I did (as usual!). I learned:
Not to OVERWATER everything and anything. I think I have been guilty of overwatering things and possibly could have caused fungi to develop. So now I went cold turkey and put down the watering can/hose!! I finally learned to give it up (after reading a book on Diseases I took out of the library!) Many soil diseases are caused by overwatering and poor drainage. Who knew....!!! Live and learn

Yea, I'm too old to have a fussy, time consuming garden. More plants that take care of themselves and not ones that need a lot of time and energy I don't have anymore!

This isn't exactly in answer to your exact question, Wavy, but I learned a big time and back strain saver here on the computer discussion board - although I think it was probably back on the Garden Talk board of BHG. Anyway, it was the practice of lasagne gardening. Have used it several times in different areas to great success.

i learned be careful what you think you want before you spend a lot of money on it. am thinking of the daylilies i bought. not the big wow i expected.

learned, again, that garden is never 'done' even tho i think it is.

re-learned that no, i am not going to stay on top of the weeds. am just kidding myself to even think i will.

probably more.. but gotta head out for now.

I mentioned this before - Sunflower blooms face east. There is nowhere in my yard I can plant them so I can see them from the house. Probably won't try again if they're going to be so darn [rude!

Bana, there's still a possibility you could be wowed by your daylilies if you give them another chance (or two). What's that old saying about perennials? Something like - the first year they sleep, second year they creep, and the third year they leap? A statement on the way they need time to establish themselves.

i kind of figured that, nettiej. thanks for the encouraging words. i am going to move the daylilies in the long section of the L to the shorter section and cluster them closer together. i can always divide them when they get too big in a couple years. [that is the optimist in me talking.] the one i loved the best was Betty Warren Woods.. a yellow that was a freebie with one of my orders. it was the prettiest of them all. so i'm not giving up on them.. just relocating them. i soaked them good today plus the spot they are going into.. and will carefully move them in the next couple days.

nothing seems to ever turn out how i planned. the iris bed became the sunflower bed, thanks to mother nature and the seed i put out for squirrels. so the iris are getting moved too. then my two empty beds will become small veggie plots next spring. when i move the iris, i'll be sure to take a whole lot of soil with each one to protect the roots that have grown this season... and hope for the best. only 3 or 4 bloomed this year out of the ten or so i planted last spring. i know they need time too to get established. the ones that bloomed were absolutely gorgeous.

how did your daylilies do? did the apricot one that started us off on this tangent last fall measure up to your expectations?

Oh boy, I learned a LOT this year...first, I need to plant my onions sooner and my potatoes.
I learned that if early blight strikes the tomato plants I might as well pull them out & start over with our humidity!
I learned that I had NOT seen all the different fungial diseases that could attack flowers and that there are more destructive worms than I knew too!
And the day before yesterday I had another new thing...white, fuzzy aphids! Yep, on my black/blue salvia!

I learned that a warmer than normal winter and more than normal rain can really bring lots of bad things besides making the grass grow!

Bana, oh please don't give up on the daylilies, they should do better next year! Maybe some of them are for cooler areas--perhaps you need some that do well in your zone. I would love to have some from Florida but many do not do well or even survive here in Ohio. They are such a great perennial don't give up! I just picked up a new bunch from a local grower yesterday. So I'll be digging today!

I learned more about hostas and of course bought more of them.

I learned how to alternate my deer sprays more often and so far have not seen too many in my yard.

Just saw a PBS gardening show yesterday that talked about filling the bottom of very large containers with mulch. I have been using styrofoam but mulch would probably be better.

I did learn that if you put elephant ears in combine black and green ones and then surround them with liriopi it really brings a garden out .

At the end of the season I now realize it would have been easier to pull the weeds out earlier, if we would have had more rain so they would not have been so difficult. But I must say I did better than last year. This is also the first time I did not stake all my tomatoes and am now sorry because they are beind destroyed by insects. The 2 I did stake have not been torn up as badly by insects. This is the first year that my pepper plant could have benefited from staking. Guess I will attempt to stake them next year. This is the first year that I ever thought about totally giving up gardening. I think the problem is /i have had medical problems this year. I hope they get taken care of and under control before next season. I have decided not to give up, it makes for a lot of enjoyment in life, especially when I can look out my sewing room window and enjoy the flowers while sewing. I planted 3 big containers of flowers in full view of my sewing window and they have bloomed their heads off this year.

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learned this squirrel preferred to chew off his own sunflower head vs eating the ones i cut off and put in the crate to dry...

[sorry pic is blurry.. can i blame the camera?]

