Dwarf Tomato Updates. 6.6.22

 With so much rain, the paper mulch under the dwarf tomatoes was deteriorating.  I think it's needed because they don't have modern hybrid fungal resistance built in.  Much tomato fungal disease  comes from splashing spores from soil to leaves during rain and watering.  The paper mulch prevents that.

So, I made a cardboard mulch from Amazon boxes.  The cardboard mulch should last the summer.  If the rains stop and I need to turn on the drip irrigation, that's no problem.  The drip emitters are under the mulch.

After growing season is over, the cardboard can be composted.  Easy.  

I also used the opportunity to give the tomatoes a dose of tomato fertilizer.  They actually look nice and deep green, so I think most are doing well.  There are a couple of stragglers, notably Brandyfred.  That is different from last year.

  Extreme Dwarf.

New Big Dwarf.

Dwarf CC McGee.

Dwarf Champion Improved.

Golden Dwarf Champion

Livingston Dwarf Stone.

Reisentraube.  I don't know that this is a dwarf variety, but it's not putting on much height so far.

One nice thing about the cardboard mulch is I can use a sharpie to label the plants.  I don't know if the ink will last the summer - it's fading on some plants I mulched with kraft paper.

What's Blooming. 6.6.22

 Itoh Peony.  I moved these earlier this year, and didn't really expect for them to bloom.

Another Itoh peony.  I moved this one last summer.  It looked near dead, but here it is.

Sarracenia.

Raspberries.  With bees.

An English rose, "Happy Child"

Brugmansia. 6.5.22

 Many years ago I grew a Brugmansia for a few years.  Actually, looking back through older pists, I grew a few of them.  Somehow I let them go.  I was thinking about growing one again.  I couldn't find seeds or plants.  Last week I saw one at Tsugawa.

Here it is after I repotted it.  I wonder if it should be that pale.  I have also given it some fertilizer and now it is outside all day.

Here it is now.  Label states the variety is Charles Grimaldi, who was the first in the Grimaldi dynasty to rule the city-state of Monaco near the French Riviera.

Looking back through my notes, here were some earlier ones.  2007

Another one in 2013.

Some Annual Flowers, Update. 6.4.22

 The carnations are growing nicely.  These may be perennial in warmer or drier winters.  I don't know about here.  I think they would benefit from some warm, sunny weather.

Statice.  During chillier weather the leaves were all red.  The newer leaves are green.  They need some warm, sunny weather to get growing.

African Marigold,  I started these last week or so.  These will be big and tall.

French Marigolds.  These were from saved seeds.  I don't know why germination was so sparse.  I just now sowed a second tray with a different batch of saved seeds.

Salpiglossis.  I have never grown them before and don't know what to expect.  The seed packet flowers were very nice.

Thunbergia.  I wonder if I should have started them a month ago.  They are African plants, and I waited hoping for warmer conditions.  Germination was described in some websites as difficult.  I think about 1/3 of these germinated.  Also called "Black Eyed Susan Vine".

The sweet peas don't look like much yet.  I don't know if they will come out of it.

Yesterday and today I sowed cosmos, zinnias, various marigolds, cleome, outside.

Cosmos I sowed in containers.  Germination wasn't great, might be old seeds.  The ones I sowed outside are home saved from last year, a d sometimes they come up volunteer, so there might be more of those.

Ditto for cleome.  I don't want a lot, but re-sowed seeds in the cells with no growth so far.

Four O'Clocks, not pictured.  I'll have to do that later.  They are growing by leaps and bounds.

Growing Native Perennials From Seeds, Update. 6.4.22

 Here are some of the seedlings I started during the winter.

Rudbeckias.   I think this group is Gloriosa Daisy.  Behind them are a Coreopsis and a Ratibida.  They all look like weeds now.

Gallardias.  There is variation in vigor and leaf shape.  I don't know why.

Echinacea

Bloodflower Milkweed and some poppies.

 Oregano

More Rudbeckias and more poppies.

The poppies grew from saved seeds that I just scattered in lots of places.  Some didn't.  Poppies are annual but can self seed so thickly they crowd out some weeds.  The native milkweeds all died or were eaten.  The tropical, annual milkweeds (bloodflower) so far look pretty good.  I thought frost killed the oregano, but now it's growing great.  The echinaceas kind of lagged behind the others and vanished, but now are growing nicely.  The rudbeckias seem to be the most vigorous.  Most of the coreopsis is growing nicely too.

So far, so good.  I don't expect them all to bloom this year, but some might.  The annuals (poppies and bloodflower) should bloom mid to late summer or fall.