Re: Re: Help with H. americana!

The Cyclamen are in leaf; don't know if they've already flowered.

Thanks for the cold frame info. I get pretty scared about testing something like that on plants that aren't my own, though. I just never expected Greer to ship so soon; thought they'd wait until proper shipping time for my zone. I neglected to fill in the space on their form to request a date.

Kitty
neIN, Zone 5
----- Original Message ----- From: "Marge Talt" <mtalt@hort.net>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 8:23 PM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Re: Help with H. americana!


You're welcome, Kitty.. Well, with little root on the Cyclamen, keep
them on the dry side of moist until they can put out some roots -
don't let them totally dry out.   I'm assuming they're dormant and
will prob. stay that way until late summer/early fall when it's their
normal time to wake up.

Ref the cold frame.  I have a block one, dug into the ground.   When
that's all I had, I used to put the cover down when the weather got
cold and cover that with old rugs and black plastic and just leave it
until spring when I could open it again.  Everything, including
evergreen stuff, came thru just fine.  That frame's filled with sand,
so I plunged the pots in it up to their rims and since it went into
winter damp from rains from the top being open, it stayed damp enough
for everything in the frame.

You could do the same with a straw frame lined with plastic and
filled with sand, and it sounds like you've got one more or less
started with your bales protecting plants outdoors.

This time of year, for new acquisitions, it's a bit more difficult,
BUT unless temps were heading down into the 20s, you could probably
leave the frame cracked all the time and still have it provide
adequate protection for hardy plants who arrive dormant or just
waking up.

Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
mtalt@hort.net
Shadyside Garden Designs

----------

From: Kitty <kmrsy@comcast.net>

Thanks Marge.  All the plants are potted in a medium with

reasonably good

drainage.  The Cyclamen is hederifolium; very little root but

really large

tubers.  I'm not good with Penstemon either.  This one looks

vigorous

though - it's woody and has about 16 inches of growth on it.

Verbascum is

something else that I've always killed and this one, though it has

begun to

leaf out, is small yet.  The Erigeron look as though they'll be no

problem.

I don't have space for a cold frame, but the main reason is that I

am

positive I'd do more damage with one than without.  I can't afford

an

automatic opener/closer.  I KNOW I will forget to open and close as

needed.

I have about 400 pots out there from last fall huddled against the

house in

2 places, covered with leaves and surrounded by upright straw

sections.

I'll uncover them in a week or so.  They don't need daily

diligence, so it's

a method I can manage.

I'll do the shop light thing for awhile and next week when the lows

are 30s
I can move the Greer plants to the Florida rm.

Kitty
neIN, Zone 5
----- Original Message ----- From: "Marge Talt" <mtalt@hort.net>
To: <gardenchat@hort.net>
Sent: Saturday, March 25, 2006 5:11 AM
Subject: Re: [CHAT] Re: Help with H. americana!


> Andrea....not Kitty, but I have received numerous lovely, large
and

> healthy plants from Greer over the years.  Harold Greer, who owns

it,

> is a world class authority on rhododendrons.  You should get a

good

> plant.
>
> Kitty...
>
> Your cyclamen tubers should be fine if what you planted them in

has

> good drainage and you can keep them cool but not freezing.  Keep
> moist but not wet.  Which species Cyclamen?
>
> No words of wisdom on Penstemon; I only kill them on contact.

Don't

> grow Erigeron.  Verbascum, if in leaf, is going to want as much

light

> as you can muster and good drainage.
>
> I should imagine all the above would do better in a cool to cold

but

> not freezing location.  The cooler it is, the slower they'll

start

> into major growth, which is best if they have to be indoors.  If

you

> don't have enough window, get one of those standard shop lights

at

> Home Despot or Lowes; they're not expensive; and hang it above

where

> you're keeping the plants and leave it on 24x7.  Seems to work in

my

> garage.  Start schlepping them out during the day if it's above
> freezing, if you can manage it.  I don't know if they were

greenhouse

> grown or field grown but even if field grown, Greer is in a

milder

> climate than you are, so I should imagine they'd need hardening

off

> before you put them out.
>
> You need a cold frame, lady, if you can't manage a greenhouse!

Would

> make your life easier all the way around:-)  You could make one

of

> straw bales and plastic for winter use.
>
> Marge Talt, zone 7 Maryland
> mtalt@hort.net
> Shadyside Garden Designs
>
> ----------
>> From: raider843@earthlink.net
>>
>> Kitty, have you had good luck with Greer? I ordered an Azalea

'Anna

> Kehr'
>> from them today. They were the ONLY nursery that had it that I
> could find.
>> I'm paying through the nose for it but I desperately want to
> replace the
>> one I left behind when I moved.
>> A
>>
>> Andrea
>> Beaufort, SC Zone 8b
>> raider843@earthlink.net
>>
>>
>> > [Original Message]
>> > From: Kitty <kmrsy@comcast.net>
>> >
>> > Sorry to hear about the damage, Chris.  Some things are

perhaps

> too
>> delicate
>> > to be handled that way.  Glad they gave you the use of their
> photos.  Do
>> > they take all their own photos?
>> >
>> > The Greer order I received had a couple of cyclamen.

Nice-sized

> tubers.
>> I
>> > potted them up in qts and the tubers are almost that big

across.

> I hope
>> > they survive.
>> > Also potted 3 Erigeron 'Darkest of All' (one so big I barely
> could get it
>> > into a trade gallon) 1 big Penstemon, and a Verbascum.

Anything

> anyone
>> > wants to tell me about them as far as holding them until

mid-May?

>
>

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