How cute is that! Let's see...I learned all about funnel spiders & found out I have several from all the funnel webs I've found! Can probably do a whole thread on them now! I grew a
large pot of *****ly pear cacti from parts broken off on the sidewalk from my vet's office! I grew my first pineapple lily which is still interesting to me as it is now going to seed. Still need to do more reading on YELLOW JACKETS!!!

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Owie ~ Don't overdo it and if planting veggies is too much work, then just plant a few flowers. Plant them where You can enjoy them. Hope springs eternal....Just think of your 82 y.o. patient for inspiration! Get Better FASTER!
Bana ~ Did you get those Day Lilies this year? My Yellow Stella D'Oro's that I love, I bought last yr. rather LATE in the season. I never had Day Lilies before and I was looking around Lowes, desperate for flowers. In desperation I picked up 2 pots of the Stella Day Lilies. Last yr. I stuck them in the middle of a large container surrounded by other flowers. You couldn't even see them last yr. They hardly grew and were hidden by my Petunias and other flowers. This year, started growing every early as soon as Spring Sprung!!! They spread out and I realized I had no room in pot for anything else. I love these carefree, easy-going, drought resistant Stellas. Buy Stellas now (if you see any, you're in CA. so who knows?!) If not, I would pick up Stellas next year and plant alongside your other Day Lilies. After the others stop blooming Stellas will continue. I think it takes the 2nd year to really come into their own.
AT LEAST YOU GOT GORGEOUS SUNFLOWERS!!! The Sunflowers I planted never looked as perty as your "Volunteers"!!! Put the Irises in a smaller area, they look pretty closer together. There's always next spring. When does Spring start in Calif. I have no idea!?

wavy.. i did get the daylilies, nine of them. they didn't get as big as i would have liked and i'm going to move them to the short section of the 'L' bed and cram them together. i have no patience to wait 3 years for something to look good. i'm doing that tomorrow.. i tilled the whole 'L' with the garden claw and watered good to be ready to transplant.

i be almost willing to replace all my lilies with stella d'oro's like yours... except for one. the one daylily i loved the best was a freebie with my order.. a soft yellow called Betty Warren Woods. i delighted in seeing the blooms come out on that one.

i am moving the iris to a smaller area with more flowers.. and will cluster them more together like nature would do.

another photo of Betty Warren Woods.. a very different yellow from the d'oro's.

I wouldn't cluster the iris too close together. They don't want to be too crowded. When you replant them, make sure the rhizome sits on top of the earth & the roots underneath. Too deep & they won't bloom. Have fun.

thanks for the advice, mgt. when i'm ready to transplant them, i will water thoroughly and dig deep enough to get the roots with soil around them... and i will watch to keep the rhizome on top.

I've learned it's not essential to fertilize containers a lot. I've always used dilute fertilizer with every watering but this year because I've had so much to do I've mostly just watered them. I'm sure it depends on the type of plant but the coleus and sweet potato vines have done just fine without much fertilizer. Probably flowering plants need more but these foliage plants are growing very well without.

I think I've *finally* learned I need to stake tall plants earlier! Did it later than I should have this year (but earlier than previous years) and will do even better next year! LOL Maybe the stakes I used this year will survive the winter.

I've learned that the price of deer repellents are well worth the money. But they are still a bother so will put up deer proof fencing soon. Tired of having those critters eat my expensive plants and bring ticks into the yard.

I also learned that my roses survived and are fine without being 'winterized'. Last fall I didn't cover them at all and there was no more winter k i ll than when I did.

I've learned I can't keep the weeds down without a lot of mulch so hopefully won't have as much work next year. Found a cheap source so have lots of mulch and have nearly finished the entire garden.

Lots of things I'm learning as I get older in my attempt not to work so hard! LOL

That's a pretty pic Muddy but a horrid subject! Can't stand spiders! Ugh!

quote:

Originally posted by bana:
i have no patience to wait 3 years for something to look good.
the one daylily i loved the best was a freebie with my order.. a soft yellow called Betty Warren Woods.

EXACTLY!!! I don't even like when Perennial flowers bloom the 2nd year after you plant them. I want them the same season. Patience is a virtue, but NOT for flowers!!!
I love those Betty Warren Day Lilies, beautiful!!!!

quote:

Originally posted by Wavy:
[QUOTE]...EXACTLY!!! I don't even like when Perennial flowers bloom the 2nd year after you plant them. I want them the same season. Patience is a virtue, but NOT for flowers!!!
I love those Betty Warren Day Lilies, beautiful!!!!

your perennials last into year 2? lucky you. my coneflowers, oriental poppies, black eyed susans, to name some from a few years back... turned out to be a one-shot-deal for me. oh the money i've spent each year on new flowers. i thought perennials were the answer. NOT. and here i am turning my circles back into beds for variety once again.

i should post pics of the day lilies i don't care whether i keep or not.. to see if anyone wants them. i really have too many to crowd into the little section of my 'L' bed. but i'm gonna do it. it will be full next year. beyond that, i do not care.

