Green thumbs and dirty fingers.

[Kalamain]

Lemongrass. (Cymbopogon citratuns)

A good addition to any garden for the wonderful scent alone. But if you are equally happy in the kitchen then it can be used in many recipes or simply crushed and served in hot water for a very refreshing drink!

http://cdn.gurneys.com/images/500/76138.jpg

 

[pplwatching]

Living in the high desert of the southwestern US, I wouldn't mind reading experiences with drought tolerant and xeric plants (including pictures ) .

 

[Kalamain]

A little bit of a warning for people in this post.

Here in the UK we have been having a bit of an issue with a certain plant.

Cleavers (Galium aparine)

Its a plant that is VERY vigorous given the right circumstances and UK weather gives them just those great circumstances!
They climb over everything and choke out and spoil almost any plant you can think of. The only plant I have not seen spoiled is Convolvulus and thats because its more rampant!

It also has a warning attached to it. For some people, skin contact with it can cause an unpleasant localized rash. I know this because I often have to clear it up and I get that rash. Its painful and best avoided, so long sleeves and gloves are essential!

If you find it in your garden I would suggest that you pull it up, making sure you pull the roots with it to stop it spreading. You can compost it with other plant matter without any problems .

Some people like to grow it for its medicinal values and thats fine. But please be aware that for others, including crop farmers and the local amenity gardeners (Thats me, BTW), will not appreciate wild self seedings!

http://pics.davesgarden.com/pics/2004/03/04/htop/7297b5.jpg

 

[haha_on_me]

My 2014 garden had cotton.


http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac139/haha_on_me/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_125305479729631_zpsraotluia.jpeg



http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac139/haha_on_me/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_125329172999886_zpsporrhcut.jpeg



http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac139/haha_on_me/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_125335072465779_zpsikoznsl2.jpeg




And Kelly Burley tobacco.



http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac139/haha_on_me/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_125351456595183_zpsv2h9igvz.jpeg



http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac139/haha_on_me/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_125356078630891_zpswfhiozsf.jpeg

 

[Kalamain]

Living in the high desert of the southwestern US, I wouldn't mind reading experiences with drought tolerant and xeric plants (including pictures ) .

Hmmm... Xeric plants.
Well... The first question is.... How is your soil?
Do you have a lot of clay in it or is it good and free draining?

If its good and free then my first answer is Rosemary.

http://i.imgur.com/F85KZvt.jpg

From here you can go the route of Cacti and succulents, which is not for everyone, but will happily survive the hottest sun and bugger all rain!

For POIs I cannot stress enough... Alliums! (This includes chives). So many colours to choose from!

http://www.vanmeuwen.com/medias/sys_master/8826928562206.jpg
(Big image)

Another POI is Echinops (Not to be confused with Echinopsis)
http://www.finegardening.com/sites/finegardening.com/files/styles/3up_square_lg/public/images/image-collection/echinops_ritro_ruthenicus_lg.jpg?itok=7xSAYNAY
Not sure how these handle VERY hot climates though. This one may not work too well.

Hyssop (all kinds)
This one is Agastache (Agastache aurantiaca Apricot Sprite), Its a wonderful smaller plant, has a strong apricot smell.
http://www.tandmwholesale.com/image/cache/data/seeds/main/AgastacheApricotSprite-500x500.jpg

Just a few to think about!
Hope this helps!

 

[pplwatching]

The first question is.... How is your soil?

The soil drains very well. It's fairly loose, with a lot of sand and gravel in it. My dad loves his vegetable garden, which I have spent many springs tilling with copious amounts of peat, fertilizer, and topsoil. He has an enrmous rosmary bush, and lots of mint in the shade of the house. He does well with his vegetables.

As for me. I have several Russian Sage and one or two xerics who's name I have completely forgotten. I need to re-landscape my back yard and am thinking about a xeric garden with maybe a small patch of grass. I think I'll hire a designer, then do the heavy lifting myself. I wrote a paper for my Tech Writing class about water harvesting, and got some good ideas.

 

[bailadora]

Cestrum Nocturnum - "Lady of the Night"

This is the night scented Jasmine.

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/dc/d2/7d/dcd27d3cce844345b967ca4188102ac5.jpg

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/e6/94/70/e694708593cb698e1b98b48afecbce33.jpg

I love this plant. It reminds me of evenings spent on the patio at my grandparents' house. No matter how hardy it is, I manage to somehow kill most plants, so I've mostly given up. But whenever I happen to catch a whiff of night jasmine, it always makes me smile wistfully.

 

[Kalamain]

The soil drains very well. It's fairly loose, with a lot of sand and gravel in it. My dad loves his vegetable garden, which I have spent many springs tilling with copious amounts of peat, fertilizer, and topsoil. He has an enrmous rosmary bush, and lots of mint in the shade of the house. He does well with his vegetables.

As for me. I have several Russian Sage and one or two xerics who's name I have completely forgotten. I need to re-landscape my back yard and am thinking about a xeric garden with maybe a small patch of grass. I think I'll hire a designer, then do the heavy lifting myself. I wrote a paper for my Tech Writing class about water harvesting, and got some good ideas.

