Oh no, what's next?

[wordwiz]

It's not enough I'm addicted to sowing pepper, tomato and other veggie seeds, now I'm putting fl... flo... flow... this is so hard to type the word - those plants you cannot eat but just look at, the ones that have huge blooms that don't become fruit.

Three packages of them, 42 seeds in all. They are called Pink Angels Trumpet and these flo... flow... flowe... plants are stunning in a garden. They grow about 4-10 feet tall but have fragrant blooms (did I mention they do not turn into pods or fruit) that are 8-10 inches in length and hang down like a wall light.

The directions said to sow them 3-4 weeks before the last frost, so I'm only 14 or 15 weeks off. It's a perennial but not a hardy one, meaning it won't survive our winters (it's only good to 5 degrees) so I plan on growing it in a container and overwintering it.

But, even though it is a flow... you know, it could be a money maker. I only need four plants and if one can find them at a nursery, they seem to have a going price of about $17 in a one-gallon pot. One site had a listed price of nearly $60 for a 3-gallon pot. If they are huge by May, I figure I can sell them in a 5-gallon pot for $15. Even if I only sell one, I'll cover the cost of my seeds with enough left over to buy a six pack.

Mike

 

[Nova]

Buy six pack, burn flowers....

 

[wordwiz]

I've heard of burning buds but not the other word you used.

Mike

 

[Nova]

mmmmm buds...

 

[RingburnDave]

Congratulations you are officially a woman.

Please hand your testicles in ASAP.



Nah good on ya mate...

 

[POTAWIE]

There is nothing wrong with growing flowers, I made a living at it for several years. The big problem is all the water that is stripped from the ground to feed the floriculture industry when the resources could be used to grow food. Its almost as bad as golf courses.

 

[Pam]

There is nothing wrong with growing flowers, I made a living at it for several years. The big problem is all the water that is stripped from the ground to feed the floriculture industry when the resources could be used to grow food. Its almost as bad as golf courses.

Oh hogwash, floriculture in and of itself is far less detrimental to the environment than the over use of pesticides and fertilizers by both commercial users and homeowners in food and flower production. And *organic* floriculture, particularly in urban and suburban areas, supports wildlife. You certainly seen me get all squealy over finding caterpillars in the milkweed or fennel, or laughing at the antics of the little anolis lizards. Probably not one in a thousand homeowners would be willing to let their yard go natural to support wildlife, so we fall back on things like butterfly gardens and backyard habitats to make a place for wildlife.

 

[AlabamaJack]

Well Mike, you are not the only one growing flowers this year...I too may have to turn my jewels if that is a requirement for growing flowers...

the ones I will be growing are....

Tricolor Daisy Chrysanthemum carinatum, Gazania Daybreak Red Stripe, Petunia - Patriotic Mix Single, and Petunia Razzle Dazzle Hybrid Mix. These are all from Burpee..

 

[thepodpiper]

I'm there also wordwiz, actually I,m looking for some Bleeding Heart seeds and Dianthus.
I get ribbed from my brother in laws all the time. It's brutal.

Dale

 

[Pam]

Go Mike!

There is nothing emasculating about growing flowers. Peppers and tomatoes are easy to grow, flowers can be hard! It takes more skill and a broader knowledge of horticulture to be a good flower grower.

As to selling them, remember, if it has a bloom on it, they will buy it. Doesn't matter what it is, they will buy it if it has a bloom. They say they want something different, but they only buy the same old same old. No matter how many times you tell them that it's a shade plant, sun will kill it, they will put it in the sun, and come back and complain bitterly because the plant they got from you died.


And lastly, if you need a few other flower seeds to increase your variety, let me know. I'll make you a care package.

 

[AlabamaJack]

anyone ever see one of these shooting star plants?....I think they are gorgeous...I have seen them in the wild but never cultivated...wonder if they would grow here in north texas...I got a partial shade area they could have that stays moist next to my air conditioner...

http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/shootingstarx.htm

 

[Pam]

AJ,

This company

http://www.everwilde.com/store/Dodecatheon-meadia-Wildflower-Seed.html

Shows Texas as part of their range.

 

[AlabamaJack]

AJ,

This company

http://www.everwilde.com/store/Dodecatheon-meadia-Wildflower-Seed.html

Shows Texas as part of their range.

Thanks Ms Pam...I just ordered some...the minimum order was 350 seeds but they were cheap....

I will gladly share with a few people if anyone else is interested...

They were one of the plants we had to identify/collect/and press when I had my "Wildlife Habitat Botany" class in 78'...I don't exactly remember, but I think Wild Turkey and of course Deer eat them....

 

[POTAWIE]

Oh hogwash, floriculture in and of itself is far less detrimental to the environment than the over use of pesticides and fertilizers by both commercial users and homeowners in food and flower production. And *organic* floriculture, particularly in urban and suburban areas, supports wildlife. You certainly seen me get all squealy over finding caterpillars in the milkweed or fennel, or laughing at the antics of the little anolis lizards. Probably not one in a thousand homeowners would be willing to let their yard go natural to support wildlife, so we fall back on things like butterfly gardens and backyard habitats to make a place for wildlife.

