Petee

I don't think there's going to be enough daylight and heat to make Cannas bloom much more this year, so it might be an interesting experiment to let it develop the seeds and see what they do next spring.

Datura is a short shrubby plant that has flowers that look up....Devil's Trumpet. Brugmansia gets much taller, is more tender and the flowers (trumpets) look down.

I trim off whatever I absolutely have to in the fall in order to fit the critter in the door, but no more. Then I water it enough to keep it from shriveling or putting on new growth till about April. Then I start feeding and watering it well to create new shoots. When it goes outside after the first frost, I chop off all of the nicest shoots and pot them up. I think I still have a dozen or so if anyone wants one. Just let me know and I'll bring a free one to the meeting for you!

For those of you who bought a Brugmansia from the BUDS at the spring sale, here's what you will have in a few years! This one is about 8 years old and I have to keep chopping it back to bring it inside for the winter.

It's probably a seedhead. http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/37506/index.html

I know they always say that you can't transplant Sunflowers successfully, but this spring when we planned on having sunflowers at the new Franklin Street planting bed, I figured I would try anyway because there was no way we were going to be able to get the seeds into the grouns on time. I got one flower out of about 6 I planted but they were old seeds. It was transplanted 3 times and is growing happily to about 6 feet. It is now ripe and getting ready to release its seeds from the main head so I think I will chop it off and see if the remaining two heads will also survive and ripen. Who knows, pending the delivery of top soil, it may make it into the ground for a week or so yet! :-)

The little bundle of leaves at the tip of each branch is next year's flowers. If you cut them all off, you will have no blooms next spring. However, you could do as the last poster recommended and only cut off the longest branches, leaving the leaf bundles on the shorter ones to bloom. You willl only have half as many flowers, but you will also have a smaller bush.

Wow, how nice! Some plants that normally only bloom in the spring will bloom again in the fall if the conditions are really good.

Bulbs? If you mean spring blooming bulbs, just move them right into where you want them to bloom next year. Try to not distrub the soil that the bulbs are in, and give the planting hole a good dose of bone meal. If you have bulb loving varmints, you may want to add some human hair or diatomaceous earth to the soil also.

I've had pots I've overwintered heave up out of the ground from the freezing and thawing, so be sure to check them once in a while and stomp them back down if necessary. They will benefit from a good mulching too.

Salsa Into a glass or plastic bowl, finely dice: 2-2

They're perennial depending on which zone they are planted in. Here in Zone 5 they will overwinter if they are somewhat protected or in a warm pocket. I have never had them overwinter at my home which is about 10 degrees colder than downtown DuBois because we are on a high windy area. However, they overwintered at the Historical Society in the downtown for several years. http://gardening.about.com/od/maintenance/qt/HardyMums.htm?iam=momma_100_SKD&terms=%22Mums%22

Wait till all the leaves fall and the tree "goes to sleep" for the winter. Then dig it properly and immediately replant it. It will never know it was moved.

You're plant is developing some new rhizomes, so next year you can expect more plants. You may want to try to nurture it as long as possible this fall to give the new rhizomes extra time to grow stronger. Maybe bring it in if there is an expected frost and then take it back out again till the daytime temperatures start to fall of there is a really hard frost. http://gardening.about.com/od/plantprofile1/p/Canna.htm

I leave mine in the pot, but let it dry out first. Then I stuff it in a closet in the basement. Check on them once in a while and if the soil is cracking because it's too dry, or if you see any sort of mold, either take them out and dry them a little more of add just a teeny bit of water. They want enough moisture to keep the tuber alive but not growing. They're like a Dahlia and you can put them into the same conditions such as a plastic storage box of peat, right along with your Gladiolus and other summer bulbs. I put each type into an onion bag after they're dried and mark the bag with the name on masking tape. Then about the beginning of May, take them out into a sunny place, and feed and water them. They'll be ready to go outside about the time of the last frost. Tender bulbs which go directly into the ground should go out about the last frost or maybe a week before.

Paying a fortune for an extraordinary plant can make you money! Just let it grow for a couple of seasons, making sure to divide and multiply them, and you'll br surprised at howq many you willl have for new owners. I have a Hawaiian Firecracker that I paid $6 for at te Pittsburgh Lawn and Garden Show about 3 years ago. It was just a dry bulb in a bag then, but in my front window, you will see 6 in a huge pot, all ready to bloom and they are fantastic. Next summer, I will have them in separate pots for a fee for the Garden Club. Sorry about my typing. I still can't see quite right yet.

I agree to get them into the garden, whether in a pot or not. A lot of the pots crack anyway Just make darned sure you mark them well!

Beautiful! We could have had a bidding war that day! :-)

Don't trust mulching it or my guess is that you will be looking for another one next year! Just dig it up when the frost damages the foliage this fall. If you don't want to keep it over the winter, I will be happy to keep it and give you back a growing plant in the spring. Then we can sell the extra bulbs! :-) Otherwise, just treat it like a Dahlia. It sure is a beauty!

Be careful to put the Mothballs in something where they won't melt and contaminate the soil. You don't want your tomatoes or any other veggies absorbing the chemical they are made of. I had a problem just like this but it was a groundhog. He was stretching up to get the best, ripest fruit and would just eat what he could reach or rip off of the bush.

Be careful to put the Mothballs in something where they won't melt and contaminate the soil. You don't want your tomatoes or any other veggies absorbing the chemical they are made of.

You can try this number and let us know if it's the right place? 427-2118

Peel and slice your cucumbers. Add enough Miracle Whip to bind them together, a little Vinegar, salt, sugar and just a little milk. Let them sit for a couple of hours for the flavors to blend.

Now is the time to doa lot of your pruning before the growth starts and leaves appear: http://www.emmitsburg.net/gardens/articles/frederick/2003/prune_trees_shrubs.htm

Snickerdoodles For an even better cookie, make them with real butter and add just a little more flour. I also prefer more sugar and less Cinnamon to roll them in. Snickerdoodle Cookies 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 cup shortening (or real Butter) 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons cream of tartar In a shallow bowl, combine 1 tablespoon sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Cream shortening; gradually add 1 1/2 cups sugar, beating well. Add eggs; beat well. Stir in vanilla. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, soda, salt and cream of tartar. Add sifted ingredients to creamed mixture; stir until well blended. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place cookies 2 inches apart on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 400