Evolution of an Amaryllis!

I took this picture soon after buying this wonderful amaryllis. It cost me $15! (Willard Bay Gardens!)

11/3:



By 11/11 it looked like this:



11/18:



11/24:



?:



12/10: First bloom!



12/24: Second bloom!



Then, the leaves really came out and I was expecting to not see another bloom until next winter.

I was wrong!

1/25/11: THIRD bloom!



It still looks like this and is actually sending out 5 blossoms! I have completely enjoyed this plant! I'm hoping that I can actually get this one to rebloom. I got a great tip to make that happen, so here's to hoping!

Dahlias

I have purchased two different types of dahlias this year. They are my first ones and I'm excited to see them pop out of the ground! I hope they all survive. I don't remember what they're called, but three are yellow dinner plate dahlias and three are smaller but equally gorgeous fuchsia dahlias.

Here are some links to some great dahlia information:

Dahlia Success

Digging, Dividing and Storing Dahlia Tubers

Garden Guides

I've found this great new (to me)site! It's called Garden Guides! They have information, tutorials and video guides to help in your garden.

Check it out!

High Country Gardens has a YouTube Channel!

Here's a video about how to plant perennials!

Buds

Although I love full Spring/Summer, this time of year is great, too. I love to look around every day and see the new buds and starts that are coming up! I like to look at the trees and shrubs and know that they have buds and are not dead yet...

I love the potential waiting to burst into bloom!!

I bought my first orchid!! It is so gorgeous!! Well, it was when I bought it and took this picture! I think it needs more light than I am giving it, but my crappy windows are too cold for it! Well, we'll see what happens...

My Yard in the Fall

I love the seasons!! Since I grew up basically without them (in Florida) I love all of the changes! I can even appreciate the snow in October! I do have trouble with it in April, though!

Living in Utah, I've also come to enjoy colors other than green. There is beauty even in the gray!

So, here are some pictures of my yard in the fall!

Work in Progress

I have decided that my yard is always going to be a work in progress! We are always reworking what we want and adding or moving new things. For my birthday, my SIL got me some butterfly bushes that were supposed to be an arch for entering the garden. I think we may have put them too far apart, but they are still going to look spectacular. To put the bushes where we wanted them, we had to move some very old and rank roses. We actually love the blossoms, but the plants had been neglected for many years and were a mess. So, we cut them up and dug them out. They are now replanted and will hopefully survive. We decided that we were willing to lose them, so it wouldn't be a big deal. My husband and I really want them to live. They have a chance, since it is cooler right now. So far, it looks good. It has been about three weeks.

We've also decided that we want a mostly perennial orchard/vineyard/garden in the back. We want more fruit trees, more blackberries, as well as some currants, raspberries and grapes. We'll leave about a 5 by 20 foot area that will be an annual vegetable garden.

I haven't decided if we just change what we want to do all of the time or if we have finally settled on what we really want now that we've lived here for a year. Either way, I'm happy with the plan and we'll see how it all looks next year!

Fall Gardening

So, fall is quickly approaching and it seems that the garden is finishing up. But there are plenty of things you can do to enjoy your time outside as well as make next year's garden even better.

First, keep enjoying the harvest for as long as you can! Many things are still ripening and I think you should stretch that out as long as possible!

You can start planning for next year and making things ready for you then. After you are done harvesting veggies, you can turn the soil over or till it under for next year. There are also crops that you can grow as "green manure". They protect the soil from erosion as well as provide compost in the spring. They can also help you in the never-ending battle with weeds! You can plant several types of vetches, peas, clovers and other crops and then till it under in the spring. The plants can add nutrients back into the soil. Several of the options help fix the nitrogen that is already in the soil and make it more available to other plants. Fall and Winter are great times to start thinking about what you want to do in the Spring. You can evaluate the things that went well or poorly and think about what to do about it!