The Betty Warren Woods is a very nice plant. It can be planted to zone 10b quite a reach since it's also ok in zone 5. Your plant has good branching and a bunch of buds which is good. Are your others like this too? Maybe some of yours were meant to be in colder climes? Let me know what you have if you are going to pitch them out.

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I learned that you should "NEVER SAY NEVER" when you enjoy gardening.
bana, Betty Warren Woods is gorgeous and that is one very fat squirrel!

quote:

Originally posted by Barb in Mississippi:
I learned that you should "NEVER SAY NEVER" when you enjoy gardening.
bana, Betty Warren Woods is gorgeous and that is one very fat squirrel!

amen, sister gardener. never say never!!

BWW is the one i got the most joy from when the lilies bloomed. every time a new flower came out i'd fall more in love with that plant. it became my most favorite. second love [pictured] was Dixie Chick. it was the first one I bought and what started me on this tangent. btw, BWW was a freebie with Dixie Chick.

quote:

Originally posted by bana:
"oh the money i've spent each year on new flowers. i thought perennials were the answer". "NOT".

You are TOO FUNNY!!!! Are you the one that bought the 9 Day Lilies and now you decided you hate them all except two?
This thread got more interesting!
My thing is "Be careful what you wish for" with PERENNIALS! For yrs. I was envious of my neighbor's Daisies. I planted them from seeds for a few yrs. - NOTHING HAPPENED. I finally got something 3 yrs. ago. The stems, but No Flowers. I had to wait for following yr. for the Daisies to appear. Then after they appeared, I decided I didn't like them anymore. They only bloom once and after about a week or so of looking perty, they start shriveling up and dying. Then the show over, finito. Kaput. I cut them all off and decided I'm done with them. Bright & early this spring they all bloomed again in my container. I kept them since they were so 'perty' (Honey Boo Boo says "Perty", LOL!!) But I don't really like these one show wonders. I want something to bloom all summer like petunias.
Same with Foxgloves. I transplanted a ton of the volunteers that reseeded themselves cause I wanted FLOWERS the next spring. This spring I got about 30 Foxgloves stalks - covered with green aphids. Yuck! Yanked it all out, cause I wanted to plant veggies in the spot. My Perennials all came back and then I didn't like/want them. You are too funny. I would not have the patience to pull out all those Day Lilies and replant them...... and then decide to donate instead! ROTFLMDAO!

quote:

Originally posted by Wavy:...You are TOO FUNNY!!!! Are you the one that bought the 9 Day Lilies and now you decided you hate them all except two? ...I would not have the patience to pull out all those Day Lilies and replant them...... and then decide to donate instead! ROTFLMDAO!

nope, that wouldn't be me, wavy. you must have me confused with some other poor soul that bought 9 and hated 7. i'm the one who bought 9 and 'didn't care for' all but 3 of them. well, make that 4. i'm keeping Calling All Angels too and tossing it into the new iris bed. and if it makes you feel any better, i have not transplanted anything yet. i got the bug to keep what i like and offer up the rest BEFORE i did all that transplanting work.

i am and have always been a chronic furniture re-arranger. now that everything indoors has found its best place, i take my can't-move-anything-around-anymore frustrations out in the garden. so far, not every plant and shrub has found its best place. yet. this is the first time, though, i've spent money on flowers only to give them away a short time later. and the last, i assure you. they just didn't 'wow' me like i hoped.

I've learned to trust my veteranarian. While sitting in his office with my little shi tzu a woman came into the office screaming that she couldn't wake up her pet duck.
The kindly doctor took her into a side room and examined the poor bird. He put his stethoscope on the duck, turned and told the woman her duck was dead. Then handed the woman a bill for $25.00.
The lady screamed that the doctor hadn't examined long enough saying the duck may be just sleeping or in a coma.
The doctor then left the room and came back in with a Labrador Retriever. The dog jumped up on the examining table, sniffed the duck from head to tail, turned to the doctor and gave a sign that nothing could be done.
The doctor led the dog out and brought in a cat who also was put on the table and examined the duck from head to tail, turned and meowed his affirmaton, the duck was dead.
The doctor then turned to his machine and brought out another bill $250.00.
This time the woman went berserk. Two hundred and fifty dollars, just a moment ago it was $25.
The doctor explained if she had accepted his earlier diagnosis the bill would be $25.00 but with the lab report and the catscan the bill is now $250.00.