I'm all for organic floriculture and earth friendly operations. My problem is with the large number of greenhouse operations that strip the water from the aquifers instead of collecting rainwater or using water saving techniques. The other problem with most floriculture is the heavy use of pesticides and chemicals that would not be allowed near veggies and these usually get flushed back into the groundwater Lets just say where I've worked there was no environment pest management program or organics happening

 

[wordwiz]

Go Mike!

There is nothing emasculating about growing flowers. Peppers and tomatoes are easy to grow, flowers can be hard! It takes more skill and a broader knowledge of horticulture to be a good flower grower.

And lastly, if you need a few other flower seeds to increase your variety, let me know. I'll make you a care package.

Pam,

Not worried about the male thing, the guy just up the street from me has one of the largest Day Lily collections in the country. What's odd about me and flowers is my disdain for bees. I'm terrified of them, especially the hornets and yellow jackets.

I should be set for this year, though I may all the Illinois flower. Besides the ones already growing, I'm planting a Giant Crimson Mandevilla, Kenal Hisbiscus, some Azaleas, double blossom rose and black peony poppies and Indiana Cockscomb. Oh, and several red as well as yellow wild strawberries. They are not runners but the taste of the berries is suppose to be exquisite.

anyone ever see one of these shooting star plants?....I think they are gorgeous...I have seen them in the wild but never cultivated...wonder if they would grow here in north texas...I got a partial shade area they could have that stays moist next to my air conditioner...

Now you went and done it, AJ! Linda will want some of those too. I want to build a water fountain/waterfall and have flowers that will accent it. That's one reason for the Angels Trumpets - They can loom over the structure with their blooms pointing to the water. I would love to be talented enough to design a fountain so that it has solar-powered lights that illuminate it during nighttime.

Mike

 

[NatGreenMeds]

Oh hogwash...

No, really, tell us what you really think... hehe

I love it when someone has an opinion and isn't afraid to express it!

I buy the flower strips every year and plant them down the 200 foot fence line in front of my house. I think it looks really cool. I don't do anything to them. They just grow and look like a multitude of colors. It beats the plain old green of grass....how boring.

 

[TXCG]

Pam,
What's odd about me and flowers is my disdain for bees. I'm terrified of them, especially the hornets and yellow jackets.
Mike

That makes two of us mike. I'll freeze up if one starts flying near me and squeal like a girl if it actually lands on me. This is usually followed by me running away in an attempt to escape and hurting myself in the process.

Got tore up by yellow jackets pretty bad as a kid. Was pretending to drive my dad's boat with my friend ben (we were like 8), and I turned the steering wheel and this nest the size of a softball fell off the steering column under the dash....you can imagine what happened next.

Screw anything that flies and has a stinger. Seriously.

 

[Pam]

Pam,

Not worried about the male thing, the guy just up the street from me has one of the largest Day Lily collections in the country. What's odd about me and flowers is my disdain for bees. I'm terrified of them, especially the hornets and yellow jackets.

Screw anything that flies and has a stinger. Seriously.

Bu..bu..but they're our Pollinating Friends! I love bees! I talk to them when I'm in the pepper garden and they're buzzing around the basil flowers, and they're so cute when they're all covered in pollen but are going for Just One More Flower.

Wasps, well, I grudgingly admit they are part of the natural cycle of things, but I hate it when they go after my caterpillars! I've been known to smack one right out of the air with a Diet Dew bottle when they buzz around the milkweed.

 

[TXCG]

Bu..bu..but they're our Pollinating Friends! I love bees! I talk to them when I'm in the pepper garden and they're buzzing around the basil flowers, and they're so cute when they're all covered in pollen but are going for Just One More Flower.

Wasps, well, I grudgingly admit they are part of the natural cycle of things, but I hate it when they go after my caterpillars! I've been known to smack one right out of the air with a Diet Dew bottle when they buzz around the milkweed.

Lol, i didn't say i didn't like/appreciate them but i'm f'ing terrified of the bastards. As long as they leave me alone i don't set them on fire....sounds like a fair trade.

 

[wordwiz]

That makes two of us mike. I'll freeze up if one starts flying near me and squeal like a girl if it actually lands on me. This is usually followed by me running away in an attempt to escape and hurting myself in the process.

Got tore up by yellow jackets pretty bad as a kid. Was pretending to drive my dad's boat with my friend ben (we were like 8), and I turned the steering wheel and this nest the size of a softball fell off the steering column under the dash....you can imagine what happened next.

Screw anything that flies and has a stinger. Seriously.

I had a similar experience. There was this big grain wagon sitting in a barn that had to be moved out. My brother was driving a smaller Massey Furgeson tractor and the back wheels were spinning so I jumped on the drawbar to add a little weight. Felt something stick me in the hip and brushed it off, thinking it was a burr from a plant. It wasn't - bumblebees had built a nest in the axle and they did not take kindly to being jerked.

Before I could kill all the bees (a couple got in my socks) I picked up over 32 stings.

Mike