Fall is also a great time to plant perennials! The weather is cooler and they will have a chance to really get their roots growing. Then, as soon as the snow melts and things start to warm up, those plants are ready to go! Plus, in the fall, many greenhouses are trying to thin out their supply of plants, so they have huge clearances in the fall! We have gotten some really great deals in the fall!

As I said in my last post, spring bulbs need to be planted now. Also, pansies will do better if you plant them in the fall. They thrive in cooler weather and I actually have seen some flower if the snow comes off of them at all! (Pansies are even edible, but that is for another post!)

You can also spend some time dividing perennials in the fall. They will have the same advantages as any plant you choose to put in in the fall and many of them need to be divided every few years to stay vigorous.

So, don't pack everything up for Spring. There is plenty to do in the garden in the fall. It's even cooler and more comfortable weather!

Utah's County Extension Offices

If you ever have a question about anything agriculturally related that you can't find an answer to, go to/call/email your County Extension Office! They are there for you to help you in whatever you are trying to do!!!

(Oh, and this is what my Houttuynia Is looking like, now!)

Garden Update

I thought I'd give you a look into my garden as it stands, now! We finally have a real plan and that makes it so much better. We are getting somewhere, now! I know it doesn't look like a lot, but we have marked the edge of the fruit and vegetable garden and the fence. You can just barely see it starting in the bottom of the photo. In the middle of the fence, we are going to have a horticultural arbor. It's made from some transplanted snowball bushes that we are hoping survive after all the work we put in to get them there! The left side is the veggie garden and the right side will eventually be a kids' garden with a pergola and sitting area!


We are actually getting some fruit on the apple and peach trees we planted this year! I am so excited! There are literally about 6 fruit total, but it will make a nice snack!! I can't wait!



Some of our roses are blooming even though we hacked them to bits. They were completely overgrown and we were planning to move most of them. Now that we have changed our plan, we are going to leave most of them where they are. I've also been trying to get some cuttings to root, so we may end up with a ton of roses! This one smells wonderfully even when you are just standing close to it! I love it!!


This is my fairy garden. I had to cut back a lot of the branches of the shrubs on either side of it so that it could get more than an hour of sunlight per day. Now, it gets about three. I still need to build three fairy houses (the kids want them, too) and some various furniture for the fairies to come and visit us.

I Do This All the Time!

I went to a friend's house to help her know which plants were worth keeping and which ones were weeds. There was one that I was pretty sure was a weed, but I couldn't identify it and it drove me crazy. I came home and researched in my books, and looked all over online. (I found some great websites along the way!) I couldn't find it!

Then, some of it came up in my weed patch, er, garden and I recognized it as the same plant but I still couldn't identify it.

I thought about it off and on, today and finally the name came to me. Western Salsify (Tragopogon dubius)

The problem was that it is a biennial and so the stage that my friend's was in made it harder for me to identify. Mine had a flower and was much larger.

I'm really grateful for all for the knowledge that I've gained...I just wish that I didn't have to wait for my brain to find the right "file" sometimes!! (But at least I have the files...)

How to and Interesting

Quote Garden

Garden Digest Quotes

The Fairy's Garden

Gardening Patch

Garden Coaching Blog

Ed Hume & Gardening in America

Sunset

Cold Climate Gardening

Killer Plants

The Helpful Gardener

The Amateur's Digest

Mini Farm Homestead

Landscaping Your Front Yard

Plant Propagation

Container Gardening Tips

Seed Swaps

University Sites

Horticulture at USU

Arizona State Master Gardeners Manual

Colorado State Extension

Hortiscope NDSU

USU Extension

USU Yard and Garden Extension

Plant Databases

Arbor Day Tree Identification

Weed Identification Key

Weed Photo Gallery

Insect Identification Methods

Grass Weed Identification Guide

USDA Plants Database

Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers

Pronunciation Guide

USU Tree Browser

Online Plant Guide

Heritage Perennials