killed and were gone. Fortunately they either recovered or a whole new hive has moved in because now they're everywhere! Some are BIG, too.Iowa Victory Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07220818462081082930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post-70250655302044421502008-08-18T23:01:00.000-05:002008-08-18T23:01:00.000-05:00Hi MMD,I agree with you about overabundance of the...Hi MMD,<BR/>I agree with you about overabundance of the Zebrina, and we're definitely at that breaking point now. Next weekend a lot of them are going on a trip to the compost pile. If I can't yank them out (they get a really huge root) I'll just cut them off at the base and let them die that way, and the roots should decompose over the winter.<BR/><BR/>It's a shame because we love pretty much any mallow, but we have to get these guys under control. I just wish we had dug them and transplanted them earlier when I had the idea of mixing them in a hollyhock bed we're starting behind the house. <BR/><BR/>I thought of Shady's dilemma and my first reaction also was Japanese Beetles. I hope she can find the culprit because that would be such a gorgeous flower to lose to pests!Iowa Victory Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07220818462081082930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post-20205878031283062152008-08-18T22:34:00.000-05:002008-08-18T22:34:00.000-05:00IVG, You've taken great photos... nice artistic s...IVG, You've taken great photos... nice artistic shots. :-)Shady Gardenerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05007816271406393818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post-43800659715876953842008-08-18T15:34:00.000-05:002008-08-18T15:34:00.000-05:00IVG, I've given up trying to post certain subjects...IVG, I've given up trying to post certain subjects on certain days. In any case, a garden tour is fun, any time, any day. <BR/><BR/>I love that zebrina mallow but I'm still trying to control my pink mallow. I have a friend who has tried to grow it twice. She can't get it to overwinter or reseed. I can't imagine anything that would prevent mallow from reseeding:)<BR/>MarnieRoses and Lilacshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07121676379580186489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post-35707822100496012982008-08-18T11:37:00.000-05:002008-08-18T11:37:00.000-05:00Oh my goodness. I absolutely love bloom day becau...Oh my goodness. I absolutely love bloom day because I get to go see what everyone else has in their garden. And I get to see what I HAVE to have. The Zebrina Mallow is it. <BR/><BR/> I hope it can grow in the Rocky Mountains or my whole day will be ruined. It is absolutely gorgeous, and the way you guys are talking about it, it seems weedy. <BR/><BR/>Weedy does well round here! It's going on the list for next year.Daisyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03657241461465217108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post-56261136326989909662008-08-18T11:35:00.000-05:002008-08-18T11:35:00.000-05:00Wowzers! Beautiful as always. It's been 104, 100, ...Wowzers! Beautiful as always. <BR/><BR/>It's been 104, 100, 103 and today it's raining and thunderstorms. My roses are so depressed... but the lavender is lovign it. <BR/><BR/>The Bee Butt: Love it! <BR/><BR/>Normally most families scream when they see bees. Mine, they coming running indoors to say they've seen em and with a bee count. (We've been very concerned with the loss of honeybees and other bees in the world news... ) <BR/><BR/>So anyways, last month a pest control type dude rang our bell and stated that he noticed we had bees and that he had the "solution". Of course it was "safe" pesticides because... ding ding ding... they use it at schools and hospitals. Yeah right. and we all know schools and hospitals have such great budgets and have high regard for safety LOL... <BR/><BR/>He wanted to spray the bees right then and there and we had to tell him to remove himself from our property. That 1. we don't use any pesticides and are strict about the environment and organics and 2. killing bees is pathetic. <BR/><BR/>I don't know why I still get shocked.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29575688.post-30220492173448427422008-08-18T09:58:00.000-05:002008-08-18T09:58:00.000-05:00I've been asked several times if I would ever rip ...I've been asked several times if I would ever rip out a plant in bloom, to which I always answer with a resounding "yes" - it's Zebrina Mallow! I find I have to rip some out throughout the growing season as there are always too many. You've got to admit, though, that there's no better bargain in plants. I'd call that Zinnia magenta, which is a good thing in my book. I wonder if Shady's Hibiscus pest is Japanese Beetles. They love my Rose of Sharon more than anything else in the garden.Mr. McGregor's Daughterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05911409327006498766noreply@blogger.com