Petee

OK, the Asiatic didn't come through so here it is again....I hope!

Asiatic Lilies look like a white Easter Lily. A tall stem from which come a lot of short strappy leaves. The "root" is a fat ball with small hairy roots. Day Lilies are like the common "Outhouse" wild lily that we see along the roads in July, usually orange. The roots are like fat worms and the leaves almost come directly out of the ground with no visible stem.. Hopefully these pictures are in the correct order!

Wow! I've never seen and heard something like that added to a message! I think I'll let it just play!

Our trees had it to the point that the trees all died but they were planted in an area where the frost and humidity pockets. So much for not knowing what I was doing when we planted all those trees!

Could this be the problem with the Pear tree? http://extension.unh.edu/Agric/AGPDTS/Aptnfs32.pdf

If it is a very old tree it may have just lived out its life span, but if it's a younger one odds are it isn't going to come back. It should definitely have shown some signs of leaves by now. Ours didn't have any fruit this year because of the late hard frost but the people right across the road. higher up on the hill have a lot. Last year we had so many cherries that we asked people to come and pick. I still have a few bags in the freezer. I was using them like crazy trying to make room for this year's fruit. It's a good thing I didn't get them all used. Hubby wants his Cherry pie! :-)

Black and gooey or just black and dead.

Moonflower as in Datura (Devil's Trumpet) or the vine?

Peonies are all so beautiful. The fern leaf is not only unusual but the color is beautiful. Here is a link with lots of photos including this one: http://www.rcgardens.ca/galleries/galleries/peony.html

I would imagine that blueberries that far south depend on the altitude.

They are very expensive so if and when you do divide it make sure you know what you're doing. It's very hard to replace them. Research them well before you make a decision. I would be happy to buy part of it from you but I wouldn't want the responsibility of your own plant dieing out. They are just too expensive and pretty to worry about killing the original by transplanting. http://www.ext.nodak.edu/extnews/hortiscope/flowers/peony.htm http://www.fernleafpeony.com

They are very expensive so if and when you do divide it make sure you know what you're doing. It's very hard to replace them. Research them well before you make a decision.

I still have tomato plants from theplant sale and they're in good condition. Make me an offer. :-) I did the soil test too and they said Urea and Sulphur. The PH is too high.

Bore him to death! Actually that site has all sorts of info about groundhogs including how to trap them. I think there's 5 pages of assorted Groundhog info.

I have a huge Hav-a-Hart trap but can never get a groundhog to go into it. Am I using the wrong bait, not disguising it well enough, putting it in the wrong place? I decided I had time to do some research so here's what I found: http://landscaping.about.com/cs/pestcontrol/a/groundhog_day_5.htm Any other ideas?

I was replying to Madre's post about seed pods. I should have just replied to that. I'm wondering if Madre has a Brugmansia or a Datura. Sometimes people call them both the same name plus I've never heard of seed pods on Brugmansia. That would be good news. No more hacking away at my Mother plant to get babies......maybe?

Get one of the huge bales of Peat Moss and mix it with the soil in your beds. That and adding Gypsum available in boxes from any local nursery such as Hanzeleys or Alvetros will amend your planting soil well. The first application will be the only major cost. After that just use compost and your planting soil will stay softer. Clay soil also has more nutrients and will hold water through dry spells better. If you have a method of beating it into usable chunks, you can use old dry wall to add to your beds or to the compost bin. We added it to the planting bed at the corner of Long and Brady, and the soil was pretty good after that. Then I see that a lot of compost was added so the soil which should be beautiful to plant in.

Are you talking Angel Trumpets (Brugmansia) or Devil's Trumpets (Datura). Angel's Trumpets are a small tree with flowers that look down (from God) that is a Perennial and Devils Trumpet is a small shrubby plant with flowers that look up (from Satan). I've never heard of seeds from a Brugmansia. Is that what you are talking about? They are usually started from cuttings. Datura on the other hand, is usually started from a stratified (cold treated) seed sown directly in the ground.

To wet it just put it in a wide container. Spray lightly and stir, spray again and stir. Repeat till you can pick up a handfull anywhere in the mix and it seems damp. Cover and use the next day. No problem. No contamination. However, other than for seeds or cuttings I wouldn't use it for transplanting. It's not necessary. Then just use something like Miracle Grow potting soil.

A friend who had a greenhouse said that was all they used to start plants in. Truthfully what I got this year in "Seed Starter" was OK but if you don't know how to wet it, it's a bugger! We're splitting a bale of that mix next year and apparently it comes from Agway here in DuBois.

It all depends on your own tastebuds and what you want to use a tomato for. For flavor, the heirlooms are usually better, but some of the new hybrids are good too. They're popular for a reason. Romas are a good example that will probably never go out of demand. Some gardeners want that "Campbell" tomato that looks perfect. For that one, check the Celebrity.

We had a lot of them for sale at the plant sale. There should be ton of poppies all over DuBois! I think we had red, orange and Apricot in different varieties. They all go dormant soon after they set their seed (maybe July?) which makes it look like they died completely. However, they're not dead, just hibernating till spring....kind of like Daffodils. If you take the dried seed head, crumble it around the mother plant and let that area alone, they will start to come back late in the fall as very small plants. You can also set deep soil-filled pots in that area and you may end up with some in pots to transplant. Moving a year old poppy can be very frustrating as they have LONG deep roots and it's very difficult to dig them without breaking it. Then they do die.

You may want to make sure rain water cannot wash into the pond directly as it will carry a lot of sediment with it. You can taper areas so it washes around it. That is a real pond!! :-)

If you follow the flower stem down to the main plant stem (2-4 inches depending on the size of the plant), there's a kind of "hinge" that you can use as a guide in snapping it off. It makes a neater and healthier removal.

I had friend who would go out into her garden at night with a flashlight and find them in droves. She had a knife she reserved specially for her night time jaunts but sometimes she bagged hundreds. That's when they are mainly out feeding and you can see them easily.