What's blooming?

[Opsa]

Do you know why the Delphiniums and Poopies () don't like your garden? Not to make you jealous, but i've eradicated more poppy plants this year than were at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. They came up literally everywhere, including the block paving. They seed like bloody Dandelions!

GAAARRR... I believe it is due to our heavy clay soil here. The poopies don't care for it, I'm afraid. I have seeded, and even bought rather pricey (for me, anyway) live started plants, and they all disappear, the poor things.

My front yard is drier and sandier, so I have been able to get some annual poopies to grow there, like Shirley and corn poopies. But what I really love are the gigantic perennial ones, especially the apricot colored kind. Oh, they are lovely with the late sun falling through them.

I should try again in the front yard, but first I have to lift the front beds. They are too full and weedy this year. I am going to have to force myself to do it in the fall after everything's gone to bed. It's a chore, but it will help. I have lots of daffs and other bulbs and rhizomes up there that would benefit from a lifting and soil amendment.

The roses of sharon have burst, here. Also, some sunflowers.

[Roland Deschain]

Yeah, maybe try the other area, although I thought they'd be willing to seed almost anywhere, especially the more local wild varieties of poppy. Maybe a digging over of the area you want to grow them in would suffice, with an addition of a little compost, as you say?

The soil would be heavy clay in areas around me too, but years of having leaves from trees and shrubs fall onto the ground, not to mention what the roots of said trees and shrubs have done to it, have made the soil far better. The area under my herb garden was poor, but I improved it with homemade compost.

The perennial poppies can be pretty spectacular, yes, but the annuals can be special too. Sow some of each around the time the seeds usually fall, then just leave it and wait. If you sow more in the spring, you'll get 2 distinct "crops" of flowers, one earlier than the other. Should look really nice, and give you a semi-continual display. Plus, if you use packets of mixed seed, you'll not only gain a colour palette to metaphorically die for, you'll not be spending much money either.

[Opsa]

I have tried something the Thompson and Morgan catalogue called a Fairy Mix or something like that. They were for annual poopies (sorry, I'm just stuck saying 'poopies' for now) in really cool semi transparent shades of pastel and greys. But they pooped out, too.

Really, I need to lift the front beds as well, so if I can get my act together this fall maybe I can do that and toss some poppy (better!) seeds on top of that to see if they take.

[Roland Deschain]

Yeah, there comes a time when you have to give up on some things. I don't like doing that, though, and usually persevere, much to the chagrin of my time and wallet.

[Aggie]

I'm a Darwinian gardener... if it's not fit for my climate or personal garden style, then I don't bother with it. Same with insect infestations; kill off the most susceptible plants, and the ones that remain tend to be bug-hardy.  My houseplants would get occasional waves of bugs that would kill one or two (or at least require euthanasia), but the survivors would usually shake off the remaining bugs after a month or two, leaving a barely noticeable population that hung on but didn't do any real damage.

There are lots of different plants to garden with, best to find the ones that work well in your personal ecosystem.

[Opsa]

Yes, I agree with the Darwinian gardening. My garden has evolved over the years. I planned it one way, but in the end it has decided what goes where.

[Roland Deschain]

I have an Intelligent Design garden, but those pesky Darwinists come in at night and make it look as if it's evolving...

[Opsa]

We've had orange cosmos, blue bachelor's buttons, black eyes susan, phlox, assorted zinnia, and sunflowers blooming here. Last night I finally took the time to make a bouquet out of some of them for our outdoor supper. The colors blended well, don't you think?

[pieces o nine]

It's a painting!