Which just goes to show-- Trust your vet.

quote:

Originally posted by bana:
i am and have always been a chronic furniture re-arranger. now that everything indoors has found its best place, i take my can't-move-anything-around-anymore frustrations out in the garden. so far, not every plant and shrub has found its best place. yet.

LOL, Bana, this describes me perfectly altho I've almost been cured of it by aging. Sometimes it's just not worth the extra work and pain and one finally realizes that perfection is a fleeting concept!

I have learned 1) don't have so many potted plants. I just don't have the time to water them; 2) I have far too many irises; 3) roses hate me.

Oh well, there's always next year......

I learned that you must be on top of all your plants, gardens, etc. I just discovered that many, many of my Arborvites are turning brown. I am so surprised & upset and think it's insects. I thought there were a lot of ants hanging around but I didn't know why. I put down those ant baits. (they are pretty useless!!!) I examined them all the time closely and did not see any insects on them. I hope if I spray them it will be okay and they go into dormacy okay. I think I might have use that Neem Oil in late winter before they wake up. I don't understand how this could have happened. I maybe didn't examine them for a couple of weeks, but they were fine all summer long (when I do examine them). Stay on top of your plants!!!!

sorry to hear that wavy. lets hope you caught whatever is going on in time.

i had to google 'Arborvites' to see what that was. are yours new plants? or established ones? would a good blast from the hose to the inside of the shrubs help?

Arborvitae are very susceptable to spider mite damage, Wavy. You might not notice the mites, tiny as they are. But you might see their more obvious webs. Hot, dry weather rapidly increases their populations. Maybe squirting down the shrubs with a heavy water spray from the hose would help, if that's what they have.

That's unfortunate about your cedars.

My Emeralds are the sentinels for my foundation plants and I'm often approached by people who remark they look so good.
I suggest you not spray something that is not going to fix the problem. I think you should identify what is causing the problem, then find the solution. Spider mites will leave tell-tale webbing and there are sprays for this.
Aphids too do infest these plants but can be picked off by hand and put into a bucket of soapy water or blasted off by a spray of water.

Evergreens are prone to brown if they are allowed to dry out. Its rather early in season to think they haven't received adequate moisture...but I suppose with poor drainage, they could be starved of water at their roots.
If you have gone through a drought or had severe heat days that may have caused the roots to dry out.
Perhaps a good watering to their roots can help fix the problem.
Be sure to continue to give cedars (and all evergreens) adequate moisture right up to freeze-up; they depend on it to last through winter.

Thanks Loonie. I is not due to lack of moisture. We are not in a drought area and we have had rain periodically during the summer. I just did the white paper test and did not see that many spider mites. There were spider mites on the piece of paper, but on one of the shrubs that I tested, there were hardly any mites on the paper and it was turning brown too. I will have to do my detective work, with a magnifying glass. I think I just discovered what was that mess on my tomatoes. It was covered with something and I saw a teeny-tiny worm/caterpillar emerge. TINY! So that was what was on my tomatoes. I didn't know what it was. I am wondering if what is on my shrubs as well. They are nearby in the same area. I don't know what those tiny caterpillars turn into, moths, flies? Have no idea but I know what aphids look like and haven't noticed them. I will have to really examine it top to bottom, haven't done it yet. Thanks for your advice.

I learned that I cannot take the summer heat and stayed indoors all summer. Good thing it rained a lot this season or I would have nothing but crispy plants. My work will start again when it drops below 80 for a high.

I learned that squirrels chew through new electric light strings as well as sunflower heads. "sigh"

l learned that i enjoy creating beds much more than i like maintaining them. here's the new iris bed in the front circle. lavender moved from front circle to back one. [you can kind of see it in the top right corner.]

and you can kind of see my neighbor [his head] standing in the wallflower bush that he pulled out of the back circle to make way for the jasmine. that thing was only 2 years old and huge!

and yes, the little circle to its right is where it came out of. the lavender is still in the front circle in this 'before' photo.

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After having read everyone elses posts, I realized that I learned a few more things.
1. DO NOT try to have as many pots as Patty L or zone9! They are way too much trouble.
2. Lots of rain means more fungial diseases!
3. Plant seeds EARLY & transplant EARLY!