Lethargic Little Sweet Peas

Silly me.  I was hopeful that the sweet peas would be accepting of last year's sorrowful, sagging network of strings.  They just weren't having it..........  their lack of enthusiasm was visible, their whimperings nearly audible.

And so yesterday I attempted to bring myself back into their good graces.  I disassembled the old strings and gave them a fresh weave for 2012.  They look happier already, don't they?  Hopefully they will reward me with abundant blossoms of white, pink, lavender, purple, red and will release to me their heavenly aroma.

In My Father's Footsteps

Morning Glory Seeds

I've been planting morning glory seeds for decades and have always followed the "nicking" advice.  There are a few variations on this advice gleaned from magazine articles as well as the back of the seed packet.  Because the seed has such a hard coat, it is suggested that one should make a small cut in the seed with a paring knife, or rub each seed with an emery board, then soak them overnight in water.  Because I love the morning glories, I have done this faithfully each year.   It's not my favorite chore.  It is tedious to apply the right amount of pressure to the knife.  Sometimes I cut the seed in half by mistake. Often the seed go airborne across the cutting board into points unknown. Sometimes I get busy and soak the seed a few hours longer than I should.  But there I am every year, with due diligence, preparing the seeds.  And what do I get for my labors? Probably 10% germination.  This year it was growing late and I was feeling lazy.  I looked at that seed package and said, "You are going directly into the soil this year - no knife, no soaking.  I'm done with that."  Granted, it was a risk.  Four days later the seeds had sprouted at the base of the trellis and I had nearly 100% germination.  My new-found freedom today comes from knowing that I will never nick another morning glory seed as long as I live!

Seeding box

 

     Adding annual seeds to my perennial beds just became easier!  Prior to this year I sowed flower seeds directly into a few spots here and there where I wanted sustained color to carry my garden through the season. That method was rife with challenges and disappointments.  This year Hank constructed a seeding box for me and filled it with good soil.  I tilled in a couple of extra ingredients for success and it was ready to go.  I sowed my seeds on Memorial Day Week-end and now, nearly two weeks later, all varieties have germinated and I am giddy with delight. In a week or two my seedlings will be transplanted to locations in the beds.  It did not take me long to discover the advantages of the "box" over direct sowing.

1.  I never have to step in the box, so seedings are no longer vulnerable to my garden trompings.
2.  So easy to map!
3.  One watering can a day to ONE spot and the seeds are kept evenly moist until germination.
4.  Weeding is minimal and manageable.
5.  I can check on everyone's progress in a single destination walk.

     From seed packets, I have sown: cleome, bachelor buttons, 4 o'clocks, small pulcina zinnias and pinwheel rose zinnias.  I've also sown a few varieties I harvested from favorite blossoms in last year's garden: bronze red marigold, moonlight (lemon yellow) nasturtium, salmon zinnia and an unusual zinnia blossom boasting two shades of yellow in the same blossom .  
     The only seed in which I did direct sowing is morning glory and that is going to be the subject of my next post.  Stay tuned.

Clematis Wilt

    Well, apparently there is no support group for gardeners who are down in the dumps over clematis wilt, so I will use this venue for my therapy.  Pictured above is a plant stricken with clematis wilt.  It is not MY plant, but I have witnessed this in my Pittsburgh garden where I saw it take three clematis in one season, and hoped never to see it again.  There is no turning around for the plant in the picture.  It will continue to droop, then wilt on the vine, and its owner can say good-bye before it ever blossoms. Though research is not conclusive, it appears that it is a soil-borne fungus.  It is difficult to eradicate.  

     Pictured below is the trellis that was hosting my small "Blue Angel Clematis" until a few days ago.  I was disheartened to see the top blossoms face downward, staring at their feet instead of the heavens above, refusing to climb another inch.  Each day it wilted more and finally I admitted defeat.  Snip Snip!  Back to two inches high.  No blossoms this year, but the good news is, it has a good chance of flourishing next year.  

     The next picture shows my newest clematis, the "Niobe," for which I spent a year on a wait list.   I knew this would be the perfect one to kiss the soft pink and white climbing rose that is busy winding its way up the other side of the trelllis.  A few days ago I noticed the top blossom turning downward.  Clutching my heart, I snipped that one little drooper and crossed my fingers.  While I wouldn't say it is out of danger, I have not seen further droop and it's been five days since I snipped.

But I am still worried about the future of clematis in my gardens.  I stubbornly admit that this is not fitting in with my concept of a low-maintenance perennial garden.  (I still have one that is in excellent health.)  I spoke with a gardener at Kulak's nursery, who advised me on how to best re-hab sick clematis and protect healthy ones. Spray affected plants and surrounding soil with a fungicide. Clematis like their roots to be shaded and their blossoms to be in the sun. Mulch is not recommended to shade the roots.  Foliage from other plants or rocks work better.
     My self-imposed therapy for Clematis Wilt Sufferers is to turn one's back on the ailing plant and look at something that is working.  I like the salmon poppy with the purple Baptisia.  Feeling better already.

Another garden surprise

It was a sweeter surprise than in my last posting..............  I shall be watering this hanging plant very carefully.