Last week, seeking to escape the noise of sandblasting in our living room, I spent a leisurely hour after meeting a friend for lunch strolling my local garden center.
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| I restricted my purchases to seeds suitable for direct sowing in early fall here |
The seeds can remain in their packets for awhile longer until the weather is more hospitable but I'm afraid my shopping has already extended beyond seeds.
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| After discovering that I'd missed out on most of the begonias offered for sale at the local American Begonia Society's show, I browsed the plants available on-line at Steve's Leaves and ordered 2 plants. Begonia 'Champagne Bubbles' is on the left and Chlorophytum filipendulum subsp. amaniense 'Fire Flash' is on the right. The plants arrived in perfect condition and have found a home in my lath (shade) house. |
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| After receiving notice of a sale by on-line retailer Mountain Crest Gardens, I took the opportunity to order 2 Mangaves I'd been eyeing there, as well as a few other things. Shown here are the larger specimens in my haul. Clockwise from the upper left: Mangave 'Waterfall', M. 'Tooth Fairy', Aeonium 'Silk Pinwheel' and A. 'Cyclops'. They also arrived in great condition and were promptly potted up, pending eventual placement in the bromeliad/succulent garden area in front of our garage. |
I ordered bulbs too, a few of which have already been delivered but, as most of those, Ranunculus and Anemones, are intended for my cutting garden, I plan to hold off on planting those until I clear out some of my summer bloomers in late October. Meanwhile, I'm dithering with garden clean-up activities, like pulling out the carcasses of my two bloomed-out agaves. How about you? Have you plunged into fall garden activities yet?
All material © 2012-2019 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
Nothing like a little hort retail theory to soothe the soul. Fall activities are well under way here as we are living on borrowed time. Have purchased 4 trees and some shrubs (sale priced!), some rock garden perennials and a host of bulbs. Weather is conducive to planting so a joy to be outside. Happy gardening!
ReplyDeleteYour climate is fundamentally different from mine, Elaine. Garden activities almost come to a standstill here from September well into October. Our nights generally get a little cooler but the days can be very hot, as is the case at the moment. Although I long to get to work on projects side-lined by the heat, I can's work outside for long stretches and putting new plants in the ground now can be tantamount to serving them with a death sentence.
DeleteWill you be attending the Los Angeles Cactus & Succulent Society Fall sale tomorrow at the Sepulveda Garden Center in Encino tomorrow? Although I have a list of what I want to try to get, I have a feeling that I'm going to leave with a car load and a lot less money in my wallet...lol...
ReplyDeleteI've attended that sale a few times, Stef, but a friend (who lives in the Valley and wishes to escape the sizzling heat forecast for tomorrow) and I are planning to attend an orchid show and sale at my local botanic garden. It should be at least nominally cooler here. Enjoy the sale and stay hydrated!
DeleteA hortiaddict can always find a way to purchase new plants no matter what climate or building constraints are in the way! I have been buying too although with the drought it’s hardly a good time to be planting. Your seed packages look delightfully tempting.
ReplyDeleteSeeds and bulbs always give me a positive outlook on the future of the garden, Jane - and they're far less expensive than nursery specimens!
DeleteI just packaged up the seeds I collected for you, so leave room for them, too! I'll mail them tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteSince fall means the end of my gardens, I'm putting off taking down plants until they look pretty bad, lol. Can't face that 6-month dry spell when there is nothing in my garden - the thought makes me sad. :(
While I've often thought I'd like an enforced garden break, I've never envisioned anything other than 4-6 weeks. Six months would give me pause too, Eliza. I hope you have a trip or 2 to warmer climes in mind and/or you find a way to garden indoors on some level. You're always welcome to drop by here if travels take you this way, although both my house and garden are likely to be major messes for some months yet.
DeleteWe are having a late season mini-heat wave, high 90's yesterday and today which are projected to fall back into the 80's tomorrow. I'm hoping this is the end of the heat for 2019 but will not hold my breath ! We also had a mild summer this year.
ReplyDeleteWe've been hit with another mini-heatwave too, Kathy. The temperature today was even higher than anticipated with more of the same predicted for tomorrow before it backs off again. One longer-term projection I saw showed more ups and downs into October with no rain until November. *SIGH*
DeleteLove the looks of that begonia. Your seeds look so promising. Here I am holding off on any fall clean up. We are going through a hot dry spell. I hope it is the last of the year. Today is actually going to be a cooler day, only in the 80's, then back into the 90's. Bah... I am ready for some cooler weather.
ReplyDeleteI'm ready for that cooler weather too. We're supposed to be in the low 90s today but should begin creeping down into the 80s next week.
DeleteSeeing those colorful seed packets would set any gardener’s heart aflutter.
ReplyDeleteSomehow I always end up with far more seed packets than I can actually use, Susie, but they're a low price for the mood boost they provide.
DeleteThis summer I really ignored the dictum "wait for fall" to do things, bringing in new plants and constantly moving things around. And last week I pulled out a couple of summer things that were fairly low key and brought in two more...agapanthus! ('Storm Cloud') . But with seeds I definitely wait for fall too.
ReplyDeleteMore Agapanthus! That's a surprise, Denise, although I admit I've succumbed to their allure too (and I think I "need" a darker variety as well). With a summer this mild, I might've done more planting myself, were it not for the distraction of the remodel mess - when the workers are out of here, or mostly so anyway, I'm going to be tearing things out and replanting all over.
DeleteThe Hardy Plant Society of Oregon had their Fall PlantFest yesterday. I managed to only purchase 3 sempervivum, a fern and a fancy Venus fly trap. Plant shopping happens!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds VERY restrained to me, Loree!
DeleteYou've been using your time well. Good choices of plants and seeds.
ReplyDeleteNo, no shopping, no clean up yet. Still too hot!
Cleaning up the garden amidst the chaos of our remodel gives me a temporary illusion of control, HB.
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