Mulch... Greatest thing for making sure all keeps its moisture.

Marigolds are fairly hardy to droughts. So it depends how dry you will allow your soil to get.

I'm on my phone at the no so can't really do pictures.

Done ideas for drought resistant plants

Note that they are drought resistant, not xeric.
You may well need to do some work on them.

When you said grass. Did you mean a lawn or ornamental?
Keeping a lawn in a dry environment will not be easy!

I saw a documentry about a group that managed to grow a crop in the Saudi Arabian desert just by tree screening, mulching and back digging. If I find it again I will post a link. I found it fascinating.

Good luck!

 

[Kalamain]

Permaculture.

This is the teaser to the documentary that I hinted to above,

This is the Longer version
AMAZING to watch.
I got it wrong... Its set by the dead sea, NEAR Saudi Arabia.

EDIT!!!

Added a link to this vid on home premaculture.
This has LOADS of hints and tips for those living in a hotter/dryer climate. Not so useful for me but even so I had a number of things to learn.

 

[HeatherH4ever]

My 2014 garden had cotton.


http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac139/haha_on_me/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_125305479729631_zpsraotluia.jpeg



http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac139/haha_on_me/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_125329172999886_zpsporrhcut.jpeg


http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac139/haha_on_me/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_125335072465779_zpsikoznsl2.jpeg[/URL


And Kelly Burley tobacco.



[URL=http://s893.photobucket.com/user/haha_on_me/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_125351456595183_zpsv2h9igvz.jpeg.html]http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac139/haha_on_me/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_125351456595183_zpsv2h9igvz.jpeg

http://i893.photobucket.com/albums/ac139/haha_on_me/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_125356078630891_zpswfhiozsf.jpeg

Love the pictures

 

[MeekMe]

I'm envious of those with yards for gardens. My little porch doesn't have much. I do have a marigold that has been continuously blooming since summer and refuses to die. So I keep trimming it and watering it. () My bougainvillea won't bloom, but I suspect the light it is getting isn't bright enough. I'm happy as long as it stays alive. (⌒-⌒; )

This is a very lovely thread, BTW.

 

[Kalamain]

I'm envious of those with yards for gardens. My little porch doesn't have much. I do have a marigold that has been continuously blooming since summer and refuses to die. So I keep trimming it and watering it. () My bougainvillea won't bloom, but I suspect the light it is getting isn't bright enough. I'm happy as long as it stays alive. (⌒-⌒; )

This is a very lovely thread, BTW.

Thank you!

Yeah... Bougainvilleas need GOOD indirect sunlight, and lots of it.

Congrats on keeping your Marigold going! I had a Himalayan Marigold go right up till Christmas a few years ago... Ok.. It was in my bathroom... But it kept doing!

If space is an issue, have you thought of doing vertical gardening?
There are quite a few Youtube vids that may give you good ideas.

 

[Kalamain]

No... This picture hasn't been photoshopped!

This is the hybrid tea rose 'Blue Moon'.
Amazing colouring and, because its a tea rose, a very nice scent.

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/124/b/c/blue_moon_tes_rose_by_darkangelhunter-d3fl2yv.jpg

 

[bailadora]

You know how I've said I'm mostly given up on trying to keep plants? I have...sort of. I have an aloe vera that's thriving, but that's because I leave it alone to do it's thing.

I also have a rosemary plant that is still alive by some miracle. But it's not grown appreciably since I bought it four or five months ago. When I first bought it, I immediately re-potted it in a larger pot, using Miracle Gro potting soil. It gets early/midday sun, and afternoon shade.

Any ideas on why it remains about the same size? Given my penchant for killing plants that IS minor miracle, but I bought the thing because I would like to harvest springs of fresh rosemary when I cook. And I don't feel I can do that until it's gained some growth.

 

[Kalamain]

You know how I've said I'm mostly given up on trying to keep plants? I have...sort of. I have an aloe vera that's thriving, but that's because I leave it alone to do it's thing.

I also have a rosemary plant that is still alive by some miracle. But it's not grown appreciably since I bought it four or five months ago. When I first bought it, I immediately re-potted it in a larger pot, using Miracle Gro potting soil. It gets early/midday sun, and afternoon shade.

Any ideas on why it remains about the same size? Given my penchant for killing plants that IS minor miracle, but I bought the thing because I would like to harvest springs of fresh rosemary when I cook. And I don't feel I can do that until it's gained some growth.

Is it indoor or outdoor?

Rosemary is a sun-loving plant and doesn't do well indoors as the generally dry air will suck all the life out of it.

If its outdoors... Maybe its potbound. Miraclegro does strange things to some plants.

There is also a thing called 'root shock'. When a plant is repotted and moved from a good spot to another spot it can get a set back. The plant is fine.. It just spends all its effort resetting roots and bugger all on top.

 

[bailadora]

Is it indoor or outdoor?

Rosemary is a sun-loving plant and doesn't do well indoors as the generally dry air will suck all the life out of it.

If its outdoors... Maybe its potbound. Miraclegro does strange things to some plants.

There is also a thing called 'root shock'. When a plant is repotted and moved from a good spot to another spot it can get a set back. The plant is fine.. It just spends all its effort resetting roots and bugger all on top.

It's outdoors, sitting next to the aloe. When I bought it, it was in one of those biodegradable things. The instructions said to tear off the bottom portion and then pot it in a well draining pot, with good soil. Maybe it's just establishing it's new root system?

How much longer should I give it before I dig it up to make sure it still has room?

 

[Kalamain]

It's outdoors, sitting next to the aloe. When I bought it, it was in one of those biodegradable things. The instructions said to tear off the bottom portion and then pot it in a well draining pot, with good soil. Maybe it's just establishing it's new root system?

How much longer should I give it before I dig it up to make sure it still has room?

If its in a pot you should be able to carefully turn it over and either tap the pot off just to take a quick look, or see if there are any roots growing out of the hole at the base.

How much of a size difference was the new pot?
Was it like going from a 3" pot to a 10" pot? That will cause it to really go for it on the roots! If its only a couple of inches then that would be fine.

Also... Don't be afraid to trim off the odd bit of stem for cooking. The pruning may well be the kick it needs to get moving.
Just make sure that you ALWAYS keep at least 2 growing points below your cut on a stem if you do prune anything.

I don't know where in the world you are. If you are northern hemisphere then we are now in the quiet time so it won't grow now anyway. If you are in the southern then it should be starting to grow and a little gentle pruning will be OK.

 

[Privates1stClass]

My neighbor grows these in his garden--says it's his favorite flower, but he doesn't know the name of it. Has an odd smell, but I find it attractive. Anyone know what kind of flower it is?

 

[Kalamain]

My neighbor grows these in his garden--says it's his favorite flower, but he doesn't know the name of it. Has an odd smell, but I find it attractive. Anyone know what kind of flower it is?

It looks a LOT like an orchid.

In fact it looks AMAZINGLY like this pic but photoshopped!

 

[MeekMe]

Thank you!

Yeah... Bougainvilleas need GOOD indirect sunlight, and lots of it.

Congrats on keeping your Marigold going! I had a Himalayan Marigold go right up till Christmas a few years ago... Ok.. It was in my bathroom... But it kept doing!

If space is an issue, have you thought of doing vertical gardening?
There are quite a few Youtube vids that may give you good ideas.

It's not really space (though I hate being confined to potted plants), the room has litter boxes and my potted plants. It's an issue of light. The room faces west so I'm careful of what I put back there. The bougainvillea was a gift from my husband, he just sort of picks things he thinks I'll like and gets them. Then it's up to me to keep them alive σ^_^; As it warms up I'm going to expand on the herbs and edibles I have. I love the smell of Rosemary so I'm definitely adding that in.

 

[Kalamain]

It's not really space (though I hate being confined to potted plants), the room has litter boxes and my potted plants. It's an issue of light. The room faces west so I'm careful of what I put back there. The bougainvillea was a gift from my husband, he just sort of picks things he thinks I'll like and gets them. Then it's up to me to keep them alive σ^_^; As it warms up I'm going to expand on the herbs and edibles I have. I love the smell of Rosemary so I'm definitely adding that in.

Maybe try some shade loving plants?

First off... Phalaenopsis orchids (moth orchids)
These are amazing plants and have such amazing flowers.

Lavender should do well too. Just be careful of overwatering.

Coleus - The flowers are not the attraction here... Its the foliage that you are going to be looking at!

Saintpaulia (African violet)
Pelargonium (Geranium)
Impatiens - This one will need the most sun you can.

All of these have nice flowers and don't need too much sun. But it needs indirect sun... If its too shady a room than you may need to settle with green leaf plants.

Can you put the Bougainvillea outside at all? Maybe even on your doorstep?

 

[monoblanco]

Great thread Kalamain! Thanks for starting it.

I'm more a vegetable than flower gardener but do have a few to share.

This is a Candlestick plant. Got a few (not this big) growing in the backyard, at least they were until the first freeze...

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID6112/images/Candlestick_Collage_Sept_2009_(resized).jpg

 

[Kalamain]

Great thread Kalamain! Thanks for starting it.

I'm more a vegetable than flower gardener but do have a few to share.

This is a Candlestick plant. Got a few (not this big) growing in the backyard, at least they were until the first freeze...

http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID6112/images/Candlestick_Collage_Sept_2009_(resized).jpg

Hey, no worries!
Thank you for posting.

My idea for the thread was just 'Plants and stuff'

If you have anything to say on crops please feel free to say something. I was going to do a small stint on soft fruit growing.
I am doing Raspberries, Blueberries and strawberries this year.

BTW... The candle plant (Senna alata) is the plant you get the constipation meds from!

 

[haha_on_me]

Love the pictures

Thank you Heather, Along with typical garden plants, I plant odd things in my garden each year. I have grown the oldest variety of sorghum, and a wheat the Spaniards brought the the Ameican southwest in the 1690s.

 

[Wild_Honey_66]

Thank you Heather, Along with typical garden plants, I plant odd things in my garden each year. I have grown the oldest variety of sorghum, and a wheat the Spaniards brought the the Ameican southwest in the 1690s.

that's really neat!